A stable aqueous concentrate comprising a polymeric biguanide, a chelating agent and a water-miscible organic solvent for controlling the growth of algae, fungi and pathogenic organisms in water.

The water in swimming pools and spas is constantly re-circulated, and fresh water is normally added only to maintain the desired volume. Although the water is usually filtered continuously to keep it free from suspended matter, it is constantly exposed to infection by pathogenic organisms (bacteria), algae and fungi. Treatment is therefore necessary to control these infections and infestations for reasons of hygiene and appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,676 describes the use of poly(hexamethylene biguanide) (PHMB) for controlling algae in swimming pools, and PHMB is commercially available from Avecia, Inc. as a chlorine-free swimming pool sanitizer and algistat under the trademark BAQUACIL. However, while PHMB is a good product for killing pathogenic organisms (a bactericide) in swimming pools and spas at levels of 6–10 ppm, it is generally only algi-static and fungistatic at these levels. Thus the use of PHMB alone to treat swimming pool and spa water will not prevent algal and fungal infestations in the pool.
Swimming pool or spa water can contain a variety of metal ions such as copper, iron and manganese and mineral ions such as calcium. These ions, if present in the water, can reduce the effectiveness of the sanitizer and lead to the development of cosmetically unappealing stains. Chelating agents, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) are often added to water in swimming pools and spas to protect the surfaces and components from being stained by mineral and metal ions and their oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, phosphate, or silicates.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,658 discloses that EDTA potentiates PHMB and that a composition comprising EDTA and PHMB provides protection against bacterial, fungal and algal infestations in water. The patent also suggests adding the PHMB and EDTA to the water as a solid or liquid concentrate so as to provide the desired level of PHMB and EDTA in the water. The patent suggests an aqueous concentrate containing from 5–20 weight % PHMB and about 0.5–10 weight % EDTA.
However, we have found that when polymeric biguanides, such as PHMB, are formulated with EDTA in water at the concentrations suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,648, the resulting formulation is not stable, particularly when the formulation is stored under adverse conditions such as extremes of temperature or extended storage times. We have found that such solutions become cloudy and often form precipitates. The precipitation of the EDTA and/or PHMB from the concentrate results in the incorrect dosage of one or both of these components of the formulation when it is added to the water to be treated, thus reducing the microbiological protection provided by the composition.
There is therefore a need for a stable liquid concentrate of a polymeric biguanide and a chelating agent such as EDTA.

Composition for controlling the growth of algae, fungi and pathogenic organisms in water


A communication arrangement for a household appliance device. The arrangement includes a first communication part including a transmitter for transmitting a wireless signal, and a second communication part, remotely located from the first communication part, including a receiver for receiving the wireless signal. One of the first and second communication parts is associated with the appliance device. In one aspect, the second communication part includes a processor to process the signal and nullify the effects of noise transmitted in the signal. In one aspect, the signal is an RF signal, and the second communication part includes means to over sample the signal.

Household appliances have been in use for so long and have become so common place that the use and operation of household appliances are generally taken for granted. Also, ever increasingly, people are very busy. As such, people are typically not near an appliance when the appliance is operating. For example, a person is likely not to be present during operation of a washer or dryer. As another example, a freezer or extra refrigerator is often placed in a part of a house, such as a basement, that may not be visited with regular frequency. Also, it is known that appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers, are intended to cycle into active operation as needed effectively indefinitely regardless of the presence of a person. Also, in general, consumers are ever increasingly desiring improvements concerning information provision, operation ability, and ease of operation.
RF signal communication is commonplace and is used in many forms and applications. However, one problem associated with the transmission of an RF signal is that noise often interferes with the signal thus making the signal difficult to decipher. Noise may be generated by two sources. The noise may be generated by the signal itself (internal noise) or the noise may be generated by an outside source (external noise). A digital signal is comprised of a series of pulses provided by changes between low and high values (i.e., 0 or 1). The presence, absence, occurrence, duration, etc. of the pulses convey information. In order for a receiving device to determine the digital values conveyed by the string of pulses, the receiver must be able to discern the existence (e.g., the occurrence, duration, etc.) of the pulses. Noise (either internal or external) received with the desired signal causes difficulties in the ability to properly discern/decipher the content of the transmitted signal.
Thus, there are needs for improved communication ability with household appliances. Also, there are needs to provide a method or algorithm for deciphering the content of the signal despite the presence of noise. The present invention provides solutions to such needs. For example, the present invention overcomes one disadvantage by providing a method for correcting/nullifying the noise. The method comprises a process of over-sampling each bit in a transmission packet to provide for correction/nullification of the noise.

Wireless appliance communication with detection and capture algorithm


A keyboard includes a keyboard unit and casing. The keyboard unit is rectangular and includes a first and second surface, the first surface including at least one key disposed thereon, the second surface including a protrusion portion that protrudes therefrom. The protrusion portion includes an engagement hole open toward a first direction that corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the rectangle. The casing includes a third surface on which the keyboard unit is mounted, the third surface including an insertion or through hole into which the protrusion portion is insertable, the casing including an engagement protrusion provided at a position opposed to the engagement hole of the protrusion portion that is inserted into the through hole, the engagement protrusion being engaged with the engagement hole of the inserted protrusion portion when the keyboard unit is moved in the first direction. A method of assembling the keyboard is also described.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to keyboard connection configurations and electronic devices. One example of the present invention relates to ensuring a strong connection of a keyboard to a casing by providing multiple retaining portions at predetermined positions on the keyboard. In another example, the present invention relates to a keyboard used for a laptop personal computer or the like, an electronic device such as a laptop personal computer including such a keyboard mounted thereon, a keyboard manufacturing method, an electronic device manufacturing method, and a keyboard component used for such a keyboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electronic devices such as personal computers, cellular phones, and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant), etc., there is typically a keyboard (keyboard unit) having multiple operating keys. The keyboard is typically connected to a casing (see Japanese Patent No. 3218819).
With the electronic device described in Japanese Patent No. 3218819, an engagement pawl portion is provided on both edge portions of the keyboard, a hole portion and a pawl portion are formed in a casing, one of the pawl portions of the keyboard is inserted in the hole portion of the casing to engage this with the opening edge of the hole portion, and the other pawl portion of the keyboard is engaged with the pawl portion of the casing to connect the keyboard to the casing. With this arrangement, a backing plate for receiving the operating key at the time of an operating key being pressed is typically provided on the casing.
Note however, with the electronic device provided in Japanese Patent No. 3218819, only the pawl portions provided on both edge portions of the keyboard are engaged with the casing, whereby the keyboard is connected to the casing. Thus, if the backing plate is bent due to aging, temperature environment, or the like, the center of the keyboard floats upwards from the casing, and the sense of operation when pressing an operating key deteriorates, in some cases.
Particularly, in a case in which the backing plate is formed of a thin metal material such as aluminum or the like to reduce weight and thickness of the electronic device, bending of the backing plate readily occurs.
In order to prevent bending of the backing plate, for example, there is a method for fixing the center portion of the keyboard to the casing using screw-thread members, but this arrangement can create difficulties upon disassembly of the keyboard from the casing, and thus can lead to difficulty in maintenance.
Accordingly, there has been recognized a need to provide a keyboard connection configuration with a strong connection to the casing.
It is preferable to provide different keyboards to laptop personal computers depending on destination positions. Further, a keyboard is often attached/detached for maintenance. When a keyboard unit is secured to a casing by screws, attachment/detachment operations can become unduly complicated.
There has been proposed a method in which a marginal surface of a keyboard unit is fixed to a casing by a lug portion of a casing, and the keyboard unit is put upwards with fingers or the like through an opening in a rear surface (position where the keyboard unit is provided) of the casing, thereby detaching the keyboard unit from the casing.
In this method, however, a center area of the keyboard unit is not fixed in position, so a rigidity of the keyboard is low and a keystroke feeling may be insufficient. By securing the center area of the keyboard unit to the casing by screws or the like, that issue may be overcome, but attachment/detachment operations may become complicated. In particular, securing the keyboard unit to the casing at the center area thereof by screws may be required to be performed from a rear surface side of the casing. Therefore, a disassembly operation of the casing may be unduly complicated.
In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, it is desirable to provide a keyboard, an electronic device, a keyboard manufacturing method, an electronic device manufacturing method, and a keyboard component that are capable of facilitating the attachment/detachment operation of the keyboard unit while providing a high keyboard rigidity and desirable keystroke feeling.

Keyboard connection configuration and electronic device


A method and a device for adjusting a light distribution of a vehicle headlight having a control unit for adjusting the light distribution. The headlight includes a number of light sources. The control unit includes an interface configured for receiving user-specified parameters for adjusting and/or modifying an illuminance distribution within the light distribution.

Exemplary embodiment of the invention relate to a method for adjusting a light distribution of a headlight, a device for adjusting a light distribution of a headlight, a method for determining control parameters for light sources of a vehicle headlight, and a method for controlling light sources of a vehicle headlight. The method for determining control parameters can involve detecting the control parameters that are used in the method and device for adjusting a light distribution. The method for controlling light sources makes use of the technical teaching of the method for adjusting a light distribution and implements the method for adjusting light distribution in the vehicle. In particular, the method for controlling light sources makes it possible to carry out the method for adjusting a light distribution by taking into consideration the specific properties of the headlight installed in the vehicle. In addition, exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a vehicle headlight system. In one embodiment, the vehicle headlight system refers to the device for adjusting a light distribution and takes into consideration the fact that a plurality of headlights are typically installed in a vehicle. In another embodiment, the vehicle headlight system detects the control parameters for a device for adjusting a light distribution for specific headlight types or specific headlight designs.
Methods for determining control parameters for light sources of a vehicle headlight, in particular of a so-called pixel headlight, are generally known from the prior art. A pixel headlight of this kind comprises a plurality of light sources arranged in an array, for example LEDs, which can be actuated individually or in groups to produce a light distribution. This actuation is carried out by means of control parameters that are manually set for each light source or group of light sources for different light distributions and driving situations.
DE 10 2014 225 246 A1 discloses a lighting device for a vehicle, the lighting device comprises a light deflection unit having two light deflection elements that can be electronically activated independently of one another and can be adjusted in their spatial orientation by actuation. In a first actuation position, the light deflection elements are designed to deflect light that hits them in a direction that has been predetermined by their spatial orientation, as a result of which a first, variable light image can be provided by means of a variable and adjustable light distribution. The lighting device further comprises a light source by means of which light can be radiated into the light deflection unit, the lighting device further comprising a light-shaping element and at least one light deflection element being designed, in a second actuation position, to deflect light into the light-shaping element. The light-shaping element is designed to provide the same radiated light as a second light image having constant light distribution, light that is radiated into the light deflection unit from the light source being used completely for providing the first and second light images at any time. Moreover, a method for controlling a lighting device of this kind is described in which the first light image is provided during a first time interval. The light of the light source that is not required for providing the first light image is used for providing the second light image during the first time interval. The first light image then ceases to be provided and the second light image is provided by the same light of the light source during a second time interval.
Furthermore, a vehicle headlight system having a vehicle headlight is known from DE 10 2015 205 266 A1, which vehicle headlight comprises a reflective element and a light source. The reflective element comprises an array of selectively controllable portions, the light source providing a first output to the reflective element. Furthermore, the vehicle headlight system comprises a computer coupled to the light source and the reflective element, the computer selectively operating the portions of the reflective element in order to form the first output in the illumination regions according to a vehicle user characteristic.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are directed to an improved method and device for adjusting a light distribution of a headlight. Furthermore, exemplary embodiments of the invention are directed to an improved method for determining control parameters for light sources of a vehicle headlight, a method for controlling light sources of a vehicle headlight, and a vehicle headlight system comprising the devices according to the invention. Finally, a vehicle headlight system is also specified by means of which the necessary control parameters are detected e.g., by the method for detecting the control parameters. The different methods and devices and vehicle headlight systems have in common the inventive teaching of making the light distributions of headlights individually adjustable by the user.
In the method for adjusting a light distribution of a headlight, in particular of a vehicle headlight, having a plurality of light sources, an illuminance distribution within the light distribution is modified according to the invention on the basis of parameters specified by user specification. This particularly advantageously makes it possible for a user of a vehicle to adapt the light distribution produced by the headlight to the user's needs, which significantly increases road safety and comfort for the user.
According to one possible aspect of the method, the parameters can be specified and/or modified by user specification during operation of the headlight. This "online specification" makes it possible for the user to immediately detect effects of changes of the parameters in the generated light distribution. Moreover, this allows an intuitive way of adjusting and modifying the parameters.
Alternatively, or additionally, in a possible embodiment of the method, the light distribution is simulated on the screen and the user specifies parameters for adjusting the illuminance distribution in the simulation. This embodiment allows the user to easily modify and specify the parameters and allows easy traceability for the user even in bright environmental conditions in which the user does not see the produced light distribution, or sees it only insufficiently, on the road surface.
In an embodiment of the method, light intensities of individual light sources or groups of light sources are modified based on the parameters. By actuating individual light sources or groups of light sources, a plurality of light distributions having different illuminance distributions can be produced in a simple manner.
The device for adjusting a light distribution of a headlight, in particular of a vehicle headlight, comprises at least one control unit for adjusting the light distribution, the headlight comprising a plurality of light sources. According to the invention, the control unit comprises an interface, the interface being configured for transmitting parameters specified by user specification to the control unit and the parameters being provided for adjusting and/or modifying an illuminance distribution within the light distribution.
The interface, also referred to as a human-machine interface, allows the user to specify the parameters for adjusting and/or modifying an illuminance distribution.
In particular, an input device is coupled to the interface, by means of which device the user can specify the parameters.
For example, the input device is a touch-sensitive screen on which the light distribution to be produced is displayed. In this case, the user can, for example, first select a region of the light distribution to be adapted and then adjust the illuminance desired by the user.
Alternatively, or additionally, the input device comprises a combined turn-press-pull-push switch, by means of which the user can navigate a marker on a screen showing the light distribution and can input the desired illuminance. It is also possible that a marker projected into the real light distribution can be moved by means of the input device, so that the user can adjust the lighting intensity "online" and therefore so as to be easily traceable in the produced light distribution.
In another possible embodiment of the device, the input device is a mobile terminal, for example a so-called smartphone or tablet PC, via the operating interface of which the user specifies the desired illuminance.
In the method for determining control parameters for light sources of a vehicle headlight, at least one light distribution to be produced by means of a vehicle headlight is detected.
According to the invention, the light data describing the light distribution are produced and an overall target light intensity of all the light sources and an individual target light intensity for each individual, in particular available, light source are detected based on the light data and based on geometric and optical properties of the light sources. The individual target light intensities are fed to a control unit of the vehicle headlight, control parameters being detected by means of the control unit on the basis of the individual target light intensities and stored headlight data, describing geometric and optical properties, of the vehicle headlight for each light source of the vehicle headlight, such that the vehicle headlight produces the light distribution described by means of the light data.
The light distribution is detected universally and irrespective of design, type and geometric and optical properties of the vehicle headlight. These conditions, in combination with determining the control parameters by means of the control unit of the vehicle headlight in the vehicle, particularly advantageously have the result that the light distribution, i.e., the light data, needs to be produced as target values only once and actually determining the control parameters can be carried out in the vehicle itself. This significantly lowers the effort involved in parameterizing the vehicle headlight and reduces it to a formal description of the light sources, i.e., the design, the type and the geometric and optical properties of the vehicle headlight. It is not necessary to manually set the control parameters for each individual light source of the vehicle headlight.
Switch-on times, switch-off times and/or brightness values for the light sources in particular are specified by means of the control parameters.
In a possible aspect of the method, pulse width modulation parameters are determined as control parameters in order to allow control of light sources, which comprise LEDs or are composed thereof. It is therefore also possible, for example, to use the method to control so-called pixel headlights having a plurality of LEDs arranged in a so-called LED array, the reduction in effort being particularly high with regard to parameterizing the vehicle headlight due to the one-time production of the light data as target values and to determining the control parameters by means of the control unit of the vehicle headlight in the vehicle itself when there is such a large number of light sources.
In another possible embodiment of the method, properties of the vehicle surroundings and/or of a road surface are taken into consideration when the control parameters are determined. This makes it possible for illumination that is constantly adapted to the environmental conditions of the vehicle to be produced by means of the vehicle headlight.
In a possible development of the method, the properties of the vehicle surroundings and/or of a road surface are detected by means of at least one on-board sensor. The environmental conditions of the vehicle can therefore always be detected reliably and in real-time.
In the method for controlling light sources of a vehicle headlight, control parameters are detected according to the invention by means of a control unit of the vehicle headlight on the basis of individual target light intensities, by means of which a light distribution to be produced by means of the vehicle headlight is produced, for each individual light source of the vehicle headlight determined from light data of a light distribution to be produced and from geometric and optical properties of the light sources and on the basis of stored headlight data, describing geometric and optical properties of the vehicle headlight, for each light source of the vehicle headlight, such that the vehicle headlight produces the light distribution described by means of the light data.
The light distribution is detected universally and irrespective of design, type, and geometric and optical properties of the vehicle headlight. These conditions, in combination with determining the control parameters by means of the control unit of the vehicle headlight in the vehicle, particularly advantageously have the result that the light distribution, i.e., the light data, needs to be produced as target values only once and actually determining the control parameters can be carried out in the vehicle itself. This significantly lowers the effort involved in parameterizing the vehicle headlight and controlling the headlight and reduces it to a formal description of the light sources, i.e., the design, the type, and the geometric and optical properties of the vehicle headlight. It is also possible, due to the determination of the control parameters in the vehicle itself, that the parameters can always be variably adapted to varying conditions, for example varying environmental conditions.
In a possible development of the method, pulse width modulation parameters are determined as control parameters in order to allow control of light sources which comprise LEDs or are composed thereof. It is therefore also possible, for example, to use the method to control so-called pixel headlights having a plurality of LEDs arranged in a so-called LED array, the reduction in effort being particularly high with regard to parameterizing the vehicle headlight due to the one-time production of the light data as target values and to determining the control parameters by means of the control unit of the vehicle headlight in the vehicle itself when there is such a large number of light sources.
According to a possible embodiment of the method, properties of the vehicle surroundings and/or of a road surface are taken into consideration when the control parameters are determined. This makes it possible for illumination that is constantly adapted to the environmental conditions of the vehicle to be produced by means of the vehicle headlight.
In a possible development of the method, the properties of the vehicle surroundings and/or of a road surface are detected by means of at least one on-board sensor. The environmental conditions of the vehicle can therefore always be detected reliably and in real-time.
A first possible embodiment of the vehicle headlight system comprises at least one vehicle headlight, having a plurality of light sources and at least one control unit for controlling the vehicle headlight and, according to the invention, a device for adjusting a light distribution of a headlight based on parameters specified in user specification. This particularly advantageously makes it possible for the user of a vehicle to adapt the light distribution produced by the vehicle headlights to the user's needs. This significantly increases road safety and comfort for the user. A vehicle typically has a plurality of front headlights, e.g., 2 to 4 headlights. The device according to one aspect of the invention can be used in each individual headlight, although the overall light distribution of all the headlights can advantageously be adjusted by the device.
An embodiment of the vehicle headlight system is used to detect the control parameters for the related methods and devices of this invention. It comprises at least one vehicle headlight having a plurality of light sources and at least one control unit for controlling the vehicle headlight. According to the invention, the control unit is configured to detect control parameters and to actuate the light sources by means of the control parameters, on the basis of individual target light intensities, by means of which a light distribution to be produced by means of the vehicle headlight can be produced, for each individual light source of the vehicle headlight determined from light data of a light distribution to be produced and from geometric and optical properties of the light sources and on the basis of stored headlight data, describing geometric and optical properties of the vehicle headlight, for each light source of the vehicle headlight, such that said light sources produce the light distribution described by means of the light data.
In this case, the vehicle headlight system and the design of the control unit make it possible for the light distribution to be detected universally and irrespective of design, type and geometric and optical properties of the vehicle headlight. These conditions, in combination with determining the control parameters by means of the control unit, particularly advantageously have the result that the light distribution, i.e., the light data, needs to be produced as target values only once and actually determining the control parameters can be carried out in the vehicle itself. This significantly lowers the effort involved in parameterizing the vehicle headlight and reduces it to a formal description of the light sources, i.e., the design, the type and the geometric and optical properties of the vehicle headlight.
In a possible embodiment of the vehicle headlight system, the light sources comprise LEDs. Light distributions with lower energy consumption, in comparison to conventional lighting means, such as light bulbs or gas discharge lamps, can be produced by means of LEDs. Moreover, LEDs can be actuated easily and reliably by means of a pulse width modulation.
In another possible embodiment of the vehicle headlight system, the light sources can be actuated individually or in groups. Different light distributions can therefore be produced in a simple manner.
In a possible development of the vehicle headlight system, a plurality of light sources are arranged adjacently or one above the other, in particular in a so-called array. This makes it possible to implement different light distributions, in particular even complex light distributions, and light controls.
Parts which correspond to one another are provided with the same reference signs in all the drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for determining control parameters for light sources of a vehicle headlamp


A storage element within a circuit design is identified. The storage element is replaced with both a first storage cell and a second storage cell. The second storage cell operates as a redundant storage cell to the first storage cell. An output of the first storage cell is connected to a first input of a comparator and an output of the second storage cell is connected to a second input of the comparator. The comparator provides an error indicator. Placement of the first storage cell, the second storage cell, the comparator, and one or more intervening cells is determined. The one or more intervening cells are placed between the first storage cell and the second storage cell. An integrated circuit is created using the comparator, the first storage cell, the second storage cell, the one or more intervening cells, and the determined placement.

1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to semiconductors, and more specifically, to storage circuits that are susceptible to soft errors.
2. Related Art
High energy neutrons are well known for having an adverse effect on the performance of semiconductors. High-energy neutrons bombard our planet from sources originating in deep space. As the neutrons enter earth's atmosphere they collide with a large amount of particulate matter and are split into multiple neutrons. While some energy is lost from the collisions, the sheer number of neutrons reaching ground level is noticeably increased. The neutrons lose energy in semiconductor materials through collisions with silicon nuclei that lead to a chain of secondary reactions. These reactions deposit a track of electron-hole pairs as they pass through a p-n junction. Some of the deposited charge recombines while some of the charge collects at p-n junction contacts. When a neutron particle strikes a sensitive region of a data storage circuit, such as at the gate of a charge storage device, the electrical charge that accumulates could exceed the minimum charge that is needed to reverse the data value that is stored in the data storage circuit. Reversal of stored data values is conventionally referred to as a "soft error". The term "SER" is referred to as a soft error rate. It is well documented that this effect varies with both latitude and altitude. Thus aviation electronics and other safety-critical applications are significantly impacted by the presence of soft errors. As integrated circuit dimensions continue to decrease, the incidence of soft errors is increasing. As a result, radiation induced soft errors are one of the main contributors to failure rates in high speed data processors and communications chips.
Other sources of soft errors are varied and include alpha particles which may be emitted by trace amounts of radioactive isotopes present in packing materials of integrated circuits. Alpha particles are capable of disturbing up to a five micron area of silicon and can readily modify the programmed state of a data storage device. Additionally, the conductive alloys that are used for the conductive bump in flip-chip packaging have also been identified as a possible source of alpha particles. Various semiconductor processes also tend to exhibit differing degrees of susceptibility to soft errors. For example, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) processes tend to be more reliable because charge that is dissipated into the substrate does not make it back into the glass insulator material to cause charge disturbances.

Circuit and method for avoiding soft errors in storage devices


A PNT sensor short-range relay communication system includes an electronic PNT sensor module configured to determine a first position of the PNT sensor module and to output a PNT signal indicating a second position of the PNT sensor module with respect to the first position. A mobile relay module is in signal communication with the PNT sensor module. The mobile relay module is configured to communicate the PNT signal to at least one terminal device located remotely from the PNT sensor module and the mobile relay module. In this manner, positional information can be determined without relying on a satellite navigation system.

The present disclosure relates to positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) sensors, and more specifically, to a PNT sensor relay communication system.
Conventional object positioning and/or navigation systems rely on satellite navigation systems to determine the location of one or more objects. The United States, for example, operates the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system. The GPS system is a space-based satellite navigation system that is utilized by a wide-variety of communication devices and provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. If, however, one or more of the satellites fail and/or the GPS system succumbs to an electronic warfare attack, there may be no way of determining locations of one or more desired objects.


A technique includes a first compute node of a cluster of nodes receiving a communication from a cluster maintenance node of the cluster instructing the first compute node to provide an installation image that is received by the first compute node to a second compute node of the cluster. The first node and the second node are peers. The technique includes sharing the first installation stream that communicates the image to the first compute node. Sharing the first installation stream includes, while the first compute node is receiving the first installation stream, the first compute node providing a second installation stream to communicate parts of the image received via the first installation stream to the second compute node.

A compute node may have a root file system. In general, the root file system includes the files and directories to boot up the compute node to a normal usable state. Other file systems can be mounted on top of the root file system. When stored in a persistent storage of the compute node, the root file system survives a power down or a reset of the compute node. Accordingly, the root file system persists each boot of the compute node. The compute node may store its root file system in a non-persistent storage (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), such as the case for a diskless compute node. The root file system of such a compute node does not survive a power down or a reset of the compute node, and consequently, each boot of the compute involves installing the root file system on the compute node. For this purpose, an installation image, which contains the root file system, is transferred to the compute node. In both cases (persistent storage and non-persistent storage), an installation image may be transferred to the compute node. However, in the case of the non-persistent storage, the root file system is provisioned on each boot.

Sharing image installation image streams

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


A reversible casing for a down-the-hole drill has a predetermined snap ring groove length centered between the casing ends, based upon the casing bore, the snap ring groove depth and the snap ring body length, whereby a snap ring will be retained in the snap ring groove, while permitting lengthwise movement of the snap ring during reverse orientation of the casing.

This invention relates generally to fluid actuated, percussive, down-the-hole drills, and more particularly to casings that serve as the outer body for such drills.
Fluid actuated down-the-hole drills typically use a system of internal cylinders or feed tubes to perform the fluid conveying or porting functions required of the air cycle. These internal parts must be retained within the central bore of the drill casing. In order to maximize cylinder bore diameter and retain these components in the correct lengthwise position, a retaining snap ring which fits into a groove undercut in the casing is provided as a shouldering means. Manufacturing considerations such as the need for boring, grinding or honing prohibit the formation of an internal shoulder which is part of the casing, or wear sleeve. However, a one-piece casing with an integral shoulder, or a factory installed and non-removable ring, would be desirable to keep the number of serviced parts to a minimum and to avoid damage to this sensitive area during repair servicing.
In addition, it is desirable to provide the casing in a form that it is reversible lengthwise because after the front end of the casing becomes worn and abraded from use at the drilling interface, the casing can be reversed lengthwise to position the unworn casing end at the drilling interface, thereby prolonging the useful life of the casing. Such a reversible casing must provide its snap ring groove with a length greater than the body length of the snap ring, in order to permit installation of the snap ring. Because the snap ring groove is positioned at a location midway between the casing ends, it is a problem for the person assembling the drill to precisely align and insert a snap ring, unless the snap ring groove length is greater than the snap ring body length. However, if the snap ring groove length is too long, for a particular bore and snap ring, the snap ring can become "skewed" or "rotated" and lose its interference fit in the groove, and freely fall out when the casing is empty, as when the drill internal parts are being repaired.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present reversible casings. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.

Reversible casing for a down-the-hole percussive apparatus


A specially designed rotary indexing system and associated operational methods are incorporated in a downhole control device, representatively a sliding sleeve valve, having an outer tubular member in which an annular plug seat is coaxially disposed. The plug seat is resiliently expandable between a first diameter and a larger second diameter and is illustratively of a circumferentially segmented construction. The rotary indexing system is operative to detect the number of plug members that pass through and diametrically expand the plug seat, and responsively preclude passage of further plug members therethrough when such number reaches a predetermined magnitude. Such predetermined magnitude is correlated to the total rotation of an indexing system counter ring portion rotationally driven by axial camming forces transmitted to the rotary indexing system by successive plug member passage-generated diametrical expansions of the plug seat.

In well stimulation, the ability to perforate multiple zones in a single well and then fracture each zone independently, referred to as "zone fracturing", has increased access to potential reserves. Zone fracturing helps stimulate the well by creating conduits from the formation for the hydrocarbons to reach the well. Many gas wells are drilled for zone fracturing with a system called a ball drop system planned at the well's inception. A well with a ball drop system will be equipped with a string of piping below the cemented casing portion of the well. The string is segmented with packing elements, fracture plugs and fracture plug seat assemblies to isolate zones. A fracture plug, such as a ball or other suitably shaped structure (hereinafter referred to collectively as a "ball") is dropped or pumped down the well and seats on the fracture plug seat assembly, thereby isolating pressure from above.
Typically, in ball drop systems a fracture plug seat assembly includes a fracture plug seat having an axial opening of a select diameter. To the extent multiple fracture plugs are disposed along a string, the diameter of the axial opening of the respective fracture plug seats becomes progressively smaller with the depth of the string. This permits a plurality of balls having a progressively increasing diameter, to be dropped (or pumped), smallest to largest diameter, down the well to isolate the various zones, starting from the toe of the well and moving up.
A large orifice through an open seat is desired while fracing zones below that seat. An unwanted consequence of having seats incrementally smaller as they approach the toe is the existence of pressure loss across the smaller seats. The pressure loss reduces the efficiency of the system and creates flow restrictions while fracing and during well production.
In order to maximize the number of zones and therefore the efficiency of the well, the difference in the diameter of the axial opening of adjacent fracture plug seats and the diameter of the balls designed to be caught by such fracture plug seats is very small, and the consequent surface area of contact between the ball and its seat is very small. Due to the high pressure that impacts the balls during a hydraulic fracturing process, the balls often become stuck and are difficult to purge when fracing is complete and the well pressure reverses the flow and produces to the surface. If a ball is stuck in the seat and cannot be purged, the ball(s) must be removed from the string by costly and time-consuming milling or drilling processes.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art fracture plug seat assembly 10 disposed along a tubing string 12. Fracture plug seat assembly 10 includes a metallic, high strength composite or other rigid material seat 14 mounted on a sliding sleeve 16 which is movable between a first position and a second position. In the first position shown in FIG. 1, sleeve 16 is disposed to inhibit fluid flow through radial ports 18 from annulus 20 into the interior of tubing string 12. Packing element 24 is disposed along tubing string 12 to restrict fluid flow in the annulus 20 formed between the earth 26 and the tubing string 12.
FIG. 2 illustrates the prior art fracture plug seat assembly 10 of FIG. 1, but with a ball 28 landed on the metallic, high strength composite or other rigid material seat 14 and with sliding sleeve 16 in the second position. With ball 28 landed on the metallic, high strength composite or other rigid material seat 14, fluid pressure 30 applied from uphole of fracture plug seat assembly 10 urges sliding sleeve 16 into the second position shown in FIG. 2, thereby exposing radial ports 18 to permit fluid flow therethrough, diverting the flow to the annulus 20 formed between the earth 26 and the tubing string 12.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the metallic, high strength composite or other rigid material seat 14 has a tapered surface 32 that forms an inverted cone for the ball or fracture plug 28 to land upon. This helps translate the load on the ball 28 from shear into compression, thereby deforming the ball 28 into the metallic, high strength composite or other rigid material seat 14 to form a seal. In some instances, the surface of such metallic, high strength composite or other rigid material seats 14 have been contoured to match the shape of the ball or fracture plug 28. One drawback of such metallic, high strength composite or other rigid material seats 14 is that high stress concentrations in the seat 14 are transmitted to the ball or fracture plug 28. For various reasons, including specific gravity and ease of milling, balls or fracture plugs 28 are often made of a composite plastic or aluminum. Also, efforts to maximize the number of zones in a well has reduced the safety margin of ball or fracture plug failure to a point where balls or fracture plugs can extrude, shear or crack under the high pressure applied to the ball or fracture plug during hydraulic fracturing operations. As noted above, when the balls 28 extrude into the metallic, high strength composite or other rigid material seat 14 they become stuck. In such instances, the back pressure from within the well below is typically insufficient to purge the ball 28 from the seat 14, which means that an expensive and time-consuming milling process must be conducted to remove the ball 28 from the seat 14.
Other prior art fracture plug seat assembly designs include mechanisms that are actuated by sliding pistons and introduce an inward pivoting mechanical support beneath the ball. These designs also have a metallic, high strength composite or other rigid material seat, but are provided with additional support from the support mechanism. These fracture plug seat assembly designs can be described as having a normally open seat that closes when a ball or fracture plug is landed upon the seat. Such normally open fracture plug seat assembly designs suffer when contaminated with the heavy presence of sand and cement. They also rely upon incrementally sized balls so such systems suffer from flow restriction and require post frac milling.

Seat assembly with counter for isolating fracture zones in a well


A method and apparatus are provided for dynamically allocating an access bandwidth for one or more resources to threads of a multithreaded processor. The allocation is performed by providing an execution based metric for each thread and providing an access to the resource in dependence on the execution based metrics of the threads. In addition, or alternatively, a resource based metric can be determined and the access to the resource is provided in dependence on the resource based metric.

British patent application no. 9607153.5 describes a multi-threaded processor and data processing management system in which a plurality of execution threads are routed between a plurality of data inputs and a plurality of data outputs via data processing means. The data processing means has an access to data storage means. The system repeatedly determines which routing operations and which data processing operations are capable of being performed and commences execution of at least one of the routing or data processing operations on each clock cycle.
The typical sub-modules for such a multi-threaded processor is shown in FIG. 1. For the purposes of this example the microprocessor core in this figure has only two execution threads.
The microprocessor core 1 issues memory requests to the memory management unit 2. When the required data is not in its local memory (i.e., a cache miss), the required data would have to be fetched from the external memory. Since the external memory has only a single data path, the memory prearbiter 3 is used for arbitrating between requests from different threads.
The simplest kind of arbitration scheme that can be used in FIG. 1 is round-robin. However, there are two main problems with such a scheme. These are as follows:
Firstly, conventional dynamic random access memories (DRAM) are organized into banks. These banks are divided into regions called pages. Generally speaking, before a location of the memory can be accessed, the relevant page has to be opened. After the access, the memory may choose to keep the current page open (open page policy) or closed (close page policy). For example, if the memory is operating on the open page policy and the pre-arbiter chooses to send a memory access which is not in the same page as the last access, a high memory cycle latency will result due to the amount of time needed to open a new page. On the other hand, if the memory is operating on the close page policy, sending a memory request in the same page as the last access would similarly result in a high latency.
Secondly, the AMA of the multi-threaded processor addresses the problem of controlling the use of processor resources such that processing requirements of all programs running on all threads are to be met. The arbitration scheme of FIG. 1 does not take into account the current status of the threads. Thus, it is possible that the operation of the AMA could be impeded. In particular, when there are periods of intense memory activity, the AMA control system could be overloaded simply due to the fact that the prearbiter 3 does not have any thread AMA information.

Method and apparatus for dynamic allocation of resources to executing threads in a multi-threaded processor


A call processing system includes an access gateway that has a local switching unit. The access gateway, in operation, provides access to voice signals and data signals. The call processing system also includes a call feature server that has a host interface platform configured to connect to the access gateway through a network. The call feature server, in operation, provides call control functionality to the local switching unit. The call feature server is configured to provide bearer control signals through a packet network to establish a bearer channel.

A traditional voice telephone network typically includes a circuit-switched network to establish communications between a sender and a receiver. The circuit-switched network is a type of network in which a communication circuit (path) for a call is set-up and dedicated to the participants in that call. For the duration of the connection, all resources on that circuit are unavailable for other users. An Electronic Worldwide Switch Digital (EWSD) is a widely-installed telephonic switch system. Common Channel Signaling System No. 7 (i.e., SS7 or C7) is a global standard for telecommunications defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). The standard defines the procedures and protocol by which network elements in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) exchange information over a digital signaling network to effect wireless (cellular) and wireline call setup, routing and control.
A softswitch is a software-based entity that provides call control functionality. The various elements that make a softswitch architecture network include a call agent, which is also known as a media gateway controller or softswitch. The network also includes a media gateway, a signaling gateway, a feature server, an applications server, a media server, and management, provisioning and billing interfaces.
The softswitch architecture does not replace an SS7 architecture. For example, when a person wants to setup a call from one location to another location, the person picks up the phone at one location and dials a series of numbers. A local switch recognizes the call as a long distance call, which is then forwarded to a long haul exchange where it is recognized as an out of state call. Then, the call is transferred to a national gateway for the other location. The call makes a hop to an intermediate gateway, which is located somewhere between the two locations, and finally the call goes through two or three switches before it connects to a local switch associated with the number. The role of SS7, which does not use traditional trunks, is to ensure, prior to actually setting up the call, there is a clear path from end to end. Only when there is sufficient resources is the call set-up.
The major difference between a softswitch architecture and a traditional architecture is that the call is not required to pass through as many smaller switches. Today, when the person makes a trunk call the person uses the whole trunk even though a smaller portion of the available bandwidth is required. On the other hand, with a softswitch architecture, an Internet protocol (IP) connection between the gateways of the two locations is established and a switching fabric between the two locations is in the form of fiber optic lines or other form of trunk. There is no need to reserve trunks and set-up is not required. One only has to reserve the bandwidth that the call will need.


According to one aspect, the invention relates to a light guide which may include a first surface which receives light, a second surface which emits light, wherein the second surface is parallel to the first surface and the second surface has a smaller area than the first surface, at least one edge surface which extends between the first surface and the second surface, and a light barrier which extends between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the light barrier divides the light guide into separate regions and reduces the propagation of light between the separate regions. The light guide can be used in a positron emission tomography scanner.

The present invention relates generally to imaging devices, and more particularly to a light guide for an array of detectors in an imaging device.
In certain types of imaging devices, such as positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, arrays of detector elements serve the function of detecting radiation emanating from the patient. In a PET scanner, for example, arrays of scintillator crystals detect gamma rays which are generated inside the patient. The gamma rays are produced when a positron emitted from a radiopharmaceutical injected into the patient collides with an electron causing an annihilation event. The scintillator crystals receive the gamma rays and generate photons in response to the gamma rays.
One of the challenges in designing a high resolution PET scanner relates to the space requirements of the electronics associated with the detector crystals, in particular the photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) which are situated behind the detector crystals. The function of the photomultiplier tubes is to receive photons produced by the scintillator crystals and to generate an analog signal with a magnitude representative of the number of photons received. The photomultiplier tubes typically cannot be diminished in size beyond a certain point, so that generally each photomultiplier tube is situated behind a number of smaller detector crystals. For example, a detector module in a PET scanner may comprise a 2×2 array of photomultiplier tubes situated behind a 6×6 array of scintillator crystals. In response to a scintillation event, each PMT produces an analog signal which is representative of the number of photons it has received. The relative magnitudes of the four PMT signals are then used to determine where the scintillation event took place and which crystal detected the event.
In determining the location of the scintillation event, it is generally advantageous to have a high degree of separation of the relative signal levels arising from each of the individual scintillation crystals in the detector array. Various arrangements have been proposed for increasing the spatial resolution of the detector crystals by controlling the light distribution within the detector array. For example the light distribution within the array of detector crystals can be controlled by applying various surface finishes having known light scattering and reflective properties to each crystal. These arrangements generally attempt to control the light distribution such that the proportion of light reaching each photomultiplier tube is relatively consistent and well defined for each event occurring at a particular detector crystal. In this way, the analog signals from the photomultiplier tubes may consistently determine which detector crystal produced the scintillation event.
As the demands for higher resolution in PET scanners continue to increase, one approach to achieving higher resolution is to increase the number of crystals in each detector array without increasing the size of the array. For example, a 6×6 array of detector crystals might be replaced with an 8×8 array. However, an increase in the number of crystals may introduce additional complexities and costs to the surface finishes and optical coupling which may be necessary for acceptable spatial resolution of the scintillation events. An increased number of smaller crystals may also introduce additional challenges with respect to light loss in the corner crystals and the tolerances for mechanical alignment of the array with respect to the photomultiplier tubes. The present invention provides an apparatus and method which can overcome these problems.

Light guide apparatus and method for a detector array


A dielectric composition comprising a complex oxide represented by a general formula of AaBbC4O15+α and an oxide including aluminum, in which “A” at least includes Ba, “B” at least includes Zr, and “C” at least includes Nb, “a” is 2.50 or more and 3.50 or less, and “b” is 0.50 or more, and 1.50 or less.

The present invention relates to a dielectric composition and an electronic component having a dielectric layer constituted from the dielectric composition.
An electronic circuit and a power supply circuit which are incorporated to an electronic device are mounted with many electronic components such as a multilayer ceramic capacitor which uses a dielectric property of dielectrics. As a material constituting the dielectrics of such electronic component (dielectric material), a barium titanate based dielectric composition is widely used.
However, recently the electronic component has been used for many purposes, and it is demanded that the electronic component sufficiently functions even under high voltage environment. However, under such environment, the dielectric property of the barium titanate based dielectric composition decreases; hence the barium titanate based dielectric composition cannot sufficiently correspond to the environment. Therefore, it is demanded that the dielectric composition can exhibit a high dielectric property even when used under such environment.
As a dielectric composition other than the barium titanate based dielectric composition, Patent Document 1 discloses a ferrodielectric material represented by a general formula of Ba6Ti2Nb8O30 in which part of Ba, Ti, and Nb are substituted by other elements.
Patent Document 1: JP Patent Application Publication No. H03-274607

Dielectric composition and electronic component


An undergarment designed to be worn by patients undergoing surgery or wearing a hospital gown. The undergarment consists of a unisex brief and an optional brassiere for women. The undergarment is made from a waterproof material and is disposable. The loose fit of the undergarment is aided through the use of elastic. The purpose of the undergarment is to help patients feel more comfortable when wearing a surgical gown, thereby decreasing their apprehension associated with a hospital visit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a unique undergarment designed to be worn by a patient during surgery. In particular, the undergarment provides patients undergoing surgery with peace of mind that their private parts will not be unnecessarily exposed during an operation or otherwise during their medical treatment.
2. Description of the Related Art
An almost universal rule followed by the majority of, if not all, hospitals today is that any patient going to the operating room for surgery must go clothed in at most a surgical gown. In particular, patients are not allowed to wear undergarments when going to surgery. This rule arose in the infancy of modern medicine based on two reasons. First, when modern medicine was first getting started, people were not able to nor did they care to keep themselves as clean as they do today. Thus, undergarments were not allowed in surgery for hygienic reasons in that the patient's undergarments were often soiled. The second reason for the universal rule was that undergarments during this time were predominantly made from nylon which was susceptible to sparking when passed over another piece of nylon. The anesthesia used during this time was highly explosive, making any source of spark or flame strictly forbidden in the operating room.
Although these two reasons are no longer valid today, the practice of having the patient remove all undergarments and wear at most a surgical gown when going into surgery still persists. In fact, patients are often clothed in only a hospital gown when staying in a hospital, whether surgery will be performed or not. The surgical gowns of today are made of very thin material and are completely slit open in the back with only a single tie located approximately at waist height provided to hold the back of the gown closed. The gown is uncomfortable for most patients to wear because the tie may come undone without the patient being aware of it. In addition, even when the tie is secure, the design of the surgical gown is such that the back of the gown cannot provide adequate coverage of the patient's back and buttocks. Further, once in surgery, the tie is undone and the gown is typically pushed aside for the surgery, thereby completely exposing the unconscious patient.
Surgery can be at worst terrifying and at its best strange and uncomfortable. Often, the outcome of the surgery is unpredictable. This, coupled with the fact that the patient will be anesthetized throughout the process, can make surgery a frightening experience. Thus, anything which can help ease the patient's concerns about the surgery itself is quite helpful. One area in which patients experience a high degree of discomfort is when they are asked to wear only the surgical gown without any undergarments into the surgery. Patients know that they will be unconscious and thus will lose control over the exposure of their body, in particular, their private parts.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive, disposable undergarment for patients undergoing surgery or spending time in a hospital in general.
It is another object of this invention to provide versions of the undergarment which can be worn by both men and women.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a surgical undergarment which increases the hygienic aspects of surgery.
It is still another object of this invention to protect the perineum and other sensitive skin from the iodine preparation used in surgery especially when surgery will be performed on the lower extremities.
It is yet another object of this invention to contain the spread of contamination by a surgical patient's accidental urination or expression of feces while in the operating room.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an undergarment to cover patients staying in the hospital.
To achieve these and other objects which will become readily apparent upon a reading of the attached disclosure and appended claims, a disposable undergarment is provided. Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.


A pavement marking that has yellow-tinted, retroreflective beads partially embedded in a bead-carrier medium. The bead-carrier medium contains 0.5 to 15 volume percent of a light-scattering agent that scatters white light. The pavement marking is able to retroreflect a distinct yellow color at nighttime without using yellow pigments that contain the potentially-toxic metals, cadmium, chromium, and lead.

Yellow and white pavement markings are commonly used on roadways to display traffic lanes. A yellow pavement marking will typically have a different meaning to an automobile driver than a white pavement marking. For example, in the United States of America (USA) a yellow pavement marking is used on a roadway to separate traffic lanes where the traffic moves in opposite directions; whereas a white pavement marking is used (i) to mark the roadway's border at the shoulder, and (ii) to separate traffic lanes where the traffic moves in the same direction (for example, a one-way street). In view of these different functions, it is very important that yellow and white pavement markings are discernible to automobile drivers, particularly at nighttime when visibility is limited. Otherwise, driver confusion may result, creating unsafe driving conditions.
Yellow pavement markings have been made, which are distinctly discernible from white pavement markings under both daytime and nighttime conditions. A typical yellow pavement marking contains clear colorless retroreflective beads partially embedded in a yellow base. The base is made yellow by use of yellow pigments that contain heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, or lead (see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,574,971, 2,268,537, 3,337,483, 4,117,192, 4,248,932, 4,564,556, 4,931,414, Japanese Patent Kokoku 20424/91 and EP 0,305,579 B1). During the daytime, the base diffusely reflects yellow light to display a yellow marking to automobile drivers. At nighttime, the beads reflect light back in the direction from which it came (retroreflect). This retroreflected light is yellow because it strikes the heavy-metal pigments in the base adjacent to the retroreflective beads. The heavy-metal pigments diffusely reflect yellow light back into the beads. The beads then redirect the diffusely scattered yellow light and send it back in the direction of the light source.
Cadmium, chromium, and lead-based pigments have provided good yellow retroreflective pavement markings. Under both daytime and nighttime conditions, the pavement markings are distinctly yellow in appearance. These heavy-metal pigments strongly scatter light because they have a high index of refraction and a particle size on the order of magnitude of the wavelength of light. The pigments provide a distinct yellow color by absorbing the non-yellow components of light to reflect essentially yellow light. This good performance of cadmium, chromium, and lead-based pigments has promoted their widespread use in yellow pavement markings. Chrome yellow (also known as lead chromate) is the most widely used yellow pigment in pavement markings.
It has been known for many years that cadmium, chromium, and lead-based pigments are not environmentally sound. Cadmium, chromium, and lead can be toxic, and therefore replacements have been sought for these pigments. Some states in the USA have announced plans to ban heavy-metals like lead in their pavement markings (A. Banou, Am. Paint & Coatings J. 21-22 (Aug. 19, 1991)). To do so, however, requires that there be suitable replacements for the heavy-metal pigments. The new pavement marking must be highly visible under both daytime and nighttime conditions and must provide a distinct yellow color so as not to be confused with other pavement markings, particularly white pavement markings.
Organic pigments have been recognized as alternatives to heavy-metal pigments (P. Lewis, Organic Pigments, Fed. Soc. for Coatings Tech., Philadelphia, Pa. (October 1988); and J. M. Cameron, Issues and Opportunities in Heavy Metal Replacement, Am. Chem. Soc. Poly. Tech. Conf., Philadelphia, Pa. (June 1991)). Inventors have attempted to use yellow organic pigments in lieu of yellow heavy-metal pigments in pavement markings (see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,891,451 and 3,998,645). This attempt has met with little success commercially because organic pigments generally lack strong light-scattering effects.
It has been known to use colored beads in a pavement marking. Yellow-colored beads have been known as early as 1966, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,559 to Searight et al. Notwithstanding this long duration of knowledge, yellow beads have not been used in yellow pavement markings to a significant extent. Rather, the pavement markings have relied on colorless beads and yellow, heavy-metal-containing pigments like chrome yellow. Pavement markings have continued to employ these pigments in spite of the long felt need for alternatives.
Most recently, in Japanese Patent Kokoku 20424/91 (published Mar. 19, 1991) a yellow road marking material has been disclosed which contains yellow transparent glass beads, but still employs chrome yellow as a pigment. The glass beads are made yellow by coating them with a film of a thermosetting resin that contains a yellow dye. This patent discloses that the road marking material contains yellow pigments such as chrome yellow, yellow organic pigments, titanium yellow, and yellow iron oxide. This patent also discloses that colored glass beads have also been prepared by melt mixing metal ions such as nickel, chromium, cobalt, or copper in the transparent glass, but discourages the use of such beads because it is difficult to adjust their color and prescribed light absorptivity, and they are expensive.

Yellow retroreflective pavement markings

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A method of forming isolation region of an integrated circuit by using rough oxide mask is described. First, a layer of first dielectric is formed on the surface of a silicon substrate. The first dielectric layer is then patterned to define active device region and isolation region. Next, a very thin layer of silicon dioxide is formed over the silicon substrate surface, followed by depositing a layer of rough oxide with proper grain size overlaying the silicon dioxide layer. By using rough oxide grains as an etching mask, the silicon dioxide layer and the silicon substrate underneath are spontaneously etched to form multiple trenches in the isolation region. Next, the rough oxide grains and silicon dioxide layers are stripped. Then, filed oxidation is performed to complete the field oxide isolation formation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of integrated circuits fabrication, and more particularly, to a process of forming local field oxide isolation regions without bird's beak.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional integrated circuits fabrication, isolation is achieved by either local oxidation (LOCOS) or shallow trench isolation (STI). However, both are suffered from the so-called bird's beak formation which is caused by oxygen encroachment into the active regions during the oxidation. Referring now to FIG. 1, it illustrates a typical bird's beak region 14 at the areas where the field oxide 12 is adjacent to the active regions of the silicon substrate 10. These bird's beak regions cause problems in subsequent processing particularly as the allowable dimensional tolerances of the integrated circuits become smaller.
Within the prior art, there are some references addressing the bird's beak issue, however, none appears to be directed to the specific application of the present invention, namely the use of rough oxide mask to form multiple trenches for smoother field oxide growth.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,583 to Lur et al. (the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference) discloses the use of aluminum--silicon alloy mask to etch a set of narrow trenches. Another paper titled "Nano-Trenched Local Oxidation of Silicon Isolation Using Island Polysilicon Grains" by Kwon et al., J. Electrochem. Soc., Vol. 143, No. 2, pp. 639-642, 1996, teaches the use of island polysilicon grains (IPG) mask. But the processes are too complicated and the materials are not often used in a semiconductor factory to be practically employed for integrated circuits mass-production.

Micro-trench oxidation by using rough oxide mask for field isolation


Shaped charge perforators are provided which include a metal tube having a first closed end and containing a high energy explosive. The closed end includes a detonation device for providing an initiation charge to the high energy explosive. The tube further includes, at its unconstrained end, a liner comprising a liner metal having a density greater than about 10 g/cc. The liner forms a depression in the exposed end of the metal tube.

Following drilling operations, oil and gas producers are often faced with the problem of freeing deposits from the well hole site. Since many of the easily obtainable energy sources have already been harvested, a large number of the remaining sites are trapped within hard rock and sandstone substrates. Such wells are often abandoned because of an inability to perforate these down-hole geological formations. Improved means for enhancing penetration, therefore, would be expected to result in a significant economic gain in oil and gas production.
The art has previously resorted to shaped explosive charges for perforating the solid rock to reach these otherwise inaccessible reserves. These charges have been known to create fissures in the deposit substrates, whereby channels are generated between the oil and gas reservoirs and the well bore. In most of the commercially-available shaped charges, a metal tube containing a common explosive material, such as C6, is provided with an initiating charge containing, for example, a simple cylindrical pellet booster. A conically-shaped metal liner is inserted into the front of the tube and into the explosive material for aiding penetration into the hard rock formations upon detonation of the charge. Such liners typically employ a soft ductile, low density metal, such as copper or iron. The principles of shaped charge functioning are well known, and are described in G. Birkhoff et al., Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 19, p. 563-82 (June, 1948), and M. Cook, The Science of High Explosives, Chapter 10, Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York (1958), which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The penetration of a shaped charge into a solid hard rock formation is known to be governed by the following calculation, hereinafter referred to as the "penetration formula". ##EQU1## Where P=penetration into a given target in units of distance
l=the length of the metal jet PA1 P.sub.i =the density of the jet metal in g/cc PA1 P.sub.m =the density of the material being penetrated in g/cc
From this equation, it is clear that by maximizing the ratio of the metal jet density, "P.sub.i ", to the target density, "P.sub.m ", a greater penetration, "P", into the formation can successfully be achieved. Additionally, greater ductility is also important, since it is directly related to the length, "l", of the jet. Finally, the factor "K" in the above equation relates to the explosion system considerations for a given charge, such as its explosive impetus, which provides yet another factor for optimizing perforator designs.
Accordingly, there is a need for a more effective charge design which permits higher perforation of hard rock geological deposits during oil and gas recovery operations. There is also a need for improved liner materials, and more effective charge initiation schemes.


A data processing and storage apparatus has a hardware security module and a data storage medium storing encrypted data objects and a hierarchical data maintenance structure of encrypted partition tables and hash-nodes forming a rooted tree, where a given partition table comprises a first reference to a given encrypted data object and a first cryptographic key for decryption thereof, where a given hash-node comprises a second reference to a partition tables or hash-node and a second cryptographic key being suitable for decryption thereof, and where the root node is decipherable using a master cryptographic key stored in the hardware security module, the given data object being assigned to the root node via the first and second references of the given partition table and the given hash-nodes forming a set of successive nodes in the rooted tree.

Secure deletion of content is a business requirement today in the context of defensible disposal. Defensible disposal of business records is a business process where a business entity can prove (in court) that it expunged certain records while meeting its legal obligations (records management). If the records were not truly expunged (securely deleted) the court could order the retrieval of these records through forensic methods.
Numerous known solutions provide for secure data deletion based on physically destructing storage devices or overwriting magnetic disk drives with patterns. However, these methods may not be used in modern storage technologies. For example, deleting flash memory by overwriting will not work when wear leveling is applied to enhance the storage mediums lifetime. This is because wear leveling will have the effect that an overwriting operation will not affect the existing data intended to be deleted but rather will cause the writing to a new block. To address this problem, solid state devices (SSD) sometimes provide firmware commands for secure deletion of an entire hard drive. However, such deletion will only work on one entire physical disk and not on the file/object level. As another example, overwriting of content on a file system or blocks on a storage device will not work in modern storage infrastructure due to intelligent caching, archiving and/or virtualization.
Consequently, there is an unchanged need for improvements in solutions for data accessibility lifetime management and secure data deletion.

Deletion of content in digital storage systems

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


In electrostatic liquid toning, an apparatus for removing excess liquid toner from a recording medium using an air knife integrated with a toner applicator into a single mechanical structure. The toner applicator contains a toning channel and an air channel adjacent to a toner drain channel. The recording medium carrying a latent electrostatic image is directed past the toning channel in the toner applicator. The toning channel in the applicator contains toner and is in fluid communication with the recording medium. Air under pressure is expelled through the air channel and against the recording medium such that excess toner deposited onto the surface of the recording medium is directed into the toner drain channel.

In electrostatic printing and copying systems, an electrostatic writing head is commonly used to deposit a latent image of electrical charges onto a recording medium such as a paper web. The paper web carrying the latent image is then directed to a liquid toning applicator which deposits charged toner particles onto the paper web, thereby developing the latent image. The paper web may then be passed to a separate structure containing an air knife which uses the shearing force produced by a stream of high pressure air expelled over a knife edge surface to remove excess toner remaining on the surface of the recording medium. Air knives are well known in the art for removing liquids from moving webs in industrial applications such as oil removal from metal webs in aluminum rolling mills. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,462 to G. F. Day teaches the use of air knives for removing liquid toner from a recording medium.
Although air knives are useful for removing excess toner, air knife structures, which are separate from the applicator structure, also increase the size and cost of electrostatic printing and copying systems. Because the air knife is separate from the applicator, costs associated with manufacturing an additional mechanical structure are incurred. Additionally, separate toner drain lines or buckets to hold the excess toner removed from the recording medium by the air knife are required. The implementation and use of such drain lines and buckets increase the cost of the toner system. Furthermore, the drain lines and buckets also require occasional cleaning.
Air supply means must also be provided for the air knife. A separate air supply means, such as a blower or an air pump, may be used, or the air knife may be coupled to a pump or blower present in the toner applicator using connecting hoses or plumbing. In either case, the use of an air knife separate from the toner applicator adds additional components to the toner system. The additional components lead to an increase in the size and cost of the applicator system.
The problems associated with separately arranged air knives are compounded in single-applicator systems in which a single applicator is used to apply multiple colored toners to a recording medium. As mentioned above, the air knife must be provided with a separate drain line or bucket to receive the toner removed by the air knife from the recording medium. However, in order to avoid mixing of the various colored toners, the drain line or bucket of the air knife must be cleaned after each application of differently colored toner to the recording medium. This cleaning process is both difficult and time consuming.
The use of a separately situated air knife is also inefficient in a positive air pressure toner applicator system such as is described in co-pending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 07/998,458. In such a system, positive air pressure is used to confine the toner fluids to the surface of the applicator. Air is expelled at the edges of the applicator surface, at a pressure greater than the pressure of the fluids confined within the applicator. The high pressure air prevents fluid leakage from the edges of the toner applicator, thereby eliminating the need for a funnel or bucket to catch spilled toner. In so doing, a difficult cleaning problem is eliminated, and a single applicator may be used for multiple color toning. However, because the air knife is separate from the applicator, a pressurized air channel and drain line must be provided at the web exiting edge of the applicator to prevent toner leakage from that edge in order to avoid the need for a funnel or a bucket. Additionally, an air channel and a toner drain line or bucket must be provided in the air knife as well. Thus, using a separately situated air knife requires forming one air channel and drain line for the applicator, and a second air channel and drain line or bucket for the air knife.
Therefore it is an object of this invention is to provide a low-cost air knife for removing excess toner from a recording medium which does not increase the size or manufacturing requirements of the toner system.
A further object of this invention is to provide such an air knife which reduces the number of air channels and drain lines or buckets required in positive pressure toner applicator systems.


A method, apparatus, and computer program product where a UE receives a RACH configuration, comprising time/frequency resources for each RACH Preamble and a corresponding Msg1 Data Part. The UE selects the RACH preamble, transmits the selected RACH preamble, and ascertains whether the selected RACH preamble is associated with a 2-step RA procedure. The UE determines at least one resource for Msg1 Data Part based on the selected RACH preamble. The UE performs a LBT preceding the Msg1 Data Part at a predetermined point in time and transmits the Msg1 Data Part provided that the channel is unoccupied based on the LBT. Likewise, a gNB sending a RACH configuration to the UE, receiving a RACH preamble back, ascertaining that RACH preamble is associated with a 2-step RACH procedure, and determining at least one resource for Msg1 Data Part based on the received RACH preamble.

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention disclosed below. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived, implemented or described. Therefore, unless otherwise explicitly indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
A more streamlined 2-step RA procedure has been proposed for both licensed and unlicensed band NR. In RAN plenary meeting #81, the following Way Forwards was agreed (RP-182126.zip), stating that "Higher layer aspects of 2-step RACH can be studied within NR-U SI". A 2-step RA procedure typically has a Msg1 that a UE transmits to the gNB simultaneously or consecutively and a Msg2 where the gNB responds to the UE by transmitting a message which includes contents similar to those of 4-step RACH procedure Msg2 and Msg4 such as, for example, the detected RACH preamble ID, UE-ID, timing advance, back-off indicator, contention resolution message, etc. This message is scheduled via PDCCH and transmitted over PDSCH.
In related art, in LTE, Rel-15 WI "Enhancements to LTE operation in unlicensed spectrum" introduced support for autonomous UL transmissions on unlicensed spectrum (SCells in Licensed Assisted Access) with following key characteristics for Autonomous UL Access (AUL):                A UE can be RRC configured with a set of subframes and HARQ processes that it may use for autonomous PUSCH transmissions.        AUL operation is activated and released with DCI format OA or 4A.        A UE skips and AUL allocation if there is no data in UL buffers.        PRB allocation, MCS, as well as DMRS cyclic shift and orthogonal cover code are indicated to the UE with AUL activation DCI.        The UE indicates to the eNodeB along with each UL transmission the selected HARQ-process ID, new data indicator, redundancy version, UE ID, PUSCH starting and ending points, as well as whether the UE-acquired channel occupancy time (COT) can be shared with the eNodeB.        The eNodeB may provide to the UE HARQ feedback for AUL-enabled HARQ processes, transmit power command, and transmit PMI.
AUL also allows for configuring a set of starting positions for UEs with a very fine raster within the first SC-FDMA symbol of a subframe: 16, 25, 34, 43, 52, or 61 microseconds after the subframe boundary, or at the beginning of symbol #1. UE having starting position in the middle of symbol #0 starts the transmission by filling the remaining duration of symbol #0 with the extended CP of symbol #1. Since all UEs perform listen-before-talk operation prior to the AUL transmission to determine whether the channel is free, different starting point allow for e.g. prioritizing transmissions for certain UEs (by assigning an earlier starting point) and reducing the number of collisions.
The current invention moves beyond current techniques and instrumentation.
Abbreviations that may be found in the specification and/or the figures are either defined in the text and/or defined as follows:                3GPP third generation partnership project;        5G fifth generation;        5GC 5G Core network;        AMF Access and Mobility management Function;        AUL Autonomous UL;        B-IFDMA Block-Interleaved Frequency Domain Multiple Access;        BSR Buffer Status Report;        BWP BandWidth Part;        CCE Control Channel Element;        CFRA Contention-Free Random Access        COT Channel Occupancy Time;        CP Cyclic Prefix;        CU Central Unit;        DCI Downlink Control Information;        DL Downlink;        DRS; Discovery Reference Signal        DU Distributed Unit;        eNB (or eNodeB) evolved Node B (e.g., an LTE base station);        EN-DC E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity;        en-gNB or En-gNB node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and acting as secondary node in EN-DC;        E-UTRA evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access, i.e., the LTE radio access technology;        FDMA Frequency Domain Multiple Access;        GC-PDCCH Group-Common PDCCH;        gNB (or gNodeB) base station for 5G/NR, i.e., a node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and connected via the NG interface to the 5GC;        I/F Interface;        HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request;        LBT Listen-Before-Talk;        LTE Long Term Evolution;        MAC Medium Access Control;        MME Mobility Management Entity;        MSG, Msg Message;        NCE Network Control Element;        NDI New Data Indicator;        ng or NG New Generation;        ng-eNB or NG-eNB new generation eNB;        NR New Radio;        NR-U New Radio Unlicensed;        N/W or NW Network;        PAUCCH Physical Autonomous Uplink Control Channel;        PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel;        PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol;        PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel;        PHY Physical layer;        PRB Physical Resource Block;        PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel;        QoS Quality of Service;        RA Random Access;        RACH Random Access Channel;        RAN Radio Access Network;        Rel Release;        RLC Radio Link Control;        RMSI Remaining Minimum System Information;        RO Random Access Opportunity;        RRC Radio Resource Control;        RRH Remote Radio Head;        RU Radio Unit;        Rx Receiver;        SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol;        SGW Serving Gateway;        SMF Session Management Function;        SR Scheduling Request;        TDMA Time Domain Multiple Access;        TS Technical Specification;        Tx transmitter;        UCI Uplink Control Information;        UE User Equipment (e.g., a wireless, typically mobile device);        UL Uplink;        UPF User Plane Function.

Resource allocation in random access procedure


The present invention provides methods for the use of visible and/or near-infrared spectroscopic methodology to monitor and control processes for the generation of particles, including processes that provide for a reduction in particle size and processes that result in an increase in particle size. One embodiment of the present invention employs visible and/or near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to monitor particle size. The present invention is particularly useful for monitoring particle size of optically dense samples and is further useful for monitoring the endpoint of particle generation processes. In contrast to methods known in the art, the present invention is especially useful for on-line monitoring of particle size.

The present invention relates to methods for monitoring particle size during chemical operations. Particle size monitoring is employed in a wide variety of pharmaceutical and chemical development and manufacturing programs.
The methods known in the art for determining particle size are laborious, time consuming and potentially inaccurate. In general, samples are obtained from the processing equipment, transported to another building/facility and analyzed. Dilutions of approximately 1000 fold are first necessary, and then the samples are "particle sized" such as by laser light scattering with a Coulter LS230 or a Horiba LA-910 commercial particle size instrument. This instrument reports a mean particle size and D90 values (a size of which 90% of the particles are less than this value). The use of the Coulter LS230 requires sampling from the process stream, delivery of sample to an analytical laboratory, significant dilution of the sample and then approximately an additional 30 minutes to generate results. The overall process can take up to an hour, raises concerns about the integrity of the sample generated, and does not provide real time feedback for process monitoring or control. The imitations of methods known in the art include difficulties of off line monitoring, laborious process, physical distance between process and analytic laboratory, non-homogeneities in samples, dilution effects, unrepresentative sample collection, changes in the sample over time and the lag time in processing while waiting for the analysis.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of methods known in the art such as those which employ the Coulter LS230 instrument (or similar methodology). Moreover, in contrast to previously known methods, the present invention results in improved sensitivity to changes in the process near the end of the process cycle. The ultimate utilization of this monitoring scheme can allow the operator to terminate the process operation when the particles have reached the desired size distribution as soon as that condition is reached. The improved efficiency will allow more effective use of processing time, resulting in reductions of manufacturing cycle times to be realized over the manufacturing life cycle of any chemical product that is prepared utilizing such technology.