The present invention relates to a haptic joystick system that is used with a computer system. The system according to the present invention includes the mechanism comprising the first link work and the second link work that respectively conduct 3 degree-of-freedom independently and are serially connected to each other. Therefore the said mechanism conducts 6 degree-of-freedom. The said mechanism is provided at its base plane with sensors and actuators, whereby not being affected by the inertia of the sensors and the actuators. Also, in the system according to the present invention, the first link work conducts 3 degree-of-freedom among the overall 6 degree-of-freedom that are frequently used in its application, and the second link work conducts another 3 degree-of-freedom. Thereby, the system according to the present invention can achieve the enhanced performance related to the energy effectiveness and the controllability.

The haptic device is used for inputting the user's motion into computer by the contact with the user's body, and outputting the necessary force or feeling to the user.
Unlike keyboard, mouse, joystick, monitor or printer, which are employing one way interface, the haptic device according to the present invention provides with two way interface which plays a role as a input device for inputting the user's motion into computer as well as the output device for transferring the adequate force or feelings onto the user's body following the commands from the computer. The two-way interface enables the user's direct input and output, aside from facilitating the interaction with the virtual environment of the computer and the tele-operation of the robot that is connected to computer. The two-way interface is emerging as a new paradigm for replacing the existing peripheral devices that are equipped with one-way interface.
FIG. 1 illustrates the general structure of the haptic device according to present invention.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the user can directly input the user's motion into PC 40 by contacting his/her body with haptic system 1 and manipulating it. The mechanism unit 50 is equipped with the sensor and the actuator (not illustrated in the FIG. 1), which are common to general robots, and the "end effecter" of robots corresponds to the handle 3 with which the user contacts and manipulates. The control unit 30 of the haptic device 1 plays a role in transferring the calculated results of the information detected from the sensor, which is attached to the mechanism unit 50, as well as controlling the actuators attached to the mechanism unit 50 by receiving the commands from the PC 40 and performing mechanical calculations. The control unit 30 can be attached as a form of module or be incorporated to PC 40.
The haptic device, comprising mechanism unit 50, control unit 30 and PC 40 as mentioned above, can be applied to a various technical fields: enabling the direct input with respect to the virtual environment which is prevailing recently, and increasing the sense for the real according to the results generated from the PC 40. In case of complex virtual environments, visual or other kinds of virtual environment can be independently built up with the help of virtual reality system that is equipped with PC for the exclusive-use-only and other components, whilst simple virtual environment can be directly executed in PC 40. The haptic device 1 is connected to the virtual reality system as a subsystem by way of wire/wireless communication. One of other examples of the application of the haptic device is remote operation of the patients or the remote control of robots. In this case, the slave system 200, comprising PC 240 which communicates with remote operation tools and remote robot 210 while setting the haptic device as the master and controls them, can be manipulated in the distance according to the user's will.
While the general robots are designed to have low back drivability lest the disturbances should shake the "end effecter" of robots, the haptic device has to be designed to have the least resistance so that the user can easily manipulate the contacting part of the haptic device. As a result, the haptic device entails more meticulous design specification and higher degree of controlling skill relative to those of the common robots.
The initial haptic devices used series mechanism. The series mechanism has the strong point of spacious workspace and easy analysis. But the series mechanism also has many weak points, e.g. lower precision because of the accumulation of errors at the articulations, and the smaller capacity because of the weak rigidity. In particular, the inertia of the sensors and the actuators that are attached to the respective articulations, inhibit the motion of the mechanism and diminish the back drivability and the efficiency of energy consumption. In the haptic devices with less than 3 degree-of-freedom, series mechanism is frequently employed as above said defects are relatively slim. But in the haptic devices with more than 3 degree-of-freedom, the series mechanism is not preferred because of the increasing number of actuators and the accumulating errors.
The parallel mechanism has a weak point of difficult analysis and narrow work space, but has the strong points in that it endures large amount of loads because of it's structural rigidity and produces high precision because of the destructive interference of the errors. Above all the merits, the parallel mechanism can mount all the actuators on the base, which eliminates the inertia of the actuators from the motion of the mechanism and enhances the back drivability of the mechanism. Accordingly, parallel mechanism is preferred in the development of haptic device with more than 3 degree-of-freedom.
The haptic device can be classified as haptic simulator, haptic arm master, haptic joystick (haptic hand controller), haptic hand master, haptic tactile device according to the contacting part of the user's body.
Haptic simulator is a device for transferring the sense of motions to the entire body of the user while the user is mounted on the device. Haptic arm master is a device for inputting the motion of arms and reproducing the force while the device is mounted on the user's arm. Haptic joystick is a device for inputting the location of hand and reproducing the force, while hand is holding the handle of the device. Haptic hand master is a device for inputting the motion of the fingers and reproducing the sense of shape and volume, while the user is wearing a glove-shaped device. Haptic tactile device is a device for reproducing the touching sense of vibration, temperature or quality of the surface, while contacting the user's skin. Especially, among the haptic devices, the haptic joystick, which inputs the location of hand and reproduces the force while the hand is holding the handle of the device, has superior usability and various fields of application.
In a kinematics and a robotics, the 6 degree-of-freedom is comprised of three translational degree-of-freedom to the direction of x-axis, y-axis and z-axis, and three rotational degree-of-freedom about the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis. In designing the haptic joystick, the pointing device for realizing the three translational degree-of-freedom takes the first place.
In FIG. 2, is illustrated the prior art of 3 degree-of-freedom haptic joystick.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the prior art of 3 degree-of-freedom haptic joystick realized the translational 3 degree-of-freedom by employing the series mechanism. The user can input translational degree-of-freedom by manipulating the handle 1′ of the haptic joystick with his/her hand, and also the user can perceive the force through the handle 1′ of the haptic device.
However, such device is limited to the motions of translational 3 degree-of-freedom, only.
In FIG. 3, is illustrated the prior art of 6 degree-of-freedom haptic device.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the prior art of 6 degree-of-freedom haptic joy stick 1″ is realized by combining the rotative mechanism 2, which is capable of rotational motion of 3 degree-of-freedom, to the handle portion of the prior art of translational 3 degree-of-freedom haptic joystick, thus as a whole realizing 6 degree-of-freedom. Famous examples of the prior art of 6 degree-of-freedom haptic devices are the "phantom" and "haptic master" which was developed in Tsukuba University. The "phantom" is a haptic device that realizes 6 degree-of-freedom: the translational 3 degree-of-freedom is achieved by 4-link mechanism, and the additional rotational 3 degree-of-freedom is achieved by attaching rotary mechanism, which is capable of rotation about the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis, to the one end part of the 4-link mechanism.
The "haptic master" of the Tsukuba university has the structure of the upper mechanism attached to the lower mechanism in series, wherein the upper mechanism realizes the rotational 3 degree-of-freedom by using "gimbals mechanism" comprised of 5-link, and the lower mechanism realizes the translational 3 degree-of-freedom using "Maryland parallel mechanism".
However, the above-mentioned mechanisms are comprised of mechanisms connected in series where the actuators and the sensors are attached to the articulation part. As a result, the motions of the above mechanisms are affected by the inertia of the actuators and the sensors.
The haptic joystick is applied to the technical fields of virtual reality and remote control. Most applications of the virtual reality have the scenario of navigating through the virtual surroundings and performing interactions with the object at some necessary locations. The remote control is used to manipulate various kinds of slave robots in circumstances where human being can't operate properly, like in an atomic reactor, abysmal submarine and spaceship. One example of the remote control is the translation robot equipped with manipulator, "mobile manipulator", which is used for industrial or military purposes and remote controlled for the purpose of eliminating dangerous substances.
In case of navigating through the plane in the virtual reality, a haptic device with planar degree-of-freedom is adequate. In interacting with the object, the more degree-of-freedom the haptic device can realize, the higher is the sense of reality.
In case of remote controlling of mobile manipulator, the remote-controlled mobile robot approaches the dangerous object and eliminates it. In this case, the haptic device with the same degree-of-freedom with the mobile robot, planar 3 degree-of-freedom, is recommended for the user to directly manipulate the mobile robot.
The above-mentioned cases imply that the haptic device with 6 degree-of-freedom is not always preferable in the aspects of energy consumption, actuator efficiency and control of the mechanism.
As the result of recent research, the methods of simultaneously realizing 6 degree-of-freedom are under development. The mechanisms according to the above method are prominent in precision and back drivability, and exceed the in-series type mechanism in the aspects of efficiency. The examples are the "5-link parallel haptic master" developed by Long and Collins of California state university, "5-link parallel haptic master" developed by KAIST, "haptic master" developed by Sunglcyunkwan University.
In FIG. 4, is illustrated parallel haptic joystick 1″′, which realizes the 6 degree-of-freedom using parallel mechanism.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the handle 3 of the parallel haptic joystick is connected to the base 14 by way of several links 11, 12. The actuators for the operation of respective links and the sensors for the detection of the movement of links are mounted on the base, and the handle 3 makes 6 degree-of-freedom motions with the composition of the links' movements.
Although above-mentioned parallel haptic master that is capable of realizing 6 degree-of-freedom motion, is superior in objective performances, it is not the most desired type of haptic device. The above-mentioned parallel haptic master has to realize 6 degree-of-freedom through the composition of all the links' movements. Accordingly, it has to operate all the six actuators to make a force feedback, which is only one degree-of-freedom. The above-mentioned haptic devices are usually used under 3 degree-of-freedom environment, and only in special cases the devices are used under 6 degree-of-freedom environment. Considering such circumstances, to operate six actuators all the time is not a good method for the efficiency of energy consumption and control of the mechanism. Instead of operating the surplus actuators for the movement of unnecessary degree-of-freedom, restricting the motion of the components is the better way for the enhanced sense of reality of the feedback force. Accordingly, it is recommended to confirm the kind of frequently used degree-of-freedom, to arrange the components adequate for the frequently used degree-of-freedom, and then to restrict the other components in mechanical way. In addition to the above sequences, additional degree-of-freedom can be added if necessary.

Korea Institute of Science and Technology


Intuitive user interfaces are disclosed for a TV showing a favorites channel pane that can transition to a channel history pane, etc. in response to remote control commands.

Televisions have become increasingly advanced, providing viewers with ever more control and viewing options. As but one example, electronic program guides (EPG) can be displayed on a TV in response to a command generated by a remote control device, with the EPG showing a channel listing and show descriptions.
Additional TV features and functions may also be provided, and as understood herein, many if not most of these features and functions entail presenting a user interface on screen to enable a viewer to select or control the feature or function. As also understood herein, owing to the growing number of such features and functions and the operational complexity that can attend to managing them, the user interfaces preferably are displayed in an intuitive, easy to understand format that keeps screen clutter and, hence, viewer confusion to a minimum.

TV user interface for viewing selected sub-groups of channels


Sulfurous fuel and CaCO3-containing sorbent are combusted in a furnace of a circulating fluidized bed boiler. A dry circulating fluidized bed scrubber includes a reactor with water and Ca(OH)2 feeds for converting SO2 in the exhaust gas to CaSO3 and CaSO4 and a dust separator in gas flow connection with the reactor. A discharge removes CaO-containing bottom ash from the furnace. A classifier classifies a portion of the removed CaO-containing bottom ash into coarse and finer portions. A fine ash channel conveys some of the finer bottom ash portion from the classifier to a grinder. A ground ash channel conveys some of the ground bottom ash portion from the grinder to a hydrator to hydrate CaO in the ash to Ca(OH)2. A hydrated ash channel conveys some of the Ca(OH)2 from the hydrator to the dry circulating fluidized bed scrubber as a sorbent.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for combusting sulfurous fuel in a circulating fluidized bed boiler. The invention especially relates to reducing sulfur dioxide (SO2) content in the exhaust gas emanating from a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler by using a dry circulating fluidized bed (CFB) scrubber.
Description of the Related Art
When combusting sulfur-containing fuels, the sulfur in the fuel is converted to sulfur oxides, mainly, sulfur dioxide, which may be harmful if emitted to the environment in large quantities. Dry flue gas scrubbing in a circulating fluidized bed scrubber is a commonly used method to reduce SO2 content in the flue gases emanating from different kinds of plants, such as power boilers, cement kilns, glass furnaces, and waste incinerators. When using a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler, SO2 content of the exhaust gas is commonly reduced by feeding limestone into the furnace of the boiler. At the temperatures prevailing in the furnace of a CFB boiler, usually from 750° C. to 950° C., calcium carbonate (CaCO3) of the limestone is calcined to form calcium oxide (CaO), which reacts with sulfur oxides to produce calcium sulfate (CaSO4), which can be removed from the furnace along with the ashes produced in the combustion.
Relatively good sulfur-reduction efficiency can be obtained in a CFB boiler solely by feeding limestone directly into the furnace. However, because a layer of CaSO4 forming on the surface of the CaO particles prevents the core of the particles from reacting with SO2, an excess of limestone has to be fed into the furnace in order to obtain a desired level of SO2 removal. For example, in order to achieve 98% sulfur reduction efficiency in the furnace, a Ca/S molar ratio as high as four to five is required.
Ash formed in a combustion process can be divided to fly ash, which is entrained with the exhaust gas from the furnace and bottom ash that collects to the bottom of the furnace. During the combustion, bottom ash is formed at a rate which, as well as the composition of the bottom ash, depends on the operating conditions of the boiler, especially, on the properties of the fuel, sorbent, and inert bed material fed into the furnace. Typically, from 10% to 50% of the ashes formed in a circulating fluidized bed boiler are removed from the furnace as bottom ash. Bottom ash is generally coarser than the fly ash.
When using high Ca/S ratios, such as from four to five, the bottom ash and fly ash discharged from the furnace invariably contain a large amount of CaO, typically, from about 10% to more than 50%, which makes the use or disposal of the ashes difficult.
Another problem associated with the conventional sulfur-reduction process in a CFB furnace is that the calcination of calcium carbonate is an endothermic reaction, with a reaction energy of 178.4 kJ/kmol. Thus, the calcination of excessive amounts of limestone decreases the thermal efficiency of the boiler. For example, in order to achieve 98% sulfur reduction when combusting coal containing 2% sulfur, limestone is introduced at a rate providing a Ca/S ratio of about five, and the energy required for calcination reduces the thermal efficiency of the boiler by about 2 percentage points.
In order to eliminate the need for such high Ca/S ratios, U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,080 teaches to remove ashes, calcium oxide, and calcium sulfate from a fluidized bed and to separate fine grade ashes, e.g., by sifting, and calcium sulfate, e.g., in a drum, from the calcium oxide. The calcium oxide is then dry slaked to an extremely fine-grained calcium hydroxide that is blasted into the fluidized bed or into a free board above the bed to react with sulfur oxides in the combustion gases. U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,883 teaches to re-activate recirculating sorbent material of a circulating fluidized bed boiler by injecting high pressure water as a liquid or steam to mechanically fracture used sorbent particles so as to expose unreacted sorbent material in the core of the particles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,357 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,912,962 show further methods of enhancing flue gas desulfurization by, e.g., hydrating a portion of CaO in the bottom ash before injecting it back to the furnace.
An alternative for enhancing sulfur reduction in a fluidized bed boiler is to perform only a portion of the required sulfur dioxide reduction in the furnace, and to arrange a second sulfur dioxide reduction device downstream of the furnace. U.S. Pat. No. 7,427,384 suggests feeding calcium carbonate to the furnace of a circulating fluidized bed boiler so as to provide a Ca/S molar ratio of at most about 1.0 and further reducing the sulfur content of the flue gas in a sulfur reducing stage, such as dry sulfur-reduction equipment, downstream of the furnace. Correspondingly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,862,789 suggests conveying flue gases from a circulating fluidized bed boiler to a flash dry absorber and introducing lime into the flash dry absorber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,393 discloses a sulfur-reduction method for a fluidized bed boiler, in which limestone is added to the furnace in a Ca/S ratio ranging from 1 to 1.5, so as to provide sulfur reduction of 30% to 60% in the furnace. CaO-containing ashes are then collected from the furnace and slaked to form lime slurry for utilization in an SO2 stripping unit, such as a spray dryer, disposed in the flue gas duct downstream of the furnace. U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,921 teaches to feed sieved CaO-containing bottom ash of a circulating fluidized bed boiler to a moistening device between a dust separator and a contact reactor of a sulfur reduction system.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of and an apparatus for combusting sulfurous fuel in a circulating fluidized bed boiler with improved desulfurization.

Method of and apparatus for combusting sulfurous fuel in a circulating fluidized bed boiler


Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices include first node pads and second node pads alternately arranged in a first direction on a substrate to form a first pad column. A width of the second node pads in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, is greater than a width of the first node pads in the second direction. Storage electrodes are electrically connected to the first node pads and the second node pads. Bit line pads may be arranged in the first direction on the substrate to form a second pad column. The second pad column is adjacent the first pad column and displaced therefrom in the second direction.

The present invention relates to semiconductor devices and methods of forming the same, and more particularly, to dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices and methods of forming the same.
DRAM devices are generally able to be implemented with a high integration density as compared with static random access memory (SRAM) devices. As such, they are widely used for various products that need high capacity memory devices. A unit cell of a DRAM device generally includes a field effect transistor (hereinafter, referred to as a transistor), which is a switching device, and a capacitor for storing data. Due to ever increasing integration density of semiconductor devices, dimensions of DRAM cells are generally decreasing while a height thereof (relative to an underlying integrated circuit substrate on which the DRAM cell is formed) is increasing. Therefore, pads are typically used to provide electrical connections between relatively high position structures (e.g., a bit line and/or a capacitor) and relatively low position structures (e.g., a source/drain region of a transistor). The pads are typically disposed between the bit line or the capacitor and the source/drain region. Accordingly, an interval between the bit line or the capacitor and the source/drain region may be reduced, thereby decreasing an aspect ratio of a contact hole formed between the capacitor or the bit line and the source/drain. A conventional DRAM device will now be described further with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional DRAM device. Referring to FIG. 1, active regions 1 are two-dimensionally defined in an integrated circuit (e.g., semiconductor) substrate. The active regions 1 forming a pair of adjacent columns (corresponding to a direction from top to bottom in FIG. 1) are arranged in a zigzag pattern in order to minimize interference between structures formed thereon. A pair of gate lines 2 cross one active region 1 in parallel. The pair of gate lines 2 extend in the column direction and cross a plurality of active regions 1 forming one column.
A plurality of first pads 3 and a plurality of second pads 4 are disposed on the semiconductor substrate. The first pads 3 are connected to end portions of the active regions 1 at one side of the gate line 2 and the second pads 4 are connected to the active regions 1 between the pair of gate lines 2. A capacitor (not shown) is electrically connected to the first pads 3 and a bit line (not shown) is electrically connected to the second pads 4.
The first pads 3 form a first column and the second pads 4 form a second column. The first pads 3 of the first column respectively correspond to the active regions 1 forming the pair of columns and the second pads 4 of the second column respectively correspond to the active regions 1 forming the one column. In other words, a column of first pads 3 includes alternating pads contacting active regions 1 in adjacent columns. Therefore, the first pads 3 of the first column are arranged more closely to each other than the second pads 4 of the second column.
Because the first pads 3 of the first column are relatively closely disposed in the above-described DRAM device, an interval between the pair of adjacent first pads 3 may be the smallest of intervals that the first and second pads 3 and 4 form. Therefore, a conductive bridge may be generated between the first pads 3. That is, photoresist residues may remain between photoresist patterns for defining the first pads 3 due to narrow intervals, thereby generating the bridge therebetween during a photolithography process for defining the first and second pads 3 and 4. As semiconductor devices become more highly integrated, it generally becomes more difficult to form the first pads 3 closely and definitely without a bridge forming therebetween.

Dynamic random access memory devices and methods of forming the same


A lead free environmentally friendly ammunition which may be tailored within a range of compositions for specific uses, but generally comprises a mixture of metal powder and mineral filler in combination with a water soluble binder plastic resin and a lubricant. For hunting uses and other uses requiring high level accuracy the amount of metal powder is increased, for other uses where precision shooting is less important such as drug dosing of animals, less metal is used along with increased amounts of mineral filler. The bullets are accurate, and can be frangible. Formulations within the overall range may also be used to make shot for shotgun shells.

For as long as firearms have been known, bullets and shot have been fabricated from lead. Lead has been the most commonly accepted metal of choice because of its unique collection of properties making it ideally suited for use with firearms. It is, for example relatively low in cost, soft, melts at a low temperature, is dense and causes little damage to gun barrels, all while providing consistent accuracy. One may well wonder why anyone would seek to replace lead with other materials. The answer is that lead has been discovered to be poisonous and of environmental concern. For example lead contamination of marshes offers significant potential for waterfowl lead poisoning when birds ingest lead from spent shells. As a result, lead has been banned for shooting migratory waterfowl in the United States. Lead also can cause lead contamination in many other environments, creating potential hazards both for the ecosystem and for the food chain. As a result of these known disadvantages with lead, many inventors have experimented with environmentally friendly or so-called "green bullets" that contain little or no lead. One of the many motivations for this effort is that lead contamination resulted in closure of hundreds of indoor and outdoor target ranges. For example it has been reported that 1,100 indoor ranges have been closed because they lacked adequate ventilation to disperse airborne lead emitted when lead core bullets are fired. Such range closings have affected both national guard and reserve units by cutting down on training time and forcing them to travel long distances to other more suitable ranges.
It has also been reported that the United States armed forces use between 300 million and 400 million rounds of small caliber ammunition each year. Of course most of this ammunition is used in target practice. This dramatically increases the amount of hazardous lead deposits in shooting ranges. For example it has been reported in the national press that the Pentagon estimated the cost of lead cleanup of contaminated sites at closed military bases as high as nine billion dollars!
It can be seen therefore that there is a substantial need for the development of new compositions of matter that are satisfactory for bullets and shot which are environmentally friendly and yet provide suitable accuracy, equivalent to lead base composites.
At first blush it may seem inconsistent to develop green bullets when the object of bullets is of course precision striking and lethal shooting. However the fact is that most bullets are used for training and target shooting, so the purpose of green or environmentally friendly bullets is not at all inconsistent. There are also significant uses for bullets other than lethal shooting, for example dosing large animals with medicaments etc. For the latter uses, bullets must contain little or no toxic materials, have accuracy for short and sometimes long distances, and be relatively inert to their payload (medicament) which they carry and to the animal that is being injected with the payload.
Accordingly it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a particulate composition which is environmentally friendly, which allows the making of bullets with accuracies which are generally equal to the accuracy of lead bullets, and which may be tailor made amongst a range of particulate composition formulations specifically for the ultimate end use of the projectile such as target shooting, law enforcement uses, military uses, animal medicating, etc.
Another object is to fulfill the substantial need as above discussed.
A still further objective is to provide a composition for bullets and shot which perform well in conventional firearms.
Another object of the invention relates to a method of preparing the particulate composition by adopting use of suitable and conventional methodology such as spray drying, pelleting, injection molding, compression molding, etc.
The method and means for accomplishing each of the above objectives as well as others will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.
It goes without saying, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, that modifications within the range of the formulations here presented may be achieved and still fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. Applicant therefore prepares the balance of this application with the understanding and reliance on the U.S. Patent Laws including the Doctrine of Equivalence in order to provide adequate protection for the invention herein disclosed.


A method is described for controlling a hydraulic system, particularly of mobile working machine, with at least one internal combustion engine driving at least one hydraulic pump with adjustable volumetric displacement and possibly additional fixed-displacement pumps.

A method for controlling the load limit of a hydrostatic drive and a hydrostatic drive for a machine are described in EP 0 497 293 A1. It detects the position of the accelerator and the actual speed of the internal combustion engine present in the machine by means of metrological instruments and feeds these measured values to an electronic control system. A standard deviation is determined from the difference between the actual and target power levels defined by the measured values and a control valve actuated so that the hydraulic pump accepts hydraulic power lower than or equal to the available power of the internal combustion engine. The swivel angle of the hydraulic pump which varies as a function of the system pressure is not itself compensated, but only the change in the speed of the internal combustion engine thus arising, as an input variable for the control system is compensated.
This method of control displays a series of disadvantages. The control system can only allow for one load-dependent reduction in the speed of the internal combustion engine which has already taken place. In addition, the method described only allows for the pump for the hydraulic drive of the self-propelled machine. Other hydraulic loads are ignored in the calculation of the power data. Complicated load distributions and changes in them during operation, as commonly occur in complex hydraulic systems with multiple pumps and transmission systems, cannot be controlled satisfactorily by the method described.
The other load limit control systems known in the state of the art display similar shortcomings. The arrangement for operating a diesel-hydraulic transmission system known from DE 36 11 533 C1 uses a microprocessor controller to reduce the available hydraulic power in the event of thermal and/or mechanical overload of the diesel engine. However, it is necessary for the speed of the diesel engine to have fallen already so that the mechanical overload can be detected. In addition, if several adjustable pumps are present, their volume displacement will always be reduced uniformly, rendering flexible adjustment to different operating modes of the plant impossible.
The necessity for a so-called inching pedal constitutes a further disadvantage in modern machines. This may be separate or linked to the brake pedal and is used to increase the speed of the internal combustion engine independently of the speed of travel. In this way, the speed of the diesel engine can be increased when travelling slowly or standing still, in order to make additional power available to the pumps for further hydraulic functions, e.g. the lifting or working hydraulic systems. However, this complicates the operating procedure for the machine, as the operator has to ensure a diesel engine speed high enough to supply the respective hydraulic systems manually, by operating the inching and accelerator pedals, as well as operating the controls for the working functions.
The purpose of this invention is therefore to avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages and to provide a versatile, simple control method for self-propelled machines with several hydraulically-operated functions, the operation of which is simplified by comparison with systems currently common.
The invention achieves this by the method for controlling a hydraulic system, particularly of self-propelled machine with at least one internal combustion engine driving at least one hydraulic pump with adjustable volumetric displacement and possibly additional fixed-displacement pumps, described in claim 1, whereby:                the speed of the internal combustion engine is detected by a metrological instrument;        a the difference in pressure and the volumetric displacement of at least one hydraulic pump with adjustable volumetric displacement is determined by at least one measurement unit;        the power available from the internal combustion engine is determined from the speed measured;        the power consumed by each hydraulic pump with adjustable volumetric displacement is determined from the difference in pressure measured, the volumetric displacement and the speed;        so that the volumetric displacement of at least one hydraulic pump with adjustable volumetric displacement is controlled by a control system so that the total power consumed by at least one hydraulic pump with adjustable volumetric displacement is lower than or equal to the power available from the internal combustion engine or the power delivered or is restricted by the pump, if applicable, in the case of energy recovery at the hydraulic pump.
The balance of power of the entire system can be determined with great accuracy because not only the speed of the diesel engine but also the difference in pressure and the volumetric displacement of the adjustable hydraulic pumps are measured. It is no longer necessary to detect the excess power delivered by a prior reduction in the speed of the diesel engine. On the contrary, the precise power consumption by each pump can be determined from the difference in pressure measured and the current volumetric displacement, and compared in the control device with the power known to be available from the internal combustion engine from the speed measured. The volumetric displacement of the adjustable pumps can thus be reduced before a reduction in the speed of the diesel engine in such a way that the total power consumed by the hydraulic pumps is always lower than or equal to the power delivered by the internal combustion engine. In this way, the engine can be prevented from stalling, even if there is a sudden increase in the load. An optimum internal combustion engine speed for the respective operating mode can be maintained, which improves the energy efficiency of the whole machine.
A further embodiment of the method is characterized in that the power consumed by each of the fixed-displacement pumps driven by the internal combustion engine is approximated from the speed of the drive by calculation and possibly the system pressure measured, and added to the total power consumed.
This renders it possible to integrate further fixed-displacement pumps driven by the internal combustion engine into the calculation of the hydraulic power delivered. Such fixed-displacement pumps are frequently present in common self-propelled machines, e.g. to operate the low-pressure system or for hydraulically-driven cooling fans, etc. Unlike the currently widespread failure to allow for these pumps, approximation by means of a speed-dependent value and allowance being made for it by the control system for the whole system response is advantageous. An even more precise estimate of the power consumed by calculation from the current system pressure produces a highly accurate balance of power at the drive train. This leads to safe operation of the machine in all its modes, as no hydraulic loads are ignored in the calculation of power,
It is advantageous if the calculation of the power of the internal combustion engine and/or the hydraulic pumps with adjustable volumetric displacement and/or the hydraulic fixed-displacement pumps takes place by means of stored effective relationships, particularly in the form of characteristic curves or families of characteristics. The driving torque accepted by the appropriate pump can be calculated accurately from the data measured, such as volumes displaced, differences in pressure, etc by means of previously-stored effective relationships. A balance of torque or power balance of the transmission system can be produced from the relationship between speed and the torque generated by the internal combustion engine. Allowance for changes in these effective relationships, e.g. due to symptoms of ageing or the replacement of individual components, can be made easily by appropriate changes to the control software.
If several hydraulic pumps with adjustable volumetric displacement are present, it is practical to set the volumetric displacement of the individual hydraulic pumps using stored control relationships, particularly for prioritizing individual hydraulic pumps. This allows the behavior of the machine to be adapted to a very wide range of use. In this way, the machine's hydraulic systems can be given priority over the transmission simply by adjusting the control relationships, whereby there is no need for the reduction to take place in all the pumps uniformly, but the working function can be given preference at the expense of the drive speed. This improves the overall behavior and ease of use of the system, and may enhance safety, as sufficient power for hydraulic circuits with a safety role can always be made available.
It may be advantageous for a control command from an operator to be detected by at least one input device, particularly an accelerator pedal and/or a joystick. In addition, if several hydraulic pumps with adjustable volumetric displacement are present, it may be advantageous for the volumetric displacement of these individual hydraulic pumps to be adjusted in an order of priority, allowing for the operators control commands.
Load distribution corresponding to the wishes of the operator may be obtained by allowing for the operator's control commands, such as, for example, the accelerator position. The power of the internal combustion engine can thus be fed to the transmission system for preference, if the accelerator pedal is strongly depressed. Analogously, the supply pumps of the machine's hydraulic systems can be taken into account to a greater extent than the other transmission systems and any necessary reduction in the power consumed be made in the other pumps in the case of high target settings for the machine's hydraulic system.
Another embodiment of the invention anticipates that the control system controls the power delivered or made available by the internal combustion engine by influencing its speed, in addition to adjusting the power consumed by the hydraulic pumps with adjustable volumetric displacement. In this way, operation of the machine can be controlled across wide ranges and the inching pedal may be waived. If the power made available by the internal combustion engine is insufficient for the calculated power delivered, the power of the internal combustion engine can automatically be increased to its maximum before the power consumed by the individual loads has to be reduced. This corresponds precisely to the function of the inching pedal, with which the operator affects this increase in power of the internal combustion engine manually, if he requires more power for a load. This allows the demands on the operator to be reduced and the productivity of the machine to be increased.
A further embodiment of the inventive method is characterized in that the power delivered to the internal combustion engine is integrated into the calculation of total power in operating modes in which a hydraulic pump with adjustable volumetric displacement acts as a drive (energy recovery from potential load and braking energy).
For example, when lowering loads or when the machine is travelling downhill, the respective displacement-controlled hydraulic transmission systems deliver power to the drive train through their pumps, which usually entails an increase in the speed of the internal combustion engine, for which the operator must compensate by decelerating. Such system modes may be detected by the control system introduced and be considered in the control of the entire system. This power delivered may then either be made available mechanically to another hydraulic load or lead to a reduction in the power provided by the internal combustion engine, which improves the energy efficiency of the overall system. In certain cases, more power can thus be made available to the hydraulic loads than is provided by the internal combustion engine installed in the machine.
It may be advantageous to allow for further measured system states, particularly vehicle speed, position of the machine's hydraulic system and the temperature of the hydraulic fluid, to control the individual hydraulic pumps with adjustable volumetric displacement.
The control system can be matched precisely to the current operating circumstances of the machine by allowing for such additional system static. In this way, the division of power between the individual pumps may be varied as a function of these static. For example, a corresponding prioritization of the transmission system may be achieved when traveling quickly or preference given to the machine's hydraulic system over the transmission system when executing working movements. The control system can also allow for additional hydraulic loads such as cooling fans, etc, depending upon the total power balance and the current temperatures.
A particular embodiment of the method is characterized in that in a case in which a hydrodynamic converter is provided for motive transmission, its power consumption, particularly from a stored speed-torque characteristic, will be calculated by the control system and taken into consideration in the total power calculation. The control system will also take into account if the machine is driven by a hydrodynamic converter instead of by a hydraulic motor with an adjustable pump (hydrostatic transmission). Calculation of the power consumed by the converter will then also take place using a family of characteristics which reflects the behavior of the converter. Allowance can thus be made for such power consumption in calculating the total output and the control system can apply the necessary signals to the appropriate control inputs of the converter transmission system to achieve the desired speed of travel.
The invention also concerns an electronic control system to implement the method according to one of the preceding claims. Such a control system may take the form of various embodiments in order to implement the method described above. Such systems usually consist of individual components, such as processor boards, memory boards, etc, which assume the individual control functions. The system data, the individual families of characteristics and power characteristics of the individual components can be changed by parameterization of the components and replaced if necessary, leading to a reduction in costs and improved efficiency of the whole system.

Method for controlling a hydraulic system of a mobile working machine


A roundness measuring apparatus, which has a small space required for installation and of which measurement error due to a temperature change is small, is disclosed. The roundness measuring apparatus includes: a base; a turn-table which is fixed to the base and rotates a work placed on the turn-table; a two-dimensional moving mechanism provided at the base so as to move a holder holding part in parallel to a measurement plane including a rotation axis of the turn-table and a measuring point of the work; a detector holder attached to the holder holding part; and a detector attached to the detector holder so that a probe can be displaced on the measurement plane.

The roundness measuring apparatus which measures a roundness of a cylinder outer surface or a cylinder inner surface of an object (work) to be measured is used widely.
FIG. 1 is an outline view of a conventional roundness measuring apparatus.
The roundness measuring apparatus includes: a table-like base 1; a rotatable stage 2 provided at the base 1; a rotation drive part 3 having a motor, etc., for rotating the stage 2; a column 4 provided at the base 1; a carriage 5 which is movable along the column 4; an arm 6 which is movable with respect to the carriage 5; a detector holder 9 attached to a tip of the arm 6; and a detector 10 attached to the detector holder 9. The detector 10 includes a probe 11 and a displacement detection part such as a differential transformer, and outputs an electrical signal which shows displacement of the probe 11.
A work 12 is placed on the stage 2 so that a center axis of a cylinder surface of the work 12 almost coincides with a rotation axis of the stage 2, and the work 12 is rotated. The column 4 is a pillar extending in parallel to the rotation axis of the stage 2. The carriage 5 is movable along the column 4. Generally, the carriage 5 is manually moved along a guide surface of the column 4, but it may be moved automatically using a motor, etc. The arm 6 is manually moved along a guide surface of the carriage 5, but is may be moved automatically using a motor, etc. The detector holder 9 is a component having an L shape, one end of the detector holder 9 is attached at the tip of the arm 6, and the detector 10 is attached to the other end of the detector holder 9. In order to detect a change of height position of a flange portion of the work 12, the detector holder 9 may be able to be attached at the tip of the arm 6 with three different directions by a unit of 90 degrees. Further, in order to change a direction of the cylinder surface to be measured by 180 degrees, the detector 10 may be able to be attached to the detector holder 9 at different directions.
When the measurement is carried out, the work 12 is placed on the stage 2 so that the center axis of the cylinder surface of the work 12 almost coincides with the rotation axis of the stage 2. In order to contact the probe 11 at a position of the work 12 to be measured, a vertical position of the probe is adjusted by moving the carriage 5 and a position of radial direction is adjusted by moving the arm 6. A roundness of the work 12 is measured in this state. When a high-precision measurement is carried out, eccentricity of the center axis of the cylinder part of the work 12 from the rotation axis of the stage 2 is measured by rotating the work 12, and the rotation axis of the stage 2 is adjusted to correctly coincide with the rotation axis of the stage 2 by using an XY moving mechanism provided at the stage 2. At this time, the probe 11 is desirable to be near a center of a displacement range.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the roundness measuring apparatus of FIG. 1.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the column 4 is provided at the right-hand side of the stage 2. The arm 6, the detector holder 9 and the detector 10 are arranged on a straight line, and the rotation center axis of the stage 2 is placed on extension of the straight line. The probe 11 is provided at a tip of the detector 10, and the probe 11 is displaced on a plane formed by this straight line and the rotation axis of the stage 2. Therefore, when the work 12 having a cylinder surface of a different diameter is measured, the arm 6 is moved so that the probe 11 contacts the cylinder surface to be measured. In this description, a plane formed by a measurement point on a cylinder surface to be measured at which the probe 11 contacts and the rotation center axis of the stage 2 is called a measurement plane, and a direction connecting the rotation center axis of the stage 2 and the measurement point is called a radial direction. In other words, even when cylinder surfaces having different diameters are measured, the arm 6, the detector holder 9 and the detector 10 are moved in the radial direction along the measurement plane, and the probe 11 contacts with a cylinder surface to be measured on a line at which the measurement plane and the cylinder surface cross, and displaces on the measurement plane.
A first reason for providing the column 4 on the right-hand side of the stage 2 (left-hand side may be also acceptable) is for moving the arm 6 on a measurement plane. A second Reason is for enabling to detect a difference of radiuses (diameters) of cylinder surfaces of different cylinder surfaces is detectable by detecting movement magnitude of the arm 6.
For the above reasons, the column 4 has been provided at one side (right-hand side or left-hand side) of the stage 2 in conventional roundness measuring apparatuses. Therefore, the base 1 where the column 4 is fixed has a rectangle shape being long in a radial direction in the plan view. Since the arm 6 is moved in the radial direction according to radiuses of cylinder surfaces to be measured, a setting space needs to be determined in consideration of the case where the arm 6 moves to the utmost rightward. For the above reasons, the conventional roundness measuring apparatuses need the setting space of a rectangle shape being long in the radial direction, and there has been a problem that a space required for installation is large.
Since a conventional roundness measuring apparatus has a long arm 6, there has been a problem that a displacement of the detector 10 attached at the tip of the arm 6 and the detector holder 9 is large even if there is a small temperature change in a short time during measurement. Further, since the displacement directly influences a measurement value, there has been a problem that an error due to the temperature change is large.


A dividing method for an optical device wafer includes a protective plate adhering step of releasably adhering the surface of an optical device wafer to the surface of a protective plate, a reverse face grinding step of grinding the reverse face of the optical device wafer, a dicing tape sticking step of sticking the reverse face of the optical device wafer on the surface of a dicing tape, a protective plate grinding step of grinding the reverse face of the protective plate adhered to the optical device wafer stuck on the dicing tape so as to have a predetermined thickness, a laser working step of irradiating a laser beam upon the protective plate along the streets formed on the optical device wafer to carry out laser working, which forms break starting points along the streets, for the protective plate, and a wafer dividing step of applying external force to the protective plate to break the protective plate along the break starting points to break the optical device wafer along the streets thereby to divide the optical device wafer into the individual optical devices.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a working method for an optical device wafer for dividing an optical device wafer, which has a plurality of regions partitioned by streets formed in a lattice on the surface of a substrate such as a sapphire substrate and has optical devices of a gallium nitride-based compound semiconductor or the like laminated in the partitioned regions, into the individual optical devices along the streets.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical device wafer which has a plurality of regions partitioned by planned parting lines called streets formed in a lattice on the surface of a sapphire substrate and has optical devices of a gallium nitride-based compound semiconductor or the like laminated in the partitioned regions is divided into the individual optical devices such as light emitting diodes along the streets and is utilized widely in electric apparatus. The optical device wafer described above is ground and worked on the reverse face thereof by a grinding apparatus before it is divided along the streets so as to have a predetermined thickness. In recent years, it is demanded to make the thickness of optical devices less than 50 μm in order to implement reduction in weight and size of electric apparatus. However, if an optical device wafer is ground so as to be as thin as less than 50 μm, then this gives rise to a problem that a crack occurs therewith.
Meanwhile, cutting of an optical device wafer along streets is normally carried out by a cutting apparatus which includes a cutting blade which rotates at a high speed for cutting. However, since a sapphire substrate is a material which has high Mors hardness and is difficult to cut, it is necessary to lower the working speed, and therefore, there is a problem that the productivity is low. In recent years, as a method for dividing a wafer such as an optical device wafer along streets, it has been proposed to irradiate a pulsed laser beam of a wavelength having absorbency with respect to a wafer along a street to form a laser worked groove and apply external force along the laser worked groove to break the wafer along the street (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 10-305420).
Meanwhile, as a method for dividing a wafer such as an optical device wafer along a street, also it has been proposed to use a pulsed laser beam of a wavelength having permeability with respect a wafer and irradiate the pulsed laser beam along a street with a focus point thereof adjusted to the inside of the wafer to form a altered layer continuously along the street in the inside of the wafer and then apply external force along the street whose strength is decreased by the formation of the altered layer to break the wafer along the street (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-6492).
The optical device wafer described above is formed with a predetermined thickness by grinding the reverse face thereof before it is divided into individual optical devices. In recent years, it is demanded to set the thickness of an optical device to less than 50 μm in order to achieve reduction in weight and size of electric apparatus. However, there is a problem that, if the optical device wafer is ground so as to be thinner than 50 μm, then a crack occurs therewith.
Further, if a laser beam is irradiated along a street of an optical device wafer to form a laser worked groove or a altered layer and the optical device wafer is divided into individual optical devices along such streets along which such laser worked grooves or altered layers as described above altered, then since altered substance produced by the laser working remains on side faces (break faces) of the individually divided optical devices, there is a problem that the luminance of the optical devices drops and the die strength drops.

Working method for an optical device wafer


Methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for storing a character string in a HII database in an EFI environment are provided. According to one method, a request is received to store a character string in an HII database within an EFI environment. Included in the request are one or more attributes that distinctly identify the character string to be created and added to the HII database. A determination is then made as to whether a character string having identical or nearly identical distinct attributes was previously stored in the HII database. If a character string having identical distinct attributes was previously stored in the HII database, the character string is not stored in the HII database and the previously stored string's unique token is retrieved. If a character string having distinct attributes was not previously stored in the HII database, then the character string is stored in the HII database and a new unique token for the string is retrieved.

In most computing systems, low level instruction code is used as an intermediary between the hardware components of the computing system and the operating software and other high level software executing on the computing system. In some computer systems, this low level instruction code is known as the Basic Input and Output System ("BIOS"). The BIOS provides a set of software routines that allow high level software to interact with the hardware components of the computing system using standard calls.
Because of limitations of the BIOS in many PC-compatible computers, a new specification for creating the firmware that is responsible for booting the computer and for intermediating the communication between the operating system and the hardware has been created. The new specification is called the Extensible Firmware Interface ("EFI") specification and is available from INTEL CORPORATION. The original EFI specification from INTEL CORPORATION is also being extended by the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface Forum ("UEFI").
The EFI specification describes an interface between the operating system and the system firmware. In particular, the specifications defines the interface that platform firmware must implement and the interface that the operating system may use in booting. How the firmware implements the interface is left up to the manufacturer of the firmware. The EFI specification provides protocols for EFI drivers to communicate with each other, and the EFI core provides functions such as allocation of memory, creating events, setting the clock, and many others. This is accomplished through a formal and complete abstract specification of the software-visible interface presented to the operating system by the platform and the firmware.
In order to provide core functionality for providing user input and output in an EFI-based firmware, the EFI specification provides for a Human Interface Infrastructure ("HII") protocol. The HII protocol provides a central access point for a HII database that stores all of the forms, character strings, and fonts utilized by drivers executing within the EFI environment. For instance, the HII protocol provides functionality for registering packages (also referred to herein as "packs") containing forms, strings, and fonts, and for storing the contents of these packs in the HII database. The HII protocol also provides functions for retrieving information about the data contained in the HII database and the data itself. The HII protocol is specifically defined in the INTEL Platform Innovation Framework for EFI HII Specification, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
In order to add character strings to the HII database, a program must first build the string. Once the string is built, the program submits the string to the HII database. The character string is then stored by HII in the HII database. An integer token that uniquely identifies the string is also returned in response to the submission of the character string to the HII database. The token may be later used to reference the character string in the HII database.
In general, character strings may be built, submitted to the HII database, assigned a unique token by the HII protocol, and stored in the HII database, even though an identical character string has been previously submitted and stored in the HII database. In the event that these operations are performed for a character string that is identical to a string that has been previously stored in the HII database, these operations unnecessarily utilize processing capacity and a portion of the limited storage space of the HII database. It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the invention have been made.

Method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for storing character strings in a human interface infrastructure database


An apparatus and method for deinterlacing video images is described. In one exemplary implementation, the apparatus receives a video stream in an interlaced format. The apparatus includes a processing system configured to determine whether or not the video stream originated from a progressive format. Based on that determination, the processing system selects one of two modes of operation to deinterlace the video stream: an interpolation mode of operation or a non-interpolation mode of operation.

Video image streams are often recorded, transmitted, and displayed in two different video image formats: an interlaced format (also commonly referred to as the interlaced scan format) and a progressive format (also commonly referred to as the progressive scan format).
In the interlaced format, each video frame, which is a raster array of pixels representing an image, includes an odd field and an even field. The odd field includes pixels located on odd-numbered horizontal scan lines of the frame and the even field includes pixels located on the even numbered horizontal scan lines of the frame. Thus, each field contains approximately half the information content, i.e., pixels, of the complete video frame. When displayed on an interlaced-based display device, such as a conventional television, video images are presented in the form of a rapid sequence of fields, in which odd fields and even fields are displayed consecutively, e.g. a rate of 60 fields per second, for purposes of reconstructing an entire image at 30 frames per second (although various other rates may apply). Even though only half of the image is displayed per field, the rapid sequence of alternating odd and even horizontal scan lines creates the illusion of a full video image.
In the progressive format, a video image is represented entirely in a single frame that includes pixels on all horizontal lines of the full image. When displayed on a progressive-based display device, such as a computer monitor or of High Definition Television (HDTV), video images are presented in the form of progressively scanned frames, e.g., at a rate of 60 frames per second (although various other rates may apply).
Most conventional televisions support only the interlaced format and cannot perform progressive scanning. Accordingly, most video applications associated with display on televisions, including digital video players, such as DVD players, etc., are currently formatted in the interlaced format. As more progressive scan devices are adapted to play video on computers and HDTVs, however, there is a need for such devices to convert video from the interlaced format to progressive format.
The process of converting a video from the interlaced format to the progressive format is generally referred to as deinterlacing (also referred to as line-doubling). There are several ways to perform deinterlacing. Inexpensive devices may use what is known in the industry as the "weave" technique for performing the conversion from the interlaced format to the progressive format. Weaving simply merges even and odd fields together to make one progressive frame. If the video image is still (i.e., there is little or no motion within the images or, at least the motion is slow), weaving tends to produce an image that is visually precise. However, if an image contains many and/or quickly moving objects, the image produced on the display devise tends to contain visual artifacts, such as visual distortions, feathering around the periphery of a moving object, flickering, pixel discontinuities, image inconsistencies, varying vertical resolutions, and other visual distortions. These artifacts tend to make images unsuitable for viewing on a HDTV or other high quality video players. These visual distortions are caused because there may be a time difference between each odd and even field, and when they are combined, the time differences produce the artifacts.
Another technique used to convert video from interlaced format to the progressive format is known as interpolation (also referred to as the "Bob" technique). Interpolation involves converting each independent field into a single frame rather than combining two fields (i.e., the even and odd fields corresponding to a single frame) to form a frame. But each field in the interlaced format only contains half the even or odd lines of a full resolution picture in the progressive format. To create a full frame, interpolation techniques involve filling-in missing lines, meaning the even or odd lines not a part of the particular field that is being converted. For instance, if there is an even field, interpolation techniques will fill-in the so-called "missing lines," meaning the even or odd lines that are not a part of the current field. For instance, if there is an even field, interpolation techniques will fill-in the missing lines, i.e., the odd lines, based on the pixel data from the existing, even lines to predict suitable pixel values for the pixels in the lines that are being interpolated, i.e., the missing pixels in the missing lines, and create a progressive frame. Correspondingly, if there is an odd field, the interpolation techniques will fill-in the missing lines, i.e., the even lines, based on the existing odd lines to create a progressive frame. More particularly, Interpolation techniques will fill-in the even or odd missing lines (depending on the field) by using pixels above and below those missing lines that are to be approximated through mathematical estimations. Unfortunately, these mathematical estimations are educated guesses that often produce artifacts, usually associated with motion and shifts of information in fields. In the world of HDTV these artifacts are often sufficiently visually noticeable to noticeably decrease the quality of the image.
There are other techniques that borrow from weaving and interpolation techniques, including combing the two using motion detection. Most, if not all these techniques utilize expensive equipment and tend to produce images that have visual artifacts that are noticeable to users. Thus, prior art techniques for minimizing visual artifacts when converting a video stream from an interlaced format to progressive format have been unable to completely eliminate the visual artifacts caused by deinterlacing.

Apparatus and method for deinterlacing video images


A D/A converter inputted with non-linear conversion digital data such as a digital signal encoded according to a μ-Law system or the like as it is to convert into an analog signal. A D/A converter is of resistor string type, in which a resistance value of each of resistors of a resistor string is not set uniform but weighted so that a non-linear relationship between an encoded input digital signal and an output analog signal is converted into a linear relationship. Consequently, a decode circuit for converting non-linear conversion digital data into linear conversion digital data is not required.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a D/A converter (digital/analog converter or DAC). In particular, the invention relates to an audio signal processing circuit having the D/A converter and a liquid crystal display device including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, liquid crystal flat panel displays capable of displaying an image clearly have been widely used and employed as displays for mobile apparatuses such as a mobile phone, a digital camera, a notebook computer, and a PDA (Personal Data Assistant).
Such a semiconductor device having a display function, in many cases, requires an audio circuit for outputting sound in addition to a display portion. Therefore, in conventional display devices, an audio signal processing circuit is generally provided as a dedicated LSI.
As the digital audio technology advances, storage of sound and communication mediums have been more digitalized, and thus a D/A converter for converting digital data into analog data is essential for such mobile apparatuses. As the D/A converter, there is known a D/A converter as shown in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1, in which an upper limit reference voltage VH and a lower limit reference voltage VL are divided by the capacitance ratio and a divide ratio thereof is changed by changing a combination of capacitors by a switch based on an input digital signal, and a D/A converter as shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2 (referred to as a resistor string D/A converter), in which an upper limit reference voltage VH and a lower limit reference voltage VL are divided by a plurality of resistors connected in series therebetween and a divided potential is outputted by selecting one of connections between the resistors based on an input digital signal by a switch.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-341125
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-83369

D/A converter for a digital signal after non-linear A/D conversion, audio signal processing circuit and liquid crystal display device including the same

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


In an ABS control ECU, a power supply output circuit and a power supply monitoring unit are formed on the same chip. A power, supply terminal for the power supply output circuit is provided separately from a power supply terminal for the power supply monitoring unit. A ground terminal for the power supply output circuit is provided separately from a ground terminal for the power supply monitoring unit.

The present invention relates to an integrated circuit for monitoring a power supply voltage, and particularly to an integrated circuit suitably used for an electronic control unit for vehicle brake control.
An electronic control unit (ECU) has a power output circuit which is monitored and a power supply monitoring unit. which monitors a power output. The power supply voltage is supplied to a plurality of circuit blocks within the ECU having the power output circuit and the power supply monitoring unit monitors whether an output Voltage of the power output circuit is set to a predetermined voltage value or not.
The power output circuit and power supply monitoring unit are connected to an external power supply via only one power supply terminal provided in the ECU. The power output circuit generates, on the basis of a voltage applied to the power supply terminal, a reference voltage supplied to a plurality of circuit blocks and a reference voltage used by the power supply monitoring unit to monitor the output voltage of the power output circuit.
However, the power output circuit and the power supply monitoring unit are provided on different chips, resulting in an increased manufacturing cost of the electronic control unit and an enlarged installation area of the ECU.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an integrated circuit for monitoring an output voltage of a power output circuit with only one chip.
According to the present invention, an electronic control unit for a vehicle such as an ABS control ECU includes an integrated circuit, which comprises a monitored block for supplying a power supply voltage to other circuits and a monitoring block for monitoring the monitored block. The monitoring block and the monitored block are formed on the same chip. Further, power supply terminals for supplying voltages to the monitored block and the monitoring block are provided as different terminals. Ground terminals for the monitored block and the monitoring block are also provided as different terminals.
Preferably, the monitored block and the monitoring block are arranged as spatially separated blocks in the same chip. The monitored block and the monitoring block are insulated and isolated in the same chip. The monitored block and the monitoring block are, formed on a SOI substrate, and the monitored block and the monitoring block are insulated and isolated with a trench formed on the SOI substrate. Reference voltage generating circuits of the monitored block and the monitoring block are formed in different circuit configurations from each other.

Integrated circuit having power supply voltage monitor


The present invention discloses a method for preventing electrostatic discharge damages to an article that is made of an insulating material and stored in a container also made of an insulating material by maintaining a minimum safe distance between the article and the top lid of the container such that a saturation electric field cannot be reached at such safety distance and thus electrostatic discharge does not occur. The present invention novel method can be utilized in carrying any insulating articles but is particularly suitable for carrying a quartz reticle in a polycarbonate pod.

In the semiconductor fabrication process, a square cross-sectional or rectangular cross-sectional container made of a plastic material is frequently used to transport articles. These articles may include silicon wafers, reticles or other substrates used for electronic structures. A reticle is a transparent ceramic substrate that is coated with a metallic layer forming a pattern for an electronic circuit. It is generally used in an imaging step during a photolithographic process wherein a pattern of a circuit is reproduced on the surface of an electronic substrate, i.e., such as a wafer surface.
A reticle can be constructed of any suitable transparent ceramic materials. However, one of the most commonly used material is quartz or silicon dioxide. A quartz reticle can be readily coated with a chrome layer at selective areas to reproduce an electrical circuit. The chrome metal layer may be formed by either a pure chromium or a chromium alloy. During a photolithographic imaging process, a light source is projected from one side of the reticle that is coated with the pattern such that the pattern can be reproduced on the surface of a wafer which is positioned on the opposite side of the reticle. The pattern for the electronic circuit coated on the reticle is frequently laid out in a 5.times. magnification. The true dimensions of the electronic circuit reproduced on the wafer surface can be obtained by suitably adjusting the optical lenses situated between the reticle and the wafer. Metallic coatings other than chrome may also be coated on the surface of the reticle for the circuit lay-out. However, chrome has been found to be an ideal material for its appearance of a brownish tone and its ease of identification by human eyes.
In a semiconductor fabrication facility, static electricity or electrostatic discharge frequently develops on surfaces of articles made of insulating materials when they are touched or rubbed by other insulating materials such as insulating gloves. The electricity is produced based on a triboelectricity theory. The discharge of the static electricity to machines and to human operators can cause damages to semiconductor wafers and process tools. Sometimes, it may even cause injury to a machine operator. In a semiconductor fabrication facility, it is therefore necessary to control ESD by grounding the machines, by controlling the relative humidity, or by building walls and floor coverings with slightly conductive materials such that electrical charges can be routed to ground. When the triboelectricity is suitably controlled, the control of dust and particulate contamination is also enhanced. For instance, the metal racks, pipe lines, cabinets, cables and rails are normally grounded in a facility to an equal potential bar or to a planar ground. The metal pedestals of the raised floor are then connected to the planar ground under the raised floor. To further enhance ESD protection, the metal framework of the clean room wall systems are also connected to the planar ground. Air ionization systems are frequently installed at selected locations in a fabrication facility, to provide additional ESD control.
Despite the elaborate efforts spent in grounding process machines and various facilities, ESD damages still occur in a fabrication facility. A typical example is the occurrence of ESD when an insulating material is shipped or transported in a container made of another insulating material. For instance, when a reticle is transported from a storage facility to a photolithography machine in a container, i.e., a pod, that is normally constructed of a thermoplastic material. Since the reticle itself is an insulating material, i.e., a quartz or other silicon dioxide materials coated with a chrome coating, when the pod is handled by machine operators wearing insulating gloves, the static charge on the pod drastically increases due to friction generated between two insulating articles. Since the pod is not equipped with an anti- electrostatic device, high static electricity is generated on the surface of the pod. For instance, it has been confirmed that the static electricity field generated on a pod surface increases from 0.1 KV/inch to nearly 15 KV/inch when a polycarbonate pod is rubbed with PVC gloves. Such a high static electricity build-up on the surface of the pod immediately causes a electrostatic discharge between the pod and the reticle contained therein. When ESD occurs between the pod and the reticle, the pattern on the reticle surface is usually damaged to such an extent that it can no longer be used for imaging. Conventional air ionization devices installed at a fabrication facility are not useful for preventing such ESD damages.
Others have proposed techniques for controlling or minimizing ESD damages to reticles carried in plastic containers. For instance, anti-electrostatic-type plastic materials, such as Bayon.RTM. has been used for the construction of the pod. However, due to its high cost, this type of anti-electrostatic plastic material cannot be widely utilized in a fabrication facility. Still others have proposed the use of gloves that are made of a conductive material such as Propex.RTM. such that the generation of electrostatic discharge can be avoided. The high cost of the Propex.RTM. gloves prohibit its broad usage in the processing industry.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for preventing ESD damages to an insulating article stored in a container made of another insulating material that does not have the drawbacks or shortcomings of the conventional storage methods.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for preventing ESD damages to an insulating article stored in a container made of another insulating material that does not require the use of high cost conductive plastic materials or gloves.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for preventing ESD damages to an insulating article stored in a container made of another insulating material which only requires a re-design of the configuration of the container.
It is another further object of the present invention to provide a method for preventing ESD damages to a reticle coated with a chrome pattern and stored in a thermoplastic container such that the chrome pattern on the quartz reticle is not damaged by the occurrence of electrostatic discharge.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for preventing ESD damages to a reticle coated with a chrome pattern and stored in a polycarbonate container by re-designing the height of the container.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for preventing ESD damage to a reticle coated with a metallic pattern and stored in a thermoplastic container by increasing the distance between the top surface of the reticle and the top lid of the container to larger than a threshold value such that ESD does not occur.
It is still another further object of the present invention to provide a method for calculating a minimum safe distance between the top surface of a reticle stored in a pod and the top lid of the pod such that electrostatic discharge is avoided and the chrome pattern coated on the reticle is not damaged.

Method for preventing electrostatic discharge damage to an insulating article

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


Image data having a total number of pixels being H×V is written in SDRAM having an enough number of recording domains capable of storing all the pixel data of the image data and the number of Column addresses set therein at 2n (4≦n) in the order of lines after the implementation of a first image rotation processing at a rotation angle of 90°×m (0≦m≦3) to the image data and read from the SDRAM in the order of the lines after the implementation of a second image rotation processing at a rotation angle of 90°×p (0≦p≦3). In doing so, the recording domains of the SDRAM are divided into a plurality of recording blocks 21-s having the number of the Column addresses set therein at 2q (2≦q≦(n−2) and capable of storing groups of the pixels for one line in the image data after the implementation of the first image rotation processing. The groups of the pixels for one line in the image data in an image direction after the implementation of the first image rotation processing are written in the recording blocks 21-s. The written image data is read from the SDRAM in an image direction after the implementation of the second image rotation processing.

Conventionally, in the processing of writing and reading image data with respect to image domains in SDRAM, respective pixel data constituting the image data are sequentially written in each of the recoding domains in the SDRAM in the order of the pixel layout on the image data and read therefrom. In the SDRAM, the image data is sequentially stored in each of the recording domains designated by Row and Column addresses and read therefrom.
In the SDRAM, burst read, which is a processing aimed for time reduction in data transfer, is generally implemented. The processing is implemented based on that a plurality of the recording domains in memory devices, including the SDRAM, shares a Row address. More specifically, when a plurality of the recording domains sharing the common Row address are designated, the common address is first designated, and the Column addresses are then sequentially designated to thereby designate the respective recording domains. In this manner, the Row address is commonly designated in the plural recording domains, which serves to reduce time required for transferring the image data.
In some cases, the writing/reading processing of the image with respect to the SDRAM additively includes rotation of the image data. When the rotation is implemented, as disclosed in No. 2002-259208 of the publication of unexamined patent applications, the image rotation processing is implemented mainly when reading the image data from the SDRAM.
In the conventional image processing apparatuses, however, the image rotation processing leads the burst read processing to be implemented with more difficulty and leads the processing to require more time. This problem is described below.
The implementation of the image rotation processing at an optional angle requires a great deal of time. In contrast to that, when the image rotation processing is implemented at 90° pitch (90°×s (s: integer, 1≦s≦3)), the processing can be implemented by means of backward read of the addresses or horizontally and vertically backward layout of the image, either of which requires a relatively short time. For the reason, the image rotation processing is usually implemented at 90° pitch.
The horizontally and vertically backward layout of the image is implemented by misreading the Column addresses as the Row addresses. In such address misreading, the Row address is to be changed per pixel data when the image data is read.
The burst read can only be implemented when the common Row address is shared in writing and reading the image data with respect to the SDRAM. The burst read is, therefore, infeasible in the conventional image rotation processing which requires the change of the Row address per pixel data when the image data is read. This inevitably lengthens the processing time.

Image processing method and image processing apparatus

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A wireless access point receives a set of invalid passwords from at least one wireless device attempting to connect to a network through the wireless access point. The wireless access point reduces RF signal power in response to receiving the set of invalid passwords.

The present disclosure relates to wireless network connections, and more specifically, to security of wireless access points.
Early computers usually communicated with each other with a wired local area network (LAN). However, due to the wide use of mobile devices (such as mobile phones, notebook computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs)), wireless local area networks (WLANs) have evolved into one of the major ways of communication between computers. WLANs effectuate communication by means of various wireless media, such as radio signals and infrared signals.
Recent years see the rapid and across-the-board growth of portable computing. In addition to wire connection, portable computing relies heavily on a backbone network and a connected WLAN in order to access various network resources.
Among a wide variety of WLANs, IEEE 802.11 (also known as WiFi) is in wide and intensive use. IEEE 802.11b,g,n adopt an ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) frequency band that ranges between 2,400 MHz and 2,483.5 MHz. The ISM frequency band is applicable to a spread spectrum system worldwide without requiring a permit.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of WLAN authentication of IEEE 802.11. To start using a wireless local area network (WLAN), a mobile device has to perform message-based communication in three stages, namely probe request 160/probe response 164, authentication request 167/authentication response 172, and association request 176/association response 180, in their order of occurrence in time. The three stages of message-based communication are regulated by IEEE 802.11.
In the WLAN, a wireless client typically accesses, via an access point, resources available on a backbone network. The backbone network is usually a cable network (such as Ethernet), another wireless network, or a combination thereof. When an access point enables access to the resources available on a cable network, the access point includes at least a cable network interface, a bridge function, and a wireless network interface, so as to perform traffic bridging between a wireless network and the cable network.
Due to the wide use of WLANs, network security is a concern that is becoming more important. A WLAN effectuates data transmission by means of radio waves. That is to say, any wireless client within a service area covered by an access point can send data to the access point or receive data from the access point. Conventional WLANs enhance user security by means of service set identifiers (SSID), open or shared key identity authentication, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) keys, media access control (MAC), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), etc.
Compared with a wired local area network, although WLANs manifest greater mobility to users, WLANs attach great importance to communication security. These features of WLANs are especially important, considering that wired local area networks are less vulnerable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Signal security for wireless access point

International Business Machines Corporation


Apparatus for distance gauging in laser material processing includes a source of laser-radiation, an electrically-conductive focusing assembly, a constant-current source, and a voltmeter. The focusing assembly focuses laser-radiation towards an electrically conductive workpiece being processed. The focusing assembly and the workpiece form a capacitive sensor. The constant current source provides a constant electrical current to the focusing assembly for a constant time. The focusing assembly and the workpiece are separated by a distance that is proportional to a change in voltage measured on the focusing assembly during the constant time.

Beams of laser-radiation are increasingly used for cutting, drilling, marking, and scribing workpieces made of a wide range of materials; including metals and alloys, brittle materials such as glass and sapphire, and pliable materials such as polymers and plastics. Traditional mechanical processing produces unwanted defects, such as micro-cracks that may propagate when a processed workpiece is stressed, thereby degrading and weakening the processed workpiece. Laser-processing minimizes such unwanted defects, is generally cleaner, and causes a smaller heat-affected zone. Laser-machining uses a focused laser-beam to produce precise cuts and holes, having high-quality edges and walls, while minimizing the formation of unwanted defects. In laser welding a focused laser-beam locates each weld spot or seam precisely and produces minimal collateral heating. In laser-marking, controlled exposure to a focused laser-beam produces a visually-distinguishable material modification in a well-defined area or volume of the workpiece. All these applications demand improved laser-processing speed and improved location of the focused laser-beam.
Desired features are formed in a workpiece by moving the focused beam in three dimensions through the workpiece. For smaller workpieces, linear-translation stages support the workpiece and move the workpiece in three dimensions through the focused beam up to a maximum controlled scan speed. Higher lateral scan speeds are accessible using galvanometer-actuated motors to deflect the unfocused beam, thereby translating the focused beam laterally through the workpiece. State-of-the-art laser-processing workstations use computer numerical control and provide additional degrees of freedom for workpieces having complex shapes. In "flying optics" workstations, the beam of laser-radiation is delivered to a focusing element that moves with respect to a stationary workpiece during processing. For larger workpieces, the focusing element may be attached to an articulated robot arm.
The focusing element is typically one component of a "processing head" or "nozzle assembly". The processing head may also inject processing gases into the focused beam, which may be active gases (such as oxygen) that directly assist the laser-processing or inert gases (such as nitrogen or argon). The processing head may further include imaging hardware such as a camera and lenses, as well as a visible aiming beam to aid set up. Processing heads are commercially available having a variety of such options, for example from Rofin-LASAG AG. of Belp, Switzerland.
Precision laser-processing requires accurate real-time measurement of the distance between the processing head and the workpiece. A favored method is to treat the processing head and the workpiece as two conductors of a capacitance sensor. The capacitance is proportional to the surface areas of the conductors, the dielectric constant of any medium between them, and inversely proportional to the distance between them. When the capacitance sensor is charged, a change in distance will be proportional to the change in electric potential difference (hereafter referred to as "voltage") between the two conductors, which is easily measured.
It is more common to apply an oscillating voltage to the capacitance sensor, which becomes one component of a resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit, with a change in distance measured through a change in the resonance frequency of the circuit. To improve sensitivity to small changes in capacitance, the RC circuit may be operated on a spectral edge of a bandpass filter. In one implementation, transmitting output from the oscillating RC circuit through a bandpass filter converts small capacitance and frequency changes into proportionally much larger amplitude changes. An example of this implementation is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,405,409, which also includes a discussion of noise and response time considerations for such measurements.
A limitation of capacitance sensors having a RC circuit is that the circuit must be customized for a specific processing head and is optimized for operation over a small range of measured capacitances. Generally, the capacitance sensor becomes impotent when the processing head is exchanged or even when just the nozzle part is exchanged. Further, noise in a capacitance measurement using an RC circuit imposes a minimum time for obtaining a distance measurement of sufficient precision, thereby reducing the temporal resolution for real-time distance measurement. This includes environmental electrical noise and noise generated by laser-processing. Prior-art circuit designs intended to overcome these deficiencies generally require compromises in dynamic range and complexity.
There is need for a precise non-contact distance-measurement apparatus capable of accommodating a broad range of processing heads and nozzles for laser-processing. The apparatus should be capable of rapid distance measurement for real-time control of a laser-process. Preferably, the apparatus would be tolerant of noise, provide a broad dynamic range, and have a relatively-simple robust design.

Laser material processing distance gauge


A method for removing conjugated olefins from a composition comprising contacting the composition with a Diels-Alder dienophile to convert conjugated olefins to a Diels-Alder adduct and arresting the Diels-Alder adduct. A method comprising confining a Diels-Alder dienophile to a first side of a selectively permeable barrier wherein the barrier is more permeable to conjugated olefins and less permeable to Diels-Alder dienophile and Diels-Alder adduct, and contacting a composition comprising mono-olefins and conjugated olefins with the Diels-Alder dienophile to form Diels-Alder adduct, wherein the contacting reduces the concentration of conjugated olefins in the composition. A method for removing conjugated olefins from a composition comprising bubbling the composition through a liquid comprising Diels-Alder dienophile to form a liquid comprising Diels-Alder adduct. A method for removing conjugated olefins from a non-solid composition comprising contacting the composition with a solid comprising Diels-Alder dienophile to form a solid comprising Diels-Alder adduct.

The invention relates to a process for the removal of conjugated olefins from a monoolefin stream such as a stream containing normal alpha olefins.
Monoolefins such as normal alpha olefins can be obtained from streams that have been subjected to, for example, dehydrogenation, cracking, or ethylene oligomerization. Depending upon the production method, the normal alpha olefin stream can contain varying amounts of conjugated olefins. If present in large amounts, the conjugated olefins may be separated from the monoolefins for sale or other use. Methods useful for such a separation include distillation, selective adsorption, selective hydrogenation of the conjugated olefin, dimerization of the conjugated olefin, or complexation of the conjugated olefin.
However, it is very difficult to reduce the conjugated olefins content in a normal alpha olefin stream to low levels by means such as distillation because some isomers have very close boiling points and may form azeotropes with one another preventing complete separation. It is particularly difficult to reduce the levels of conjugated olefins in monoolefin streams below a few hundred parts per million (ppm) by the methods mentioned above. Conjugated olefins can be very undesirable impurities in monoolefins such as normal alpha olefins even in very low concentrations such as a few hundred ppm. Normal alpha olefins (NAOs) are used for applications such as polymerization of monomers to form polyolefins. Examples include polymerization of ethylene to form polyethylene and polymerization of propylene to form polypropylene. Normal alpha olefins such as 1-butene, 1-hexene, and 1-octene, are used in the polyethylene process to provide branching of the resultant polymer. Any conjugated olefin present in a stream containing normal alpha olefins can have a very undesirable impact on the production of polyolefins through catalyst deactivation thus reducing catalyst productivity or by causingcrosslinking of the polymer.
As mentioned above, one method currently used to remove conjugated olefins from olefin streams is by selective hydrogenation. Conjugated olefins can be selectively hydrogenated under the proper conditions and using an appropriate catalyst. Selective hydrogenation allows one to greatly reduce the levels of conjugated olefins in the olefin stream. One commercial process that uses selective hydrogenation is UOP's DeFine process. Selective hydrogenation has the disadvantage in that it is difficult to selectively hydrogenate all of the conjugated olefin without hydrogenating significant amounts of monoolefin or isomerizing a normal alpha olefin to an internal olefin. On the other hand, if one minimizes hydrogenation of the monoolefins significant amounts of conjugated olefins are left unconverted.
Dimerization of the conjugated olefin is also a possible way to remove such conjugated olefin from a monoolefin stream. However, this method does not reduce the conjugated olefin content to very low levels.
For the reasons discussed above, it would be very desirable to have an efficient and economical separation/purification process for the removal of even very low levels of conjugated olefins from a monoolefin stream. The present invention provides such a process.

Process for the removal of conjugated olefins from a monoolefin stream