Systems and methods are disclosed herein to provide improved security key techniques for programmable logic devices. For example, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of providing data security for a programmable logic device (PLD) includes programming a plurality of programmable fuses that stores a security key comprising a plurality of data bit values, wherein each data bit value is associated with a respective subset of at least three of the fuses. The security key is retrieved from the fuses using the data bit values stored by each subset of the fuses. An encrypted configuration data bitstream is decrypted using the retrieved security key to obtain an original configuration data bitstream to configure the PLD.

Programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), may be programmed with configuration data to provide various user-defined features. For example, configuration data may be loaded from an external non-volatile memory, such as a flash memory, into volatile configuration memory of the PLD.
The particular configuration data bitstream loaded into the PLD may be proprietary in nature, and as a result, it is desirable for developers to maintain its secrecy. Because many conventional non-volatile memories permit configuration data bitstreams to be read by external devices, developers may choose to encrypt configuration data bitstreams before they are stored in external non-volatile memory and loaded into the PLD.
Configuration data is often encrypted and decrypted through the use of conventional security keys. For example, a configuration data bitstream may be encrypted using a particular security key and then stored in an external non-volatile memory in encrypted form. The encrypted configuration data bitstream may be loaded into the PLD from the external non-volatile memory and decrypted by the PLD using the appropriate security key stored onboard the PLD. The decrypted configuration data may then be loaded into volatile configuration memory of the PLD. In such applications, the security of the configuration data largely depends on maintaining the secrecy of the security key and the manner in which the security key is stored onboard the PLD.
However, existing approaches to onboard security key storage in PLDs is generally problematic. For example, in certain implementations, the security key may be stored in volatile SRAM cells onboard the PLD which are maintained by a battery. Nevertheless, the security key will be lost if there is a disruption in the power supplied to the SRAM cells as a result of, for example, a battery failure.
In other implementations, the security key may be stored in non-volatile memory onboard the PLD. Unfortunately, if such non-volatile memory exhibits a manufacturing defect, individual data bit values of the security key may be incorrectly stored. As a result, an erroneous security key may be used by the PLD, thereby preventing the PLD from properly decrypting incoming configuration data bitstreams.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved approach to maintaining the secrecy of security keys stored in non-volatile memory. In addition, there is a need for an improved approach to the programming of security keys that reduces the likelihood of incorrect data bit values of the security key being stored in non-volatile memory.

Methods and systems for storing a security key using programmable fuses


A conversion arrangement for mounting optical units on a camera such as a film or television camera has a generally cylindrical mounting body (12, 14) for attachments to the camera body, a generally cylindrical carrier (B) for attachment to the optical unit, the carrier being coaxially coupled to the mounting body for axle movement relative to the mounting body, and a focusing ring (22) which is co-axial with and coupled to both the mounting body (12, 14) and the carrier (B). The focusing ring is rotatable relative to the mounting body and carrier to move the carrier axially off the mounting body to focus the optical unit. Backlash during focusing is reduced to negligible proportions by use of a screw-thread arrangement in which a screw-thread is formed on a radially inner wall of the focusing ring by means of a wire coil (44), the pitch of the wire coil being set by end members (46) and gapped rings (48) acting as spacers between the turns of the wire coil. Several followers (30) are supported on the carrier and engage with the wire coil so that rotation of the focusing ring winds the followers and therefore the carriage axially along the focusing ring in order to effect focusing. This screw-thread arrangement avoids the need for very precise machining of the screw-threads on the focusing ring (22) and carrier (B) and provides for simple replacement of the followers (30) in the event of wear or damage.

The present invention relates to a screw-thread arrangement, and to a conversion arrangement for mounting optical units on cameras, particularly though not exclusively on film or television cameras.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a screw-thread arrangement for enabling two coaxial members to be rotated relative to one another to move the members axially one relative to another, the arrangement comprising:
a screw-thread formed on a radial surface of a first of the members and radially spaced from a second of the members; a plurality of follower positioned between the co-axial members and supported on the second of the members;
and means biasing the followers into engagement with the screwthread to cause the followers to follow the screw-thread on relative rotation of the members to move the members axially relative to one another.


A manufacturing apparatus, of a grinding stone which is manufactured by attaching abrasive grains respectively having polyhedral shapes in which mutually opposed surfaces are parallel to each other to a base member, is provided with: an abrasive grains classifying apparatus adapted to classify the abrasive grains based on sizes of the abrasive grains defined by face-to-face distances between the mutually opposed surfaces; and an attaching apparatus adapted to attach the abrasive grains classified by the abrasive grains classifying apparatus to the base member. The attaching apparatus is provided with: a template which is disposed above the base member to be movable with respect to the base member and formed with a guide hole through which the classified abrasive grains pass; a vibration generator connected to the template or the base member and adapted to apply a vibration to the abrasive grains passing through the template; and an electrolytic deposition bath adapted to electrolytic deposit the abrasive grains passing through the template.

A grinding stone is manufactured by attaching abrasive grains having polyhedral shapes to a base member. (For example, refer Patent Document 1: JP-A-2005-279842 (FIG. 4).)
Patent Document 1 is explained referring to FIG. 15(a) and FIG. 15(b). As shown in FIG. 15 (a), abrasive grains 202 are attached to an upper surface of a base member 201 through a plated layer 203. Then, as shown in FIG. 15(b), leading ends of the abrasive grains 202 are cut to align heights of the abrasive grains 202, thereby a grinding stone 205 is manufactured.
The inventors of the present invention have checked abrasive grains on the market for variations in their sizes. The check result has found that a grain diameter (for example, 200 μm) of an abrasive grain having the greatest grain diameter is two times or more than a grain diameter (for example, 50 μm) of an abrasive grain having the smallest grain diameter. In order to align the heights of the abrasive grains, it is necessary to adjust the heights of the abrasive grains to the height of the abrasive grain having the smallest grain diameter. Therefore, in some cases, for the height adjustment, the abrasive grain having the largest grain diameter is cut by half or more. That is, since projecting amount of the abrasive grains from the base member are different from each other, there are inevitably generated the abrasive grains that are cut greatly, which results in waste cutting.
It is desired to provide a grinding stone and a technique for manufacturing the grinding stone in which cutting amounts of the abrasive grains can be small.

Grinding stone, manufacturing method of grinding stone, and manufacturing apparatus of grinding stone


A soft-side portable animal carrier has an interior vertical partition wall to form separate compartments for transporting two small pets and each compartment has a releasable opening at the top and an end wall that can be opened completely to allow the animal easy egress. In an alternative configuration, each compartment has an interior partition wall and the carrier has a continuous zipper around its center to permit the compartments to be separated for individual use.

A variety of pet carriers have been developed, including soft-sided portable enclosures having one or more mesh sidewalls, zippered openings for receiving and containing the animal and various strap and handle arrangements to facilitate transporting the carrier. Animal carriers of my design and construction are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,941,195, 6,021,740 and 6,286,461, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The prior art carriers have been designed and constructed for receiving a single pet. Since pet owners often have two animals, it would be desirable to have a carrier that is capable of transporting two small animals in a single structure that can be easily picked up and/or carried by means of a shoulder strap or straps.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a soft-sided portable animal carrier having at least two compartments for receiving small animals that is stable and light-weight.
It is another object of the invention to provide a dual pet carrier that can be lifted and supported by a handle or shoulder straps while maintaining the animals inside in a secure and stable condition.
Another object of the invention is to provide a portable pet carrier for more than one animal that can be stowed under a seat on an airplane and that otherwise meets prevailing standards for pet carriers that will be accepted in the passenger compartment of an airplane.


Provided is a current mode step-down switching regulator which is capable of enhancing over-current limiting characteristics even when an over-current limiting function operates to reduce an output voltage. The current mode step-down switching regulator includes a pulse adjusting circuit. When an over-current is detected, a switching output signal is thinned out by the pulse adjusting circuit to be outputted in order to reduce an apparent oscillation frequency, thereby reducing an influence by response delay in an over-current detecting comparator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a current mode step-down switching regulator, and more particularly to an over-current limiting circuit of a current mode step-down switching regulator.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 6 shows a circuit diagram of an over-current limiting circuit of a conventional current mode step-down switching regulator. A switch 107 serves to supply an input voltage VIN to a coil 109. An error amplifier 101 amplifies a difference between a voltage obtained by dividing an output voltage VOUT at an output terminal 113 with a first resistor 110 and a second resistor 111, and a reference voltage VREF supplied from a reference voltage source 100.
A signal which is obtained by subtracting a correction ramp wave outputted from a slope correcting circuit 102 from an output signal from the error amplifier 101 in a subtracter 103 is inputted to an inverting input terminal of a comparator 104. The correction ramp wave outputted from the slope correcting circuit 102 has a saw-tooth-wave shape as shown in FIG. 6.
A signal which is obtained by converting a current caused to flow through the switch 107 into a voltage is inputted to a noninverting input terminal of the comparator 104. While not illustrated, normally, the current is detected using a sense resistor connected in series with the switch 107. The signal having a value proportional to the current caused to flow through the switch 107 is inputted as voltage information to the noninverting input terminal of the comparator 104.
When the output voltage VOUT is low, an output voltage from the error amplifier 101 increases. Hence, in order that a logical state of the comparator 104 may change from L to H, a voltage signal having a larger value needs to be applied to the noninverting input terminal of the comparator 104. That is, when the output voltage VOUT is low, causing a more current to flow through the switch 107 inverts the output signal from the comparator 104. An output signal from the comparator 104 is inputted to a reset terminal R of an SR-latch 106 through an OR circuit 115.
An oscillator 105 is connected to a set terminal S of the SR-latch 106. A pulse signal having a fixed period as shown in FIG. 6 is outputted from the oscillator 105. An output terminal Q of the SR-latch 106 is connected to the switch 107. When a voltage level at the output terminal Q of the SR-latch 106 becomes H, the switch 107 is turned ON.
Similarly to the case of the comparator 104, the signal which is obtained by converting the current caused to flow through the switch 107 into the voltage is inputted to a noninverting input terminal of an over-current detecting comparator 114. As described above, normally, the current is detected using the sense resistor connected in series with the switch 107. The signal having the value proportional to the current caused to flow through the switch 107 is also inputted as the voltage information to the noninverting input terminal of the over-current detecting comparator 114.
In addition, a reference voltage source 113 is connected to an inverting terminal of the over-current detecting comparator 114. An output terminal of the over-current detecting comparator 114 is connected to one input terminal of the OR circuit 115. When the current being caused to flow through the switch 107 increases, the voltage inputted to the noninverting input terminal of the over-current detecting comparator 114 increases accordingly. When this voltage becomes higher than the voltage set by the reference voltage source 113, the voltage level of the output signal from the over-current detecting comparator 114 becomes High. Thus, since the OR-latch 106 is reset, the switch 107 is turned OFF. That is, when an operation state becomes an over-current state, the switch 107 is turned OFF. As a result, an over-current limiting function of preventing the current from being caused to flow any more operates.
Upon turn-OFF of the switch 107, the value of the current caused to flow through the switch 107 becomes zero. Thus, since the voltage level of the output signal from the over-current detecting comparator 114 becomes Low, the SR-latch 106 is set with a next pulse outputted from the oscillator 105 to turn ON the switch 107. When the current caused to flow through the switch 107 increases again, the operation is repeatedly carried out in which the voltage level at the noninverting input terminal of the over-current detecting comparator 114 becomes High to turn OFF the switch 107 (refer to a detailed block diagram of a PWM controller (page 14) in a data sheet of a step-down controller, "MAX796/MAX797/MAX799", for a synchronous rectification type CPU power supply manufactured by MAXIM CO., LTD.).
When a load current increases to provide an over-current limiting state, the output voltage VOUT at the output terminal 113 decreases and thus a stable state is obtained. However, since the input voltage VIN at the input terminal 117 is constant, Duty of a signal used to control the switch 107 becomes small. Duty is practically determined by the following equation:Duty=VOUT/VIN
When Duty becomes small, an influence by response delay in the comparator 104 and the over-current detecting comparator 114 to Duty becomes large. FIG. 7 shows a relationship between a load current IOUT caused to flow through a load 116 connected to the output terminal 113, and the output voltage VOUT. When the load current IOUT exceeds an over-current detection level indicated by a point A, the over-current control function operates to make the output voltage VOUT 0 V. If a delay time of the comparator is zero, Duty is practically determined based on the equation of Duty=VOUT/VIN. However, in practice, the comparator has a delay time, and the delay time exerts an influence on Duty. When Duty (Duty time) determined by VOUT/VIN is large, the delay time in the comparator can be disregarded. However, when Duty becomes small, the influence by the delay time in the comparator cannot be disregarded. In the case of the conventional circuit shown in FIG. 6, there is encountered a problem in that when the output voltage VOUT is low, Duty cannot be reduced to a level equal to or smaller than the delay time in some cases due to the influence by the response delay of the comparator, and hence the over-current limiting function cannot operate.
The response delay in the comparator is constant irrespective of an oscillation frequency of the saw-tooth-wave outputted by the slope correcting circuit 102. Consequently, when the oscillation frequency becomes high, the influence by the delay time in the comparator becomes large similarly to the case where Duty becomes small. When the current limiting function does not operate, there arises a problem in that the current caused to flow into the coil 109 and the current caused to flow through the switching element 107 cannot be limited. Also, when the current exceeds an allowable current value, it becomes impossible to obtain the original inductance value. Moreover, when a MOSFET is used in the switching element 107, the MOSFET is heated.

Current mode step-down switching regulator


Notifications to computer users are provided via indicators such as lights. The indicators are controlled according to rules, to convey computer-related state information to users in a consistent manner. Locations of visible indicators are chosen to facilitate easy viewing. The rules dictate colors and/or illumination pattern components that together provide users with important computer-related information. For example, colors are assigned to types of information, and illumination patterns generally to behavior-related information. Colors may be combined in various illumination patterns. In one implementation, many or all of the visible indicators may be grouped together on a single control panel from rapid viewing. Alternatively, the visible indicators may be grouped by function or other logical arrangement, such as on the keyboard and/or frame of a monitor. Alternative light sources that illuminate the system (e.g., the monitor bezel) to convey state information, instead of or in addition to individual indicators, are also described.

With computer systems, alerts in the form of prompts, dialogs and the like often appear on the display to tell the user something specific, such as a warning or reminder. Typically this is accompanied by some audio data to draw the user's attention to the alert. Some alerts fade away, while others require that the user specifically dismiss them to ensure that the alert was not missed while the user was away.
People can also receive information in other ways, often without consciously recognizing that they are doing so. This is particularly true when nothing unusual is occurring; the data is subconsciously noted, mentally processed as normal, and then effectively discarded, or at least not brought to conscious attention. However, when something unusual is occurring, such as a light illuminated in one color when normally it is lit another color, or a blink or flash of a light when normally the light is steady, the unusual data that is being conveyed will gather attention. Over time, users become trained to intuitively recognize the meaning of such information when is important to them, or occurs frequently enough that the information is not really unusual, just different.
Except for specific alerts (or the absence of them), computer users receive very little useful information about what is actually going on in the computer system. Some of the scarce information that users do receive is whether the various external components of a computer system are receiving power, typically as indicated by an LED on each component. Keyboards typically have indicators for the NumLock and Caps Lock states, (and for Scroll Lock), and disk drives tend to have an LED and/or make an audible sound when being accessed so that the user knows that any delay is normal I/O delay. A few other basic indicators might be provided, such as a battery charge level indicator on a laptop, a media player LED that lights when in use, and so on. These indicators may provide some useful information to the user, but it is very limited.
Moreover, not only are there few external indicators for users, each providing very limited information, but there is no general consistency on what a given indicator means. For example, one component may use green for powered-up and amber to indicate receiving power but in some rest state, while another component may use amber whether powered up or sleeping, and not lit at all when switched off. Further, the indicators are located on each given component, scattered around the computer system, e.g., the power light is typically on the main housing, the media player light is on the drive, and/or the main housing, often making it hard for users to see without consciously making an effort to look for it, such as on a floor-standing personal computer.
What is needed is a method and system in the form of indicators that provide useful information to computer users for many types of state information, in a manner that is consistent as to their general meanings in the context of each indicator's component or device and with one another to a general extent. It also would be beneficial if the indicators were positioned so as to be easily visible without specifically looking for them, at locations that are logical and allow the state information to be subconsciously observed.

Notification lights, locations and rules for a computer system


An improved external trap apparatus 570 and a method for safely controlling drilling tool string components during oil field drilling operations includes a collar clamp 72 affixed to a drilling tool string lubricator 80 and configured with laterally spaced first and second vertical rails 120, 122 depending therefrom. Lubricator 80 also carries a lubricator clamp assembly 572 which is affixed to Lubricator 80 with inward clamping surfaces defining a non-circular or slightly elliptical central bore 574. Laterally spaced first and second vertical rails 120, 122 are configured to support a reinforced catcher plate assembly 164 carrying a tool-end receiving funnel receptacle 202 and first and second energy absorbing crush cylinders 160, 162. When the drill string 82 is raised or withdrawn from the well 28, the funnel receptacle 202 can be rotated into coaxial alignment to catch the drill string's end or downhole tool, in the event of an inadvertent loss of control of the drill string 82. Further disclosed is a sleeve/guide assembly to work in conjunction with the lubricator collar clamp, catcher plates, and crush cylinders.

Discussion of the Prior Art as is known in the art, the recovery of oil or other hydrocarbons from underground is commonly accomplished by means of a borehole 30, or well, which is drilled to reach a deposit (see, e.g., FIGS. 1A and 1B). Drilling operations typically use a directional boring tool having a cutting head 34 which incorporates drilling controls in communication with drilling controllers at the surface. The cutting head is threadedly attached to the distal end of a hollow drill rod or drill pipe which consists of various downhole components, including, for example, a bent sub for directional control, as well as an elongated string (e.g., 36) of steel drill pipe segments threadedly connected end-to-end, with each segment typically being ten (10) meters in length. Rotational motion may be imparted to the drill head by a downhole hydraulic motor or by rotating the drill string from the earth's surface to drive the boring tool with its cutting head and attached bit.
As is known, as the drill bit is rotated, a suitable drilling fluid, or mud, is pumped downwardly inside the hollow drill string and exits out of the cutting head, flowing out around the bit and upwardly in the drilled well in the annular space around the outside of the drill string 36 to transport material loosened by the bit upwardly and out of the borehole 30 at the well head. As the bit advances down the borehole, sections of drill pipe are added to the surface or proximal end of the drill string assembly to gradually lengthen it during the drilling.
Conventional directional drilling allows the borehole 30 to be drilled to great depths, or to be directed downwardly and then horizontally away from the well head to reach the deposits being sought. As the well is drilled, a suitable casing is installed to preserve the integrity of the borehole. Periodically, the drill bit and cutting head are withdrawn from the borehole for servicing or to permit various tools such as surveying equipment to be inserted into the well, and in such a circumstance the sections of drill pipe are disconnected sequentially as the string is lifted out. Upon completion of the drilling and casing operation, it is often necessary to finish the well, as by perforating the well casing at the location of the hydrocarbon deposit, to allow fluid communication between the producing formation and the interior of the well casing. Perforations are usually formed using a tool or tool string incorporating a perforating gun loaded with shaped charges. The gun is lowered into the well, for example by means of a wireline, and the gun is activated to detonate the shaped charges to perforate the casing and to allow fluids to flow from the formation into the production well. Perforating guns are only one example of the downhole tools that may be inserted into the well. An example of such a perforating system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,605, which is directed to a system for controlling the activation of a downhole tool.
The installation and removal of various drilling tools in a well or borehole 30 involves the use of heavy drilling tool strings suspended, for example, by wirelines or by cables 58 which must be raised and lowered during drilling operations. The weight of such equipment poses serious safety issues, for the cable 58 holding a tool string 36 can break or be disconnected because of defective materials, operator error, or for other reasons. Falling tool strings (e.g., 36) not only can cause serious and costly damage to drilling equipment as well as significant delays in the drilling operation, but can cause serious injury and death to oilfield workers. For this reason, tool string housings are suspended separately from the tool strings and are frequently provided with an internal "tool trap"; that is, a mechanism to catch accidentally released tool strings to prevent them from falling.
Such internal tool traps suffer from two significant drawbacks: (1) they do not cushion the impact of a falling tool string on the trap mechanism, potentially damaging the tool, and (2) they are ineffective when the tool string is lowered below the position of the trap in the housing, as happens during inspection of the tool string. It is therefore desirable that an improved tool trap be designed to address these issues.
A typical contemporary drill string assembly is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 8,534,382 to VanPelt et al, which provides nomenclature for and illustrates the components needed to support and rotate a drill string during drilling. A number of other patents describe tools, stabilizers and control systems for protecting drill strings, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,150 to Mason et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,948 to Fontana et al and U.S. Pat. No. 7,392,861 to Fouillou et al, all of which are incorporated herein by reference for understanding the state of the art and the relevant nomenclature.
None of the above cited references or patents, alone or in combination, address the safety issues encountered by oil field workers, particularly when a tool or a tool string (e.g., 36) is being raised and lowered by a conventional wireline, as happens during installation or inspection of the tool string.
Thus, there is an unmet need for an apparatus and a method for safely controlling drill string components during drilling operations so that when a downhole tool or tool string which is supported on a drill string, on a wireline, or on some other support mechanism is raised or withdrawn from the well, the tool supported on the distal end of the support mechanism will be prevented from falling uncontrollably if an inadvertent loss of control of the support mechanism occurs. More particularly, there is a need for a tool trap that meets the needs for safety outlined above.

External trap apparatus and method for safely controlling tool string assemblies


A system and method for battery protection. In some aspects, a battery pack includes a housing, a cell supported by the housing, a circuit supported by the housing and operable to control a function of the battery pack, and a heat sink in heat transfer relationship with the circuit and operable to dissipate heat from the circuit.

Cordless power tools are typically powered by portable battery packs. These battery packs range in battery chemistry and nominal voltage and can be used to power numerous tools and electrical devices. Typically, the battery chemistry of a power tool battery is either Nickel-cadmium ("NiCd"), Nickel-Metal Hydride ("NiMH") or lead-acid. Such chemistries are known to be robust and durable.

Method and system for protection of a lithium-based multicell battery pack including a heat sink


The disclosure relates to an initialization circuit for initializing memory cells of a memory array including a common bit line. Individual memory cells are coupled to the common bit line of the memory array via at least one pass element of the individual memory cells. The initialization circuit is operable for receiving a set of partition addresses specifying the partitions, i.e. the memory cells to be initialized. The initialization circuit is operable for successively initializing one cell of the partitions to be initialized and iteratively initializing the remaining memory cells of the partitions to be initialized. A number of memory cells initialized simultaneously in one iteration increases from one iteration to another iteration. Initializing a certain memory cell comprises activating the pass element of the cell so that the memory cell is connected to the bit line. Further aspects relate to methods for initializing memory cells and semiconductor circuits.

The disclosure relates to computer memory. More specifically, the disclosure relates to the initialization of memory blocks in computer memory.
Computer memory may be organized in a hierarchy, from processor registers, over multiple cache levels, to external main memory. The highest or uppermost cache level is the one closest to the processor, and the lowest cache level is the one closest to the main memory. Access latency is lowest, and bandwidth is highest, for registers and upper cache levels. For example, a data word in core static random access memory (SRAM) or core dynamic random access memory (DRAM) may be accessed in 1 (one) clock cycle. For the cache, accessing a data word may require two to tens of cycles, and for the main memory, up to hundreds of cycles.
Memory block initialization, e.g., clearing of relatively large blocks of memory so that each cell in the block of memory holds the same value (e.g., all cells hold '0' or all cells hold '1') after the initialization is completed, may be performed relatively frequently in a computer system, and may affect overall system performance.

Erasing a partition of an SRAM array with hardware support

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and apparatus is provided that uses a deep learning (DL) network together with a multi-resolution detector to perform X-ray projection imaging to provide improved resolution similar to a single-resolution detector but at lower cost and less demand on the communication bandwidth between the rotating and stationary parts of an X-ray gantry. The DL network is trained using a training dataset that includes input data and target data. The input data includes projection data acquired using a multi-resolution detector, and the target data includes projection data acquired using a single-resolution, high-resolution detector. Thus, the DL network is trained to improve the resolution of projection data acquired using a multi-resolution detector. Further, the DL network is can be trained to additional correct other aspects of the projection data (e.g., noise and artifacts).

Radiography systems and methods are widely used, particularly for medical imaging and diagnosis. Radiography systems generally create two-dimensional projection images through a subject's body. A radiation source, such as an X-ray tube, irradiates the body from one side. A collimator, generally adjacent to the X-ray source, limits the angular extent of the X-ray beam, so that radiation impinging on the body is substantially confined to a cone-beam/fan-beam region (i.e., an X-ray projection volume) defining an image volume of the body. At least one detector on the opposite side of the body receives radiation transmitted through the body substantially in the projection volume. The attenuation of the radiation that has passed through the body is measured by processing electrical signals received from the detector.
X-ray projection images having high spatial resolution are desirable in order to visualize fine details in the image. Further, the resolution of the reconstructed image depends on the resolution of the projection data. For example, spatial resolution can be limited by the detector pixel size. The resolution can be improved by decreasing the pixel size to have more pixels covering the same area. Decreasing the pixel size can, however, increase the cost of the detectors array, and the increased amount of data produced by more, smaller detector pixels can increase the demand for communication bandwidth to transmit the additional data from the detector across a slip ring to computer hardware performing computed tomography (CT) image reconstruction.
Accordingly, improved CT systems are desired in order to more effectively strike a balance between the tradeoff between increasing cost of the X-ray detector and the amount of data to be communicated across a slip ring on the one hand and improving resolution on the other hand.
The "background" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as conventional art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor implicitly admitted as conventional art against the present disclosure.

Apparatus and method combining deep learning (DL) with an X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner having a multi-resolution detector


A control for operating an inverter coupled to a switched reluctance machine includes a relative angle estimation circuit for estimating rotor angle for a phase in the switched reluctance machine. The relative angle estimation circuit estimates a phase voltage and thereby calculates phase flux linkage to estimate the rotor angle.

The present invention relates generally to motors/generators, more particularly, to high speed switched reluctance machines capable of starting a prime mover as well as generating electrical power for use on aircraft.
The aerospace industry has consistently driven the leading edge of technology with the requirement for lightweight, high efficiency, high reliability equipment. The equipment must be lightweight because each additional pound of weight translates directly into increased fuel burn, and therefore, a higher cost of ownership and shorter range. The need for high efficiency results from the fact that each additional cubic inch required for equipment displaces the amount of revenue-generating cargo and passengers that can be carried on an aircraft. High reliability is important because every minute of delay at the gate increases the cost of ownership, and likewise, increases passenger frustration.
For aircraft electric power generation systems, these pressures have precipitated great advancements in technology, but have also caused problems. Aircraft have typically used synchronous brushless AC generators or permanent magnet generators for electric power generation needs. Unfortunately, both of these types of generators require components which can fail due to the conditions under which they are required to operate (usually mounted directly on the aircraft jet engine).
In addition to an electrical generator, an engine starter is also typically installed on the aircraft engine. This component is used only during starting, which occupies only a very small fraction of each operational cycle of the aircraft. In effect, the starter becomes excess baggage during the remainder of the flight, increasing overall weight, fuel burn, and cost of ownership, and decreasing overall range. This problem has been recognized and efforts have been expended to combine the starter and generator into a single package, thus eliminating the need for an additional piece of equipment used only a fraction of the time. Unfortunately, using synchronous AC or permanent magnet generators for this purpose, in addition to creating new problems associated with the start function, does not eliminate the inherent problems with these machines as described above.
As an alternative to the use of the synchronous AC or the permanent magnet generator for this combined starter/generator function, a switched reluctance machine can be used. A switched reluctance machine is an inherently low cost machine, having a simple construction which is capable of very high speed operation, thus yielding a more lightweight design. The rotor of the switched reluctance machine is constructed from a simple stack of laminations making it very rugged and low cost without the containment problems associated with rotor windings or permanent magnets. Further, the rotor does not require rotating rectifiers, which contribute to failures, as does the AC synchronous machine.
In order to properly operate a switched reluctance machine, it has been found necessary in the past to determine the rotor position in order to properly commutate the currents flowing in the phase windings of the machine. Resolvers are used, particularly in high speed systems, or sometimes encoders in lower speed systems, to obtain a measure of rotor position. However, resolvers and required associated apparatus (chiefly, a resolver-to-digital converter and an excitation circuit) are expensive and both resolvers and encoders are a source of single point failure.
In order to obviate the need for position sensors, such as resolvers or encoders, sensorless operational techniques have been developed. The most trivial solution to sensorless operation is to control the switched reluctance machine as a stepper motor in the fashion disclosed in Bass, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,157 and MacMinn U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,543. In an alternative technique, machine inductance or reluctance is detected and utilized to estimate rotor position. Specifically, because the phase inductance of a switched reluctance machine varies as a function of angle from alignment of the stator pole for that phase and a rotor pole, a measurement of instantaneous phase inductance can be utilized to derive an estimate of rotor position. See MacMinn, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,839, MacMinn, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,596, Harris "Practical Indirect Position Sensing for a Variable Reluctance Motor," Masters of Science Thesis, MIT, May 1987, Harris, et al. "A Simple Motion Estimator for Variable Reluctance Motors," IEEE Transactions on Industrial Applications, Vol. 26, No. 2, March/April, 1990, and MacMinn, et al. "Application of Sensor Integration Techniques to Switched Reluctance Motor Drives," IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol. 28, No. 6, November/December, 1992.
More particularly, the phase inductance L, for a given phase current I.sub.phase and a given flux linkage .PSI., is defined as: EQU L=.PSI./I.sub.phase
wherein the flux linkage for the particular phase can be calculated for a given phase voltage V.sub.phase and a given phase resistance R.sub.phase as follows: EQU .PSI.=.intg.(V.sub.phase -I.sub.phase R.sub.phase)dt+C
Previous techniques for sensorless determination of rotor position have actually measured phase voltage and current magnitudes. However, measurement of the phase voltage magnitude results in the need for additional sensors and conductors between the inverter and the controller, thereby introducing additional costs and potential for failures.
In a further technique, phase inductance can be determined using a frequency modulation approach whereby a non-torque producing phase forms part of a frequency modulation encoder. See Ehsani, et al. "Low Cost Sensorless Switched Reluctance Motor Drives for Automotive Applications," Texas A&M Power Electronics Laboratory Report (date unknown), Ehsani, et al. "An Analysis of the Error in Indirect Rotor Position Sensing of Switched Reluctance Motors," IEEE Proceedings IECON '91, Ehsani "A Comparative Analysis of SRM Discrete Shaft Position Sensor Elimination by FM Encoder and Pulsed Impedance Sensing Schemes," Texas A&M Power Electronics Laboratory Report, (date unknown) and Ehsani, et al. "New Modulation Encoding Techniques for Indirect Rotor Position Sensing in Switched Reluctance Motors," IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol. 30, No. 1, January/February, 1994.
A model-based approach to rotor position estimation has been developed by General Electric Company and is disclosed in Lyons, et al. "Flux/Current Methods for SRM Rotor Position Estimation," Proceedings of IEEE Industry Applications Society Annual Meeting, Vol. 1, 1991, and Lyons, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,190. In this technique, a multi-phase lumped parameter model of the switched reluctance machine is developed and utilized. However, the model has been developed only for a three-phase machine wound in a north-south-north-south-north-south configuration.
A position estimation subsystem has been developed by the assignee of the instant application and includes a relative angle estimation circuit, an angle combination circuit and an estimator in the form of a Kalman filter. The relative angle estimation circuit is responsive to the phase currents and voltages of the switched reluctance machine and develops an angle estimate for each phase. The angle combination circuit combines the phase angle estimates to obtain an absolute angle estimate which eliminates ambiguities that would otherwise be present. The Kalman filter utilizes a model of the switched reluctance machine system as well as the absolute angle measurement to form a better estimate of the rotor position and velocity and, if necessary or desirable for other purposes, the rotor acceleration.
The simplest approach is to utilize the estimated rotor position developed by the Kalman filter to directly control commutation. However, the time required to estimate rotor position limits the number of position estimates that can be developed per electrical cycle by the Kalman filter, and hence an instantaneous position generation circuit is provided to convert the output of the Kalman filter to a signal that can properly control commutation.
An object of the present invention is to provide a flux integrator for use in the above-noted relative angle estimation circuit for deriving an estimate of rotor angle utilizing estimates of the phase voltage dependent upon a logic state of the commutation circuitry. It is further an object to provide a control for a sensorless switched reluctance machine wherein the control has a minimum number of components, thereby reducing complexity and costs. It is yet a further object to increase reliability without any sacrifice in precision.
These and other objects and advantages are attained by the provision of an apparatus that estimates the phase voltage and thereby computes the flux linkage for each phase to estimate the relative angular position of the rotor.
In one embodiment of the invention, the flux linkage is calculated by an analog flux integrator.
In another embodiment of the invention, a digital flux integrator calculates the flux linkage to improve reliability, decrease costs by reducing the number of components and increase the speed by removing analog to digital conversion steps. Still further, the digital flux integrator has the flexibility to be implemented through discrete digital logic hardware, a programmable logic device, a custom logic device, software or some combination thereof.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, in the event of a sufficiently high DC bus voltage magnitude, the flux integrator can be simplified.
These and other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the drawings and following detailed description.

Relative angel estimation apparatus for a sensorless switched reluctance machine system


A precision mold insert and method for manufacturing angled or angled and bumpered multi-fiber ferrules. The precision mold insert includes an angled end face forming portion, one or more optional bumper forming portions, one or more fiber bores for receiving one or more fiber bore forming pins, and one or more guide pin holes for receiving one or more guide pin hole forming pins. A method for manufacturing a precision mold insert for molding angled or angled and bumpered multi-fiber ferrules utilizing electrical discharge machining (EDM) process and/or a poly crystalline diamond (PCD) grinding tool is provided. The mold insert is used to produce a multi-fiber ferrule having a pre-molded angled end face that is not machined, polished or otherwise altered subsequent to the molding process. The ferrule may also include bumpers for polishing end portions of optical fibers positioned within the fiber bores without altering the angled end face.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mold insert for molding multi-fiber ferrules, and more specifically, to a precision insert for molding angled and bumpered multi-fiber ferrules and associated methods of manufacture.
2. Technical Background
Fiber optic cables require optical connectors or ferrules to link discrete segments of optical fibers. As used herein, the term "ferrule" refers to a component of a connector assembly that receives a terminal end of one or more optical fibers or an optical fiber ribbon and aligns with an opposing ferrule to optically couple corresponding optical fibers to transmit an optical signal or signals. In order to minimize signal losses across a ferrule-to-ferrule optical connection, it is important that the opposing optical fibers be precisely aligned. The precision of opposing optical fibers is more sensitive with multi-fiber ferrules due to the presence of multiple optical fibers and the tolerance buildup associated the location of each fiber relative to the other fibers and relative to a common axis.
Referring to FIGS. 1a-b, a prior art multi-fiber ferrule 10 typically includes a plurality of optical fibers arranged in one or more rows along the end face 12 of the ferrule. The "end face" of the ferrule refers to the portion of the ferrule that includes the optical fiber bores 11 and is disposed between a pair of openings 13 for receiving guide or alignment pins. The portion of the end face including and adjacent the optical fiber bores 11 is referred to herein as the "region of interest" 14 (see FIG. 1b) and in the prior art ferrules shown, is altered after molding by contact during subsequent machining and polishing processes. Ferrules may be produced having an end face 12 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the ferrule body. As shown, ferrules may also be produced having an end face 12 with an angle other than perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the ferrule body, such as an end face having an angle of about 8 degrees based on industry standards. Ferrules may also be produced with an end face 12 having both a flat (perpendicular) portion and an angled portion. The angle is typically introduced into the end face 12 of the ferrule body by machining (e.g., grinding) the end face a flat ferrule subsequent to the ferrule molding process. By machining the angle in as opposed to molding the angle, the end face 12 of every ferrule must be individually machined after being removed from the mold. Subsequent machining steps may lead to a decrease in uniformity and a decrease in the predictability of performance, as well as a significant increase in production time.
In addition to the disadvantages described above, subsequent machining may also result in movement of the optical fiber bores 11 as the angle is machined into the end face 12, thus adversely affecting the positions of the fibers in the final angled ferrule and decreasing ferrule performance. In particular, the positions of the optical fiber bores 11 after the ferrule is removed from the mold may differ from the positions of the optical fiber bores after the end face is machined to introduce the angle. The movement of the fiber bores 11 may result from the wavering of the fiber bore forming pins throughout the length of the ferrule body or the inability to maintain the pins in straight parallel positions during the molding process. FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate the positions of the fiber bores 11 before and after machining. FIG. 2a is an end face view of a molded ferrule 10 having a flat end face portion 16 molded perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the ferrule body. The position of each individual fiber bore 11 results from the position of the corresponding fiber bore forming pin at the interface with the mold insert. Thus, the positions of the fiber bores 11 are controlled to provide a single row of fiber bores positioned along a common axis X. Referring to FIG. 2b, as the flat end face portion 16 is machined to introduce an angle on the end face (the angled portion is indicated generally at reference number 12), the optical fiber bores 11 may move relative to their initial positions due to the inability to maintain the straightness of the fiber bore forming pins during the molding process. While a very slight movement of the fiber bores 11 after polishing may not adversely affect ferrule performance, a movement of more than about 0.1 microns from the initial position of the bore away from or along the common axis 18 result in fiber-to-fiber misalignment and decreased ferrule performance.
Therefore, it is desirable to rapidly and economically produce a large number of substantially identical ferrules having an end face with a predetermined angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the ferrule body, without having to machine each ferrule subsequent to the molding process. Further, it would be desirable to produce a molded ferrule having an end face that does not require machining or polishing the end face, and particularly the region of interest, subsequent to the ferrule molding process. Still further, it would be desirable to mold a multi-fiber ferrule having an angled end face including a plurality of optical fiber bores positioned in controlled and predictable positions along a common axis on the end face of the ferrule using a precision mold insert and molding process to avoid the possibility of fiber bore drift that commonly occurs during machining the end face of the ferrule subsequent to molding. To achieve such a molded ferrule, what is needed is a precision mold insert and associated method for manufacturing a multi-fiber ferrule using the precision insert.

Precision insert for molding ferrules and associated methods of manufacture


The present invention relates to methods and catalysts for producing methylbenzyl alcohol from ethanol by catalytic conversion, and belongs to the field of chemical engineering and technology. The present invention develops a route of producing methylbenzyl alcohol starting from green and sustainable ethanol and provide corresponding catalysts used for the catalytic conversion route. This innovative reaction route has several advantages, such as, simple process, eco-friendly property, and easy separation of products, as compared with a traditional petroleum-based route. This present route has a reaction temperature of 150-450° C. and total selectivity of 72% for methylbenzyl alcohol, and has good industrial application prospect. The innovation of this patent comprises the catalysts synthesis and the reaction route.

Methylbenzyl alcohol with oxygen containing groups is an important organic chemical intermediate, and is produced from xylene by oxidation at high pressure (0.4-3.0 MPa). Xylene is produced by steam cracking or catalytic reforming of naphthol derived from petroleum. However, under severe oxidation conditions, the obtained target products are further oxidized to produce a large amount of derivatives of aid and ester, resulting in low selectivity (−40%) of the target products and difficulty in separation of products. However, the target products shift of the oil refinery to gasoline, causing global shortage of aromatic feedstock. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a route to produce methylbenzyl alcohols from other alternative feedstocks directly.
The availability of the ethanol is further increased on basis of the industrialization of ethanol production from syngas and through fermentation of biomass. The ethanol in China has an output of up to 15 million tons in 2015. The ethanol as an available platform molecule with oxygen groups can be converted into oxygenates such as acetaldehyde and high carbon alcohols (C4-12) through dehydrogenation, C-C coupling and dehydrocyclization reaction. However, the currently reported catalysts show poor selectivity for high chain products, especially aromatic oxygenates, because of the co-existence of several complicated competition reactions during the ethanol chain growth process. Resasco et al. adopt acetaldehyde-ethanol mixture as the reactant and detect only a small amount of tolyl aldehyde produced on MgO and MgO modified faujasite [ChemSusChem 2016, 9, 736]. Flaherty et al. adopt a co-feed of acetaldehyde-ethanol mixture (acetaldehyde/ethanol=1:3) and detect tolyl aldehyde and xylyl alcohol produced on the hydroxyapatite catalyst, the selectivities are respectively 30% and 3%, and the conversion of acetaldehyde is 55% [ACS Catal. 2016, 6, 7278]. To sum up, it is extremely challenging to producing aromatic oxygenates from ethanol by efficient catalytic conversion.
Therefore, the development of a route for direct conversion of ethanol to methylbenzyl alcohol saves energy, achieves high efficiency, meets the urgent demand for sustainable development and then, can possibly replace or partially replace the petroleum-based routes. On the other hand, a direct production technology also contributes to alleviate aromatics shortage and ensure the safety of social and economic development in China.

Method and catalyst for producing methylbenzyl alcohol from ethanol by catalytic conversion


A power-generating system includes a heat source having a temperature that goes up and down over time; a first device that undergoes electric polarization due to a temperature change of the heat source; and a second device that takes out an electric power from the first device.

Conventionally, a large amount of heat energy is released and lost as, for example, waste heat, light, etc. in various energy-using devices such as internal combustion engines including an automobile engine; heat exchangers including a boiler and air-conditioning equipment; motor generators including a power generator and a motor; and luminous devices including lightings.
Nowadays, recovery and recycling of released heat energy as an energy source has been required in view of energy conservation, and as such a method, for example, Non-Patent Document 1 below has proposed a thermoelectric generator (TEG), in which an exhaust gas heat exchanger is provided between an exhaust gas purifying catalyst and a muffler in an exhaust gas system of automobiles, and in the exhaust gas heat exchanger, the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe is homogenized, and a thermoelectric element (thermoelectric module) composed of Bi2Te3 is disposed between the exhaust pipe and a radiator.
In the thermoelectric generator, the thermoelectric element is disposed between the exhaust pipe warmed by the exhaust gas, and the radiator, and a temperature difference is caused at one side and the other side thereof to generate electricity by the Seebeck effect of the thermoelectric element. The thus obtained electric power is usually stored in onboard batteries via a step-up DC-DC converter, and used suitably as necessary.


A system is provided to perform non-recursive signal processing tasks using a sampled data technique and a network of switched-capacitor filters. The input analog signal is sampled in a time sequence manner at regular time intervals in order to obtain analog-valued samples. These samples are collected into data blocks and the data blocks are assembled into a set of data blocks. The successive data blocks belonging to a set of data blocks partially overlap with the first data block. The non-recursive signal processing is performed on all of the data blocks of the set substantially simultaneously, using a parallel network of switched capacitor filters, in order to produce a processed analog output signal. Each individual processing path of the parallel network of switched capacitor filters processes a specific data block of the set of data blocks. The number of parallel processing paths is the same as one plus the degree of the polynomial representing the desired or overall input/output equation characterizing the non-recursive signal processing. An implementing architecture can be simplified by factorizing the polynomial representing the input/output equation into smaller sized polynomial sub-tasks that can each be implemented by a sub-system of parallel network of switched capacitor filters of smaller complexity.

Advanced signal processing tasks have become increasingly demanding as technology has advanced. Much of this added demand is based on required and/or desired speeds at which the signal processing is intended to occur. Implementing these signal processing tasks becomes, therefore, more complex as well.
Feedforward processing, rather than feedback processing, can reduce the complexity of signal processing tasks and increase throughput in certain signal processing architectures. This is particularly advantageous in signal processing architectures that include, for example, filters with linear phase or constant group delay requirements. Non-recursive signal processing tasks are a class of such signal processing tasks that are accomplished without any feedback-based signal processing. The input/output equations that characterize non-recursive signal processing approaches represent feed-forward relationships between an output signal and an input signal.
Finite impulse response (FIR) filters represent a class of filters most commonly implemented with digital circuits. FIR filters have one or more feedforward paths, but no feedback loops. FIR filters possess other desirable properties such as achieving linear-phase frequency response. FIR filters can employ either digital or analog sampled data techniques. FIR filters differ from infinite impulse response (IIR) filters, which feedback filter states to generate a filtered output.
Sampled data techniques are used to implement signal-processing tasks in a variety of signal processing applications. In these applications, a sampler can sample a signal at discrete and regular time intervals. The signal samples are then processed by any of several techniques, the most common of which are digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. DSP techniques convert analog signal samples into corresponding digital representations and perform arithmetic operations on the digital representations via processing elements such as registers, adders/subtractors and multipliers.
Various FIR implementation schemes are discussed in "A Switched-Capacitor Realization of Multiple FIR Filters on a Single Chip," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 23, No. 2, April 1988. This reference describes differing implementations of FIR filters, cataloging their attendant advantages and disadvantages.
A drawback of many DSP techniques is required conversion of signal samples into a corresponding digital representation using analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/D conversion can severely limit processing speeds. Also, A/D conversion may inaccurately resolve or quantize the signal to a small numbers of bits. Operations performed on resolution-limited data tend to yield outputs with poor signal-to-noise (SNR) ratios. These outputs, when further processed through different filters, yield output signals that have poor reproduced integrity with respect to the input signals. This poor integrity can be a result of limited resolution processing operations resulting from high-speed signal processing constraints. As such, as speeds increase, resolution coincidentally decreases.
Additionally, if analog output signals are required, digital representations of output samples computed by DSP-based signal processing systems must be re-converted into an equivalent analog signal via digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion techniques. Requiring D/A conversion components adds complexity, tends to increase power consumption and cost, further contributes to signal distortion, and results in further limitation to system signal-processing speed.
A variety of signal processing implementation options that do not convert analog samples into equivalent digital representations exist. These implementation techniques process analog-valued samples to varying accuracies at increasingly high speeds. Two of these signal-processing implementations as described in the above-cited reference are Charge Coupled Device (CCD) based implementations, and analog Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Switched-Capacitor (SC) based sampled-data implementations.
As indicated in the above-cited reference, signal processing implementations that are based on CCD technology are less attractive than SC implementations in that they tend to require non-standard processing technologies that often make them expensive and somewhat difficult to implement. CCD technology based solutions also tend to suffer by limiting dynamic range due to difficulty in, among other shortfalls, realizing output charge-to-voltage conversion amplifier.
Implementations based on SC devices have gained wider acceptance in achieving even higher speeds than those that are achievable with other DSP-based sampled data techniques. SC device based implementations tend to have larger dynamic ranges as compared to those of CCD technology based implementations. CMOS implementations offer very mature, cost effective technology solutions, which can enable further improvements in signal processing speeds and/or operating rates. Speed improvements made possible by CMOS technology based solutions can also be realized through reductions in physical dimensions of transistors and reductions in line widths for inter-circuit element connections. CMOS based sampled data techniques are also advantageous because they require no A/D or D/A conversion, thereby simplifying circuit design. Resulting semiconductor fabrication steps for these circuits also tend to be much less specialized than those conventionally required for CCD based implementations.
Sampled-data, non-recursive signal processing tasks find wide utility for applications in spectral analysis, radar signal processing, image compression, and spread spectrum communications. Some of these applications benefit from using Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters for which the duration of the filter impulse response is are based on the above-mentioned advantages. In contrast to non-recursive or IIR filters, FIR filters can be designed to have a linear phase response, i.e., for each given frequency, the phase of the filter output, relative to the filter input at that frequency, is proportional to frequency. Linear phase filters include constant group delays and symmetric impulse responses. Linear phase characteristics are desirable in applications that are particularly sensitive to phase distortion. For example, a linear phase characteristics are desirable for applications that use Discrete Fourier Transforms (DFT) or the Discrete Cosine Transforms (DCT).
Switched-capacitor (SC) filter technology based implementations of the FIR filters can operate at a given sampling frequency, Fs, and over a given sampling period, where the sampling period is a reciprocal of the given sampling frequency. To recap, switched-capacitor (SC) FIR filters tend to: (1) be faster, (2) offer higher dynamic range, (3) be more power-efficient, and (4) be more compact, particularly in comparison to other sampled data techniques. For example, at the very high speed end of the range, such as for applications at Giga-Samples per Second (GSPS), SC based solutions can realize these processing speeds with better output signal integrity, as measured by one or more characteristics such as signal to noise ratio, dynamic range, or signal and noise cross spectral density, compared to other Digital Signal Processing (DSP) based solutions. SC based solutions do not require analog-to-digital (A/D) or digital-to-analog converters; thereby eliminating quantization noise and reducing cost. A/D converters used for very high-speed signal processing applications, for example, can be very expensive even at a precision of just a few bits (2 or 3 bits/sample). The SC based solutions have smaller footprint and can be implemented using mature, low power and high speed CMOS technology.
An additional advantage as compared to CCD-based implementation is that the SC based solution is easier to integrate on an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Unlike CCD technology solutions, SC based solutions do not require expensive non-standard semiconductor processing steps that tend to be incompatible with ASICs. However, currently available filter implementations based on SC technologies use designs and methods that include a more complex mix and number of circuit elements typically result in increased semiconductor die size, power consumption, and cost, and can thus decrease operating frequency or speed. For example, the size and complexity of analog multiplexers needed in some SC filter designs can increase rapidly as a number of filter coefficients increases.

Compact switched-capacitor FIR filter implementation


Interconnect metallization schemes and devices for flip chip bonding are disclosed and described. Metallization schemes include an adhesion layer, a diffusion barrier layer, a wetable layer, and a wetting stop layer. Various thicknesses and materials for use in the different layers are disclosed and are particularly useful for metallization in implantable electronic devices such as neural electrode arrays.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to techniques and devices using flip chip bonding. More particularly, the present invention relates metallization schemes.
2. Related Art
Implantable electronic devices provide the potential to improve the quality of life for many patients. For example, devices are currently known which can help to regulate cardiac rhythm, provide automatic defibrillation, and the like. Activities are underway to develop new devices which can directly interface prosthetic devices to the human nervous system. Such devices may enable paraplegics to regain at least partial control of their bladder or limbs, provide vision for the blind, or restore vocal cord function. Promising initial results have already been obtained with some experiments of implanting neural interfaces into patients.
Implantable electronic devices present many challenges such as material compatibilities, identification of complex neural pathways and associated functions, device sizes, among others. The in vivo environment presents liquids and materials which can be quite corrosive to non-native materials. Implanted devices may provoke immune system reactions and cause other problems. Certain materials can aggravate undesired responses to the living organism in which they are implanted. In general, biocompatible materials are those which have the ability to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific application. Implantable electronic devices can use biocompatible materials, but this tends to limit the choices of materials available. For example, lead tends to be toxic and therefore is typically enclosed in a metal container.
It is desirable for implantable electronic devices to be small to minimize trauma caused by insertion and presence of the device, especially in chronic applications. Conventionally, implantable devices are often packaged in a metal enclosure. While the metal enclosure provides an effective barrier between the electronics and the in-vivo environment, considerable bulk and size is added by the metal enclosure. Such an enclosure approach is also impractical, however, for neural interface arrays which require multiple electrical signal interfaces between the electronics and the living body into which it is implanted. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,088 to Normann et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a three-dimensional electrode device which can be used as a neural or cortical implant. The device of Norman, also known as the "Utah Electrode Array" can be used to provide a neural interface to electrical equipment for sensing and/or stimulation.
However, these and other approaches still suffer from drawbacks such as large telemetry, material incompatibilities, reliability, among others. As such, devices and methods which facilitate improved telemetry and biocompatibility which are suitable for use in practical applications continue to be sought through ongoing research and development efforts.

Flip chip metallization method and devices

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewan


The present invention provides an exposure apparatus which transfers a pattern of a mask to a substrate, including a measurement unit configured to measure, at a first measurement point and a second measurement point, a height of a measurement target portion in a shot region of the substrate held by a stage, and a control unit configured to move the stage in a direction of height of the substrate based on a correction result of correcting, by a set correction value, a measured height of the measurement target portion at the first measurement point in a acceleration period of the stage, and when a measured height of the measurement target portion at the second measurement point in the constant speed period of the stage deviates from an allowable range, obtain a new correction value instead of the set correction value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device fabrication method.
2. Description of the Related Art
When fabricating a semiconductor device or the like by using a photolithography technique, a step-and-scan exposure apparatus is used to transfer the pattern of a mask (reticle) while scanning the mask and the substrate. In order to increase the productivity in such an exposure apparatus, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-238707 has proposed a technique of measuring the surface position (height) of a substrate held by a substrate stage while the substrate stage is accelerated (or decelerated).
However, when the surface position of a substrate is measured during acceleration of the substrate stage, the measurement result contains an error (measurement error) because the structure of the apparatus main body and the substrate stage are deformed owing to acceleration of the substrate stage. To solve this, a correction value (offset) for correcting a measurement error is obtained in advance, and a substrate is exposed while a measurement result obtained during acceleration of the substrate stage is corrected based on the correction value.
However, the measurement error changes depending on layout conditions such as the size and arrangement of the shot regions of a substrate and the exposure order of shot regions, and driving conditions such as the speed and acceleration of the substrate stage. Therefore, every time layout conditions and driving conditions are changed, the correction value for correcting a measurement error needs to be obtained.
Deformations (deformation amounts) of the structure and substrate stage change over time owing to a temperature change. The temporal changes of the deformation amounts the structure and substrate stage cause a change of the measurement error contained in the measurement result. Thus, the correction value for correcting a measurement error needs to be obtained again.
In this case, for example, when the correction value is obtained for each shot region, the same time as that of an exposure process for one substrate is required to obtain the correction value, greatly decreasing the productivity.

Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device fabrication method


A three-dimensional porous photonic structure, whose internal pore surfaces can be provided with desired surface properties in a spatially selective manner with arbitrary patterns, and methods for making the same are described. When exposed to a fluid (e.g., via immersion or wicking), the fluid can selectively penetrate the regions of the structure with compatible surface properties. Broad applications, for example in security, encryption and document authentication, as well as in areas such as simple microfluidics and diagnostics, are anticipated.

Three dimensional (3D) photonic crystals (PCs), materials with a 3D-periodic variation in refractive index, have been the subject of extensive scientific interest since their inception over two decades ago. Even when there is not sufficient index-contrast to allow a complete 3D photonic bandgap, 3D PCs display exceptionally bright reflected colors arising from photonic stop gaps in particular crystal directions. Structural colors from PC structures are exhibited in a wide range of biological organisms, and often display dynamic tunability. Infiltration and inversion of porous 3D photonic crystals with materials that are capable of dynamic actuation has produced a broad class of PCs with structural colors that can be dynamically manipulated by various forces, such as mechanical force, temperature, electrostatic/electrochemical forces, and the like. However, the surface properties of these porous structures were more or less uniform throughout the photonic crystal.

Manipulation of fluids in three-dimensional porous photonic structures with patterned surface properties

President and Fellows of Harvard College


Cosmetic bases consisting of alkylene oxide derivatives represented by the general formula (I): Z—{O(AO)l(EO)m—(BO)nH}a(I) wherein Z is a residue derived from a compound having three to nine hydroxyl groups by the removal of the hydroxyl groups; a is 3 to 9; AO is C3-4 oxyalkylone; EO is oxyethylene; l and m represent the average numbers of added C3-4 oxyalkylene molecules and oxyalkylene molecules respectively and satisfy the relationships: 1≦1≦50 and l≦m≦50 respectively; the AO/EO weight ratio is 1/5 to 5/1 and AO's and EO's may be added at random or in block; BO is oxyalkylene having 4 carbon atoms; and n represents the average number of added BO molecules and satisfies the relationship: 0.5≦n≦5.

Humectants have become essential for cosmetics and there is a tendency to favor those having high moist and refreshing feel in view of the recent trend of consumers. However, humectants and cosmetics capable of coping with such demands have not sufficiently been obtained yet.
For example, while watersoluble polyhydric alcohols typically represented by glycerin, polypropylene glycol and 1,3-butylene glycol have excellent moist feel, sticky feel in noted when blending them at a high concentration. When blending triglyceride or silicone oil, etc. intending to provide smooth feel, since there is no compatibility between both of then, a great amount of an emulsifier is necessary, which lowers the smooth feel or moist feel.
In view of the above, for providing properties of both of moist and smooth feel with a water soluble basic agent, while cosmetics blended with N-acetyl basic amino acid (for example, in Japanese Patent publication No. 2002-87928A), poly-γ-glutamic acid crosslinked polymer (or example, in Japanese Patent publication No. 2003-12442A, or PEG dialkyl ether (for example, in Japanese Patent publication No. 10-167948A) have been reported, none of them have yet provided a sufficient effect at present.
Further, in a case of egg cosmetics for moisture retention, they became dry when an applied portion is washed away with a soap or the like, and it is necessary to compensate for the loss of moist skin feel, for example, by re-applying another moisturizing cosmetic such as cream.
While Japanese Patent publication No. 2003-113023A discloses skin cosmetics comprising an alkylene aside derivative, the state after wading away the applied portion with a soap or the like has not yet been studied.

Cosmetic bases and cosmetics containing the same


A method of testing a computer system in a testing environment formed of a network of routers, servers, and firewalls. Performance of the computer system is monitored. A log is made of the monitored performance of the computer system. The computer system is subjected to hostile conditions until it no longer functions. The state of the computer system at failure point is recorded. The performance monitoring is done with substantially no interference with the testing environment. The performance monitoring includes monitoring, over a sampling period, of packet flow, hardware resource utilization, memory utilization, data access time, or thread count. A business method entails providing a testing environment formed of a network of network devices including routers, servers, and firewalls, while selling test time to a customer on one or more of the network devices during purchased tests that test the security of the customer's computer system. The purchased tests are conducted simultaneously with other tests for other customers within the testing environment. Customer security performance data based on the purchased tests is provided without loss of privacy by taking security measures to ensure that none of the other customers can access the security performance data. The tests may also be directed to scalability or reliability of the customer's computer system. Data about a device under test is gathered using a managed information kernel that is loaded into the devices operating memory before its operating system. The gathered data is prepared as managed information items.

Testing of software and hardware is a daunting undertaking. A simple program to add only two integer inputs of 32-bits (yielding 264 distinct test cases) would take hundreds of years, even if tests were performed at a rate of thousands per second. Given the complexity of modern software, testing every permutation of all of the inputs and all of the functions of a software program is not possible. However, not testing software and hardware, particularly when our lives, finances and security depend on the proper operation of this technology, is unthinkable (or should be).
The challenge of testing software is made even more complex in today's vastly distributed networks like the Internet. Identifying and remedying problems that arise through unexpected interactions with third party software and hardware is extremely difficult.
The challenge is to find a means to exercise software and hardware systems (collectively, sometimes referred to as a "system") to minimize the risk that the system will break down, produce erroneous data, or permit unauthorized access to data when operating in a real-world environment, or that the system cannot be expanded to handle increasing traffic.
Performance, capacity, and stress testing are all closely related, and load tests can be used to perform all three. The difference is in which test metrics are being evaluated. Performance testing determines the response times a user can expect from a system as the system is subjected to increasing load. Capacity testing determines how many concurrent and total users a system can handle with a predetermined acceptable level of performance. Capacity planning determines how many concurrent and total users a system needs to be able to support to meet the business objectives of system operator. For example, the business objective might be, "The server needs to be able to support 400 concurrent users with response times under five seconds, and the database needs to support one million total users." Capacity planning also involves determining what hardware and software is required to meet those business objectives.
Scalability is an important consideration in capacity planning because business objectives may change, requiring that the system handle more traffic. Naturally, an operator will want to add increased capacity to its site at the lowest cost possible.
Capacity testing is used to validate that a solution meets the business objectives determined during capacity planning. Stress testing is designed to determine the maximum load a system can sustain while generating fewer errors (e.g., timeouts) than a predetermined acceptable rate. Stress and stability testing also examines and tries to determine the maximum load a Web site can sustain without crashing.
Since the events of Sep. 11, 2001, additional test protocols have been developed to evaluate systems with respect to information assurance, authentication and controlled access. Addressing these security concerns may impact the performance of a system.
System testing today comes in several forms. Hardware manufacturers provide test beds to test software on branded servers, but the test bed does not facilitate scalability or other capacity testing. Third party testing tools allow system developers to perform testing in a "micro-environment" but do not provide means to test in a real-world environment.
A load testing system has been described as having multiple load testing servers that are configured to apply a load to a target web site, or other target server system, remotely over the Internet. The described system provides no ability for instrumentation in a closed area and no ability to bring testing to break point. For additional details, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,483 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,560,564 to Scarlatt et al.
A system has been described that uses an altered form of client cache which purports to enable more realistic and representative client requests to be issued during the testing process. The described system does not teach an infrastructure with full instrumentation that can be tested to failure, nor does it teach a method for replicating the complexity of large-scale server deployment of applications on multiple servers in large distributed environments like Internet or LAN. For additional details, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,544 to Nesbitt et al.
A structure has been described for generating packet streams that are configurable to simulate non-consecutive network traffic (e.g., Internet traffic). For additional details, refer to published patent application US 2003-0012141 by Gerrevink.
A method and system has been described for simulating multiple concurrent clients on a network server to stress test the server. For additional details, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,492 to Rowe.
A system has been described for test communications network performance utilizing a test scenario simulating actual communications traffic on the network to be tested. Performance data may be monitored at one of the endpoint nodes of each endpoint node pair and reported to the console node either as it is generated or after completion of the test. For additional details, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,335 to Schwaller et al.
Methods and systems have been described for testing stateful network communications devices are disclosed. According to one test method, stateful and simulated stateless sessions are established with a device under test. Packets are sent to the device under test over the stateful and stateless connections. Information received on the stateful connections is used to alter test conditions on the stateless connections. As a result, a realistic mix of network traffic can be achieved with a reduced amount of hardware. For additional details, refer to published patent application US 2003-0088664 by Hannel et al.
A system and method have been described for simulating a plurality of TCP connections directed toward an Internet site under test. The method includes retrieving information from the TCP connection and recording statistics related to the information. For additional details, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,557 to Foss et al.
A system and method have been described for accelerated reliability testing of computer system software components over prolonged periods of time. The system and method provide for tracking the reliability of system components and logs failures of varying severity that may be expected to occur over time. This data is useful, among other things, for estimating mean time between failures for software being tested and expected support costs. This information is particularly useful in providing a reliability measure where multiple independently developed software modules are expected to function together. The testing includes random scheduling of tasks and sleep intervals reflecting expected usage patterns, but at a faster pace to efficiently sample the state space to detect sequence of operations that are likely to result in failures in actual use. For additional details, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,120 to Nicholson et al.
A graphical user interface has been described as contained on a computer screen and used for determining the vulnerability posture of a network. A system design window displays network items of a network map that are representative of different network elements contained within the network. The respective network icons are linked together in an arrangement corresponding to how network elements are interconnected within the network. Selected portions of the network map turn a different color indicative of a vulnerability that has been established for that portion of the network after a vulnerability posture of the network has been established. For additional details, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,535,227 to Fox et al.
A computer-implemented method has been described for rules-driven multi-phase network vulnerability assessment. The method comprises pinging devices on a network to discover devices with a connection to the network. Port scans are performed on the discovered devices and banners are collected. Information from the collected banners is stored as entries in a first database. Analysis is performed on the entries by comparing the entries with a rule set to determine potential vulnerabilities. The results of the analysis are stored in a second database. For additional details, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,656 to Gleichauf et al.
These described concepts are directed to a variety of problems associated with testing hardware and software systems. However, collectively they do not teach operating a closed testing environment that can faithfully duplicate (as opposed to emulate) the operating environment of the system under test (SUT). While certain data may be logged (errors, response times, etc), the testing environment is not instrumented to permit a fully diagnostic view of the response of the SUT to simulated input. Further, the SUT is not tested to failure in conjunction with the instrumented environment to determine failure modes, recovery modes, and failure avoidance.
What is needed is a system and method for testing hardware and software systems in a fully instrumented environment that accurately duplicates the operating environment of the SUT and that can test the SUT to failure.

System and method of testing software and hardware in a reconfigurable instrumented network


An organic resin composition with a low coefficient of thermal expansion comprising (a) an organic resin and (b) an inorganic silicate containing alkali metals and alkaline earth metals in a total amount of 1,000 ppm or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic resin composition comprising an organic resin and an inorganic silicate, which is useful in the field of electric and electronic devices, a solution comprising the same and a shaped article thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
A resin composition containing an inorganic silicate such as montmorillonite is well known in the state of art. For example, JP-A-2003-105178 discloses a resin composition comprising a resin and an inorganic silicate, which is used as a raw material of a gas-barrier film to be used in various wrapping applications.
However, when such a resin composition as disclosed in JP-A-2003-105178 is used as a material of an electronic device, the device may not always have satisfactory properties in practical use, since a film or a sheet formed from such a composition has a high coefficient of thermal expansion and thus a laminate of such a film or a sheet and a metal sheet may suffer from deformation such as warp.

Organic resin composition, solution of the same and shaped article of the same


A method of encoding a video data signal (15) is provided, the method comprising providing at least a first image (21) of a scene (100) as seen from a first viewpoint, providing rendering information (22) for enabling the generation of at least one rendered image of the scene (100) as seen from a rendering viewpoint, providing a preferred direction indicator (23), defining a preferred orientation of the rendering viewpoint relative to the first viewpoint, and generating (24) the video data signal (15) comprising encoded data representing the first image, the rendering information and the preferred direction indicator.

In the emerging art of three-dimensional (3D) video, various methods exist for encoding a third dimension into the video data signal. Generally this is done by providing a viewer's eye with different views of the scene being watched. A popular approach for representing 3D video is to use one or more two-dimensional (2D) images plus a depth representation providing information of the third dimension. This approach also allows 2D images to be generated with different viewpoints and viewing angles than the 2D images which are included in the 3D video signal. Such an approach provides a number of advantages including allowing further views to be generated with relatively low complexity and providing an efficient data representation thereby reducing, e.g., storage and communication resource requirements for 3D video signals. Preferably, the video data is extended with data that is not visible from the available viewpoints, but becomes visible from a slightly different viewpoint. This data is referred to as occlusion or background data. In practice, the occlusion data is generated from multiview data obtained by capturing a scene with multiple cameras at different viewpoints.
It is a problem of the above described approaches that the availability of data for reconstructing de-occluded objects in newly generated views may differ from frame to frame and even within a frame. As a result, the quality of images generated for different viewpoints may vary.

Selecting viewpoints for generating additional views in 3D video


A method and arrangement (100) for PRACH burst channel detection in a UTRA TDD wireless communication system in which training sequences are constructed from a single periodic base code. Unwanted cross-correlation peaks, having magnitude less than correlation peaks, are removed (440) from the correlator outputs, maintaining optimal signal-to-noise ratio of the channel estimates, providing a low probability of false detection, and extending the cell size of a CDMA network to that determined by the guard period duration. The cell size can be extended further by ensuring that no transmissions are scheduled for the timeslot subsequent to that in which the channel estimation bursts are scheduled.

In UTRA TDD, new User Equipment (UE) firstly synchronises with the network and then transmits a random access burst using the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). The PRACH burst is actually received at the Node B (UMTS base station) a time t (directly proportional to the distance between the UE and Node B) later. A guard period is thus required in order to avoid interference at the Node B between the PRACH burst and another burst in the subsequent timeslot. The size of the guard period effectively limits the cell radius under normal operation.
However, the network receiver (Node B) attempts to detect the random access burst by identifying which of a possible finite set of training sequences (midambles) was transmitted by the UE, and typically this operation is performed by correlating the appropriate received samples with a local replica of each of the allowable training sequences. From each of the correlator outputs the presence of PRACH burst(s) with that particular training sequence can be ascertained. Due to the construction of the training sequences from a single periodic base code, a high probability of false PRACH detection is experienced if the cell radius (allowable distance between UE and Node B) is allowed to be too large.
The maximum cell size is thus significantly limited below that allowed by the duration of the guard period, and is consequently not ideally suited to coverage of wide areas.
Although within UTRAN there currently exists an option to only use the odd-numbered midambles derived from a single periodic code, the resultant cell size is still not ideally suited to wide area coverage and does not take full advantage of the PRACH burst guard period duration.
An alternative to the above approach for channel estimation could be to employ a zero-forcing channel estimate. However, in an asynchronous CDMA system with a potentially large cell radius, a zero-forcing channel estimate would result in a degradation in signal-to-noise ratio too high for the reliable detection and demodulation of the PRACH bursts.
A need therefore exists for PRACH detection in a wireless communication system wherein the abovementioned disadvantage(s) may be alleviated.

Method and arrangement for channel estimation in a wireless communication system