A library storage system is implemented to comprise a redundant array of inexpensive libraries (RAIL). The system includes removable storage media which may be logically configured into groups (libraries) and subgroups (media groups), such that each may element may be identified and referenced by number. The configuration of libraries allows for redundant data storage as well as error detection and correction via parity schemes. When substitution of storage media is performed, a RAIL controller inspects the appropriate libraries (by matching ID numbers) to ensure that substitute media are stored in the correct locations.

The present invention relates to a storage system having high availability in which a removable medium is stored, more particularly, to a storage system in which each of component elements has redundancy for improving availability.
(1) Description of RAID
A disk array is a technique for operating a plurality of disks in parallel to thereby realize high speed operation as compared with a single disk. When (n) disks are arranged, however, the failure probability deteriorates by (n) times. As a technique for realizing both of high speed and high reliability, "RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks)" is known. RAID is described in detail in "A Case for Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID)", In Proc. ACM SIGMOD, June, 1998, issued by University of California at Berkeley.
FIG. 1 shows the construction of RAID. Reference numeral 1 denotes a host computer and 2 indicates RAID which are connected by a host interface 11. The RAID 2 comprises an RAID controller 3 for controlling the RAID and a plurality of disks 210 to 214. The RAID controller 3 controls the plurality of disk apparatus 210 to 214 and executes reading and writing operations of data in data arrangement of FIG. 1. The RAID control means 3 controls generation of a parity and reconstructing data of a failed disk.
The RAID has levels 1 to 5 in accordance with methods of storing the parity. FIG. 2 shows data arrangement of RAID of the level 4 as an example. According to the example, there are five disk apparatus. When four disk apparatus are used as data disk apparatus 210 to 213 and one disk apparatus 214 is used as a parity disk apparatus, data is sequentially dispersed and stored on a predetermined data block unit basis in accordance with the order of disk apparatus 210, disk apparatus 211, disk apparatus 212, and disk apparatus 213. The data block unit is called a stripe and a control of dispersing data is called striping. By obtaining exclusive OR (hereinbelow, called "XOR") of the data D0 to D3 in the same stripe stored in the disk apparatus 210 to 213, parity P0 as redundant data is generated as follows. EQU P0=D0+D1+D2+D3 (Equation a)
where, + denotes XOR operation.
When the disk apparatus 210 for storing D0 is failed, D0 of the failed disk apparatus can be reproduced by the following. EQU D0=D1+D2+D3+P0 (Equation b)
Data in the same column for generating a parity and a group of parity stripes is called a "parity group". In case of FIG. 2, D0, D1, D2, D3, and P0 form the same parity group. Except for RAID4, RAID3 and RAID5 generate the parity by the same method using the equation a.
The RAID is a method of controlling disks which can enhance reliability at the time of disk failure in the following manner. By realizing high-speed control by operating a plurality of disks in parallel and storing redundant data called a parity into a specific disk called a parity disk, even if one of the disks for storing data is failed, data of the failed disk can be reproduced from other disks and the parity of the parity disk.
(2) Description of removable media (DVD)
In a computer system, as storage often used as well as a disk storage, there is a magnetic tape storage, an optical disk storage. The feature of those storage is that a storage medium and a recording and reproducing apparatus are separated, the storage medium is loaded in the recording and reproducing apparatus, and data is read and written from/to the storage medium. Generally, these media are called "removable media", which will be simply called "media" hereinbelow. In a large-scale computer system, in order to easily manage a great number of media, a library apparatus is introduced. In addition to the storage media and the recording and reproducing apparatus, the library apparatus includes a storage for storing a number of memory media and a carrying apparatus for transferring the memory media between the storage and the recording and reproducing apparatus.
As one of the removable media, there is a DVD (Digital Video Disk). The DVD is a kind of optical disks and a removable medium having characteristics of large capacity, low price, and rewritability. It has been developed so as to be mainly applied to a digital video apparatus. The DVD can be also used in computers and attention is paid to application to various computers by making most of the features such as distribution of programs and data, backup performance of data, and substitution of a magnetic disk.
(3) Description of RAIL
Since the scale of data used in a computer system is being increased, improvement in its availability is very strongly requested. In a storage system constructed by the above removable media, it is effective to realize high availability by applying the concept proposed in the literature by Patterson.
As a technique employing the concept in the removable media, there is COMDEX 96, DVD applications, by Alan E. Bell (IBM Research Division), Nov. 20, 1996. In the literature, RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Libraries) having redundancy by combining a plurality of ordinary libraries each constructed by DVD, recording and reproducing means, carrying means, and the like is proposed.
In the RAIL, it is considered that one of libraries as a component element does not have redundancy since it is an ordinary library (inexpensive library). The concept of the RAIL is that a library itself is considered as one disk and a unit of redundancy is a library, not that redundancy is given to each of the means constructing the library. That is, even if one of libraries is failed, data of the DVD stored in the failed library can be reproduced from data of DVDs stored in a plurality of other libraries by the same method as the Equation (b) in the (1) description of the RAID. As mentioned above, the RAIL is a technique for realizing high reliability of libraries using removable media.
In order to simplify the description, RAIL of a type of the RAID4 is considered in the specification. It is obviously understood that RAIDs at other levels have similar operations. In a manner similar to other levels of the RAID, it is assumed that data is divided on a predetermined block unit basis and is dispersed into media in different libraries. The dividing unit at this time is a "stripe" in a manner similar to that of the RAID. Data stripes in the same column for generating a parity and a parity stripe are called a "parity group". Since RAID4 is used, all the parities are concentratedly arranged in the same medium. The medium for storing the parity is called a "parity medium".
A group of libraries for providing redundancy is called a "RAIL group". A group of media constructing an ECC group is called a "media group".

Removable library media system utilizing redundant data storage and error detection and correction


A memory cell undergoing programming is determined as belonging to a particular one of a plurality of second threshold voltage ranges that divide a present threshold voltage range of the particular memory cell. Programming pulses are applied to program the particular memory cell to within the target threshold voltage range. At least one of a program voltage and a total duration of the programming pulses applied to the particular memory cell is varied, depending on the particular second threshold voltage range of the memory cell.

Field of the Invention
This technology relates to a page buffer of a memory array.
Description of Related Art
Programming a memory cell relies on multiple programming pulses, such as via ISPP (incremental step pulse programming). Different memory cells across an array may behave non-uniformly during programming for various reasons such as variations in manufacturing, temperature, voltage, and disturb effects. Because of such lack of uniformity, different memory cells require a different number of programming pulses, despite nominally starting the program operation from the same beginning logical level and nominally ending the program operation at the same finishing logical level. This can be displayed by a threshold voltage distribution graph of number of memory cells versus threshold voltage, which shows that a relatively non-uniform group of memory cells has a wide, short distribution, and that a relatively uniform group of memory cells has a narrow, tall distribution.
The relatively non-uniform group of memory cells requires more program and verify cycles than the relatively uniform group of memory cells. Accordingly, there is a wide variation in the duration of programming any individual memory cell or group of memory cells, even for memory cells that share the same nominal beginning logical level and the same nominal finishing logical level.
It would be desirable to adjust how memory cells are programmed, to reduce the variation in the duration of programming. It would also be desirable to reduce the duration of programming, even for a relatively non-uniform group of memory cells.

Threshold voltage grouping of memory cells in same threshold voltage range


An interface arrangement (1) includes a plug connector (4) arranged on an interface board (3). Furthermore, the interface arrangement (1) includes an electrically conductive cover (10) at least partially surrounding the plug connector (4). The electrically conductive cover (10) is adapted to seal an interface opening of the housing, in which opening the plug connector (4) can be arranged, against electromagnetic radiation. The electrically conductive cover (10) includes at least one tab (19) with a latching device. The interface board (3) includes at least one receiving device, which is adapted to receive the at least one tab (19) and to latch with the latching device. A computer system with such an interface arrangement (1), and a method for assembling such an interface arrangement (1).

Housings of computer systems frequently have interface openings in which plug connectors of an interface arrangement are arranged. A problem with interface openings of this kind is that they represent a weak point in the electromagnetic shielding of the computer housing. Electromagnetic radiation can enter the housing and/or emerge from the housing through the interface opening.
The object of the present invention is to describe an interface arrangement, a computer system and a method for assembling an interface arrangement that solve or lessen the aforesaid problem.

Interface arrangement with protection against electromagnetic radiation and computer system using a method of assembling the same


Devices and methods to reduce or attenuate electromagnetic radiation emitted by an electronic device such that the electromagnetic radiation does not impinge on a user of the electronic device include one or more layers of material. The one or more layers of material have properties including one or both of absorption and/or reflection of electromagnetic radiation in frequency ranges used for wireless telephonic communication. The one or more layers of material are arranged to be disposed near the back side of the electronic device. Use of the one or more layers of material attenuates the electromagnetic radiation as measured at or near the front of the electronic device during use by about 75%.

It is known that electronic devices, including cell phones, emit electromagnetic radiation during operation. It is known that at least some emitted electromagnetic radiation impinges on the users of the electronic devices. It is known that impingement of electromagnetic radiation may be undesirable under certain circumstances. It is known that electromagnetic radiation may be attenuated by various mechanisms, including absorption, deflection, and/or other mechanisms.


Disclosed is a multistage charging circuit for driving liquid crystal displays, designed particularly to provide a multistage charging driving circuit for liquid crystal display, in which the pixels can be pre-charged to a determined voltage value before the next data are written by performing charge-sharing and pre-charge. Due to the fact that the voltage and the next data have the same polarity, the problems resulted from gray-scale voltage imprecision and latch up at the output can be prevented and thus high gray-scale precision and low power dissipation can be achieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a driving circuit with multistage charging for liquid crystal displays, and more particularly to a driving circuit, which is able to perform charge-sharing and pre-charge on the pixels of liquid crystal displays.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, due to the fast development in electro-optics and semiconductor technology, the related techniques compatible with multimedia applications of displays have grown rapidly. The advantages of a liquid crystal display (to be abbreviated as LCD here below), in contrast to conventional displays, include smaller size and better moving picture quality and image display characteristics. At present, the technical fields according to LCDs, especially those related to the driving circuit of a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), have become the key techniques.
The conventional techniques for driving TFT-LCDs, wherein the voltage output range of a data driver varies with the polarity alternating of pictures alternating, suffer from high power dissipation and include: (1) charge-sharing by using a large external storage capacitor; and (2) pixels of different polarities driven by different data drivers. However, there still exist problems due to gray-scale voltage imprecision and latch up at the output.
As mentioned above, power dissipation and gray-scale voltage precision are two important references by which the performance of a driving circuit of a LCD is judged. It is well known that the output power dissipation is proportional to the square of voltage swing. Please refer to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, which respectively illustrate a schematic driving circuit of a liquid crystal display using vertical signals and the relation between the liquid crystal applied voltage and liquid crystal transmittance in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the driving circuit must follow the polarity alternating of data signals in order to change its range of dynamic operation. Even though only the positive half cycle or the negative half cycle of the voltage range is used, as shown in FIG. 2, the voltage range of dynamic operation at the output stage of the entire driving circuit must be two times the voltage range as the uni-polarity case is concerned. In other words, the output must be able to provide considerably large voltage swing and thus the power dissipation is increased.
One of the approaches to reduce the power dissipation is to lower the voltage swing at the output stage. To achieve such object, several improved driving methods, as shown in FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B and FIG. 4, have been claimed. Among them, as can be seen in FIG. 3A, a considerably large external storage capacitor 66 may be coupled between ground and common node 65, and the capacitance of the external storage capacitor 66 is much larger than the sum of all the capacitance of the pixels. The external storage capacitor 66 averages the voltages, over time, applied to the columns of the array. Before the data are written (as presented by intervals t0xcx9ct1 and t2xcx9ct3 in the waveform timing diagram shown in FIG. 3B), SELECT goes high, shorting column 2 through mutliplexer 78 to external storage capacitor 66 and resulting in charge-sharing. In practice, the value of external capacitor 66 is large enough to sink such charges without producing a noticeable variation in the voltage there across, therefore the voltage on Column 2 drops to approximately ground potential, as shown in FIG. 3B. In such manner, the voltage swing is reduced.
Please further refer to FIG. 4, which is a circuit diagram in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,165, wherein the positive-polarity voltage and negative-polarity voltage are supplied by different output terminals, respectively. For example, the positive-polarity voltage is supplied by the upper output terminal (OP+) and the negative-polarity voltage is supplied by the lower output terminal (OPxe2x88x92). In this manner, the output voltage swings at both the upper output and the lower output are decreased to half as compared to the conventional technique, as shown in FIG. 1.
However, the above improved driving methods remain unable to solve two major problems such as:
(1) Gray-scale voltage imprecision: Within the time constant xcfx84=R*C, the response of an STC circuit to an input signal can never reaches the initial value of the input signal. The difference between the initial value and the response value decreases with time, and thus the voltage deviation the liquid crystal cell holds decreases. However, in the methods as illustrated in FIG. 1A and FIG. 3A, the initial voltage and response voltage have opposite polarities. Therefore, the voltage deviation the liquid crystal cell holds can not be neglected.
(2) Latch up at the output: As can be seen in FIG. 4, when the liquid crystal cell is turned on, the upper output (OP+) xe2x80x9cseesxe2x80x9d the negative-polarity voltage of the prior frame, resulting in latch up.
Accordingly, in order to overcome the above problems, the present invention provides an improved circuit, which is able to perform charge-sharing and pre-charge at the same time.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide, a multistage charging driving circuit for liquid crystal displays, characterized in that the pixel is charged to a fixed value by performing charge-sharing and pre-charge before the next data are written. Since the charged pixel and the next data have the same polarity, the latch up at the output of the driving circuit can be prevented. In addition, the fixed voltage value is set to be around the median gray-scale, therefore, during the same data-write time, the median gray-scale voltage has better accuracy than in the prior arts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a multistage charging driving circuit for liquid crystal displays, characterized in having better accuracy in median gray-scale voltage and lower power dissipation, preventing the latch up at the output of the driving circuit.
In order to achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention provides an improved circuit, which is able to perform charge-sharing and pre-charge on the pixels of liquid crystal displays, comprising (1) switches for performing charge-sharing and pre-charge; and (2) voltage levels for pre-charge (M(+) and M(xe2x88x92), the output of M being positive or negative-polarity voltage) and voltage selection controllers (C1xcx9cCM). All these components can be implemented outside the pixel region.
It is preferable that, according to the present invention, the circuit being able to perform charge-sharing and pre-charge can be further coupled to an external storage capacitor with large capacitance in order to reduce the voltage swing at the output.

Multistage charging circuit for driving liquid crystal displays

Industrial Technology Research Institute


The invention relates to a method of controlling an electromechanical brake for a vehicle wheel, the brake including an actuator provided with a pusher that is actuated by an electric motor and that is adapted to exert a braking force selectively on friction elements in response to an actuation setpoint, the method comprising the following steps:                from a braking setpoint ( F), determining a nominal position setpoint ( X) for the brake actuator;        from said braking setpoint ( F), estimating a reference current (i*) that ought normally to be flowing in the motor of the actuator to apply a force equal to the braking setpoint;        comparing the reference current (i*) with a current (i) actually flowing in the motor of the actuator, and deducing a position correction (xcorr); and        adding the position correction to the nominal position setpoint.

The braking systems for vehicle wheels comprise braking actuators (which may be hydraulic or mechanical) for applying a force on friction elements for the purpose of generating a braking torque tending to slow the vehicle down.
Most braking control systems known in aviation make use of a setpoint that is converted either into a pressure for hydraulic brakes, or, for brakes having electromechanical actuators, into a force to be applied by the pusher or into a movement to be performed by the pusher.
With electromechanical brakes, controlling actuators in position raises a particular problem associated with possible expansion of the components of the brake during braking. During high-intensity braking, e.g. braking a fully loaded airplane after aborting takeoff, the heat given off by the friction elements of the brake is very large and runs the risk of causing the torsion tube on which the friction elements are mounted to expand, which can have the effect that of reducing the level of force that is exerted for a given position of the pusher of the actuator.
In particular, when using a brake with carbon friction elements, the expansion of the friction elements themselves is very small compared with the expansion of the metal torsion tube on which the friction elements are placed, which can lead, in the event of a very large amount of heat being given off, to a drop in the braking force for a given position of the pushers of the actuators.

Method of controlling a vehicle brake with compensation for expansion


A chair is provided with a frame defining a curved arm support, a seat supported in the frame, and a back. An arm member is movably mounted on the arm support and operatively connected to the back so that movement of the back between upright and reclined positions is controlled by the arm member and arm support. A resilient spring is operatively connected to the back to bias the back towards an upright position. In one embodiment, the resilient spring encompasses the curved arm support and provides support for a seated user's arm. In another embodiment, an arm cap covers the resilient spring. Optionally, the arm cap slideably rides on roller bearings over the curved arm support. In another embodiment, the curved arm support and arm member are telescopingly arranged, and the resilient spring is operably placed therein. Another embodiment includes first and second springs, the second springs being disengageable to produce discrete selectable levels of bias force for biasing the back toward the upright position. In another embodiment, the resilient spring is continuously adjustable, and includes a control mechanism including opposing springs that slide on a pivotable actuator arms thus creating a variable torque arm which is adjustable to vary the resulting bias force on the chair back.

The present invention relates to chairs, and in particular to a chair having a mechanism to control chair back movement.
Chairs utilizing tiltable chair backs are commonly used to provide increased user comfort. However, the mechanisms for controlling the rearward movement of the chair back are often complex and expensive. Further, many control systems for backs are bulky and/or cannot be easily incorporated into existing designs Still further, the adjustment of the biasing force for supporting a person during rearward tilting of the back is difficult. Thus, manufacturers continue to search for new and different ways to control the position and orientation of the chair back, along with ways to control the biasing force for supporting a person as the person leans rearwardly on the chair back.


An electronic device includes a first structural part, a first electronic substrate correspondingly mounted on the first structural part, and a motor. The motor includes a second structural part and a second electronic substrate, a base directly formed on the second structural part, a rotor having at least one load, and a stator. The first and second structural parts are integrally made. The first and second structural parts are combined to a single electronic structural part. The stator has a plurality of winding coils and a driving circuit directly shaped on the second electronic substrate respectively for driving the rotor. The first and second electronic substrates are integrally made. The first and second electronic substrates are combined to a single electronic substrate. Alternatively, the driving circuit is directly shaped in the second electronic substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor integrated to an electronic device, and more particularly to a motor, in which rotating parts and fixed parts of the motor are directly integrated to a structural part and an electronic substrate of an electronic device.
2. Related Art
Usually, in an electronic device, if a motor (or an electric motor) needs to be placed as a source of motive power of a heat sink fan or a source of vibration, the complete motor product is placed in the electronic product. In addition, in order to save the space, the circuit board needs to be manufactured to an appropriate shape, so as to match the shape of the motor product (for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,248,473), or the motor is independently designed and manufactured. Moreover, a mounting portion needs to be considered after the motor is already manufactured, and then the motor is connected to the circuit of the electronic device on which the motor is mounted (for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,214). Further, a miniature fan motor is directly mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) (for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,221), in which a complete motor product is directly mounted on the circuit board through a bearing base in an axial direction or a radial direction. The adopted motor product is still independently designed and manufactured, such that it is rather difficult to thin the motor in space, and the cost is increased due to the repeated use of the resources.

Metal Industries Research & Development Centre


A refiner plate for the face of a refiner disc comprising a plurality of refiner segments arranged side-by-side on the face of the disc to form a substantially annular refining region. Each refiner segment has an inner refining zone for receiving the material to be refined and an outer refining zone. The outer refining zone has a plurality of radially disposed bars defining an top surface and a plurality of radially disposed channels disposed intermediate the bars defining a lower base surface. At least one of the top surfaces has at least one radially extending groove defining a pair of blades and an intermediate base surface at the bottom of the groove. The intermediate base surface is positioned at a height intermediate the top surface and the lower base surface. The width of the grooves are narrower than the width of the channels.

The present invention relates generally to disc grinders for lignocellulosic material. More particularly, the present invention relates to refiner plate segments for such an apparatus.
In high consistency mechanical pulp refiners, the wood fibers are worked between two relatively rotating discs on which refiner plates are mounted. The plates usually have radial bars and grooves. A large volume of steam is produced between the plates as a result of this refining work. For effective refining, the fibers must be retained between the plates on the bar surfaces despite the high velocity of the flowing steam, and the enormous centrifugal forces. Typically, dams are provided in the grooves to interrupt material flow and thus improve the retention time of the material in the refining region.
In a typical refiner plate with radial bars and grooves, the bars provide impacts or pressure pulses which separate and fibrillate the fibers. The grooves enable feeding of the fibers and steam extraction. Near the perimeter of the plates, high radial steam flow and high centrifugal force both act to sweep the fibers outwardly from between the plates prematurely, thus reducing the refining effectiveness. The flow restrictions due to a small gap between the opposing plates and fiber-filled grooves result in a steam pressure peak between the plates, located radially inward from the perimeter. The force of this pressure peak on the discs is a major source of the refining thrust load, and can induce control instability at high motor loads.
It is thus desirable that the steam generated during refining be discharged from the refining region as quickly as possible, while the pulp is retained within the region as long as possible. The evacuation of steam is especially difficult for refiner plates which have a fine pattern of relatively narrow bars and grooves in the refining zone. Such plates produce heat from more fiber impacts per revolution than coarser refiner plates, and the grooves on fine refining zones are narrower, reducing the cross-sectional area available for the flow of steam. Consequently, the grooves in fine refining zones are prone to plugging due to the accumulation of the material being refined. Conventional refiner plates have a groove width greater than a certain minimum, to reduce the amount of plugging. Such a minimum groove width effectively limits the fineness of the refiner plate. In addition, the bars of fine refining zones are very narrow and have a height that is high in relationship to the width of the bar. Consequently, such bars are prone to breakage.


A system for sex sorting of mosquitoes generally comprises: (i) a plate or similar receptacle that includes multiple wells, with each of the multiple wells configured to receive a mosquito; and (ii) an imaging subsystem, including a camera for capturing images of the mosquito in each of the multiple wells and a computer for analyzing the captured images to determine whether each mosquito is male or female. Mosquitoes have distinct anatomical areas for identification, which are captured in the images and are used to determine if a mosquito is male or female. Furthermore, in some implementations, the system includes a suction device or other means for exterminating the unwanted mosquitoes after the determination of whether each mosquito is male or female.

Malaria, dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever, West Nile Virus (WNV) and other encephalites, human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), human filariasis, dog heartworm and other pathogens important to animals are on the increase. These diseases are transmitted via insects and, in particular, mosquitoes.
There are approximately 3,500 species of mosquitoes in the world, and at least 176 of these species are found in the United States. Mosquitoes are nuanced insects that are sub-divided into genera. There are 41 different types of genera; however, the majority of the species of mosquitoes that spread disease fall within three genera: Culex, Anopheles, and Aedes.
Culex mosquitoes can be active throughout the year, but tend to hibernate over the winter as adults. Most breeding occurs during the warmer months, with the Culex mosquitoes laying rafts of eggs at night on the surface of standing water anywhere it can be found. Over a period of about one to two weeks, larvae will hatch, develop into pupae, and then into adult mosquitoes. Depending on the species, the adult mosquitoes do not travel more than a few hundred yards from where they hatched. The adult female mosquitoes feed primarily at night and are considered aggressive and persistent biters, although many Culex species prefer birds to humans. Only female mosquitoes blood feed, as they need the protein in the blood to develop eggs. Adult Culex mosquitoes can live up to approximately one month. In this generus, a medically important mosquito is the Culex pipiens, which is also known as the northern house mosquito. It is a primary carrier of the West Nile Virus, as further discussed below.
Anopheles mosquitoes also tend to breed during the warmer months, but can also be active throughout the year. Females also deposit their eggs on the surface of water in groups of 50 to 200. Immature growth is analogous to the developmental process for Culex mosquitoes. Immature Anopheles mosquitoes can be readily identified by their tendency to lie parallel to the water surface unlike most other mosquito genera. While Culex mosquitoes can breed and thrive in stagnant or polluted water, the Anopheles mosquitoes prefer clean water habitats in marshes, swamps, and rice fields, among others. The adult females usually live about two weeks and feed predominantly at dusk and dawn. Several of the medically important Anopheles species tend to feed on humans and cattle. Anopheles mosquitoes are the carriers of the parasite that causes malaria, which can be transmitted through their saliva when they bite, as further discussed below.
Aedes mosquitoes oviposit their eggs on moist soil or in containers that periodically accumulate rainfall, such as tree holes, plastic containers, overflow ditches, and old tires. The eggs can survive drying and hatch once flooded by water. The mosquitoes advance through the same four-stage developmental process as other mosquitoes. As a predominantly tropical and subtropical group, Aedes mosquitoes tend to breed in warm weather, although some species can thrive in temperate environments. Adult female mosquitoes can feed both during the day and at night, and several of the species are considered particularly troublesome. Many floodwater and saltmarsh species (e.g., Aedes vexans and Aedes taeniorhynchus) are becoming significant nuisance species, as they tend to be very numerous, aggressive, and painful biters. Two Aedes mosquitoes are also significant vectors of diseases that afflict humans. Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) and Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito) are capable of transmitting viruses responsible for Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya and Yellow Fever, as further discussed below.
Further description of the diseases transmitted by mosquitoes can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,868,222 entitled "Transfected Mosquito Vectors" and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0259846 entitled "Method for Mosquito Control," each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
With respect to such diseases, few drugs are available for treatment of major arthropod-borne viruses, which are also referred to as arboviruses. Thus, the focus is often on controlling mosquito (or other insect) populations. For instance, as also described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0259846, methods for controlling mosquito populations often include the use of pesticides and vector control methods. However, existing insecticidal control methods rely upon field technicians, who often fail to find and treat many breeding sites, which can be numerous, cryptic and inaccessible. Additional methods consist of area-wide treatment via airplane or wind-assisted dispersal from truck-mounted foggers. Unfortunately, the latter fail to treat many breeding sites and are complicated by variable environmental conditions. Surveys of natural and artificial water containers demonstrate mosquitoes and other arthropods to be highly efficient in finding, inhabiting and laying eggs in variously sized, cryptic water pools, including tree holes and gutters high above ground level.
In response to the limitations and deficiencies of prior control methods, U.S. Pat. No. 7,868,222, which, as noted above, is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method for producing an artificial Wolbachia infection in a Culicidae (mosquito) species. The mosquitoes include species within the subfamilies Culicinae and Anophelinae, and the species include Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti, and Aedes polynesiensis infected with a Wolbachia infection. The infection may be a strain of Wolbachia which does not normally or naturally infect the selected mosquito species. The artificially infected Aedes mosquitoes can be introduced into a mosquito population to control the reproduction capability of the population by introducing an incompatible Wolbachia infection.
The Wolbachia biopesticide approach differs from existing mosquito control measures in that it is a self-delivering, species-specific biological control with a novel mode of action and no known resistance. The approach is based upon repeated, inundative releases of incompatible male mosquitoes that are artificially infected with Wolbachia bacteria. Male Ae. albopictus do not blood feed or transmit disease and have evolved effective means to locate females. One thousand Ae. albopictus males costs a few dollars to produce and can find females more effectively than a team of the best trained professionals. Prior mass-rearing efforts have produced in excess of one million male mosquitoes/day continuously for a year.
The Wolbachia biopesticide is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA"), and the approach can be used to complement existing insecticide-based control measures. The EPA has granted approval (Section 3 Registration and Experimental Use Permits) for the open release of Wolbachia biopesticide in mosquitoes as a control tool. The Wolbachia biopesticide is not affected by other larvicide applications, and the Wolbachia biopesticide is species-specific and will not affect non-targeted species (e.g., beneficial insects). However, as alluded to above, the application of the Wolbachia biopesticide requires that only males infected with Wolbachia be released. Male mosquitoes do not bite. When they mate, the eggs do not hatch due to the cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) caused by Wolbachia. When the male mosquitoes die, the Wolbachia bacterium dies also since Wolbachia is an obligate symbiont that is incapable of existing outside its host. Over time, as fewer eggs develop into adults, the overall population is reduced below densities required for disease transmission.
Thus, any process for producing mosquitoes in mass quantities must include an effective means to sort and separate the mosquitoes by sex, so that only male mosquitoes are released with the Wolbachia biopesticide. Additionally, there may be other reasons to sort and separate the mosquitoes by sex. In this regard, the Wolbachia biopesticide is just one autocidal method that deploys male mosquitoes, and other methods that make use of only male mosquitoes include certain sterile insect techniques (SIT), release of insects carrying a dominant lethal technology (MDL) techniques, methods based on certain genetic modification of mosquitoes, and mark-release-recapture experiments.
As mentioned above, there are established techniques for mass-rearing of mosquitoes. In this regard, lines that are stably infected with Wolbachia are expanded by continuing to rear all offspring generated by females. As one female can generate several hundred eggs, the line can be expanded to thousands of insects within a few generations. In other words, once a line is infected, the infection persists in the line without additional effort, since the bacterium is maternally transmitted to both daughters and sons.
With respect to rearing the mosquito strains, mosquito eggs are induced into hatching with deoxygenated water. Resulting immature mosquitoes (larvae) are then transferred to trays of water for further development. Mosquito larvae are not fastidious and use a variety of food resources. Depending upon availability and cost, food provided to the larvae can range from powdered liver to various types of pet food. Immature mosquitoes are preferably maintained at a density no greater than 1 larva/ml.
Prior to eclosion into the adult stage, immature mosquitoes at the pupal stage are removed from the trays and transferred to buckets containing the pupae and water. The buckets are placed inside adult screened cages (30×30×30 cm) where they develop into adults. A 10% sucrose solution may be provided to the mosquitoes for adult nutrition. Female mosquitoes may be further provided weekly with a blood meal (e.g., bovine blood) for egg development. Post blood feeding, oviposition containers lined with paper are placed into cages where females oviposit eggs. Egg papers are collected weekly from the adult cages. After an egg maturation period following collection, eggs are submerged in deoxygenated water, and the rearing process is repeated. Safety protocols for containment of mosquito strains are followed and maintained to ensure that mosquitoes are not inadvertently released.
For male mosquitoes intended to be used for field releases, as described above, there must be a means by which to sort and separate the mosquitoes by sex, so that only male mosquitoes are released with the Wolbachia biopesticide. For example, one common technique is to separate males from females at the pupal stage using a mechanical separation device. The separation device consists of an aluminum plate supporting two glass panes that delimit an adjustable, downward-pointing wedge-shaped space between them, into which the immature mosquitoes are poured. Due to naturally occurring sexual dimorphism (i.e., female pupae are larger than male pupae), pupae can be separated on the basis of size by regulating the thickness and angle of the wedge shape. However, this technique is limited in its accuracy, and some level of female contamination can be expected. Thus, one or more visual examinations are often conducted after mechanical separation to identify and remove any residual females as adults, which greatly reduces the probability that any females will be overlooked prior to release. However, such visual examinations are very labor and time-intensive
Thus, there remains a need for a more effective system and method for sex sorting of mosquitoes.

System and method for sex sorting of mosquitoes


Described herein are novel compounds having antineoplastic and antimicrobial activity, obtained via structural modifications of resveratrol and combretastatin A-4, methods for synthesis of these compounds, and their use in pharmaceutical composition and for use in the treatment of mammals having cancer. Examples of the novel compounds are: (Z)- and (E)-3,4′,5-trimethoxystilbene (4a, 4b); (Z)- and (E)-3,5-dimethoxy-4′-hydroxystilbene (14c, 14d); (Z)- and (E)-3-hydroxy-4′,5-dimethoxystilbene (14g, 14h); (Z)- and (E)-3,5-dihydroxy-4′-methoxy-stilbene (14k, 14l); sodium resverastatin dibenzyl phosphate ((Z)-3,5-dimethoxy-4-[O-bis(benzyl)phosphoryl]-stilbene) (14m); and sodium resverastatin phosphate (14n).

The antitumor properties of a series of structurally simple compounds derived from tropical and subtropical trees of the family Combretaceae are under ongoing investigation. The genus Combretum contains 25 species used in the traditional medical practices of Africa and India. The South African bush willow Combretum caffrum was used by the Zulu and other Southern African people as a charm to ward off enemies and in traditional medical practices.
Combretum caffrum (Eckl. Zehy.) Kuntze collected in 1973 and recollected in 1979 afforded extracts that showed activity in the astrocyte reversal (9ASK) and murine lymphocytic leukemia screening assays of the National Cancer Institute of the U.S.A. Historically, this extract was the first to be successfully fractionated by means of the 9ASK system. In 1982 the isolation of the first member of the combretastatin series was disclosed. Also disclosed was its structure and later synthesis. (Pettit, G. R., et al., Isolation and Structure of Combretastatin, CAn. J. Chem. 1982, 60, 1374-1376; Pettit, G. R., et al., Synthesis of Natural (−)-combretastatin, J. Org. Chem. 1985, 50, 3404-3406.) Subsequently, a number of additional cancer cell line active constituents were isolated. These investigations eventually led to applicant's isolation, structure and synthesis of the cis-stilbene combretastatin A-4 (2a) and its phosphate prodrug (2b). (Pettit, G. R., et al., Isolation and Structure of the Strong Cell Growth and Tubulin Inhibitor Combretastatin A-4, Experentia, 1989, 45, 209-211; Pettit, G. R., et al., Antineoplastic agents 291. Isolation and Synthesis of Combretastatin A-4, A-5, and A-6, J. Med. Chem. 1995, 38, 1666-1672; Ndayikengurukiye, H., et al., Alkoxylated p-phenylenevinylene Oligomers: Synthesis and Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Properties, Tetrahedron 1997, 53, 13811-13828.) The latter has been shown to selectively damage tumor neovasculature with induction of extensive blood flow shutdown in the metastatic tumor compared to normal tissues.
For example, six hours following treatment using the murine CaNT adenocarcinoma and a single i.p. injection of combretastatin A-4 prodrug (100 mg/kg), vascular function shutdown in the tumor was rapid, irreversible and extensive (8). (Ndayikengurukiye, H., et al., Alkoxylated p-phenylenevinylene Oligomers: Synthesis and Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Properties. Tetrahedron 1997, 53, 13811-13828.) In November 1998 four Phase I human cancer trials were initiated, two in the United States and two in England. Current clinical trials (9) have been encouraging and Phase II human cancer clinical trials have been or will be initiated soon. (Cushman, M., et al., Synthesis and Evaluation of Analogues of (Z)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl) ethane as Potential Cytotoxic and Antimitotic Agents, J. Med. Chem-1992, 35, 2293-2306.)
The need for such compounds is both critical and ongoing. The isolation of such valuable compounds is the purpose of the present invention.

Structural modification of resveratrol: sodium resverastatin phosphate

Arizona Board of Regents, a body corporate of the State of Arizona, Acting for and on Behalf of the Arizona State University


An electric vehicle charging system includes a power distributing system configured to receive power from a power control system and selectively direct the power to one of a plurality of power dispensers coupled to the power distribution system.

Electric vehicles, such as buses, cars, trucks, etc. are charged at a charging station to recharge their batteries. In the case of a fleet of electric vehicles, multiple vehicles may be recharged at the same time (e.g., when they are parked overnight at a depot, when multiple vehicles pull into a charging station, etc.). In the case of a large fleet (such as, for example, a fleet of electric buses), a reduction in operating costs can be achieved by reducing the infrastructural and other costs associated with charging (such as, for example, decreasing number of chargers, increasing the number of vehicles that can be charged at the same time, etc.). Embodiments of the current disclosure may result in a decrease in charging related costs for electric vehicles. The scope of the current disclosure, however, is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability to solve any specific problem.


A receptacle assembly that receives a back light assembly and a display unit of a liquid crystal display device is disclosed. The receptacle assembly for receiving the back light assembly comprises a first receptacle module and a second receptacle module engaged with the rear surface of the first receptacle module to support the first receptacle module. The first receptacle module and the second receptacle module are formed of plastic and metal respectively. Therefore, the distortion that can be generated by the exterior impact and the vibration and the deflection due to the heat can be prevented. Further, the productivity is improved by simplifying the engaging structure of the receptacle assembly, and the size stability is improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display device that can minimize the size of the liquid crystal display device by modifying the structure of a receptacle assembly for receiving a back light assembly and a display unit of the liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, information processing devices have been developed so as to have various shapes, various functions, and rapid information processing speeds. The information which has been processed by such an information processing device has electrical signals. A display device that functions as an interface is usually used for confirming the information processed by the machine with the naked eye.
Recently, a liquid crystal display device has developed to be lighter and smaller than a display device of a CRT type and to have full spectrum of colors and high resolutions. As the result, a liquid crystal device has been widely used as a monitor of a computer, a television, and a display device of another information processing device.
A liquid crystal display device applies a voltage to an electrode to change the molecular arrangement of the liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal display device changes the optical properties of liquid crystal layers that pass light according to the molecular arrangement, and uses the modulation of the light of the liquid crystal cells.
Liquid crystal display devices can be categorized into a TN (Twisted Nematic) type and an STN (Super-Twisted Nematic) type. Further, liquid crystal display devices can also be categorized into an active matrix display type that uses a switching device and a TN liquid crystal and a passive matrix display type that uses an STN liquid crystal according to the driving methods.
The active matrix display type is used in a TFT-LCD, and drives an LCD by using a TFT as a switch. The passive matrix display type does not use any transistors, and thus does not need complex circuits that are related to a transistor.
Further, according to the light source, liquid crystal display devices are categorized into a transmission-type liquid crystal display device that uses a back light and a reflection-type liquid crystal display device that uses an exterior light source.
The transmission-type liquid crystal display unit is heavy and voluminous because of the back light, but is widely used because it can be used anywhere without considering the ambient light.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view for showing a conventional liquid crystal display device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for showing the assembled liquid crystal display device of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the liquid crystal display device 600 comprises a liquid crystal display module 700 for displaying a screen by applying a video signal, and a front case 800 and a rear case 900 that receive the liquid crystal display module 700.
The liquid crystal display module 700 comprises a display unit 710 that comprises a liquid crystal display panel. The display unit 710 comprises a liquid crystal display panel 712, an integrated printed circuit board 714, a data side tape carrier package 716, and a gate side flexible circuit board 718 which is manufactured by a COF method.
The liquid crystal panel 712 comprises a thin film transistor substrate 712a, a color filter substrate 712b, and a liquid crystal layer therebetween (not shown).
The thin film transistor substrate 712a is a transparent glass substrate in which thin film transistors of the matrix type are formed. A data line is connected to source terminals of the thin film transistors, and a gate line is connected to gate terminals. A pixel electrode of indium tin oxide (ITO), which is transparent conductive material, is formed in the drain terminal.
If electrical signals are inputted to the data line and the gate line, the electrical signals are inputted to the source terminals and the gate terminals of the thin film transistors. The thin film transistors are turned on or off by the inputting of the electrical signals to the gate terminals. Then, the drain terminal outputs the electrical signals that are needed for showing images at the pixels.
The color filter substrate 712b is opposite to the thin film transistor substrate 712a. The color filter substrate is a substrate in which RGB pixels are formed by the thin film process. A common electrode of the ITO is coated on the front surface of the color filter substrate 712b.
If a voltage is applied to the gate terminals and the source terminals of the transistors of the thin film transistor substrate 712a and the thin film transistors are turned on, an electric field is formed between a pixel electrode and the common electrode of the color filter substrate. The arrangement of liquid crystal injected between the thin film transistor substrate 712a and the color filter substrate 714b changes by the electric field, and the transmittance of light changes as the arrangement varies.
A driving signal and a timing signal are applied to the gate line and the data line of the thin film transistor to control the arrangement of the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal panel 712 and the timing of when the liquid crystal is arranged. As shown in the figures, a tape carrier package 716 which is a sort of flexible circuit board for determining the data driving signal application time is attached to the source side of the liquid crystal display panel 712, and a gate side flexible circuit board 718 which is manufactured by the COF method for determining the gate driving signal application time is attached to the gate side.
The integrated printed circuit board 714 for receiving the video signals from the outside of the liquid crystal panel 712 and for applying the driving signals to the gate line and the data line is connected to the tape carrier package 714 of the data line side of the liquid crystal display panel 712. The integrated printed circuit board 714 has a source portion to which the video signals generated in an exterior information processing device (not shown) is applied to provide the data driving signals to the liquid crystal display panel 712 and a gate portion for providing the gate driving signals to the gate line of the liquid crystal display panel 712. The integrated printed circuit board 714 generates the gate driving signals for driving the liquid crystal display device, the data signals, and a plurality of timing signals for applying the gate driving signals and the data signals. The gate driving signals are applied to the gate line of the liquid crystal display panel 712 through the gate side flexible circuit board 718, and the data signals are applied to the data line of the liquid crystal display panel 712 through the data tape carrier package 716.
A back light assembly 720 for providing a uniform light to the display unit 710 is provided under the display unit 710. The back light assembly 720 comprises a linear lamp 722 for generating the light. The linear lamp 722 is provided on one side of the liquid crystal display module 700. A light guide plate 724 has a size corresponding to the liquid crystal panel 712, and is located under the liquid crystal panel 712. The lamp side of the light guide plate 724 is the thickest. The thickness gradually decreases as goes away from the lamp 722. The light guide plate 724 guides the light generated in the lamp 722 towards the display unit 710, and changes the passage of the light.
A plurality of optical sheets 726 for making the luminance of the light which is irradiated from the light guide plate 724 and goes towards the liquid crystal display panel 712 uniform is provided above the light guide plate. A reflection plate 728 provided under the light guide plate 724 reflects the light leaked from the light guide plate and improves the efficiency of the light. The display unit 710 and the back light assembly 720 is supported by a mold frame 730 which is a receiving container. The mold frame 730 has a box-like shape, and the upper portion of the mold frame 730 is open. The mold frame 730 comprises four side walls and a bottom surface, and opening portions for bending the integrated printed circuit board 714 along the outer side surface of the mold frame 730 and positioning the integrated printed circuit board 714 are formed in the bottom surface.
A chassis 740 bends the integrated printed circuit board 714 of the display unit 710 and the gate tape carrier package 718 to the outside of the mold frame 730, and fixes the integrated printed circuit board 714 and the gate tape carrier is package 718 to the bottom surface portion of the mold frame 730. The chassis 740 prevents the deviation of the display unit 710. The chassis 740 has a cubic shape like the mold frame 730, and the upper portion of the chassis 740 is open to expose the liquid crystal display panel 710. The side wall portion of the chassis 740 is vertically bent towards the inner side thereof to cover the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the liquid crystal display panel 710.
A bottom chassis 750 is provided in the mold frame 730 to positively fix the back light assembly 720 at a designated position. The bottom chassis 750 has a recessed portion at the central portion thereof to press the bottom surface of the back light assembly and fix the back light assembly 720. Therefore, the area of the liquid crystal display device is increased by the existence of the bottom chassis 750, and the number of the assembling processes for bottom chassis 750 increases. Thus, the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal display device 100 also increases.
The display unit 710 and the back light assembly 720 is received in the mold frame 730, and the mold frame 730 is thin so as to reduce the size of the liquid crystal display device, and has four side surfaces and one bottom surface. When the mold frame 730 is manufactured using a die, variations in the side surfaces and the bottom surface of the mold frame distort the mold frame 730, which costs lots of trial and errors and manufacturing time.
Further, if a portion of the mold frame 730 is changed, the overall shape of the mold frame 30 should be restructured and the improvement of the mold frame 730 is difficult to improve. Furthermore, recently, since the liquid crystal display device becomes light and thin and as the mold frame of the lamp side becomes thinner, the mold frame cannot be molded easily and the distortion of the mold frame causes serious problems.

Liquid crystal display device with a structure receiving a back light assembly and a display unit


A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor element, a lead, and a gold wire electrically connecting an electrode of the semiconductor element and the lead. In the semiconductor device, the gold wire is covered with a metal and is a continuous film formed by plating.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. In particular, it relates to a semiconductor device capable of decreasing a resistance between an electrode of a semiconductor element and an electrode of a lead and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the recent semiconductor market, demanded are semiconductor devices which can operate at high speed and have high throughput while consuming low power during operation. In order to satisfy such opposed needs, miniaturization of a circuit of a semiconductor device has been advancing. In addition, in order to effectively utilize supplied power, the inner resistance (for example, on-resistance) of the entire semiconductor device has been decreased.
One citable example of semiconductor devices is a transistor package including a FET used for switching and amplifying a current. In this transistor package, electrodes on a semiconductor element and electrodes of leads are electrically connected by multiple wires formed of a conductive metal, such as gold (Au) or aluminum (Al).
Examples of inner resistances may include a resistance component of the wring member connecting the semiconductor element and the lead, and a resistance component of a connection between the wiring member and each electrode. In general, a metal wire is used as the wiring member. However, the resistance of this metal wire occupies a nonnegligibly-large portion in the inner resistance value of the entire semiconductor device. Accordingly, if the resistance of the metal wire could be decreased even when the metal wire is used, the resistance component of the connection between the electrode of the semiconductor element and the electrode of the lead can be also decreased.
A possible measure to achieve this is to thicken the metal wire or to increase the number of the metal wires. However, a technically-difficult problem is caused due to short-circuit of adjacent metal wires or limitations on the number of and space for the wires to be attached. In particular, when the wire is thickened, the wire becomes difficult to bend. Thereby, a loop height thereof becomes higher. Furthermore, there is not so much flexibility in designing in relation to a distance between the electrode on the semiconductor element and the electrode of the lead. For this reason, to secure a space for the bending of the metal wire, the total height of the semiconductor device has to be consequently increased.
On the other hand, as a method for lowering the resistance value of the metal wire per se, it is possible to change a metal material forming the metal wire to a material with a lower resistance than that of gold (Au) or aluminum (Al). However, this method can hardly be employed, because usable metals are limited from the viewpoint of cost and reliability in jointing portions is not so high.
As one method for solving such problems, Japanese Patent No. 3240292 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-76195 disclose a semiconductor device in which an electrode of a semiconductor device and an electrode of a lead are electrically connected by using a plate-like conductive metal material in order to lower a resistance of the entire semiconductor device. That is, this method allows an expansion of the cross-sectional area of a current channel between the electrode of the semiconductor element and the electrode of the lead. Thereby, the resistance between the electrode and the lead can be lowered.
However, in the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3240292, a gate electrode of the semiconductor element and the lead are connected by the metal wire. Thus, for the above-described reason, there is a limitation of decreasing the inner resistance of the semiconductor device.
In addition, the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3240292 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-76195 mainly focus on use of the plate-like conductive metal wire to decrease the resistance of the semiconductor device, and, for this reason, do not describe at all how to decrease the resistance of a semiconductor device which uses a metal wiring material other than such plate-like metal material. Furthermore, in Japanese Patent No. 3240292 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-76195, there is no description of a method for further decreasing the resistance when the plate-like metal material is used.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing problems. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device that is highly reliable and easy to manufacture as well as that can further decrease an inner resistance without an increase in the size of the semiconductor device, and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same


A method for operating a drive unit, in which, given the use of a vehicle-speed controller, the actual speed is prevented from exceeding the setpoint speed too significantly. In the method, a setpoint value for an output variable of the drive unit is predetermined. An overrun fuel cutoff of the drive unit is enabled as soon as the setpoint value for the output variable falls below a characteristic value for the overrun fuel cutoff.

Methods for operating a drive unit, in which a setpoint value is predetermined for an output variable of the drive unit, are already known. Thus, in a drive unit of a motor vehicle, for example, having an internal combustion engine, it is not possible to produce any arbitrarily small torque, but rather a torque range exists which cannot be set between the overrun fuel cutoff, at which the absolute smallest torque without fuel injection lies, and operation using a torque at the minimum fuel injection required for operating the internal combustion engine. For operation using a vehicle-speed controller, cruise control operation, frequent switching back and forth between operation of the drive unit using overrun fuel cutoff and operation of the drive unit using minimum fuel injection is to be avoided, since the surges connected with the torque jumps resulting therefrom are disturbing to the driver of the vehicle. To avoid such overly frequent switching back and forth, speed-dependent hysteresis is used. In this case, during normal operation, in which an actual speed of the vehicle approximately corresponds to a setpoint speed, overrun fuel cutoff is forbidden. In such an operating state, the minimum settable torque corresponds to the torque at minimum fuel injection. If the difference between the actual speed and the setpoint speed exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the overrun fuel cutoff is enabled and the minimum settable torque jumps to the absolute smallest torque without fuel injection. To avoid too frequent switching back and forth, the predetermined threshold value is typically set to comparatively high speed differences, so that the overrun fuel cutoff first becomes active when the setpoint speed has already been significantly exceeded, while traveling on a downgrade, for example.


A gaming apparatus may include a display unit capable of generating video images, a detection apparatus capable of detecting the presence of a person by detecting radiation from the person, and a controller operatively coupled to the display unit and said detection device. The controller may comprise a processor and a memory and may be programmed to allow a person to make a wager, to cause a video image representing a video gambling game to be generated on the display unit, to determine an outcome of the video gambling game and a value payout associated with the outcome of the video gambling game, and to cause the gaming apparatus to enter a sleep mode after no detection of a person for a period of time, and to cause the gaming apparatus to terminate the sleep mode upon detection of a person.

The present invention is directed to a gaming apparatus, which could be either an individual gaming unit or a gaming system having a plurality of gaming units, that is capable of shifting into a power-saving sleep, mode.
A conventional gaming unit has been provided with a display unit that is capable of generating video images, a coin or bill acceptor, and a controller with a memory and a processor that controls the overall operation of the gaming unit. The controller was programmed to allow a person to make a wager, to cause video images to be generated on the display unit, to determine an outcome of the video gambling game, and to determine a value payout associated with the outcome of the video gambling game. The conventional gaming unit was programmed to display video images representing a video gambling game, which included a number of user-selectable video gambling games including video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno and video bingo.
The conventional gaming unit was also programmed to cause a screen-saver sequence to be performed on the display unit. The screen-saver sequence included a plurality of video images relating to the game without the generation of sound. The gaming unit would periodically exit the screen-saver sequence to perform an attract sequence, which included a plurality of video images and the generation of one or more sound segments that were designed to attract a player to the gaming unit. If a player deposited a coin or a bill or made another input to the gaming unit during performance of the attract sequence, the gaming unit would termination the attract sequence and generate another display, such as a game-selection display, to allow the player to begin gambling. The conventional gaming unit also included an instruction sequence that included a plurality of help displays that could be displayed in response to the player pressing a "help" key or similar key.

Gaming apparatus with power saving feature


A soundwall and components are described that incorporate a significant amount of plastic materials while still retaining the strength, durability and resiliency necessary for the soundwall to resist wind loads and weathering. An exemplary soundwall is described that is composed of prefabricated sound reducing modules anchored by support posts which are themselves constructed from a significant amount of plastics. The modules used in this exemplary wall are formed from an internal support frame which, in a preferred embodiment, is constructed from reinforced plastic lumber members. The support frame is covered by an outer sheath which, in alternative described embodiments, may be formed from reinforced plastic sheets or plastic lumber members. Methods are also described for fabricating the individual modules, support frame and support members as well as the soundwall itself. Soundwalls constructed in accordance with the present invention result in an unexpectedly great reduction in sound. The high plastic content of the soundwalls and their components permits greater amounts of recycled plastics rather than other materials to be used, thus providing environmental benefits as well.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to roadway soundwalls and sound reducing modules for use in such soundwalls. The invention also relates to methods for constructing such soundwalls. In other aspects, the invention relates to systems and methods for reducing noise along a highway or roadway.
2. Description of the Related Art
Soundwalls are used alongside highways and other roadways to separate the roadway from residential subdivisions or communities. They serve to screen off the highway from view and provide a safety barrier between the community and the highway. Their primary purpose, however, is to significantly reduce traffic noise from the roadway within the community.
A typical roadway soundwall is from 8 to 18 feet in height and runs continuously alongside a selected section of roadway. Currently, soundwalls are constructed of wood, concrete or masonry block. Examples of such soundwalls are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,713,170 and 5,537,788, both entitled "System and Method for Widening a Highway and Supporting a Sound Wall," and issued to Elmore et al. Soundwalls of this type are suitably sturdy and effective in reducing highway noise. However, they require a great deal of expensive material to construct. Further, when concrete or masonry block are used, the material is essentially a single use material and, upon destruction of the soundwall, the material cannot be recycled. It was estimated in 1995 that over 183 km (114 miles) of noise barriers or soundwalls have been constructed at a total cost of $141,000,000. R. Armstrong, "Highway Traffic Noise Barrier Construction Trends," The Wall Journal, v. 5, no. 27, pp. 6-9 (1996). In addition, soundwalls constructed of concrete, masonry block or another hard and massive material present a danger to vehicles which might leave the roadway and impact the soundwall.
Since the early 1990's, there have been attempts to incorporate greater amounts of recycled or recyclable materials into soundwall construction. These attempts have been largely unsuccessful and have not provided a soundwall with the features and advantages of the present invention. Several years ago, the Oregon Department of Transportation constructed a soundwall which used metal I-beam support columns. A number of lengths of unreinforced "boards" formed from recycled plastic were then stacked horizontally in between the support columns with the ends of the plastic boards resting within the recesses of the I-beams. A wall formed from a single layer of plastic resulted. The soundwall was tested to determine its durability to weathering. During this testing, significant warping of the boards occurred.
Recently, Carsonite International, Inc., a corporation based at 1301 Hot Springs Road, Carson City, Nev. 89706 constructed a composite soundwall which also incorporated recycled plastic. This soundwall employed steel support I-beam-type columns. Horizontally stacked between the support columns were lengths of composite members made up of recycled plastics covered with sheet metal shells.
It is noted that transparent acoustical panels are known that employ a single 1/4" thick sheet of transparent polycarbonate, such as LEXAN.RTM.. Examples of such panels are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,411 issued to Pickett. Panels of this nature are useful as a window or panel element within a concrete noise barrier, or within a rapid transit sound barrier canopy, or incorporation into other small barriers. However, these panels alone do not have the structural strength necessary to be used to form a larger soundwall.

Roadway soundwall and sound-reducing modules used therein


An apparatus for controlling the irradiation direction of a lamp for a vehicle is provided with an actuator 3R for controlling the irradiation direction of a headlamp 2R and a controller (ECU) 1 for controlling the actuator 3R in accordance with a pitch angle of a vehicle. The controller 1 includes a monitor unit for monitoring the state of a control signal line CL for sending a control signal for controlling the actuator 3R and determines an abnormality of the controller, the actuator or the control signal line based on the state of the control signal line. The controller is not required to be connected to the actuator via a wire harness dedicated for the monitoring which is provided independently, so that the number of the wire harnesses can be prevented from increasing. Further, since the actuator is not required to be provided with a dedicated monitor circuit, the configuration of the actuator is prevented from being complicated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for controlling an irradiation direction of a vehicle lamp such as a headlamp and, in particular, relates to an apparatus and method for controlling the irradiation direction of a headlamp in a vertical direction in accordance with an angle of the front portion of a vehicle in a vertical direction with respect to a surface of a road.
2. Related Art
An amount of deflection of the spring of a suspension system which supports a vehicle body changes in accordance with changes of the loading state of goods or difference of passengers etc. within the vehicle. When the amount of deflection of the spring changes, a vertical depression angle of a front portion of the vehicle body with respect to a road surface, that is, an angle in a vertical direction (hereinafter called a pitch angle in this specification) the vehicle body along a longitudinal direction thereof with respect to the road surface may change. Thus, an irradiation direction (optical axis) of the headlamp attached to the front portion of the vehicle also changes in the vertical direction so as to follow the pitch angle. As a result, drivers of other vehicles such as oncoming vehicles are dazzled when the irradiation direction is directed upward, whilst an amount of light irradiation in the forward direction of the vehicle becomes insufficient when the irradiation direction is directed downward, both of which are not preferable in a view point of traffic safety. In order to keep the irradiation direction of the headlamp irrespective of such a change of the pitch angle of a vehicle, there is an auto-leveling apparatus. The auto-leveling apparatus includes a pitch angle detection means for detecting the pitch angle of the vehicle, a control means for outputting a control signal for adjusting the irradiation angle of the headlamp in the vertical direction in accordance with the pitch angle thus detected, and an actuator for adjusting the angle of the headlamp in the vertical direction with respect to the vehicle body based on the control signal from the control means.
According to such an auto-leveling apparatus, in most cases, the actuator and the headlamp are integrally constituted and the pitch angle detection means is constituted as a part of the controller of a vehicle together with the control means. Thus, the controller including the pitch angle detection means and the control means is coupled to the actuator by means of wire harnesses. When a failure occurs in the actuator, the controller recognizes the failure and is required to perform a so-called fail-safe operation such as the reduction of the light intensity of the headlamp or the fixing of the irradiation direction of the headlamp to a predetermined position. To this end, the controller is required to grasp the failure of the actuator. Disclosed in JP-A-2002-036945 is a technique in which a power supply voltage supplied to the actuator is monitored, and the actuator is stopped at the current position when the power supply voltage changes by a reference value or more. Disclosed in JP-A-2004-155249 is a technique in which a detection circuit is provided for detecting a current flowing through the coil of a motor constituting the actuator, and the failure diagnosis of the motor is performed based on the detection data of the detection circuit at the time of flowing a failure diagnosis current and at the time of not flowing the failure diagnosis current.
However, in the conventional techniques, in order for the controller to determine the abnormality of the actuator, it is required to connect the actuator with the controller by means of wire harnesses independently provided for determining the abnormality. As a result, there arise such problems that the number of cables increases, the number of the terminals of the controller increases in particular, which results in the difficulty in miniaturizing and light-weighting the apparatus and further reducing the cost of the apparatus. In JP-A-2002-036945, a monitor circuit independently provided for monitoring the abnormality of the power supply voltage and the wire harness for monitoring are required. In JP-A-2004-155249, the wire harness for flowing the current for the failure diagnosis and the detection circuit is required. Since each of JP-A-2002-036945 and JP-A-2004-155249 detects the abnormality of the actuator itself, when the wire harness for transmitting the control signal among the wire harnesses for connecting the controller and the actuators is broken or short-circuited, a normal control signal can not be sent to the actuator any more. In this case, since there arises no abnormality in the actuator itself, the abnormality of the control signal line can not be detected quickly.

Irradiation direction control apparatus and method


The invention relates to a heat reflecting glass pane. This glass pane has a transparent glass plate and a multilayer coating formed on one side of the glass plate. The multilayer coating includes a first heat-reflecting layer formed on a surface of the glass plate, and a second layer formed on the first layer. The first layer has a first refractive index from 2.0 to 3.5, a first extinction coefficient from 0.2 to 1.5, and a first thickness from 20 to 80 nm. The second layer has a second refractive index from 1.6 to 2.3, a second extinction coefficient not higher than 0.03, and a second thickness from 10 to 100 nm. The second refractive index is smaller than the first refractive index. The heat reflecting glass pane does not so much reduce the reflectance of a visible light incident on the glass plate from the uncoated side, but substantially reduces the reflection of a visible light incident on the second layer from the coated side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat reflecting glass pane with a multilayer coating formed on one side of the glass pane, for use in buildings or vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heat reflecting glass panes have been used as window panes for buildings or vehicles, for the purpose of diminishing the direct sunlight or of providing occupants of the buildings or vehicles with privacy.
For example, Japanese Patent Examined Publication JP-B-Sho-53-32806 discloses a heat reflecting glass pane having thereon a heat reflecting layer made of a mixture of an aluminum oxide and at least one oxide of at least one metal selected from Co, Fe, Ni, Cr, Sn, Zn and Cu.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication JP-A-Hei-5-213630 discloses another heat reflecting glass pane having thereon a layer which is a spinel-type oxide polycrystalline film containing all of three elements of cobalt, iron and nickel. This film has a surface resistivity not smaller than 10.sup.4 .OMEGA./.quadrature..
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication JP-A-Hei-6-192598discloses an ultraviolet absorbing glass having a heat reflecting capability. This glass has a glass substrate, and an ultraviolet absorbing film which is formed on the glass substrate and contains as a main component thereof at least one of zinc oxide, titanium oxide, and cerium oxide. This glass further has an interlayer film which is disposed between the glass substrate and the ultraviolet absorbing film and has an intermediate refractive index between that of the glass substrate and that of the ultraviolet absorbing film.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication JP-A-Sho-64-70701 discloses a transparent plate having a conductive reflection reducing multilayer film formed on a transparent substrate having a refractive index from 1.45 to 1.60. This multilayer film has a first metal film which is formed on the substrate, has a thickness of 2-6 nm, and is made of one metal selected from titanium, chromium, zirconium, molybdenum, a nickel-chromium alloy and a stainless steel containing Ni, Cr and Fe. This multilayer film further has a second high-refractive-index dielectric film which is formed on the first film, and has a refractive index from 1.90 to 2.50 and a thickness from 20 to 40 nm. This multilayer film still further has a third low-refractive-index dielectric film which is formed on the second film, and has a refractive index from 1.35 to 1.50 and a thickness from 70 to 120 nm.


An integrated two-step process for producing low-cost atmospheres suitable for annealing ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys, brazing metals, sealing glass to metals, and sintering metal and ceramic powders in continuous furnaces from non-cryogenically produced nitrogen containing up to 3% residual oxygen is disclosed. The residual oxygen present in non-cryogenically produced nitrogen is converted to moisture by mixing it hydrogen and passing the mixture through a reactor packed with a platinum group catalyst in the first step of the process. The reactor effluent stream containing a mixture of nitrogen, unreacted hydrogen, and moisture is mixed with a predetermined amount of a hydrocarbon gas and introduced into the heating zone of a continuous furnace in the second step of the process to 1) convert moisture to a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen by reaction with the hydrocarbon gas via water gas shift reaction and 2) produce atmospheres in-situ suitable for heat treating. The key features of the process include 1) use of economical amount of hydrogen to convert residual oxygen to moisture in an external catalytic reactor and 2) conversion of moisture to a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen by reaction with the hydrocarbon gas via water gas shift reaction in the hot zone of a continuous furnace. The disclosed process is particularly suitable for producing low-cost heat treating atmospheres for continuous furnaces operated at 700.degree. C. and above.

Nitrogen-based atmospheres have been routinely used by the heat treating industry both in batch and continuous furnaces since the mid-nineteen seventies. Because of low dew point and virtual absence of carbon dioxide, nitrogen-based atmospheres do not exhibit oxidizing and decarburizing properties and are therefore suitable for a variety of heat treating operations. More specifically, a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen has been extensively used for bright annealing low to high carbon steels and non-ferrous metals and alloys such as copper and gold. A mixture of nitrogen and a hydrocarbon such as methane or propane has gained wide acceptance for neutral hardening and decarburization-free annealing of medium to high carbon steels. A mixture of nitrogen and methanol has been developed and used for carburizing low to medium carbon steels. Finally, a mixture of nitrogen, hydrogen, and moisture has been used for brazing metals and sealing glass to metals.
A major portion of nitrogen used by the heat treating industry has been produced by distillation of air in large cryogenic plants. The cryogenically produced nitrogen is generally very pure and expensive. To reduce the cost of nitrogen, several non-cryogenic air separation techniques such as adsorption and permeation have been recently developed and introduced in the market. Nitrogen produced using non-cryogenic processes is much less expensive but it contains 0.05 to 5% residual oxygen, making a direct substitution of cryogenically produced nitrogen with non-cryogenically produced nitrogen in continuous heat treating furnaces very difficult. Non-cryogenically produced nitrogen has, however, been successfully used to replace cryogenically produced nitrogen in applications where surface oxidation can be tolerated. For example, non-cryogenically produce nitrogen has been successfully used in oxide annealing of carbon steel parts which are generally machined after heat treatment.
Non-cryogenically produced nitrogen has also been successfully used to replace cryogenically produced nitrogen in applications where surface finish or appearance is not important. For example, a mixture of non-cryogenically produced nitrogen and methanol is commercially used for carburizing steels in batch furnaces as well as continuous furnaces equipped with integrated quench cooling zones. Carburizing processes using non-cryogenically produced nitrogen/methanol mixtures have been described in detail in papers titled, "Carburizing with Membrane N.sub.2 : Process and Quality Issues", published in Heat Treating, pages 28-32, March 1988, "New Method of Generating Nitrogen for Controlled Atmosphere Heat Treatment at Torrington Shiloh Plant", published in Industrial Heating, pages 40-46, March 1986, and "The Use of Non-Cryogenically Produced Nitrogen in Furnace Atmospheres", published in Heat Treatment of Metals, pages 63-67, March 1989. The use of non-cryogenically produced nitrogen/methanol mixtures have, however, not been successful for bright annealing or heat treating parts without surface oxidation in continuous furnaces. Additionally, such atmospheres have not been successful for heat treating parts in continuous furnaces operated at temperatures below about 900.degree. C. and are not cost-effective because they require an expensive methanol delivery system.
Attempts have been made to use other reducing gases such as a hydrocarbons and hydrogen along with non-cryogenically produced nitrogen to produce atmospheres suitable for heat treating or bright annealing parts in continuous furnaces but with limited success even with the use of an excess amount of a reducing gas. The problem has generally been related to surface oxidation of the heat treated or annealed parts in the cooling and/or heating zones of the furnace. For example, methane has been added into the heating zone of continuous furnaces with non-cryogenically produced nitrogen in an attempt to generate atmospheres suitable for oxidation- and decarburization-free annealing or hardening of carbon steels. It was, however, not successful due to excessive oxidation and decarburization of the parts, as described in a paper titled, "The Use of Non-Cryogenically Produced Nitrogen in Furnace Atmospheres", published in Heat Treatment of Metals, pages 63-67, March 1989. The oxidation and decarburization problems were related to the slow rate of reaction between oxygen and methane at low temperatures and/or short residence times in continuous furnaces used for oxide- and decarburization-free annealing. The above paper concluded that non-cryogenically produced nitrogen would be cost competitive to cryogenically produced nitrogen if residual oxygen levels below about 0.2% would be achieved. Attempts have also been made to use hydrogen gas as a reducing agent with non-cryogenically produced nitrogen for oxide-free and bright annealing of carbon steels in continuous furnaces. Unfortunately, the process required excessive amounts of hydrogen, making the use of non-cryogenically produced nitrogen economically unattractive as pointed out in the last mentioned paper.
A mixture of non-cryogenically produced nitrogen and hydrogen has been used for annealing copper and described in papers titled, "The Use of Non-Cryogenically Produced Nitrogen in Furnace Atmospheres", published in Heat Treatment of Metals, pages 63-67, March 1989 and "A Cost Effective Nitrogen-Based Atmosphere for Copper Annealing", published in Heat Treatment of Metals, pages 93-97, April 1990. These papers describe that heat treated copper product was slightly discolored when all the gaseous feed containing a mixture of hydrogen and non-cryogenically produced nitrogen with residual oxygen was introduced into the hot zone of a continuous furnace. It is, therefore, clearly evident that one would conclude copper cannot be bright annealed with a mixture of non-cryogenically produced nitrogen and hydrogen in continuous furnaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,164 claims producing atmosphere suitable for heat treating metals from non-cryogenically produced nitrogen in continuous furnaces by reacting residual oxygen with hydrogen or carbon monoxide in the heating zone followed by abstracting a apart of the atmosphere from the heating zone and introducing it into the cooling zone of the furnace. Unfortunately, this process requires large amounts of hydrogen or carbon monoxide to provide high pH.sub.2 /pH.sub.2 O or pCO/pCO.sub.2 ratio (or reducing environment) in the furnace, making it uneconomical for bright annealing steels, brazing steels, and sintering steel powders in continuous furnaces.
Researchers have explored numerous alternative ways of using non-cryogenically produced nitrogen for heat treating metals in continuous furnaces. For example, furnace atmospheres suitable for bright annealing copper, brazing copper, decarburized annealing steel, and sintering copper and copper alloys have been claimed to be generated from non-cryogenically produced nitrogen by converting residual oxygen to moisture with hydrogen gas in external units prior to feeding atmospheres into the furnaces. Such atmosphere generation methods have been disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,535,074, Australian Patent Application numbers AU45561/89 and AU45562/89 dated 24 November 1988, and European Patent Application number 90306645.4 dated 19 June 1990. Unfortunately, these processes are not cost-effective for bright annealing steels, brazing steels, and sintering steel powders because they require large amounts of hydrogen to maintain high pH.sub.2 /pH.sub.2 O ratio (or reducing environment) in the furnace. Additionally, these processes are limited in scope because they result in excessive decarburization of steel parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,070 and French patent publications 2,639,249 and 2,639,251 dated 24 November 1988 claim producing atmospheres suitable for heat treating metals from non-cryogenically produced nitrogen by converting residual oxygen to moisture with hydrogen in external catalytic units followed by extraction of moisture prior to introducing atmospheres into furnaces. These methods are not cost effective because of the substantial costs involved in extracting moisture from atmospheres.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,728 claims producing atmospheres suitable for heat treating from non-cryogenically produced nitrogen by simultaneously introducing 1) non-cryogenically produced nitrogen along with hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the heating zone and 2) non-cryogenically produced nitrogen pretreated to convert the residual oxygen to moisture with hydrogen in an external catalytic reactor or nitrogen gas free of oxygen in the cooling zone of a continuous furnace. Unfortunately, this method requires large amounts of hydrogen or carbon monoxide to maintain high pH.sub.2 /pH.sub.2 O or pCO/pCO.sub.2 ratio (or reducing environment) in the furnace, making it uneconomical for bright annealing steels, brazing steels, and sintering steel powders in continuous furnaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,434 claims producing atmospheres suitable for heat treating from non-cryogenically produced nitrogen by reacting residual oxygen with vaporized methanol in an external catalytic reactor. This method has not been used in many parts of the world because of the costs involved in installing a methanol delivery system.
Based upon the above discussion, it is clear that there is a need to develop a process for generating low-cost atmospheres for bright annealing ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys, brazing steels, sealing glass to metals, and sintering metal and ceramic powders in continuous furnaces from non-cryogenically produced nitrogen. Additionally, there is a need to develop a process which 1) is cost effective, 2) eliminates need of an expensive delivery system for the reducing agent, 3) reduces hydrogen requirement, and 4) minimizes decarburization of steels during heat treatment.

Integrated process for producing atmospheres suitable for heat treating from non-cryogenically generated nitrogen


Contour data representing the contour of an embroidering area to be covered up with stitches formed by an embroidery machine is read from a contour data storage means and the contour of the embroidering area is displayed on a display on the basis of the contour data. A desired stitching direction for at least one point in the embroidering area is specified by the operator. The embroidering area is divided into a plurality of embroidering sections by dividing line segments parallel to the specified desired stitching direction. A reference point is set for each embroidering section. Each embroidering section is divided into blocks so that the respective contours of all the blocks are convex, and then embroidery data is produced.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an embroidery data processing system for producing embroidery data necessary for embroidering a pattern of stitches in an embroidering area by a sewing machine and, more particularly, to improvements in producing proper embroidery data in respect of connection with the shape of a desired embroidering area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Embroidery data processing systems capable of automatically producing embroidery data necessary for embroidering a pattern of stitches in a desired embroidery area by a sewing machine on the basis of contour data representing the contour of the desired embroidery area have been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,674 granted to the applicant of the present patent application, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 3-128084 filed by the applicant of the present patent application and Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 62-2556.
The embroidery data processing system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,674 produces embroidery data taking into consideration a stitching direction specified by the operator, on the basis of data of the continuous contour of an embroidery area entered by the operator and the stitching direction specified by the operator. However, it is impossible to produce embroidery data for stitching stitches in all directions that are perfectly suitable for the shape of the embroidering area, because only one stitching direction can be specified.
The embroidery data processing system proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 3-128084 divides the contour of an embroidering area, represented by data entered by the operator, into two opposite partial contours with respect to a direction perpendicular to an embroidering direction, estimates the direction of extension of the center line of the embroidering area from the shapes of the partial contours, divides the embroidering area into a plurality of blocks arranged in a line along the direction of extension of the center line, and produces embroidery data taking into consideration the respective shapes of the blocks. Accordingly, this embroidery data processing system is capable of automatically determining different stitching directions respectively for the blocks. Therefore, the direction of stitches formed according to the embroidery data produced by this embroidery data processing system is more suitable for the shape of the embroidering area than that of stitches formed according to the embroidery data produced by the embroidery data processing system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,674. However, the stitching direction determined by the embroidery data processing system does not always coincide perfectly with that desired by the operator and, since the embroidery data is produced only on the basis of the data representing the contour of the embroidering area, the embroidery data is not perfectly proper in respect of connection with the shape of the embroidering area.
The embroidery data processing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 62-2556 produces embroidery data taking into consideration a desired stitching direction when data representing the contours of a plurality of blocks of an embroidering area is entered and a desired stitching direction is specified for each block. Accordingly, different stitching directions corresponding to those desired by the operator are determined respectively for the blocks of the embroidering area. Therefore, stitches are formed in directions more appropriate for the shape of the embroidering area than those determined by the foregoing embroidery processing systems. However, this embroidery data processing system requires data individually representing the plurality of blocks of the embroidering area, and data representing stitching directions respectively for the plurality of blocks even if the desired stitching directions for the adjacent blocks are the same, which increases the instructional load on the operator

Embroidery data processing system and method