Primarily (but not exclusively) in the field of natural resources exploration, there is a requirement to measure the absolute value and variation of gravity at a given point and over an area gradient, thereby detecting the presence of sub-surface anomalies which give rise to the variation in the measured gravity value. In order to provide a portable, accurate, efficient and cost effective method for making the measurements, a gravity sensing apparatus (ABCD) can be deployed using a variety of vehicles, such as (for example, but not limited to) an aircraft or helicopter, with compensation applied by a motion sensing apparatus (EFGH) to reduce or eliminate the effects of vibration and vehicle motion and structural flexure on the gravity and gravity gradiometry data.

Primarily (but not exclusively) in the field of natural resources exploration, there is a requirement to measure the absolute value and variation of gravity at a given point and over an area gradient, thereby detecting the presence of sub-surface anomalies which give rise to the variation in the measured gravity value. In order to provide a portable, accurate, efficient and cost effective method for making the measurements, a gravity sensing apparatus can be deployed hosted by a variety of vehicles, such as (for example, but not limited to) an aircraft or helicopter, with compensation applied by a motion sensing apparatus to reduce or eliminate the effects of vibration and vehicle motion and structural flexure on the gravity and gravity gradiometry data.
To assist in the discussion of the background to the invention, the following definitions and calculations apply:—
One Standard Gravity is defined as the free-fall acceleration of a body at mean sea level and at a latitude of 45.5° and is 9.80665 m/s2. In SI units, One Gal is a unit of acceleration, equal to 1 cm per sec squared. Therefore one milliGal ( 1/1000 of a Gal, and written mGal) is 1/1000 of 1 cm/s2. Therefore 1 mGal is 1.0197 μg, and one Standard Gravity is 980.665 Gal.
The vertical gravity gradient (variation with height) above Earth's surface is approximately 3.1 μGal per meter of height, resulting in a maximum difference of about 2 Gal from the top of Mount Everest to sea level. Changes in latitude and elevation cause a variation of gravity value from (typically) 976 to 983 Gal.
For measurement of gravity go where the terrain is at mean sea level and at latitude ØgØ=9.780327(1+0.0053024 sin2 Ø−0.0000058 sin2 2Ø) m·s−2
However, the gravity sensor will be flying at (typically) 100 meters above mean sea level (AMSL). The first correction to this formula is therefore the free air correction (FAC), which accounts for heights above sea level. Gravity decreases with height, at a rate which near the surface of the Earth is such that linear extrapolation would give zero gravity at a height of one half the radius of the Earth, i.e. the rate is 9.80665 m·s−2 per 3086 km. Thus:—gØ=9.780327(1+0.0053024 sin2 Ø−0.0000058 sin2 2Ø)−h*3.086*10−6 m·s−2
where h=height in meters above mean sea level.
Note that for flat terrain above sea level a second term is added, for the gravity due to the extra mass. For this purpose the extra mass can be approximated by an infinite horizontal slab, and we get 2πG times the mass per unit area, i.e. 4.2×10−10 m3·s−2·kg−1 (0.042 μGal·kg−1·m2)) (the Bouguer correction).
For a mean rock density of (say) 2.67 g·cm−3 this gives 1.1×10−6 s−2 (0.11 mGal·m−1). Combined with the free-air correction this means a reduction of gravity at the surface of circa 2 μm·s−2 (0.20 mGal) for every meter of elevation of the terrain. (Note that the two effects would cancel at a surface rock density of 4/3 times the average density of the whole Earth.)
For the gravity below the surface we have to apply the free-air correction as well as a double Bouguer correction. With the infinite slab model this is because moving the point of observation below the slab changes the gravity due to it to an opposite value.gØ=9.8061999−0.0259296 cos(2Ø)+0.0000567 cos2(2Ø) m·s−2
Taking a geological example, the gravitational anomaly of an ore body of density contrast 300 kg m-3 and of dimension 200 meters buried at a depth of 100 meters would be circa 2*10−6 ms−2, or 0.00002% of the normal Earth gravity field (0.2 μg).
Note that gradiometer data is usually presented scaled in Eotvos (Eo), where 1 Eo is 0.1 mGal/km. Thus the Eotvos is a unit of gravity gradient, and 1 Eotvos corresponds to 10−9 s−2.
There are numerous examples in the prior art of mechanisms employed for the measurement of gravity (a gravimeter) (i.e. LaCoste & Romberg—Scintrex, Inc., AIR-SEA II Dynamic Gravity Meter). In the simplest (and possibly the oldest) form, a mass attached to a beam or a spring can be used, with the natural (linear) deflection of the beam or spring being proportional to the value of the gravity field applied to the beam or spring and associated mass. A degree of damping will be applied to the beam or spring, reducing the sensitivity but also the settling time.
In more recent times, the MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) accelerometer and associated electronic interface provides a means of measuring small accelerations of the order discussed above.
When a gravimeter is used for airborne measurements, the multi-axis movements and structural flexure of the aircraft will modify the natural accelerations due to any change in gravity registered as the aircraft moves over terrain, and these modifications must be compensated for when the gravity data is processed. For example, vertical "bounce" caused by air turbulence will produce accelerations many times greater than those resulting from changes in the gravity value. Air turbulence and the resulting airframe movement will also cause the structure of the aircraft (principally the wings in relation to the fuselage) to flex, introducing vertical accelerations which will modify the gravity values read by the gravity sensors. With any given pilot, the aircraft will precess in a cyclic manner along its flight path at a frequency determined by the flight characteristics of the airframe and the human control lag employed. Variations in aircraft attitude will change the perceived "downward" direction through the aircraft floor, and therefore the gravimeter sensor must employ some form of attitude stabilisation in order to maintain a true vertical reference.
In practical terms, an aircraft will be used to survey a defined area, and normally in a fixed pattern of flight lines of known position and orientation. At the end of each line, the aircraft executes a turning manoeuvre to position itself for the next line. It is desirable to enter each line with a positionally stable sensor, and therefore (depending on the sensor damping employed) the aircraft will extend the approach path to the line start. This might result (for a relatively small survey area) in a large increase in the line length, increasing cost and reducing survey capability for a given fuel load, and therefore it is desirable to minimise the effects of settling time following an aircraft manoeuvre.
For measurement of the gravity gradient (a gradiometer), the sensors employed are of a similar nature to those used simply for gravity, but are usually more sensitive, and are often used in pairs mounted a defined distance apart, thereby allowing the gravity gradient to be measured.
Again in the prior art, there are examples of gradiometers (Air-FTG from Bell Geospace Ltd, Falcon from Fugro AS) which use pairs of accelerometers mounted at a (small) fixed distance apart (and in a temperature and attitude controlled enclosure) on a slowly rotating disc, thereby assisting in the process of noise cancellation and balancing out any differences in accelerometer sensitivity. Both systems use three co-located discs with a total of 12 accelerometers (4 per disc mounted 10 cm apart) in a single (large and heavy) attitude and temperature stabilised assembly. Published results of a comparison of the two systems (ASEG-PESA Airborne Gravity Workshop 2004, Australian Government, ISBN: 1 920871 13 6) show both systems to be capable of reporting gradients of the order 7 Eo with a 700 m cut-off (Air-FTG) and 8 Eo with a 400 m cut-off (Falcon) over a test area with a range of gradients up to 70 Eo.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,802 (Hoffmeyer) describes a gradiometer using pairs of accelerometers rotating on a disc at about 15 rpm, and suggests an increase in rotational speed would improve noise performance. US Patent application 20040211255, (Leeuwen H. et al, October 2004) describes a similar system using a single larger disc (0.6 meters diameter) with up to 72 accelerometers rotating at about 15 rpm, thereby improving noise performance over a smaller disc, and suggests sensitivities might be obtained in the order of 10 Eo. Cryogenic gravity gradiometers have been proposed using atomic resonance techniques, again mounted on attitude stabilisation platforms (ArKex Ltd, EGG System).
A common feature of most current and proposed gravity and gravity gradiometry systems is the size and weight of the apparatus—most are relatively large compared to the size of the typical (small) geophysics survey aircraft often employed to host them. A floor area of 2 square meters is common, with the combined weight of the sensor, thermal and attitude management systems and processing electronics approaching or often exceeding 200 kg. Relative to the scale of the geological features being measured, all are single point measurement systems.


A holster is tailored to receive articles of cylindrical configuration, such as flashlights, pepper spray cans, collapsible batons, etc., provided the articles have similar diameters for a given holster. The holster provides for adjustable tension to be placed on the article in the holster and forms a generally cylindrical cavity drawn to a smaller diameter collar spaced upward from its lower end upon which the tail or the bezel of a flashlight may rest to provide additional protection to the bezel. The holster may form a generally cylindrical cavity extending the full length of the holster. The holster is configured to hold the flashlight at a forward or backward angle for smooth, ergonomic draw of the light by the user. A one-way snap strap is provided for attachment over waist belts of a variety of widths.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to holsters. More particularly, the present invention relates to belt-mounted holsters for a small flashlight or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of relatively small flashlights is increasing as compact models providing light output equal to earlier large models are becoming available. Law enforcement officers commonly carry a variety of items on their waist belt in holsters and pouches. Belt clip-on and belt-mounted holsters and pouches for compact flashlights are available, however, they typically loosely hold the flashlight or are made for a specific flashlight. The clip-on holsters may easily shift relative to the belt or other clothing to which it is fastened. Many have a fastened cover making it clumsy for the user to retrieve for use. They also carry the flashlight vertically relative to the user. It would be desirable to provide a holster which is securely fastened to a law enforcement officers' belt and is adjustable for a variety of similarly sized flashlights. It would also be desirable to provide a holster which exerts adjustable tension on the cylindrical body or handle of the flashlight, keeping it secure but quickly available for grasping by the user. It would also be desirable to provide a holster securely positioning the flashlight at a convenient angle relative to the waist belt for ease in grasping and removal for use. Such a holster would reliably hold the flashlight at a consistent place and angle relative to the belt, making it easily grasped and drawn for use by an officer in an emergency.
Thus a flashlight holder solving the aforementioned problems is desired.


A method is provided. The method includes estimating adjacent channel leakage ratios respectively corresponding based on a test output signal output from a power amplifier according to a test input signal corresponding to a plurality of frequencies; selecting a test delay value corresponding to a largest value among the estimated adjacent channel leakage ratios; and providing a supply voltage to the power amplifier based on an envelope signal delayed according to the selected test delay value. For each of the plurality of test delay values, a corresponding adjacent channel leakage ratio is estimated based on a ratio of a magnitude of a component included in the test output signal and a magnitude of an inter-modulated component.

Methods, apparatuses and systems consistent with example embodiments relate to a communication device and an envelope delay optimization method, and more particularly, to a communication device that supports envelope tracking modulation and a method of optimizing an envelope delay.
In recent years, intensive efforts have been made to improve efficiency of a transmission device provided in user equipment (UE) in order to extend the battery life. In addition, in order to reduce heat loss, the area of network equipment has also been intensively studied. Various technologies have been developed under the assumption that the efficiency and radio frequency (RF) performance of most transmission devices are influenced by a power amplifier (PA).
that has been attracting attention and being constantly studied is envelope tracking (ET).

Communication apparatus for supporting envelope tracking modulation and envelope delay optimization method


A clustered reaction system includes multiple reaction devices, a cooling device and a gas supply device. Each of the reaction devices includes a reaction tank unit defining a reaction space, multiple through holes extending through the reaction tank unit, a heat exchange module including a heat exchange passage surrounding the reaction tank, and an injection module extending through one of the through hole. The cooling device is connected to the heat exchange passages of the reaction devices for supplying a coolant into the heat exchange passages. The gas supply device is communicated fluidly with one of the through holes of each of the reaction devices for supplying a gas to the reaction devices.

Quantum dots have been widely researched and applied in various fields, such as optoelectronics, electronics, optics, etc., due to their unique dimensional properties. However, the synthesis of quantum dots is easily affected by different factors, such as impurities, temperature, concentration, etc. In commercial application, efficiency of quantum dot synthesis is another important factor. Therefore, it is desirable in the art to develop a system that can efficiently produce high quality quantum dots.


A gas distribution structure for supplying reactant gases and purge gases to independent process cells to deposit thin films on separate regions of a substrate is described. Each process cell has an associated ring purge and exhaust manifold to prevent reactive gases from forming deposits on the surface of the wafer between the isolated regions. Each process cell has an associated showerhead for conveying the reactive gases to the substrate. The showerheads can be independently rotated to simulate the rotation parameter for the deposition process.

The manufacture of integrated circuits (IC), semiconductor devices, flat panel displays, optoelectronics devices, data storage devices, magneto-electronic devices, magneto-optic devices, packaged devices, and the like entails the integration and sequencing of many unit processing steps. As an example, IC manufacturing typically includes a series of processing steps such as cleaning, surface preparation, deposition, lithography, patterning, etching, planarization, implantation, thermal annealing, and other related unit processing steps. The precise sequencing and integration of the unit processing steps enables the formation of functional devices meeting desired performance metrics such as speed, power consumption, and reliability.
As part of the discovery, optimization and qualification of each unit process, it is desirable to be able to i) test different materials, ii) test different processing conditions within each unit process module, iii) test different sequencing and integration of processing modules within an integrated processing tool, iv) test different sequencing of processing tools in executing different process sequence integration flows, and combinations thereof in the manufacture of devices such as integrated circuits. In particular, there is a need to be able to test i) more than one material, ii) more than one processing condition, iii) more than one sequence of processing conditions, iv) more than one process sequence integration flow, and combinations thereof, collectively known as "combinatorial process sequence integration", on a single monolithic substrate without the need of consuming the equivalent number of monolithic substrates per material(s), processing condition(s), sequence(s) of processing conditions, sequence(s) of processes, and combinations thereof. This can greatly improve both the speed and reduce the costs associated with the discovery, implementation, optimization, and qualification of material(s), process(es), and process integration sequence(s) required for manufacturing.
Systems and methods for High Productivity Combinatorial (HPC) processing are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,544,574 filed on Feb. 10, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 7,824,935 filed on Jul. 2, 2008, U.S. Pat. No. 7,871,928 filed on May 4, 2009, U.S. Pat. No. 7,902,063 filed on Feb. 10, 2006, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,947,531 filed on Aug. 28, 2009 which are all herein incorporated by reference. Systems and methods for HPC processing are further described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/352,077 filed on Feb. 10, 2006, claiming priority from Oct. 15, 2005, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/419,174 filed on May 18, 2006, claiming priority from Oct. 15, 2005, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/674,132 filed on Feb. 12, 2007, claiming priority from Oct. 15, 2005, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/674,137 filed on Feb. 12, 2007, claiming priority from Oct. 15, 2005 which are all herein incorporated by reference.
HPC processing techniques have been successfully adapted to wet chemical processing such as etching and cleaning. HPC processing techniques have also been successfully adapted to deposition processes such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). However, the HPC systems used for development of PVD, ALD, and CVD processes have not implemented a variable for rotation within each site isolated region.
One class of deposition methods that has not been successfully adapted to HPC processing techniques involves the use of metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technologies for the deposition of thin films. Issues arise in the adaptation of HPC techniques to MOCVD technologies due to the high temperatures and corrosive gases that are typical of MOCVD processes. Additionally, rotation is often an important variable in the development of MOCVD processes.
MOCVD processes are used for the deposition of a number of important materials and devices. MOCVD is used in the formation of III-V materials such as GaAs, GaAlAs, InP, GaP, GaN, etc. MOCVD is also used in the formation of II-VI materials such as CdTe, CdS, ZnSe, ZnS, etc. These materials are used in devices such as compound semiconductor ICs, solar cells, light emitting diodes (LED), solid state lasers, etc. These materials are expensive and the development times can be long.
Therefore, there is a need to develop systems that allow HPC processing techniques to include a rotation variable within each site isolated region. There is an additional need to develop systems that allow HPC processing techniques to be adapted to MOCVD deposition processes to improve the efficiency of development activities and lower the costs of development activities. There is also a need to develop systems that can be scaled to a variety of substrate sizes ranging from small semiconductor substrates to large solar panels.


An upper treatment solution nozzle discharges a treatment solution at a treatment position above a substrate. A reference image and a test image are cut out from an image captured after the upper treatment solution nozzle receives an instruction to start discharging the treatment solution. The test image is an image including an area of a surface of a substrate, in which a liquid flow of the treatment solution from the upper treatment solution nozzle is to be formed. The reference image is an image of an area of the surface of the substrate except for the area in which the liquid flow of the treatment solution from the upper treatment solution nozzle is to be formed. Through the comparison between the reference image and the test image, a discharge of the treatment solution from the upper treatment solution nozzle is determined.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate treating apparatus and a substrate treatment method for discharging a treatment solution from a nozzle to a thin-plate microelectronic substrate (hereinafter, merely referred to as a "substrate") such as a semiconductor wafer and a glass substrate for liquid crystal display to perform a predetermined treatment.
Description of Background Art
In the conventional process of manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like, substrate treatments such as a cleaning treatment and a resist coating treatment are performed by supplying a substrate with various treatment solutions such as deionized water, a photoresist solution, and an etching solution. Widely used as an apparatus that performs the solution treatment using such treatment solutions is a substrate treating apparatus that discharges a treatment solution to the surface of a substrate from a nozzle while horizontally rotating the substrate.
Such a substrate treating apparatus checks whether the treatment solution is discharged from the nozzle by checking an output of a flowmeter or the operation of a pump. As means for determining the presence or absence of a discharge more reliably, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-329936 (1999) proposes that imaging means such as CCD camera, provided in a substrate treating apparatus, directly monitors a discharge of a treatment solution from a nozzle.
When imaging means directly monitors a discharge of a treatment solution from a nozzle, the background during imaging varies depending on the type of a to-be-treated substrate. In typical cases, a pattern is formed on the surface of a substrate by depositing various films such as a resist film and an insulating film thereon. The reflectance of the surface of the substrate varies greatly depending on the type of such a film or the formed pattern, which may result in a different background during imaging depending on the type of a to-be-treated substrate. If the same type of film is formed, in the etching treatment with, for example, hydrofluoric acid, the corrosion of the film may progress with a lapse of treatment time, changing the reflectance of the surface of the substrate. This increases the noise of an image captured by imaging means due to various factors such as the type of a film deposited on the substrate surface, the formed pattern, and the details of the treatment, so that a discharge of the treatment solution from the nozzle cannot be detected accurately.

Substrate treating apparatus and substrate treatment method for discharging treatment solution from nozzle to substrate


A media stand in accordance with the instant invention comprises a primary support structure and a secondary support structure. The primary support structure and the secondary support structure are assembled to provide a collective support function in a upright position and assembled to provide a packaging function in a flattened and folded position. In further embodiments of the instant invention, a portion of the media stand provides an avenue for the direct distribution of media content, whereby advertisement, logos, messages or works of art are printed or displayed on one or more portions of the media stand. In accordance with the content distribution system of the invention, advertisement, logos, messages or works of art are printed or displayed on a surface of the secondary support structure which is viewable with the stand assembled in the upright position. Preferably, the content media can be customized by the a media content provider selecting one or more content media formats from an electronic catalog accessible over the internet.

The present invention relates to the field of display systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to display systems for supporting media or copy.
Today, business people, students and readers in general who work on the Internet and with computing and desktop productivity tools, have come to rely on bookstands, copy holders, document holder, herein referred to generally as media stands, to help them organize their work, study and reference areas. With the amount of paper, books and information that they have to deal with, media stands have become invaluable tools in organizing a variety of media content. Some are designed to be small and compact, allowing users to carry them from place to place. This feature is especially appealing to students and mobile workers. Due to its compact size, a portable media stand can usually be stored in a briefcase or school bag and can be taken where ever it is needed. Other media stands are designed to hold large, heavy books and documents, or even computer monitors. However, these types of stands and holders are of significant size, weight and cost and are often attached to the desktop or computer, thus making mobility very difficult.
Most media stands have limited functionality. In fact most media stands are designed to perform a single function which is to hold or display a book, a document or other type of media object. Also, most media stands come in point-of-purchase packaging that provide protection for the stand during its distribution to customers and/or end users, but provides no continuing benefit to the consumers or the end users and is, therefore discarded after the product is purchased.
What is needed is a method of packaging a product, such as a media stand, whereby the packaging has an xe2x80x9cafter marketxe2x80x9d use or benefit to the consumer and/or seller, thereby minimizing the after market environmental impact. Further, what is needed is a portable media stand that includes packaging that enhances the functionality of the media stand and preferably provides a support function for displaying media and content on the stand as well as a packaging function.
Accordingly, the current invention is directed to a media stand which includes a primary support structure and a functional point-of-purchase packaging, herein also referred to as a secondary support structure. The secondary support structure preferably couples to the primary support structure and provides a larger surface area for supporting lager media.
In accordance with further embodiments of the instant invention, the point-of-purchase packaging, or secondary support structure, is configured to deliver media content to the customers or end users. In accordance this embodiment of the instant invention, customers, businesses or stores can purchase a number of pre-packaged media stands which include customized secondary support structures printed with media content, such as advertising, a message or a logo. Accordingly, the packaging design makes it possible for a media content provider to directly distribute their media content to a target audience through the distribution of the media stands.
In accordance with the present invention, the customized and functional packaging can be selected from an electronic catalog accessible over the internet by the media content provider from a remote computer. For example, a customer, a business or a store can place an order for a number of media stands with their advertisement or message printed on the functional packaging, or secondary support structure, whereby the subsequent distribution the media stands to the end users also results in the distribution of the advertisement or message to the end users.
The media stand of the instant invention is preferably configured for supporting media in an upright or viewable position. The media stand can be configured to support or display any number or different media objects including, but not limited to, printed copy, books, art and photographs.
The primary support structure of the media stand preferably comprises a support member and a foot member, whereby the support member and the foot member are configured to be positioned at an angle relative to each other with a media object resting on a frontal face of the support member and with the support member and the foot member secured in an upright support position. The angle between the support member and the foot member of the primary support structure is preferably obtuse such that an media object supported or displayed on the stand can be comfortably viewed while sitting or working at a computer terminal.
The primary support structure preferably further comprises at least one platform or arm structure coupled to the frontal face of the support member for directly supporting the media object. The arm structure is preferably configured such that the angle between the frontal face of the primary support structure and the arm structure is substantially perpendicular.
During use, the primary support structure and the secondary support structure are preferably coupled or integrated. The secondary support structure is preferably formed from a sheet material, such as paper material or plastic, with multiple fold lines and perforations which form multiple panels. To integrate the primary and secondary support structure, the panels wrap around the primary support structure and secure to one or more portions of the primary support structure thereby collectively forming the media stand with a larger support surface area being provide by the secondary support structure.
The secondary support structure preferably comprises a first panel that is adapted to lie adjacent to the frontal face of the primary support structure, while a second panel is adapted fold or wrap over the back of the primary support structure and extend in a direction that is substantially perpendicular with a resting surface to provide additional support for media objects. The second panel also preferably has pleats that fold inward and provide additional structural integrity to the media stand.

Media support and display device, method and system


A gain controller for a wireless communication system sets the receiver gain during the initial time duration of a preamble, and for each subsequent symbol computes a new gain value, which is applied at the end of each symbol. An analog to digital converter resolution controller sets the resolution of the ADC to a high resolution during a preamble interval and a first symbol interval, and to a comparatively lower resolution thereafter until the end of the frame. When a new zone is entered, the first symbol of the new zone is sampled at a higher resolution than the subsequent symbols.

FIG. 1 shows a prior art OFDM receiver 100 for wireless signal processing, where wireless signals are received at antenna 114, are amplified and converted to a baseband quadrature signal by RF front end 112, the output of which is sampled by Analog to Digital Controller (ADC) 102, which has a fixed sampling resolution such as 12 bits, which is sufficient for the dynamic range of signals in a packet. The output of the ADC 102 is furnished to phase correction 104, which removes phase rotations associated with frequency differences between the transmitted signal and the received signal, and this output is provided to a symbol timing function 106, which determines the start of packet 116 and symbol location, and provides this to the baseband processor 110 which demodulates the signals and handles any re-transmission requests for lost packets, thereby generating a data stream as was originally transmitted. The RF front end 112 includes a gain control 118 which is set during the preamble interval for single channel systems, or during the first symbol of a new zone in each frame for MIMO (multiple input multiple output) systems by the gain controller 108, as will be described later. The RF front end gain control 118 is critical because the wireless environment includes large variations in receive signal strength. These signal strength variations can be caused by temporally varying 'multipath' reflections due to receiver or inter-path reflector movements that add or subtract generating variations in signal strength or can be caused by switching from a 1×1 antenna configuration zone (subframe) to a MIMO N×N antenna configuration zone (subframe) inside a frame which introduces new signal sources and end points and therefore new sets of 'multipath' reflections. Additionally, in the IEEE 802.16e standard, a transmitter may have a variety of subchannel configurations, referred to as 'zones', which result in the use of a particular subset of available subcarriers to carry information. Two types of zones are FUSC (Fully Used Sub-Carrier) or PUSC (Partially Used Sub-Carrier, where the particular subcarriers in use may vary. When the receiver moves into or out of a zone operating with a different set of subcarriers, the additional power which is transmitted after joining the zone may result in an abruptly higher or lower power level. When the receiver is operating in an environment where the zones are changing and causing different subcarrier combinations to be present, combined with the more slowly varying multipath reflections, there can be a significant variation in the received signal power as these subcarriers undergo different multipath reflections, and subcarrier power levels, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the prior art of 802.11a and 802.11g, a fixed gain level could be used for an entire wireless packet based on a preamble signal level, whereas in MIMO systems described in 802.16e, a different approach may be required.
FIG. 2 shows a prior art wireless packet such as an OFDM packet of 802.11a or 802.11g, or 802.11ae. Each packet 200 includes a preamble 202 which identifies the packet type and data rate, followed by a succession of symbols 204 . . . 208, and is followed by a similarly formed subsequent packet 220 shown starting with preamble 210.
FIG. 3 shows waveforms for the receiver of FIG. 1 aligned with the time sequence of the preamble and the symbols of the FIG. 2 packet. Waveform 302 shows the incoming signal level before gain adjustment, and waveform 304 shows the gain control voltage (Vagc) used to change the gain of the RF amplifiers of the RF front end 112 of FIG. 1. In the prior art receiver 100 of FIG. 1, the receiver gain 118 is set to a relatively high gain level shown in FIG. 3 waveform 304 as PRE_PKT_GAIN prior to the arrival of a packet, and then the gain is reduced or increased by the gain controller 108 as determined by examining the energy level of the digitized signals at the output of the ADC 102. The gain controller 108 examines the energy level during the preamble as determined by baseband processor 110 to set the RF front end gain 118, as seen in gain waveform 304, which converges in region 308 to a packet gain PKT_GAIN 310 by examining the ADC digitized range of values, and reducing the gain when the maximum values result in saturation of the ADC, and increasing the gain when the maximum values are less than a threshold of 6 db below saturation, or any other threshold below saturation which provides linear operation of the ADC. Once the gain control voltage 304 (signal 118 of FIG. 1) is set during the packet preamble 202, this gain remains in effect for the duration of the packet until the end of the current packet, whereupon it returns to PRE_PKT_GAIN until the arrival of the next preamble.

Analog to digital converter bit width and gain controller for a wireless receiver


A method of monitoring the condition of a tool in a machining operation for producing a plurality of toothed workpieces. The process comprises measuring the temperature of at least a portion of the plurality of workpieces each at essentially a same predetermined amount of time after machining. The temperature of each measured workpiece is compared to at least one workpiece reference temperature value indicative of a wear condition of the tool. If the measured temperature is less than or equal to the workpiece reference temperature value, machining of subsequent parts continues, or, if the measured temperature is greater than the workpiece reference temperature, the machining operation is stopped.

It has long been the desire of machine tool producers to provide systems which closely detect tool wear such as the edge-deterioration of a cutting tool. A deteriorated edge produces poor workpiece quality, adds more heat to the process, and draws more power for the operation of the tool. Deteriorated tool edges are often more susceptible to both chipping and chip welding. Chip packing between individual teeth may also be more prone to occur as wear progresses at the cutting edge. Any of these conditions can lead to the catastrophic failure of the tool and the mutilation of the workpiece at the time of the failure. Serious damage to machine spindle bearings and perishable tooling can also result from such events requiring significant machine down-time and expense to effect repair.
With the advent of the use of coatings (e.g. TiN, TiAIN) for super high-speed steel, solid carbide and ceramic-metal (cermet) cutting tools in the high-volume production of toothed articles, such as gear tooth generation by hobbing to produce spur and helical gears, splines and wormwheels, there is a need to closely monitor the condition of the tool to determine the wear of the coating. If a coating is completely worn through, damage can easily occur to the tool substrate resulting in a significant reduction in total tool life. With premium coated tools like those made from solid carbide, visual inspection is difficult given the low desirable edge wear limit, e.g. 0.004 inch (0.01 mm). To continually remove a tool to inspect under magnification results in considerable machine down-time, process equilibrium disturbance and increased machining costs. On the other hand, it is not cost efficient to replace a tool until it approaches its targeted wear limit.
One method of detecting tool wear has been to monitor the power consumed by the tool driveline of the machine tool. As a tool wears, more resistance to cutting is encountered and thus, more power is required to drive the tool. Increasing tool driveline power consumption is monitored and when a predetermined level is reached, which is indicative of an undesirable state of tool wear, the tool is removed for sharpening or replacement. Examples of monitoring power consumption are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,809,870 to Auble et al. and 4,442,494 to Fromson et al.
These types of systems can be quite adequate for detecting fairly gross deterioration of cutting edges and for detecting actual tool failure. However, because large inrushes of drive current are required to accelerate and decelerate the tool, it is typically necessary to set the warning limit at a threshold significantly higher than would be desirable in order to avoid nuisance interruptions in the process. Even if time intervals of tool acceleration and deceleration are ignored, it is often the case that variable cutting speeds are applied in order to lessen the peak cutting load on the tool and this feature also requires some leeway in threshold setting. Cutting loads and driveline efficiency changes at various speeds must also be factored in when determining a threshold setting.
Another method of detecting tool wear has been to provide vibration sensing systems which monitor the vibration of the tool during machining. Examples of this method are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,563,897 to Moore, 4,758,964 to Bittner et al. and 4,894,644 to Thomas. A shortcoming with vibration measurements based means is that these systems are only as reliable as the structural integrity of the machine. That is, vibrational systems are affected by harmonic responses in the driveline and structural elements, and by the mounting integrity of both the tool and workpiece spindles and supports. Furthermore, even small changes in speeds and feeds have complex effects on machining vibrations themselves, making it difficult to provide a reliable system.
Still another type of tool wear detecting system applies strain gauges to the outer races of spindle support bearings adjacent the cutting tool in an attempt to detect increases in radial and axial cutting forces which correlate with edge condition of the tool. However, preload conditions of spindle support bearings can change during the machine warm-up cycle, because of varying spindle rotational speeds or due to the presence or absence of cutting fluids. These changes diminish the reliability of data collected by the strain gauges and although special bearings and data processing equipment are available to lessen the effects of the changes, the significant costs involved result in an undesirable ultimate cost of the machine.
Yet another type of strain gauge detecting system involves applying the strain gauge equipment to the tool mounting arbor itself to measure torsional wind-up as an indicator of tool wear. Because of the constant rotation of the tool, strain gauge data is transmitted by radio signal to a receiver. While this system is successful within fairly broad tolerances, the system is highly vulnerable to the adverse conditions of machining and increases the cost of the tool mounting equipment substantially.
Still other tool wear detecting systems have been proposed which measure the axial displacement of the tool such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,084,827 to Demesy et al. and 5,086,590 to Athanasiou. Monitoring tool wear by detecting power consumption and machine vibration is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,655 to Aggarwal. Monitoring tool wear by measuring the electrical resistance based on the temperature of the tool is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,036 to Yellowley et al. and by measuring the electrical resistance between the tool and workpiece is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,920 to Nakamura. Finally, a non-contact method of monitoring tool wear by inductively sensing the relative position of two machine parts is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,568 to Perez et al.
With all the above tool wear measuring systems, aspects of the machining process (e.g. power fluctuations, bearing load variations, exposure to machining environment, etc.) provide obstacles to proper and accurate performance of the particular measuring system. There remains a need for a tool wear monitoring system where influences of both the machining process and ambient effects are essentially nonexistent.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method which detects the normal, progressive deterioration of the working edges of a cutting or grinding tool in order to terminate operations at a predetermined limit of edge wear.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method which detects relatively rapid, abnormal deterioration of the working edges of the cutting or grinding tool in order to discontinue machining operations before further damage occurs.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method that is independent of the vigilance of the machine operator and also sufficiently sensitive to distinguish between small amounts of tool edge wear which may not be visible to the machine operator.

Detecting tool wear by thermal monitoring of workpiece


A computer housing comprises a base frame, a mounting bracket, and a top cover. The base frame has a base panel for mounting to a mother board, a front panel, a rear panel for mounting connectors and a power supply thereto, and a locating plate for fixing a riser card thereto. The mounting bracket is supported on the front and rear panels, defines a plurality of screw holes therein for fastening a hard disk and the power supply thereto, and forms a plurality of spring fingers contacting the top cover for providing electrostatic discharge and grounding capabilities. The top cover is U-shaped and forms a plurality of hooks on an inner side thereof for engagement with the base frame.

1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to a computer housing, and particularly to a computer housing for providing EMI or RFI shielding capabilities and having a suspended bracket for mounting a switching power supply and a hard disk, thereby facilitating the assembly and inspection of the components within the computer housing.
2. The Related Art
A computer housing receives many different components such as a mother board, a hard disk, a floppy disk drive, a switching power supply, etc. During assembly of a computer, most of components have been mounted in predetermined positions before the mounting of mother board. The conventional computer housings disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,124,885, 5,164,886, and 5,175,670 require the use of many screws to assemble the switching power supply, hard disk, and other parts or subsystems which become laborious and increases manufacturing costs. During the assembly of conventional housings, all of the components and subsystems are mounted sequentially and inspections of the subsystems cannot be performed until the assembly is completed. For example, the inspection of the connectivity between the power supply and the other subsystems cannot be processed until the power supply and the other subsystems are mounted within the housing and linked together by cables and wires. Computers assembled in this way are difficult to repair since access to the malfunction area is limited due to the structure of the housing and the arrangement of the components therein.
Furthermore, Problems arising from EMI and RFI have yet to be adequately solved by the computer industry. The provision of improved EMI shielding and grounding solutions is required to further advance the design of computer housings. Therefore, a solution must be provided for facilitating the inspection, assembly and repair of a computer which can also provide improved EMI shielding and grounding capabilities thereof.


The present invention relates to a brewing mechanism for coffee machine, comprising an upper cover assembly (2) and a lower main body (16). The upper cover assembly (2) comprises an inlet piercing needle (9) fixed in the upper cover assembly and a bottom piercing needle (14) fixed in the lower main body, with the inlet piercing needle connected with an inlet of a coffee machine. The upper cover assembly (2) also comprises a left sliding block (3) and a right sliding block (3.1) arranged within sliding slots respectively provided at a left side and a right side of the upper cover assembly, with the left sliding block and the right sliding block capable of sliding along the sliding slots. A left reset spring (4) and a right reset spring (4.1) are respectively provided within the left sliding block and the right sliding block. A left fixing sheet (5) and a right fixing sheet (5.1) which are fixed on the upper cover assembly are respectively provided at an outer side of the left sliding block and an outer side of the right sliding block. A left hook (3.2) and a right hook (3.3) are respectively provided at an inner side of the left sliding block and an inner side of the right sliding block. The left hook and the right hook are capable of hooking two sides of the capsule, and automatically hooking out the capsule from the brewing chamber when the upper cover assembly rotates, making the capsule fall into the capsule receiving plate. The present invention has simple structure, convenient operation, high safety and reliable performance.

Most of the existing brewing mechanisms for coffee machines have complicated structures and too many assemblies, making it hard to operate and inconvenient to use. For example, a commercially available brewing mechanism inside which the capsule can fall off automatically comprises a handle, a front cover assembly and a rear cover assembly, wherein the front cover assembly or the rear cover assembly is connected with a connecting rod by a rotatable handle, which makes the front cover assembly move forward and tightly press the rear cover assembly so as to fulfill a sealed engagement between them, and also makes the front cover assembly move backward and hook out the capsule which would thereafter fall into the capsule receiving section. The characteristic of the structure is that guiding slots are provided on the left and right sides of the front cover assembly, and a fixing shaft is provided on the front end of the front cover assembly for its connection with the connecting rod. The connecting rod is fixed on a frame fixing point and connected with the handle. The front cover assembly and the rear cover assembly together form a rocker arm structure which can move straightly. The opening and closing of the front cover assembly of the brewing mechanisms needs to be operated manually and there are too many assemblies and too complicated structure in this mechanism.

GUANGDONG XINBAO ELECTRIC JOINT-STOCK LTD.


A device for distributing illumination light and detected light in a microscope includes a distributor optic configured to guide illumination light onto a sample and guide detected light proceeding from the sample onto a detector. The distributor optic includes a polarization unit disposed in a first light path and configured to convert the illumination light directed onto the sample into a first polarization state, a beam splitter disposed in the first light path and having the polarization dependence so as to guide the converted illumination light onto the sample, a first portion of the detected light back into the first light path, and a second portion of the detected light into a second light path separated from the first light path. A beam combiner is configured to combine the first portion and the second portion of the detected light and guide the first portion and second portion onto the detector.

Optical beam splitters, whose function is to guide the illumination light emitted from a light source onto the sample to be imaged, and to guide the detected light proceeding from the sample onto a detector, are often used in microscopy. The illumination light serves, for example in fluorescence microscopy, to excite fluorescent radiation. In this function it is hereinafter also referred to as "excitation light."
An optical beam splitter is as a rule embodied so that it transmits light of a predetermined wavelength region and reflects light of another wavelength region. It should therefore be designed especially for the combinations of wavelengths of the excitation light and the fluorescent light that are used in the respective microscope. This is disadvantageous in terms of the broadest possible applicability of such a beam splitter.
Acoustooptical beam splitters, on the other hand, which are used for example in confocal microscopy, are adjustable within comparatively broad limits to the wavelengths to be reflected and transmitted by them. For example, acoustooptical beam splitters of this kind can be used in conjunction with so-called white light laser sources in order to select individual excitation wavelengths, as desired, from a broad wavelength spectrum. Adjusting an acoustooptical beam splitter to specific wavelengths requires a certain technical outlay, however, for example in the form of corresponding programming of the beam splitter by the application of electric fields of different frequencies. This is particularly disadvantageous when the adjustment of the beam splitter needs to be modified frequently, as is the case, for example, when using solid-state laser light sources whose output wavelengths exhibit comparatively severe temperature drift. It is also especially disadvantageous if the wavelength or wavelength spectrum of the laser light source is unknown and/or variable. Acoustooptical beam splitters are moreover comparatively expensive.

Device and method for distributing illumination light and detected light in a microscope


An system and apparatus for capturing electricity comprised of: a wheel and a fixed conducting rod, both in electrical contact with the wheel and at least one electrical component or system in which the wheel is rotatable about an axis. The wheel is comprised of: a rotatable hub; a rotatable conducting rod within the rotatable hub; at least one electricity generating device positioned on the hub and comprised of: a generally hollow housing having a distal end and a proximate end; a wire coil fixed within the housing and having an axial bore therethrough; a translatable magnet; and at least one wire in electrical contact with the wire coil and the rotatable hub; wherein as the wheel is rotated, the translatable magnet laterally translates back and forth within the housing and passing through the wire coil to generate the electric current.

The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for the production of electromagnetic fields and for interrupting and controlling such fields, and to the production of such fields for generating electricity and providing energy to electric components of a vehicle.
It is well known in the art that any change in the magnetic environment of a coil of wire will cause a current to be induced in the coil. The change to the magnetic environment could be produced by changing the magnetic field strength, moving a magnet toward, away from, through, or around the coil, moving the coil into or out of the magnetic field, rotating the coil relative to the magnet, etc. Thus, by intentionally manipulating the magnetic field of a wire coil, i.e., the passing of a magnet through a wire coil (or vice versa), an electric current can be generated.
The prior art includes a flashlight that is powered by a magnet, which slides back and forth inside the flashlight handle. As it does so, it passes through a copper coil, thereby inducing a current in the coil's wire. This current is then stored inside a capacitor which in turn provides power to an LED (light emitting diode) or incandescent bulb.
The prior art has not, however, applied this technology to the automotive industry, and more specifically to provide all of or supplement the power available to a vehicle, whether operating the vehicle itself or running all or a portion of the electrical components of the vehicle. Nor has the prior art applied the technology more generally to any rotating device to capture otherwise wasted energy.
As used herein, the term "wheel" refers to any rotatable object, including but not limited to a car tire, truck tire, motorcycle tire, moped tire, ATV tire, or any other vehicle tire, bicycle tire, sprocket, or axle, as well as part of any other rotating or spinning device such as a windmill, fan, waterwheel, paddlewheel, propeller, pedal-driven wheels, and combinations thereof.
As used herein, the term "fluid" refers to any substance that is capable of flowing, whether a liquid, gas, slurry of liquids and solids, liquids and gasses, aerosols, and combinations of liquids, gasses, and solids.
As used herein, the term "biasing member" refers to any object or construction that slows down, accelerates, or stops the translatable magnet from maintaining its position within the electricity generating device. Examples of biasing members include flexible tubes, levers, springs (including star springs with a memory, sponges, geo springs), fluid pressure, pressure sensitive devices, electronic devices adapted to receive pressure input, one or more magnets, and combinations thereof.
As used herein, the term "repelling magnet" or "opposing magnet" means a magnet which counters centrifugal force.
As used herein, the term "magnet" shall refer to any material or object that produces a magnetic field, either natural or induced, examples of which include but are not limited to anistotropic sintered ceramic containing neodymium and boron (NeB) or neodymium, iron, and boron (NeFeB), a samarium-cobalt (SmCo) magnet, a sintered rare earth magnet, a sintered hard ferrite/ceramic bonded magnet, an alnico magnet (an Al/Ni/Co alloy), a ceramic magnet, flexible magnets, magnet assemblies, or any other magnet capable of generating a magnetic field.
As used herein, the terms "translate" and "translatable" shall refer to movement between two points, without angular displacement.
As used herein, the term "hub" shall refer to the central or center part of a wheel, around which other components of the wheel revolve, i.e., the point or points where the movable portion(s) of the device meet the non-movable portion(s).


The invention relates to a method of performing production operations of an oilfield having at least one process facility and at least one wellsite operatively connected thereto, each at least one wellsite having a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation for extracting fluid from an underground reservoir therein. The method steps include receiving a number of steps each from at least one of a number of collaborators, specifying an automated workflow including the number of steps and for generating a first well plan, obtaining first data associated with the production operations, applying the automated workflow to the first data to generate the first well plan, adjusting the production operations based on the first well plan, and modifying at least one of the number of steps based on input from at least one of the number of collaborators to generate an updated automated workflow.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to techniques for performing oilfield operations relating to subterranean formations having reservoirs therein. More particularly, the invention relates to techniques for performing oilfield operations involving an analysis of production operations, and their impact on such operations.
2. Background of the Related Art
Oilfield operations, such as surveying, drilling, wireline testing, completions and production, are typically performed to locate and gather valuable downhole fluids. As shown in FIG. 1A, surveys are often performed using acquisition methodologies, such as seismic scanners to generate maps of underground structures. These structures are often analyzed to determine the presence of subterranean assets, such as valuable fluids or minerals. This information is used to assess the underground structures and locate the formations containing the desired subterranean assets. Data collected from the acquisition methodologies may be evaluated and analyzed to determine whether such valuable items are present, and if they are reasonably accessible.
As shown in FIGS. 1B-1D, one or more wellsites may be positioned along the underground structures to gather valuable fluids from the subterranean reservoirs. The wellsites are provided with tools capable of locating and removing hydrocarbons from the subterranean reservoirs. As shown in FIG. 1B, drilling tools are typically advanced from the oil rigs and into the earth along a given path to locate the valuable downhole fluids. During the drilling operation, the drilling tool may perform downhole measurements to investigate downhole conditions. In some cases, as shown in FIG. 1C, the drilling tool is removed and a wireline tool is deployed into the wellbore to perform additional downhole testing. Throughout this document, the term "wellbore" is used interchangeably with the term "borehole."
After the drilling operation is complete, the well may then be prepared for production. As shown in FIG. 1D, wellbore completions equipment is deployed into the wellbore to complete the well in preparation for the production of fluid therethrough. Fluid is then drawn from downhole reservoirs, into the wellbore and flows to the surface. Production facilities are positioned at surface locations to collect the hydrocarbons from the wellsite(s). Fluid drawn from the subterranean reservoir(s) passes to the production facilities via transport mechanisms, such as tubing. Various equipments may be positioned about the oilfield to monitor oilfield parameters and/or to manipulate the oilfield operations.
During the oilfield operations, data is typically collected for analysis and/or monitoring of the oilfield operations. Such data may include, for example, subterranean formation, equipment, historical and/or other data. Data concerning the subterranean formation is collected using a variety of sources. Such formation data may be static or dynamic. Static data relates to formation structure and geological stratigraphy that defines the geological structure of the subterranean formation. Dynamic data relates to fluids flowing through the geologic structures of the subterranean formation. Such static and/or dynamic data may be collected to learn more about the formations and the valuable assets contained therein.
Sources used to collect static data may be seismic tools, such as a seismic truck that sends compression waves into the earth as shown in FIG. 1A. These waves are measured to characterize changes in the density of the geological structure at different depths. This information may be used to generate basic structural maps of the subterranean formation. Other static measurements may be gathered using core sampling and well logging techniques. Core samples are used to take physical specimens of the formation at various depths as shown in FIG. 1B. Well logging involves deployment of a downhole tool into the wellbore to collect various downhole measurements, such as density, resistivity, etc., at various depths. Such well logging may be performed using, for example, the drilling tool of FIG. 1B and/or the wireline tool of FIG. 1C. Once the well is formed and completed, fluid flows to the surface using production tubing as shown in FIG. 1D. As fluid passes to the surface, various dynamic measurements, such as fluid flow rates, pressure and composition may be monitored. These parameters may be used to determine various characteristics of the subterranean formation.
Sensors may be positioned about the oilfield to collect data relating to various oilfield operations. For example, sensors in the wellbore may monitor fluid composition, sensors located along the flow path may monitor flow rates and sensors at the processing facility may monitor fluids collected. Other sensors may be provided to monitor downhole, surface, equipment or other conditions. The monitored data is often used to make decisions at various locations of the oilfield at various times. Data collected by these sensors may be further analyzed and processed. Data may be collected and used for current or future operations. When used for future operations at the same or other locations, such data may sometimes be referred to as historical data.
The processed data may be used to predict downhole conditions, and make decisions concerning oilfield operations. Such decisions may involve well planning, well targeting, well completions, operating levels, production rates and other configurations. Often this information is used to determine when to drill new wells, re-complete existing wells or alter wellbore production.
Data from one or more wellbores may be analyzed to plan or predict various outcomes at a given wellbore. In some cases, the data from neighboring wellbores, or wellbores with similar conditions or equipment is used to predict how a well will perform. There are usually a large number of variables and large quantities of data to consider in analyzing wellbore operations. It is, therefore, often useful to model the behavior of the oilfield operation to determine the desired course of action. During the ongoing operations, the operating conditions may need adjustment as conditions change and new information is received.
Techniques have been developed to model the behavior of geological structures, downhole reservoirs, wellbores, surface facilities as well as other portions of the oilfield operation. Examples of modeling techniques are shown in Patent/Application Nos. U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,519, WO2004/049216, WO1999/064896, U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,837, US2003/0216897, US2003/0132934, US2005/0149307, and US2006/0197759. Typically, existing modeling techniques have been used to analyze only specific portions of the oilfield operation. More recently, attempts have been made to use more than one model in analyzing certain oilfield operations. See, for example, US Patent/Application Nos. U.S. Pat. No. 6,980,940, WO2004/049216, US2004/0220846, and U.S. Ser. No. 10/586,283.
Techniques have also been developed for performing production operations. See, for example, WO2004/001661 to Gurpinar and WO2004/049216 to Ghorayeb. Production techniques may involve an analysis of various aspects of the production operation, such as reservoir, wellbore, surface network, gathering network, process and/or other portions of the production operation. See, for example Patent/Publication/Application Nos. 60/855,262, 60/859,398, 60/925,425, PCT/US07/04248, US2005/0149307, U.S. Pat. No. 6,836,731, U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,188, U.S. Pat. No. 6,980,940, US2004/0104027, WO2007/038405, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,519,568. Some production techniques involve various data analysis or manipulation functions as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,519,568 or U.S. Patent Application No. 60/774,589.
Despite the development and advancement of production techniques in oilfield operations, there remains a need to provide techniques defining processes (or workflows) for performing production operations. It would be desirable to selectively define processes for performing the production operations so that the processes may be repeated as desired. It is further desirable that such processes may be selectively adjusted to optimize the production operations. External sources, such as collaborators, may be used to provide input and/or make adjustments to the production operations. Such desired production techniques are preferably capable of one of more of the following, among others: recording the processes for future use, defining/re-defining the processes based on input from external sources, defining processes with ad-hoc and/or external analysis, and retrieving processes based on conditions of the oilfield production operations, providing displays for visualizing the processes and performance (may be customized), providing comparisons of various processes and/or performances, selectively providing notices (i.e., alarms) based on given criteria, providing analysis capabilities (i.e., forecasting, history matching, balancing, etc), providing collaboration systems to allow input and/or adjustment by external sources, providing extensibility to external functions, providing customizable processes, providing an adaptable system that is tailored to the size/complexity of the oilfield operation, providing reports for publishing outputs of the production operation, and providing updates based on data inputs.

System and method for performing oilfield production operations


A high altitude balloon system includes a dual chamber balloon extending from an upper apex to a lower apex with a circumferential edge between the upper and lower apexes. A deflectable diaphragm is within the dual chamber balloon and coupled along the circumferential edge. The deflectable membrane divides the dual chamber balloon into a lift gas chamber formed by an interior surface of the dual chamber balloon and the deflectable diaphragm, and a ballast chamber formed by the interior surface of the dual chamber balloon and the deflectable diaphragm. Optionally, the dual chamber balloon is constructed by interposing the deflectable diaphragm between an upper and lower balloon panels. Each of the upper and lower balloon panels and the deflectable diaphragm are then coupled together along the circumferential edge to form both the lift gas chamber and the ballast chamber.

Lobed balloons are used in high altitude ballooning. The shape of the lobed balloon has a relatively high curvature that allows for larger diameter balloons using relatively thin material for the balloon material. In at least some examples, payloads including instruments, communications equipment and the like are coupled with or suspended from the lobed balloon. The payloads are configured to conduct operations (e.g., observation, communication and the like) at the high altitudes lobed balloons reach, for instance an altitude of 20 miles.
Examples of lobed balloons are constructed with a lightweight material that is provided in diamond shaped panels of material (a gore pattern) that extend from top end to a bottom end and taper from near a midpoint toward the top and bottom ends. The diamond shaped panels are bonded to one another along their respective longitudinal edges to form the balloon. The balloon accordingly has a plurality of longitudinal seams extending from the top to the bottom of the balloon (one seam for each of the diamond shaped panels). The wider midpoint of each of the diamond shaped panels provides the outwardly curving shape of the balloon with respect to the narrower top and bottom ends. Optionally, a balloon is constructed with an upper and a lower panel coupled together along an edge.
In other examples of balloons a nested inner balloon, a ballonet, is provided within a larger balloon (e.g., a balloon within a balloon). The ballonet is coupled at an end of the larger balloon, for instance the bottom end of the larger balloon, and has a roughly spherical shape that fills at least a portion of the larger balloon. The ballonet (inner balloon) is inflated within the larger balloon. Inflation and deflation of the ballonet with atmospheric air provides ballast to the larger balloon by minimizing the remaining volume of the larger balloon dedicated to a lighter than air gas that provides buoyancy.


A centrifugal pump includes a system that removes gas that accumulates along the axis of rotation of the shaft and/or impeller of the pump. One or more vent inlets are placed in the region where the gas accumulates and a suction device draws the accumulated gas through the vent inlets and a vent out of the centrifugal blood pump.

The present invention relates to centrifugal blood pumps. In particular, the present invention relates to centrifugal blood pumps that remove accumulated gas.
Delicate surgical procedures require that the site of surgery remain motionless. This requirement made early heart surgery difficult as interrupting the heart's pumping action for the required length of time was invariably fatal.
Traditional heart surgery is carried out with the aid of a "heart/lung machine." With the heart/lung machine in operation, the patient's heart is stopped while the surgeon performs the delicate surgery required to repair the ailing heart. The two fundamental parts of the heart/lung machine are a blood pump that takes the place of the arrested heart, and an oxygenator that replaces the patient's lungs during the surgical procedure. The heart/lung machine also includes filters, blood reservoirs, and plastic tubing as required to connect the several parts of the bypass circuit.
Although the mortality and morbidity of heart/lung bypass surgery has been greatly reduced over the past several years, hospital stays of two weeks and gradual recoveries of over six months are common. Many of the bad side-effects of heart/lung bypass surgery are thought to result from prolonged blood contact with the various parts of the heart/lung machine.
A new technique for heart surgery has been developed and is generally referred to as "surgery on the beating heart." In this technique, a stabilizing device is commonly used to hold steady the portion of the heart that is being addressed by the surgeon. A heart/lung machine is not required, because the heart and lungs function normally throughout the procedure. The claimed advantages for this technique include reduced hospital stay, reduced hospital cost, and fewer side-effects such as mental deficit. It is claimed that all of these advantages are the result of reduced blood trauma by elimination of blood contact with the components of the heart/lung machine.
Beating-heart surgery is most commonly used for coronary artery bypass procedures. The procedure is not without problems both for the surgeon and the patient. First, the most commonly used stabilizing device consists in part of a series of small suction cups that grasp the portion of the heart being stabilized. The relatively high vacuum required to grasp the heart may result in blood blisters at the site of the suction cups. Second, since the heart is pumping and the coronary arteries filled with blood, the surgeon must contend with spurting from the coronary artery during the grafting procedure. Third, the cost of disposable devices is comparable to that required for conventional open-heart surgery;
The component of the heart/lung machine that is most suspect for causing blood trauma is the oxygenator. This is typically a device containing hundreds of hollow plastic fibers. During the heart/lung bypass surgery, the patient's blood passes over the outside surface of the fibers, while oxygen is passed through the fibers. Gas exchange imitates the function of natural lungs, but unlike the natural lungs, the oxygenator fibers are made from a plastic material and must have a large surface area in order to oxygenate the blood and to remove carbon dioxide from it.
Traditional heart/lung bypass procedures require placement of a cannula in the vessel (the vena cava) where oxygen-depleted blood is returned to the heart. Because the patient is on an operating table that is at a higher level than the heart/lung machine, a siphoning action draws the venous blood to the heart/lung machine. Air is routinely entrained with the blood, and if not removed, could have fatal consequences for the patient. Therefore, the blood/air mixture is typically directed to a reservoir where the air escapes into the operating room.
New designs for "minimal" heart/lung machines have been recently introduced. These minimal machines are typically "closed" circuits, placed at the level of the operating table to minimize the length of tubing required for the bypass circuit. Because the closed circuit has no inherent means of dealing with entrained air, a special "air removal" feature must be designed into the system. Typically, membrane filters are incorporated into the "minimal" circuit for this purpose. However, the pore size of these membranes is restricted to a diameter that will allow cellular elements of the blood to pass through. This requirement can compromise the membrane's ability to trap entrained air.


A Resolver/Digital (R/D) converter includes an encoder output divider having a DSP generating 14-bit encoded signals A2 and B2 from a timing analysis performed during the first period of 12-bit encoded signal A1. The DSP generates a selection signal output to a multiplexer to select encoded signals A1 and BE1 or encoded signals A2 and B2 depending on the rotational speed of the rotor of a resolver. Based on the selection signal, the multiplexer outputs 12-bit encoded signals A1 and B1 when the rotational speed is less than 400 rpm or greater than 1200 rpm, and outputs 14-bit encoded signals A2 and B2 when rotational speed is between 400 rpm and 1200 rpm.

The present invention relates to digital converters, or Resolver/Digital (R/D) converters, for digitizing the output of resolvers, and more particularly to an encoder output divider configured to divide an encoding output associated with an R/D converter.
A resolver is a type of rotary transformer typically having two stator windings and one rotor winding on an axis or shaft. A resolver is used for determining the position of the shaft, or more specifically the axis of the rotor with respect to a reference point within a space of one complete revolution of the shaft. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that any shaft position has a corresponding angular displacement within an angle space from 0° to 360°. The two stator windings are mechanically arranged such that their physical relation is shifted by a 90° angle. The physical spacing of the stator windings gives rise to a mathematical/electrical relation in that any signals induced in the stator windings from, for example, a rotor excitation signal, will be correspondingly shifted by 90°. Thus the sine and cosine function relations are conveniently assigned to the respective outputs of the stator windings to provide an electrical expression of the mechanical relation. It will be appreciated that the degree of accuracy of the 90° physical relation based on, for example, accurate placement of stator windings, will affect the degree to which the outputs are electrically shifted by 90° and thus accurately represent a sine and a cosine relation respectively. It is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the sine and cosine functions are mathematically characterized by a 90° shift therebetween.
The amplification of a signal obtained by coupling with the stator windings is a function of the position of the resolver rotor axis and the relative positions of the stator windings. Therefore, two types of output voltages, S3-S1, S4-S2, as may be measured between corresponding terminals of the two stator windings, are modulated according to a sine wave function and a cosine wave function corresponding to the axis angle of the resolver rotor relative to the stator windings. The output voltage waveforms can be expressed in the following formulae (1) and (2).S3-S1=A(sin ωt) (sin θ)  (1)S4-S2=A(sin ωt) (cos θ)  (2)where "θ" is the angle of the rotor axis, "ω" is the angular velocity corresponding to the rotor excitation frequency (f), and "A" is the rotor excitation amplification.
Proposals have been set forth for Resolver/Digital (R/D) converters in which, of the continuous output voltage signals S3-S1 and S4-S2, the signal with the smaller absolute value or magnitude is divided by the signal with the larger absolute value. Based on a resulting continuous signal associated with the quotient, the angle data is obtained. An example of such a proposed R/D converter may be seen, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication S62-38302. Therein, tan θ and cot θ are calculated from output voltages S3-S4, S4-S2. At the same time, a digital code for A(sin ωt) is determined from the output voltage S3-S1, the digital code result such as an index, and the angle section of resolver rotor axis obtained from the digital code result or index. As noted, one of either tan θ or cot θ may be used as a digital code, and angle data associated with resolver rotor axis angle θ and corresponding to the digital code or index and stored in advance in a table, read from the table and output.
It will be appreciated that such rotor axis angle determination maybe useful for controlling rotational quantities such as rotational speed of rotating devices such as motors, generators, and other rotating machines. A block diagram showing an exemplary structure for a speed controlling system, such as a speed servo system or the like is shown in FIG. 3. Therein, a rotational device such as a motor may be characterized, for example, with regard to rotor speed by determining and tracking the rotor axis angle using the aforementioned R/D converter. In speed controlling system 300, R/D converter 33 converts a sine wave output and cosine wave output as, for example, analog signals from resolver 32 into digital signals, and outputs an encoding signal showing the rotor axis rotation angle of resolver 32 using, for example, methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Speed control system 300 thus carries out position control and rotational speed control of motor 31 in accordance with the encoding signal from R/D converter 33.
Conventional speed control systems such as speed control system 300 generate a speed signal representative of the speed of the rotor by calculating a difference signal or otherwise differentiating an encoding signal output of R/D converter 33 in differential circuit 34 where differences are preferably calculated for a given time constant. Problems arise however in that a typical speed signal generated in a conventional speed control system, such as speed control system 300, is known to be strongly correlated with angle error associated with the rotor axis angle of resolver 32 which in turn corresponds to the rotor axis angle or position of a rotor shaft associated with motor 31 or other device being measured and controlled. In conventional speed control system 300, angle error is manifested in resolver 32, for example, as one or more higher-order harmonic frequency components having a frequency characterized as an integral multiple of the rotational frequency or as a function of the angle of the resolver rotor axis.
Accordingly, an exemplary spectrum distribution associated with angle error components is concentrated in a relatively low frequency band such as near the rotational frequency and integral multiples thereof. In the case of R/D converter 33, which may be configured to generate an encoded output, angle error is manifested by adding noise components to the encoded output having a white noise-like spectrum distribution. Thus, unless a cutoff frequency of an exemplary integrator or low pass filter associated with the output of resolver 32 is lowered compared to a cutoff frequency of an exemplary integrator or low pass filter associated with the encoder, e.g. the output of R/D converter 33, torque or speed ripple cannot be easily reduced.
Further problems arise, however, in connection with lowering the cutoff frequency as described above. For example, when the cutoff frequency of an integrator or low pass filter associated with the output of resolver 32 is lowered compared to an encoder output such as the output of R/D converter 33, the open loop gain coefficient is lowered, thereby slowing the overall response time of speed control system 300 as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, to obtain high precision positioning, a speed signal with low ripple must be generated without sacrificing the overall response time of the control system.
In accordance with some conventional solutions, a speed detector can be provided in addition to the rotor position detector. Further, the bit resolution of R/D converter 33 can be increased. Such solutions however, result in increasing the size and complexity of circuit and/or system structures, reducing circuit and/or system reliability, and increasing circuit and/or system cost.

Encoder output divider and R/D converter


An optical disk is formed with grooves and lands for optically tracking an optical signal along a disk substrate. The lands and grooves are tracking guides on the surface of the disk substrate are coated with a recording film. The recording film varies in thickness over different portions of the tracking guides on the surface of the disk. A number of relationships and critical values may be determined by defining film thickness over the top of a land defined by (a), film thickness over a groove by (b), film thickness along a sidewall of a land by (c), groove depth from the top of a land to the bottom of a groove by (d1), and vertical film depth from the top of the film over a land to the top of the film over a groove by (d2). A difference in level (d2) of the recording film is preferably between 100-800 nm and a ratio (b/a) is preferably between 0.6-1.1. Also, a ratio (c/a) is preferably between 0-0.8. The relationships and critical values increase resistance to cross-erasure and allow track pitch to be decreased to enhance high density recording.

The present invention relates to optical disks formed with grooves and lands for optically tracking an optical signal. More particularly, the present invention relates to optical disks having data which may be stored, played back, or erased from both lands and grooves.
Optical disks have a capacity for high density data storage and high speed data playback. In this regard, optical disks are particularly suited for consumer applications requiring the use of a computer. Conventional storage disks such as disks having a diameter of 5.25 inches or 3.5 inches, as well as magneto-optical disks or phase change disks capable of data re-writing, have been standardized by ISO standards.
A conventional magneto-optical disk, as illustrated in FIG. 6 (PRIOR ART), has a spiral formed from alternating concave and convex patterns extending outward from an inner circumference of the disk. The spiral is a guide for tracking data on a disk substrate 1. The data is tracked by a laser spot from a pickup 2 of a recording and playback device which follows the spiral.
The spiral is a tracking guide which has been defined in an ISO standard. In the ISO standard, concave portions 3 which are farthest away from pickup 2, i.e. remote portions, are called "lands." On the other hand, convex portions 4 which are closer to pickup 2 are called "grooves." The distance from the center of a land 3 to the center of an adjacent land 3 is called "track pitch," (P).
Generally, the depth (d3) of the grooves 4 is 50 nm, the width (W) is 0.4-0.6 .mu.m, and the track pitch (P) is 1.4 .mu.m. However, recent improvements in the art of optical disks have a narrowed track pitch with a track pitch (P) of 1.1 .mu.m. This facilitates higher density data recording.
To enhance the recording density of such optical disks, the diameter of a beam spot which illuminates the surface of the optical disk may be made smaller. Methods to form a smaller beam spot having a reduced diameter include a method of shortening the wavelength of the light beam and a method of enlarging the numerical aperture (NA) of an objective lens.
However, the method of shortening the wavelength of the light beam is limited by the wavelengths of the semiconductor lasers used as a light source of the light beam. Moreover, the problem is that the form and power of short wavelength lasers are insufficient. On the other hand, the method of enlarging the numerical aperture (NA) of the objective lens of the recording and playback device is difficult because a high degree of technology is necessary to control aberration characteristics in the objective lens.
Consequently, there has recently been proposed a technique called "magnetically induced super resolution" ("MSR" hereinbelow), to increase apparent resolving power of a magneto-optical disk when playing back data which has been recorded at high density. The MSR technique increases apparent resolving power even when the wavelength of the light source and the size of the light spot used for playback are left unchanged from their conventional values.
The MSR method is a method of playing back recordings of data points which are smaller than the beam diameter. The MSR method reduces an effective playback aperture by magnetically forming an optical mask. The mask utilizes a rise in temperature distribution of an optical disk medium within the light spot due to the light itself and rotary motion of the optical disk medium. Thus, a portion of the signal which enters the light spot is masked from being detected as a playback signal.
In the MSR method, there is a Front Aperture Detection ("FAD") mode which masks a high temperature portion, a Rear Aperture Detection ("RAD") mode which masks a low temperature portion, and various other modes in which a magnet is necessary for operation. By way of the MSR method, playback resolving power is increased above the limitations of the optical system and recording density is increased in a linear density direction.
Recently, as another method of narrowing track pitch, techniques have been proposed for recording data on both lands and grooves (hereinbelow "land/groove recording methods"). The land/groove recording methods are in contrast to conventional recording methods which record data on either one of lands or grooves. The conventional recording methods utilize either a land or a groove as a guide between tracks. However, the land/groove recording methods virtually reduce the track pitch to half when compared with conventional recording methods. This effectively doubles the data storage capacity.
Nevertheless, in the land/groove recording methods, because track pitch (P) becomes half of the track pitch of the conventional storage medium, a number of problems develop. A significant problem is thermal crosstalk at the time of recording. Other problems include signal crosstalk between adjoining lands and grooves at the time of playback. A magneto-optical disk or a phase change disk is a thermal recording disk which requires a rise in temperature of the disk substrate due to interaction with the laser light. Thus, if the gap of adjacent tracks becomes small, thermal diffusion to the adjacent tracks becomes large. When first writing data to a track and then erasing data from the track, data written on adjacent tracks becomes erased. This is termed "thermal crosstalk" or "cross-erasure."
In a land/groove recording method, because both lands and grooves are used as recording tracks, both types of tracks are easily affected by cross-erasure. Moreover, during repeated recording, control of cross-erasure becomes increasingly important. For example, in conventional optical disks, the width of lands and grooves becomes limited to about 0.9 .mu.m by problems of cross-erasure. Accordingly, track pitch can not be increasingly narrowed, which thereby becomes an obstacle to high density recording.

Optical disk which reduces cross erasure of data recorded on lands and grooves


A content reproducing apparatus according to the present invention is such that the content reproducing apparatus judges whether or not reproducing data of a replay segment pointed out by the skip instruction is skippable when a skip instruction from a user is accepted while a content is being reproduced. When a result of judgment is negative to the skip instruction, an alternative data is reproduced in place of data of the replay segment hat has been instructed to be skipped. When the reproducing of the alternative data is completed, so that data of the replay segment successive to the replay segment pointed out by the skip instruction is executed.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of controlling reproduction of a content which is stream data divided into a plurality of replay segments, and more specifically, it relates to the skip function thereof.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, services for distributing users with multimedia contents (hereinafter referred to as contents) that include commercial messages (CM) of sponsors of the contents at no extra charge have been offered. A user can listen and watch a distributed content using a content reproducing apparatus, such as a personal computer and a mobile device. The distributed content is divided into a plurality of replay segments, and each of the plurality of replay segment includes a part of the content with a certain degree of cohesiveness, such as each scene from the main content.
A content reproducing apparatus is provided with a skip function as one of functions related to content reproduction. When the content reproducing apparatus receives a skip instruction from a user during a content is being reproduced, the content reproducing apparatus stops reproducing data of a replay segment that is being reproduced and starts reproducing data of a succeeding replay segment. Further, when the content reproducing apparatus receives an instruction from the user that specifies the replay segment to be reproduced after skipping, the content reproducing apparatus starts reproducing data of the specified replay segment. Utilizing the skip function enables a user to listen and watch the contents effectively in a short period of time, without reproducing content that the user does not wish to listen nor watch.
On the other hand, the skip function can be disadvantageous for content providers, because it is possible that, by utilizing the skip function, users listen and watch contents without reproducing replay segments for CMs of sponsors. If a CM is skipped without being reproduced too often, it becomes highly probable that the sponsor considers the advertising effectiveness of the CM is low and thus stops sponsoring. A method disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H10-164550 provides one solution to the above problem. H10-164550 teaches a mechanism in which a key for decoding an encrypted main content is embedded in data of a CM and the key can be obtained only by reproducing the entire data of the CM.
However, the method disclosed in H10-164550 forces a user to reproduce the CM in order to listen and watch the main content, even if the user is not interested in the CM included in the content at all. Users will not be amused by such forced CMs, and sponsors also try to avoid a sense of discomfort being caused in the users while listening and watching their CMs as much as possible.
Moreover, in a case in which the method taught in H10-164550 is applied to a content distribution service that distributes dynamically arranged content, a content distributing server executes an encrypting process to the arranged content. Because the encrypting process is required to be executed in real time, such a method increases the load to the content distributing server.

Content reproducing apparatus for reproducing content that is stream data divided into a plurality of reply segments, and content transmitting/receiving system

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Various embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a method and a device for managing a hybrid storage disk array. Specifically, the method can include: in response to a first data portion of a first extent in a first set of extents of a first type of storage disk being unavailable, obtaining a metadata portion of a second extent in a second set of extents of the second type of storage disk. The method can also include: reading from the metadata portion reconstruction information for reconstructing the first data portion; and reconstructing, based on the reconstruction information, the first data portion on a third extent in the first set of extents. In addition, there is also provided accordingly a system, an apparatus and a computer program product.

Redundant Arrays of Independent Disk (RAID) is a hard disk group composed of a plurality of independent hard disks combined in different manners. From users' perspective, the disk array RAID is like a disk, but can provide greater storage capability than a single disk and can also provide data backup. When data of an extent is damaged, the damaged data can be recovered using the data backup, so as to protect user data. Different compositions of the disk array can be referred to as RAID level, e.g., RAID0, RAID1, RAID5 and the like.
With the rapid development of information technology, the traditional construction mode of the RAID storage disk array cannot satisfy the requirements regarding high integration, fast and flexible deployment, on-demand allocation and the like. To adapt to users' requirements, a new generation of the hybrid RAID storage disk array uniformly "pools" all storage devices through a virtualization technique, so as to shield heterogeneity of different storage devices and exploit advantages of various storage devices. The redundancy requirement in case of a presence of a damaged disk is satisfied by building, configuring and applying a storage pool. This technique not only achieves resource sharing and on-demand allocation, but also reduces maintenance costs and improves management efficiency. However, it is a technical problem to be addressed by those skilled in the art to efficiently and conveniently implement construction of a lightweight storage pool.

Method and device for managing a hybrid storage disk array