The present invention provides a clamp circuit for clamping a video signal which includes a sync tip clamp circuit, a pedestal clamp circuit, and a direct current electrical potential correcting circuit. The sync tip clamp circuit clamps a sync tip of the horizontal synchronization signal of the composite video signal at a first reference electrical potential when a clamp pulse is not received in a pulse input terminal, and outputs the composite video signal to an output terminal. The pedestal clamp circuit clamps the pedestal DC electrical potential of the composite video signal received to the video signal input terminal to the second reference electric potential when the clamp pulse is received at the pulse input terminal, and outputs the composite video signal to the output terminal. The direct current electrical potential correcting circuit adjusts DC power levels of the composite video signals in response to the output signal of the first reference electrical potential from the sync tip clamp circuit and the output signal of the second reference electrical potential from the pedestal clamp circuit. According to the present invention, the composite video signal is not largely changed even if the clamp pulses drop out.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to, for example, a clamp circuit used for a television signal superimposing circuit to superimpose a television signal (composite video signal) and a signal (composite video signal) from a microcomputer. In particular, it relates to a clamp circuit which is available when a part of a clamp pulse for the composite video signal drops out. Furthermore, if explaining in detail, the invention relates to a clamp circuit which operates with the same function as that of a pedestal clamp circuit when the clamp pulse is inputted and operates with the same function as that of a sync tip clamp circuit when the clamp pulse is not inputted (including the case when the pulse drops out).
2. Description of the Prior Art
In processing a composite video signal, since mean electrical potential changes by the information of a composite video signal, in particular, an intensity signal (contrast), clamp processing is performed to make direct current electrical potential constant by using the clamp circuit. Generally there arc two categories in this clamp processing. One of them is a sync tip clamp processing which keeps the sync tip (leading edge of a sink portion) level to a constant direct current electrical potential (sync tip direct current "DC" electrical potential). The other is a pedestal clamp processing which keeps a pedestal level of the composite video signal to a constant direct current electrical potential (pedestal direct current "DC" electrical potential).
First, before explaining these two categories of the clamp processing, the sync tip DC electrical potential and the pedestal DC electrical potential will be explained using FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B. FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B show timing relationship of a composite video signal and a clamp pulse. FIG. 9A shows the composite video signal which includes at least a horizontal synchronizing pulse period, a pedestal period (including a color burst), and a video signal period (which is the portion shown by zig-zag line) per one horizontal period.
Minimum electrical potential of the composite video signal is, as shown by mark A, a portion which is a part of horizontal synchronizing pulse, or a portion called a sink. The direct current electrical potential of the sync tip level is called a sync tip DC electrical potential. On the other hand, a central direct current level shown by mark B is a pedestal level whose direct current electrical potential is called a pedestal DC electrical potential. FIG. 9B shows a clamp pulse. The clamp pulse generated at the portion for clamping the composite video signal is generally used to detect the pedestal DC electrical potential.
The sync tip clamp processing is explained below. The processing is generally used in such a circuit as to keep the leading edge of the sink constant by using a peak hold circuit. For example, it may be constructed by the circuit shown in FIG. 10. In FIG. 10, the circuit comprises an NPN transistor (Tr1) 27, a direct current (DC) bias source 28, whose electrical potential is Vsync, a hold capacitor (C1) 29 and a discharge resistor (R1) 30.
The sync tip clamp circuit constructed as described above operates as follows. When the sync tip DC electrical potential of the composite video signal inputted into the input terminal is lower than Vsync (a direct current electrical potential from the DC bias source 28)-Vbe (which is the voltage between base-emitter of the transistor 27, approximately 0.7 V), the transistor 27 is conductive state, therefore it rapidly charges the hold capacitor 29. During the period of the sync tip in the composite video signal, or horizontal synchronizing pulse period, the sync tip DC electrical potential of the composite video signal in an output terminal becomes [Vsync-Vbe] and the charge continues until the transistor 27 becomes non-conductive state. Accordingly, the sync tip DC electrical potential becomes [Vsync-Vbc], and the composite video signal based on the electrical potential is outputted from the output terminal.
On the other hand, since the transistor 27 is non-conductive state when the sync tip DC electrical potential of the composite video signal inputted into an input terminal is higher than [Vsync-Vbe], the charge of the capacitor 29 is discharged until the sync tip DC electrical potential becomes [Vsync-Vbe] by the resistor 30. Accordingly, the sync tip DC electrical potential becomes [Vsync-Vbe], and the composite video signal based on the electrical potential is outputted from the output terminal. As described above, the sync tip DC electrical potential is converged to a constant electrical potential [Vsync-Vbe] and the composite video signal based on the constant electrical potential [Vsync-Vbe] is outputted from the output terminal. A circuit using diodes may be used instead of the transistor 27.
Next, the pedestal clamp processing is explained below. In the processing, the circuit receives a clamp pulse during the pedestal period of a composite video signal to monitor the direct current electrical potential of the composite video signal during the pulse period of the clamp pulse, and keeps the monitored electrical potential constant. For example, the prior pedestal processing circuit is shown in FIG. 11.
In FIG. 11, the pedestal processing circuit comprises a current mirror circuit 31 constructed by a pair of PNP transistors, a differential pair transistor 32 constructed by a pair of NPN transistors, a reference voltage resource 33 for generating a reference electrical potential Vped of the clamp, and a constant electric current source 34. The above mentioned current mirror circuit 31, the differential pair transistor 32, and the constant electric current source 34 constitute a comparator. The pedestal processing circuit further comprises a differential pair transistor 35 constructed by a pair of PNP transistors, a constant current source 36, and a current mirror 37 constructed by a pair of NPN transistors. The above mentioned differential pair transistor 35, the constant current source 36 and the current mirror 37 constitute a differential amplification circuit. The pedestal processing circuit further comprises a DC bias source 38, a resistor 39, a sample hold capacitor 40, and an emitter follower transistor 41 constructed by an NPN transistor.
The comparator which is constructed by the current mirror circuit 31, the differential pair transistor 32, and the constant current source 34 detects the potential difference of the pedestal DC electrical potential of the composite video signal inputted into an input and the reference electrical potential Vped of the reference voltage source 33. The comparator includes a switch 16, which activates/deactivates the operation of the comparator by ON/OFF operation thereof. In other words, only when a clamp pulse inputted into the switch 16 is of high level (pulse period), the switch 16 turns ON and the comparator becomes active state.
When the switch 16 is ON in response to the clamp pulse, the comparator compares the pedestal DC electrical potential of the composite video signal inputted with the reference electrical potential Vped of the reference voltage source 33, charges/discharges the capacitor 40 based on the result obtained by comparison, and holds the electrical potential of the capacitor 40 to an electrical potential based on the reference electrical potential Vped. On the other hand, when the switch 16 is OFF without receiving a clamp pulse, the comparator is in non-active state. In other words, since the comparator does not operate, the electrical potential of the capacitor 40 is held as it is.
Also, the differential amplification circuit constructed by the differential pair transistor 35, the constant current source 36 and the current mirror 37 controls the electric current flowing into the resistor 39 by the electrical potential charged in the capacitor 40, which controls the direct current electrical potential appearing at the output terminal. Now, if the pedestal DC electrical potential of the composite video signal inputted through the input terminal and the emitter follower transistor 41 is higher than the reference electrical potential Vped, the capacitor 40 discharges, and the electrical potential of the capacitor 40 falls. Therefore, the electrical potential of the capacitor 40 becomes lower than the reference electrical potential of the DC bias source 38, so the current mirror 37 of the differential amplification circuit pulls the current through the resistor 39. As a result, the pedestal DC electrical potential of the output terminal falls.
On the other hand, if the pedestal DC electrical potential of the composite video signal inputted through the input terminal and the emitter follower transistor 41 is lower than the reference electrical potential Vped, the capacitor 40 is charged, and the current mirror 37 of the differential amplification circuit supplies the electrical current through the resistor 39, so that the pedestal DC electrical potential of the output terminal rises. As a result of feedback operation like this, the pedestal DC electrical potential of the composite video signal in the output terminal coincides with the reference electrical potential Vped, so that the composite video signal based on the reference electrical potential Vped is outputted from the output terminal.
Accordingly, in sync tip clamp processing, a clamp pulses is not required, which can simplify the system for processing a composite video signal. But, if the composite video signal is the one which has been transmitted like a television signal, shrinkage and elongation of the sink occur according to good or bad transfer condition and various kinds of the signal processing circuits. In other words, the potential difference between the sync tip DC electrical potential and the pedestal DC electrical potential of the composite video signal inputted may become small or large, which may change the pedestal DC electrical potential. As a result, the position such as the pedestal representing the bright and dark may shift from the original position.
On the other hand, in a pedestal clamp processing, since the pedestal DC electrical potential is clamped, failure will not occur at the position of the pedestal as long as a clamp pulse is outputted precisely. But, since a clamp pulse is needed necessarily in a pedestal clamp processing, accuracy decreases when dropping of a clamp pulse occurs. The pedestal clamp processing can not be applied to the system having the mode of processing a composite video signal without the clamp pulse.

Clamp circuit for clamping a video signal and a circuit for superimposing composite video signals


A latching level shifter coupled to a first power supply voltage is driven by a logic circuit coupled to a second power supply voltage. The latching level shifter is driven in a first mode to store a state based on an input signal received by the logic circuit, the first and second power supply voltages are set at first and second initial voltage levels. The latching level shifter is driven in a second mode subsequent to the first mode, the first power supply voltage is set to an intermediate voltage level. The latching level shifter is driven in a high voltage protection mode to produce an output voltage based on the state, the first power supply voltage is set to a final voltage level that is greater than a final voltage level of the second power supply voltage. The high voltage protection mode is subsequent to the second mode.

1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to integrated circuits, and more specifically, to a latching level shifter.
2. Related Art
In many integrated circuit applications, level shifters are used to convert one voltage to another voltage. In some applications, level shifters are required to convert one voltage to a higher voltage that could result in damage to the devices within the level shifter. One current solution places each device that is susceptible to damage from the high voltages in its own isolated well. However, this results in increasingly large layouts which require greater circuit area. This results in increased size and cost and is thus undesirable. Therefore, a need exists for an improved level shifter capable of handling high voltages.

Latching level shifter and method of operation


In a signal processing chain producing an analog output signal from a digital input signal, dynamic range control applies to the analog output signal a dynamic range control gain as a function of an input gain applied to the digital input signal. The dynamic range control gain is applied to the analog output signal with a delay relative to the input gain applied to the digital input signal. A first flag signal is generated for the analog output signal and a second flag signal for the digital input signal, each flag assuming first and second levels and set to the first level when the signal from which the flag is generated is within a certain amplitude range. The first and second flag signals are compared and delay of application of the dynamic range control gain to the analog output signal controlled as a function of a result of the comparison.

Technical Field
The description relates to dynamic range control.
One or more embodiments may apply, e.g., to dynamic range control in audio systems.
Description of the Related Art
Dynamic range control systems are widely used in several application areas, such as in audio systems.
A typical application is related to the optimization of the dynamic range of a signal input to a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC or D2A), e.g., in order to avoid saturation for high dynamic range signals and/or to improve the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) for low level signals.

Dynamic range control method and device, apparatus and computer program product


A non-magnetic substrate, a Cu layer having a film thickness ranging from 0.5 to 10 nm, a Cr layer having a film thickness of 100 nm or less, a magnetic layer made of CoCrPt alloy in which a percentage content of Cr ranges from 12 atoms % to 20 atoms % and a percentage content of Pt ranges from 4 atoms % to 18 atoms %, a protective layer and a lubricating layer are arranged in that order to form a magnetic recording medium. Because the Cu layer is sufficiently thinned, a medium noise is sufficiently reduced, and a medium S/N ratio is sufficiently heightened. Because the film thickness of the Cr layer is 100 nm or less, the medium noise is reduced. Because the composition of CoCrPt alloy is limited in the magnetic layer, the medium S/N ratio is heightened. In addition, it is preferred that another Cu layer having a film thickness ranging from 0.5 to 10 nm be inserted into the magnetic layer to divide the magnetic layer into two layers. In this case, the medium noise is reduced by 20%, and the medium S/N ratio is heightened. Therefore, even though a magnetoresistive effect type magnetic head is used to record or reproduce information in/from the magnetic recording medium, the medium noise is sufficiently reduced, and the medium R/N ratio is sufficiently heightened.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a magnetic recording medium and a magnetic recording drive, and more particularly to a magnetic recording medium composed of a Cr layer and a CoCrPt type alloy film arranged on the Cr layer and a magnetic recording drive having the magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a field of a magnetic disk drive, a magnetoresistive effect type magnetic head (hereinafter, called an MR head) is put to practical use in place of a magnetic induction type magnetic head, and the MR head has been recently used for a magnetic recording drive.
In cases where the MR head is used, magnetic recording information can be detected at a higher sensitivity as compared with the use of the magnetic induction type magnetic head, and superior reproduction characteristics in a band region extending to a high frequency band can be obtained. However, because a medium noise is also detected to a high degree, a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ratio) in the magnetic disk drive deteriorates.
Also, because the recording in a high recording density is required, a magnetic recording medium is required to have a high coercive force (Hc) on condition that a Br.multidot.t value is low. The Br.multidot.t value is defined as a product of a residual magnetic flux density (Br) in a magnetic recording medium layer and a thickness (t) of the magnetic recording medium layer. As a material having a high coercive force, the use of a CoCrPt alloy is expected. In cases where a medium made of only the CoCrPt alloy is used, a medium noise occurs to a high degree. Therefore, in cases where a CoCrPt alloy type medium is used as a magnetic recording medium, it is required to extremely reduce the medium noise by changing a structure of the magnetic recording medium for the purpose of improving the signal-to-noise ratio in the recording disk drive.
To produce a magnetic recording medium satisfying the above request, a literature (1) "Yang et al., IEEE, Mag-27(1991) 5052" is reported. In the literature, an idea that a CoCrPt type medium layer and a Cr layer having a thickness of about 3 nm are alternately arranged to reduce a medium noise of a medium while maintaining the coercive force to a high value is disclosed.
However, a Br.multidot.t value of the medium in the literature (1) is about 200 G.mu.m, and the improvement of the medium is required to apply the CoCrPt type medium layers to the MR head.
Also, another idea that a Cu film having a thickness of 2000 is arranged between a Cr film arranged under a Co type alloy magnetic film and a substrate to reduce a medium noise of a medium is disclosed in the Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. H4-134618 (134618/1992). In addition, another idea that a Cu film having a thin thickness is arranged between a Cr layer arranged under a magnetic film and a substrate to heighten a coercive force of a medium is disclosed in the Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. H6-96431 (96431/1994).
Also, another idea that a medium is produced by dividing a Co-group alloy medium layer into a plurality of divided layers through Cu layers to alternately arrange the divided layer and the Cu layer is disclosed in the Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. S59-142744 (142744/1984). In this idea, upper divided layers of the Co-group alloy medium layer are used as read and write layers (R/W layers), and lower divided layers of the Co-group alloy medium layer are used as a marker signal for positioning a head. Therefore, the configuration of the medium is determined without considering the formation of the medium having a low medium noise and a high recording density. In this case, a film thickness of each Cu layer ranges from 0.2 to 0.8 .mu.m to avoid the interference between recorded information in the upper divided layers and recorded information in the lower divided layers.
However, even though the Cu layers having the above-described thickness are arranged between a Cr backing layer and a substrate, a medium noise cannot be sufficiently reduced during a recording or reproducing operation, and information cannot be sufficiently recorded in a high recording density in a magnetic recording drive.

Magnetic recording medium and magnetic recording drive


A sensor capable of measuring a plurality of measuring items quickly and accurately, a measuring device, and a measuring method are provided. The sensor includes a sample-holding unit for holding a sample containing an analyte; a sample-supplying port for supplying the sample to the sample-holding unit; a detecting unit for carrying out an electrochemical measurement, the unit being provided in the sample-holding unit; an optical measuring unit for carrying out an optical measurement, the unit being provided in the sample-holding unit; and a reagent-holding unit for holding a reagent for the optical measurement, the unit being provided in the sample-holding unit; wherein in the flowing direction of the sample supplied from the sample-supplying port in sample-holding unit, the sample-supplying port, the detecting unit, and the reagent-holding unit are positioned in the order recited.

Measuring devices that are conventionally used in the field of clinical testing are mainly large-scale automated devices and POCT (Point of Care Testing) devices.
The large-scale automated devices are provided at a central clinical-testing department of hospitals and at companies that mainly undertake clinical testings, and by using these devices, a sample of many patients can be tested for a plurality of items (for example, Patent Publication Document 1). For example, a large automated device manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd., type 7170, is capable of completing 800 tests/hour on 36 items at maximum. Therefore, the large-scale automated device has been contributing to efficiency in testing, which makes it suitable for hospitals with a large number of examinee.
On the other hand, POCT devices are used for clinical testing conducted in medical field other than a testing room and a testing center of hospitals, and include devices used in at-home medical care (for example, Patent Publication Document 2 and Patent Publication Document 3). For example, a blood-sugar sensor, a pregnancy test reagent, an ovulation test reagent, and an HbAlc and microalbumin testing device (for example, DCA2000 manufactured by Bayer AG) may be mentioned. These POCT devices are less applicable for all-purpose use compared with large-scale automated devices, but capable of easy and quick measurement by focusing on a marker substance unique to a disease. Thus, the devices are effective for screening and monitoring examinees. Additionally, the POCT devices are small and portable, can be introduced for low costs, and further usable for anyone without particular specialties in terms of operation.
There are many measuring items currently for clinical test. When a body fluid such as urine is used as a sample, the measurement methods are roughly divided to an optical measurement method and an electrochemical measurement method, mainly. In the large-scale automated devices and the POCT devices, measurement is conducted by using the optical measurement method or electrochemical measurement method.
Recently, a rise in medical expense and an increase in lifestyle-related disease patient have been causing a strain on medical economy, and a reduction in medical expense and avoidance on increase in lifestyle-related disease patient have been problems. As a fundamental solution for such problems, Evidence Based-Medical (EBM) has been considered. By conducting EBM, medical care can be managed objectively for a respective patient. Then, by practicing preventive medical care based on EBM, a control on the number of the lifestyle-related disease patient particularly is particularly expected.
For establishing and practicing the EBM, test information from clinical tests is essential information. Test information in EBM includes test results and solutions for patient based on the results. The solutions for patients refer to instructions on daily habit such as meal management and treatment by medication. That is, the testing in the EBM can be evaluated as "task-setting" and "policy-determining" for those who are to receive medical care. Therefore, in EBM, to provide safe and substantial solution with further feeling of security, it is necessary to clearly present the problem for those who are to receive medical care. Thus, in clinical testing, it is important to know each of the test result easily and quickly on a plurality of interrelated test items.
Conventional large-scale automated device as in the above are applicable for all-purpose, and many items can be tested regardless of presence or absence of relevance to the disease. However, the complicated structure of the device makes the operation difficult for those without expertise, and further, there are problems in that it takes long to obtain test results, and involves a longer time for giving the feedback of the results to the examinee. Additionally, although the above POCT device is excellently operable and is capable of easy and quick test, it is a measuring device specially for a marker related to a specific disease, and is not capable of testing a plurality of items.
Thus, there has been proposed a device comprising a cavity to which a sample liquid flows in by capillary effects; being used for biochemical or clinical examination; and having an electrode structure for measuring the sample's electrochemical characteristics, and a reagent such as antibody and enzyme capable of being released in the cavity; wherein a wall of the cavity is transparent so that the inner cavity can be optically measured (for example, Patent Publication Document 4).
[Patent Publication Document 1] JP 09-127126 A
[Patent Publication Document 2] JP 07-248310 A
[Patent Publication Document 3] JP 03-046566 A
[Patent Publication Document 4] U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,868B

Sensor, measuring device, and measuring method


An image forming apparatus such as a copying apparatus capable of executing copy operations with excellent efficiency, when executing multi-sort copying even when there is a large number of document pages or a large number of copy bundles, by executing controls to calculate the number of sorting bins required to accommodate ejected recording sheets per document bundle based on the number of document pages and the sheet accommodation capacity per each bin of a sorter, and calculate the number of copies possible in a single multi-sort copy operation from the total number of bins of the sorter and the number of bins required to accommodate the ejected recording sheets per document bundle, and divide the number of copies in a plurality of multi-sort copy operations when the number of set copy bundles exceeds the number of copies possible in a single multi-sort copy operation.

This application is based on application No. 9-18945 filed in Japan, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which sorts and ejects image-bearing sheets to multiple bins, and control method for same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses, and particularly widely used copiers, are usually provided with sorters to sort and eject recorded copy sheets in predetermined number of sheets per unit in accordance with multi-purpose use and popular copying apparatus.
When, for example, when making ten copies of a thirty-page document while sorting said copies into ten individual units using the aforesaid copying apparatus provided with a sorter, each document page is copied ten times and each said copy sheet is ejected to a sorting bin until ultimately one complete copy of the entire thirty-page document is in each sorting bin (hereinafter, this process of copying a document in plurality and sorting said copies in a predetermined number of bundle units is referred to as "multi-sort copying").
There is a limit to the number of recording sheets which can be ejected to a single sorter bin due to the holding strength said sorting bin and the spacing of said bin with adjacent sorting bins. When this holding capacity is, for example, 50 sheets and the number of sheets of a single copy bundle exceeds said number, the copy operation must be stopped at the point at which the bin capacity is reached. Conventionally, the number of recording sheets ejected to each sorting bin is counted, and when the bin capacity limit is attained, controls are executed so as to eject the remaining recording sheets to an empty bin.
In conventional sorting controls such as the aforesaid, uses a plurality of bins to eject a copy of a single document bundle and the number of bins required for multi-sort copying may exceed the total number of sorting bins.
That is, when making fifteen copies of an 80-page document using a sorter in which each bin has a 50-sheet holding capacity, two bins are required for a single copy bundle because the number of copy pages of a single bundle (i.e., 80 pages) exceeds the 50-sheet capacity of a single sorting bin, therefore a total of 2.times.15=30 sorting bins are required for the all the multi-sort copies. If the total number of all sorting bins is 20, then the first 50 sheets are ejected to the first through fifteenth sorting bins, and the 51st and subsequent sheets are ejected sheet by sheet in the sixteenth and subsequent empty sorting bins, but after ejecting copies to the 20th sorting bin the copy operation is terminated because there are no more empty sorting bins.
In this instance, an operator must remove the ejected recording sheets from each bin, resets the 51st and subsequent documents in an auto document feeder, and restart the copy operation, thereby producing a severely adverse effect on operational characteristics, and markedly reducing copy operation efficiency.

Image forming apparatus which sorts and ejects image-bearing sheets to multiple bins and control method for same


System and methods for reducing third harmonic distortion produced by nonlinear amplifiers are disclosed. A system may include an amplifier circuit with an amplifier transistor such that the amplifier is capable of exhibiting an amplifier output signal containing third harmonic distortion. Further, a system may include a nonlinear feedback circuit with a first feedback transistor operating in Triode mode that produces a feedback electronic signal containing a feedback third harmonic component. In addition, the nonlinear feedback circuit may be configured to the amplifier circuit in negative feedback such that the feedback third harmonic component of the feedback electronic signal reduces the third harmonic distortion of the amplifier output signal. A system may also provide an output signal that has less third harmonic distortion than the amplifier output signal.

Modern telecommunication technologies require high performance electronic circuits to operate according to customer or market needs. For example, telecommunication applications such as asymmetrical subscriber lines (ADSL), cable modem, and video applications may be required to provide error free or near error free data with minimum latency to an end user. Usually, electronic circuits used in these applications meet specifications with stringent requirements to perform these types of services.
Likewise, telecommunication applications that deliver voice services, such as cellular telephone services, may require a certain level of signal clarity. However, many radio frequency (RF) electronic circuits used in a cellular telephone application may create distortion that decreases signal clarity as well as quality of service of cellular telephone applications.
Many times, RF electronic circuits include transistors or other electronic devices that exhibit both linear and nonlinear characteristics, and at times, the nonlinear characteristics may create distortion. An electronic system has a linear characteristic, for example, if a voltage output is proportional to a voltage input. However, a system exhibits nonlinear characteristics if an output is not proportional to an input. That is, a nonlinear system cannot be described using variables written in a linear combination of independent components. Instead, a nonlinear electronic system may have an output that is proportional the square and/or cube of the input. Examples of nonlinear electronic devices include diodes and transistors that provide nonlinear current/voltage (UV) characteristics.
Some electronic circuits, such as amplifiers, not only increase an amplitude of signals at an operating frequency (e.g., ω), but also exhibit nonlinearity such that the amplifiers create spurious electronic signals that are multiples or harmonics of the operating frequency ω1. Such spurious electronic signals (or harmonics) may be referred to as distortion.
In a cellular telephone system, for example, a cellular phone may receive and deliver voice service using a certain frequency within a frequency range or frequency band. Other cellular users may receive and deliver their own voice service in adjacent frequency bands. For example, a cellular application used by one user may specify that operating frequency ω1 should be within a frequency range ωA-ωB while another cellular user may be using an application at another operating frequency within an adjacent frequency range ωB-ωC. Distortion components may be introduced in the adjacent frequency bands (i.e., ωB-ωC) and may create interference or decrease quality of signals used by cellular users due to closeness of frequency bands. Therefore, such telecommunication applications may require electronic circuits to minimize nonlinear characteristics so as to minimize distortion.

System for reducing distortion in an electronic circuit using nonlinear feedback


A method of making a polyolefinic foam composition comprising the steps of:. (a) feeding a polyolefinic polymer into an extruder; PA1 (b) adding a nucleating agent to the resin feed; PA1 (c) optionally adding a permeation modifier to the resin feed; PA1 (d) plasticating the mixture in an extruder to form a polymeric melt; PA1 (e) incorporating a blowing agent of carbon dioxide and optionally one or more members selected from the group consisting of inorganic blowing agents, organic blowing agents, and combinations thereof; PA1 (f) incorporating at least one compatibilizing agent into said foamable composition wherein said compatibilizing agent is an oxygenated hydrocarbon that decreases the minimum pressure required to prevent prefoaming while retarding the collapse of foam due to excessive blowing agent migration; PA1 (g) uniformly mixing and cooling the foamable composition to a temperature effective for the expansion of the polyolefinic foam; and PA1 (h) extruding or ejecting the foamable composition through a die to form a polyolefinic foam.

Low-density thermoplastic foams, particularly those having a density of less than about 150 kg/m.sup.3, are generally produced with physical blowing agents. Physical blowing agents are chemical compounds which can be incorporated into the thermoplastic melt while within the extruders at high pressures, typically 10-20 MPa, and which can be contained by the polymer structure when the cooled thermoplastic/blowing agent mixture is rapidly reduced to ambient pressure. Polyolefinic foams, in particular, uncrosslinked polyethylene foam and uncrosslinked polypropylene foam, were manufactured for many years with halogenated hydrocarbons, primarily chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) as physical blowing agents.
During the 1980's the worldwide scientific community presented sufficient evidence to link CFC's with atmospheric ozone depletion and sought for world governments to regulate CFC's. Ozone levels in the stratosphere have been shown to be significant in protecting life on the planet from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Additionally, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC's), another class of chemical compounds were also included in the regulations but on a more lengthy schedule. It was established that the higher atomic weight halogen compounds other than fluorine that were responsible for this effect.
As a result of the regulations, it became necessary to find materials other than halogenated compounds which could function as physical blowing agents. Many different approaches were taken, but generally in the direction of the use of hydrocarbons containing from two to five carbons or blends thereof. Although these short-chained hydrocarbons may function as physical blowing agents to produce foams with satisfactory physical properties, these physical blowing agents are highly flammable. U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,319 (Komori) discusses a process for producing polyolefin foams with various volatile organic compounds as the physical blowing agent. U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,822 (Rogers et al) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,451 (Rogers et al) discuss processes for ultra-low density foam using polymer blends. U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,376 (Pontiff) discusses a process to remove residual hydrocarbons in the attempt to produce a non-flammable polyethylene foam.
Carbon dioxide, alone or in combination with various other gases, has been used as a blowing agent to produce polyethylene foam. U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,171 (Kiczek et al) discusses an extrusion process for producing a "microcellular" thermoplastic foam and cites polyethylene as possible polymer and carbon dioxide as a possible inert gas foaming agent. U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,974(Lee) discusses a foamable polyethylene resin composition having a blowing agent comprised of a blend of about 50% by weight of carbon dioxide and about 50% by weight of either normal butane, isobutane, propane, ethane, or a mixture of any combination of these hydrocarbons, in mixture with the resin in a ratio of about one part blowing agent to about 10 parts resin while using a zinc oxide nucleation agent and a glycerol monostearate aging modifier. U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,129 (Chaudhary et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,661 (Chaudhary et al.) discuss a process and composition for preparing uncrosslinked ethylenic polymer foam using a polymer of a defined melt tension with either argon, carbon dioxide, or blends thereof. These patents generally state that argon and carbon dioxide, alone or in blends, can function as a physical blowing agent with ethylenic materials having a specific melt tension.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,881 (Park et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,579 (Park et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,751 (Park et al.) discuss a process and a composition for producing thermoformable polypropylene foam sheets from high melt strength polypropylene and refer to carbon dioxide as a potential blowing agent. The patent discusses foam sheets in the range of densities above 2.5 lb/ft.sup.3 (42 kg/m.sup.3) with sheet thicknesses below 0.200 inch (5.0 mm) which are defined by certain physical properties. U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,742 (Park) discusses a dimensionally stable polypropylene foam with an inorganic blowing agent. While applicable to both open and closed cell foams, the discussed process with inorganic blowing agents is limited to combinations of cell sizes and densities which result in cell wall thicknesses within a specified range.
When used as physical blowing agents in traditional low density polyolefinic foam processes, carbon dioxide either alone or in combination with other gases including water generally produce non-descript masses of polymeric material or otherwise poor quality thermoplastic foams which collapse. This lack of dimensional stability occurs because of the limited solubility for these compounds within the molten thermoplastic extrudate which results in an uncontrollable high level of open cells in the foam structure as the thermoplastic/blowing agent combination exits the die. Additionally, even if the resultant thermoplastic materials which are made with carbon dioxide as the primary blowing agent have a visible foam structure, most of such foams tend to collapse quickly in time and become useless for most practical applications in less than 24 hours after manufacture. Accordingly, in order to use carbon dioxide as the primary blowing agent, it is necessary to reduce the pre-foaming pressure required to make a foam at the die and subsequently either eliminate or significantly reduce the rate of collapse normally exhibited by polyolefinic foam made with carbon dioxide, water or blends thereof.

Oxygenated hydrocarbon compatibilizing agent for carbon dioxide-blown polyolefinic foams


A mortising device directed to project a polygonal bore within a workpiece is provided to include a parallelepiped guide tube having a drill bit rotatably mounted therewithin, with the guide tube having window slots arranged throughout alternating walls of the guide tube, with intermediate walls of the guide tube intermediate the alternating walls containing the drill bit in an aligned relationship, with a lowermost end of the guide tube having a continuous chisel edge for projection into an underlying workpiece to effect formation of the polygonal hole structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to mortising tools, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved polygonal mortising drill tool arrangement wherein the same is directed to project polygonal bores within an associated workpiece.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mortising tool structure of various types have been utilized throughout the prior art and indicated by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,850,211; 4,358,975; 4,223,708; 3,639,982; and 5,067,858.
The instant invention attempts to overcome an improved structure of the prior art by providing for the use of a guide tool structure having chip directing windows directed therethrough in a compact unitary organization to effect the projection of polygonal bores within a workpiece and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

Polygonal mortising drill tool arrangement


Differential management information that is information representing the difference between a logical volume and a sequential device group after a full backup is updated in response to an update of the logical volume. Partial data that are data representing the difference between the logical volume and sequential device group are specified by using the updated differential management information, information necessary for restoration that is necessary to restore the data group located in the updated logical volume by using the partial data is recorded in the sequential device group, and the partial data are backed up from the updated logical volume into the sequential device group.

The present invention generally relates to data backup technology.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-212875 discloses a method by which in a storage subsystem including a primary subsystem and a secondary subsystem, the primary subsystem performs full backup and differential backup of data received from a higher-level device in the secondary subsystem. Furthermore, a method for performing data restoration from the data backed up in the secondary subsystem is also disclosed.
For example, there exist methods by which a computer, a disk storage, and a tape library device are connected to a communication network termed SAN (Storage Area Network) and data stored in the disk storage are backed up to the tape library device by a server for processing of backup (referred to hereinbelow as "backup server"). In this case, the data that are the backup object are backed up via the backup server. The resultant problem is that the backup performance depends on the backup server, and when the processing performance of the backup server is low, the time required for the backup is increased.
A similar problem is also encountered, for example, when the backed-up data are restored in the processing flow that is inverted with respect to the backup, more specifically, when data are restored from the tape library device to the disk storage via the backup server.
Those problems can be resolved by the backup method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-212875. However, with this backup method, in the case of differential backup, data are recorded on a tape, and the information necessary to restore the data, for example, information for managing the difference between the data (referred to hereinbelow as "differential data information") is stored in the control memory of the secondary subsystem. For this reason, the processing of data restore is performed by using both the data recorded on the tape and the differential data information stored in the control memory of the secondary subsystem. The resultant problem is that, for example, when the information of the control memory of the secondary subsystem is lost due to an accident or the like, the differentially back-up data cannot be restored.
Yet another problem is that in order to perform differential backup of multiple generations to store the differential data information in the control memory of the secondary subsystem, the control memory has to have a storage capacity enabling the memory to store the differential data information of each generation, and the number of generations for which the differential backup is performed is limited by the storage capacity of the control memory.
Such problem is not limited to differential backup and is also encountered in the case of a backup of a type such that restoration cannot be performed if the information that is necessary for the restoration (referred to hereinbelow as "information necessary for restoration"), such as differential data information, is absent (for convenience, such backup will be referred to hereinbelow as "partial backup"), for example, when an incremental backup is performed.


A rubber crawler track in which a local side displacement is more effectively prevented to effectively prevent wheel run-off, which can reduce traveling vibration, and in which separation of metal cores is prevented for improved durability of the rubber crawler track and for reduced costs. The expression of Δr≦r≦2Δr is satisfied, with “r” being the distance, in the circumferential direction of the rubber crawler track, between ends of horizontal protrusions (6) facing each other between adjacent metal cores (3) embedded in a rubber crawler body in a horizontal state of the rubber crawler track, “h” being the distance from a steel cord (5) layer embedded in the rubber crawler body to the core metal horizontal protrusions (6), and Δr being a value obtained by Δr=2πh/n where “n” is the number of sprocket teeth of a traveling device.

FIG. 11 shows a conventional rubber crawler track C. Steel cords S are embedded in a rubber crawler body shaped as an endless belt from a rubber elastic body as circumferential reinforcing members, and metallic cores M are embedded therein as width directional reinforcing members. K is a guide protrusion for guiding a rolling wheel.
In the conventional rubber crawler track, as shown in FIG. 12A, side displacement occurs between adjacent metal cores. Because of the side displacement, a rolling wheel R of a crawler traveling device goes across the guide protrusion K to run off, and the rubber crawler track comes off the traveling device.
In addition, the conventional rubber crawler track is so constructed, as shown in FIG. 12B, that the rolling wheel R rolls on the guide protrusions K. Therefore, the rolling wheel R rolls on the guide protrusions K, sinking between the metal cores adjoining longitudinally in a circumferential direction and thereby increasing traveling vibration. To solve this problem, a rubber crawler track for reducing the sinking of the rolling wheel has been proposed. Therein, the rolling face of the guide protrusion is extended circumferentially, the guide protrusion is T-shaped, and the distance between the metal cores is shortened. However, as to even this structure, the metal cores incline and the rolling wheels sink after all.
An invention disclosed in Japanese utility model registration No. 2551937 has been proposed to prevent wheel run-off caused by the side displacement of the rolling wheel. The invention is to prevent the side displacement of the rubber crawler track and the wheel run-off by arranging horizontal protrusions MP on a metal core M. In FIG. 13A, MY is a metal core wing portion.
In addition, an invention disclosed in Japanese patent No. 2554552 and Japanese utility model publication No. 000226 of 1996 has been proposed to prevent traveling vibration due to the sinking of the rolling wheel and the inclination of the metal cores. In this invention, the top of the guide protrusion K forms an inclination KT to form a continuous rolling wheel track and reduce the vibration. That is, when the rolling wheel R gets on guide protrusion overhangs KP, the overhangs KP gravitate somewhat to keep the height of track of the rolling wheel and approach the guide protrusion K of the adjacent metal core M to reduce the distance between the metal cores. In FIG. 14, MK is an engaging portion of the metal core.
Moreover, an invention disclosed in Japanese utility model registration No. 2601638 has been proposed to settle the following problems. Problem 1:
When the rolling wheel travels on the guide protrusions of the rubber crawler track, an external force such as a rolling wheel load is added on crawler circumferential ends of the guide protrusion top. According to this, the guide protrusion inclines, the rolling wheel sinks, and the traveling vibration occurs.
Problem 2:
The metal core comes off the rubber crawler track in a stroke due to an external force like a pushing-up from the side of the guide protrusion, caused by the interaction between the crawler track and the traveling device. Here, the interaction is caused by stones pushing between the guide protrusions or by the discrepancy of the traveling device. In this case, sometimes, adhesion between the rubber and the metal core is overcome, and core is peeled away.
In the invention of Japanese utility model registration No. 2601638, the horizontal protrusions MP are formed within the thickness of the wing portion of the metal core embedded in the rubber crawler track or below it so as to cross perpendicularly to the side of the metal core. When the metal core is embedded in the rubber crawler body, horizontal protrusions MP between the adjacent metal cores are embedded so as to overlap in a crawler width direction (lateral direction) and in a crawler thickness direction (vertical direction). Therefore, a local side displacement of the rubber crawler track and vibration of the metal core are prevented, thereby preventing the crawler run-off, the rolling wheel sinking, and the metal core peel-off (See FIG. 13B). Reference is made to                Japanese utility model registration No. 2551937,        Japanese utility model registration No. 2601638,        Japanese patent No. 2554552, and        Japanese utility model publication No. 000226 of 1996.

Rubber crawler track and method of producing metal core for rubber track


An automated transforming tooling system apparatus and method for shuttling a workpiece to and from an industrial operation. The system includes a workstation for complementarily engaging and securing the workpiece, and at least one holder removably secures at least on end effector tool to the workstation. At least one transfer bar is movably positioned with respect to the workstation. At least one automated transforming tooling assembly is connected to the transfer bar and has a plurality of links adjustably connected by motorized joints to automatically position the automated transforming tooling assembly. An automated tool changer is connected to the automated transforming tooling assembly and releasably engages the end effector tool between a disengaged position, wherein the end effector tool is disengaged from the automated tool changer, and an engaged position, wherein the end effector tool is engaged by the automated tool changer.

In the manufacturing industry, such as the automotive industry, various manufacturing and assembly operations are performed on numerously configured workpieces. Such operation not only involve manufacturing and assembly operations being performed on the workpieces, but such operations also require handling and shuttling the workpieces between work stations. In one such example, sheet metal panels may be formed and shaped by stamping the sheet metal panels in stamping presses. The stamping presses typically include numerous, successive workstations that progressively stamp various shapes into the sheet metal panels until the workpiece reaches its final form. Each workstation of the stamping press provides a press die having a top and bottom press die. The bottom press die receives one or more workpieces in a complementary, supportive manner while the top press die is lowered onto the workpiece and the bottom press die with force to stamp a form or shape into the workpiece. The top press die may by lifted and lowered to engage the workpiece and the bottom press die numerous times until the final shape is formed into the workpiece. Once the desired shape of the workpiece is obtained for the particular stamping press workstation, the workpiece is moved to the next successive stamping press workstation where further forms and shapes are stamped into the workpiece.
Various automated handling and tooling designs have been developed to shuttle the workpieces between successive manufacturing and assembly workstations. For instance, in stamping presses, one or more transfer press bars or rails may be located adjacent to or overhead of the stamping press dies to move the workpieces between stamping press workstations. Automated manipulators, such as robotic arms, may also be utilized to shuttle the workpieces between stamping press workstations. Both transfer press bars and automated manipulators have tooling assemblies attached thereto wherein the tooling assemblies are designed to engage and disengage the workpieces for moving the workpieces between stamping press workstations. The transfer press bars are typically designed to cycle back and forth in dedicated vertical and horizontal directions such that the transfer press bars can transfer the workpieces between adjacent stamping press workstations. Automated manipulators may utilize multiple degrees of programmable movement for moving the workpieces between stamping press workstations. Either way, once the tooling assemblies engage the workpiece, the transfer press bars or the automated manipulators raise the workpiece from the bottom press die and move the workpiece to an adjacent stamping press workstation where the workpiece is loaded into the bottom press die. Once the tooling assemblies release the workpiece into the bottom press die, the transfer press bars or the automated manipulator cycle back to the previous stamping press workstation where the cycle begins again with the next workpiece.
In order to accommodate the many types of manufacturing and assembly operations, the tooling assemblies can take on many different configurations. In continuing with the stamping press example, the tooling assemblies may be connected to the transfer press bar or the automated manipulator at one end of the tooling assembly while having an end effector tool, such as a vacuum cup or a gripper, connected to the opposite end of the tooling assembly. The tooling assemblies are preferably designed with flexibility and adjustability in mind so that the tooling assemblies can adjust the position of the end effector tools to properly engage the workpiece. Previous tooling assemblies have utilized various sections of tubing interconnected by various rigid mounts for fixturing a variety of workpieces, but such designs typically provide little or no adjustment in the tooling assembly. Other designs have utilized extrusions, slide mounts, ball mounts, and serrated teeth thereby allowing the sections of the tubing to be adjusted in various directions, including linearly and radially. However, such designs have a limited amount of flexibility and range in that such designs typically only provide one degree or axis of adjustment.
Although the tooling assemblies may be adjusted to have their end effector tooling properly engage the workpiece, adjusting numerous tooling assemblies for a particular workpiece is a timely and tedious process. Thus, most tooling assemblies and their associated end effector tooling are commonly left in a predetermined position, such that when the stamping press dies are exchanged to form different shaped workpieces, the tooling assemblies and their end effector tooling are also exchanged for different positioned tooling assemblies and end effector tooling as opposed to adjusting the position of the same tooling assemblies and end effector tooling. Different positioned tooling assemblies and end effector tooling are then typically created for each shaped workpiece. The tooling assemblies are removably connected to the transfer rails or the automated manipulators to provide for simple and quick replacement of the tooling assemblies and the end effector tooling. However, since a different set of tooling assemblies and end effector tooling must be maintained for each differently shaped workpiece, numerous tooling assemblies and end effector tooling must be purchased, stored, and maintained, thereby creating inefficiencies in an industrial environment.
It would be desirable to provide an automated transforming tooling system that adjusted for any configuration of workpiece without having to purchase, store, and maintain multiple sets of prepositioned tooling assemblies and end effector tooling.

Method and apparatus for automated transforming tooling systems


A flow measuring or flow metering device having a dynamically variable inner diameter. The flow device uses electrorheological fluid to support an inner flexible membrane. The quantity of electrorheological fluid is varied to change the inner diameter of the flexible membrane.

This invention relates generally to fluid conduits, flow metering devices and flow measuring devices and more particularly to fluid conduits having variable flow restrictors.
Typically, butterfly type throttle devices are used to control fuel and air flow to an engine or turbine combustor. The butterfly throttle can cause vortices in the fuel/air mixture and can impose a directional flow. These non-uniformities in the flow can cause uneven or inefficient combustion.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present flow metering devices. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.

Fluid conduit having a variable inner diameter


A clamp is connected to a base for retaining a reel in a predetermined position relative to the base. A pair of winding heads are mounted to the base so that the winding heads face each other with the reel retained between the winding heads. Each winding head includes a corresponding fiber supply spool. A coil of optical fiber is formed on the reel by alternately winding predetermined lengths of the fiber from each fiber supply spool onto the reel. The coil is formed by rotating the first winding head in a first direction relative to the reel to wind fiber from the first supply spool onto the reel while holding the second winding head stationary relative to the reel to prevent fiber from the second supply spool from being wound onto the reel while fiber from the first supply spool is being wound on the reel. The winding heads are moved in translational motion relative to the reel while the winding heads are rotated to wind the fiber in even layers on the reel.

This invention relates to apparatus and methods for forming coils of optical fiber. In particular, this relates to apparatus and methods for forming sensing coils for fiber optic rotation sensors. Still more particularly, this invention relates to apparatus and methods for forming quadrupole-wound fiber optic sensing coils.
It has been found that a fiber optic rotation sensor that meets the performance requirements for guidance and navigation systems should have a sensing coil having quadrupole-wound symmetry. Quadrupole-wound symmetry is attained by dividing a continuous length of optical fiber into two or more source spools and winding optical fiber from each spool onto a reel. A single layer of the optical fiber coil is first wound on the reel. Then alternating dual layers of optical fiber are wound from each source spool onto the reel. A dual layer is two layers arranged with an outer layer formed over an inner layer such that the wrapping of the outer layer ends where the inner layer begins. The optical fiber is then wound onto the reel until selected equal lengths from each source spool are placed on the reel.
The quadrupole winding pattern preserves symmetry about the center of the fiber and, therefore, decreases phase errors due to changing thermal conditions. Phase errors caused by thermal gradients in fiber optic rotation sensors are discussed by N. J. Frigo, "Compensation of Linear Sources of Non-reciprocity in Sagnac Interferometers," SPIE Proceedings, Fiber Optic and Laser Sensors, Vol. 412, pp. 288-271.
The basic structure of fiber optic coils having quadrupole-wound symmetry is explained in U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,900, which issued Aug. 15, 1989 to Ivancevic. U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,900 is assigned to Litton Systems, Inc. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,900 is hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure.
A coil formed with quadrupole-wound symmetry has the property that lengths of the fiber which are equidistant from the center of the spool are in such close proximity that they will have essentially the same temperature. Therefore, temperature gradients are symmetrical about the center of the quadrupole-wound coil. Phase errors due to the Shupe effect are, therefore, also symmetrical such that Shupe effect phase errors on opposite sides of the center of the coil are of opposite sign and tend to negate each other.

Automatic fiber optic quadrupole coil winding machine


On performing load balancing in a network device, there will be provided an apparatus of transmitting packets which implements uniform allocation processing in conformity with the traffic conditions. A packet transfer apparatus is provided with a statistics information collecting processor as a functional processor independent of the packet transfer processing. The line card transfers header information of packets to be transmitted and received to the statistics information collecting processor. The statistics information collecting processor collects statistics information in accordance with header information of transmitted and received packets transferred from the line card. On the basis of the statistics information collected by the statistics information collecting processor, the setting of the search table to be provided for the line card will be renewed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus of transmitting packets, and more particularly to a statistics information collection method and a load balancing method.
2. Description of Related Art
Due to advanced communication service using Internet such as electronic commerce and video distribution, an increase in an amount of traffic and speedup of communication speed have been rapidly advancing. In keeping with these, the throughput of communication apparatuses such as routers and servers within the network has been becoming further higher. For this reason, it has become a pressing need to improve the throughput of the communication apparatuses. In, for example, the WWW (World Wide Web) service, access to specified servers has increased, and in order to cover the processing with a single server, there arise cases where the capacity is insufficient.
Also, in order to implement Virtual Private Network (VPN) service using Internet, it is necessary to perform higher layer processing to be performed in units of packets to be transmitted and received in conformity with the communication speed. As the higher layer processing, there are named encryption, firewall processing and the like.
As regards the packet transfer method, there have been proposed various methods. There are, for example, transfer using Ethernet (registered trademark) frame stipulated by IEEE802.3, transfer using Tag VLAN stipulated by IEEE802.1Q, transfer using MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) stipulated by IETF RFC3032, and transfer using RPR (Resilient Packet Ring) that is being standardized by the IEEE802.17 committee. These are all packet transfer methods using Ethernet, and in addition, there are various packet transfer methods depending upon the communication method.
As one of techniques for improving the processing capacity of the communication apparatus, there is a load balancing technique. The load balancing technique is a method of reducing the throughput of each single apparatus and improving the processing capacity as a whole by providing a plurality of apparatuses, each having the same function and allotting a portion of the processing to each among these apparatuses.
Through the use of the load balancing technique, it becomes possible to improve fault tolerance in addition to the improvement of the processing capacity. In other words, even when one of those apparatuses suffers a breakdown, the remaining apparatuses take over the processing for thereby making it possible to continue the operation.
The load balancing is divided into load balancing aimed at distributing the throughput within the apparatus and load balancing aimed at distributing the throughput of other apparatuses (for example, server) connected to the apparatus.
In order to implement the load balancing, it is necessary to properly allocate packets to a plurality of apparatuses targeted for the load balancing for transferring.
As a first method for implementing allocation of packets, there is a method using Round Robin. The method using Round Robin is a method for allocating the packets to apparatuses different from one another in the order received.
As a second method for implementing allocation of packets, there is a method of allocating packets in accordance with a hash value in the header information. The method using the hash value is a method to determine an allocation target of the packet in accordance with a value (hash value) obtained by calculating a hash function with header information representing a flow, for example, a pair of a source IP address and destination IP address of the packet as an argument.
As a third method for implementing allocation of packets, there is a method using a filtering table. The method using the filtering table is a method to prepare for a flow and a table for bringing a packet of the flow into correspondence with the allocation target in advance, and to determine the allocation target of the packet by retrieving the table with information representing the flow indicated on the packet header as the search key on receipt of the packet.
In the packet allocation using the round robin, it is possible to comparatively uniformly distribute the packets to the allocation targets because they are allocated in the order of arrival of the packets. Since, however, there may occur a difference in time required for processing such as delay time due to packet transfer, the problem is that the order of packets which an apparatus targeted for the load balancing has received may be different from the order of packets which the aforementioned load balancing target transmits in the same flow (for example, a pair of source address and destination address) which poses a problem. As a method of solving the aforementioned problem, there is a method in which a sequence number is imparted to an internal header to be imparted to a packet when the packet is received, and the packet is transmitted in the order of the sequence number when the packet is transmitted. When, however, a number of flows increases, processing of sequence number management becomes complicated, which poses a problem.
In the method using the hash value, since the hash value becomes the same in the same flow, the packets are to be transmitted in the order of the packets received in the same flow. When there are many specified flows, however, the method using the hash value has a problem that the packets may not always be uniformly allocated.
In the method using the filtering table, it is necessary to register a flow in advance. Also, with fluctuations in traffic pattern for each flow, there is a possibility that the packet allocation targets are one-sided, which poses a problem.

Method of transmitting packets and apparatus of transmitting packets


The present invention relates to a modular attic flooring assembly comprising a plurality of coupling panels for providing a surface, wherein each coupling panel of the plurality of coupling panels defined as having opposing ends, wherein each coupling panel comprising a surface extending between the opposing ends; a first end having a first mating member; a second end having a second mating member; at least two support legs symmetrically coupled below the surface; at least one indentation arranged on the lower portion of each support leg; wherein the at least one indentation of each support leg faces the at least one indentation of the other support leg, thereby forming a channel for receiving a joist below the surface; and wherein the first mating member of each coupling panel mating with the second mating member of an adjacent coupling panel.

Installing a conventional floor or pathway in an attic is a complicated process requiring expertise and artisanship. Typical attic joists have drywalls attached to them to form a ceiling. Often the ceiling joists are horizontally oriented in longitudinal directions. Conventionally, the distance between joists has been 24 inches. In some homes, however, the distance is 16 inches. In addition, traversing the joists could be dangerous because they are not wide and drywall cannot bear the weight of a person.
Some attics however, have permanent pathways for a person to move around. For those attics without a permanent pathway, installing one is costly and labor intensive. Although, there have been some efforts to create temporary pathways for attics, none appears to be appropriate for everyday use. For instance, one method of creating a temporary pathway is laying down unsecured planks. Since they are unsecured, they could be very dangerous. In addition, these temporary pathways are too narrow.
Therefore, a need exists for a modular attic flooring which is stable, continuous, and wide enough for traversing. In addition, a need exists for a modular attic flooring capable of interlocking with various arrangements of the joists.


A personal audio device, such as a wireless telephone, includes an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from an output of a microphone that measures ambient audio. The anti-noise signal is combined with source audio to provide an output for a speaker. The anti-noise signal causes cancellation of ambient audio sounds that appear at the microphone. A processing circuit estimates a level of background noise from the microphone output and sets a power conservation mode of the personal audio device in response to detecting that the background noise level is lower than a predetermined threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to personal audio devices such as headphones that include adaptive noise cancellation (ANC), and, more specifically, to power management in an ANC system.
2. Background of the Invention
Wireless telephones, such as mobile/cellular telephones, cordless telephones, and other consumer audio devices, such as MP3 players, are in widespread use. Performance of such devices with respect to intelligibility can be improved by providing adaptive noise canceling (ANC) using a reference microphone to measure ambient acoustic events and then using signal processing to insert an anti-noise signal into the output of the device to cancel the ambient acoustic events.
Since personal devices such as those described above are generally battery-powered, power management of features within the device are needed in order to extend battery life. Further, reduction of power consumption of electronic devices is desirable in general. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a personal audio device, including a wireless telephone, which provides noise cancellation in which the noise cancellation features are power-managed.

Power management of adaptive noise cancellation (ANC) in a personal audio device


A model-based tuning method for tuning a first mask writer unit utilizing a reference mask writer unit, each of which has tunable parameters for controlling mask writing performance. The method includes the steps of defining a test pattern and a mask writing model; generating the test pattern utilizing the reference mask writer unit and measuring the mask writing results; generating the test pattern utilizing the first mask writer unit and measuring the mask writing results; calibrating the mask writing model utilizing the mask writing results corresponding to the reference mask writer unit, where the calibrated mask writing model has a first set of parameter values; tuning the calibrated mask writing model utilizing the mask writing results corresponding to the first mask writer unit, where the tuned calibrated model has a second set of parameter values; and adjusting the parameters of the first mask writer unit based on a difference between the first set of parameter values and the second set of parameter values.

Lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In such a case, the mask may contain a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC, and this pattern can be imaged onto a target portion (e.g. comprising one or more dies) on a substrate (silicon wafer) that has been coated with a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist). In general, a single wafer will contain a whole network of adjacent target portions that are successively irradiated via the projection system, one at a time. In one type of lithographic projection apparatus, each target portion is irradiated by exposing the entire mask pattern onto the target portion in one go; such an apparatus is commonly referred to as a wafer stepper. In an alternative apparatus, commonly referred to as a step-and-scan apparatus, each target portion is irradiated by progressively scanning the mask pattern under the projection beam in a given reference direction (the "scanning" direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate table parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. Since, in general, the projection system will have a magnification factor M (generally <1), the speed V at which the substrate table is scanned will be a factor M times that at which the mask table is scanned. More information with regard to lithographic devices as described herein can be gleaned, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,792, incorporated herein by reference.
In a manufacturing process using a lithographic projection apparatus, a mask pattern is imaged onto a substrate that is at least partially covered by a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist). Prior to this imaging step, the substrate may undergo various procedures, such as priming, resist coating and a soft bake. After exposure, the substrate may be subjected to other procedures, such as a post-exposure bake (PEB), development, a hard bake and measurement/inspection of the imaged features. This array of procedures is used as a basis to pattern an individual layer of a device, e.g., an IC. Such a patterned layer may then undergo various processes such as etching, ion-implantation (doping), metallization, oxidation, chemo-mechanical polishing, etc., all intended to finish off an individual layer. If several layers are required, then the whole procedure, or a variant thereof, will have to be repeated for each new layer. Eventually, an array of devices will be present on the substrate (wafer). These devices are then separated from one another by a technique such as dicing or sawing, whence the individual devices can be mounted on a carrier, connected to pins, etc.
For the sake of simplicity, the projection system may hereinafter be referred to as the "lens"; however, this term should be broadly interpreted as encompassing various types of projection systems, including refractive optics, reflective optics, and catadioptric systems, for example. The radiation system may also include components operating according to any of these design types for directing, shaping or controlling the projection beam of radiation, and such components may also be referred to below, collectively or singularly, as a "lens". Further, the lithographic apparatus may be of a type having two or more substrate tables (and/or two or more mask tables). In such "multiple stage" devices the additional tables may be used in parallel, or preparatory steps may be carried out on one or more tables while one or more other tables are being used for exposures. Twin stage lithographic apparatus are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,441, incorporated herein by reference.
The photolithographic masks referred to above comprise geometric patterns corresponding to the circuit components to be integrated onto a silicon wafer. The patterns used to create such masks are generated utilizing CAD (computer-aided design) programs, this process often being referred to as EDA (electronic design automation). Most CAD programs follow a set of predetermined design rules in order to create functional masks. These rules are set by processing and design limitations. For example, design rules define the space tolerance between circuit devices (such as gates, capacitors, etc.) or interconnect lines, so as to ensure that the circuit devices or lines do not interact with one another in an undesirable way. The design rule limitations could be referred to as "critical dimensions" (CD). A critical dimension of a circuit can be defined as the smallest width of a line or hole or the smallest space between two lines or two holes. Thus, the CD determines the overall size and density of the designed circuit. Of course, one of the goals in integrated circuit fabrication is to faithfully reproduce the original circuit design on the wafer (via the mask).
An important aspect to be considered in the overall photolithography process is the ability of the mask writing apparatus (referred to herein as a mask-writer) to accurately produce the target mask design. In other words, the ability to transform the target mask design into a mask that can be utilized in the actual imaging process. Known mask writer devices or units include e-beam mask writers and optical mask writers, each of which have different underlying imaging physics and different variable parameters which affect the results of the mask writing process. For example, e-beam mask writers have parameters such as, but not limited to, beam size, focus, beam dose, beam current, beam energy, acceleration voltage, and beam blur and, parameters to correct for proximity effects caused by, for example, back-scattered electrons, fogging affects and pattern dependent processing steps such as etching. Optical mask writers have parameters, such as, but not limited to, numerical aperture (NA), focus, illumination shape and dose. In each instance, some of the parameters of the given mask-writer are fixed and some are tunable. The tunable parameters of the given mask writer unit can be adjusted in an effort to improve the results of the mask writing process.
Another goal is to be able to utilize different mask-writer units to produce the same target mask for imaging a desired pattern without having to expend considerable amounts of time and resources determining the necessary settings of each mask writer unit to achieve optimal/acceptable performance. As is known, designers/engineers spend a considerable amount of time and money determining the optimal settings of a given mask writer unit when initially setting up the given mask writer unit so that the resulting mask satisfies the design requirements. Indeed, this is often a trial and error process wherein the tunable parameters on the mask writer unit are selected and the mask generated and then analyzed to determine if the resulting mask is within specified error tolerances. If not, the tunable parameters are adjusted and the mask is generated and analyzed again. This process is repeated until the resulting mask is within the specified error tolerances.
However, as each mask writer unit, even identical model types, exhibit for example different proximity effects when generating a mask, the actual mask which is generated often differs from mask writer unit to mask writer unit. For example, different optical proximity effects (OPEs) associated with given optical mask writer units can introduce significant CD variations through pitch. As such, it is not possible to simply utilize any mask writer unit to generate a given mask, as the resulting mask can vary considerable. Thus, if it is desirable to utilize a different mask writer unit to form a given mask, the engineers must optimize or tune the new mask writer unit, so that the resulting mask formed by the mask writer unit satisfies the design requirements. Currently, this is typically accomplished by a trial and error process, which as noted above, is both expensive and time consuming.
As such, there is a need for a method for tuning or optimizing a given mask writer unit that allows the mask writer unit to produce a mask within a specified error tolerance relative to a previously tuned mask writer unit such that both mask writers are effectively capable of producing the same mask. In other words, there is a need for a method for optimizing the performance of multiple mask writers with respect to a given target mask that does not require a trial and error optimization process and which allows all mask writer units to produce masks within a predefined error tolerance.

Method of performing mask-writer tuning and optimization


The invention relates to a method for determining the relative position of a mobile in relation to the known position of a reference station. The relative position calculation comprises the steps of: -a) choosing a linear combination of satellite transmission frequencies L1 and L2 from a predetermined list comprising at least two linear combinations of frequencies, -b) calculating a precise relative position Pp of the mobile in relation to the reference station on the basis of the linear combinations of pseudo-ranges corresponding to the linear combination and an estimated position Pe of the mobile in relation to the reference station, -c) choosing from the list the following linear combination, if it exists, and, in this case, reiterating step b), considering the estimated position to be said precise position Pp, -d) reiterating step c) for all the linear combinations in the list.

In order to determine the relative position of a mobile in relation to a reference station, satellite-based position-measuring means are currently used, employing, for example, radio signals transmitted by GPS (Global Positioning System) or other similar systems (GLONASS system, future GALILEO system) satellites.
In the GPS system, the signal transmitted by a satellite is coded and the time taken by the signal to reach the point to be located is used to determine the distance between this satellite and this point, preferably referred to as the pseudo-range to take account of synchronization errors between the satellite clock and the station clock. These synchronization errors are conventionally eliminated through calculation when signals are received from at least four different satellites. Determination of the distance between the point to be located and a plurality of satellites, with knowledge of the geographic coordinates of the satellites, enables calculation of the coordinates of the point to be located, most often coordinates expressed as latitude, longitude and altitude at a fixed terrestrial reference point.
In order to determine the relative position of a mobile in relation to a reference station, a method known as "differential GPS" is used, which involves locating a point in relation to a reference station and not in relation to an independent terrestrial reference point: by providing a receiver at the reference station, it is possible to determine the relative position of the mobile in relation to the reference station using measurements taken at the station and at the mobile.
The advantage of this method is that it enables to increase the positioning precision. In fact, the measurement distortions linked to the random characteristics of radio satellite signal propagation are most often strongly correlated in space, and precise knowledge of the position of the reference station allows these to be largely compensated by comparing measurements taken at the station at theoretical distances.
Propagation time is determined on the one hand with reference to a reference time of the pseudo-random code which modulates a carrier frequency transmitted by the satellite, this code reference time enabling in particular the approximate position of the mobile to be determined, i.e. accurate to within several meters to several tens of meters: the propagation time is determined on the other hand with reference to the phase of the received carrier, the phase measurement, which is less noisy than the code measurement, enabling the position of the mobile to be determined with greater precision, i.e. accurate to within centimeters, but being dependent on elimination of the ambiguity surrounding the number of phase rotations, since the phase can only be known a priori to within 2π, where 2π corresponds to a distance equal to the wavelength of the radio frequency signal transmitted by the satellites.
Attention will be focused below on phase measurements only, since code position measurements can be performed in a conventional manner. The pseudo-ranges supplied by the GPS receiver of the mobile or the reference station will therefore be considered essentially as numerical phase values, a phase value being directly converted into a distance value, with knowledge of the wavelength of the radio signal transmitted by the satellites.
The central point of centimetric positioning techniques using phase measurements is the preliminary calculation, referred to as "initialization", in which the problem of ambiguities surrounding the number of wavelengths is resolved. This calculation conventionally requires prior knowledge of an estimated position of the mobile, which may be obtained in particular using a method such as that described in patents FR 2 715 230 and FR 2 764 708. This estimated position is then re-aligned with the precise position, then validated during this initialization calculation.
Particular consideration will then be given to the stage in which the estimated position is realigned towards a precise position.
The quality of this precise position depends in particular on the distance between the mobile and the reference station.
In fact, flaws in the differential method initially arise due to the fact that radio satellite signals do not encounter exactly the same propagation conditions on the satellite-station and satellite-mobile paths. The differences in the conditions encountered, which are more or less zero in the immediate vicinity of the station, naturally increase with distance.
This difference is mainly due to the ionosphere which is crossed by satellite-station and satellite-mobile signals at different points, given that the ionosphere is not a homogeneous medium. The differential measurements based on the propagation times of the satellite-station and satellite-mobile signals are therefore adversely affected by this difference. This difference may result in an error in the position of the mobile in relation to the reference station ranging from 1 to several cm per km of distance. Thus, for a distance between the station and the mobile which is greater than a distance in the order of 10 km, the position of the mobile in relation to the reference station cannot be guaranteed with centimetric precision.
A first solution described in FR 2764708 A1 proposes, on the one hand, to reduce the initialization calculation time, in particular the time for calculating an approximate unambiguous position using, in particular, linear combinations of transmission frequencies L1 and L2 of GPS system satellites. On the other hand, it proposes to reduce the ionospheric error; the reduction in the ionospheric error applies during the realignment phase. It consists in calculating, on the basis of the approximate unambiguous position, on the one hand, a position (XL1, YL1, ZL1) for L1 and, on the other hand, a position (XL2, YL2, ZL2) for L2, the precise position (X, Y, Z) then resulting from the following linear combination: X=(1.65 XL1−XL2)/0.65 Y=(1.65 YL1−YL2)/0.65 Z=(1.65 ZL1−ZL2)/0.65.
However, due to the calculation of a position on L1, adversely affected by an ionospheric error E, and the calculation of the position on L2, adversely affected by an ionospheric error 1.65*E, it is still not possible to eliminate ambiguities if the ionospheric error increases, which occurs when the distance between the mobile and the reference station increases.
A different solution conventionally proposed consists in providing not one but a plurality of reference stations, constituting what is commonly referred to as a "network". According to this technique, it is possible to know not only the errors measured at one point, as is done in the case of "differential GPS", but also their gradient of evolution in the zone. The effect of spatial decorrelations of the errors is therefore largely compensated. This solution is effective, but is of course laborious and costly to implement due to the infrastructure which it requires and the cost of the communications between the stations and the mobile. Furthermore, such an infrastructure will not exist everywhere.
A method based on exploitation of the fact that the ionospheric error is a function of frequency (1/f2 in the first approximation) has also been proposed.
It is then possible to determine this error or to reduce or even eliminate it by replacing the frequency f (designated by L1 or L2 in the case of the GPS system) in the calculations with a linear combination of the carrier frequencies of the signals transmitted by the satellites, i.e. by a linear combination of L1 and L2.
The result of a linear combination of L1, L2 is a new frequency L3 to which a wavelength referred to as the apparent wavelength corresponds.
For example, in the case of the GPS system in which L1=1.57542 GHz (corresponding to a wavelength of around 19 cm) and L2=1.22760 GHz (corresponding to a wavelength of around 24 cm), the combination of frequencies referred to as "Iono-Free", 9L1−7L2 allows the ionospheric error to be almost completely eliminated. The corresponding apparent wavelength is 5 cm.
However, this method is very difficult to apply due to the great difficulty in eliminating the ambiguities surrounding such short wavelengths.

Method and device for determining the relative position of two points


Described are embodiments of apparatuses and systems of an active optical cable assembly including a connector plug configured to resist stress to optical fibers of the cable assembly. The connector plug may include a light engine mounted on a substrate, a jumper mounted on the substrate and configured to convey optical signals between an optical fiber and the light engine, and a fiber holder assembly configured to constrain motion of the optical fiber, the fiber holder assembly including a fiber holder on a first side of the substrate and a fiber holder cover on a second side of the substrate such that the optical fiber is fixedly held between the fiber holder and the fiber holder cover. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Current computer platform architecture design encompasses many different interfaces to connect one device to another device. The interfaces provide I/O (input/output) for computing devices and peripherals, and may use a variety of protocols and standards to provide the I/O. The differing interfaces may also use different hardware structures to provide the interface. For example, current computer systems typically include multiple ports with corresponding connection interfaces, as implemented by physical connectors and plugs at the ends of the cables connecting the devices. Common connector types may include a Universal Serial Bus (USB) subsystem with a number of associated USB plug interfaces, DisplayPort, High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Firewire (as set forth in IEEE 1394), or other connector type.
As computing devices grow smaller in size, the physical space requirements for the physical ports, as well as the printed circuit board (PCB, or PC board) requirements for the circuits to drive the ports, become more significant. Thus, providing all available interfaces, or even a significant number of them, may not be practical. Additionally, there may be certain interfaces (e.g., USB) that is extremely prevalent, but that does not have the bandwidth capacity of other interfaces (e.g., optical interfaces). All interfaces also face practical issues of usability and durability (peripheral devices may be plugged and unplugged many times), which can negatively affect the precision of alignment of a plug, reducing the effectiveness of the interface.
all in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.


A flex flat cable structure includes metallic transmission lines having a power line and signal lines, first insulating jackets, a second insulating jacket, a third insulating jacket, and a shield layer. Each of the first insulating jackets encloses one of the metallic transmission lines. The second insulating jacket surrounds the first insulating jackets. The third insulating jacket encloses the first insulating jackets, and the second insulating jacket encloses the third insulating jacket. The shield layer is used to isolate the second insulating jacket from the third insulating jacket. The shield layer includes an insulating film, a first block layer, and a second block layer.

The present disclosure relates to a flex flat cable structure, and more particularly, to a flex flat cable structure for reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI).
A flex flat cable (FFC) is a new type data line cable. The FFC is fabricated by an insulating material and a highly thin, flat tinned copper wire after the insulating material and the flat tinned copper wire are compressed in an automation device. A core is neatly arranged in the FFC, largely transmitted, structurally flat, compact in size, dismantled easily, and flexible so the FFC can be applied to all kinds of electronic products easily and flexibly. So the FFC as a data transmission cable is especially suitable for different high frequency bending conditions such as the connection of mobile components. The FFC can be plugged onto with a connector or directly welded on a printed circuit board (PCB).
In general, the trend toward designing electronic products is compactness so the downsizing of cable used in the electronic products in on trend. Also, the electronic products are equipped with transmission lines with a high transmission quality of signals since a high-speed data transmission speed is required to fit the market need. Problems that the interference among signal lines and that electromagnetic interference (EMI) produced while signals are transmitted need to be solved so as to improve the quality of the transmission lines. Conventionally, signal lines of a flex flat cable are enclosed with metallic film or are weaved to be a metallic grid so that the interference among neighboring signal lines during the high-speed transmission of signals can be lessened to a certain degree. However, all of the signal lines in the conventional flex flat cable are enclosed by only one layer of metallic film so the effect of anti-EMI is not poorer. Another drawback is that, a metallic grid which is weaved in the manufacturing process is vulnerable to loosening if being peeled off.
Therefore, it is necessary to propose a flex flat cable for improving EMI with a realizable and simple structure.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Flex flat cable structure and fixing structure of cable connector and flex flat cable


A system includes a structure configured to undergo oscillatory movement. The system also includes a friction damping clamp coupled to the structure. The friction damping clamp includes a housing having a groove. The friction damping clamp also includes a roller positioned at least partially within the groove, where the groove has first and second ramps. The roller is configured to move up each ramp of the groove so that more compression is applied on the structure and to move down each ramp of the groove so that less compression is applied on the structure. The roller may be configured to apply more compression on the structure to increase friction between portions of the structure, to apply less compression on the structure to decrease friction between the portions of the structure, and to apply substantially no compression on the structure when the roller is located at a center of the groove.

Damping refers to the action of reducing back-and-forth oscillations of a structure until it comes to rest. Many types of structures could benefit from high levels of damping. Some damping solutions involve the use of viscous or elastomeric devices, such as dashpots and elastomeric isolators. However, these devices are typically bulky and add considerable weight to the overall structure. Other damping solutions involve the use of friction dampers with beams formed from multiple layers that can slip against each other. Unfortunately, these "split beam" friction dampers typically result in permanent offset after excitation, meaning a beam cannot return to its beginning or "home" position after oscillatory movement is incited. Moreover, conventional "split beam" friction dampers can typically access only a fraction of the total damping power that is contained within a beam.

Friction damping mechanism for damped beams and other structures