This feature of the present invention comprises a method and apparatus which uses an ionization signal to optimize the air to fuel ratio AFR of the combustion mixture when the engine is operated at wide open throttle (WOT). This feature of the present invention optimizes the air to fuel ratio AFR on-line using the relationship between an air to fuel ratio AFR index CAFR and the air to fuel ratio AFR. In a preferred embodiment, the real-time control strategy adjusts the engine air to fuel ratio AFR based upon an air to fuel ratio AFR gradient parameter.

1. Technical Field
This invention is related to the field of internal combustion ignition systems. More particularly, it is related to an apparatus and method of optimizing the air to fuel ratio of a combustion mixture when the engine is operated at wide open throttle condition.
2. Discussion
The prior art includes a variety of conventional methods for detecting and using ionization current in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. However, each of the various conventional systems suffers from a great variety of deficiencies. For example, prior art ionization current detection circuits are generally too slow and generate a current signal with low signal-to-noise ratio.
Normally, oxygen sensors are used when controlling an air to fuel ratio. The oxygen sensor measures the presence of oxygen in the air to fuel mixture. However, when operating an engine at wide open throttle, the air to fuel mixture is outside the stoichiometric range, normally below the stoich. Due to the non-stoich operation at wide open throttle, the oxygen sensor (which generates either a rich or a lean signal) cannot be used as an indicator of air to fuel ratio.

Optimal wide open throttle air/fuel ratio control


Systems, methods, and programs store map information including a road network. The systems, methods, and programs gather traveling information including a plurality of loci, each locus representing a vehicle traveling along a road that is not included in the stored road network. The systems, methods, and programs separate the loci within the gathered traveling information into groups, each group related to a same road and generate new road information relating to a single new road for each group of loci.

1. Related Technical Fields
Related technical fields include map information generating systems. In particular, related technical fields include systems for generating new road information that is added to map information stored in a navigation device or the like.
2. Related Art
Navigation devices provide guidance for vehicles, enabling a driver to reach a desired destination easily. Such devices are capable of detecting the current position of a vehicle using a GPS receiver, obtaining map data corresponding to the current position from a recording medium, or through a network, and displaying the obtained map data on a display. On the basis of the map data, a map image showing the area around the current position of the vehicle displayed on the display, and a vehicle position mark (location) is superposed on the map image. By scrolling the map image in accordance with movement of the vehicle or moving the vehicle position mark while the map image is fixed on the screen, the current geographical location of the vehicle can be learned at a glance.
New roads are constructed every year. At the same time, existing roads are destroyed and modified. In this case, a problem arises in that information relating to new roads constructed after the map data of the navigation device have been generated is not recorded in the map information data. In other words, the navigation device finds recommended routes that do not pass along the new roads or include destroyed roads. To avoid this problem, the map data stored in the navigation device must be updated at intervals of a certain time period. Such updating is performed by purchasing a new DVD and replacing the old DVD with the new DVD, or overwriting the content of the HDD on the basis of update map data distributed from a map information distribution center.
New road information is typically generated on the basis of survey data obtained when a person actually surveys the new road on site. However, an extremely large number of new roads are built every year, and therefore a huge amount of time is required to survey all of the necessary items in such a manner. As a result, a considerable amount of time is required before new roads are reflected in the map data of the navigation device, leading to a reduction in the reliability of the navigation device. Hence, attempts have been made to generate new road information using a vehicle traveling history. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication 2004-251790 (e.g., page 8 to page 9, FIG. 4) describes a map information updating system for updating map data by generating new road information automatically on the basis of traveling locus data of a vehicle when it is determined that the vehicle has been traveling continuously along a road that does not exist in the map data of the navigation device.

Map information generating systems, methods, and programs


The invention relates to a passenger compartment (20) of a vehicle (10) comprising at least one seat (14, 15, 16, 17) and comprising a console (18) that can be placed laterally adjacent the seat.

A vehicle of this kind is known from public prior use. A passenger car comprises a vehicle passenger compartment, in which two seats are arranged in the front region of the vehicle and two seats are arranged in the back region of the vehicle. A console is fixedly arranged between the seats in the front region, which console comprises an armrest and a container comprising storage pockets, a control panel and a USB connection.

Abstract: The particularity is that at least one seat (14, 15) is designed to be adjustable such that it can be moved out of a first position in which it faces in the travel direction, and into a second position, and that at least part of the console (18) is mounted so as to be movable out of a primary position in which it is laterally adjacent the seat, into a secondary position in which it is outside the movement path of the seat during movement of the seat between the first position and the second position.


Embodiments relate to collision-based alternate hashing. An aspect includes receiving an incoming instruction address. Another aspect includes determining whether an entry for the incoming instruction address exists in a history table based on a hash of the incoming instruction address. Another aspect includes based on determining that the entry for the incoming instruction address exists in the history table, determining whether the incoming instruction address matches an address tag in the determined entry. Another aspect includes based on determining that the incoming instruction address does not match the address tag in the determined entry, determining whether a collision exists for the incoming instruction address. Another aspect includes based on determining that the collision exists for the incoming instruction address, activating alternate hashing for the incoming instruction address using an alternate hash buffer.

The present invention relates generally to computer processors, and more specifically, to collision-based alternate hashing in a processor.
In a computing system, the main computer memory may be relatively slow compared to the computer processor; therefore, one or more caches may be provided in the processor to reduce or avoid accesses to the main memory. A cache is a relatively small, high-speed buffer of memory placed between the processor and the main memory that holds most recently used sections of the main memory for use by the processor. The sections of memory that are stored in the cache are referred to as a cache lines. Any request made by the processor that is satisfied by the cache may be completed relatively quickly. However, when a request by the processor is not satisfied by the cache, a cache miss occurs, which may cause delays in the processor while the request is satisfied from the main memory.
Prefetching is a technique that is used to reduce delays to the processor caused by cache misses. Prefetching attempts to predict requests (for example, requests for instructions or operands) that will be made by the processor and stage lines of memory into the cache before the processor requests them. If prefetching is successful, cache lines are transferred from the main memory into the cache before the processor requests them, avoiding cache misses and reducing overall latency in the processor. Prefetching may be performed based on a history table that holds the recent history of instructions in the processor indexed by instruction address. Event streams, including cache misses, associated with particular instruction addresses that appear repeatedly during program execution may form patterns that trigger insertion of prefetch requests into the processor pipeline.

International Business Machines Corporation


An absorbent structure including a composite absorbent laminate is disclosed, with the structure suitable for use in disposable absorbent products such as for infant or incontinence care. Notably the laminate comprises discrete acquisition cells each comprising particles of preferably cellulosic absorbent material. The absorbent structure further comprises particulate superabsorbent polymer which can either be blended with the particulate discrete acquisition cells in the absorbent laminate, or provided in a separate absorbent layer of the absorbent structure. The discrete acquisition cells desirably generate free volume for rapid capillary absorption in an ultra-thin absorbent structure.

Disposable absorbent products have met with widespread acceptance in the marketplace for a variety of applications, including infant and adult incontinence care, in view of the manner in which such products can provide effective and convenient liquid absorption and retention while maintaining the comfort of the wearer. However, experience has shown that a need exists for thinner, more discreet, garment-like products that can be highly resistant to leakage in use. Absolute confidence in leakage performance of adult products is important because of a risk of embarrassment in public.
There has been a move toward thinner cores of higher density generating structures that have less free volume than conventional wood pulp fluff/superabsorbent polymer (SAP) cores. The free volume required for rapid capillary absorption in an ultra-thin core can be less than the volume of liquid that it is required to contain. Superabsorbent polymers in an ultra-thin core can ultimately absorb large quantities of liquid, but diffusion of liquid into a superabsorbent polymer is slow and typically requires several minutes. This invention provides a means to generate free volume in an ultra-thin absorbent core, on demand, for rapid absorption of liquid in response to wetting.

Absorbent structure with discrete acquisition cells


A system and method for assessing the quality of spot weld joints between pieces of metal includes an ultrasound transducer probing a spot weld joint. The ultrasound transducer transmits ultrasonic radiation into the spot weld joint, receives corresponding echoes, and transforms the echoes into electrical signals. An image reconstructor connected to the ultrasound transducer transforms the electrical signals into numerical data representing an ultrasound image. A neural network connected to the image reconstructor analyzes the numerical data and an output system presents information representing the quality of the spot weld joint. The system is trained to assess the quality of spot weld joints by scanning a spot weld joint with an ultrasound transducer to produce the data set representing the joint; then physically deconstructing the joint to assess the joint quality.

Sheet metal joining processes are widely used in many industries, such as the aerospace and automotive industries. Among these processes, resistance spot welding is the most common procedure used to join metal sheets because it has high process speed and is easily adopted in mass production lines. As these industries grow, the quality control of spot welds becomes an important issue for manufacturers eager to improve their output capacity and product quality.
The quality of the spot weld is affected by welding processes and the design of the joint. Many factors have to be taken into account, such as metallurgic reactions, thermal behaviors, chemical composition, condition of the base metal, welding conditions, and the welding equipment. Furthermore, the intricate relationship between these factors makes it more difficult to control the quality of spot welds. Numerous efforts have been made to improve weld quality through different approaches; nevertheless, most of them are not overall solutions due to the lack of adequate equipment and efficient algorithms to inspect these improvements.
The conventional strategy for spot weld quality control inspection usually consists of a weld current-resistance monitoring system to maintain consistent welding parameters, and an after weld, spot weld examination process, according to a standard set up by the American Welding Society for a particular industry. The spot weld examination standard typically includes visual inspection of the weld surface and destructive testing of collected weldment. To determine weld quality, visual inspection of the surface appearance and weld size are important indicators. Other important indicators, by destructive inspection, are weld size, penetration, strength, ductility, internal discontinuities, and sheet separation and expulsion. Weld consistency, assessed by monitoring welding parameters, is another important indicator. But these weld quality indicators are vague due to the insufficient quantified description. To apply these specifications in practical manufacturing cases, the indicators must be converted to quantified inspection standards. The Welding Handbook and the Resistance Welding Manual do indeed quantify these indicators, but even then spot weld quality control relies mainly on an on-line supervising unit to monitor welding parameters, on-line inspectors to perform visual inspection, and statistical sampling techniques for off-line destructive testing.
More importantly, the weld quality indicators are mostly for visual inspection and destructive testing, which are typically separately conducted. Thus, present weld quality control does not take into account the combined effect of those indicators. Furthermore, the true quality of the spot weld, i.e., its strength, is only presumed by off-line destructive sample tests. Unless every spot weld is examined, there is no certainty that the required strength has been met.
Acoustic methods are a commonly used non-destructive testing method that has been used for various inspection applications. Unlike other non-destructive testing methods, the acoustic method provides both surface and internal information. Moreover, the acoustic method allows deeper penetration into specimens and higher sensitivity to small discontinuities. Acoustic methods, however, are not flawless. The most significant limitations include the requirements of a propagating medium, or couplant fluid, which is required for acoustic wave propagation between the acoustic probe and the test specimen, and skillful operators for operating the devices and analyzing the acoustic information.
While the first limitation is typically overcome because the materials for joining in the automotive and aerospace industries are usually galvanized or coated and thus will not be damaged by any couplant fluid, the second limitation—the need for skillful operators—is much more significant. The on-line inspection of spot welds is very difficult because it is not economical to train every worker in the plant to be a tester/analyzer/operator.
More importantly, the acoustic method, by its very nature, limits the practicality of an on-line inspection. The acoustic method, unlike the optical or x-ray method that receives two-dimensional information through one process, has to go through point-to-point scanning procedures to obtain two-dimensional information. There are several ways to display acoustic information, and they can be categorized by the information obtained. The most common ones are A-, B-, and C-scans that can be selected to show the internal defects as required.
The A-scan, the simplest presentation, and widely used is conventional ultrasonic NDE devices, shows the amplitude of the echoes, or the reflection, as a function of time at a selected point on the work surface. The duration of time between different peaks represents the time needed for acoustic waves to travel between discontinuities.
The B-scan follows the same procedure as the A-scan, but repeats the signal-catching procedures while the probe scans along the straight line on the surface. Thus, an image of the cross-section of a component is built up. The measured amplitude is displayed as a colored dot on the monitor and its coordinant is defined by the position of the probe (X-coordinate) and the traveling time (Y-coordinate) of the acoustic pulse.
If the amplitude of a particular echo is monitored at each point on a certain depth of the workpiece, a C-scan can be performed. Measurements at each point are taken using two-dimensional scanning and electronic gate mechanisms that produce the plan for the level of the defect. This scan only gives the information at the preset depth of the electronic gate. While the C-scan provides the richest information, and is therefore more desirable for quality control purposes, it is also the most time consuming scan, and therefore difficult to perform on-line.
Conventional quality control devices for spot welding cannot perform on-line inspection of spot welds, nor can they provide feedback to the welding control system. In this way, the traditional quality control systems are similar to statistical welding parameter monitoring systems. While it is imperative to combine the idea of on-line quality inspection with closed-loop feedback control in a robust spot-welding control system, there is not an acoustic method capable of manipulating real-time control and on-line quality inspection.

Method and system for assessing quality of spot welds


In a method for cell level scheduling for handling multicast traffic in routing devices, such as cross-bar switches having, a plurality of ingress line interface cards (LICs), a plurality of egress LICs, a cross-bar and a controller, multicast and unicast data traffic passes from the ingress LICs via the cross-bar to the egress LICs. A given multicast data packet is sent from a given ingress LIC to a predetermined set of egress LICs known as the fanout of the given packet. Each ingress LIC has an associated rate of send opportunities. The method allows multicast send opportunities to be spread as evenly as possible over cell periods, by invoking a conventional unicast scheduling scheme when one or more multicast send opportunities are present. The schedule is filled out with the fanouts of multicast packets in accordance with the send priority associated with the respective ingress LICs upon which each of the respective multicast packets is queued.

Data is transferred over the Internet by means of a plurality of packet switches in accordance with a standard protocol known as Internet Protocol (IP). IP is a protocol based on the transfer of data in variable sized portions known as packets. All Internet traffic involves the transportation of packets of data. Packet switches are devices for accepting incoming packets; temporarily storing each packet; and then forwarding the packets to another part of the network. In particular, a packet switch receives packets of data on a plurality of input ports and transfers each packet to a specific one of a plurality of output ports. The packets of data can be of variable length or of fixed length.
Traffic volume in the Internet is growing exponentially, almost doubling every 3 months. The current capacity of internet protocol (IP) routers or packet switches is insufficient to meet this demand and hence there is a need for IP routers that can route IP traffic at extremely large aggregate bandwidths in the order of several Terabit/s. Such routers are termed "Terabit Routers".
Two important trends are also evident. First, operators are consolidating all traffic onto a single IP back-bone. Secondly, IP is increasingly required to support real-time and multimedia traffic. This means that the next generation of routers must also support 'Quality of Service' (QoS). In particular, they must support low bounded delay for real-time traffic.
The packets transferred in accordance with IP can (and do) vary in size. Within routers it has been found useful to pass data in fixed sized units. In routers the data packets are partitioned into small fixed sized units, known as cells.
One suitable technique for implementing a scalable communications path is a backplane device, known as a cell based cross-bar. Data packets are partitioned into cells by a plurality of ingress means for passage across the cross-bar.
The plurality of ingress means provide respective interfaces between incoming communications channels carrying incoming data and the backplane. Similarly, a plurality of egress means provide respective interfaces between the backplane and outgoing communications channels carrying outgoing data.
A general terabit router architecture bears some similarity to conventional router architecture. Packets of data arrive at input port(s) of ingress means and are routed as cells across the cross-bar to a predetermined egress means which reassembles the packets and transmits them across its output port(s). Each ingress means maintains a separate packet queue for each egress means.
The ingress and egress means may be implemented as line interface cards (LICs). Since one of the functions regularly undertaken by the ingress and egress means is forwarding, LICs may also be known as 'forwarders'. Further functions include congestion control and maintenance of external interfaces, input ports and output ports.
In a conventional cell based cross-bar each ingress means is connected to one or more of the egress means. However, each ingress means is only capable of connecting to one egress means at any one time. Likewise, each egress means is only capable of connecting to one ingress means at a time.
All ingress means transmit in parallel and independently across the cross-bar. Furthermore cell transmission is synchronised with a cell cycle, having a period of, for example, 108.8 ns.
The ingress means simultaneously each transmit a new cell with each new cell cycle.
The pattern of transmissions from the ingress means across the cross-bar to the egress means changes at the end of every cell cycle.
The co-ordination of the transmission and reception of cells is performed by a cross-bar controller.
A cross-bar controller is provided for efficient allocation of the bandwidth across the cross-bar. It calculates the rates that each ingress means must transmit to each egress means. To support multicast traffic, it is also necessary to calculate the multicast rates from ingress means to all relevant egress means. This is the same as the rate at which data must be transmitted from each packet queue. The calculation makes use of real-time information, including traffic measurements and indications from the ingress means. The indications from the ingress means include monitoring the current rates, queue lengths and buffer full flags. The details of the calculation are discussed more rigorously in the copending UK Patent Application Number 9907313.2 (docket number F21558/98P4863).
The cross-bar controller performs a further task; it serves to schedule the transfer of data efficiently across the cross-bar whilst maintaining the calculated rates. At the end of each cell cycle, the cross-bar controller communicates with the ingress and egress means as follows. First, the cross-bar controller calculates and transmits to each ingress means the identity of the next packet queue from which to transmit. Secondly, the cross-bar controller calculates and transmits to each egress means the identity of the ingress from which it must receive.
By allowing many egress means to receive from the same ingress means at the same time, multicast replication can be achieved.


In one embodiment, a hybrid micromechanical resonator includes a capacitive resonator element and a piezoelectric resonator element, wherein the resonator can be capacitively and piezoelectrically transduced.

Due to the rapid growth in personal mobile communication devices, the wireless market is always looking for new ways to further miniaturize radio frequency (RF) front ends while reducing cost and power consumption. For many years, wireless transceivers and subsystems have relied upon high quality factor (Q) passives to implement oscillators, filters, and other key RF front-end circuitry elements. However, these discrete, off-chip components occupy large chip areas and require power-demanding interfacing circuits. As a result, a great deal of research effort has been devoted to the development of micromechanical resonators that are more amenable to direct integration with integrated circuits (ICs).
In the past few years, vibrating RF micro-electrical-mechanical-system (MEMS) resonator technology has emerged as a viable solution, most notably, the film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator, which have already been successfully implemented into commercial products. Such micromechanical resonators can perform as well as, if not better than, their bulky conventional counterparts and facilitate the miniaturization and power reduction of conventional RF systems. However, these devices typically cannot be used when multi-frequency functionality on a single chip is needed.
Contour-mode MEMS resonators have been developed to address this issue. Unlike FBARs and SAW resonators, contour-mode resonators use lateral dimensions to define their resonating frequencies, thus enabling single-chip, multi-frequency functionality. However, there is still room for improvement with respect to lowering the motional resistance of these devices to enable matching to 50Ω electronics, while retaining low power consumption, small size, and simple manufacturing processes.

Capacitively and piezoelectrically transduced micromechanical resonators


A critical point drying apparatus for sample preparation in electron microscopy and semiconductor wafer production includes a computer system to automate the operational modes in drying the specimen. These operational modes controlled by the computer system are: cooling, in which a drying chamber is cooled; starting, in which the specimen chamber is filled with a transitional fluid; purging, in which the transitional fluid purges an intermediary fluid from the drying chamber and the purged intermediary fluid is collected by a collector condenser; heating, in which the drying chamber is heated to elevate the transitional fluid to its critical point temperature and pressure; and bleeding, in which the drying chamber is depressurized to atmospheric pressure at a very slow rate until the drying chamber is completely vented, which signals the end of the drying operation. The drying chamber incorporates concave surfaces for pressure dispersal and to facilitate purging the intermediary fluid completely. The drying chamber incorporates angled inlet ports and windows that are sealed with gaskets. The drying chamber also incorporates the usage of a wafer holder, spacer rings and inserts to allow for the secure suspension of wafers being processed. Passing the cooling fluid through a closed loop refrigeration system may also cool the drying chamber.

1. Technical Field of the Present Invention
This present invention relates to improvements in critical point dryers for sample preparation for electron microscopy and semiconductor wafer manufacturing and especially to a computer controlled critical point drying apparatus. The present invention is embodied in a method for controlling a critical point drying apparatus using a computer system, a computer system for implementing the method of controlling the critical point drying apparatus, and a computer program product bearing software instructions that implement the method of controlling the critical point drying apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following references provide useful background information on the indicated topics, all of which relate to the present invention, and are incorporated herein by reference:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,904 issued to Horne on Nov. 1, 1977 describes an automatic method of operating the purge and bleed modes for a critical point dryer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,808 issued to Horne et al. on Aug. 8, 1978 describes a critical point dryer wherein the purge and bleed modes are controlled semi-automatically.
There will now be provided a discussion of various topics to provide a proper foundation for understanding the present invention.
In order to examine biological specimens under a scanning electron microscope, the biological specimens must be completely dried and coated with a thin conductive layer. It is important that the drying process be accomplished without disturbing the microstructure of the biological specimen to be examined. Depending upon the biological specimen""s structure, three techniques are available for drying the biological specimen. The first method is air drying by evaporation of the cellular water. While suitable for bacteria or other rigid structures, this method is detrimental to the structures of many biological specimens. The surface tension forces, which turn a grape into a raisin during the drying process, cause sufficient distortion in the cell structure of many biological specimens thereby rendering them useless. The second method is sublimation or freeze-drying. This method is useful only for very small specimens. Additionally, unless the lengthy technique is followed precisely, structural damage from thermal expansion or ice crystal formation often results. The third method utilized is the phase transitional or critical point drying which produces consistently reproducible results without the drawbacks of the preceding two methods.
Along with being used to prepare specimens for the scanning electron microscope, critical point drying may also be used in the production of MEMS (Micro- Electro-Mechanical Systems) devices. The critical point drying process helps for a sticktion free release of microstructers in the MEMS device.
In critical point drying, a dehydrating fluid such as ethanol or acetone gradually replaces the water contained in a specimen. This maintains the three-dimensional hydrated morphology of the structure under study. However, if the ethanol or acetone evaporates, surface tension forces would cause structural damage and destroy the specimen""s usefulness.
Critical point drying devices for sample preparation in electron microscopy are known in the art. The prior art critical point dryers utilize the technique of substituting a transitional fluid for the dehydrating fluid in the cell structure and then removing the transitional fluid. A critical point dryer heats and pressurizes the biological specimen until above the critical pressure and critical temperature. The critical temperature is defined as the temperature above which a gas cannot be liquefied by pressure alone. The critical pressure is the pressure that results when a substance exists as a gas and a liquid in equilibrium at the critical temperature. The critical point of a liquid is when its temperature and pressure are at or above the critical temperature and pressure and the densities of the liquid phase and vapor phase are identical. This critical point is characterized by an absence of phase boundaries that normally exist between a liquid and its vapor at temperatures and pressures below the critical point. This absence of a phase boundary eliminates the boundary forces that exist when changing a liquid to a gas. These boundary forces often cause the destruction of the extremely delicate specimens when changing its internal liquid to a gas below the critical point. Therefore, the solution which is applied in a critical point drying process is to remove the internal liquid from the biological specimen above its critical pressure and temperature to eliminate the boundary force destruction that would otherwise result.
Although all fluids have a characteristic critical point which should allow direct removal without the use of dehydrating or transitional fluids, the critical point temperature and pressure of water is 374.2xc2x0 C. and 218 atmospheres. Achieving these temperatures and pressures would cause severe damage to most biological specimens and therefore a fluid having a lower critical temperature and pressure is normally substituted. Commonly, a dehydrating fluid is used that is miscible with water (e.g., ethanol or acetone) as an intermediate stage between the specimen containing water and a specimen containing transitional fluid.
Typically, and in the prior art dryers, the transitional fluid commonly used is carbon dioxide (CO2) because it is easy to use, more economical, less noxious and provides consistently better results than other transitional fluids. The critical temperature and pressure of carbon dioxide is 31xc2x0 C. and 1,072 psi, respectively, thus reducing the potential for destruction of the specimen structure.
The known instruments and apparatuses for critical point drying of biological specimens include, of course, a drying chamber that is connected a supply of the transitional fluid with various regulating valves, temperature gauges and a means for heating the chamber. A skilled technician must carefully control the application, heating, pressurizing and removal of the transitional fluid, thus requiring not only time but also constant attention. Applicants are unaware of a computer-controlled critical point drying apparatus that eliminates the need for constant operator attention.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has an object to overcome the above problems and limitations of the prior art.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present invention. The objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a critical point drying chamber for drying specimens comprising a chamber and at least one heater is provided. The apparatus further comprises a first valve assembly that supplies a cooling fluid to the chamber. The apparatus further comprises a second valve assembly that supplies a transitional fluid having a critical point temperature and critical point pressure to the chamber. The apparatus further comprises a third valve assembly that allows an intermediary fluid to be purged from the chamber. The apparatus further comprises a fourth valve assembly that bleeds the transitional fluid from the chamber. The apparatus further comprises a condenser collector that collects intermediary fluid exiting the third valve assembly.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a critical point drying apparatus for drying specimens comprises a cylindrical drying chamber having concave end portions and at least one heater. The apparatus further comprises a first valve assembly that supplies a cooling fluid to the drying chamber. The apparatus further comprises a second valve assembly that supplies a transitional fluid having a critical point temperature and critical point pressure to the drying chamber. The apparatus further comprises a third valve assembly that allows an intermediary fluid to be purged from the drying chamber. The apparatus further comprises a fourth valve assembly that bleeds the transitional fluid from the drying chamber.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a critical point drying apparatus for drying specimens comprises a drying chamber having at least one heater. The apparatus further comprises a first valve assembly that supplies a cooling fluid to the drying chamber. The apparatus further comprises a second valve assembly that supplies a transitional fluid having a critical point temperature and critical point pressure to the drying chamber. The apparatus further comprises a third valve assembly that allows an intermediary fluid to be purged from the drying chamber. The apparatus further comprises a fourth valve assembly that bleeds the transitional fluid from the drying chamber. The apparatus further comprises a computer system that operates the first, second, third and fourth valve assemblies and that activates the at least one heater to heat the transitional fluid above the critical point temperature and to pressurize the transitional fluid above the critical point pressure.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a critical point drying apparatus for drying specimens, comprising a drying chamber having concave end portions and at least one heater is provided. The apparatus further comprises a first valve assembly that supplies a cooling fluid to the drying chamber wall. The apparatus further comprises a second valve assembly that supplies a transitional fluid having a critical point temperature and critical point pressure to the interior of the drying chamber. The apparatus further comprises a third valve assembly that allows an intermediary fluid to be purged from the interior of the drying chamber. The apparatus further comprises a fourth valve assembly that bleeds the transitional fluid from the interior of the drying chamber at a predetermined rate. The apparatus further comprises a computer system that operates the first, second, third and fourth valve assemblies and that activates the at least one heater to heat the transitional fluid above the critical point temperature and to pressurize the transitional fluid above the critical point pressure.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a critical point dryer apparatus comprising a drying chamber and a computer system wherein the computer system is adapted to controlling the drying chamber during a critical point drying process is provided. The computer system comprises a processor and a memory including software instructions adapted to enable the computer system. The software instructions enable the computer system to cool the drying chamber to a first chamber temperature. The software instructions further enable the computer system to fill the drying chamber with a transitional fluid having a critical point temperature and critical point pressure while maintaining the drying chamber at the first chamber temperature such that the transitional fluid completely displaces an intermediary fluid within a first time period. The software instructions further enable the computer system to activate at least one heater to raise the transitional fluid to its critical point pressure and critical point temperature, thereby reaching critical point equilibrium. The software instructions further enable the computer system to maintain the transitional fluid at the critical point equilibrium for a second time period. The software instructions further enable the computer system to bleeding the transitional fluid from the drying chamber while maintaining the drying chamber at the second chamber temperature and allowing the drying chamber pressure to drop.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, a computer program product for enabling a computer system to control the drying chamber during a critical point drying process is provided. The computer program product comprises software instructions for enabling the computer system to perform predetermined operations, and a computer readable medium bearing the software instructions. The predetermined operations comprise cooling the drying chamber to a first chamber temperature. The predetermined operations comprise filling the drying chamber with a transitional fluid having a critical point temperature and critical point pressure while maintaining the drying chamber at the first chamber temperature such that the transitional fluid completely displaces the intermediary fluid within a first time period. The predetermined operations comprise activating at least one heater to raise the transitional fluid to its critical point pressure and critical point temperature, thereby reaching critical point equilibrium. The predetermined operations comprise maintaining the transitional fluid at the critical point equilibrium for a second time period. The predetermined operations comprise bleeding the transitional fluid from the drying chamber while maintaining the drying chamber at the second chamber temperature.
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, an article of manufacture, which comprises a computer readable medium having stored therein a computer program to control a drying chamber during a critical point drying process, is provided. The article of manufacture comprises a first code segment which, when executed on a computer, cools the drying chamber to a first chamber temperature. The article of manufacture comprises a second code segment which, when executed on a computer, fills the drying chamber with a transitional fluid having a critical point temperature and critical point pressure while maintaining the drying chamber at the first chamber temperature such that the transitional fluid completely displaces the intermediary fluid within a first time period. The article of manufacture comprises a third code segment which, when executed on a computer, activates at least one heater to raise the transitional fluid to its critical point pressure and critical point temperature, thereby reaching a critical point equilibrium. The article of manufacture comprises a fourth code segment which, when executed on a computer, maintains the transitional fluid at the critical point equilibrium for a second time period. The article of manufacture comprises a fifth code segment which, when executed on a computer, bleeds the transitional fluid from the drying chamber while maintaining the drying chamber at the second chamber temperature.

Supercritical point drying apparatus for semiconductor device manufacturing and bio-medical sample processing


This invention provides a better apparatus and method for the generation of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Confocal Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (CSLO) images, using a dual-waveguiding module. A dual-waveguiding structure consists of a single-mode and a multi-mode waveguide each with optimum size and numerical aperture for highly efficient collection of the OCT and CSLO optical signals. Separation of the two signals is achieved by channeling most of the multi-mode guided optical power to a CSLO detector. The non-tapped single-mode guided optical wave is further sent to a pure single-mode fiber of a standard OCT system for OCT image generation. The present invention achieves highly efficient optical power usage and hence high signal to noise ratio, together with inherent pixel-to-pixel registration of the OCT and CSLO images, and a cost reduction of the OCT/CSLO combo system.

In optical imaging of biological tissues, especially the living human eye, it has been shown in recent years that both OCT and confocal scanning laser imaging systems have particular individual advantages.
On one hand, OCT provides a high axial imaging resolution of the order of about 10 microns which is determined by the coherence length of the light source used. This technology is particularly useful for diagnostics that requires high depth resolution tomographic imaging [Fujimoto, J. G. et al. (2000) "Optical Coherence Tomography: An Emerging Technology for Biomedical Imaging and Optical Biopsy" Neoplasia, 2, 9-25; Rollins A. M. et al. (2002) "Emerging Clinical Applications of Optical Coherence Tomography" Optics and Photonics News, 13(4): 36-41; Fujimoto, J. G. (2003) "Optical coherence tomography for ultrahigh resolution in vivo imaging." Nat Biotechnol 21(11): 1361-1367]. Meanwhile, attempts have also been made to produce en-face OCT images that look like the retinal images from an ophthalmoscope for anatomic mapping of a biological sample [Podoleanu, A. G., G. M. Dobre, et al. (1997). "Simultaneous en-face imaging of two layers in the human retina by low-coherence reflectometry." Optics Letters 22(13): 1039-1041; Podoleanu, A. G., G. M. Dobre, et al. (1998). "En-face coherence imaging using galvanometer scanner modulation." Optics Letters 23(3): 147-149]. However, one disadvantage associated with an OCT image is that the image is very fragmented and is sometimes difficult to interpret, leading to difficulty in terms of identifying anatomic structures.
On the other hand, confocal scanning laser imaging has been successfully applied to retinal imaging and is now well accepted by ophthalmologists in imaging the anatomic structures of the retina [see for example, Sharp, P. F. et al (2004) "The scanning laser ophthalmoscope—a review of its role in bioscience and medicine" Physics in Medicine and Biology 49: 1085-1096]. As the depth resolution of a CSLO is determined by the depth of focus of the confocal optics, a CSLO has a typical axial resolution of about 300 microns.
It was realized some years ago that a simultaneous generation of both an OCT image and a CSLO image having a pixel-to-pixel registration correspondence would not only offer the advantages of both imaging techniques but also solve the two problems of registering a three dimensional (3D) OCT image to en-face images of the same tissue, and of correcting for OCT image distortion caused by the movement of the sample such as an eye. This is because in order to generate a 3D OCT data set of a sample, it is necessary to properly register each slice of many transverse scans (B-scans) or en-face scans (C-scans) which may be misaligned due to the sample movement in between each scans and then stack them accordingly. Therefore, a simultaneous generation of both an OCT image and a CSLO image with pixel-to-pixel registration correspondence is especially useful.
One of the major benefits of combining OCT and CSLO is that they have different depth ranges. In principle OCT can be used to measure optical reflectivity at a dense set of points covering a volume of interest, and then the OCT data can be reduced to simulate the en-face image that would be seen by a CSLO or other ophthalmoscope. However OCT collection optics generally collect less sample-returned light than do CSLO collection optics. As is well known in the art, OCT is an interference-based technique so only light that is spatially coherent contributes to the signal. Often the sample-returned light is collected for OCT in a single-mode optical fiber. Reflected light which does not couple into that single mode, either by falling outside the fiber core or by entering at too steep an angle, is rejected.
Often the greater part by far of the light reflected from the sample is rejected in this way.
Nevertheless, attempts have been made to directly use the OCT configuration to generate both an OCT image and a CSLO image. In a first approach, the reference light of an OCT interferometer was alternately temporarily blocked to generate a CSLO signal, and restored to generate an OCT signal. However, this approach results in sequential, rather than simultaneous, acquisition of the OCT and CSLO images. Attempts were also made to directly use the OCT signal without blocking the OCT reference arm to simultaneously create, in addition to an OCT image, an anatomic structure image with an appearance similar to that of a CSLO image. In this respect, one approach involves the integration, or superposition on top of one another, of a multiple number of the standard OCT signals along the depth dimension. This integration is used to obtain an averaged overall depth reflectivity for each transverse pixel to generate an en-face image [Hitzenberger, C. K. et al. (2003). "Three-dimensional imaging of the human retina by high-speed optical coherence tomography." Optics Express 11(21): 2753-2761]. Another approach uses multiple light sources of different coherence lengths to simultaneously generate multiple OCT images of different depth resolutions. Still another approach uses low pass electronic filtering of the OCT signal to extract a CSLO-like image.
All these techniques to directly use the OCT configuration to generate both an OCT image and a CSLO image collect light through a small pin-hole defined by the core size of a single mode fiber (of the order of 10 micron with a small numerical aperture (NA) as compared to the standard size of a CSLO pin-hole size of about 100 micron with a generally larger NA), which leads to a low signal to noise ratio for the CSLO image. Another problem associated with these approaches is that the forward propagating light can be relatively strongly reflected by the fiber end and sent to the confocal detector with a strength greater than the sample returned signal light, causing the CSLO sample signal being overwhelmed by the fiber end reflection.
A second approach that addresses the above problems is to separate the OCT and CSLO signals returned from the sample using a plate beam-splitter. Part of the returned sample light is directed to a separate pin hole for CSLO signal generation. Such a design can get rid of the problem of reflections from the fiber end, simultaneously produce the desired two images, enable the optimization of the CSLO signal to noise ratio by choice of the pin-hole size, and allow use of the same transverse scanner for both the OCT beam and the CSLO beam. Registration between the OCT and confocal images can be achieved with optical alignment of the respective detectors and the free-space beam splitter. However, due to the fact that a certain percentage of the returned sample beam is now deflected to the confocal pin-hole, there is a reduction in the OCT signal strength. Meanwhile, a significant amount of the returned sample beam is lost in the cladding of the OCT single mode fiber, which light could have been used for CSLO imaging.
It is desirable to have a solution that both overcomes the above-mentioned limitations and also reduces the cost of the system. It is clear from the-above analysis that the key issue is to optimize the optical power efficiency for the two images so that the signal to noise ratio for both the OCT and the CSLO images can approach the maximum achievable values as offered by each stand-alone system.
In this invention, a novel dual-waveguiding module is disclosed for both highly efficient collection as well as highly efficient separation of the OCT and CSLO signals. As a result of the present invention, highly efficient optical power usage and hence high signal to noise ratio are achieved together with inherent pixel-to-pixel registration of the OCT and CSLO images and a cost reduction of an OCT/CSLO combo system. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a concentric single-mode/multi-mode dual-waveguiding structure (e.g. a double-clad fiber) is used to simultaneously collect both the sample returned OCT and CSLO optical signals with almost the same efficiency as can be achieved by each stand-alone device. Extraction and separation of the two signals is achieved by channeling most of the multi-mode guided optical power to a CSLO detector, using single or multiple stage multi-mode coupling or other optical power extraction techniques. The non-tapped single-mode guided optical wave is further sent to a standard OCT system for OCT image generation. With this invention, the numerical aperture and the pin-hole size for the CSLO signal can be optimized for a maximum signal to noise ratio nearly as good as can be achieved in a stand-alone CSLO system, while there is no reduction to the OCT signal strength.

Apparatus and method for combined optical-coherence-tomographic and confocal detection


A method of fabricating a quantum well device includes forming a diffusion barrier on sides of a delta layer of a quantum well to confine dopants to the quantum well.

Quantum wells are formed in semiconductor devices such as diode lasers, High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) used in low-noise electronics and infrared photodetectors used for infrared imaging. Particularly, a quantum well is a potential well that confines particles, which were originally free to move in three dimensions, to two dimensions, forcing them to occupy a planar region. The effects of quantum confinement take place when the quantum well thickness becomes comparable at the de Broglie wavelength of the carriers (generally electrons and holes); leading to energy levels called "energy subbands", i.e., the carriers can only have discrete energy values.
Quantum wells are formed in semiconductors by having a material, like gallium arsenide sandwiched between two layers of a material with a wider bandgap, like aluminum arsenide. These structures can be grown by molecular beam epitaxy or chemical vapor deposition with control of the layer thickness down to monolayers.
In order to achieve high mobility quantum well device structures, a key element is the ability to confine dopants in close proximity to the intrinsic quantum well. Such a requirement is not easily met in many cases due to the uncontrolled diffusivity of such dopants. The dopants in a delta doped layer can diffuse or "spill into" the quantum well during the subsequent growth and annealing steps and hence degrade the device mobility/performance.
A partial solution to the problem of dopant out-diffusion from the delta doped layer during subsequent dopant activation annealing steps is the use of ultra fast ramping RTA (rapid thermal annealing). This does not address dopant diffusion/spread entirely though since dopants can also diffuse during the remainder of the growth process for the surrounding high energy gap material. Furthermore many other subsequent processes such as metallization, spacer formation, etc. may not be compatible with the ultra low thermal budget requirements for maintaining the delta doped layer.

Mechanism for forming a remote delta doping layer of a quantum well structure


An analog to digital converter ADC is adapted for low power for use in an imaging array. The ADC is a digital inverter with feedback to convert an asynchronous ramp voltage to an output count at each crossing of a voltage threshold. A separate circuit generates a voltage ramp that is coupled through a capacitor to a photocurrent from a detector, generating an integrating voltage that is raised at a source follower circuit. The integrating voltage from the source follower circuit is converted to another voltage ramp and inverted at the ADC. A global count from an array of such ADCs is stored in a grey counter. The ADC is sufficiently power-efficient that each unit cell of an array of photo detectors can have its own ADC. Circuit and device-level embodiments are disclosed.

A focal plane detector array comprises numerous detector unit cells or pixels, each of which converts incident electromagnetic radiation to an electric signal. The unit cells output an analog signal corresponding to scene radiation sensed by the particular detector element. These analog signals must be converted to digital in order to be combined and efficiently processed to resolve an image of a scene being viewed by the array of detector elements. It is noted that focal plane detector arrays are disposed within a temperature controlled chamber to minimize localized heat that might otherwise interfere with the intended scene radiation as noise. Excessive power dissipation, such as by power inefficient amplifiers and ADCs mounted in or near the chamber, places an additional burden on the Dewar or thermoelectric cooling elements that are employed for regulating chamber temperature.
Two types of ADCs have been found advantageous for use in imaging arrays: delta-sigma ADCs and residue readout ADCs. Delta sigma ADCs integrate the difference between an input signal and an output value. The integrator, typically an op-amp and a capacitor, is embedded in a feedback loop in such a way that the difference is driven to zero, making the output (a digital bit stream or word) equal in value to the voltage or current input. One example of a delta-sigma ADC is provided in FIG. 1 (prior art). The ADC of FIG. 1 is a first order delta-sigma ADC and includes a count and dump decimator, and is not configured to take advantage of the unipolar input. Note that the switch allows the reference value to be sent either to the sum or to the difference port of the summing function, enabling the circuit of FIG. 1 to follow both positive and negative signal inputs. Some of the advantages of this design include having a 20-bit capable ADC, without a requirement for a secondary ADC. However, this design typically requires a large counter that must be present in each ADC. Further, for a given frame time, the maximum signal to noise ratio (SNR) is constrained by the unit cell area, clock frequency, and power limitations. One difficulty with prior art delta-sigma circuits is that they generally employ an amplifier that consumes too much power for use in a large imaging array.
A modification of a first order delta-sigma ADC is the residue-readout ADC, sometimes referred to as an Eden ADC, shown generally in FIG. 2 (prior art). At the right of FIG. 2 is a necessary auxiliary ADC. The main advantage of the Eden ADC over a delta-sigma ADC is the presence of a residue readout [the node labeled V0 (residue)], which enables the use of a smaller counter for a given signal to noise ratio (SNR) requirement. The resolution of the Eden ADC can be set higher than permitted by the length of the counter because the residue information can be used to refine the digital output word. The residue readout feature permits the Eden ADC to be operated as a delta-sigma ADC or a folding ADC. The Eden ADC can also take advantage of a unipolar signal provided by pixels or unit cells by replacing the adding and subtracting of the reference seen in FIG. 1 with a single charge dump capacitor that decrements the integration capacitor by a known amount. The bottom plate of the dump capacitor Cdump may be connected to a reference voltage Vref2, but ground can be used when layout constraints exist. As in all switched capacitor circuits, the switches provide a path for clock feed through, which appears as input offset current in the output digital word. Non-overlapping clock phases must be used. Eden ADCs are disadvantaged for use in an imaging array in that they require relatively high power per unit cell, the need for sample and hold buffers for each unit cell to provide the signal to the auxiliary ADC, and a SNR that is constrained to a maximum by residue read-out and the unit cell area for most embodiments.
Typically, delta-sigma and Eden ADCs are generally disposed one per column (or row) of arrayed unit cells, rather than per unit cell, to alleviate some of the above disadvantages. Many implementations attempted have involved placement of an ADC on the column of the read-out integrated circuit (ROIC). At least one attempt has involved an effort to fit a high dynamic range ADC to every unit cell in an infra-red FPA. However, these implementations each use ADC architecture of the delta-sigma or Eden variety, requiring significant power to achieve the bandwidth for use in an imaging array. What is needed is a low power ADC, such as one that may be used for each unit cell in a large imaging array, without drawing excessive power and without adding thermal noise that would reduce sensitivity of the detector elements that operate within the temperature controlled chamber.


A head tracking system combines a plurality of sources of radiant energy, a plurality of sensors and at least one reflective element. As the reflective element moves, various radiant energy beams become incident thereon. The incident beams are reflected to respective sensors thereby providing head position signals.

It has been known to use head trackers in simulators which are used in various types of equipment, such as flight simulators, vehicular simulators such as armored units or other types of land vehicles as well as water born vehicles. Many of the known types of head trackers provide multiple degrees of information, such as six degree of freedom in position and orientation information so that appropriate views or displays can be activated only as needed. Known multiple degree of head trackers have been based on various different technologies. These have included ultrasound, optical, inertial, or magnetic.
While known head trackers are effective for their intended purpose, they are often expensive and require extensive set-up times. Additionally, known head trackers often require substantial software interaction to address the various signals coming therefrom. This can include dedicating resources to carry out extensive plotting.
Certain types of simulations require information for only a single degree of freedom, for example, in the azimuthal direction. For example, armoured simulators, such as armored wheeled or tracked vehicles present to the vehicle commander a plurality of spaced-apart displays simulating cupola or tank turret periscopes which face different directions. In these instances, the vehicle commander would only need to rotate his or her head about a substantially fixed vertical axis to view displays presented at several different angles. Viewing directions could include, for example, straight ahead, 20 to 22 degrees to the right, 45 degrees to the right, and similar angles to the left.
Thus, there continues to be a need for head trackers which provide more limited amounts of information, corresponding to fewer degrees of freedom, than heretofore known. Preferably, such head trackers could be implemented more cost effectively than multiple degree of freedom head trackers of known types. Additionally, it would be preferable if set-up times could be reduced so that the speed of training or conducting exercises can be increased.


The present invention relates to an ion facial massage system including a case having a plurality of grooves formed on a top surface thereof for being inserted with cosmetic containers respectively, a plurality of switches provided at one side of the case for being pressed to carry out respective stages of massage, an ion lamp provided at one side of the case for displaying an ion-generating state, and a battery lamp provided at one side of the case for displaying a battery-consuming state, an ion-generating member for electrically generating ions in respective stages of massage in response to pressing of the switches, and an ion-effusion member to be detachably fitted in an inserting groove formed on the case for effusing the electrically generated ions, wherein not only effete materials are removed but also the nutrition components of the cosmetics and collagen are absorbed deep into the inner skin beyond the barrier zone by means of ions, thereby strengthening the elasticity of the cellula tissue of the inner skin and the generation function of natural hydration factors, and promoting fission functions of new cells.

Generally, human skin is composed of an outer skin layer, an inner skin layer, and a hypoderm skin layer, and the outer skin layer is composed of keratinocyte layer, a transparent cell layer, a granule-cell layer, a prickle-cell layer and a basal cell layer, wherein a barrier zone like a strong fortification is present between the transparent cell layer and the granule-cell layer.
Therefore, regeneration of skin depends on the barrier zone, that is, whether or not nutrition substances permeate this protective layer and reach to the inner skin. However, the nutrition substances cannot permeate the barrier zone and be soaked into the inner skin, and only the keratinocyte layer is supplied with moisture except nutrition components.
In order to solve this problem, Liposome has been suggested and widely known for skin regeneration effect. However, the Liposome is proved not to permeate the barrier zone. According to papers published by American Academic Skin Institute in U.S.A., cosmetics should reach to the inner skin beyond the barrier zone to regenerate the skin.
Liposome can not reach to the inner skin, and supply moisture components to the keratinocyte layer.
Further, in case of mercury, hormone, and vitamin A,D and E, even though they can permeate the barrier zone, they have no particular good effect to improve the facial skin. Especially, it is well known that the mercury or the hormone may cause serious ill side effects.


The present invention relates to a photo-curable liquid optically clear adhesive composition, to a cured adhesive and an article produced therefrom, and to the use thereof.

Photo-curable optically clear adhesives and especially photo-curable liquid optically clear adhesives (LOCAs) are finding wide applications in optical bonding for optical electronic devices, such as optical displays. Optical bonding in display applications is used to bond optical elements such as display panels, glass plates, touch panels, diffusers, rigid compensators, heaters, and flexible films such as polarizers and retarders. Especially the use of such adhesives for bonding in touch displays, for example, capacitive touch displays is of high interest.
The importance of optically clear adhesives is still growing since the continuous development of new electronic display products, such as wireless reading devices, increases the demands for optically clear adhesives. However, there are still some challenges to be mastered, for example one problem for the optically clear adhesive is overflow control. Current methods of applying LOCAs either comprise the use of a dispensable fluid, which involves flowable liquid OCAs such that they behave like a Newtonian fluid. To prevent flow beyond the desired printing area, the use of a pre-cured dam material (so called "damming process") is often required. This process consists of two steps. At first, the adhesive is applied to the edge of the required area by a dispensing nozzle followed be UV or LED curing. The second step is to fill the area inside the dam with a liquid optically clear adhesive. This process remains suboptimal because it needs two steps. Above that, boundary between dam and fill is always a challenge. Another possibility to overcome the problem of overflowing adhesive is the use of optically clear tapes, which is for example disclosed in US 7297400 B2. However, such process may easily lead to a reduced optical performance due to air gaps or bubbles which for example can reduce brightness and contrast of the display.
Recently, a new process for binding a top substrate was developed called pre-gelling process followed by a full curing process, as described in WO 2013/173977 A1. This process could overcome the problem of adhesive overflow. However, the process is complicated, and difficult to laminate non-transparent substrates. Additionally, a second full curing step cannot penetrate into shadow area of the panels. Therefore, a side curing process may need to fully cure the edge area.
There is thus still a need to develop new photo-curable adhesives for optical bonding, which have improved tackiness after curing to prevent the overflow of adhesive and could be used as a pressure sensitive adhesive film without final curing.

Photo-curable liquid optically clear adhesive composition and the use thereof


A method and machine-readable medium provide a technique to modify a hexahedral finite element volume mesh using dual generation and sheet insertion. After generating a dual of a volume stack (mesh), a predetermined algorithm may be followed to modify (refine) the volume mesh of hexahedral elements. The predetermined algorithm may include the steps of locating a sheet of hexahedral mesh elements, determining a plurality of hexahedral elements within the sheet to refine, shrinking the plurality of elements, and inserting a new sheet of hexahedral elements adjacently to modify the volume mesh. Additionally, another predetermined algorithm using mesh cutting may be followed to modify a volume mesh.

With the advancement of computer technologies and understanding of basic physical phenomena or systems (e.g., engine operation, fluid flow, heat transfer, structural stress and strain analysis, etc.), three-dimensional (3D) computer simulation has become more of an important feature in physical system development, analysis, and evaluation. The computer simulation (modeling) often involves the building of a finite element mesh (collection of discrete set of points defined as nodes) to model the physical system. The accuracy of finite element mesh generation is related to the geometric complexity (including representing the physical system by a set of mathematical equations) of the physical system including the number of finite elements in the mesh, the order of those elements, and the quality of those finite elements.
A number of mesh-generating algorithms (e.g., parametric mapping, Dicer algorithm, Paving algorithm, Whisker-Weaving algorithm, sweeping algorithm, etc.) have been developed to attempt to generate high-quality meshes (including volume meshes) with greater accuracy and reduced user interaction for generating the mesh. However, each algorithm has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, and therefore may only be suitable for a particular geometry while being ineffective for another. Therefore, there is still a need to generate high-quality meshes for all types of geometry, including hexahedral volume meshes, that are robust, accurate, and reduce user interaction time. Additionally, modification of a volume (3D) mesh is an important feature to improving mesh quality by allowing insertion of additional elements (e.g., introduce new elements to form a more complex geometry) into the mesh to generate a more detailed volume mesh and more accurate and faster analysis results.
As described herein, the generation of a dual (for a volume mesh) within a dual space may be an effective tool for producing a high-quality volume mesh for three-dimensional elements (objects) by providing an alternative geometric representation of the volume mesh and more clearly defining global connectivity constraints for the mesh. Advantageously, the dual of a mesh may be generated, edited, and then converted back to a volume mesh to improve analysis results. It is noted that terms used within the specification, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, will be defined within the specification and further definition may be found within the Glossary of Terms in Appendix A. FIGS. 1A, 1B illustrate the process for generating a dual of a 3D element as found in the prior art. FIG. 1A shows a stack (column) 100 of 3D elements (mesh) in primal space (e.g., hexahedral elements). Each hexahedral element of the stack 100 includes six quadrilateral faces 108 and eight nodes 110 formed from three edges 112. It is noted that stack 100 may form the complete volume mesh. A dual 115 of the volume elements (mesh) 100 may be generated by connecting opposing faces of a hexahedral element using a (volume) chord 102 (see Appendix A for glossary of terms) as shown in FIG. 1B. As shown in FIG. 1B, chord 102 (a dual volume chord) connects the opposite edges for a stack of hexahedral elements 114, 116, 118, 120. In the dual space generated, chord 102 is equivalent (the dual) to the row of hexahedral elements 114, 116, 118, 120 in the primal space.
The generation of the dual may continue as shown in FIG. 1B as more opposite faces of the hexahedral elements 114, 116, 118, 120 are connected using further chords (e.g., 101, 103, 105, 107, 109). The chords are generated with adherence to the following rules: 1) a chord that begins on a boundary must terminate on the boundary, or 2) a chord may form an internal closed loop.
To help complete the dual 115, a twist plane 202 may be generated as shown in FIG. 2A (from the prior art) that carries a chord 102 along an intersecting edge. The twist plane 202 may be a continuous, three-dimensional surface which adheres to the following rule: twist planes may be nowhere tangent or coplanar. FIG. 2A found in the prior art shows three intersecting twist planes 202, 204, 206 that define a 3D cell region (hexahedral element) 208. Three-dimensional (3D) cell region 208 may be defined as an n-sided polyhedron with the faces formed by individual twist planes 202, 204, 206 that carry (formed from) chords 102, 101, 109, respectively (see glossary in Appendix A). As shown in FIG. 2B from the prior art, a centroid 216 may be formed from the three intersecting chords 101, 102, 109 generated from the intersecting twist planes 202, 204, 206 where the intersecting chords include one 3D cell region (hexahedral element) 208. FIG. 3 found in the prior art shows a twist plane 302 in a hexahedral mesh 300 that may be used to generate a sheet of hexahedral mesh elements for extraction to modify the mesh 300. As shown in FIG. 2B, every 3D cell region 208 includes a single node (e.g., node 210) from the original stack 100. Cell region 208 is equivalent (the dual) to node 210 within the dual space generated. Also, centroid 216 is equivalent (the dual) to hexahedral element 114 within the dual space generated. Also, Table 1 in Appendix B shows the relationship between the original surface elements and dual entities in three dimensions.
Therefore, due to the disadvantages of current volume meshing algorithms, there is a need to provide a computer modeling technique that uses duals to modify hexahedral volume meshes while maintaining accuracy, reduced user interaction time, and high quality of the resulting meshes to generate a more detailed hexahedral volume mesh.

Method of modifying a volume mesh using sheet insertion


A horticultural luminaire includes a first and second horticultural light sources to provide growth lighting to a plant at a first and second wavelengths. A control unit provides first lighting control signals to the first horticultural light source to modulate the first growth lighting and provides second lighting control signals to the second horticultural light source to modulate the second growth lighting. A LiDAR sensor is connected to the lighting control unit to receive the first and second control signals, and having optics to detect reflected first and second growth lighting to determine the distance from plant to sensor and a biometric property of the plant from the received first and second control signals and detected first and second reflected second growth lighting. In some implementations the LiDAR sensor and first and second horticultural light sources are integrated into the horticultural luminaire.

Horticultural luminaires are used in enclosed agricultural facilities to provide growing light to plants. In automated farming, it is important to be able to monitor the plants to determine plant growth rate, plant maturity, and other aspects of plant health. While this may be performed manually, by having a person visually inspect the plants within the agricultural facility, it would be advantageous to provide an automated vegetation monitoring system.

Horticultural luminaire with LiDAR sensing


A virtualization method for a storage system recognizes one or more logical devices located in a first and second storage apparatus and defined in a host apparatus as being connected to a channel, based on an inquiry command sent from the host apparatus when the channel comes on-line; detects one or more logical devices among the one or more logical devices defined in the host apparatus as being connected to the channel and located in the first and second storage apparatus, based on the recognition result; sets, based on the detection result, one or more virtual volumes in the first storage apparatus, respectively corresponding to the one or more logical devices in the second storage apparatus; and sets a first logical path between each of the set one or more virtual volumes and each of the corresponding one or more logical devices in the second storage apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage system, a virtualization method, and a storage apparatus, and is particularly suitable for a storage apparatus having external connectability, and a storage system having the storage apparatus as a component.
2. Description of Related Art
As disclosed in JP-A-2005-157867, a conventional storage apparatus has, as one of its functional capabilities, external connectability that can virtualize logical volumes (logical volumes are units of storage areas, and they are conventionally referred to as "logical devices" in mainframe systems) provided by each of one or more other storage apparatuses connected to that storage apparatus.
In these cases, in a storage apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as "internal storage apparatus") that virtualizes another storage apparatus, virtual logical volumes (hereinafter, referred to as "virtual volumes") are configured in association with logical volumes defined in the virtualized storage apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as "external storage apparatus").
The internal storage apparatus, upon receipt of a request from a host apparatus to access a virtual volume, transfers the access request to the external storage apparatus that has the corresponding logical volume, and has the external storage apparatus execute the actual data input/output processing.
The aforementioned external connectability makes it possible to collectively manage the logical volumes provided by a plurality of storage apparatuses, facilitating easy addition of a storage apparatus or similar.

Virtualization method and storage apparatus for a storage system having external connectivity


A videoconference system in which a plurality of users communicate video and audio data to each other, the system including at least two conference servers each having a plurality of users linked to one another over the server wherein the plurality of users can share real time audio and video data with one another, the conference servers being in communication with each other, a plurality of redundant videoconference applications configured to be run on the at least two conference servers, and at least one resource distribution node configured to determine in response to a request for access to one of the videoconference applications which of the plurality of redundant videoconference applications to utilize.

Collaboration events such as videoconferences can occur over a data network (such as, for example, the Internet, wide area networks or local area networks). During some such events, multiple users may be sharing video, audio and other data with multiple other users. Typically, users communicate in this way by each connecting to at least one of a plurality of conference servers. The conference servers are also interconnected, which therefore provides each user with a communication connection to each other user (i.e., by using the conference servers as a link). As such, videoconferences are typically conducted over a conference server or bridge. Indeed, all attendees connect to the server, and the server routes audio and video data between the users.
Depending on the scale of the event, very large amounts of data may be shared. This can strain network and participant resources. Also, the large number of streams being communicated can complicate the event and make it difficult for users to effectively communicate with one another. Further, to enhance productivity and efficiency between multiple users, the conference servers are configured to run select server applications (e.g., an electronic drawing board). However, again issues relating to overuse and uneven distribution of the resources necessary to provide such applications are present in such complex videoconference systems. In some prior art systems, multiple identical applications may be run for redundancy, and to lower the load on each application. In such instances, though, it can be difficult to efficiently distribute users between redundant applications. These and other problems may be particularly acute in large scale conference systems where a large number of sever applications are running simultaneously.

Methods, systems and program products for managing resource distribution among a plurality of server applications


The present invention provides a human Ras-like protein (RLP) and polynucleotides which identify and encode RLP. The invention also provides expression vectors, host cells, agonists, antibodies and antagonists. In addition, the invention provides methods for producing RLP and for treating or preventing disorders associated with expression of RLP.

Guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (GTP-binding proteins, or G proteins) participate in a wide range of regulatory functions including metabolism, growth, differentiation, signal transduction, cytoskeletal organization, and intracellular vesicle transport and secretion. These proteins control a diverse sets of regulatory pathways in response to hormones, growth factors, neuromodulators, or other signaling molecules. When these molecules bind to transmembrane receptors, signals are propagated to effector molecules by intracellular signal transducing proteins. Many of these signal transducing proteins are members of GTP-binding proteins.
Low molecular weight (LMW) GTP-binding proteins are small proteins which consist of single polypeptides of 21-30 kDa. These proteins regulate cell growth, cell cycle control, protein secretion, and intracellular vesicle interaction. In particular, the LMW GTP-binding proteins activate cellular proteins by transducing mitogenic signals involved in various cell functions in response to extracellular signals from receptors (Tavitian, A. (1995) C. R. Seances Soc. Biol. Fil. 189:7-12). During this process, the hydrolysis of GTP acts as an energy source as well as an on-off switch for the GTPase activity of the LMW GTP-binding proteins.
The LMW GTP-binding proteins are classified into five subfamilies: Ras, Rho, Ran, Rab, and ADP-ribosylation factor. Despite their sequence variations, all five subfamilies share common conserved structural features. Four sequence regions, termed motifs I-IV, are conserved in the LMW GTP-binding proteins. Motif I is the most variable and has the signature, GXXXXGK. The lysine residue is essential in interacting with the .beta.- and .gamma.-phosphates of GTP. Motif II, III, and IV are highly conserved, with DTAGQE, NKXD, and EXSAX as their respective signatures. These motifs regulate the binding of .gamma.-phosphate, GTP, and the guanine base of GTP, respectively. Most of the membrane-bound LMW GTP-binding proteins generally require a carboxy terminal isoprenyl group for membrane association and biological activity. The isoprenyl group is added posttranslationally by a mechanism which recognizes a terminal cysteine residue alone or a terminal cysteine-aliphatic amino acid-aliphatic amino acid-any amino acid (CAAX) motif. Additional membrane-binding energy is often provided by either internal palmitoylation or a carboxy terminal cluster of basic amino acids. The LMW GTP-binding proteins also have a variable effector region, located between motifs I and II, which is characterized as the interaction site for guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) or GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). GEFs induce the release of GDP from the active form of the G protein, whereas GAPs interact with the inactive form by stimulating the GTPase activity of the G protein.
The Ras subfamily proteins already indicated stipra are essential in transducing signals from receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) to a series of scrine/threonine kinases which control cell growth and differentiation. Mutant Ras proteins, which bind but cannot hydrolyze GTP, are permanently activated, and cause continuous cell proliferation or cancer. TC21, a Ras-like protein, is found to be highly expressed in a human teratocarcinoma cell line (Drivas, G. T. et al. (1990) Mol. Cell. Biol. 10: 1793-1798). Rin and Rit are characterized as membrane-binding, Ras-like proteins without the lipid-binding CAAX motif and carboxy terminal cysteine (Lee, C.-H. J. et al. (1996) J. Neurosci. 16: 6784-6794). Further, Rin is shown to localize in neurons and have calcium-dependant calmodulin-binding activity.
The discovery of a new human Ras-like protein and the polynucleotides which encode it satisfies a need in the art by providing new compositions which are useful in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disorders associated with cell proliferation and inflammation.


The present invention provides a grill pan comprising a main body, plural ribs parallel disposed on the main body, characterizes in that each rib comprises multiple integral segments and is respectively disposed axially on said main body and one end of each segment forms a crest portion along the radial direction and the other end of each segment forms a trough portion along the radial direction and connects to the crest portion of adjacent segment. It forms a new appearance and acquires a pleasing aesthetic effect by applying such structure, at same time, the food will be effectively prevented from slipping on the rib when it is grilled by the grill pan, so the grill degree of the grilled food is more uniform and delicious, moreover, the transverse rib marks will be formed by the crest structure by each rib besides the vertical rib marks formed by the original vertical ribs, so the juice will be sealed from the surface of the grilled beef, thus the delicious flavor is kept.

With rapid progress of modem technology and the continuous promotion of the human living standard, various kinds of kitchen appliances with multiple functions are applied in our daily lives, and great convenience are brought by such appliances. By applying the multiple functions of such various kitchen appliances, the food can be cooked by different manners, for example as fry\roast\bake\braise\steam\grill\stir-fry, and so on, so the human living standard is being continuously promoted. The present hamburger machine usually equipped with a grill pan, several ribs are parallel arranged on the grill pan, firstly, the ribs can prevent the food on grill pan from easily removed; secondly, the interval between the ribs can equably grill the food. The height of rib of the conventional grill pan is basically similar, when the food is grilled on the rib, the grill degree would not be uniform, for example, the food which leans on the rib would not acquire a good grill degree; further, the rib mark is not obvious, so the food will easily slip on the ribs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Tsann Kuen (Zhangzhou) Enterprise Co., Ltd.