A torsional resonator for suppressing unnecessary flexural vibration and providing excellent resonance characteristic is provided. A vibrator is a beam structure or a paddle-like projection structure added onto a beam structure and an electrostatic force produced due to the potential difference between an electrode and the vibrator adds a moment with the axis of the beam of the vibrator as the center axis, but does not add a force for producing flexure to the beam. As one method, the same AC signal and DC bias voltages different in polarity are applied to an electrode pair of the electrode brought away from the vibrator and the electrode brought close to the vibrator with torsional vibration of the vibrator, so that only torsional vibration can be excited.

A mechanical resonator in a related art will be discussed with reference to FIG. 18. FIG. 18 is a drawing to schematically show the configuration of a "mechanical vibration filter using flexural vibration" introduced in non-patent document 1.
The filter is formed by forming a pattern on a silicon substrate using a thin film process, and is made up of an input line 104, an output line 105, clamped-clamped beams 101 and 102 placed with a gap of 1 micron or less relative to the lines, and a coupling beams 103 for coupling the two beams. A signal input from the input line 104 is capacitively coupled with the beam 101, generating an electrostatic force on the beam 101. Only when the signal frequency matches a frequency close to the resonance frequency of an elastic structure made up of the beams 101 and 102 and the coupling beam 103, mechanical vibration is excited and is detected further as change in the electrostatic capacity between the output line 105 and the beam 102, whereby filtering output of the input signal is taken out.
For a clamped-clamped beam rectangular in cross section, letting elastic modulus be E, density be ρ, thickness be h, and length be L, resonance frequency f of flexural vibration becomes the following expression:
                    f        =                  1.03                                                                          h                          L              2                                                                    E              ρ                                                          [                  Expression                                                              1                ]
Letting the material be polysilicon, E=160 GPa and ρ=2.2×103 kg/m3 and letting dimensions be L=40 μm and h=1.5 μm, f=8.2 MHz, and a filter of about an 8-MHz band can be formed. As compared with a filter made up of passive circuits of a capacitor, a coil, etc., a steep frequency selection characteristic with a high Q value can be provided as mechanical resonance is used.
In the described configuration, however, to form a filter of a higher frequency band, the following restriction exists: It is obvious from (expression 1) that it is desirable that first the material should be changed for increasing E/ρ, but if E is increased, the beam displacement amount lessens if the beam deflecting force is the same, and it becomes difficult to detect beam displacement. Letting the index to represent the ease of bending a beam be the ratio between flexural amount d of the beam center part when static load is imposed on the beam surface of a clamped-clamped beam and beam length L, d/L, d/L is represented by the proportional relation of the following expression:
                              d          L                ∝                                            L              3                                      h              3                                ·                      1            E                                              [                  Expression                                                              2                ]
Thus, to raise the resonance frequency while holding the value of d/L, at least E cannot be changed and a material with low density ρ needs to be found; a composite material of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics), etc., needs to be used as a material with low density and Young's modulus equal to polysilicon. In this case, it becomes difficult to form a minute mechanical vibration filter in a semiconductor process.
Then, as a second method not using such a composite material, the beam dimensions can be changed for increasing h·L−2 in (expression 1). However, increasing the beam thickness h and lessening the beam length L lead to lessening the index of the ease of flexure, d/L in (expression 2), and it becomes difficult to detect beam flexure.
As for (expression 1) and (expression 2), the relation between log(L) and log(h) is shown in FIG. 19. A line 191 is relationship found from (expression 1) and a line 192 is relationship found from (expression 2). In FIG. 19, if L and h in the range (region A) above the line with gradient "2" with the current dimension A point as the origin are selected, f increases; if L and h in the range (region B) below the line with gradient "1" are selected, d/L increases. Therefore, the hatched portion in the figure (region C) is the range of L and h in which the resonance frequency can be raised while the beam flexural amount is also ensured.
It is evident from FIG. 19 that microminiaturization of the dimensions of both of the beam length L and the beam thickness h is a necessary condition for putting a mechanical vibration filter into a high frequency and that miniaturization of L and h on the same scaling, namely, lessening L and h while riding on the line with the gradient 1 is a sufficient condition for the hatched portion in FIG. 19.
Thus, in the mechanical resonator in the related art, the dimensions of the mechanical vibrator are miniaturized, whereby the resonance frequency is put into a high frequency. However, generally as the dimensions are miniaturized, the mechanical Q value of flexural vibration lowers; this is a problem. About this phenomenon, for example, non-patent document 2 shows the result of measuring the relationship among the beam length, the beam thickness, and the Q value of flexural resonance using a monocrystalline silicon cantilever. Non-patent document 2 shows that the Q value lowers as the beam length is shortened and the beam thickness is decreased. Therefore, if the resonator using flexural vibration in the related art is miniaturized and is applied to a filter, the Q value required for providing a desirable frequency selection characteristic may be unable to be obtained.
Then, a torsional resonator using a torsional vibrator as a resonator having an excellent Q value is considered. The torsional resonator excites vibrator by an electrostatic force between an input line 204 and a paddle 202 using vibrator 201 having the paddle 202 in the clamped-clamped beam center and converts change in the electrostatic capacity between an output line 205 and the paddle 202 into an electric signal, for example, as shown in FIG. 21. In the torsional resonator, the excited mode varies depending on the magnitude of each of voltage Vi between the paddle and the input line and voltage Vo between the paddle 202 and the output line 205 and the phase difference. Now, assuming that |Vi|>|Vo| and that participation of the electrostatic force of Vo in beam vibration is extremely small, flexural vibration and torsional vibration are excited in the vibrator.
Thus, in addition to torsional vibration, flexural vibration is also excited in the electrode for exciting torsional vibration in the torsional resonator using the torsional vibrator and if such a torsional resonator is applied to a filter, the filter is provided with an unintentional passage band in addition to a passage band.
Differential—signaling described in patent document 1 is available as a method of selectively exciting a specific vibration mode. This is an excitation method for higher-order flexural vibration having a plurality of antinodes; one of an AC signal v and a −v signal different in phase 180 degrees from the AC signal v is applied to the electrode brought close to the antinode and the other is applied to the electrode brought away from the antinode. To produce the AC signal −v from the AC signal v, it is a common practice to divide v and pass through a 180-degree phase shifter.    Non-patent document 1: Frank D. Bannon III, John R. Clark, and Clark T.-C. Nguyen, "High-QHF Microelectromechanical Filters," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 512-526, April 2000.    Non-patent document 2: K. Y. Yasumura et al., "Quality Factors in Micron- and Submicron-Thick Cantilevers," IEEE Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, Vol. 9, No. 1, March 2000.    Patent document 1: JP-A-2002-535865 (p 20-p 21, FIG. 8)

Torsional resonator and filter using this


A shift control system for an automatic transmission includes a shift gear mechanism for providing a plurality of shift stages of different speed ratios, a plurality of frictional elements, a first valve for controlling a hydraulic fluid supply, a second valve provided in a hydraulic release line to control hydraulic fluid release, a first frictional element included in the plurality of the frictional elements, a second frictional element included in the plurality of the frictional elements, a piston provided in the second frictional element, a timing valve for controlling a supply timing of the hydraulic pressure for the releasing chamber of the second frictional element in response to actuating hydraulic pressure introduced into the first frictional element, an oil temperature detecting device, and a start detecting device for detecting start of engaging operation of the first frictional element. A shift judging device for judging whether or not a shift command in the control unit is made to a specific shift stage in which the first frictional element is engaged and the second frictional element, is released. A shift control mode switching device switches between a first shift control mode and a second shift control mode, the shift control mode switching device selecting the first shift control mode when the temperature of the hydraulic fluid is relatively high, and selecting the second shift control mode when the temperature of the hydraulic fluid is relatively low. Torque shock and engine speed racing can be avoided through the shift operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shift control system for an automatic transmission.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an automatic transmission for an automotive vehicle, generally, engagement of a plurality of frictional elements provided therein is hydraulically changed to make a shift operation. In other words, the frictional elements are selectively, actuated to switch a power transmitting path to thereby automatically establish a desired shift stage from among a plurality of shift stages of different speed ratios.
If the switching operations of the frictional elements are not made at proper timing, a shift shock or an engine speed race may be undesirably produced because of "a time lag".
In order to deal with such a problem, it has been proposed to provide a timing valve in a hydraulic circuit of the transmission and to subject the timing valve to a pilot pressure which is adjusted for one frictional element so as to accomplish a desirable switching operation timing of another frictional element, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Public Disclosure (JP A) No. 61-45157, laid open to the public in 1986.
In the above publication, a 2-4 brake with a piston is disclosed as the one frictional element. The piston is engaged with both a releasing and an engaging chamber of a hydraulic control circuit so as to move by virtue of a pressure difference between the releasing and engaging chambers to thereby make a switching operation of the 2-4 brake between released and engaged positions. In this case, when the hydraulic pressure is discharged from the engaging chamber or introduced into the releasing chamber, the 2-4 brake is released.
However, in the above structure disclosed in the Japanese Patent Public Disclosure (JP A) 61-45157, the hydraulic fluid has to be provided for not only the one frictional element but also the other frictional element. As a result, the hydraulic pressure for the one frictional element may be temporarily depressed during the switching operation. This phenomenon occurs particularly in at a low temperature because of high viscosity of the hydraulic fluid. When the viscosity of the hydraulic fluid is high, the hydraulic fluid does, not flow fluently in the circuit because of an increase in flowing resistance of the circuit. As a result, it becomes difficult for the hydraulic fluid to be supplied to the other frictional element smoothly.
Therefore, the temporary depression of the hydraulic pressure in the one frictional element may cause "a time lag" in the switching action of the one to the other frictional element so that a shift shock, or engine speed racing, may be produced.

Control system for automatic transmission


A haptic confirmation system is provided that produces a confirmation haptic effect in response to a user interaction with a user interface element, where the confirmation haptic effect is based on context metadata. The context metadata is mapped to one or more haptic parameters. A haptic signal is generated based on the one or more haptic parameters. The haptic signal is sent to an actuator configured to receive the haptic signal. The actuator utilized the haptic signal to generate the confirmation haptic effect.

Haptics is a tactile and force feedback technology that takes advantage of a user's sense of touch by applying haptic feedback effects (i.e., "haptic effects"), such as forces, vibrations, and motions, to the user. A device, such as a mobile device, touchscreen device, and personal computer, can be configured to generate confirmation haptic effects in response to a user's interaction with the device, as a confirmation that the user has successfully interacted with the device. For example, when a user interacts with the device using, for example, a button, touchscreen, lever, joystick, wheel, or some other control, a haptic signal can be generated, where the haptic signal causes the device to produce an appropriate confirmation haptic effect. The user can experience the confirmation haptic effect, and can be made aware of the successful interaction with the device.

Context-dependent haptic confirmation system


A radiation noise suppression circuit for a differential transmission line includes a differential transmission line which has plus line signal wiring to which a plus line signal of a differential signal is applied, and minus line signal wiring to which a minus line signal of the differential signal is applied, and connects a differential driver and a differential receiver. Plus line signal GND wiring and minus line signal GND wiring which are connected between the differential driver and the differential receiver are wired along the differential transmission line. A distance between the plus line signal wiring and the plus line signal GND wiring is substantially equal to a distance between the minus line signal wiring and the minus line signal GND wiring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation noise suppression circuit in a differential transmission line which is one of high-speed signal transmission systems.
2. Related Art of the Invention
Recently, in flat-panel displays represented by liquid crystal TV sets and plasma TV sets, acceleration of signal speed at the time of transferring image information has progressed as it has become high definition from VGA (video Graphics Array) to XGA (eXtended Graphics Array). Then, a differential transmission system in low amplitude has been used increasingly as a high-speed digital data transmission system.
This transmission system is a transmission system which sends signals with opposite phases mutually through one pair of balanced cables or two wiring patterns formed on a printed wiring board. Its features are low noise, low voltage amplitude, high-speed data transmission, and the like, and its introduction has been progressing in a field of displays as a high-speed transmission method.
FIG. 6 is a structural diagram showing an example of a differential transmission line using an LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) system which is one of general differential transmission systems.
In FIG. 6, a plus line signal wiring 4a and a minus line signal wiring 4b whose differential impedance is 100 Ω connect a differential driver 1 and a differential receiver 2, and are terminated by a 100-Ω terminating resistor 3 near an input terminal of the differential receiver 2. Since signals with the same amplitude but opposite phases are applied to the two signal wiring 4a and 4b respectively, magnetic fields generated from the respective signal wiring 4a and 4b cancel each other, and hence, radiation noise hardly generates.
However, in actual differential transmission, since there is a skew, i.e., difference between rise time and fall time in signals outputted from the differential driver 1, a common mode current flowing with making the two signal wiring 4a and 4b outward circuits, and making a signal ground 15 a return circuit arises, and becomes a factor of the radiation noise. Here, the signal ground 15 shown in FIG. 6 means, for example, a GND plane formed on a printed wiring board, or the like.
There is a method using a common mode choke 10 as means of coping with the radiation noise resulting from this common mode current, as shown in FIG. 7.
Since the common mode choke 10 has the structure that the two signal wiring 4a and 4b are wound in the same direction around the same core, magnetic fields cancels each other in regard to signal component currents which flow in reverse directions mutually, and those signal component currents are passed. Nevertheless, since magnetic fields are added in regard to the common mode noise components, which flow in the same direction, to increase each other, it has impedance property, and hence, it has property of making the common mode current hard to flow through.
However, when the common mode choke 10 is used to be inserted at some points in the signal wiring 4a and 4b, characteristic impedances of the signal wiring 4a and 4b differ at the insertion points. Then, signals transmitted on the signal wiring 4a and 4b are reflected by the common mode choke 10, and transmitted signal waveforms are distorted. A common mode choke coil which suppresses the reflection at the insertion points of this common mode choke 10 to prevent the distortion of the transmitted signal waveforms is also proposed (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-58343).
FIG. 8(a) is a perspective view showing appearance of the common mode choke coil disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-58343, and FIG. 8(b) shows an exploded perspective view of the common mode choke coil, respectively.
This common mode choke coil is constituted of coil conductors 22a and 22b being bifilar-wound a ring-shaped toroidal core 20 made of ferrite, and this toroidal core 20 being contained in an armor case constituted of a lid unit 16 and a case unit 21.
The case unit 21 is constituted of a cylindrical inner circumferential wall 21a and an outer circumferential wall 21b being joined with a bottom wall 21c, and has a ring-shaped containing unit 21d for containing the toroidal core 20 inside. The lid unit 16 is disc-shaped and blocks up the containing unit 21d of the case unit 21. And, four claws 16b are drawn out at equal intervals from a marginal portion of the lid unit 16 along an outer side face of the outer circumferential wall 21b of the case unit 21.
A ground conductor 17 which is constituted of a chromium plating membrane and the like is formed on an outer side face of the outer circumferential wall 21b and the outside face of the bottom wall 21c of the case unit 21, and the outside face of the lid unit 16. On the ground conductor 17 of the outer circumferential wall 21b and the bottom wall 21c of the case unit 21, four locations of insulating layers 18 which are made of a resin which has insulation property, or the like are formed at equal intervals. On the insulating layers 18, terminal plates 19 which are made of a metal material such as phosphor bronze are mounted, respectively. End portions of the coil conductors 22a and 22b are soldered to these four terminal plates 19, respectively.
The lid unit 16 is fixed to the case unit 21 by making their claws 16b catch the bottom wall 21c of the case unit 21 together.
The common mode choke coil constituted in this way is used as the common mode choke 10 in FIG. 7 by the signal wiring 4a and 4b being connected to the terminal plates 19 respectively. Then, since the grounded ground conductor 17 faces the coil conductors 22a and 22b with sandwiching the armor case which is constituted of the lid unit 16 and case unit 21, electrostatic capacity (distributed capacity) which uses the armor case as a dielectric is formed among these. An LC distributed constant circuit is formed between each of the coil conductors 22a and 22b and a ground by this electrostatic capacity and inductor which the coil conductors 22a and 22b have. This electrostatic capacity is determined by a dielectric constant of the resin which constitutes the armor case, and a facing area and a distance of the ground conductor 17 and coil conductors 22a and 22b. Hence, it is possible to make characteristic impedance between each of the coil conductors 22a and 22b and the ground coincide with characteristic impedance between each of the signal wiring 4a and 4b and the ground by selecting adequately these values. Thus, it is possible to suppress reflection of the signal in the common mode choke 10.
Nevertheless, in high-speed transmission in recent years, even if the common mode choke 10 is used like the conventional, a sufficient noise reduction effect is no longer obtained.
As a factor, it has turned out that not only the common mode currents flowing with making the two signal wiring 4a and 4b outward circuits, and making the signal ground 15 a return circuit, but secondary common mode currents flowing in the same direction on the two signal wiring 4a and 4b and signal ground 15 are a noise factor. In regard to the noise resulting from this secondary common mode current, the conventional common mode choke 10 cannot produce a sufficient reduction effect.
Secondary common mode currents will be explained using FIG. 9. FIG. 9(a) is an explanatory diagram about common mode currents, and FIG. 9(b) is an explanatory diagram about the secondary common mode currents. Here, the case that the two signal wiring 4a and 4b which form a differential transmission line are formed on a printed wiring board will be explained as an example. In addition, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those in FIG. 6.
FIG. 9(a) is a drawing showing a flow of the differential mode current and common mode currents in differential transmission. What flow in reverse directions between the signal wiring 4a and 4b are differential mode currents, and when respective signal wiring 4a and 4b are in complete equilibrium (distances from the signal ground 15 are the same, the width of the two signal wiring 4a and 4b are equal, and the like) to the signal ground 15, common mode currents are not generated.
However, when some unbalance (difference in width, difference in length, or the like) exists between the two signal wiring 4a and 4b, the common mode currents which flow in the same direction between the two signal wiring 4a and 4b as shown in FIG. 9(a) are generated.
FIG. 9(b) is a drawing showing generation of the secondary common mode currents resulting from discontinuity of the signal ground 15. A reference ground 23 provides a reference potential of the signal ground 15, and it is assumed that an enclosure provides a reference potential of the ground (signal ground 15) of the printed wiring board here.
In consideration of what is similar to the two signal wiring 4a and 4b in differential transmission in FIG. 9(a), currents flowing with making the two signal wiring 4a and 4b outward circuits, and making the signal ground 15 a return circuit are common mode currents. Then, when unbalance (width of the signal ground 15 is discontinuous, or the like) exists in them, the secondary common mode currents which flows through the two signal wiring 4a and 4b and signal ground 15 in the same direction as shown in FIG. 9(b) flow as a next mode.
The present invention aims at providing the radiation noise suppression circuit of the differential transmission line which solves the conventional subject mentioned above, does not deteriorate the reduction effect of conventional primary common mode current, and can reduce secondary common mode currents.

Radiation noise suppression circuit for differential transmission line

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Disclosed is a method of stabilizing the horizon of magnetic compasses. At measuring points measurements are taken of spatial components of the geomagnetic field vector and of an overall acceleration vector that is equal to the difference of the acceleration vector due to gravity and the acceleration vector of the magnetic compass. Taking into account the time rates of change of the measured components, the positional relation of the current horizon of the magnetic compass is determined relative to the stable horizon. Using quality functions that signal the deviation of the new spatial position relative to the one previously defined, an estimation method is used to evaluate the accuracy of the stabilized horizon of the system. A horizon can be produced that is largely unsusceptible to movement-induced accelerations of the device equipped with a magnetic compass.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of stabilizing the horizon of magnetic compasses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Customary compasses with a magnetic needle have no horizontal stabilization, but leveling is sometimes carried out, for example using a fluid support. The same effect would be achieved by suspending the compass from gimbles.
There are various known ways of stabilizing the horizon for magnetic compasses. For example, in the case of navigation systems, the horizon is stabilized using gyroscopic devices, but this is a complicated and expensive measure.
When there are faults in a system for stabilizing the horizon, a measuring error or reading error results, usually because of accelerations, when magnetic compasses of this type are used in motion, for example during a vehicle journey. The same errors may, however, also occur if the compass is only being held by hand.
In the case of a digital magnetic compass (DMC) known from DE 37 16 985 C1, the directional information is obtained from the projection of the geomagnetic field vector onto the horizontal plane. The DMC contains a separate sensor for each coordinate of the geomagnetic field. The horizontal plane is measured using two inclination sensors arranged perpendicular to one another. The inclination sensors are arranged in a common housing with the magnetic field sensors.
In actual fact, the inclination sensors are acceleration sensors. They are calibrated in the housing so that, in the stationary state, i.e. without additional acceleration forces acting, they only measure the components of the acceleration vector due to gravity in the X and Y directions of the DMC coordinate system, and determine therefrom the angle between the two said coordinate axes and the horizontal plane. The projection of the geomagnetic field vector is corrected in accordance with the current position of the DMC housing differing from the horizontal reference position.
The coordinate system of the DMC is a right-handed orthogonal cartesian coordinate system having origin O and three coordinate axes X, Y, Z. This coordinate system is regarded as fixed with respect to the DMC housing.
The X axis and the Y axis define a first plane which corresponds to the horizontal plane or reference plane when the DMC housing is aligned horizontally. The line of sight of the DMC coincides with the X axis. The Z axis is then parallel to the acceleration vector due to gravity.
If the DMC housing is inclined, then the DMC coordinate system must rotate with respect to a spatially fixed reference system which is likewise a right-handed orthogonal cartesian coordinate system having origin O, but now having three coordinate axes X', Y', Z'. In the horizontal state, the respectively corresponding coordinate axes and the origin of the two coordinate systems coincide.
After a rotation, the reference plane of the DMC would lie in a second plane which, for example, is obtained by one rotation through the angle .alpha. about the Y' axis and by one rotation through the angle .beta. about the X' axis. In the field of navigation, the angle .alpha. is referred to as the pitch angle, and the angle .beta. is referred to as the roll angle.
The XYZ coordinate system of the DMC can thus be converted into the spatially fixed X'Y'Z' coordinate system merely by a rotation. The pitch angle .alpha. and the roll angle .beta. are obtained as values measured by the inclination sensors.
Since the acceleration due to gravity varies only little over the surface of the earth, then, when the DMC is in a static state or in a state of uniform motion, particular inclination angles coincide everywhere with the actual position with respect to the acceleration vector due to gravity.
The behavior is different, however, if the DMC is built into a vehicle or an instrument which is braked, accelerated and moved on curved paths, so that radial accelerations and centrifugal accelerations occur.
As already mentioned, the inclination sensors are actually acceleration sensors. The latter contain a diaphragm which is deflected under the effect of acceleration forces. The deflection is measured as a variation in the capacitance of a capacitor. The deflections of the two inclination-sensor diaphragms measured in a vehicle therefore always represent a superposition of the inclination of the DMC with the acceleration vector due to gravity and the movement-induced accelerations of the DMC.
Under the assumption that the vehicle axis pointing in the direction of travel coincides with the X axis, accelerated movements on a horizontal surface lead to a pitch angle .alpha. being displayed, and therefore mimic an inclination of the horizontal plane. Under the same conditions, driving around a bend leads essentially to a deflection of the diaphragm of the roll angle sensor and therefore mimics a roll angle .beta.. Centrifugal movements, cornering, cross-drift, etc. likewise cause the display of inclinations of the DMC plane with respect to the horizontal plane which do not actually exist, and therefore lead to the projection of the geomagnetic field vector onto an erroneous horizontal plane. Magnetic field sensors are not affected by accelerations. However, for geometrical reasons, the magnetic field vector is altered by a rotation of the DMC coordinate system XYZ with respect to the horizontally oriented, spatially fixed coordinate system X'Y'Z'. The time variation of the magnetic field vector is in this case proportional to the cross product of the magnetic field vector and the vector of the rate of rotation between the coordinate systems. The components of the rotation rate vector are the changes in the angles of rotation of the coordinate axes X, Y, Z per second with respect to the horizontally oriented coordinate axes X', Y', Z'. The rotation rate vector cannot be determined fully just from the magnetic field components since, for example, a rotation exactly about the magnetic field direction leaves all three magnetic field components unchanged, so that the component of the rotation rate vector parallel to the magnetic field cannot be determined. Although the inclination sensor actually measures the rotation rate directly, this rate is affected by error in the case of accelerated movements for the reasons mentioned above. If there is a rate of rotation, it therefore affects, on the one hand, the measurement of the magnetic field vector and, on the other hand, the determination of the correct horizontal plane.
DE 34 22 490 C2 discloses a method for correcting an angular error when determining the direction of travel of a vehicle. In order to determine a correction value, the components H.sub.X and H.sub.Y of the magnetic field in the plane of the vehicle are measured using two magnetic field sensors. An instrument for measuring the inclination angle determines the inclination angle in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Effects of acceleration on the inclination angle are in this case taken into account by determining the first derivative of the velocity of the vehicle. The correction to the direction of travel takes into account only the error caused by the vehicle being inclined at an angle in its longitudinal direction with respect to the horizontal.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,287,628 and 5,444,916 disclose devices which each have three mutually orthogonal magnetic field sensors and inclination sensors, using which a horizontal plane can be generated electronically. The inclination of a vehicle is determined with respect to this horizontal plane. Acceleration effects are not taken into account.
EP 0 668 485 A1 discloses a method for reconstructing the yaw angle of a vehicle, measured using a magnetic field sensor, from raw data affected by error. For calculation, use is made of a valuation function, an iterative method, a selectable membership function and values established on the basis of a plausibility consideration. The method is based on the premise that, although directionally dependent spurious effects in the measurement of the yaw angle can indeed be registered through data measured by other sensors, they cannot be compensated by combination therewith.

Method of stabilizing the horizon of magnetic compasses


A roller track comprising a base, a tray, and a plurality of rollers. The tray is configured to slide into the base, and comprises a first end, a center portion comprising a plurality of notches, and a second end. The first end is removably engaged to a first end of center portion. The second end is removably engaged to a second end of center portion. The first end and the second end comprise a plurality of slots. The plurality of rollers is configured to engage the plurality of notches.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to product display, and in particular to product display shelves comprising rollers.
2. Background
In retail stores, shelves are necessary for displaying and storing products. When a product is removed from a shelf, a gap remains on the shelf where the product was stored. Remaining products may be stored further back on the shelf, but may be difficult for a consumer to reach. Such product placement may present a safety hazard if a consumer attempts to reach a product by climbing on shelves. Alternatively, the retail store may lose potential revenue if a consumer is unable to reach the desired product. Further, gaps on a shelf may cause the shelf to look disorganized or nearly empty, which may give consumers a negative impression of the retail store.
Accordingly, retail stores such as grocery stores, convenience stores, drug stores, and other retail stores employ individuals to perform "facing." "Facing" comprises moving products already on a shelf towards the front of the shelf for a clean, organized look and consumer convenience. As products are sold, retail stores may also restock products. In restocking, an employee may replenish the products on a shelf. While restocking, the employee may also rotate products with upcoming expiration dates toward the front of the shelf. Both restocking and "facing" require large time investments by retail stores.
As a result, retail stores may purchase equipment to continuously position products at the front of a shelf. Examples of such equipment include gravity feed shelving and push feed shelving. However, such equipment may damage or unnecessarily jostle products. Additionally, such equipment may be noisy, unreliable, unsuited to products of varying sizes and shapes, and costly and difficult to manufacture.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus, which takes into account one or more of the issues discussed above as well as possibly other issues.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An image processing apparatus includes a background image generation section and a combining section. The background image generation section generates a background image, which represents (i) background information containing copy prohibition information indicating copy is prohibited and (ii) copy prohibition release information indicating a condition to release copy prohibition, by predetermined patterns. The combining section combines a target image to be formed and the background image generated by the background image generation section to generate a composite image and that outputs the composite image to a formation section that forms an image on a recording medium. When generating the background image, the background image generation section arranges the pattern of the copy prohibition release information in an end region of the recording medium.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an image processing program, a computer readable medium storing the image processing program and a computer data signal.
2. Related Art
Recently, it has been made possible to easily reproduce a document, etc., with the widespread use of an image forming apparatus having a copying function, such as a personal computer, a printer, and a copier. On the other hand, information leakage as unauthorized copy of a secret document now becomes an issue.

Generating background image information for copy prohibition and copy prohibition release


A contact module assembly is provided for an electrical connector. The contact module assembly includes a lead frame having a plurality of terminals and a commoning member at least partially including an electrically conductive material. The commoning member has a plurality of tabs that are electrically connected to selected ones of the terminals, thereby electrically commoning the selected ones of the terminals. The commoning member can be configured with different patterns of the tabs to selectively configure the lead frame with different patterns of commoned terminals.

This invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector using a lead frame structure that is programmable into a plurality of different wiring patterns.
With the ongoing trend toward smaller, faster, and higher performance electrical components such as processors used in computers, routers, switches, etc., it has become increasingly important for the electrical interfaces along the electrical paths to also operate at higher frequencies and at higher densities with increased throughput.
In a traditional approach for interconnecting circuit boards, one circuit board serves as a back plane and the other as a daughter board. The back plane typically has a connector, commonly referred to as a header, which includes a plurality of signal contacts which connect to conductive traces on the back plane. The daughter board connector, commonly referred to as a receptacle, also includes a plurality of contacts. Typically, the receptacle is a right angle connector that interconnects the back plane with the daughter board so that signals can be routed therebetween. The right angle connector typically includes a mating face that receives the plurality of signal pins from the header on the back plane, and contacts on a mounting face that connect to the daughter board.
At least some right angle connectors include a plurality of contact modules that are received in a housing. The contact modules typically include a lead frame encased in a dielectric body. The lead frame includes a plurality of terminals that interconnect electrical contacts held on a mating edge of the contact module with corresponding contacts held on a mounting edge of the contact module. Different contact modules of the same connector sometimes have different patterns, sometimes referred to as wiring patterns, of the terminals and/or the mating and mounting edge contacts. For example, adjacent contact modules within the housing may have different patterns of signal, power, and/or ground terminals and/or contacts to enhance the electrical performance of the connector by reducing crosstalk between the adjacent contact modules. However, different lead frames must be designed and manufactured for each of the contact modules having different terminal and/or contact patterns, which may increase a difficulty and/or cost of manufacturing the connector.
There is a need for a lower cost electrical connector that is more easily manufactured.

Electrical connector with programmable lead frame


A low mount seat guide loop for a seat in a motor vehicle comprising a strap and a seatbelt restraint system. The low mount seat guide loop allows for easy re-attachment and access to a rear passenger compartment. It also provides the user with an improved ergonomic position for the seatbelt restraint system.

Seatbelt restraint systems are required in new motor vehicles so as to help protect a vehicle occupant in case of collision. Today, there are demands on current seatbelt technology to improve seatbelt restraint systems to make them easier and more comfortable for users. Many improvements have been in the form of seat guide loops. These seat guide loops help to position the seatbelt across an occupant and many guide loops have special features to enhance occupant safety. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,770, U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,292, and U.S. Ser. No. 2001/0054839 A1 for examples.
However, in existing guide loop technology there are a few problems. Many of the guide loops are not easy for some occupant demographics to use. When the seatbelt restraint system falls behind an occupants' seat, it can be difficult to retrieve. Many are difficult to re-attach and make it difficult for occupants to access the rear of the passenger compartment from the front seat area. Many times, especially in smaller vehicles, there is tight packaging of the quarter trim of the car to seat and it is extremely challenging for an occupant to reach back and retrieve his or her seatbelt. Additionally, many of the guide loop systems are expensive because of the molding used to make them. Consumers have long wanted a seatbelt restraint system that utilizes a guide loop to solve these problems.
This low mount seat guide loop solves the above-mentioned problems by providing easy use for all occupant demographics. It allows for easy re-attachment and easy access of the rear passenger compartment while keeping costs down. It also keeps the seatbelt buckle in an improved ergonomic position. The closest known technology to this invention is a high mount guide loop, which does not present the seatbelt buckle in an ergonomic position.


A soft plastic fishing lure has an integrally formed body and a thin, relatively long, highly flexible tail portion that combine to form a hybrid worm/tube lure. The body portion is a closed-end tubular body and the tail portion is tapered and concave in cross-section along its entire length. The concave cross-sectional area, which generally has a greater thickness of material at its apex than at its lower edge, is effective for capturing water and giving a lifelike appearance to the tail regardless of angler skill or how the lure is rigged, weighted and fished. The fishing lure may be formed so that it has two colors, with one color forming substantially a stripe on the tail portion. Contrasting flakes may be added to either color.

This invention relates to fishing lures and, more particularly, to soft plastic lures. Various soft plastic lures have been designed for attracting fish, including worm and tube bait lures. When using a worm or a tube, it is desirable that the lure have the appropriate action in the tail or skirt portion to give the lure a "lifelike" appearance. Known tail portion shapes for worm lures include flat ribbons, concentric arcs, and coils. While current worm and tube designs provide action of one kind or another, the action is not continuous because of the tail's or skirt's inability to capture water in an effective manner. Furthermore, whatever action is achieved is very much dependent on the type of rigging, the weighting, how the lure is fished, and the skill level of the angular. A need exists for a versatile, soft plastic, worm/tube-type lure which provides constant tail action regardless of skill level or how the lure is rigged, weighted and fished.


Disclosed herein is a method of calibrating a robot. The robot has a robot arm with a mechanically restricted moving displacement. In the robot calibration method of the present invention, a first moving displacement between a normal position of the robot arm and a contact position, where the robot arm comes into contact with the body of the robot, is obtained. A second moving displacement between a current position of the robot arm and the contact position is obtained by moving the robot arm to the contact position. The current position of the robot arm is corrected to the normal position on the basis of a difference between the first and second moving displacements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of calibrating a robot, and more particularly to a method of calibrating a robot, which can perform calibration by the movement of a robot itself without requiring an additional calibration device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, if machineries or tools requiring precise position control, such as robots, are disassembled and reassembled for repair or change of parts, offset of the initial positions of moving parts, such as robot arms, which may be varied relative to their previous positions, can frequently occur.
Therefore, if the offset occurs due to the change of parts, etc., previous calibration data must be revised by performing calibration to correct the offset.
In the prior art, if parts of a robot are changed and the correction of offset is required, calibration is performed by using an exclusive calibration jig, or on the basis of a calibration mark indicated on the body of the robot.
FIG. 1 is a control flowchart of a conventional method of calibrating a robot using a calibration jig.
As shown in FIG. 1, an original working tool attached to the body of the robot is detached therefrom at step S10, and an exclusive calibration tool is attached to the body of the robot at step S11. If the exclusive calibration tool is attached to the body of the robot, calibration is performed using the exclusive calibration tool at step S12.
At step S13, calibration data are obtained using calibration results from the performance of the calibration at step S12. Prestored previous calibration data are revised using the calibration data obtained at step S13 so as to correct the offset at step S14.
If the calibration data are revised, the exclusive calibration tool is detached from the body of the robot at step S15. Thereafter, the original working tool is attached again to the body of the robot at step S16.
As described above, the conventional method using the calibration jig is problematic in that it requires high precision of the calibration jig, and a calibrating operation is very complicated and requires much time, because an operation of changing the original working tool and the exclusive calibration tool must be performed twice. Further, the conventional method is troublesome in that if an actual user performs the calibration personally, the user must retain the exclusive calibration jig.
Meanwhile, in the conventional method of performing calibration on the basis of the calibration mark indicated on the body of the robot, calibration data are revised using the current position of the robot, after moving the mark indicated on the robot body to a position where a reference mark is indicated to enable the marks to coincide with each other.
Such a conventional method using the reference mark does not have the inconvenience that tools must be attached or detached to/from the body of the robot; however, the conventional method using the reference mark is problematic in that precision of calibration is relatively low.


The present invention relates to a telephone answering machine which can be initiated after a telephone connection is established. It comprises a memory for storing out-going messages and incoming messages, a voice processing circuit for playing the out-going messages stored in the memory and recording incoming messages into the memory, a line interface circuit connected to an external telephone network for connecting the voice processing circuit to the telephone network, a microprocessor for controlling the voice processing circuit and the line interface circuit, and a recording key connected to the microprocessor wherein the microprocessor establishes a telephone connection between the voice processing circuit and the telephone network by using the line interface circuit and initiates the voice processing circuit to play an outgoing message and record incoming messages after the recording key is actuated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone answering machine, and more particularly, to a telephone answering machine which can be initiated after a telephone connection is established.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Telephone answering machines are used in almost every household for answering telephones and recording incoming messages when users of the machines are not available. When digital answering machines (DAM) begin emerging in the market, versatile electronic functions are added to such answering machines by using some electronic chips available in the market. A telephone answering machine is usually triggered by incoming ring signals when the number of ring signals exceed a predetermined number set by the user or manufacturer of the machine. When it is initiated, an out-going message which comprises greetings and recording instructions prepared by a user will be played to the caller and then incoming messages from the caller will be recorded. Some other functions such as multiple voice mail boxes for recording incoming messages for each individuals of a household may also be initiated in the same time if such functions are available in the machine. In such case the caller has to select one voice mail box first so that he can leave his messages to the right person.
One problem with most telephone answering machines is that if a person at the receiving end picks up the phone and find that he is not the right person to answer the phone, there is no way for him to switch the phone to the answering machine because most answering machines can only be initiated by a predetermined number of ring signals and there is no way to start the machine after the phone is picked up. The person either has to transfer the message for the caller or he has to request the caller to call again so that the answering machine can be initiated at the second call. Apparent such process is very inconvenient both to the caller and to the person who answers the phone.

Telephone answering machine with on-line switch function


A VSB communication system comprises a VSB transmission system and a VSB reception system. The VSB transmission system multiplexes a coded MPEG data and a coded supplemental data having a null sequence inserted therein, with required multiplexing information included in a field synchronization signal or in a supplemental data according to a number of the supplemental data packets being transmitted. The VSB reception system detects the required multiplexing information from the field synchronization signal or the supplemental data and decodes the multiplexed data by using the null sequence and the detected multiplexing information, as well as demultiplexes the multiplexed data into the MPEG data and the supplemental data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital television transmission system, and more particularly, to a 8T-VSB (Vestigial Sideband) communication system for transmitting and receiving supplemental data in addition to MPEG data and to a signal format for the VSB communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The United States of America has employed ATSC 8T-VSB (8 Trellis-Vestigial Sideband) as a standard since 1995, and has been broadcasting in the ATSC 8T-VSB since the later half of 1998. South Korea also has employed the ATSC 8T-VSB as a standard. South Korea started test broadcasting in May 1995, and has since August 2000 put in place a regular test broadcasting system. The advancement of technology allows the transmission of digital television (DTV) in the same 6 MHz bandwidth currently used by NTSC.
FIG. 1B illustrates a block diagram of a conventional ATSC 8T-VSB transmission system 6 ("VSB transmission system"). The VSB transmission system 6 generally comprises a data randomizer 11, Reed-Solomon coder 12, data interleaver 13, Trellis coder 14, multiplexer 15, pilot inserter 16, VSB modulator 17 and RF converter 18.
Referring to FIG. 1B, there is a data randomizer 11 for receiving and making random MPEG data (video, audio and ancillary data). The data randomizer 11 receives the MPEG-II data output from an MPEG-II encoder. Although not shown in FIG. 1B, the MPEG-II encoder takes baseband digital video and performs bit rate compression using the techniques of discrete cosine transform, run length coding, and bi-directional motion prediction. The MPEG-II encoder then multiplexes this compressed data together with pre-coded audio and any ancillary data that will be transmitted. The result is a stream of compressed MPEG-II data packets with a data frequency of only 19.39 Mbit/Sec. The MPEG-II encoder outputs such data to the data randomizer in serial form. MPEG-II packets are 188 bytes in length with the first byte in each packet always being the sync or header byte. The MPEG-II sync byte is then discarded. The sync byte will ultimately be replaced by the ATSC segment sync in a later stage of processing.
In the VSB transmission system 6, the 8-VSB bit stream should have a random, noise-like signal. The reason being that the transmitted signal frequency response must have a flat noise-like spectrum in order to use the allotted 6 MHz channel space with maximum efficiency. Random data minimizes interference into analog NTSC. In the data randomizer 11, each byte value is changed according to known pattern of pseudo-random number generation. This process is reversed in the VSB receiver in order to recover the proper data values.
The Reed-Solomon coder 12 of the VSB transmission system 6 is used for subjecting the output data of the data randomizer 11 to Reed-Solomon coding and adding a 20 byte parity code to the output data. Reed Solomon encoding is a type of forward error correction scheme applied to the incoming data stream. Forward error correction is used to correct bit errors that occur during transmission due to signal fades, noise, etc. Various types of techniques may be used as the forward error correction process.
The Reed-Solomon coder 12 takes all 187 bytes of an incoming MPEG-II data packet (the sync or header byte has been removed from 188 bytes) and mathematically manipulates them as a block to create a digital sketch of the block contents. This "sketch" occupies 20 additional bytes which are added at the tail end of the original 187 byte packet. These 20 bytes are known as Reed-Solomon parity bytes. The 20 Reed-Solomon parity bytes for every data packet add redundancy for forward error correction of up to 10 byte errors/packet. Since Reed-Solomon decoders correct byte errors, and bytes can have anywhere from 1 to 8 bit errors within them, a significant amount of error correction can be accomplished in the VSB reception system. The output of the Reed-Solomon coder 12 is 207 bytes (187 plus 20 parity bytes).
The VSB reception system will compare the received 187 byte block to the 20 parity bytes in order to determine the validity of the recovered data. If errors are detected, the receiver can use the parity bytes to locate the exact location of the errors, modify the corrupted bytes, and reconstruct the original information.
The data interleaver 13 interleaves the output data of the Reed-Solomon coder 12. In particular, the data interleaver 13 mixes the sequential order of the data packet and disperses or delays the MPEG-II packet throughout time. The data interleaver 13 then reassembles new data packets incorporating small sections from many different MPEG-II (pre-interleaved) packets. The reassembled packets are 207 bytes each.
The purpose of the data interleaver 13 is to prevent losing of one or more packets due to noise or other harmful transmission environment. By interleaving data into many different packets, even if one packet is completely lost, the original packet may be substantially recovered from information contained in other packets.
The VSB transmission system 6 also has a trellis coder 14 for converting the output data of the data interleaver 13 from byte form into symbol form and for subjecting it to trellis coding. In the trellis coder 14, bytes from the data interleaver 13 are converted into symbols and provided one by one to a plurality of Trellis coders and precoders shown in FIG. 9.
Trellis coding is another form of forward error correction. Unlike Reed-Solomon coding, which treated the entire MPEG-II packet simultaneously as a block, trellis coding is an evolving code that tracks the progressing stream of bits as it develops through time.
The trellis coder 14 adds additional redundancy to the signal in the form of more (than four data levels, creating the multilevel (8) data symbols for transmission. For trellis coding, each 8-bit byte is split up into a stream of four, 2-bit words. In the trellis coder 14, each 2-bit input word is compared to the past history of previous 2-bit words. A 3-bit binary code is mathematically generated to describe the transition from the previous 2-bit word to the current one. These 3-bit codes are substituted for the original 2-bit words and transmitted as the eight level symbols of 8-VSB. For every two bits that enter the trellis coder 14, three bits are produced.
The trellis decoder in the VSB receiver uses the received 3-bit transition codes to reconstruct the evolution of the data stream from one 2-bit word to the next. In this way, the trellis coder follows a "trail" as the signal moves from one word to the next through time. The power of trellis coding lies in its ability to track a signal's history through time and discard potentially faulty information (errors) based on a signal's past and future behavior.
A multiplexer 15 is used for multiplexing a symbol stream from the trellis coder 14 and synchronizing signals. The segment and the field synchronizing signals provide information to the VSB receiver to accurately locate and demodulate the transmitted RF signal. The segment and the field synchronizing signals are inserted after the randomization and error coding stages so as not to destroy the fixed time and amplitude relationships that these signals must possess to be effective. The multiplexer 15 provides the output from the trellis coder 14 and the segment and the field synchronizing signals in a time division manner.
An output packet of the data interleaver 13 comprises the 207 bytes of an interleaved data packet. After trellis coding, the 207 byte segment is stretched out into a baseband stream of 828 eight level symbols. The segment synchronizing signal is a four symbol pulse that is added to the front of each data segment and replaces the missing first byte (packet sync byte) of the original MPEG-II data packet. The segment synchronizing signal appears once every 832 symbols and always takes the form of a positive-negative-positive pulse swinging between the +5 and −5 signal levels.
The field synchronizing signal is an entire data segment that is repeated once per field. The field synchronizing signal has a known data symbol pattern of positive-negative pulses and is used by the receiver to eliminate signal ghosts caused by poor reception.
The VSB transmission system 6 also has the pilot inserter 16 for inserting pilot signals into the symbol stream from the multiplexer 15. Similar to the synchronizing signals described above, the pilot signal is inserted after the randomization and error coding stages so as not to destroy the fixed time and amplitude relationships that these signals must possess to be effective.
Before the data is modulated, a small DC shift is applied to the 8T-VSB baseband signal. This causes a small residual carrier to appear at the zero frequency point of the resulting modulated spectrum. This is the pilot signal provided by the pilot inserter 16. This gives the RF PLL circuits in the VSB receiver something to lock onto that is independent of the data being transmitted.
After the pilot signal has been inserted by the pilot inserter 16, the output is subjected to a VSB modulator 17. The VSB modulator 17 modulates the symbol stream from the pilot inserter 16 into an 8 VSB signal of an intermediate frequency band. The VSB modulator 17 provides a filtered (root-raised cosine) IF signal at a standard frequency (44 Mhz in the U.S.), with most of one sideband removed.
In particular, the eight level baseband signal is amplitude modulated onto an intermediate frequency (IF) carrier. The modulation produces a double sideband IF spectrum about the carrier frequency. The total spectrum is too wide to be transmitted in the assigned 6 MHz channel.
The sidelobes produced by the modulation are simply scaled copies of the center spectrum, and the entire lower sideband is a mirror image of the upper sideband. Therefore using a filter, the VSB modulator discards the entire lower sideband and all of the sidelobes in the upper sideband. The remaining signal (upper half of the center spectrum) is further eliminated in one-half by using the Nyquist filter. The Nyquist filter is based on the Nyquist Theory, which summarizes that only a ½ frequency bandwidth is required to transmit a digital signal at a given sampling rate.
Finally, there is an RF (Radio Frequency) converter 18 for converting the signal of an intermediate frequency band from the VSB modulator 17 into a signal of a RF band signal, and for transmitting the signal to a reception system through an antenna 19.
The foregoing VSB communication system is at least partially described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,636,251, 5,629,958 and 5,600,677 by Zenith Co. which are incorporated herein by reference. The 8T-VSB transmission system, which is employed as the standard digital TV broadcasting in North America and South Korea, was developed for the transmission of MPEG video and audio data. As technologies for processing digital signals develop and the use of the Internet increases, the trend currently is to integrate digitized home appliances, the personal computer, and the Internet into one comprehensive system.
Therefore, in order to satisfy the variety of the demands of users, there is a need to develop a communication system that facilitates the addition and transmittal of a variety of supplemental data to the video and audio data through the digital broadcasting channel. It is predicted that the use of supplemental data broadcasting may require PC (Personal Computer) cards or portable appliances, with simple indoor antennas.
However, there can be a substantial reduction of signal strength due to walls and nearby moving bodies. There also can be ghost and noise caused by reflective waves, which causes the performance of the signal of the supplemental data broadcasting to be substantially poor. Supplemental data broadcasting is different from general video and audio data in that it requires a lower error ratio in transmission. For general video and audio data, errors imperceptible to the human eye or ear are inconsequential. In contrast, for supplemental data, even one bit of error in the supplemental data (which may include program execution files, stock information, and other similar information) may cause a serious problem. Therefore, the development of a communication system that is more resistant to the ghost and noise occurring on the channel is absolutely required.
In general, the supplemental data is transmitted by a time division system on a channel similar to the MPEG video and audio data. After the incorporation of digital broadcasting, there has already been a widespread emergence in the home appliance market of receivers equipped to receive ATSC VSB digital broadcast signals. These products receive MPEG video and audio data only. Therefore, it is required that the transmission of supplemental data on the same channel as the MPEG video and audio data has no adverse influence on the existing receivers that are equipped to receive ATSC VSB digital broadcasting. Such objective is defined as ATSC VSB backward compatibility, and the supplemental data broadcasting system must be a system that is backward-compatible with the ATSC VSB communication system.
In the meantime, in a poor channel environment, the reception performance of the existing ATSC VSB reception system may decrease. Because the supplemental data and the MPEG data are multiplexed in segment units, the order of multiplexing is closely related to the receiving performance of the supplemental data. That is, the receiving performance of the supplemental data may be significantly poor depending on the order of multiplexing.


A waste-derived fuel is prepared to have a particular chemical composition, including ash content, ash composition and fuel value, and physical properties as required by a particular fuel user or burning process. The fuel is prepared by collecting different waste materials, chemically analyzing each waste material, and then blending and mixing together several different waste materials in appropriate proportions to provide the desired chemical composition and fuel value. The fuel is prepared to have a homogenous, uniform, and constant composition over time. The fuel is suited for use by itself or mixed with conventional fuels to be burned as a primary fuel in the main burner of a cement kiln and pre-calciner. In that case, the fuel is preferably formulated to provide an ash composition that approximates the composition of normal cement raw material mix. The fuel can provide increased amounts of particular elements or compounds as required by the fuel user. The fuel preferably contains calcium compounds other than calcium carbonate, and has a reduced proportion of carbon and an increased proportion of hydrogen as compared to coal, whereby use of the fuel in cement kilns reduces the carbon dioxide emissions from both the calcining process and the combustion process.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of processing waste materials to produce fuel for high temperature furnaces and kilns, and further relates to the waste-derived fuel produced by the method. The waste materials may include a broad range of solid, semisolid, pasty, sludge and liquid wastes. The waste-derived fuel is especially suited to be used in kilns such as cement kilns wherein the non-combustible residue of the fuel, referred to simply as ash herein, is mixed, as the fuel is burned, directly with the raw materials being fired in the kiln and thus is incorporated into the resultant kiln-fired product. The waste-derived fuel may be used as a supplemental fuel or a primary fuel in such kilns. The invention also relates to a method of reducing the emission of carbon dioxide during the manufacture of cement such as Portland cement.

Managed composition of waste-derived fuel


The present invention provides a method for roaming retry under pre-paging mode. The method comprises the following steps of: during a pre-paging period, a called Mobile Station (MS) moving to a new location area and sending a location update request to a new Visitor Mobile Switching Center/Visitor Location Register (New VMSC/VLR); after receiving the location update request, the New VMSC/VLR sending a location area update message to a Home Location Register (HLR); after receiving the location area update message, the HLR sending a Send Routing Information (SRI) Ack message including a Roaming Retry Indication identifier to a to a Gateway Mobile Switching Center (GMSC); after receiving the SRI Ack message, the GMSC triggering a roaming retry procedure according to the Roaming Retry Indication identifier, and completing the subsequent calling flow.

As is well known, the core network of 3G (The Third Generation Mobile Communication Technology) is composed of a MSC (Mobile Switching Center), a VLR (Visitor Location Register), a HLR (Home Location Register) and a RNC (Radio Network Controller), wherein MSC can be divided according to functions into GMSC (Gateway Mobile Switching Center), which is a MSC responsible for inquiring the routing information of the called subscriber, and VMSC (Visitor Mobile Switching Center), which is a visited MSC of the subscriber and also a destination to be routed by a call; VLR is a visitor location register of a subscriber, HLR is a home location register of a subscriber, and RNC is a network element responsible for implementing the function of subscriber wireless access.
Pre-paging means that a GMSC will firstly send a Send Routing Information (SRI) message to a HLR when inquiring routing, and then the HLR will send a Provide Roaming Number (PRN) message to a VLR where the called subscriber is located; after receiving the PRN message, the VLR where the called subscriber is located will check the parameters in the message, and will return a PRN RSP (response) message to the HLR after pre-paging is over if the message requests the VLR where the called subscriber is located to start a pre-paging procedure, and the HLR will return a SRI RSP message to the GMSC; at this moment, the procedure of pre-paging is completely finished.
Roaming Retry is a technique adopted to solve the problem of call failure that occurs when a terminal subscriber is called while the subscriber moves out from the current location area; since it may take a period of time from when the HLR acquires the roaming number by inquiring the VMSC of the called subscriber to when the VMSC where the subscriber is located receives an IAM (Initial Address Message) sent by the GMSC, a subscriber which is of high mobility and meanwhile is on the border of a location area may move into another location area; this technique is favourable to improving probability of call success for a subscriber of high mobility.
The flow of the existing roaming retry technique is as shown in FIG. 1:
Step 101: firstly a GMSC sending a SRI message carrying a Roaming Retry Support identifier to a HLR;
Step 102: then the HLR forwarding a PRN message carrying a Roaming Retry Support identifier to an Old VMSC/VLR for requesting for a roaming number;
The above SRI and PRN messages include a pre-paging support indication field;
Step 103: the Old VMSC/VLR returning a PRN ACK message carrying a Mobile Station Roaming Number (MSRN) to the HLR;
Step 104: the HLR returning a SRI ACK message carrying the MSRN to the GMSC;
Step 105: the GMSC sending an Initial Address Message (IAM) to the Old VMSC;
Step 106: after receiving the IAM message, the Old VMSC/VLR initiating a paging;
Step 107: the subscriber moving at this moment, initiating a procedure for location update under a new VMSC, and a MS (Mobile Station) sending a Location Update request to the new VMSC/VLR;
Step 108: the new VMSC sending an update location request to the HLR;
Step 109: at this moment, the HLR sending a Cancel Location message to the Old VMSC, then the Old VMSC returning a Cancel Location Ack to the HLR.
Step 110: upon receiving the Cancel Location message, the Old VMSC firstly stopping a paging timer to cancel paging since paging is still performed at this moment, and notifying the GMSC to perform roaming retry through step 111; meanwhile the new VMSC/VLR starting the procedure of inserting subscriber data;
Step 111: the Old VMSC/VLR sending a RCH (Resume Call Handling) message carrying a roaming retry indication identifier to notify the GMSC to perform roaming retry;
Step 112: the GMSC releasing the call to the Old VMSC/VLR using a REL/RLC message (a releasing message of ISUP, corresponding to the IAM message);
Step 113: after receiving the RCH message, the GMSC initiating a procedure of obtaining the roaming number for the second time at this moment, which is called as roaming retry, wherein the SRI message sent for the second time does not include Roaming Retry Support identifier any more;
Step 114: after completing location update, the HLR postponing sending the PRN to the new VMSC/VLR;
Step 115: after receiving the PRN ACK sent by the NEW VMSC/VLR, the HLR returning a SRI ACK message containing MSRN'(a new mobile station roaming number) to the GMSC;
Step 116: the GMSC sending an Initial Address Message (IAM) to the NEW VMSC/VLR using this MSRN';
Step 117: after completing location update, the NEW VMSC/VLR initiating a paging procedure.
Processing of normal MT (Mobile Terminated) call procedure will be performed subsequently.
As can be seen from the flow and various protocol files described specifically above, in the current method for triggering roaming retry, if the subscriber starts pre-paging when the Old MSC/VLR receives SRI/PRN for the first time, the PRN procedure will fail directly if processing is carried out according to the previous protocol when the subscriber moves during pre-paging and receives a Cancel Location message; in step 103, a PRN ACK message carrying an error indication is sent to the HLR, and roaming retry is not taken into consideration if a Cancel Location is received during pre-paging according to the SDL (Specification and Description Language) chart of a 3GPP improved protocol, and actually the processing is still performed according to call failure at this moment.
Therefore, the prior art only provides a solving method for the subscribers of high mobility in a non pre-paging scene, and processing is still performed according to call failure for the subscribers of pre-paging.

Roaming retrying method under pre-paging mode


A control system that controls a switching circuit having a switching element and an inductive element coupled to an output of the switching element. The control system includes a switching control circuit that controls the switching element to operate the switching circuit in a first conduction mode of operation, such as a boundary conduction mode (BCM), in which current in the inductive element is maintained at a non-zero level during a first time period within each switching cycle. A conduction mode control circuit is configured for switching the switching circuit into a second conduction mode of operation, such as a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), in which current in the inductive element is maintained at a non-zero level during a second time period within each switching cycle. The first time period differs from the second time period.

Switching regulators usually operate in either a continuous conduction mode (CCM) for higher power applications, or in a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) for lower power applications. For example, when a switching regulator operates in CCM, current in its inductive element is always above zero, whereas in a DCM switching regulator, current in the inductive element falls to zero during a time period within each switching cycle.
To take full advantage of energy transfer efficiency, most flyback switching regulators operate in DCM where an inherent diode reverse recovery problem is absent and switches operate at zero current turn-on. Due to reduced device stresses, a DCM switching regulator is able to operate at a higher frequency, which results in a smaller transformer size and higher power density. However, DCM operation is associated with high resistive loss and high ripple voltage. To minimize these disadvantages while maintaining advantages of DCM operation, a switching regulator may be controlled to operate at the boundary between CCM and DCM, i.e. in a boundary conduction mode (BCM).
The efficiency of a BCM regulator is higher than that of a DCM regulator. However, the difference in efficiency between these modes becomes much smaller at high line voltage conditions. In addition, BCM operation has some disadvantages. A BCM controller adjusts switching frequency according to load and line conditions. Load step change and line voltage variation affect the switching frequency directly. The resulting variable switching frequency may shift the noise spectrum out of an acceptable range of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and cause uncertainty for EMI filtering.
Variable switching frequency also affects output voltage ripple. When the switching frequency is high, output voltage ripple is low. Conversely, when switching frequency is low, output voltage ripple is high.
Another disadvantage is "jittering" at light load conditions, when the switching frequency can reach a very high level.
DCM operation enables a switching regulator to alleviate the EMI and "jittering" problems and conveniently provide ripple filtering. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a conduction mode control system that will allow a switching regulator to combine benefits of BCM and DCM by having a capability to operate in either mode, selectively. Also, it would be desirable to control a switching converter so as to support its operation in a hybrid DCM/BCM mode, in which the converter is able to switch between BCM and DCM, depending on specific conditions.

Programmable conduction mode control for switching circuits


A lateral pipe lining material comprises a tubular resin-absorbing material impregnated with a curable resin and a brim attached at one end thereof. The lining material is positioned so that the brim faces a peripheral edge of a lateral pipe opening of the main pipe. A ring-shaped gasket composed of an elastic material is attached to an upper surface of the brim, and a bonding resin is applied thereto. The gasket seals a gap between an inner peripheral surface of the main pipe and the brim. The lateral pipe lining material is evertedly inserted into the lateral pipe in a state in which the bonding resin applied to the brim is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the main pipe. In such a configuration, ground water can be prevented from seeping into the bonding resin applied to the brim even if the ground water flows into the main pipe from a break of the lateral pipe.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lateral pipe lining material for lining a lateral pipe that branches off from a main pipe, and to a lateral pipe lining method using the lateral pipe lining material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A pipe lining method is known in which, when an underground sewer pipe or other pipe has degraded over time, the pipe is not extracted from the ground, but, instead, a lining is applied to an inner peripheral surface of the pipe to repair the pipe. In this pipe lining method, a tubular pipe lining material comprised of a flexible tubular resin-absorbing material is used, which is impregnated with a curable resin and whose outer peripheral surface is covered with a highly airtight film. The pipe lining material is evertedly inserted into the pipe by fluid pressure and pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the pipe. In this state, the pipe lining material is heated to cure the curable resin impregnated therein, thereby lining the inner peripheral surface of the pipe.
The above-described method can also be used for lateral pipes that branch off from a main pipe. Such a lateral pipe lining method is disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 1994-270253. In this method, a work robot is used to bring a brim formed on one end of a lateral pipe lining material into close contact with a peripheral edge of a lateral pipe opening of the main pipe. The lateral pipe lining material is then evertedly inserted into the lateral pipe. The curable resin in the lateral pipe lining material is cured and the lateral pipe is lined while the evertedly inserted lateral pipe lining material is pressed against an inner peripheral surface of the lateral pipe. The resin impregnated into the lateral pipe lining material flows into a gap between a surface of the brim on an opening side and an inner surface of the main pipe. This allows the main pipe to be integrally joined with the lateral pipe lining material.
The lateral pipe is usually lined before the main pipe is lined. However, the lateral pipe may also be lined after the main pipe is lined (also referred to as "after lining").
However, a problem arises in that, when water seeps from the ground into a portion that is to be lined, the water will seep into a gap between a lateral pipe opening of a main pipe and a brim of a lateral pipe lining material, and it will become impossible to cure a thermosetting resin. In addition, a problem arises in that, when an adhesive composed of thermosetting resin is applied to a surface of the brim on a lateral pipe opening side, the resin will become fluid and flow away from the surface of the brim due to heat generated when the resin is cured.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pipe lining material and a lateral pipe lining method that can be used to securely line a lateral pipe even at a work site where water will seep in from the ground.

Lateral pipe lining material and lateral pipe lining method


Methods for pre-shaping paint film laminates and co-molding processes using such laminates are disclosed. The methods comprise the steps of providing (e.g., forming or procuring) a plastic paint film laminate, softening the paint film laminate with heat such that one or more localized portions of the member absorb more heat than the remainder, and deforming the plastic film member to form a pre-shaped article. The formation of different heat absorption areas on the paint film laminate is referred to as the provision of heat sink areas. These heat sink areas can be provided for example by surface coating of heat retention means such as black paint or ink pigments on localized areas of the surface of the laminate followed by uniform heating of the laminate in an oven or the like or the sheet can be heated in localized areas to a greater extent (i.e. time and/or temperature) than in remainder portions by the means of heat guns or the like. In either case, the result is that certain desired portions of the paint film absorb more heat than the remainder sections. The heat sink portions are deformed in either a pre-shaping step or in the molding step. When the heat sink portions are placed adjacent mold sections adapted to form a given surface continuity, the portions of the laminate bordering the heat sink portions exhibit gloss consistent with other show surfaces of the co-molded part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for pre-shaping plastic films that are used in co-molding processes to cover plastic substrates and to articles made by these methods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of injection molded parts are made and used for automobile body and trim parts. For example, bumpers, spoilers, body panels, doors, filler panels, wheel covers, dashboards, arm rests and other parts are commonly made by the injection molding of thermoplastic materials.
In order to provide a painted or other decorative surface for these parts, film lamination techniques are commonly employed. A paint film laminate is insert molded or as it is sometimes referred to, co-molded, with the desired thermoplastic to fuse the film over the injection molded substrate. The resulting injection molded film-plastic part is ready for assembly without subsequent painting.
The paint film laminate used in these insert molding techniques may comprise a backing sheet of about 0.020 inch (0.5 mm) in thickness to which paint, other pigment containing, or clear layers are adhered. Typically, the backing sheet comprises an extruded thermoplastic sheet. The paint or pigment layer may contain colored pigments or reflective flake pigments such as aluminum or mica flakes to provide for example a metallic finish.
The paint film may consist of a monocoat, a clear coat over a base coat or a clear coat and a base coat with interposed print or design. The paint film, including base coat, clear coat and print or design, if desired, may range from about 0.5-4 mil. (13-100 .mu.m) in thickness.
Laminated paint films are well known in the art and are available, for example, from Avery Dennison Decorative Films Div. of Schererville, Ind., or Decorative Products of Charlotte, N.C. For example, laminated paint films are detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,427. The entire disclosure of this patent is incorporated by reference herein. The films are typically provided in a roll, unwound and then "preformed" to a size and shape approximating that of the final injection molded film-plastic part. The preforming process may comprise compressing and heating the film within a mold cavity to impart the desired basic shape to the film.
Preforming may also be accomplished by heating the film and then shaping it over a pattern block which generally corresponds to the size and shape of the finished injection molded part. A vacuum may be drawn from a plenum communicating with air channel means in the pattern block to draw the paint film over the pattern block and conform it to the desired shape.
The preform is next usually trimmed to a proper size and placed along the cavity side of an injection mold with the painted side or "show" side thereof facing the mold cavity surface. In some instances, the preform may be placed along the core side of the mold. The mold is then clamped and the desired molten resin is injected into the mold cavity. Heat and pressure conditions in the mold partially melt the backing sheet and a melt bonding or fusion of the injected resin and the backing sheet of the film occur. Injection molds used for these processes are rear or edge gated so that the molten resin is directed along the backside of the film.
Techniques for preforming paint film laminates and insert molding film-plastic parts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,608. The disclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by reference.
Although the prior art lamination techniques provide significant advantage, they are not without problem. One problem is a lack of gloss consistency on the show surface of the film laminate after it is fused to the plastic part. For example, when the paint film laminate is preformed to approximate the shape of a part having a surface discontinuity such as a boss, recess, aperture or cut out portion, the portion of the film in the neighborhood of the surface discontinuity is deformed (e.g., elongated) more than the surrounding portion of the film. This adversely affects gloss uniformity of the show surface. The paint coating in the areas surrounding such discontinuity is duller than the other show surfaces. The result is that a co-molded paint film covered plastic part is formed wherein there is a substantial difference in gloss on the show side of the part.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art to improve on the existing methods for preforming plastic film members prior to co-molding thereof with the requisite plastic so as to provide more uniform gloss characteristics on the show side of co-molded plastic parts.

Method for pre-shaping of plastic films used in co-molding processes and improved paint film covered parts made thereby


A system for detecting one or more signals at a PCI Express interface includes a receiver configured to receive a signal at the PCI Express interface, and a peak detector configured to detect one or more signals based on level sensing, and identify one or more data sampling points to set an amplitude threshold. A comparator is configured to compare an amplitude of the received signal with the amplitude threshold, and a processor is configured to confirm that the received signal is a valid signal when the amplitude of the signal is at least one of greater than or equal to the amplitude threshold over a predefined period of time. The processor is also configured to disable a signal detector that can detect one or more low frequency signals. The system also includes a tester configured to test whether the detected signal is correct.

Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Express is a computer expansion or laptop expansion bus standard, which is high-speed serial replacement of the older bus standards, such as, but not limited to PCI-X, Accelerated Graphic Port (AGP), and so forth. The PCI Express interface includes a signal detection circuit that may detect whether a valid analog signal has been received at one or more input pins. This operation is based on an assumption that a valid signal produces pulses that may exceed a voltage threshold over a long integration time. This may determine that a signal is a valid signal and not noise. The PCI express interface technology is under constant development and improvement. There are various generations of PCIe i.e. version 1.0a, 1.1, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 4.0 that has been released so far, based on their speed bins. Various versions of the PCIe differ from each other based on transfer rate and per-lane data rate. PCIe interface versions have various speed bins for transfer rate. Typically, the transfer rate is expressed in Gigatransfers per second (GT/s) or Gigabits per second (GT/s). The transfer rate of PCIe 1.0 and 1.1 is 2.5 GT/s per lane, for PCIe 2.0 and 2.1 is 5 GT/s per lane, for PCIe 3.0 is 8 GT/s per lane, and for PCIe 4.0 is 16 GT/s per lane.
The existing signal detecting techniques are based on level sensing and simple envelope integration and cannot detect a valid signal as speed approaches to 8 GT/s per lane or 16 GT/s per lane. Therefore, an operator or user opts to disable this function of signal detection and ignore it when speed approaches 8 GT/s or 16 GT/s per lane. Because of this limitation, existing signal detection techniques are being used only at slower speeds and initialization.
In light of above discussion and limitations of existing signal detection techniques, there exists a need for systems and methods for detecting signal at higher speeds.

International Business Machines Corporation


The multifunctional material can readily adsorb even VOCs, which exhibits high photocatalytic activity and functions as visible-light-responsive photocatalyst by virtue of a large surface area and of being doped with carbon, has high hardness and exhibits excellent exfoliation resistance, wear resistance, resistance to chemicals, and heat resistance. The multifunctional material has a large number of protrusions of titanium oxide or a titanium alloy oxide on at least a portion of a surface of the material for example forest microcolumns of titanium oxide, the layer being exposed on the surface and the microcolumns being doped with carbon.

Hitherto, titanium dioxide (TiO2) (referred to simply as "titanium oxide" in the present specification and appended claims) has been known to be a substance exhibiting a photocatalytic function. Since the 1970's, attempts have been made to form a titanium oxide film on the surface of metallic titanium. Known titanium oxide film formation methods include a method in which a titanium oxide film is formed on the surface of metallic titanium through anodization; a method in which a titanium oxide film is thermally formed on the surface of a metallic titanium sheet in an electric furnace supplied with oxygen; and a method in which a metallic titanium sheet is heated in the combustion flames of city gas at 1,100 to 1,400° C., to thereby form a titanium oxide film on the surface of the metallic titanium sheet (see Non-Patent Document 1).
In order to produce a photocatalytic product exhibiting deodorant, antibacterial, antifog, or antifouling effect by virtue of its photocatalytic function, generally, a substrate is coated with titanium oxide sol through spray coating, spin coating, dipping, or a similar technique, thereby forming a film (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). However, the formed coating film is likely to undergo exfoliation or wear, and therefore the thus-produced product is difficult to use over a long period of time. Meanwhile, there has been known a method for forming a photocatalytic coating through sputtering (see, for example, Patent Documents 4 and 5).
As has also been known, when crystal nuclei produced through any process (e.g., CVD or PVD) are placed in a sol containing an inorganic or organic metal compound, to thereby grow titanium oxide crystals from the crystal nuclei, or when a sol is applied to the crystal nuclei, followed by solidification and thermal treatment, to thereby grow titanium oxide crystals from the crystal nuclei, the thus-grown titanium oxide crystals assume a columnar shape, and exhibit high photocatalytic activity (see, for example, Patent Documents 6 to 8). However, in such a case, columnar crystals are grown only from seed crystals provided on a substrate, and thus the thus-grown columnar crystals exhibit insufficient bonding strength to the substrate. Therefore, the thus-produced photocatalyst is not necessarily satisfactory in terms of durability (e.g., wear resistance).
Meanwhile, in order to exhibit a photocatalytic function, titanium oxide must receive an UV ray having a wavelength of 400 nm or less. Thus, many studies have been carried out on doping titanium oxide with various elements so as to realize a titanium oxide photocatalyst which functions by visible light. For example, there has been reported that a nitrogen-doped titanium oxide sample serves as an excellent visible-light-responsive catalyst among titanium oxide samples each doped with F, N, C, S, P, Ni, or a like element (see Non-Patent Document 2).
There have also been proposed photocatalysts formed from titanium oxide doped with other elements; for example, a titanium compound in which oxygen sites are substituted with other atoms such as nitrogen, a titanium compound doped with other elements such as nitrogen in an interstitial space of the compound, and a titanium compound in which atoms such as nitrogen are introduced into the grain boundaries of a mass of titanium oxide polycrystals (see, for example, Patent Documents 9 to 12). However, these photocatalysts exhibit unsatisfactory durability, such as poor wear resistance.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 09-241038    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 09-262481    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 10-053437    Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 11-012720    Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2001-205105    Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-253975    Patent Document 7: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-370027    Patent Document 8: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-370034    Patent Document 9: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2001-205103    Patent Document 10: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2001-205094    Patent Document 11: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-95976    Patent Document 12: Pamphlet of WO01/10553    Non-Patent Document 1: A. Fujishima, et al., J. Electrochem. Soc. Vol. 122, No. 11, pp. 1487-1489, November 1975    Non-Patent Document 2: R. Asahi et al., Science Vol. 293, Jul. 13 (2001), pp. 269-271

Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry