Systems and methods for modifying the number of texture samples used to produce an anisotropically filtered texture mapped pixel may improve texture mapping performance. When the number of texture samples is reduced, fewer texels are read and fewer filtering computations are needed to produce a texture value for an anisotropic footprint. The number of texture samples is reduced based on the mip map level weight. The number of texture samples may also be modified using specific parameters for the coarse and/or fine mip map levels. The spacing between the texture samples along the major axis of anisotropy may be modified to improve image quality or texture cache performance.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to computer graphics, and more particularly to anisotropic filtering of texture data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional graphics processors are exemplified by systems and methods developed to read and filter texture map samples. To simplify the texture map filtering performed within a graphics processor, a texture is prefiltered and various resolutions forming an image pyramid or "mipmap" are stored. FIG. 1A is a conceptual diagram of prior art showing the levels of a mipmapped texture including the finest level, level 101, and successively lower resolution levels, 102, 103, and 104. In some systems, mipmap levels are numbered such that level 0 is the highest resolution, "base" level, and level k is half the size in each dimension of level k−1, for all k up to the apex of the pyramid.
The region in texture space corresponding to a pixel is called the pixel's "footprint". A pixel can be approximated with a circle in screen space. For texture mapping of two-dimensional textures, the corresponding footprint in texture space can be approximated by an ellipse. In classic use of mipmaps, a mipmap level is chosen so that the footprint when scaled to that level is about 1 texel (texture pixel) in diameter. Then a bilinear filter is used to interpolate between the values of four texels forming a 2×2 square around the footprint center, to produce a bilinear texture sample. This is called isotropic filtering, because it filters equally in the two texture space dimensions, u and v. Although the filter yielding excellent image quality, the ideal filter, has an approximately elliptical shape, isotropic filtering approximates the ellipse with a circle, to simplify the texture sampling and filtering computations. Therefore, portions of the footprint are not sampled, resulting in visual artifacts caused by undersampling.
In FIG. 1A, a footprint 115 is a pixel footprint in texture space, with a position 135 being the footprint center. FIG. 1B illustrates a prior art application of texture level 101 applied to pixels of a surface 140 that is receding in image space. When viewed in image space, footprint 115 (an ellipse) appears as circle 116. All ellipses have a largest diameter, called the major axis, and a smallest diameter, called the minor axis. Isotropic filtering yields high quality images for pixels whose footprints have major and minor texture axes that are similar in length. But texture stretching, oblique viewing, and perspective can cause footprints to be very elongated, such as footprint 115. When isotropic filtering is used in such situations, a circle is not a good approximation of an ellipse. If the circle is too small (diameter close to the minor axis), the filter is too sharp, too few texels are averaged, and aliasing results. If the circle is too large (diameter close to the major axis), the filter is too broad, too many texels are averaged, and blurring results. Anisotropic texture filtering addresses this problem by using a filter that more closely matches the elliptical shape of the ideal filter.
FIG. 1C illustrates footprint 115 including a minor axis 125 that is significantly shorter than a major axis 130. Texture samples along major axis 130, the axis of anisotropy, are read from one or more mipmap levels and are blended to produce a pixel color. The level from which the samples are read is determined using a level of detail (LOD) value which is nominally the log base 2 of the length of minor axis 125. The number of texture samples read from the texture map is determined based on the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis, the anisotropic ratio, with more texture samples needed as the ratio increases, i.e. as the ellipse becomes more elongated.
When the LOD value lies between two integers, texture samples from two different LOD mip maps, a coarse and a fine mip map, are used to produce an anisotropically filtered texture value for the footprint. The coarse mip map has a lower resolution compared with the fine mip map. Increasing the LOD value effectively increases the diameter of each bilinear texture sample since texels are read from a lower resolution mipmap. Bilinear samples from the two LODs are combined based on the fractional portion of the LOD to produce an anisotropically filtered texture sample corresponding to pixel 116.
FIG. 1D illustrates a prior art application of ten bilinear samples, bilinear samples 140, that are positioned along major axis 130 to approximate an elliptical footprint for a coarse LOD mip map, such as footprint 115. Each bilinear sample corresponds to an isotropically filtered texture sample for an LOD of a texture map that is computed using conventional bilinear isotropic filtering. Each bilinear sample of bilinear samples 140 is spaced less than one texel apart. In some conventional systems, the bilinear samples in the coarse LOD are spaced by 0.5 to 1.0 texels apart. Therefore the coarse LOD mip map is oversampled, possibly introducing visual artifacts and requiring more computations and texel reads than if the spacing were one texel apart.
FIG. 1E illustrates a prior art application of bilinear samples, bilinear samples 150, that are positioned along major axis 130 to approximate an elliptical footprint for a fine LOD mip map, such as footprint 115. Each bilinear sample of bilinear samples 140 is spaced more than one texel apart. Therefore the fine LOD mip map is undersampled. The undersampling resulting from a spacing between one and two texels is generally considered to produce images of acceptable quality. Therefore, unlike the coarse LOD, fewer texel reads and computations are used to produce a filtered texture value for the fine LOD.
Accordingly, there is a desire to improve texture mapping performance by reducing the number of bilinear texture samples used to perform anisotropic texture mapping. Reducing the number of samples while maintaining an acceptable level of image quality may result in performance improvements due to fewer texel reads and filtering computations.

System and method for modifying a number of texture samples for anisotropic texture filtering


A translucent structure includes a translucent substrate and an antireflection layer provided on a visible side of the translucent substrate so that reflectivity of the translucent structure based on an SCI method is 3% or less. A visible-side outermost surface of the translucent structure includes a concave and convex structure as follows. The concave and convex structure includes a first convex portion and a second convex portion. The first convex portion has a diameter exceeding 10 μm and 185 μm or less in a specific section, and a specific maximum height is 0.2 to 8 μm. The second convex portion has a diameter exceeding 1 μm in a specific section, the number thereof is 0.0001 to 1.2 per 1 μm2, and a specific average height thereof is 0.1 to 8 μm.

In an image display device (such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, a plasma display, etc.) provided in various equipment (such as a television set, a personal computer, a smartphone, a cellular phone, a vehicle, etc.), visibility is lowered by a reflected image when external light such as indoor lighting (a fluorescent lamp or the like) or sunlight is reflected in a display surface.
In order to increase visibility, it has been proposed to apply an antireflection treatment or an antiglare treatment to a display surface of an image display device. In the antireflection treatment, an antireflection layer is formed in the display surface to thereby suppress reflection of external light itself. In the antiglare treatment, concave and convex structures are formed in the display surface to diffuse and reflect external light to thereby make a reflected image unclear. Examples of methods for forming such concave and convex structures include a method in which the display surface is etched, a method in which an antiglare layer having concave and convex structures in its surface is formed on the display surface, etc. As a method for forming such an antiglare layer, there is known a method in which coating liquid containing a silica precursor such as a hydrolytic condensate of alkoxysilane or the like is applied onto a substrate by a spraying method, and fired (for example, Patent Literature 1).
Patent Literature 2 proposes an antiglare/antireflection member including a substrate in which an antiglare layer having a concave and convex structure is provided in a surface layer, and an antireflection layer which is provided on the antiglare layer. In the antiglare/antireflection member in which the antireflection layer is disposed on the antiglare layer, it is said that reflectivity in the antiglare layer can be reduced to reduce the quantity of light reflected irregularly by the antiglare layer, and a more excellent antiglare property can be obtained.
However, there is a problem that, when the antiglare treatment is applied to the display surface, reflection of external light in the display surface is indeed suppressed, but sparkle occurs in the display surface to thereby reduce the visibility of an image. There is a tendency that the sparkle is increased as the antiglare property is higher. For example, when the antiglare layer is formed by a spraying method and coating liquid are applied repeatedly, the antiglare property can be enhanced due to increase in haze, but sparkle is emphasized. The same problem occurs in the antiglare/antireflection member according to Patent Literature 2.
Patent Literature 3 suggests that a plurality of convex portions are disposed separately on a substrate in order to suppress sparkle or the like on an image. Each of the convex portions has a shape like a plateau or an approximately circular basin with at least one edge, and a part of the convex portion in tight contact with the substrate is set at a size of 50 to 250 μm.
In Patent Literature 3, however, the haze is 10% or less, and the antiglare property is not sufficient.

Translucent structure, method for manufacturing same, and article


A rotation mechanism includes a first rotary member defining an axis, a second rotary member, a track disc, a first rod and a second rod. The first rotary member, the second rotary member and the track disc are assembled coaxially, and the first rotary member and the second rotary member rotate relative to the track disc. The track disc has a first groove, a second groove, a third groove and a center passed by the axis. The first and the second grooves are sited at the same circumference, and an extension direction of the third groove passes through the center. The first rod has a first end slidably disposed in the first groove, and a second end. The second rod has a third end pivoted to the second end and slidably disposed in the third groove, and a fourth end slidably disposed in the second groove.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotation mechanism and an electronic device. More particularly, the present invention relates to rotation mechanism capable of being conveniently opened and closed and an electronic device having the same.
2. Description of Related Art
With the advent of the information age, the computer products get more popular year by year. In general, for desktop computers, people put more emphasis on the performance and the desktop computer is not often moved, so that a desktop computer usually appears bulky and heavy and occupies much work space on a desk. In addition, a desktop computer needs to be connected to a display device via a cable, which makes the placing position thereof limited by the cable length. With advances in technology and the integration idea, electronic products are developed towards slim design, and such slenderized developing tendency of the electronic products leads to growing popularity of the computer devices that more slenderized than the desktop computers, such as all-in-one PC (AIO PC) or mini computers, in the market of electronic products.
In terms of mini computers, part of the mini computers have a plurality of stands on the bottom thereof which can be relatively opened and closed so as to provide better support. When not in use, the stands can be closed to save space. However, in operation, the stands have to be moved to particular positions one by one, which is more troublesome. Accordingly, if a mechanism that allows the stands to be opened and closed synchronously once can be designed, it will contribute to better usage experience for a user.
According to related technical documents and products that are published so far, a mechanism capable of rotating two coaxially rotating objects reversely, such as a rotation mechanism like a dual-propeller helicopter, is provided. The rotation mechanism utilizes a complicated and space-occupying gear assembly to achieve the coaxial but reverse rotation of the upper and the lower propellers. Another provided mechanism is a planetary gear combination which includes a sun gear located in the center, an outer ring gear surrounding the sun gear and two planetary gears, for example, engaged in the gap between the sun gear and the outer ring gear. With the transmission of the planetary gears, the sun gear and the outer ring gear produce coaxial but reverse rotation behaviors. Although the former can achieve the rotation of the two propellers at the same speed for the same angle, the gear assembly is excessively complicated and space-occupying. As for the later, the sun gear and the outer ring gear cannot synchronously rotate for the same angle, even cannot rotate in the same rotation speed, and much worse, at least four gears with different sizes are required, which have a great number of parts and are space-occupying. In light of the foregoing, the two known types of rotation mechanisms still cannot effectively satisfy the demands of the issues above.

Rotation mechanism and electronic device


A plurality of a U-shaped heat radiation plates are provided on a heat radiating tube. These U-shaped plates have different sizes and elongated in the same direction so as to cross an axis of the tube. The emissive heat radiator may also includes at least one radiating plate 2 substantially perpendicular to each axis of the U-shaped plates. A concave surface of the U-shaped plate is subjected to a radiation surface processing, and a convex surface thereof is subjected to a reflection surface processing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the structure of a heat radiator for radiational cooling in a heat generating device, and more particularly to the structure of a heat radiator for radiational cooling which is suitable for use in a traveling-wave tube mounted on a satellite, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
A traveling-wave tube is a device which accelerates electrons by a high voltage and converts a kinetic energy of electrons into an electromagnetic wave energy to amplify an electromagnetic wave.
FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a traveling-wave tube. The traveling-wave tube is roughly made up of an electron gun section 7, a circuit section 8 and a collector section 9.
A high voltage is applied between an anode 12 and a cathode 10. Electrons 13 emitted from the cathode 10 are accelerated by the anode 12. Reference numeral 11 denotes a beam formation electrode, and reference numeral 4 denotes an insulating ceramic.
Electrons 13 having a large kinetic energy pass through a slow-wave circuit 16. A synchronous magnetic field for beam convergence is developed by a permanent magnet 14 for electron beam convergence and a magnetic pole 15. On the other hand, a signal inputted through an input window 17a is outputted from an output window 17b through the slow-wave circuit 16.
In the slow-wave circuit 16, the input signal from the input window 17a and the electrons 13 are interacted with each other in such a manner that a part of the kinetic energy of the electrons 13 is converted into the electromagnetic energy of the input signal. As a result, the kinetic energy of the electrons is reduced whereas the input signal is amplified. The amplified signal is outputted from the output window 17b.
The electrons 13 that have lost a part of kinetic energy are collected by a multi-stage collector electrode group 5 that constitutes a collector section 9. A first collector electrode 5a which is situated on the electron beam input side is applied with a relative high voltage, but the voltage is lowered toward the electron beam end side in such a manner that a fourth collector electrode 5d is applied with a voltage which is close to a voltage applied to the cathode 10.
With the above structure, electrons low in velocity are collected by the first collector electrode 5a whereas electrons high in velocity are collected by the fourth collector electrode 5d.
However, since the electrons 13 do not collide with the collector electrode group 5 at a velocity of 0, heat is always developed on the collector electrode group 5. The efficient radiation of the heat and the suppression of the collector temperature as low as possible are required for stable operation of the traveling-wave tube.
In particular, in the traveling-wave tube mounted on the satellite, heat must be radiated, as much as possible, directly toward space as much as possible, so that heat is not transmitted to the inside of the satellite. The effect of heat radiation due to radiation of the traveling-wave tube mounted on the satellite deeply depends on the structure of the heat radiator and the radiation coefficient .epsilon. of the surface of the heat radiator.
Also, since a plurality of tubular bulbs are disposed adjacent to each other on the satellite, a structure having a heat radiation directivity tends to become important in order to suppress heat interference of the respective tubular bulbs with each other as much as possible.
The prior art that takes the above circumstances into account will be described below.
FIGS. 11A, 11B and 12 show an example of the emissive heat radiator disclosed in Journal "Space", combined Nos. 11 and 12 of 1994, pp. 18 to 20.
FIGS. 11A and 11B are a front view and a side view of the emissive heat radiator, respectively, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the appearance of the emissive heat radiator. The emissive heat radiator is made up of a cylindrical section 18 and a plurality of radiating fins 19, where a collector is inserted into the cylindrical section 18.
A heat that flows into the cylindrical section 18 of the emissive heat radiator from a collector electrode is propagated to the radiating fins 19 due to heat conduction, and is then discharged to the exterior of the emissive heat radiator due to radiation from the radiating fins 19.
In this example, the radiating fins 19 are designed radially with respect to a center axis of the collector. Therefore, heat radiation have almost no directivity in both of radial and axial directions.
FIG. 13 shows an emissive heat radiator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,623, wherein two funnel-shaped sections 20, i.e., truncated cone-shaped projections and one annular disk-shaped section 26 are provided on a cylindrical section 3. A heat which flows into the cylindrical section 3 from a collector electrode inserted therein is propagated to the funnel-shaped sections 20 due to heat conduction, and is then radiated from the funnel-shaped sections 20. All surfaces of the sections 20 and 26, with the exception of the surface of the disk-shaped section 26 facing an arriving electron beam are characterized by high heat emission. In contrast, the surface of disk-shaped section 26 facing the arriving electron beam is designed as a surface with low heat emission.
The traveling-wave tubes on a satellite are arranged in such a manner that, as shown in FIG. 14, collector sections 22 (including an emissive heat radiator) are projected from the satellite 21 into a space and arranged adjacent to each other in a line. With the traveling-wave tubes thus arranged, a large number of traveling-wave tubes are mounted on the satellite, and heat generated from the collectors is radiated directly toward the space, to thereby make the cooling of the satellite efficient.
However, according to the prior arts shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, heat radiated laterally from each collector is absorbed by other collectors of the adjacent traveling-wave tubes, to thereby develop heat interference. As a result, the efficiency of radiational cooling is deteriorated.

Emissive heat radiator with semi-cylindrical heat radiating member


An apparatus comprises a lens, an alignment feature positioned adjacent to a surface of the lens, a detector for producing an alignment signal in response to a portion of incident light reflected by the alignment feature and a portion of the incident light reflected by the surface adjacent to the alignment feature, and an actuator for controlling alignment of the incident light in response to the alignment signal. A method of controlling alignment of the beam of incident light is also provided.

Much attention is now directed toward the application of very small spots of light. The field of use is generally known as nanophotonics, although specific uses for these devices are found in optical and magnetic data storage, microscopy, and lithography, as well as many other applications. In data storage devices, the importance of using a very small light source is evident when one considers that the size of a single bit of information on a data storage layer is directly proportional to the spot size. Since storage capacity is inversely proportional to the bit size, smaller spots mean higher capacity disks. Likewise, smaller spots can produce smaller and faster computer chips via lithography.
Small sources of light can be produced using near-field transducers. One example is a combination aperture probe that uses a solid immersion lens (SIL) and a small dielectric aperture. The SIL focuses an incident beam down to a size that is smaller than the size obtainable with conventional microscope systems. Then the small dielectric aperture works as a near-field transducer to further reduce the spot size by at least a factor of two beyond what is possible with the SIL. Another example of a near-field transducer is a small bow tie antenna used with a focused optical beam to generate a light source much smaller than the illuminating wavelength.
A common problem with near-field transducer systems like those identified above, is that an optical beam larger than the spot generated by the transducer must be accurately positioned over the transducer for maximum efficiency. There is a need for a technique for aligning the optical beam in these systems.

Alignment feature for near-field transducers


A load port unit can prevent or control leakage of inert gas from an EFEM system to the outside. The load port unit used in the EFEM system is provided with an air inlet that opens on a side facing a mini-environment between the upper end of an opener driving unit and the lower end of the pod. The width of the air inlet opening is larger than the width of the opening of the pod. With this arrangement, surplus gas is sucked from the pod when gas purging is performed on the pod.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to what is called an equipment front end module system (which will be hereinafter referred to as an EFEM system), which is used in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like when transferring wafers stored in an airtight transfer container called a pod to a semiconductor processing apparatus and transferring wafers from the semiconductor processing apparatus to the pod. The present invention also relates to a load port unit used in the EFEM system to open and close the lid of the pod.
Description of the Related Art
In semiconductor manufacturing processes in recent years, there have been widely used a method of keeping a highly clean condition only in the interior of three spaces including the interior of processing apparatuses, the interior of pods in which wafers are stored to enable transfer of the wafers between processing apparatuses, and a mini environment (or small space) through which the wafers are transferred between a pod and each processing apparatus, thereby controlling the cleanliness throughout the process. The pod as such is a container composed of a body in which wafers are stored and that has an opening provided on one side thereof through which wafers are brought into/out of it, and a lid for closing the opening to seal the interior space of the pod. The mini environment has an opening portion that can be opposed to the opening of the pod, and a second opening portion provided on the semiconductor processing apparatus side opposite to the opening portion.
The mini environment is supplied with environmental air which is cleaned using a filter. The aforementioned apparatus used to open and close the lid of the pod, the mini environment, and a wafer transfer system provided in the mini environment are collectively called an EFEM system. In the EFEM system, the cleanness of the mini environment is kept to a predetermined level by the use of clean air supplied through the filter. With miniaturization and improvement in the performance of semiconductor devices in recent years, wiring patterns used in semiconductor devices have become finer, and it is required more strictly to prevent the patterns from being affected by oxidation. For this reason, systems in which the mini environment is constructed as a closed space in which nitrogen atmosphere having a purity higher than a predetermined level is maintained, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4301456 and Japanese patent No. 4309935, have been employed increasingly.


An articulated fire truck (T) has an extendible and retractable boom (11) mounted on the truck and extendible to a height above the ground where a fire is burning within a building (B). A drill assembly (1) is affixed to the end of the boom for drilling through a sidewall of the building into the building's interior. The drill assembly is maneuverable to drill straight through the sidewall as well as up and down and sideways so to provide an opening into the interior of the building sufficiently large that a nozzle attached to the drill assembly can readily spray water or a fire retardant material into the interior to extinguish the fire. The drill assembly has drill bits (100) located completely about the circumference of the drill assembly to facilitate up-and-down and side-to-side cutting to more quickly penetrate into the building's interior.

This invention relates to mobile firefighting equipment such as a fire truck equipped to fight fires in tall buildings; and more particularly, to a retrofitted or original equipment (OE) fire truck employing the equipment to breach walls on both the outside or the inside of a building. When the walls are breached, water or a fire retardant gas or foam is sprayed through in-line and/or peripheral nozzles onto a fire to extinguish it.
Fighting fires in tall buildings is extremely difficult. Depending on the location of the fire (i.e., on a streetside of the building where the fire is accessible, or away from a streetside where it is not), positioning fire fighting equipment close enough to the location of the fire so to be effective in fighting it can be very difficult, and sometimes impossible. Fire trucks are available whose hoses are extendible to great heights so water or a fire retardant material can be directed at a fire to either control or extinguish it. However, the ability to extend a hose to an appropriate height does not mean the water will reach the fire. This is because many times the exterior of the building must first be breached. If a window has been blown or knocked out, or if a side of the building has partially collapsed, water can be directed at the fire through the opening. But if this hasn't happened, then the hose must be trained on a window in the hope that water pressure will knock out the window and provide the necessary access to the fire.
Further, even when it is possible to direct water into a building at a great height, this does not mean the water will reach the fire. If the fire is located away from the opening into which water is directed, the water may not reach the fire and will no therefore be very effective in putting out the fire. Rather, any intervening walls or partitions between the opening into which water is sprayed and the fire must first be breached so the water can reach and extinguish the fire. Otherwise, the best that be hoped for is that the water directed at that floor will keep the fire from spreading. Overcoming these obstacles has heretofore been difficult to do, if at all, unless firefighters can reach the floor and breach the walls and partitions with pickaxes, spiked poles, or other equipment.
Besides these problems, another difficulty is that fire trucks, especially those used in metropolitan areas, are currently not designed for off-road use. That is, they generally must remain on a street and cannot readily be driven close to a building which is setback from the street any appreciable distance and erected on a hill, for example. Accordingly where the building is not adjacent a street, or there is an elevation change between street level and the building, it becomes significantly more difficult to fight a fire in the building.
The present invention addresses these problems.


A BTL amplifier has a resistance element connected to an output reference voltage input terminal of an inverting amplifier. For offset compensation of the BTL amplifier, a variable current source controller controls an input switching circuit to cause application of compensation input voltages sent from an internal reference voltage source to a first input terminal and a second input terminal. The variable current source controller also controls a variable current source in response to an output signal from a comparator to minimize an output offset voltage, whereby a current flowing through the resistance element is adjusted to control the voltage at the output reference voltage input terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a BTL (balanced transformer-less) amplifier and more particularly, to offset voltage compensation of the BTL amplifier.
2. Description of the Background Art
In an amplifier system called BTL (balanced transformer-less), two amplifier circuits are actuated in reverse phase with the aim of obtaining the output between their respective output terminals that is double in amplitude the output obtained when these amplifier circuits are used singly. An amplifier using such a system is called as a BTL amplifier, an example of which is introduced in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-335850 (1993) (pages 2–3 and FIGS. 1–3), for example.
An operational amplifier constituting the BTL amplifier generally comprises a transistor pair such as a differential pair circuit or a current mirror circuit, whose operating characteristic has great dependence on match in electrical characteristic between the transistors as a pair. When the input voltage of the operational amplifier is set to zero, the output voltage should also ideally be zero. However, a nonzero output voltage is produced due to mismatch in characteristic between the transistors as a pair that form the operational amplifier, for example, which means generation of an output offset voltage which is the voltage appearing on the output when the input voltage is set to zero.
For cost reduction of ICs, use of MOS devices as semiconductor device structures has been promoted. However, MOS transistors exhibit a wider range of variation in electrical characteristic than bipolar transistors. The operational amplifier using a pair of MOS transistors is thus likely to generate an output offset voltage and an input offset voltage (the voltage to give a zero output voltage). Accordingly, when the operational amplifier as a constituent of the BTL amplifier uses a pair of MOS transistors for cost reduction, the BTL amplifier may generate an offset voltage. Generation of an offset voltage may adversely affect a post-stage circuit of the BTL amplifier, or may generate unintended current flow through a load in a no-signal stage.
Techniques such as zapping in outgoing inspection, use of an offset canceller by means of a capacitor, calibration for offset voltage compensation in a system as a whole comprising MOS devices, and the like, are responsive to suppression of generation of an offset voltage in MOS transistors. Zapping in outgoing inspection increases inspection cost and causes chip size increase, thus inhibiting cost reduction as an advantage of MOS devices. Use of an offset canceller by means of a capacitor encounters a difficulty in maintaining the amount of trimming with stability, and hence, is not suitably applied in MOS devices operating under severe conditions such as high temperature, large current and negative voltage. In order to realize cost reduction while providing stable compensation of an offset voltage, calibration in a system as a whole is effectively applicable.

BTL amplifier capable of providing stability of offset compensation


A system and method of managing time-series data for smart grids is disclosed. Data is collected from a plurality of sensors. An index is modified for a newly created block. A one disk operation per read or write is performed. The one disk operation per read includes accessing and looking up the index to locate the data without movement of an arm of the disk, and obtaining the data. The one disk operation per write includes searching the disk for free space, calculating an offset, modifying the index, and writing the data contiguously into a block of the disk the index points to.

Smart grids promise to improve the efficiency of power grid systems and reduce greenhouse emissions through incorporating power generation from renewable sources and shaping demands to match the supply. Renewable sources include solar or wind. Power generation from these sources is affected by weather factors that can be highly fluctuating. To ensure these energy sources can be utilized efficiently, smart grid systems often shape demand through incentive to match the supply. As a result, the whole system becomes highly dynamic and requires constant adjusting. How to adjust the system can have a great impact on the efficiency and reliability of power grid systems, which offer many opportunities for innovation. In our previous work, we have identified and developed several applications that can be used to optimize power grid operations.
However, these applications rely on the precise estimation of the state of power grid systems. To enable precise estimate of power grid, enormous amount of data from millions of sensors from power grid must be used. Moreover, the relevant data must be delivered to applications within real time constraints. Even though millions of sensors such as phase measurement units (PMU) and smart meters are being widely deployed over the Internet, there does not exist a software system that can collect, store, retrieve, and deliver these amount of data in real time.
Most existing data middleware are either designed for small scale application or built on top of high level system software and APIs. Much indirection is introduced into these systems, which can cause both high overhead and unpredictability due to alternative execution path. For instance, to allow arbitrary insert, deletion, and modifications, the metadata block has to be traversed—and possible several levels of indirection blocks—before data can be accessed.
Other works have been carried out both in research community and commercial world to provide better means to monitor and control power grids. Most of the efforts are targeted towards scalability and Quality of Service (QoS). GridStat is a middleware that provides higher-level abstractions for programmer to develop applications for power grid monitoring. It allows for interoperability across different operating systems, network technologies, programming languages, computer architectures, and even across different vendors' middleware frameworks. It is a specialization of publish-subscribe architecture with use of status variables to provide optimized efficiency. These status variables are provided to publish-subscribers with specified quality of service (QoS) requirements, including timeliness, redundant paths, and computer security. It also provides its interfaces using CORBA, a widely utilized middleware standard. However, GridStat does not provide real time data ingestion and retrieval capability and thus it can only be used for current data instead of historical data.
There are some efforts towards a cyber-enabled energy management system (EMS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), with modular components and trustworthy middleware and heterogeneous distributed energy sources (DERs) added to future power grids, which will control and manage energy generation, transmission, and distribution. The information network, including traditional EMS and SCADA, carries out multi-scale networked sensing/processing, communicates distilled information across the grid, and facilitates the closing of a large number of loops in real-time, so that actions are appropriately taken in a timely manner to ensure overall reliability and performance However, those systems cannot scale up to handle millions of sensors as in future smart grids.
More recent work includes the design of large scale data middleware. For instance, Ghemawatt et. al, Sanjay Ghemawat, Howard Gobioff, and Shun-Tak Leung. 2003. The Google file system. SIGOPS Oper. Syst. Rev. 37, 5 (October 2003), 29-43, proposed Google file system, a distributed file system that stress scalability and fault tolerance. Beaver et. al., Doug Beaver, Sanjeev Kumar, Harry C. Li, Jason Sobel, and Peter Vajgel. 2010. Finding a needle in Haystack: facebook's photo storage. In Proceedings of the 9th USENIX conference on Operating systems design and implementation (OSDI'10), 1-8, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2010, reported Facebook's phone storage and retrieval system that can store petabytes of phone and support millions of stores and retrievals. However, these systems do not provide real time guarantees.
SciDB entails an attempt for a DBMS based solution that would meet the need of scientific uses and increasingly data rich science. It presents specification of a nested array data model based system, which provides "No-overwrite" storage and supports science specific primitive operation as regid and provenance. It uses multidimensional, nested array model with array cells containing records, which in turn can contain components that are multi-dimensional array. It also supports user-defined functions coded in C++, which can be used as an operator on data. These updatable arrays have a history dimension which keeps track of modification history of data to provide provenance. It uses a partitioning which changes over times to support applications where data ingest is not uniform over times—i.e. first partitioning scheme is used for time less than T and second partitioning scheme is used for time greater than T. It also stores self-describing data format so that it can operate on in site data without requiring a load process. SciDB does not tailor its design to power grid data and thus cannot meet the scalability and real time requirements of smart grid applications.

Method and system for managing power grid data


Disclosed is a device for positioning an injector in its circumferential direction so that a plurality of nozzle holes formed at one end of the injector connected at the other end to a delivery pipe in an internal combustion engine can be accurately directed toward corresponding intake ports respectively. The device comprises a clip non-rotatably mounted on part of the delivery pipe, and the clip includes retaining portions extending along diametrically opposite wall portions of the injector and having confronting projections adapted to engage mating holes bored in the diametrically opposite wall portions respectively of the injector thereby positioning the injector.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device incorporated in an internal combustion engine of a vehicle for positioning an injector having a plurality of nozzle holes.
2. Description of the Related Art
A multi-valve arrangement is now put into practice in an internal combustion engine for a vehicle for the purpose of improving the operation performance of the engine, and also a gasaline injection method of directly injecting fuel by an injector is now widely employed in such an engine for the purpose of preventing environmental pollution and improving the fuel consumption.
When the direct gasaline injection method described above is applied to the multi-valve engine described above so that one injector injects fuel into a plurality of associated intake valves disposed in a fuel system of the engine, it is necessary to inject the fuel toward and into the individual intake valves uniformly or at a predetermined rate. Because of the above requirement, it is a common practice that the injector is provided with fuel nozzle holes in a number equal to the number of the intake valves so that the fuel can be injected from the nozzle holes toward and into the corresponding intake valves.
An example of such a concept is schematically shown in FIG.6. It will be seen in FIG.6 that an injection 3 having three nozzle holes 3a, 3b and 3c injects fuel toward and into a combustion chamber 2 having three intake valves 1a, 1b and 1c. In FIG.6, the reference numerals 4a, 4b and 4c designate intake ports communicating with the respective intake valves 1a, 1b and 1c, and 5 designates an intake manifold.
In such a fuel system, the individual nozzle holes 3a, 3b and 3c of the injector 3 are required to be accurately directed toward the respective intake ports 4a, 4b and 4c. Therefore, various devices for accurately positioning the injector 3 in its circumferential direction have been proposed hitherto. For example, JP-U-60-84767, JP-U-60-137168, JP-U-60-173674, JP-U-60-173675, JP-U-61-41864, JP-U-61-86569 and JP-U-61-88061 disclose such devices.
However, the devices disclosed in those publications have had such various problems that rubber packings tend to be distorted during assembling, the injector itself requires a special structure, the injector itself requires special mechanical processing, and the devices themselves become complex in structure.

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Akbushiki Kaisha


A bicycle for providing stair-stepping exercise motion, recreation, and mode of transport comprising a frame that includes a unique triangular rear portion, a pair of wheels, one for the front, one for the back, a chain driven, teardrop-shaped propulsion system, left and right pedals having multiple positions between a horizontal and angular vertical upon which the operator rides, adjustable handle bars for steering, and a safety housing for covering the propulsion and wheel sprockets, chain, braking mechanism, and bike stand.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to manually propelled bicycles, and more specifically to exercise, recreation, and transport bicycles that include a pedal and chain mechanism having a teardrop motion that allows for stair-stepping type exercise propulsion during transport of the bicycle.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of bicycles for exercise, recreation, and transport and other activities such as racing is well known in the prior art. On a conventional bicycle the operator traditionally sits on a seat and the pedal motion is essential circular. The use of chain, multiple gears and clutch mechanisms in conjunction with the pedal and sprocket are well known to provide for different gear ratios between the pedal sprocket and the rear wheel and a clutch mechanism that allows the bicycle to continue to coast forward when the pedals are stopped at any position.
One of the problems with a conventional bicycle from an ergonomic standpoint is that the operator is in a seated position, performing mechanical work in a relatively stressful positionxe2x80x94bent forward at the waist, relying predominantly upon his/her quadricep muscles for propulsion and exercise. By placing the body in an upright position, the most efficient body position is achieved, utilizing a full complement of lower extremity muscles.
Stair-stepping type exercise is also known in the art. The objective is to decrease stress on the spine, joints, and lower extremities and to simulate walking upstairs for increased aerobic value. It is the intent of this invention to effectively combine the stair-stepping activity with recreational riding and transport by a bicycle.
There are devices shown in the prior art that attempt to provide a minimum form of exercise using pedals in an up and down motion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,089 issued Mar. 9, 1993, to Taylor shows a pedal operated scooter that includes cables, pulleys, and tension devices. The device is complex having a propulsion unit including multiple opposing sprockets and cables. The pedal mechanism is pivotal centrally.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,321, issued Nov. 29, 1994 to Berman et al., shows a dual footboard low profile exercise cycle. This device employs a chain and sprocket mechanism that is overly complex, expensive and does not provide a teardrop motion. It is believed that the teardrop motion provides better exercise results as a more natural movement for a person in the upright stair-step action. No related art presents a coupled oscillating teardrop motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,401, issued May 28, 1996 to Mohseni, shows a step drive cycle, having a conventional bicycle type configuration with a very complex proportioned system utilizing a plurality of belts and pulleys not in the present invention.
The present invention overcomes the problems in the prior art by providing a bicycle frame profile specially suited to a teardrop and stair-stepping type motion with a noncomplex propulsion system having conventional sprockets, multi-gear and clutch mechanism configured to provide for safe, stable, and efficient stair-stepping motion. The frame configuration insures that each pedal achieves a horizontal position upon a complete and full downstroke of each foot pedal. The invention also includes a spring-loaded, cable-controlled bike stand encased within the protective housing which allows the unit to be stationary in an upright position when not in use.
A bicycle for providing stair-stepping exercise motion, recreation, and mode of transport comprising a frame that includes a unique triangular rear portion, a pair of wheels, one for the front, one for the back, a chain driven, teardrop-shaped propulsion system, left and right pedals having multiple positions between a horizontal and angular vertical upon which the operator rides, adjustable handle bars for steering, and a safety housing for covering the propulsion and wheel sprockets, chains braking mechanism, and bike stand.
The frame is constructed of a tubular, light weight, strong material such as steel or aluminum, and includes a unibody designed center portion, a triangular rear frame portion which consists of a center vertical strut, two upper rear frame connectors, and two lower rear frame connectors which connect the rear wheel and the propulsion sprocket to the frame, and a forward angled frame portion that includes dual columns for retaining and attaching the front wheel of the bicycle.
The forward frame portion also includes a slightly angled yet substantially vertical tubular section to receive an adjustable height handlebar for steering. This forward frame portion may be hinged to provide for adjustable angular settings to accommodate various size operators. The steering mechanism is substantially conventional, as on a conventional bicycle in which the handlebars are connected to a pivotal fork that allows turning of the front wheel while the frame remain rigid. The forward vertical tubular section of the bicycle frame is angled upwardly to connect to or receive the handlebar support.
The rear portion of the frame includes on each side a left and right upper and lower rear frame connector that joins the rear wheel to the frame, essentially supporting the rear wheel in a fork to a main vertical strut elevated from the base of the frame. Specifically, the upper rear frame connector is superiorly angulated approximately 30-35 degrees from the center of the rear wheel, while the lower rear frame connector is inferiorly angulated from the center of the rear wheel to meet the posterior aspect of the intersection of the main vertical strut and center portion of the unibody frame. A superior sprocket is mounted on the superior aspect of the vertical strut at the intersection of the upper rear frame connector and the vertical strut and is connected by a conventional bicycle chain to an inferior sprocket on the rear wheel which can contain multiple gears, a clutch mechanism and a conventional bicycle propulsion unit at the rear wheel. The lower rear frame connector is angled such that the entire frame, especially through its middle portion, is completely horizontal to the riding surface and is about 6 to 8 inches off the ground. Preferably the rear wheel will be larger in diameter than the front wheel to allow adequate ground clearance of the most inferior aspect of the chain mechanism and protective housing cover, to allow adequate ground clearance of the down stroke foot pedal especially at the rear of each foot pedal, with its lowest position being horizontal to the earth and parallel to the unibody frame, to lessen the amount of work and effort required of the operator to achieve the desired speed and performance, to maintain a fairly modest standard length of the bicycle frame, thereby providing a shallower pitch and angulation of the foot pedals, thus ensuring stability and safer operation. The preferred ratio of rear to front wheel diameters is about 2:1. There appears to be no mechanical or structural advantage achieved by utilizing equal wheel dimensions, however, a step-cycle would function using equal wheel dimensions.
A pair of elongated left and right pedals are pivotally and moveably attached at the front ends to projections extending laterally from the frame on each side. The forward connection of each pedal includes an elliptical slot that fits into the frame projections that permits front and backward motions and pivotal motion of the pedal at the front portion of the pedal.
The superior propulsion sprocket mounted on the superior aspect of the main vertical strut includes two sprocket arms extending and rigidly affixed to the sprocket in opposite 180-degree directions that have connectors that connect to the rear end portion of each pedal which permit rotational movement of the rear portion of the pedal.
In its lowest downstroke position, one pedal would be horizontal to the frame and the ground, and the opposite pedal will be in its most angulated/pitched position while in its highest upstroke position.
A protective housing is used to encase the superior and inferior rear sprocket propulsion system, the rear braking mechanism, chain, and bike stand of the rear wheel. This housing is made of a bi-fold, durable plastic which is designed to prevent any interaction between these components and the operator or the operator""s clothing. This bi-fold design is held together with 4-5 easy turn screws which allows for easy access to these components.
Within the protective housing is also a spring-loaded, cable-controlled, moveable, rotatable, rigid bar that has two positions, up or down, that acts as a bike stand to allow support of the bicycle in an upright position when it is not being operated. The bike stand is stored within the protective housing when not in use. The cable-controlled bike stand utilizes two springs, one large and one small. The large spring with stronger tension is used to set the bike stand into the lowered xe2x80x9creleasedxe2x80x9d position. This spring attaches the bike stand to the fixed side of the rear wheel protective bi-fold cover. The small spring with lighter tension is connected to a stopper/latch which holds the bike stand in the upright xe2x80x9clockedxe2x80x9d position. A first cable end will connect to the small spring loaded stopper/latch, while a second cable end is connected to a handlebar lever accessible to the rider. By simply tightening the handlebar lever, the small spring connected to the stopper latch will compress and shorten, releasing the larger spring and bike stand into the lowered xe2x80x9creleasedxe2x80x9d position.
The operator can stand on each pedal and apply downward pressure on one of the pedals to begin propulsion of the bicycle, thereafter alternating this stair-step action between pedals. This continued stair-stepping motion can be continuously applied or the operator can stop the stair-step motion and the bicycle will continue to coast because the sprocket clutch allows free wheeling of the bicycle in a forward direction when the pedals are not being operated. During operation of the stair-stepping motion on the propulsion unit, each pedal can move backwards and forwards at the forward portion of the pedal and circularly at the rear portion of the pedal providing an overall natural teardrop exercise motion. The low angled frame of the bicycle is very stable and reduces the center of gravity. The triangular rear frame portion includes one main vertical strut, two lower rear frame connectors, and two upper rear frame connectors, which are angled at approximately 30 to 35 degrees and provide the proper orientation and range of motion of the pedals during exercising while providing a noncomplex propulsion unit using conventional bicycle sprockets and a multiple gear mechanism.
Conventional type brake pads are uniquely positioned on the two lower rear frame connectors, angled superiorly and obliquely. These brake pads are covered by the protective housing. These rear brake pads create drag on the bicycle rear tire from a hand actuated hinged handle mounted on the handlebars to which the brake cables are connected. Front brake pads will be utilized in the same conventional manner on the front wheel.
It is the object of this invention to provide an improved bicycle for exercise, recreation, and transport which uses a teardrop stair-stepping motion to propel the bicycle.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improved bicycle construction utilizing a substantially conventional sprocket and chain technology in a noncomplex way to provide a stable platform for a teardrop stair-stepping exercise and mode of transportation.
Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
In accordance with these and other objects, which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.

Step-cycle for exercise, recreation, and transport


A method and apparatus for operating logic circuitry with recycled energy. Logic circuitry is used which has a node for storing energy and a return node that is connected to energy storage circuitry. The logic circuitry operates, using energy stored on the node, to determine a logic output based on a logic input during a first phase. The energy storage circuitry capture a portion of the stored energy during the operation of the logic circuitry and transfers a portion of the captured energy back to the node during a second phase. The energy storage circuitry oscillates with a determinable period and is tunable so that its oscillations can be synchronized to a clock.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to reduced power operation of digital circuitry and more specifically to a method and apparatus for operating logic circuitry with alternating power phases.
2. Description of the Related Art
Advances in VLSI fabrication in recent years have greatly increased the levels of integration in digital integrated circuitry with the advent of submicron geometries. However, there has also been an increase in the speed and functionality in such circuitry. One example is the Pentium III microprocessor, which has several million transistors in a 1 cm2 area. While these trends are good from the standpoint of delivering increased capabilities to the electronics consumer there has developed a major problem, which is the power consumption of these devices. The Pentium III processor, while having exceptional performance, also has exceptional power dissipation—in the range of about 27 watts for an 866 MHz Pentium III. Adding to the problem, many portable computer systems, such as laptops, personal organizers and cellular telephones, demand the use of the highest performance integrated circuitry but do not have the battery power to run such circuitry for extended periods of time. Battery systems simply have not kept pace with the demands of the technology. To make matters worse, many portable or mobile systems have physical size constraints that preclude the use of extensive cooling devices to remove the power from the integrated circuitry.
Most of the digital integrated circuitry used for today's high performance and high power devices is CMOS circuitry. Power consumption for CMOS circuitry is the sum of static power dissipation and dynamic power dissipation. The former PS is the result of leakage current while the latter PD is the sum of transient power consumption PT and capacitive-load power consumption PL.
Transient power consumption PT, in turn, results from current that travels between the supply and ground (known as through current) when the CMOS device switches and current required to charge internal switching nodes within the device (known as switching current), the charging and discharging of internal nodes being the predominant cause. Capacitive-load power consumption PL is caused by charging and discharging an external load capacitance.
FIG. 1 shows a typical CMOS inverter circuit 10 which includes a p-channel MOS transistor 12 and an n-channel MOS transistor 14, the gates 16, 18 of the transistors 12, 14 being connected together and to the inverter input 20, the drains 22, 24 of the transistors being connected together and to the inverter output 26. The source 30 of the p-channel transistor 12 is connected to the voltage supply Vdd and the source 28 of the n-channel transistor 14 is connected to ground (Vss). The output of the inverter 26 is connected to other CMOS circuitry whose loading characteristics are capacitive in nature. This external capacitive loading is modeled by a capacitor 32 connected to the inverter output 26. When the input 20 to the logic circuit 10 is driven low, p-channel transistor 12 turns on, causing the capacitive load 32 with value CL to be charged from the supply Vdd through the p-channel transistor 12 and registering a logic ONE at the output 26. Similarly, when the input 20 is driven high, the p-channel transistor 12 turns off and the n-channel transistor 14 turns on, allowing charge stored in the capacitive load 32 to be transferred through the n-channel transistor 14 to ground, thus registering a logic ZERO at the output 26. Each cycle of the input signal results in a transfer of charge to and from the capacitive load, which is equivalent to an energy transfer of (½×CL×ΔVC2) to charge and (½×CL×ΔVd2) to discharge the capacitive load, where CL is the value of the capacitive load, ΔVc, is the change in voltage across the capacitive load when charging the load and ΔVd, is change in voltage across the capacitive load when discharging the load. This energy ½×CL×(ΔVc2+ΔVd2) is dissipated as heat. Ultimately, the dynamic energy, on the order of 10−12 Joules (assuming CL to be about 1 pf, which includes load and wiring capacitance, and ΔV to be about a volt), used to operate the circuit of FIG. 1 over a single cycle is lost.
Furthermore, if the cycle of charging and discharging occurs at a frequency f, then the power consumed by the circuit of FIG. 1 is approximately f×C×(ΔV)2 where equal voltage changes are assumed for charging and discharging. Currently, the frequency of operation of CMOS circuits is as high as 109 Hz. This means that even though the energy consumed over one cycle by a simple CMOS gate is very low, the power consumed when a gate is operated continuously at very high frequencies can be appreciable (on the order of 10−3 Watts). When there are millions of such gates on a semiconductor die the problem is again multiplied resulting in many tens of Watts being consumed and a large fraction of that power being dissipated as heat.
A common approach to alleviate this problem has been to reduce the supply voltage because the savings in power consumption is proportional to the square of the voltage reduction. However, reduction of the power supply voltage causes other problems which include increasing the susceptibility of the circuit to noise and increased transistor leakage current because the threshold voltage of the MOS transistors must be reduced to permit the devices to operate on the lower supply voltage.
Therefore, there is a need for high-speed, high-functionality integrated circuit devices that have very low power consumption without depending on low supply voltages to achieve the reduction in power consumption.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Resonant logic and the implementation of low power digital integrated circuits


An apparatus and method for effectively implementing a wireless television system may include a communications processor and a transmitter device that combine at least one of a local-area network interface, a wide-area network interface, and one or more television data interfaces for effectively performing a wireless network transmission process. A transmitted stream from the wireless television system may be received via wireless network processing for viewing local-area network data, wide-area network data (such as Internet data), or television data by flexibly utilizing various electronic devices such as a notepad personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a handheld TV remote control device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to enhanced television systems, and relates more particularly to an apparatus and method for effectively implementing a wireless television system.
2. Description of the Background Art
Developing an effective method for implementing enhanced television systems is a significant consideration for contemporary television designers and manufacturers. In conventional television systems, a display device may be utilized to view program information received from a program source. The conventional display device is typically positioned in a stationary location because of restrictions imposed by various physical connections that electrically couple the display device to input devices, output devices, and operating power. Other considerations such as display size and display weight may also significantly restrict viewer mobility in traditional television systems.
Portable television displays may advantageously provide viewers with additional flexibility when choosing an appropriate viewing location. For example, in a home environment, a portable television may readily be relocated to view programming at various remote locations throughout the home. A user may thus flexibly view television programming, even while performing other tasks in locations that are remote from a stationary display device.
However, portable television systems typically possess certain detrimental operational characteristics that diminish their effectiveness for use in modern television systems. For example, in order to eliminate restrictive physical connections, portable televisions typically receive television signals that are propagated from a remote terrestrial television transmitter to an antenna that is integral with the portable television. Because of the size and positioning constraints associated with a portable antenna, such portable televisions typically exhibit relatively poor reception characteristics, and the subsequent display of the transmitted television signals is therefore often of inadequate quality.
Other factors and considerations are also relevant to effectively implementing an enhanced wireless television system. For example, the evolution of digital data network technology and wireless digital broadcasting techniques may provide additional flexibility and increased quality to portable television systems. However, current wireless data networks typically are not optimized for flexible transmission and reception of video information.
Furthermore, a significant proliferation in the number of potential program sources (both analog and digital) may benefit a system user by providing an abundance of program material for selective viewing. In particular, an economical wireless television system for flexible home use may enable television viewers to significantly improve their television-viewing experience by facilitating portability while simultaneously providing an increased number of program source selections.
However, because of the substantially increased system complexity, such an enhanced wireless television system may require additional resources for effectively managing the control and interaction of various system components and functionalities. Therefore, for all the foregoing reasons, developing an effective method for implementing enhanced television systems remains a significant consideration for designers and manufacturers of contemporary television systems.

Method for implementing a remote display system with transcoding


An electrical computer system processing architecture for providing fairness amongst client computers of the computer system is disclosed. The electrical computer system processing architecture comprises a plurality of client computers connected to at least one server by a computer network. Each of the client computers is configured to provide requests to the at least one server. The or each server comprises a store for storing requests provided by the plurality of client computers. The or each server is configured to: match complementary requests from the plurality of client computers stored in the store; following matching of complementary requests, assign an indication of how well the requests have been met compared to requests of other client computers of the computer system; accumulate the indications to form an accumulation of indications; and when the accumulation exceeds a predetermined threshold, match future requests in favor of the client computer whose requests have not been met as favorably with requests of other client computers of the computer system, thereby providing fairness amongst client computers of the computer system.

Today's computer systems typically include many different computers such as servers and general-purpose personal computers (such as, desktop and laptop computers) acting as clients that are connected to the servers on a computer network. The servers provide resources to the clients by request of the clients. Each server can match complementary requests from the clients using the server. However, this type of system may appear to bias one client's requests over another client's requests.

Electrical computer system processing architecture for equitable assignment of improvements


A method and system for populating identities in a message service involves registering a user of a first messaging service with a second messaging service. User identities for users other than the registered user may be identified. These user identities may be associated with the first messaging service and may be stored in a list associated with the registered user. It is determined if each identified user identity has a matching user identity associated with the second messaging service. If so, a database associated with the second messaging service is populated with the matching user identities. Determining whether a matching user identity exists may be performed, for example, by making character strings comparisons between user identities or using a database that stores a mapping of first messaging service user identities to second messaging service user identities. The mapping database may be generated as corresponding user identities are discovered.

Numerous different service providers offer online messaging services, such as email and instant messaging. Such messaging services allow subscribers to communicate electronically through a wireless network, Internet, LAN, and/or other communication media. Subscribers are identified within each messaging service by a unique identifier, such as an identifier (e.g., a screen name) or email address. An instant messaging service offers users the ability to communicate with other users who are online and signed onto the instant messaging service who are on the same instant messaging service. Generally, each subscriber stores the identifiers of other subscribers with whom he communicates using instant messages in a contact list that is associated with the instant messaging service. The contact list may be stored locally on the subscriber's computer, PDA, or other communication device and/or may be stored remotely on a server associated with the instant messaging service.
Yet subscribers may only communicate with other subscribers. Thus, if a subscriber wants to switch to or add a new instant messaging service, the contact list for the original instant messaging service is not usable on the new service. Accordingly, if the subscriber wants to continue to exchange instant messages with some or all of the same people on the new service, the subscriber must first determine which of those people subscribe to the new service and/or convince others to switch to or add the new service, find out the identifier on the new service for each of the other people, and manually add each such identifier to the subscriber's contact list on the new service.

Enabling identification of online identities between different messaging services


A filter arrangement for use with a vessel that receives fluid includes a body engageable with the vessel. The body has an inlet port, an outlet port, a body cavity, a first fluid path disposed between the inlet port and body cavity, and a second fluid path disposed between the body cavity and the outlet port. A filter is disposed at least partially in the body cavity, and includes a filter cavity and filter media for filtering the fluid. A valve is associated with the body for allowing the fluid to flow into and out of the vessel. When the fluid flows into the vessel, the fluid flows through the filter cavity and along the first fluid path without flowing through the filter media. When the fluid flows out of the vessel, the fluid flows along the first fluid path, through the filter media and along the second fluid path.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a filter arrangement for use with a vessel that is configured to receive fluid, and the arrangement includes a particle filter having filter media that can be bypassed when the vessel is being filled.
2. Background Art
Particle filters are used in fuel systems to remove particles, such as dirt and/or metal particles, from fuel that is supplied to an engine. In one known fuel system, a particle filter is located downstream of a vessel or cylinder containing compressed fuel, such as natural gas, and upstream of a pressure regulator that regulates pressure of the fuel supplied to an engine. The fuel system also includes a cylinder valve mounted on the cylinder for controlling flow of fuel out of the cylinder. The fuel system may also include additional cylinders connected in series, and additional cylinder valves connected to the additional cylinders.
While such a system is effective, it is desirable to provide a simplified system in which multiple components are combined together and are disposed proximate a particular cylinder.
Under the invention, a filter arrangement is provided for use with a vessel configured to receive fluid. The filter arrangement includes a body engageable with the vessel and having an inlet port, an outlet port, a body cavity, a first fluid path disposed between the inlet port and the body cavity, and a second fluid path disposed between the body cavity and the outlet port. The filter arrangement further comprises an additional inlet port in fluid communication with the body cavity for receiving fluid from a fluid source. For example, the additional inlet port may receive fluid from one or more additional vessels. A filter is disposed at least partially in the body cavity, and the filter defines a filter cavity. The filter further includes filter media for filtering the fluid. Advantageously, the filter may be used to filter fluid from such additional vessels. A valve is associated with the body for allowing the fluid to flow into the vessel and out of the vessel. When the fluid flows into the vessel, the fluid flows through the filter cavity and along the first fluid path without flowing through the filter media. When the fluid flows out of the vessel, the fluid flows along the first fluid path, through the filter media and along the second fluid path.
Advantageously then, the filter arrangement is configured such that the filter media can be bypassed during a vessel filling operation. As a result, the flow of fluid is not restricted by the filter during such a filling operation.
In one embodiment of the invention, the filter arrangement further includes a pressure regulating device disposed in the body for regulating pressure of the fluid. Such a pressure regulating device may also be used to regulate pressure of fluid provided by other fluid sources.
Further under the invention, a system for filtering fluid is provided. The system comprises a vessel for receiving fluid, and a body engaged with the vessel. The body has an inlet port, an outlet port, a body cavity, a first fluid path disposed between the body cavity and the inlet port, and a second fluid path disposed between the body cavity and the outlet port. A filter is disposed at least partially in the body cavity, and the filter defines a filter cavity. The filter further includes filter media for filtering the fluid. A valve is associated with the body for allowing the fluid to flow into the vessel and out of the vessel. When the fluid flows into the vessel, the fluid flows through the filter cavity and along the first fluid path without flowing through the filter media. When the fluid flows out of the vessel, the fluid flows along the first fluid path, through the filter media and along the second fluid path.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best modes for carrying out the invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A mixture useful as plasticizer comprises trimellitic esters and polyether polyol esters, characterized in that the mixture comprises from 1 to 99% by weight of trimellitic esters and 99 to 1% by weight of polyether polyol esters, wherein the polyether polyol esters can be derived from linear or branched, aliphatic monocarboxylic acids having 3 to 20 carbon atoms in the molecule.

For production of semifinished products and finished products from polyvinyl chloride, plasticizers are used on a large scale, these typically being combined with the polymer pellets during a mixing and heating operation according to the prior art, such that the polymer pellets either dissolve in the plasticizer or the plasticizer is absorbed by the polymer pellets. The polymer plasticized in this way is then processed further by extrusion or other forming techniques to give semifinished products or finished products. A comprehensive description of the prior art can be found, for example, in C. E. Wilkes, J. W. Summers, C. A. Daniels; "PVC Handbook", Hanser-Verlag 2005. The efficiency of the plasticizers is typically measured by the processing properties that they permit during compounding and by the physicochemical properties of the material after processing. Important properties are, for example, low volatility during processing to give the compound, rapid diffusion capacity into the polymer matrix, good thermal stability with a view to resistance to decomposition or discoloration, and a good profile of mechanical properties, in which a favourable combination of breaking strength, hardness and bending strength is typically required. In addition, favourable low-temperature properties may be called for if the material is used to produce, for example, mouldings which are used in cryotechnology, for example. Further demands with regard to the toxicological properties of the processing aids used may also be made on materials which are used in contact with food and drink, in medical technology, or else for production of children's toys.
Phthalic esters which have been used for some time as plasticizers impart a favourable performance profile to the PVC materials with low production costs, and these are therefore counted among the universal plasticizers. These include, for example, dioctyl phthalate (DOP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP) or else diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP). With specific plasticizers, however, it is possible to influence certain desirable properties, for example low-temperature bending resistance or impact resistance, thermal stability, fire resistance or migration resistance. These speciality plasticizers include, for example, the esters of mono- or tribasic aromatic carboxylic acids or di- or polybasic aliphatic carboxylic acids.
It is additionally known that universal plasticizers can be processed in combination with what are called extenders in order to reduce the manufacturing costs of PVC component production. The extenders used are, for example, naphtha-based hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons or else chlorinated hydrocarbons, the latter additionally exerting a flame-retarding effect. Such extenders generally have only limited compatibility with the PVC polymer matrix and have a tendency to migrate out of the moulding in the course of ageing processes or to separate from the polymer matrix in the moulding. The result is generally unwanted release to the environment, and also an unwanted reduction in the mechanical properties of the moulding, which is generally manifested in the form of embrittlement.
However, not only the extenders result in unwanted separation and migration out of the PVC component; the primary plasticizers also exhibit a more or less marked migration tendency which can lead to unwanted degradation of the material properties in the course of component ageing.
The group of the phthalic esters which have been used over a long period as plasticizers in the PVC-processing industry, the protagonist of which can be regarded as dioctyl phthalate, has additionally long been the subject of intensive toxicological studies, since it is suspected that they can adversely affect the human hormone system as what are called endocrine disruptors. The possible influence thereof on human health has led to intensive, controversial discussions which ended, for example, in bans from regulators on the use of dioctyl phthalate in soft toys for infants. Various phthalates have likewise been removed from formulations for cosmetic applications (cf., for example: M. Ittershagen, "Phthalates—Useful Plasticizers with undesired Properties", 2007 status report of the Federal Environment Agency of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of the Federal Republic of Germany). The discussion about the influence of migrating plasticizers on the environment and on human health, but also the long-term fitness for use of PVC articles, has led to a broad interest in migration-resistant, phthalate-free plasticizers.
There has therefore been a constant major interest in industry in plasticizers having a favourable combination of processing properties during compounding and moulding production, such as good heat, migration and elution resistance, which allow development of specific product properties such as favourable low-temperature properties and additionally have a favourable toxicological profile.
In order to achieve a balanced profile of properties for the plasticizer used, mixtures of various primary plasticizers are also used. WO 2007/144831 A2 discloses flexible hoses for the transport of liquid food and drink. In order to ensure sufficient flexibility of the hose on the one hand but to minimize the migration of the auxiliaries into the food and drink on the other hand, mixtures of trimellitates and adipates or mixtures of monomeric and polymeric adipates, for example, are used as plasticizers. According to WO 2012/075164 A2, PVC plastisol is processed by the spraying technique to give soft PVC articles, the plasticizer used being a mixture of trimellitates and a second plasticizer such as adipates or sebacates.
EP 1 672 013 A1 discloses ester mixtures comprising a mixture of esterification products of polyether polyols and aromatic monocarboxylic acids and aliphatic monocarboxylic acids. In addition, tri(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate may also be present as a further plasticizer.
EP 1 983 024 A1 discloses ester mixtures comprising alkylbenzyl esters of aromatic tri- and tetracarboxylic acids and polybenzyl esters of aromatic tri- and tetracarboxylic acids. Trioctyl trimellitate may also be present as a further plasticizer. WO 2007/101968 A2 relates to PVC compositions plasticized with trioctyl trimellitate.
The known trimellitic ester-containing plasticizer mixtures are not necessarily the optimal solution in each case for the required field of use of the plastic article, and so there is a constant demand for improved plasticizer mixtures.
It has been found that, surprisingly, such a profile of demands can be fulfilled by mixtures of trimellitic esters and polyether polyol esters.

Mixtures containing trimellitic acid ester and polyether polyol ester as plasticizers, use of the mixtures for producing polymer compounds and PVC materials containing said mixtures


A hypodermic needle assembly is described which automatically covers the pointed end of the needle after the assembly is used in order to prevent accidental punctures. A sheath circumscribes the needle and is held a patient's tissue to allow sliding movement of the sheath over the needle pointed end, and preferably locking of the needle within the sheath, as well, when the needle is withdrawn from the patient.

Many infectious diseases may be transmitted through an accidental puncture by a contaminated hypodermic needle. The potential for this problem is very high when handling disposable hypodermic needles since they are not sterilized after use and often are not disposed of in a manner which will reduce the likelihood of accidental puncture. Since the advent of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), increasing concern has developed on the subject of the safety of hypodermic needles.
Many designs have been developed for shielding the pointed end of a disposable needle. Some of the designs are automatic and thus do not require manual manipulation. In handling disposable needles, it is the manual capping of a hypodermic needle that poses such a risk since the more a person has to manipulate a needle point, the higher the risk of accidental injury.
In that regard, any design requiring a manual recapping operation presents some risk of an accidental puncture, and moreover, manual recapping of a needle is time consuming. In today's medical environment in which health care workers are already overworked and in short supply, the time spent in recapping a hypodermic needle can be much better utilized on other tasks. Considering the number of times hypodermic needles are used, the total time spent on recapping hypodermic needles is quite significant. In a sense, that represents an inefficient use of resources. Examples of prior designs that required manual manipulation are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,406,687; 4,681,567; 4,747,837 and 4,801,295.
Past automatic designs, on the other hand, are generally complicated, costly to manufacture, and/or prone to defects. As a general rule, the more complex the design, the more expensive the cost of manufacturing, and the more likely it is that the construction will malfunction. An example of an automatic design is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,369.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,317 provides a protective construction for a medical needle, particularly a hypodermic needle, that is durable, simple in design and not prone to malfunction. The protective construction includes a sheath which circumscribes the needle in tight-fitting relationship and which has an end portion that penetrates a patient's tissue along with the needle point. The sheath has one or more barbs which interact with a patient's tissue such that extraction of the sheath from the patient is postponed to a time no earlier than extraction of the needle point. In that manner, upon extraction of the sheath from the subject, the needle point is automatically covered by the sheath, thus providing protection against accidental puncture by the needle point after use. Furthermore, such interaction is used to provide the movement necessary to cover the needle point. This patent also discloses the use of a sleeve arrangement which provides a seat for assuring that the sheath follows the needle pointed end in penetrating the patient's tissue. Interaction between the sheath and sleeve locks the sheath in position covering the needle pointed end.
The barbs of the device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,317 can, however, be irritating or painful to some patients and/or some medical practitioners may feel that it may cause such irritation and elect not to make use of such a protective construction. Also, production of protective constructions which include such barbs can be difficult and/or expensive.
Some of the above identified problems of automatic type hypodermic needle protective designs are also applicable to those designs requiring manual manipulation. There is much room for improvement.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.

Automatic sheath protection of hypodermic needle


Methods and systems for optimized caching of data in a network of nodes are described herein. A server node of a plurality of server nodes may receive, from a device (e.g., a client device), a request for data. The request may be transmitted to the server node via a load balancing device. The server node may retrieve the data requested by the device. The server node may cache, at a cache location internal to the server node, the data requested by the device. The method may comprise transmitting, by the server node, a request to update a data mapping table to indicate a mapping of the server node and the data requested by the device.

In multi-node networks, multiple versions of a server may be running (e.g., in a cloud or premise deployment), so that if one of the servers goes down, services may still be provided to client devices. However, existing multi-node networks may inefficiently share data between the nodes. For example, data used to service client devices may be stored in a shared server, and the node servicing a particular client device may need to retrieve the data from the shared server. In some instances, the shared server might not have the data, and the node servicing the client device may have to spend a significant amount of time finding the data.

Optimizing caching of data in a network of nodes using a data mapping table by storing data requested at a cache location internal to a server node and updating the mapping table at a shared cache external to the server node


A rear attachment lens detachably attached to an image side of a main lens system to change a focal length of an entire system so as to become longer than a focal length of the main lens system includes one or more positive lenses GMp. One among the one or more positive lenses GMp is a positive lens P1. The Abbe number, a partial dispersion ratio, and a partial dispersion ratio difference of a material of the one or more positive lenses GMp and of the positive lens P1, and a focal length of the positive lens P1 are correctly defined so that chromatic aberrations are appropriately corrected, when predetermined conditions are satisfied.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rear attachment lens, which is detachably mounted to the image side of an imaging lens (main lens system) used in a digital still camera, a video camera, a camera for broadcasting, etc., and which changes the focal length of an entire system so as to become longer than that of the main lens system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, a rear attachment lens that can be detachably mounted to the image side (image plane side) of a main lens system has been proposed. A rear attachment lens is a type of lens extension that can be removably attached to another lens, e.g., a main imaging lens (imaging optical system), and which changes the focal length of an entire system so as to become longer than that of the main lens system. Examples of rear attachment lenses are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,981 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-226648.
In general, as the magnification of a rear attachment lens increases, the residual aberration of a main lens is enlarged and image quality is reduced. For example, when the magnification increases twice, transverse aberrations such as coma aberration and chromatic aberration of magnification (transverse chromatic aberration) are simply enlarged twice and image quality is reduced. Also, longitudinal aberrations such as spherical aberration, curvature of the field, and axial (longitudinal) chromatic aberration are enlarged by the square of the magnification, i.e., four times. In the case of the rear attachment lens, however, because the F-number of the main lens is also enlarged twice, aberration per unit focal depth is eventually enlarged twice and image quality is reduced. In a telephoto lens employing a rear attachment lens in many cases, particularly, chromatic aberration is enlarged as the focal length increases. Therefore, when the rear attachment lens is mounted, the enlarged chromatic aberration of magnification among various chromatic aberrations becomes a main cause degrading the image quality.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,981 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-226648 each disclose a rear attachment lens for changing the focal length of the main lens system to the side where the focal length becomes longer, when attachment lens is mounted to the image side of the main lens system. More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,981 discloses the rear attachment lens, which is mounted between the main lens system and a camera, and which increases the focal length of the main lens system by about 1.4 to 2.8 times. In the U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,981, the chromatic aberration of magnification is satisfactorily corrected by using a diffractive optical element. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-226648 discloses the rear attachment lens, which is mounted between the main lens system and a camera, and which increases the focal length of the main lens system by about 1.7 times. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-226648, various aberrations are satisfactorily corrected by using a cemented lens made of a lens material having a proper refractive index.
With the relentless progress toward a larger number of pixels and higher image quality, newer image pickup apparatuses (e.g., digital cameras) are strongly demanded to generate high quality images with minimal chromatic aberration even when the rear attachment lens is mounted to a main lens system used in the digital camera.

Rear attachment lens and image-forming optical system using the same


A method of one embodiment of the invention is disclosed that is for a track of an optically writable label region of an optical disc having a non-integer number of pixel positions around the track, such that a last fractional pixel position is defined. The method determines whether the size of the last fractional pixel position is greater than a fractional threshold. In response to determining that the size of the last fractional pixel position is greater than the fractional threshold, the method writes a complete pixel to the last fractional pixel position, such that the complete pixel written overlaps onto a first complete pixel position of the track.

Computer users employ writable and rewritable optical discs for a variety of different purposes. They may save programs or data to the discs, for archival or distribution purposes. In the case of CD-type discs, users may make music CD's that can be played in audio CD players, or save music data files to the CD's, such as MP3 files, that can be played in special-purpose CD players. In the case of DVD-type discs, users have greater storage capacity available to them than with CD-type discs, and may be able to make video DVD's that can be played in stand-alone DVD players.
Many types of optical discs include a data side and a label side. The data side is where the data is written to, whereas the label side allows the user to label the optical disc. Unfortunately, labeling can be an unprofessional, laborious, and/or expensive process. Markers can be used to write on optical discs, but the results are decidedly unprofessional looking. Special pre-cut labels that can be printed on with inkjet or other types of printers can also be used, but this is a laborious process: the labels must be carefully aligned on the discs, and so on. Special-purpose printers that print directly on the discs may be used, but such printers are fairly expensive. In the patent application entitled "Integrated CD/DVD Recording and Label", filed on Oct. 11, 2001, and assigned Ser. No. 09/976,877, a solution to these difficulties is described, in which a laser is used to label optical discs.
Two concerns in writing to the optically writable label side of an optical disc are image quality and speed. Users typically want the best quality of images possible when optically writing to the label side of an optical disc. However, because mass storage devices that read from and write to optical discs heretofore have been optimized for data storage, and not label marking, their characteristics may affect image quality of images written to the label sides of optical discs. Users also usually want the fastest speed when optically writing to the label side of an optical disc. Again, however, because optical disc mass storage devices have heretofore been optimized for writing to the data sides of optical discs, their characteristics may affect the speed with which the label sides of optical discs can be marked.

Writing pixels to last fractional pixel positions of tracks of optical discs

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A current-inducing-type surface-mount-type antenna which is short in length and thin in thickness and which can be formed into a small size and communication equipment having the same mounted therein. A radiation electrode substantially in the shape of a letter L or a sideways U and a power supply electrode are formed on the surface of a base made of a dielectric or a magnetic substance with a gap therebetween. A short-circuit end of the radiation electrode and the power supply electrode are connected to a grounding terminal and a power supply terminal, respectively, which are formed on an end surface of the base.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a current-inducing-type surface-mount-type antenna for use in mobile communication equipment, such as portable telephones, and a radio LAN (Local Area Network), and communication equipment using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional surface-mount-type antenna is shown in FIG. 8. A radiation electrode 72 and a power supply electrode 73 are formed on the surface of a base 71 of this surface-mount-type antenna 70 with a gap g therebetween. A grounding terminal 72a and a power supply electrode 73a, which are connected to one end of the radiation electrode 72 and to one end of the power supply electrode 73, are formed on one end surface 71a of the base 71. A capacity loaded electrode 74 is formed on the other end surface 71b of the base 71, which capacity loaded electrode 74 is connected to the other end of the radiation electrode 72.
In the conventional surface-mount-type antenna 70, the capacity loaded electrode 74 is provided for shortening the wavelength. However, the capacitance formed by this capacity loaded electrode 74 can be increased only by the specific inductive capacity er of the base 71 and the thickness of the base 71. Also, even if the radiation electrode 72 is formed into a meandering shape in order to increase the length of the radiation electrode 72 which resonates at a predetermined wavelength, there are limitations in terms of dimensions and shape, and the length of the base 71 cannot be made short. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve a small size with the conventional surface-mount-type antenna 70. Further, communication equipment having the conventional surface-mount-type antenna 70 incorporated therein has the drawback of the housing of the communication equipment being incapable of being formed to be small in size.

Surface-mount-type antenna and communication equipment using same