A wiring cover layer is formed on a base insulating layer with a conductor trace sandwiched therebetween. A cover insulating layer is formed on the base insulating layer to cover the wiring cover layer. A terminal cover layer is formed to cover a terminal portion of the conductor trace. A projection of the wiring cover layer projects from an upper surface of the wiring portion to a position above the terminal portion. An end surface of the projection is positioned inward from an end of the cover insulating layer. An insert portion of the terminal cover layer is formed between an upper surface of the terminal portion and a lower surface of the end of the cover insulating layer. A projection of the terminal cover layer is formed between the upper surface of the terminal portion and a lower surface of the projection of the wiring cover layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printed circuit board and a method of manufacturing the printed circuit board.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a printed circuit board is used in various types of electric equipment and electronic equipment. In JP 2013-45482 A, a printed circuit board (a substrate for suspension) used for positioning a magnetic head in a magnetic disc device is shown.
In a substrate for suspension of JP 2013-45482 A, a metal support substrate, an insulating layer, a wiring layer, a wiring cover layer and a cover layer are laminated in this order. The wiring layer has a thick portion and a thin portion (a terminal portion). The wiring cover layer and the cover layer are sequentially formed on the thick portion of the wiring layer. The terminal portion of the wiring layer projects outward from the cover layer. A terminal plating portion is formed to be thick to cover a surface of the terminal portion and an end of the cover layer.

Printed circuit board and method of manufacturing same


In a key management system, a RFID tag decrypts a first key encrypted by a master key and stores the decrypted first key to a service key storage region, then decrypts a second key encrypted by the first key in a third party server, then, encrypts the decrypted second key by the master key and transmits the second key encrypted by the master key to an application of a mobile information terminal, and then decrypts the encrypted second key returned from the application and stores the decrypted second key to the service key storage region.

In recent years, so-called smartphones, which are multi-functional mobile telephones having functions of personal computers as a basis, have spread rapidly. It has therefore become possible to offer services using cooperation between such a smartphone and home appliances.
For example, communication between a smartphone and home appliances allows the smartphone to read pieces of information regarding the various home appliances (hereinafter, referred to simply as pieces of "home appliance information") which are accumulated and held in the respective home appliances.
It is also able to consider services of transmitting the pieces of home appliance information read from the home appliances to a server in a Cloud system via a communication function of the smartphone and then accumulated in the server, not in the smartphone. As a result, based on the pieces of home appliance information accumulated in the server, various kinds of services suitable for a user can be provided.
Application programs installed in smartphones (hereinafter, referred to simply as "applications") are allowed to be freely distributed. Therefore, smartphones have various security problems such as occurrence of malwares created by falsifying authorized applications.
If a piece of home appliance information as described above is, in particular, privacy information such as an operation history or power consumption information of a home appliance, it is therefore necessary to encrypt the home appliance information before transmitting it to prevent the privacy information from being leaked.
For example, if a piece of home appliance information is transmitted to a server via a smartphone, there is a risk that malware installed in the smartphone makes a main-in-the-middle attack. In order to avoid this, end-to-end cryptographic communication between the home appliance and the serer is necessary.
Here, a key necessary in the end-to-end cryptographic communication is previously stored in both the server and the home appliance to be shared between them. In general, it is necessary to update the key to ensure security.
The above key updating is performed by a manager (management server) that manages a service platform. The details of the key updating are as follows.
First, a master key which only a manager knows is previously stored in both a management server and a home appliance. Here, the management server transmits, to the home appliance, a key encrypted by the master key.
Then, the home appliance receives the encrypted key and decrypts it by using the master key previously stored in the home appliance. The decrypted key is written in a predetermined storage region in the home appliance.
That is the key updating.
Here, there is a case where a service company (hereinafter, referred to as a "third party") that is not the manager offers services using the service platform managed by the manager. In this case, in order to update a key (third party key) to be used between a server of the third party and the home appliance, it is necessary to encrypt the key by the master key and transmit it to the home appliance. In other words, when updating the third party key, the server of the third party needs to provide the third party key to the management server and ask the management server to encrypt the third party key by the master key.

Key management system, key management method, and communication device

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A mold assembly for forming a glass sheet includes a mold block having a surface for holding a glass sheet and a fibrous metal liner for covering the surface of the mold block to prevent marking of the glass sheet when held against the mold block.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to molds for forming glass sheets and, more specifically, to a mold assembly for forming a glass sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to heat glass sheets using a "hearth" or "lehr." Generally, the lehr is a furnace and may be of a continuous roller-type, fixtured roller-type or gas-type. For example, a continuous roller-type lehr has a plurality of rollers disposed beneath a plurality of radiant heaters. Typically, a glass sheet is placed inside the lehr where it is heated by conventional radiation, convection and conduction heat. The glass sheet is moved along the rollers at a predetermined rate which depends on the thermal conductivity of the glass sheet to reach a temperature in its forming range. When the glass sheet is at a temperature in its forming range, air pressure is used to move the glass sheet off the rollers and upward against a surface of mold. The mold has its surface covered with a liner of either ceramic paper or woven cloth to prevent the mold from marking the glass sheet. The mold and liner are perforated and a vacuum source is applied to the mold to hold the glass sheet against the liner of the mold. A fixture for forming the glass is shuttled in and placed on the rollers beneath the glass sheet. Once in place, in a quick sag process, the vacuum is discontinued and the glass sheet drops onto the fixture. The glass sheet is formed by its own weight to a predetermined shape of the fixture. In a press foam process, the glass sheet is pressed into the fixture by the mold to form the glass sheet to a predetermined shape. Once formed, the vacuum is discontinued and the mold removed from the fixture. The glass sheet is then cooled.
Although the above liner has worked well to prevent the mold from marking the glass sheet, it suffers from the disadvantage that the ceramic paper is fragile, wears and requires frequent replacement. The above liner also suffers from the disadvantage that the woven cloth tends to tear when contacted by an edge of the glass sheet and curl up, requiring replacement. As a result, there is a need in the art to provide a durable liner for covering a mold to prevent marking of a glass sheet when held against the mold.


The present invention provides an apparatus (10) suitable for cooling hot condensate in a piping. The apparatus comprises the use of a vortex tube (103) together with liquid such as water. A container (101) is provided to hold the liquid where the vortex tube is disposed inside the container (101). A pipe coil (133) for conveying the hot condensate is provided around the tube (104). The apparatus (10) will generate mist for cooling the hot condensate in the piping.

The cooling apparatus according to the present invention is suitable for use in a piping system where hot condensate (hot liquid produced by condensation of steam) in the piping need to be cooled down into cold liquid. For instance, in a boiler operation, some hot condensate will be cooled down into cold liquid so that it can be used for other suitable applications. The hot condensate will be conveyed through a series of piping and brought into a point where a necessary cooling method will be used to cool down the hot condensate. The cold liquid will then be passed through an analyzer for quality check.
Practically, hot condensate is cooled down into cold liquid before entering the analyzer because temperature of the hot condensate may affect the accuracy of the analyzer. Further, cold liquid is easy to be analyzed compared to using hot liquid.
Different cooling methods can be used to cool down hot condensate in a piping. For instance, a cooling method called cooling water system (CWS) can be used to cool the hot condensate. CWS uses cold water to remove the heat from the hot condensate. Disadvantage of using CWS is that the piping that supplies the cold water may subject to clogging after a period of time. This is due to formation of scales inside the piping that will result in insufficient flow. Although some improvements have been made to the piping to minimize this problem, clogging will still happen at the upstream piping. Other disadvantage of using CWS is that repairing and servicing a clogged piping are very costly.
Another cooling method that can be used is a vortex cooler. The vortex cooler can provide cooling air suitable for cooling purposes. However to use a vortex cooler for cooling hot condensate in a piping is an expensive option because a greater amount of energy needs to be used. Since the operation of vortex cooler is dependent on pressurized air, a greater pressurized air is needed to provide a greater cooling effect to cool down the hot condensate in a piping. The other disadvantage of using a vortex cooler is that it is not efficient. This is because the pressurized air that enters the vortex cooler is not fully utilized in which some of the pressurized air will be expelled from the vortex cooler as hot air.
In view of the above disadvantages, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an alternative cooling apparatus and method that is suitable for cooling a hot condensate in a piping.

Apparatus for cooling hot condensate in a piping


A semiconductor device including a substrate; a chip on which a surface electrode is formed; and a lead. The lead includes a first electrode connecting portion disposed on the surface electrode and electrically connected to the surface electrode of the chip via a conductive bonding material; a second electrode connecting portion electrically connected to an electrode portion of a wiring pattern. A lead connected to the first electrode connecting portion and the second electrode connecting portion. The lead further has a thermal shrinking stress equalizing structure on a portion of an outer periphery of the first electrode connecting portion. The lead is configured to make a thermal shrinking stress applied to a conductive bonding material between the first electrode connecting portion and the surface electrode equal.

Conventionally, there has been known a semiconductor device where a chip and a lead are bonded to each other via a conductive bonding material (solder) (see patent document 1, for example).
As shown in FIG. 7A, the conventional semiconductor device 900 includes: a substrate 910 which has a front surface on which a wiring pattern is formed; a chip 920 which is mounted on the substrate 910 and has a surface electrode 922 formed on a surface of the chip 920 on a side opposite to a substrate 910 side; and a lead 930. The lead 930 has: a first electrode connecting portion 932 which is disposed on the surface electrode 922 and is electrically connected to the surface electrode 922 of the chip 920 via a solder 950 which is used as a conductive bonding material (see FIG. 7B); a second electrode connecting portion 934 which is connected to an electrode portion of the wiring pattern; and a current conductive portion 936 which is connected to the first electrode connecting portion 932 and the second electrode connecting portion 934 and forms a current conductive path between the first electrode connecting portion 932 and the second electrode connecting portion 934.
The conventional semiconductor device 900 includes the lead 930 having: the first electrode connecting portion 932 which is disposed on the surface electrode 922 and is electrically connected to the surface electrode 922 of the chip 920 via the solder 950; the second electrode connecting portion 934 which is connected to the electrode portion of the wiring pattern; and the current conductive portion 936 which is connected to the first electrode connecting portion 932 and the second electrode connecting portion 934 and forms the current conductive path between the first electrode connecting portion 932 and the second electrode connecting portion 934. Accordingly, such a conventional semiconductor device 900 is a semiconductor device which allows a conduction of a large current compared to a case where a conductive wire or the like is used for forming a current conductive path.

SHINDENGEN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A battery retainment block includes a plurality of block pieces each having a battery storage unit for retaining a battery. The plurality of block pieces are aligned and, among the plurality of block pieces, two block pieces that are adjacent to each other are coupled together. A gap is provided between the two block pieces that are adjacent to each other to serve as a circulation space for circulating a medium.

Conventionally, for instance, known is a battery module including a plurality of batteries for use as a motor drive power source of an electric vehicle. With this battery module, a plurality of batteries are retained, for instance, by being respectively stored in a plurality of batteries retaining units provided to the battery retainment block. With this kind of battery module, since the plurality of batteries generate heat during their use, the generated heat is preferably radiated in order to protect the batteries.
A type capable of radiating the generated heat of batteries stored in a battery retaining unit in a battery retainment block is disclosed, for instance, in Patent Document 1. The battery retainment block disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises a plurality of block pieces (heat transfer cylinders) which retain a plurality of batteries in a state where the batteries are arranged in two rows. A part of the block piece is configured as a thermal runaway prevention wall, and the thermal runaway prevention wall is provided along the entire axial direction of the battery between two batteries that are adjacent to each other among the plurality of batteries that are retained. The battery retainment block is provided with an opening at either side across the thermal runaway prevention wall in which a part of the block piece is opened. By causing a part of the periphery of the battery to be exposed from that opening, cooling air can be applied to that location.
In the battery retainment block disclosed in Patent Document 1, the thermal runaway prevention wall is provided across the entire axial direction of the battery between two adjacent batteries. Thus, it is difficult to apply cooling air between the two adjacent batteries. Accordingly, with the battery retainment block disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that the heat generation of the respective batteries cannot be efficiently and sufficiently radiated with cooling air.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-66773

Battery retainment block and battery module


An airtight configuration for keeping down the permeation of corrosive gas from silicone adhesive, and for preventing corrosive gas from entering the case.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device mounted on a vehicle. Such as an electronic device, there are various sensors and a control unit installed in an engine room. More particularly, the present invention is relates to the configuration of sealing various sensors and to the configuration of sealing the control unit. Various sensors have sensing elements for detecting various physical quantities and electrical circuits for controlling the sensing elements, and output various quantities as electrical signals. The control unit has a microprocessor that controls various states of a vehicle in response to electrical signals of the sensors.
2. Prior Art
An example of the sealing configuration of the above-mentioned type is found in the thermal type flow meter disclosed in Japanese Application Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 06-11373. This type of the configuration is used in physical quantity detecting apparatus and controller in engine room.
It will be described below using an example of the thermal type air flow meter in the Japanese Application Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 06-11373. These physical quantity sensors are used under the severe environmental conditions of high temperature, low temperature and high humidity. The air flow sensor has members formed by the so called insert-molding with resin, wherein the terminal for holding the heating resistor and thermo sensitive resistor and the base made of aluminum characterized by excellent thermal conductivity are inserted in said molded member. The drive circuit for receiving electrical signals of the heating resistor and the thermo sensitive resistor and for outputting them to the outside control unit is bonded to the base. The drive circuit is installed in the case made of resin. In this sealing configuration, the cover for covering the case is bonded to the upper surface of the case. Silicone adhesive is mainly used for connection between the drive circuit and the base, and is also used in many cases for connection between the base and the case. Further, epoxy adhesive or silicone adhesive is used for connection between the case and cover.
A silicone component which contains antibacterial and mildew-proof in silicone adhesive is disclosed in Japanese Application Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 07-62242, wherein the silicone composition is mixed with Zeolite containing 0.1 to 15 wt % silver ion.

Electronic device and thermal type flow meter on vehicle

Abstract: An electronic device mounted on vehicle. The electronic device has at least one of a portion connecting components, and a portion sealing the clearance or hole where exists in the electronic device.

Abstract: The at least one of the connection portion and the seal portion is constituted by using adhesive or sealant which has at least one of a function adsorbing corrosive gas and a function trapping corrosive gas with chemical reaction.

Abstract: A car-mounted electronic device characterized by reduced permeation of corrosive gas into a case and high reliability.


Methods and systems provide an efficient power save mode for multi carrier modems, such as DMT based ADSL and VDSL modems. Fast transitions from power save mode to full operational mode occur, without the overhead of transmitting large quantities of configuration information between the transmitter and receiver. Signal constellation size changes occurring while operating in power save mode to continue to apply once full operational mode is resumed. Multiple power save modes are enabled, each having a different level of power dissipation and crosstalk, both far end crosstalk and near end crosstalk. Power dissipation and crosstalk can thus be graduated on a line, according to a user-requested bit rate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to high-speed digital communication systems, and specifically to methods for transmission and reception of signals using multicarrier modulation schemes.
2. Description of the Related Art
The meanings of acronyms and certain terminology used herein are given in Table 1.
TABLE 1ADSLAsymmetric Digital Subscriber LineCOCentral OfficeCPECustomer Premises EquipmentDMTDiscrete Multitone ModulationDSLDigital Subscriber LinesFEQFrequency Domain EqualizerFEXTFar End CrosstalkFFTFast Fourier TransformIFFTInverse Fast Fourier TransformL0Full power mode operationL2A power save mode of operation.NEXTNear End CrosstalkPMDPhysical Media DependentQAMQuadrature Amplitude ModulationSNRSignal-to-noise ratioVDSLVery High Speed Digital Subscriber Line
In recent years multicarrier modulation has become the main commercial modulation scheme in "last mile solutions", particularly Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL). Multicarrier modulation is also used in various wireless applications. The leading representative for this trend is discrete multitone modulation (DMT), which is successfully employed in both DSL and wireless modems. For example, Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) uses 256 or 512 tones in a downlink, i.e., from a central office (CO) facility to customer premises equipment (CPE). ADSL standards are described in further detail, for example, in the document, ITU-T Recommendation G.992.3, entitled Series G: Transmission Systems and Media, Digital Systems and Networks; Digital Sections, which is herein incorporated by reference.
In one DMT modulation scheme, used in ADSL, N tones are modulated by quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), using two-dimensional input frequency-domain symbols. A 2N-point inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) then produces a corresponding time-domain symbol, expressed as a real baseband time-domain output signal of 2N real samples in each symbol period. At the receiving side, 2N samples are extracted from the time-domain signal during each symbol period. A fast Fourier transform (FFT) is used to demodulate the signal and recover the original QAM symbols on the N tones.
The number of bits to be encoded by each tone, known as bit loading or bit allocation, is determined by the receiver according to line conditions, which are measured as a function of frequency during a training period. The bit loading value for each tone may take any value from zero up to a preset maximum. The receiver passes a table of these values, known as a bit loading table or bit allocation table, to the transmitter, which thus determines how many bits of the input data stream to allocate to each successive tone in the tone order.
In order to achieve higher bit rates using multicarrier multitone techniques, more tones are needed. For example, DMT has been proposed for Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) modems using 4096 tones or subcarriers. Since, in multicarrier modulation, each subcarrier sees a different slice of the channel, the modulation parameters used for each subcarrier are typically different. For example, the number of bits that can be conveyed or loaded per symbol, i.e., for a given carrier constellation size, is different for each of the carriers. The number of bits per tone is held in the bit loading table. Moreover, the optimal power allocation among the subcarriers (also known as per carrier gain) is not flat. The gain per tone is held in a gain table. In order for the multicarrier scheme to operate, both the bit allocation table and the gain table are typically computed by a receiver, and transferred from time to time from the receiver to a transmitter. In the case of the large number of tones employed in VDSL, these tables are so large that they burden the multicarrier scheme.
In the case of ADSL, a power save mode (L2 mode) was included in the above-noted ITU-T Recommendation G.992.3. The L2 mode uses an online reconfiguration mechanism to allow the central office and consumer premise equipment to negotiate a lower data rate, which the CPE can achieve using a lower average transmit gain level from the CO, with a new bits and gains table defined by the CPE. A reduction in the average gain level translates into a reduction in the average transmit power, allowing the CO to save power. This scheme provides for a reduction in the power consumption of the central office modem, by at most six dB. There is no provision for reduction of the modem power consumption at the customer site.
The above noted technical obstacles indicate the need for improvements in power saving modes of operation in multicarrier modulation schemes. Previous proposed solutions unfortunately sacrifice channel utilization, e.g. by requiring symbol duplication in the case of VDSL, which reduces bit rate unacceptably. Channel utilization is not sacrificed when the principles of the invention are applied.

Power save mode transition using loading translation function


An optimized compare-and-branch instruction for execution in a RISC type microprocessor. An instruction sequencer implemented in the microprocessor is responsive to a compare-and-branch instruction for efficient execution. The instruction sequencer detects a compare-and-branch instruction and executes it as a regular compare instruction. On the next cycle the instruction sequencer translates the instruction into a branch instruction and provides the translated instruction for execution by one of the execution units. The branch is executed, either taken or not taken, and normal program flow continues.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of microprocessor architecture. More particularly, the present invention relates to increasing instruction throughput by optimizing instructions executed by the microprocessor.
2. Art Background
As the computer revolution has progressed the quest of microprocessor developers has been to develop chips exhibiting more power and faster performance. Initial efforts focused essentially on increasing transistor populations on single microprocessor integrated circuits. That effort continues with today's microprocessors now housing literally millions of transistors on a single chip. Further integration has allowed processor clock speeds to be greatly increased with the increased density of transistors.
In addition to squeezing performance by overcoming physical limitations, microprocessor design has developed into an art form. Microprocessors are divided into discrete functional blocks through which instructions are propagated one stage at a time. This allows for pipelining of instructions such that when one instruction has completed the first stage of processing and moves on to the second stage, a second instruction may begin the first stage. Thus, even where each instruction requires a number of clock cycles to complete all stages of processing, pipelining provides for the completion of instructions on every clock cycle. This single-cycle throughput of a pipelined microprocessor greatly increases the overall performance of computer systems.
Other enhancements to microprocessor design include the development of superscalar microprocessors which are capable of initiating more than one instruction at the initial stage of the pipeline per clock cycle. Likewise, in a superscalar microprocessor, frequently more than one instruction completes on each given clock cycle. Other development efforts have gone into the simplification of microprocessor instruction sets, developing reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessors which exploit the fact that many simple instructions are more commonly executed than some complicated instructions. Eliminating the complicated instructions from the instruction set provides for a faster executing pipeline. Complicated instructions are carried out by combinations of the more simple instructions.
In order for pipelined microprocessors to operate efficiently, an instruction fetching and sequencing mechanism at the head of the pipeline must continually provide the pipeline with a stream of instructions. However, conditional branch instructions within an instruction stream prevent an instruction fetching mechanism at the head of a pipeline from fetching the correct instruction until the condition is resolved. Since the condition will not be resolved until further down the pipeline, the instruction fetching mechanism may not be able to fetch proper instructions.
One type of instruction that can slow an executing pipeline until a condition is resolved is the compare-and-branch instruction. A microprocessor executing a compare-and-branch instruction will first perform a comparison and then branch to a specified address as determined by the result of the compare operation. The compare-and-branch instruction is a complex instruction which in previous RISC style microprocessor architectures required vectoring to the microprocessor's microcode for executing the compare followed by the branch. For optimal performance, this requires considerable overhead in hardware associated with entering and exiting the processor's microcode. This introduces additional latency to an executing pipeline for the execution of the compare-and-branch instruction.
In addition to the compare-and-branch instruction, there are other pairs of complimentary instructions which also require vectoring to microcode and additional latency resulting in decreased performance for a microprocessor. It would be advantageous, and is therefore an object of the present invention, to provide a mechanism for executing appropriate sequences of complimentary instructions, such as the constituents of the compare-and-branch instruction, in a more efficient manner without introducing complicated hardware or introducing additional latencies required for invoking a microprocessor's microcode.

Method and apparatus for providing an optimized compare-and-branch instruction


The present invention provides a packing yarn that utilizes a non-metal woven reinforcement that provides lateral as well as longitudinal strength while improving the wear characteristics of the yarn material. To increase the support provided by the woven reinforcement, the yarn material and woven reinforcement are folded together such that the woven reinforcement is substantially coextensive with the yarn material in the resulting packing yarn.

The present invention concerns packing yarns. More specifically, the present invention concerns a composite yarn having a reinforcement layer.
Packing yarns are used in the manufacture of seals, and in particular, in the packing of a stuffing box used to seal pumps and valve shafts. One conventional packing yarn is commonly formed by using an expanded film or tape using a mixture of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and graphite and folding it into a yarn. Yarns may be formed of films, substrates, tapes, and other materials. Yarns may be expanded or not expanded, may be extruded or not extruded, and may be sintered or unsintered.
In some cases a liquid lubricant may be used to aid in the manufacturing process and/or provide increased thermal conductivity. This material exhibits good thermal and wear characteristics. One issue with this mixture is that these materials have poor tensile strength and tend to extrude easily through clearances in the stuffing box. To improve the tensile strength of the yarn, reinforcement is incorporated into the yarn. Conventional reinforced materials resist extrusion better and can handle higher pressure applications. A significant drawback of conventional materials is that they are still highly prone to extrusion and breakage during normal operation.


The present invention relates an aqueous dispersion of low Tg polymer encapsulating TiO2 particles and a process for preparing the dispersion. The encapsulating polymer is a (meth)acrylate polymer, a styrene-acrylate copolymer, or a vinyl acetate-(meth)acrylate copolymer, or a combination thereof, and the encapsulating polymer further contains units of sodium styrene sulfonate. The present invention provides encapsulated TiO2 particles with low gel that are film-forming at ambient temperatures, especially for coatings applications.

The present invention relates to an aqueous dispersion of polymer encapsulated TiO2 particles and a process for preparing them. This dispersion is useful for plastics and coatings formulations.
Opacifying pigments such as TiO2 provide opacity (hiding) for coatings and for plastics to conceal the undersurface. It is believed that the efficiency of the pigment is related to the spacing of the pigment particles in the coating or plastic. Improvements in spacing can be achieved, for example, by using sulfur acid-functional polymers as dispersants for the pigments in combination with other polymers that at least partially encapsulate the pigment, as disclosed in US Pat. Pub 20100/298483. It would be desirable to find improved opacifying pigment compositions and more efficient ways of making them.

Polymer encapsulated titanium dioxide particles


A case of an airbag unit includes a case body for forming a storage room for accommodating an airbag, and a movable component attached to the case body for forming at least a part of an edge of an opening of the case body. The movable component has a lower end portion bent in a direction away from the case body. The movable component is movable toward the bottom when an external force is applied to the case.

The present invention relates to an airbag unit used for protecting a passenger in a vehicle, and a case for accommodating an airbag of the airbag unit. In particular, the present invention relates to a case capable of deforming in response to an external force to absorb an impact, and an airbag unit including the case.
An airbag unit for protecting a passenger is installed in an instrument panel of a vehicle, and includes a case, an airbag accommodated in the case, an inflator for expanding the airbag, and the like. Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-42994 has disclosed a structure having a retractable sliding member fastened with rivets or bolts on a sidewall of a case. When an object hits on an instrument panel, the sliding member retracts by sliding along the sidewall of the case.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-42994
In the airbag unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-42994, when the sliding member retracts, an end portion thereof is pushed into the sidewall of the case, thereby causing strong resistance.
In view of the problem described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a case of an airbag unit including a movable component that can always retract smoothly when an external force is applied.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an airbag unit including the case.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.


A tensioning system for maintaining the tension in a chain conveyor extended over at least one drive sprocket and one idler sprocket, and a method for maintaining the tension in a chain conveyor, in particular for example for a stalked crop harvesting header. The tensioning system comprises a first tensioning arm and a second tensioning arm rotatably connected to one another for rotation around a shaft onto which one of the sprockets is mounted, the second tensioning arm rotatably connected to a fixed point of a supporting plate, wherein the tension in the chain conveyor is maintained by rotational movement of at least one of the drive sprocket or the idler sprocket around a fixed point of the supporting plate.

A row crop harvesting machine such as a corn harvesting machine described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,314, U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,162 and DE 10 2004 061 112 has a header displaceable along the ground which comprises a plurality of grooves each adapted to receive a row of corn stalks during operation of the harvester. A conveyor chain, having its longitudinal axis parallel to the grooves of the header and spanned over a drive sprocket and an idler sprocket, is generally provided at each of the grooves to convey the harvested material, such as corn ears or grain, towards a central gathering point in the corn harvester.
In the known corn harvesting headers, tension in the conveyor chains is maintained by changing the axial distance between the drive sprocket and the idler sprocket by means of a spring system, which pushes the idler sprocket away from the drive sprocket when the tension in the conveyor chain is too low, and pulls the idler sprocket towards the drive sprocket when the tension in the chain is too high. The idler sprocket is thereby guided in a direction parallel to the grooves of the corn harvesting header, using linear guidance elements which obstruct movement of the idler sprockets in the cross direction. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,314 and in DE 10 2004 061 112, for example, the idler sprocket is connected to the spring system by means of a connecting arm which slides through a recess, wherein the recess supports the linear movement of the idler sprocket in a direction away from or towards the drive sprocket.
The use of linear guidance elements, however, has several disadvantages, since during operation of the corn harvester dirt and corn waste can become jammed between the guidance elements, thereby blocking the functioning of the chain tensioner. Moreover, the guidance elements are difficult to maintain and are prone to blocking due to rust formation during periods of inactivity of the corn harvester.

Stalked crop harvesting header and method for harvesting stalked crop material


There is described a shampoo composition for lightening and highlighting hair which comprises. (i) a peroxygen compound; and PA1 (ii) an anionic sulfonate;. said composition having a pH less than 5. There is also described an invention directed to a method for lightening and highlighting hair which comprises. shampooing the hair with a lightening and highlighting effective amount of a composition of the invention.

It is known within the art to lighten and highlight hair with a peroxygen compound such as hydrogen peroxide. But, compositions for lightening and highlighting the hair have not been included in shampoos, since peroxygen compounds like hydrogen peroxide, are not stable in shampoos. An object of the present invention, is to provide shampoos which contain stable peroxygen compounds and thus can be used as hair lighteners and highlighters as well as shampoos.
Current products on the market for lightening hair come in two forms. The first is a spray leave-on peroxide solution. This product is used occasionally when the hair will be exposed to sunlight after application. Examples of such products include SUPER SUN-IN, SUPER WITH LEMON SUN-IN, and GRADUAL SUN-IN FOR MEN. SUPER SUN-IN has about 1.9% hydrogen peroxide at a pH of about 4.0. SUPER WITH LEMON SUN-IN has about 3.7% hydrogen peroxide at a pH of about 4.0. And GRADUAL SUN-IN FOR MEN has about 3.7% hydrogen peroxide at a pH of about 3.
The second product for lightening hair is a system which has two components: a bleaching component such as hydrogen peroxide and another component which is a bleach oil.
It is known to prepare an unstable composition by combining a bleach with a shampoo and immediately thereafter applying the resulting composition to the hair. This is usually done in a hair salon and will result in the immediate lightening of the hair. By contrast, stable shampoo compositions which gradually lighten and highlight the hair and which can easily be used at home are provided by the present invention.
Rieger, Surfactants in Cosmetics, at page 271, notes that shampoo formulations based on alpha-olefin sulfonates have exhibited excellent stability over a wide pH range and specifically at low pH's have demonstrated excellent hydrolytic stability as compared to shampoos employing alkyl and alkyl ether sulfates as the surfactants, which are completely hydrolyzed at pH 2 after 3 months at 55.degree. C.
Harry's Cosmetology, seventh edition, indicates at page 433 that alpha-olefin sulfonates have excellent stability which should provide a broad range of use particularly for building shampoos of low pH. However, Harry's Cosmetology at page 459 suggests that low pH's for shampoos are between 5 and 7. No mention is made of shampoos having a pH of lower than 5. Moreover, no mention is made of incorporating hydrogen peroxide into a shampoo and then shampooing over a number of days to gradually achieve the hair lightening and hair highlighting desired.
Stache, Anionic Surfactants at page 520, notes that disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate DLAS which is a surfactant commonly used in shampoos, dramatically degrades at pH 5 in less than 8 weeks.

Composition for lightening and highlighting hair


A system for actuating a clutch that alternately driveably connects and disconnects components, includes a clutch having a piston that includes a first apply area and a second apply area, a fluid pressure source, a source of variable control pressure, and a control coupled with the fluid pressure source and operative in response to the control pressure to engage the clutch initially by increasing pressure steadily at the first apply area up to a first magnitude followed by a rapid increase in pressure at the first apply area and the second apply area above the first magnitude to a second magnitude.

This invention relates to a friction control element, such as a hydraulically or pneumatically actuated clutch, of the type used to control operation of an automatic transmission. In particular, the invention pertains to a control for producing staged engagement and disengagement of such a clutch having at least two sealed areas on its actuating piston.
Automatic transmissions are typically designed to transmit full engine torque and the engine torque as amplified by a torque converter at stall torque under static. i.e., non-shifting conditions. The control system of an automatic transmission includes a low/reverse clutch, which is applied or engaged to produce the lowest forward speed ratio and the reverse drive speed ratio. Such engagement produces a drive connection between components of the planetary gearing, which when selectively combined with the engagement of other control elements, results in the transmission operating in low gear or reverse gear. When the clutch is disengaged, another of the several forward speed ratios can be produced upon engagement of another combination of friction control elements. Therefore, gearshifts into and out of low gear, 1–2 upshifts and 2–1 downshifts, are produced at least in part by engaging and disengaging, respectively, the low/reverse clutch. Throughout this discussion, the term "friction control element" refers to a hydraulically actuated friction clutch or brake of a control system.
In order for the transmission to have the static torque capacity required to hold full stall torque, the low/reverse clutch is typically designed with a high gain to provide the required torque capacity to the low/reverse clutch. This high gain requirement, however, can affect good shift quality.
In a fully synchronous automatic transmission, all the gear ratio changes occur by coordinating the simultaneous disengagement and engagement of two friction control elements. In a fully synchronous automatic transmission, the low/reverse clutch controls 2–1 downshift events using a low gain clutch. In order to meet the shift quality requirements for all 2–1 events as well as to provide the static capacity required to hold stall torque, a low/reverse clutch must have at least two magnitudes of gain. A clutch having only a single gain will not suffice.
A clutch can produce multiple gains by providing multiple pressure areas on the hydraulic piston that actuates the clutch, primary and secondary pressurized areas. Production automatic transmissions have used this design technique in combination with control of the secondary pressure area on the actuating piston through operation of the transmission manual valve. This approach merely pressurizes both piston areas based on manual valve position with some degree of hydraulic control.
There is a need to provide direct control of the secondary area, preferably under control of an electronic control module and a pressure control device. This need is especially acute for a synchronous transmissions.
This invention provides direct control when the secondary area applies and is controlled via the electronic control module and a pressure control device. This allows the dual area clutch design to be used for shift events in synchronous transmissions.

Dual area piston for transmission clutch and sequential control therefor


Downward projections made on two side walls of a cap are fitted into recesses in two opposed side faces of a substrate. Lower margins of two end walls of the cap are soldered to ground electrodes provided on a part mounting face of the substrate. Lower margins in the proximity of projections of the side walls of the cap are soldered to ground electrodes provided on the part mounting face above recesses of the substrate. Therefore, it is provided a high-frequency module that can produce a good electromagnetic shielding effect even in a high-frequency band.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a high-frequency module such as a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), an antenna switch, etc., in fields of radio machines such as portable telephones and automobile telephones and any other communication machines and in particular to a high-frequency module put into a surface-mounted device (SMD) covered with a conductive cap for electromagnetic shielding.
2. Description of Conventional Art
A high-frequency module of this kind having a substrate and mounted parts on the substrate covered with a conductive cap such as a metal cap is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication 4-328903. FIGS. 10 and 11 show a conventional high-frequency module drawn based on the high-frequency module described in Japanese Patent Publication 4-328903; FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view to show the high-frequency module before the substrate and cap are assembled and FIG. 11 is a perspective view to show the high-frequency module after the substrate and cap are assembled.
In FIGS. 10 and 11, numeral 10 is a substrate on which electronic parts 11 are mounted and numeral 12 is a conductive cap made of metal, etc., for electromagnetic shielding and fixed to the substrate 10 so as to cover the substrate 10 and the electronic parts 11. Recesses 10c and 10d are formed at the centers of opposed side faces 10a and 10b of the substrate 10 respectively. Recesses 10e and 10f are formed on both sides of the recess 10c, and recesses 10g and 10h are formed on both sides of the recess 10d. Metal plating 13a-13f are given to the recesses 10c-10h. Among the recesses 10c-10h, the center recesses 10c and 10d are used as ground electrodes and the recesses 10e-10h on both sides of the recesses 10a and 10b are connected to the mounted parts 11 via a conductor pattern (not shown) for use as signal input/output terminals and a power supply terminal. Metal platings 13g and 13h are also given to end faces of the substrate 10 respectively for use as ground electrodes.
On the other hand, the cap 12 has an opened lower face, downward projections 12c and 12d fitted into the recesses 10c and 10d of the substrate 10 respectively are formed at the centers of side walls 12a and 12b corresponding to the side faces 10a and 10b of the substrate 10, and steps 12f abutted against the top face of the substrate 10 are made on both sides of the projections 12c and 12d. To attach the cap 12 to the substrate 10, as shown in FIG. 11, the projections 12c and 12d of the cap 12 are fitted into the recesses 10c and 10d of the side faces 10a and 10b of the substrate 10 and the steps 12f are abutted against the part mounting face of the substrate 10, thereby forming a space for housing the parts 11 between a top 12h of the cap 12 and the top face of the substrate 10, and end walls 12i and 12j of the cap 12 are abutted against the end faces 10i and 10j of the substrate 10. The projections 12c and 12d of the cap 12 are soldered to the ground electrodes 13a and 13b of the recesses 10c and 10d, and the end walls 12i and 12j of the cap 12 are soldered to the electrodes 13g and 13h of the end faces 10i and 10j of the substrate 10.
As shown in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication 4-328903, a structure is also available wherein the projections 12c and 12d are only soldered to the recesses 10c and 10d without plating the end face 10i or 10j of the substrate 10, and the end faces 10i and 10j of the substrate 10 are simply is covered with the end walls 12i and 12j of the cap 12.
The conventional high-frequency module described above involves the following problem: The substrate 10 has a circuit pattern formed on the part mounting face and if necessary, on the rear face using a print technology and photography regardless of whether it is made of a lamination-type ceramic containing devices or a resin substrate; the substrates 10 are mass produced from single substrates each comprising a large number of separate substrates, which will be hereinafter called source substrates.
Thus, to give metal plating to the four surrounding faces 10a, 10b, 10i, and 10j of the substrate 10 as in the conventional high-frequency module, at least before the electronic parts 11 are mounted on the substrate 10, a source substrate needs to be divided into separate substrates 10 for applying metalization treatment such as plating to the four faces 10a, 10b, 10i, and 10j.
Thus, steps after metalization treatment is executed for the four faces 10a, 10b, 10i, and 10j of the substrate 10, namely, steps of inputting substrates into each treatment device of a manufacturing line, performing solder paste printing, mounting the electronic parts 11, passing through a reflow oven for soldering the electronic parts 11, taking cut the substrates, etc., must be performed for each substrate 10. Since the steps after the metalization treatment are thus executed for each substrate 10, the throughput decreases sharply as compared with treatment on source substrates. In addition, quantity check and alignment of orientation of the substrates 10 become required at the intermediate stage between steps in a manufacturing process of the substrates 10, increasing the number of steps rapidly, worsening the throughput, and increasing the manufacturing costs of the high-frequency modules.
On the other hand, if a structure wherein metalization treatment is not executed for the end face 10i or 10j of the substrate 10, namely, a structure free of soldering is adopted, the steps of inputting substrates into each treatment device of a manufacturing line, performing solder paste printing, mounting the electronic parts 11, passing through a reflow oven for soldering the electronic parts 11, taking out the substrates, etc., can be performed in batch for source substrates.
However, it has been revealed that the side walls 12a and 12b and the end walls 12i and 12j of the cap 12 which become ground potential must be electrically connected to the substrate 10 by soldering, etc., in order to stabilize oscillation signals in application of a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) as an example of the high-frequency module particularly in a high-frequency band exceeding 1 GHz. That is, if many portions are not electrically connected between the cap 12 and the substrate 10, signals in the high-frequency module leak and affect other circuits or unnecessary signals enter the high-frequency module from other circuits, so that the operation of the entire system (for example, a portable telephone) becomes unstable and the speech quality worsens.
To solve this problem, it is the most effective to solder the cap 12 to the side faces 10a and 10b and the end faces 10i, and 10j of the substrate 10 as described above. However, as mentioned above, if metalization treatment is also applied to the end faces 10i and 10j, metalization treatment for each end face 10i, 10j becomes necessary in addition to the above-mentioned steps for each substrate 10; fairly intricate steps become necessary. Further, to attempt to pursue the manufacturing efficiency, it is difficult to solder the four surrounding faces of the substrate 10 at the same time; it is hard to raise the manufacturing efficiency.


The invention provides a process for producing a transparent conducting film, which film comprises a doped zinc oxide wherein the dopant comprises Si, which process comprises: disposing a composition which is a liquid composition or a gel composition onto a substrate, wherein the composition comprises Zn and Si; and heating said substrate. The invention further provides transparent conducting films obtainable by the process of the invention, including transparent conducting films which comprise a doped zinc oxide wherein the dopant comprises Si, and wherein the film covers a surface area equal to or greater than 0.01 m2. The invention also provides a coated substrate, which substrate comprises a surface, which surface is coated with a transparent conducting film, wherein the film comprises a doped zinc oxide wherein the dopant comprises Si, and wherein the area of said surface which is coated with said film is equal to or greater than 0.01 m2. The invention further provides coatings comprising the films of the invention, processes for producing such films and coatings, and various uses of the films and coatings.

Sn-doped In2O3 thin films [In2-xSnxO3: ITO] exhibit a remarkable combination of optical and electrical transport properties. These include a low electrical resistivity, which is typically in the order of 10−4 Ωcm. This property is related to the presence of shallow donor or impurity states located close to the host (In2O3) conduction band, which are produced by chemical doping of Sn+4 for In+3 or by the presence of oxygen vacancy impurity states in In2O3-x. The films also exhibit high optical transparency (>80%) in the visible range of the spectrum (P. P. Edwards, et al.; Dalton Trans., 2004, 2995-3002).
Transparent conductive coatings or layers which comprise ITO have many applications, including in liquid crystal displays, flat panel displays (FPDs), plasma displays, touch panels, printed electronics applications, electronic ink applications, organic light-emitting diodes, electroluminescent devices, optoelectronic devices, photovoltaic devices, solar cells, photodiodes, and as antistatic coatings or EMI shieldings. ITO is also used for various optical coatings, most notably infrared-reflecting coatings (hot mirrors) for architectural, automotive, and sodium vapor lamp glasses. Other uses include gas sensors, antireflection coatings, electrowetting on dielectrics, and Bragg reflectors for VCSEL lasers. Furthermore, ITO can be used in thin film strain gauges. ITO thin film strain gauges can operate at temperatures up to 1400° C. and can be used in harsh environments.
Due to the cost and scarcity of indium metal, the principle component of ITO, a stable supply of indium may be difficult to sustain for an expanding market for flat panel displays, solar cells, printed electronics and other applications. There is therefore an ongoing need to reduce the amount of indium or produce indium-free phases as alternative transparent conducting oxide materials for transparent conductor applications.
The United States Department of Energy (DoE) has outlined various important criteria to be met by transparent conducting oxide materials (TCOs) to be used in such applications. These key requirements for TCOs are outlined in the US DoE document "Basic Research Needs For Solar Energy Utilization", Report on the Basic Energy Sciences Workshop on Solar Energy Utilization, 2005, page 194. That document indicates that TCOs play an important role in all thin-film solar cells, and that the key properties for high-quality TCOs are high optical transmission (high band gap for window materials), low electrical resistivity and high carrier mobility, low surface roughness (for most devices), good thermal and chemical stability, good crystallinity (for most devices), adhesion and hardness, and low processing cost. Commonly used n-type TCOs include indium tin oxide (ITO) and SnO2 (both available commercially coated on glass) and cadmium stannate (Cd2SnO4). Developing p-type TCOs is also an important goal, because it would open up more possibilities for thin-film device structures, particularly multijunction devices. Materials being investigated include CuAlO2, CuInO2, CuSrO2, and (N, Ga)-doped ZnO.
International application no. PCT/GB2009/000534 (WO 2009/106828) describes a process for producing transparent conducting films of doped zinc oxides by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The resulting transparent films were found to have temperature-stable electrical and optical properties comparable to those of ITO, and are attractive for transparent conductor applications as they can be produced from inexpensive, abundant precursors, and are non-toxic. Advantageously, therefore, the films go some way to meeting the important DoE criteria for TCOs.
A. K. Das et al., J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 42 (2009) 165405 (7 pp) also relates to the production of zinc oxide-based films by PLD.
Although PLD is a very useful tool for the growth of oxides (and other chemically complex systems) by reactive deposition, and allows key research to be performed in exploratory chemical doping programmes, PLD has limited applicability in industry and has certain drawbacks. For instance, in PLD, a compacted solid state target must first be produced. Typically, this target material is synthesised by heating a solid mixture of zinc oxide and one or more other materials which contain the relevant dopant elements. After synthesis, the target material is compacted to form the target and then placed in the chamber of a PLD apparatus. Subsequently, a pulsed laser beam is focussed on the target material to generate a plasma plume, and the plasma is deposited on a substrate to form the transparent conducting film. The PLD process therefore involves several steps, and requires the separate synthesis and preparation of a precursor target material in advance of film deposition.
Furthermore, the nature of the PLD apparatus and process restricts the size of the substrate on which the film is deposited and, in turn, the coverage area of film that can be deposited on a substrate. Substrate size is limited, for instance, by the size of the chamber of the PLD apparatus, the width of the chamber entrance though which the substrate is introduced, and the size of the substrate holder inside the chamber. Accordingly, only relatively small substrates can be coated by PLD. Furthermore, the area of film deposition is limited by the width of the plasma plume that is produced in the PLD apparatus, and the degree to which the substrate is moveable (translatable) relative to the plume within the chamber. Only relatively small-area films can therefore be produced by PLD. For instance, a typical area of homogeneous deposition of thin film produced by a laboratory PLD system is around 0.5 to 1.0 cm2.
Furthermore, the PLD process can lead to films with a non-uniform composition, due to the fact that the PLD ablation plume consists of two components; a high-intensity, leading part, which is usually stoichiometric in target composition, and a lower intensity non-stoichiometric material.
Additionally, both the PLD apparatus and the PLD process are expensive, requiring a vacuum system and an excimer laser.
Finally, the PLD process is usually limited to the deposition of films onto flat surfaces and materials, which restricts the types of substrates that can be coated using PLD.
There is therefore an ongoing need to provide improved, low-cost and simplified processes, which can achieve wide area coverage and overcome the above-mentioned difficulties, and which can produce transparent conducting films that are viable alternatives to ITO, namely films which have low electrical resistivity and high optical transparency in the visible range of the spectrum, are made from inexpensive, non-toxic materials, and address the abovementioned criteria outlined by the US DoE.

Transparent electrically conducting oxides


A dust collection device for a sanding tool comprising a bag having a sidewall and a coupler attached to the bag. The sidewall comprising a first filter layer, a second filter layer, and an outer support layer. The first filter layer comprising a plurality of fibrillated electrostatically charged electret fibers forming a nonwoven web; the first filter layer having a total pressure drop between about 0.1 to about 4.0 mm H2O, and the first filter layer having a total basis weight between about 50 to about 450 gram/m2. The second filter layer comprising a melt blown microfiber nonwoven web; the second filter layer having a total pressure drop between about between about 5.5 to about 20.0 mm H2O, and the second filter layer having a total basis weight between about 15 to about 75 grams/m2.

Sanding tools, such as random orbit sanders, are frequently powered by a pneumatic compressed air supply. Pneumatically powered sanders can be designed to create a self-generated vacuum to capture dust and debris by sending the exhaust air from the pneumatic motor through a venturi in the exhaust air stream to create a suction port. The suction is directed with shielding and porting to the surface of the work piece through utilization of a ventilated abrasive article and back-up pad having a plurality of dust transport holes. The dust laden air stream after the venturi can be directed to a dust capture bag that is attached to the exhaust port (dust exit port) of the sander.
Typically, a cloth or paper capture bag is attached to a vacuum hose connected to the dust exit port, or the bag is attached to the dust exit port directly to filter the exhaust air and to capture the sanding dust and debris. While the cloth dust bag functions to capture some of the dust, frequently very fine particles of dust are not retained inside the cloth dust bag. Additionally, depending on the type and size distribution of the sanding dust, the pores in the cloth bag can be quickly plugged greatly reducing the efficiency of the bag to collect further dust and debris. Once plugged up, the cloth dust bag must be removed, emptied, and cleaned of the residual dust before sanding can continue. Furthermore, once the dust is collected within the cloth bag, the dust can shift in the bag causing a reduction in the ability of the cloth bag to capture further dust. For example, when sanding on a vertical surface the captured dust within the cloth bag may partially block or obstruct the entry port into the cloth bag depending on the orientation of the cloth bag with respect to the force of gravity.


A method for fabricating a photovoltaic device includes forming a patterned layer on a doped emitter portion of the photovoltaic device, the patterned layer including openings that expose areas of the doped emitter portion and growing an epitaxial layer over the patterned layer such that a crystalline phase grows in contact with the doped emitter portion and a non-crystalline phase grows in contact with the patterned layer. The non-crystalline phase is removed from the patterned layer. Conductive contacts are formed on the epitaxial layer in the openings to form a contact area for the photovoltaic device.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to photovoltaic devices, and more particularly to selective emitter photovoltaic device structures which include epitaxial grown layers to repel minority carriers from contact areas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Selective emitter structures improve conversion efficiency of solar cells as compared with single emitter structures. The selective emitter structures repel minority carriers from metal contact regions at the emitter by employing locally high doping levels at the contact regions. However the formation of the locally high doping regions requires long drive-in steps to drive-in dopants at high temperatures.
A single-emitter structure employs a single n+ diffusion to form an emitter and is currently an industry mainstream structure. Single-emitter devices can currently achieve a conversion efficiency range of between about 18-19% in production.
A double-emitter structure employs an n++ diffusion to passivate contacts. This is believed to be necessary to improve efficiency, which in some cases reaches over 20%. However, the double-emitter structure suffers from the time and expense of long drive-in steps to form the n++ regions at high temperatures. The long drive-in steps to form n++ regions at the high temperatures may degrade the lifetime of solar grade wafers by activating impurities or forming boron-oxygen complexes.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A water purification system has a series of sequential operating stations each adapted to remove successively finer suspended or dissolved matter from contaminated water. The sequential steps employed are a pH neutralization step, a particulate precipitation step, a pre-filtration step, a particulate coagulation step and a final filtration step. The particulate coagulation is achieved by means of a novel apparatus for the generation of an especially activated oxygen combined with electrically charged probes for agglomerating the particulate which is filtered in a subsequent station. The initially contaminated water passes through each step in the process and emerges as clean, reusable, water. By employing the process and the system of the invention, the process water is recycled, rather than wasted.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and methods for the purification of water, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for the purification of water for industrial, commercial and sanitary chemical processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the world's population increases and as technology simultaneously advances, the need for water becomes greater. A very strong parallel phenomenon is that the pollution of natural resources, water in particular, is becoming of greater concern.
In many industrial, commercial or public situations where water is used to clean, process, or transport products, conservation of water is of paramount importance. Washing of vehicles, cleansing of processed parts or cooling of air, products or equipment are typical examples of situations requiring conservation of water. In the case of water used for cooling, processes such as condensation, refrigeration, atmospheric evaporation or heat transfer are frequently used. In the case of water used for washing or cleansing, some form of filtration is common to avoid excess disposing of the dirty water.
In certain industrial, commercial and sanitary uses of water to wash parts of coatings or chemicals, the removal of the impurities from the water is difficult. An example of the sort of chemical processing which utilizes large amounts of water to wash the parts both before and after processing is the plating industry. In fact, over 50% of the process steps in plating involve rinsing, and, the cleaner the water, the better the rinse. There are situations in the plating industry in which the quantity of available supply water may be unacceptable to use in plating rinses because of contamination. Cleansing of parts prior to plating is often done with various surface preparation baths, and those parts are normally washed again in clear water prior to plating. After plating, a washing is done to remove excess coating materials. In the first case the rinse water becomes acid or alkaline, and in the second case the water accumulates metal deposits, which may be toxic. In the tradition of the industry, the rinsing water is treated and drained to a sewer. This practice is considered to be both environmentally and economically unsound. In addition to the waste of large volumes of water, significant amounts of metal scrap is being lost.
An attempt to purify water for use in applications such as in the plating industry has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,563,286 and 4,655,933 to Johnson et al. The Johnson et al. patents recognize that an ionized oxygen molecule will attach to larger molecules and cause a coagulation, or flocculation, to increase the size and improve the filtration efficacy. Johnson et al. employ a magnetic field in combination with an ultraviolet radiation source to generate the ionized oxygen. While the principles of the Johnson et al. disclosures pertain to the problem addressed by the present invention, the method applied to the problem is different, the result achieved deals with only one aspect of the problem, and the Johnson et al. teaching has been found to be inadequate for the commercial needs of the industry.
In particular, it has not heretofore been known in the field of water purification to employ an especially aggressive form of oxygen, known as singlet, or nascent, oxygen, to cause finer particles in the water flow to acquire a charge and to further use a charged electrode in the flow path to agglomerate the finer particles into a larger mass which, when the polarity of the electrode is reversed, is readily removed from the water by a final filter.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a water purification system capable of removing suspended and dissolved particulate matter in process water, making it suitable for reuse, while maintaining product quality and production as previously obtained only when using fresh water.
A further object of this invention is to provide a water purification system capable of preventing the waste of industrial, commercial or sanitary process water through effective recycling.
Other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent from the following disclosure and appended claims.


An interferometric arrangement for scanning an object with an illumination beam path comprises a diffractive optical element (DOE) for generating differently directed beam components of the illuminating light. The DOE is arranged in the illumination beam path in front of at least one scanning element deflecting the illuminating light in at least one direction.

a) Field of the Invention
A process and a device are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,501, wherein a scanning of an object, preferably an eye, is realized by means of a short-coherence light source and an interferometric beam path with an adjustable reflector in a reference beam path. This enables the detection of interferences or fringes between beam components which are reflected or scattered at layers of various depths and of light reflected in the reference beam path.
A problem consists in this arrangement in that a loss of resolution occurs due to the inevitable, because involuntary, eye movements of the subject, especially axial movements of the eye relative to the instrument, because individual scanned images change their position and can only be correlated with one another again through correlation calculations.
b) Description of the Related Art
In addition to the process and arrangement in the above patent, a scanning laser interferometer for fundus profile measurement was described by Drexler, Hitzenberger, Fercher, and Sattmann in "Conference on Holography and Interferometry in Biomedical Science", Budapest 1993, pages 1-9. Since this arrangement uses the interferences between the light reflected at the fundus and the light reflected at the cornea, axial eye movements are compensated for, but the different divergences of the reflected radiation brings about the problem of a poor signal-to-noise ratio.
Further, arrangements for intraocular distance measurement are also described in DE 3201801, U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,327, U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,328, DE 19624167 A1.
In DE 4446183 A1 by the present Applicant, at least one diffractive optical element (DOE) for dividing the illumination beam path into partial beam paths for different boundary surfaces or interfaces of the eye is provided for intraocular distance measurement, wherein this diffractive optical element is constructed as a type of phase Fresnel lens. The fabrication of micro-Fresnel lenses of this kind is described, for example, in APPLIED OPTICS, Vol. 28, No. 4, Feb. 15, 1989, pages 682-686, and Vol. 29, No. 34, Dec. 1, 1990, pages 5120-5126.

Interferometric arrangement for scanning an object


The invention is an improved technique for measuring near surface attributes of the ground while conducting a seismic survey. The improved technique is enabled by an electric vibe using a number of linear electric motors that direct a rod or piston to contact the ground in a recurring fashion. By applying constant force on the rods of the linear electric motors against the ground, the penetration into the ground may be measured for both rate and overall deformation. This information provides an accurate indication of viscosity and stiffness. In addition shear velocity and compression velocity may be measured and in some conditions, even the type of prominent shear wave may be identified for the area.

In the process of acquiring seismic data, seismic energy is delivered into the earth. Near surface geology tends to significant affect the seismic energy both going down into the earth and also returning back to the surface. Understanding the near surface geophysical parameters for statics, modeling and coupling would aid geophysicists in their understanding of the subsurface geology through the better interpretation of the seismic data. Several efforts have been made to measure the viscosity and stiffness of the near surface, but the results have been less than satisfactory.
Sercel makes a 432 and 464 vibe controllers that use feedback information from a conventional vibe doing a conventional sweep to make an estimate of the viscosity and stiffness of the near surface geology. The inventors of the present invention have recognized that a limitation of this type of system is that a conventional vibe uses a large baseplate that presses to the ground and the feedback to the Sercel 432 and 464 vibe controller includes all the associated problems of a large baseplate. Issues such as distortion, baseplate flexure, hydraulic limitations like cavitations in the hydraulic lines. While this system provides a reasonable first order guess at the parameters for viscosity and stiffness, improvements in this area would be quite welcome.
In an article published in 2006 by Robert Ley, et al. in Geophysical Prospecting, 2006, 54, 751-762, a helpful discussion of having ground viscosity and stiffness measurements help provide near surface seismic velocity. In this article, there is a description of how the viscosity and stiffness were measured, but it was recognized that current measurement techniques varied significantly from vibe to vibe. The article makes a strong case that better measurement techniques for near surface viscosity and stiffness would be very useful for the industry

Determination of near surface geophyscial properties by impulsive displacement events


A bed (10) includes a base (12) and a frame assembly (14). A head end support assembly (16) and a foot end support assembly (18) are coupled between the base (12) and the frame assembly (14). The frame assembly (14) includes first and second side frame members (80, 82) located above the base (12). The bed (10) also includes a plurality of latch mechanisms (160) coupled to the first and second side frame members (80, 82), and a patient support surface (162) configured to be coupled to the first and second side frame members (80, 82) by the plurality of latch mechanisms (160). A rotational drive mechanism (130) is coupled to the foot end support assembly (18) to rotate the frame assembly (14) about its longitudinal axis to a prone position. A proning surface (250) is coupled to the frame assembly (14) to support a patient in the prone position.

The present invention relates to a proning bed which permits rotation of a patient supported on a patient support surface of the bed.
A bed of the present invention illustratively includes a base, and a support assembly coupled to the base. The support assembly includes first and second spaced apart side frame members located above the base. The apparatus also includes a plurality of latch mechanisms coupled to the first and second side frame members, and a patient support surface configured to be coupled to the first and second side frame members by the plurality of latch mechanisms. The patient support surface is removable from the first and second support arms to permit transfer of a patient to and from the bed on the patient support surface. In an illustrated embodiment, the support assembly includes a rotatable drive mechanism coupled to the first and second side frame members for rotating the first and second side frame members about a longitudinal axis.
A proning surface is configured to be coupled to the first and second side frame members. The proning surface is configured to support the patient in a prone position when the patient support assembly is rotated 180° about its longitudinal axis by the drive mechanism.
The illustrated patient support surface includes an outer frame configured to be coupled to the plurality of latch mechanisms to secure the patient support surface to the first and second side frame members. The patient support surface also includes a plurality of panels coupled to the outer frame.
The illustrated embodiment of the present invention includes a transfer surface coupled to the base. The transfer surface is movable from a lowered position to an elevated position located adjacent the first and second support arms when the patient support surface is coupled to and removed from the first and second side frame members. In one embodiment, the transfer surface is configured to engage a portion of the plurality of latch mechanisms as the transfer surface is moved to the elevated position to open the latch mechanisms for receiving the patient support surface.
Additional features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrated embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.


A golf swing speed trainer for releasable attachment via a retainer to a shaft sleeve of a golf club shaft, including a head, a sleeve, and a weighting system. The trainer provides a highly customizable golf swing speed trainer that more accurately mimics the feel of a real club as a golfer works to increase their swing speed, without introducing any new bad habits. It allows a golfer to use their “gamer” shaft and grip during speed training, thereby increasing the user's familiarity with the trainer, which should result not only in increased swing speed but also improved consistency and accuracy.

In the game of golf, it is desirable for a golfer to make the longest drives possible while maintaining consistency and accuracy. However, many golfers try to force the drive, swinging harder than they normally would; and as a result, both consistency and accuracy of the golf drives decrease. To try to overcome the limitations of trying of increasing the swing speed by brute force, various golf swing training devices have entered the market. Unfortunately, they prove to be limiting in weight customization, simulated shaft length and feel, and simulating the functional physics of a real golf club. As a result, the unfortunate golfer may learn bad habits from the poorly designed golf swing speed training devices.
The present invention advances the art by providing a highly customizable golf swing speed trainer that more accurately mimics the feel of a real club as they work to increase their swing speed, without introducing any new bad habits. Furthermore, the present invention allows a golfer to use their "gamer" shaft and grip during speed training, thereby increasing the user's familiarity with the trainer, which should result not only in increased swing speed but also improved consistency and accuracy.
These drawings are provided to assist in the understanding of the exemplary embodiments as described in more detail below and should not be construed as unduly limiting the present invention. In particular, the relative spacing, positioning, sizing and dimensions of the various elements illustrated in the drawings are not drawn to scale and may have been exaggerated, reduced or otherwise modified for the purpose of improved clarity. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that a range of alternative configurations have been omitted simply to improve the clarity and reduce the number of drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


This disclosure generally relates to a processor configured to access an element in a data structure. The processor includes an element in a data structure having an array, an index, and a base address. A fractional shifter is also included and is configured to shift the index value up to three bit places, and output a byte offset. An adder is configured to add the byte offset with the base address and output a final address. Further included is a general purpose shifter that is configured to rotate left and right, and shift left and right. A selector is configured to select either the final address or an output signal from the general purpose shifter.

One of the more common operations in computer software is the access of an element of a data structure. This access is usually given as the base address of the data structure with an index to the element within the structure. This is especially common in the accessing of elements within an array. The computer software program generally indicates the ith element of an array using nomenclature such as "x=array[i]." When the array is a half word, word; or double word, the index is oftentimes converted to a byte offset by shifting the index value left by 1, 2, or 3 bit positions to get the offset, which is then added to the base address. This generates the final address, which is used to access data in memory.
The common approach to implement the conversion from index to offset is to utilize a general purpose shifter with an adder in the execute stage of the pipeline. A general purpose shifter has the capability to shift left, shift logical right, shift arithmetic right, and rotate right, all by 0 to 32 bit positions. The general purpose shifter shifts the index the appropriate amount, which consumes the first clock cycle. An adder then adds this value with the base address, consuming the second clock cycle.
The disadvantage of this configuration is the consumption of two clock cycles to perform this frequent operation. Because the processor performs this operation numerous times during operation, processor time is lost due in part to this time consuming operation.
Accordingly, there is a heretofore unaddressed need to overcome the definitions and shortcomings described above.

System, method, and apparatus for realizing quicker access of an element in a data structure


Disclosed are embodiments of an n-FET structure with silicon carbon S/D regions completely contained inside amorphization regions and with a carbon-free gate electrode. Containing carbon within the amorphization regions, ensures that all of the carbon is substitutional following re-crystallization to maximize the tensile stress imparted on channel region. The gate stack is capped during carbon implantation so the risk of carbon entering the gate stack and degrading the conductivity of the gate polysilicon and/or damaging the gate oxide is essentially eliminated. Thus, the carbon implant regions can be formed deeper. Deeper S/D carbon implants which are completely amorphized and then re-crystallized provide greater tensile stress on the n-FET channel region to further optimize electron mobility. Additionally, the gate electrode is uncapped during the n-type dopant process, so the n-type dopant dose in the gate electrode can be at least great as the dose in the S/D regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The embodiments of the invention generally relate to metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETS) and, more particularly, to a strained MOSFET with carbon-doped source/drain regions and a method of forming the MOSFET.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current flowing through an electric field in the channel region of a field effect transistors is proportional to the mobility of the carriers (e.g., electrons in n-type field effect transistors (n-FETs) and holes in p-type field effect transistors (p-FETs) in that channel region. Different strains on the channel region can effect carrier mobility and, thus, current flow. For example, compressive stress on a channel region of a p-FET can enhance hole mobility. Contrarily, tensile stress on a channel region of an n-FET can enhance electron mobility. Various stress engineering techniques are known for imparting the desired stress on n-FET and p-FET channel regions. For example, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,885,084 of Murthy et al. issued on Apr. 26, 2005 and incorporated herein by reference, a compressive stress (i.e., a uni-axial compressive strain parallel to the direction of the current) can be created in the channel region of a p-FET by forming the source/drain regions with an alloy of silicon and germanium and a tensile stress (i.e., a uni-axial tensile strain parallel to the direction of the current) may be created in the channel region of an n-FET by forming the source/drain regions with an alloy of silicon and carbon.
One method of forming tensile stressor source/drain regions for n-FET performance enhancement is to amorphize source/drain regions with a carbon implant followed by re-crystallization of the implanted, amorphized source/drain regions. To maximize the stress effect of the re-crystallized silicon carbon source/drain regions, the carbon implant must be deep. Unfortunately, the deep carbon implant is limited because of the risk of simultaneously implanting carbon ions into the gate electrode and damaging the gate dielectric layer. Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved n-FET structure that provides optimum tensile stress to the channel region.

Semiconductor structure and method of forming the structure

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of operating a fuel cell system which is controlled by an electronic device includes: transmitting a bit stream including a bit string which indicates identification information of the fuel cell system and a bit string which indicates status information of the fuel cell system to the electronic device through a serial communication line; receiving a bit stream including a bit string which indicates control information of the fuel cell system from the electronic device through the serial communication line; obtaining the control information of the fuel cell system from the received bit stream; and controlling power production of a fuel cell by controlling operations of peripheral devices of the fuel cell system based on the obtained control information of the fuel cell system.

1. Field
The disclosure relates to a fuel cell system and an electronic device that controls the fuel cell system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fuel cells are environmentally friendly alternative energy sources for generating electric energy from abundant materials on the Earth, e.g., hydrogen, and are becoming as popular as solar cells, for example. A portable fuel cell system may be realized due to the advent of a direct methanol fuel cell ("DMFC"), in which methanol may not be reformed, and the size of which is thereby substantially reduced. Accordingly, interest in the development of a fuel cell system, which may be used as a portable charger of a portable electronic device such as a smart phone, a tablet, a mobile phone or a notebook, for example, is increasing.

Fuel cell system and electronic device controlling the same


A moving-picture encoder performs efficient encoding by selecting prescribed encoding on the basis of a decoded block of a frame which includes a block to be encoded, and performing predictive encoding of the block to be encoded by using the selected encoding.

The invention relates to a moving-picture encoding apparatus for encoding a moving picture in block units.
Conventionally, the encoding of a moving picture employs a block encoding method. In block encoding, three encoding methods are used adaptively, namely (1) encoding of interframe difference, (2) motion-compensated encoding of interframe difference and (3) intraframe encoding.
These three methods of encoding are described below.
(1) Encoding of Interframe Difference
This is an encoding method of obtaining the difference between a block to be encoded and a block at the same position in the previous frame and then encoding the difference. With the method of encoding interframe difference, the difference becomes closer to zero the higher the correlation between frames. Encoding is more efficient as a result. The block of difference data is subjected to a discrete cosine transformation, the transform coefficient data obtained is quantized and Huffman codes are subsequently assigned. When all of the data becomes zero after quantization, this means that the quantized image is the same as that of the same block in the previous frame. Accordingly, there is no transmission of code.
(2) Method of Motion-compensated Encoding Interframe Difference
This method involves matching the block to be encoded and neighboring blocks centered on the block at the same position in the previous frame, selecting the block that is most similar and obtaining the difference between the blocks. The difference data is subjected to a discrete cosine transformation and subsequently quantized. Huffman codes are then assigned.
(3) Method of Intraframe Encoding
In a case where the correlation between frames is small, the dynamic range is widened and the amount of information is increased rather than decreased by taking the difference between the frames. In this case, therefore, intraframe encoding is carried out. In intraframe encoding, the discrete cosine transformation is applied to the original image directly, followed by quantization and encoding.
A method of deciding which of these three conventional encoding methods to use is described with reference to FIG. 6, which is a flowchart of the deciding processing.
In FIG. 6, it is determined at step S21 whether an output-code buffer (not shown) has overflowed. If the decision rendered is YES, the program proceeds to step S24 and the method of coding interframe difference is used. If a NO decision is rendered at step S21, the program proceeds to step S22, where it is decided whether to perform motion compensation. As shown in FIG. 7, the decision is made using the average of the absolute-value differences between blocks when motion compensation is performed and the average of the absolute-value differences between blocks when motion compensation is not performed. If the result of the decision at step S22 is YES (motion compensation ON), the program proceeds to step S25 and the method of motion-compensated encoding of interframe difference is used.
If the result of the decision at step S22 is NO (motion compensation OFF), the program proceeds to step S23, where a decision is made to use encoding of interframe difference or intraframe encoding. As shown in FIG. 8, the decision of step S22 is performed using variance values of intraframe data and a geometrical average of interframe difference. Intraframe encoding is performed at step S26 or encoding of intraframe difference at step S27, depending upon the decision rendered at step S23.
In the above-described decision processing, the statistics of a 16xc3x9716 pixel block of luminance data are used. Furthermore, in the encoding described below, the unit of processing is 8xc3x978 pixels. As for the breakdown, the 16xc3x9716 pixel block is partitioned into four blocks of 8xc3x978 pixels, and there is a total of six 8xc3x978 pixel blocks of the four 8xc3x978 pixel blocks and two 8xc3x978 pixel blocks of color difference data describing a position that is spatially the same as the four 8xc3x978 pixel blocks. Encoding processing of the same mode is applied to the six 8xc3x978 pixel blocks.
Control of the amount of code generated is described below.
Control for making the amount of generated encoded data conform to the transmission rate is required. This is carried out by the following method: The generated code is fed into a buffer whose code capacity is equivalent to one frame. The code is sequentially transmitted from the buffer at a speed commensurate with the transmission rate. The encoder monitors the sufficiency of the code in the buffer and suppresses the generation of code by enlarging the quantization step when the amount of code that has been generated is excessive. Conversely, the encoder generates more code by reducing the quantization step when the rate at which code is generated falls below the transmission rate. When the buffer overflows, the encoder makes the quantization step very large and halts the generation of code. By virtue of this operation, a fixed amount of code is generated per unit time.
The operation of the encoder is described with reference to FIG. 9. Block data that has entered from a connector 301 is transmitted on lines 302 and 303. Meanwhile, an overflow signal from the output-code buffer (not shown) enters from a connector 304 and is transmitted on lines 305 and 306. A mode decision unit 37 decides the processing mode in accordance with the above-described method upon referring to the block data on line 303 and a previous-frame memory 38. When it has been decided that the method of encoding interframe difference is appropriate, the mode decision unit 37 reads data of a block at a position identical with that of the input block out of the previous-frame memory 38 via line 307 and outputs the data on the signal line 308. When it has been decided that the method of motion-compensating encoding of interframe difference is appropriate, the mode decision unit 37 reads the best matching block data out of the previous-frame memory 38 via line 307 and outputs the data on the signal line 308. When it has been decided that the intraframe encoding method is appropriate, the mode decision unit 37 produces zero data and outputs the data on the line 308. At the same time, the mode decision unit 37 outputs, on a line 312, vector data representing the relative position of the best matching block, which has been obtained by motion compensation, and the encoded block. The block data on the line 308 is transmitted on lines 309 and 310.
The difference between the block data from the line 310 and the input block data from the line 302 is determined and provided to a masking unit 32 via a DCT (direct cosine transform) circuit 31. When the signal from the connector 304 indicates an overflow state, the mode decision unit 37 selects interframe-difference encoding unconditionally and the masking unit 32 masks all of the difference data to zero. The DCT coefficient data from the masking unit 32 is quantized by a quantizer 33 and the quantized data is provided to an encoder 34 and a reverse quantizer 35. In response to a selection-mode signal from line 311, the encoder 34 assigns a Huffman code to the quantized DCT coefficient data and outputs the result on a line 313. By means of reverse quantization, the reverse quantizer 35 reproduces frequency data identical with that provided to an external decoder, not shown. The reproduced frequency data is again transformed into a difference signal by a reverse-DCT circuit 36, and this difference signal is added to the signal from the line 309, thereby reproducing an image identical with that transmitted. This image is again stored in the previous-frame memory 38.
With the example of the prior art described above, intraframe encoding is performed in a case where the predicted error is very large. Interframe encoding is performed in other cases.
Consider a case in which the 16xc3x9716 pixel block of luminance data is almost entirely flat, the two 8xc3x978 pixel blocks of color-difference data are also flat, the image of the previous frame is large and is an image having an AC component. Such a condition tends to occur when a transition is made from a complicated image to a flat, even image owing to a scene change.
When the conventional encoding methods are used under these circumstances, it is found that interframe encoding is unsuitable because the power of the difference between images is too large. Though intraframe encoding can be used, a large amount of code is produced with this method. In either case, a problem arises that a great deal of code is produced when encoding an image having little redundancy.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a moving-picture encoding apparatus capable of performing more efficient encoding.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a moving-picture encoding apparatus for performing encoding in block units, comprising:
selecting means for selecting prescribed encoding on the basis of a decoded block of a frame which includes a block to be encoded; and
encoding means for performing predictive encoding of the block to be encoded by using the encoding selected by the selecting means.
In accordance with this arrangement, the decoded image portion of a frame currently undergoing encoding is used without obtaining a predicted image only in past frames. This makes it possible to perform encoding more efficiently.
Other features and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.

Adaptable intraframe/interframe motion video encoder