Stable, aqueous insulin formulations without phenol and m-cresol which are suitable for pulmonary delivery and for delivery when phenol and m-cresol are undesirable are disclosed. The formulations provide increased convenience for the patient.

The present invention relates to stable, aqueous insulin formulations without phenol and m-cresol suitable for pulmonary delivery and for delivery when phenol and m-cresol are undesirable, providing increased convenience for the patient.
Diabetes is a general term for disorders in man having excessive urine excretion as in diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder in which the ability to utilize glucose is more or less completely lost. About 2% of all people suffer from diabetes.
Since the introduction of insulin in the 1920""s, continuous strides have been made to improve the treatment of diabetes mellitus. To help avoid extreme glycaemia levels, diabetic patients often practice multiple injection therapy, whereby insulin is administered with each meal.
In solution, the self-association pattern of insulin is a complex function of protein concentration, metal ions, pH, ionic strength and solvent composition. For the currently used soluble preparations containing U100 insulin, zinc ions, isotonic agent and phenolic preservative, the following equilibria must be considered:
6In⇄3In2
3In2+2Zn2+⇄In6(T6)
T6⇄T3R3⇄R6
The known degradation patterns of insulin include a) fibril formation; b) deamidations at A18, A21 and B3; c) dimerisations via transamidation or Schiff-base formation; d) disulfide exchange reactions.
According to Brange (Stability of Insulin, Kluwer Academic Press,1994), each of these degradation reactions proceed much faster in the monomeric state than in the hexameric state. Therefore, the most efficient means of stabilising insulin preparations is by pushing the above equilibrium as far to the right as possible. In addition to this general effect of mass action, the reactivity of selected residues is further modified depending on their direct involvement in the Txe2x86x92R conformational change. Thus, the reactivity of B3Asn is much lower in the R-state (when the residue resides in an xcex1-helix) than in the T-state.
The interconversion between T6, T3R3 and R6 conformations of the two zinc insulin hexamer is modulated by ligand binding to the T3R3 and R6 forms. Anions such as chloride have affinity for the fourth coordination position in the metal ions of T3R3 and R6, while preservatives such as phenol binds to hydrophobic pockets located near the surfaces of the T3R3 and R6 forms (Derewenda, Nature 338, 594, 1989 and, Brzovic, Biochemistry 33, 130557, 1994). By the use of Co2+ insulin it has been shown that the combined effect of anion and phenol binding is particularly efficient in stabilising the R6 state. (Brader, Trends Biochem. Sci. 30, 6636, 1991 and; Bloom, J. Mol. Biol. 245, 324, 1995). Furthermore, for both Zn2+- and Co2+ insulin it has been shown that phenol is much more efficient than m-cresol in inducing R-state in the insulin hexamer (Wollmer, Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler 368, 903, 1987 and, Choi, Biochemistry 32, 11638, 1993). High affinity phenol derivatives inducing R-state are 7-hydroxy-indol ((Dodson, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 345, 153, 1993) resorcinol and 2,6- and 2,7-dihydroxy-naphtalen ((Bloom, J. Mol. Biol. 245, 324, 1995).
The physical denaturation of insulin is known as fibrillation. In the fibrillar state extended peptide chains are laying parallel or anti parallel and hydrogen bonded to each other, so-called xcex2-structure or xcex2-pleated sheets. Fibrils represent usually the lowest state of energy of the protein, and only harsh conditions such as strong base may enable a regeneration from this state to the native state of correctly folded protein. Factors that promote the rate of formation of fibrils are increasing the temperature, increasing the surface area between the liquid and the air phase and, for zinc-free insulin, increasing the concentration. For hexameric zinc-insulin the rate of fibril formation decreases with increasing concentration. The formation of fibrils is believed to proceed via monomerization of insulin. Fibrils of insulin have the appearance of gels or precipitates.
Insulin derivatives having truncations in the C-terminal of the B-chain, e.g. des-pentapeptide (B26-B30) insulin and des-octapeptide (B23-B30) insulin are more prone to form fibrils than human insulin. Insulin analogues which dissociate readily from the hexameric unit to the monomeric form, e.g. the AspB28 human insulin and the LysB28-ProB29 human insulin, are likewise more prone to form fibrils than human insulin.
The native state of insulin is stabilised by bringing about the conditions that stabilises the hexameric unit, i.e. the presence of zinc ions (2-4 zinc/hexamer), phenol (0.1-0.5% w/v) and sodium chloride (5-150 mM).
Addition of agents that reduce the surface tension at the air-liquid interface further reduces the propensity to fibril formation. Thus, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol and co-polymers hereof with an average molecular weights of about 1800 have found use as stabilisers in concentrated insulin solutions for infusion pumps (Grau, 1982. In: Neue Insuline (Eds. Petersen, Schlxc3xcter and Kerp), Freiburger Graphische Betriebe, pp. 411-419 and Thurow,1981: patent No. DE2952119A1). For a comprehensive review on the physical stability of insulin see Brange 1994, Stability of Insulin, Kluwer Academic Publisher, pp. 18-23.
Most of the chemical degradation of insulin in preparations is due to reactions involving the carboxamide function of the asparagine residues, in particular residues B3 and A21. Hydrolysis of the amide groups leads to desamido derivatives, and transamidation involving an amino group from another molecule leads to covalently linked dimers and, after similar consecutive reactions, to trimers and higher polymers.
In acid solution AsnA21 is the most reactive, leading to AspA21 insulin (Sundby, J. Biol. Chem. 237, 3406, 1962). In crude insulin of bovine and porcine origin, obtained by acid ethanol extraction, the most abundant dimers isolated were AspA21-GlyA1 and AspA21-PheB1 linked (Helbig 1976, Insulindimere aus der B-Komponente von Insulinprxc3xa4parationen, Thesis at the Rheinisch-Westfxc3xa4lischen Technischen Hochschule, Aachen).
In neutral solution, which is the preferred embodiment of insulin preparations for injection therapy, AsnB3 is the most susceptible residue. Degradation products include AspB3 insulin, AspB3-GlnB4 isopeptide insulin, and dimers and higher polymers where AspB3 provides the carbonyl moiety of a peptide bond with an amino group of another molecule. For a comprehensive review on the chemical stability of insulin see Brange 1994, Stability of Insulin, Kluwer Academic Publisher, pp. 23-36. As for the physical stability conditions that stabilises the hexameric unit, i.e. the presence of zinc ions (2-4 zinc/hexamer), phenol (0.1-0.5% w/v) and sodium chloride (5-150 mM), decrease the rate of formation of degradation products during storage at neutral pH.
A different type of polymerisation reaction is observed when the conditions that stabilises the hexameric unit is neglected. Thus, in the absence of zinc, phenol and sodium chloride, and using a temperature of 50xc2x0 C., disulfide-linked dimers and high molecular weight polymers are the prevailing products formed. The mechanism of formation is a disulfide interchange reaction, resulting from xcex2-elimination of the disulfides (Brems, Protein Engineering 5, 519, 1992).
Solubility of insulin is a function of pH, metal ion concentration, ion strength, phenolic substances, solvent composition (polyols, ethanol and other solvents), purity, and species (bovine, porcine, human, other analogues). For a review see Brange: Galenics of Insulin, Springer-Verlag 1987, p.18 and 46.
The solubility of insulin is low at pH values near its isoelectric pH, i.e. in the pH range 4.0-7.0. Highly concentrated solutions of porcine insulin (5000 U/mlxcx9c30 mM) have been brought about at acid pH (Galloway, Diabetes Care 4, 366, 1981), but the insulin in the formulation is highly instable due to deamidation at AsnA21. At neutral pH highly concentrated solutions of zinc free insulin can be made, but these are unstable due to a high rate of polymerisation and deamidation at AsnB3. Porcine zinc insulin solutions at neutral pH comprising phenol have been reported physical stable at concentrations of 1000 U/ml at elevated temperature, but become supersaturated when the temperature is lowered to 4xc2x0 C. (Brange and Havelund in Artificial Systems for Insulin Delivery, Brunetti et al. eds, Raven Press 1983).
In order to reduce the inconvenience of insulin injections much attention has been given to alternative routes of administration (for an overview see Brange and Langkjaer in Protein Delivery: Physical Systems, Sanders and Hendren, eds., Plenum Press 1997). Pulmonary delivery seems to be the most promising of these (Service, Science 277, 1199, 1997). Insulin can be given aerolised in the form of dry powder or as nebulised droplets from an insulin solution. The efficacy might be enhanced by coached breathing (Gonda, U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,250) and addition of an absorption enhancer (Baekstroem, U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,445) or protease inhibitors (Okumura, Int. J. Pharm. 88, 63, 1992).
The bioavailability of a nebulised concentrated insulin solution (500 U/ml) was shown to be 20-25% as compared to a subcutaneous injection (Elliot, Aust. Paediatr. J. 23, 293, 1987). By using 30-50 xcexcl insulin solution per puff the insulin solution need to be 5-20 times more concentrated than the usual concentration of 0.6 mM. By using a single dose container, e.g. a blister pack (Gonda, U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,250), the demand for a preservative is abolished. Most insulin formulations are preserved by the toxic, mucose irritating and unpleasant odorous phenol and m-cresol. However, omitting phenols will cause stability problems. In addition to the bacteriostatic efficacy, the phenols act as physico-chemical stabilisers of insulin in combination with zinc ions. So, it is preferred that formulations of insulin for inhalation are made with a minimum concentration of phenol or that phenol has been replaced by more acceptable substitutes.
Definitions
By xe2x80x9canalogue of human insulinxe2x80x9d (and similar expressions) as used herein is meant human insulin in which one or more amino acids have been deleted and/or replaced by other amino acids, including non-codeable amino acids, or human insulin comprising additional amino acids, i.e. more than 51 amino acids.
By xe2x80x9cderivative of human insulinxe2x80x9d (and similar expressions) as used herein is meant human insulin or an analogue thereof in which at least one organic substituent is bound to one or more of the amino acids.
By xe2x80x9cnon-phenolic substancexe2x80x9d is meant an organic compounds which does not contain a structural fragment consisting of a benzene ring to which a hydroxy group is bound.
By xe2x80x9cstabiliserxe2x80x9d is meant a substance which acts like phenol and m-cresol by inducing the R6 conformation of the two zinc insulin hexamer.
By xe2x80x9cphenol mimicxe2x80x9d is meant a non-phenolic substance which is capable of inducing the R6 conformation of the two zinc insulin hexamer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a stable insulin formulation which is useable for pulmonary delivery, and which has an increased convenience for the patient without deteriorating the physical and chemical stability.
Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a stable insulin formulation for delivery, when the presence of phenol and m-cresol are undesirable, in single dose containers without a preservative or in multiple dose containers with other preservatives.
These objects have unexpectedly been accomplished by providing an insulin formulation in which phenol and m-cresol, commonly used in insulin formulations, have been replaced with a non-phenolic substance which acts like phenol and m-cresol by inducing the R6conformation of the two zinc insulin hexamer. These compounds are subsequently named stabilisers.
Unexpectedly, such stabilisers have been found among the non-toxic and pleasant odorous or non-odorous substances selected from the group of monoterpenes, especially bicyclic monoterpenols as borneol and isopinocampheol, tricyclic aliphatic alcohols as 1-adamantanol and purines as purin and adenine.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to an aqueous insulin formulation comprising: human insulin or an analogue or a derivative thereof, zinc ions and a non-phenolic stabiliser which is capable of inducing the R6 conformation of the two zinc insulin hexamer.
Furthermore, the stabilisers provided by the present invention may be used in insulin solutions for pump treatment or for injection without addition of a preservative or in combination with other preservatives than phenol and m-cresol.
Preferred Embodiments
The non-phenolic stabiliser is preferably selected from the group consisting of bi- or tricyclic aliphatic alcohols and purines.
In a preferred embodiment the non-phenolic stabiliser is a bicyclic aliphatic alcohol, preferably a monoterpenol, more preferably isopinocampheol, 2,3-pinandiol, myrtanol, borneol, norborneol or fenchol.
In another preferred embodiment the non-phenolic stabiliser is a tricyclic aliphatic alcohol, preferably 1-adamantanol.
In another preferred embodiment the non-phenolic stabiliser is a purine, preferably purine, adenine, guanine or hypoxanthine.
All of the above mentioned non-phenolic stabiliser have been found to be non-toxic and pleasant odorous or non odorous.
The insulin formulation preferably comprises at least 3 molecules of said non-phenolic stabiliser per six molecules of insulin, preferably up to 50 mM of said non-phenolic substance.
The insulin formulation preferably contains 0.3 to 20 mM, preferably 0.6 to 15 mM, more preferably 3 to 15 mM of human insulin or an analogue or a derivative thereof.
The stability of the insulin formulation is further improved when the concentration of chloride is kept below 50 mM, preferably below 30 mM, and more preferably in the range of 5 to 20 mM.
A remarkable stability of the insulin formulation is obtained when it comprises less than 10 mM of any anions other than chloride and acetate.
In a particular embodiment the insulin may comprise a low amount of phosphate buffer, preferably up to 5 mM of phosphate.
Insulin formulations of the invention comprising 2.0 to 4.5 Zn2+ ions, preferably 2.5 to 3.5 Zn2+ ions per six molecules of insulin, are very stable.
In an alternative embodiment, the insulin formulation of the invention comprises 2.5 to 4.5 Zn2+ ions, preferably 3 to 4 Zn2+ ions per six molecules of insulin.
Surprisingly, it is possible to add a relatively high concentrations of zwitterions such as glycylglycine and glycine to the insulin formulation of the invention without decreasing the solubility of insulin. Glycylglycine act as buffer at neutral pH and furthermore increase the dissolution rate of zinc insulin at neutral to basic pH due to a moderately zinc chelating effect. Also, glycylglycine may act as a scavenger for amine reactions during the storage time. Thus, in a preferred embodiment the insulin formulation of the invention further comprises 5 to 150 mM of a zwitterionic amine, preferably glycylglycine or glycine.
In another preferred embodiment the insulin formulation comprises a zwitterionic amine selected from the group consisting of BICINE, TRICINE and BIS-TRIS.
In another preferred embodiment the insulin formulation comprises a zwitterionic amine selected from Good""s buffers.
In a preferred embodiment the insulin formulation of the invention further comprises 5 to 50 mM of trishydroxymethylaminomethan, which acts as a buffer at neutral pH and as a scavenger for amine reactive compounds.
In another preferred embodiment the insulin formulation of the invention comprises between 0.001% by weight and 1% by weight of a non-ionic surfactant, preferably Tween 20 or Poloxamer 188. A nonionic detergent can be added to stabilise insulin against fibrillation during storage and nebulisation.
In a preferred embodiment the insulin used is human insulin.
In another preferred embodiment the insulin used is an analogue of human insulin wherein position B28 is Asp, Lys, Leu, Val or Ala and position B29 is Lys or Pro; or des(B28-B30), des(B27) or des(B30) human insulin.
The preferred analogues of human insulin are those in which position B28 is Asp or Lys, and position B29 is Lys or Pro, preferably AspB28 human insulin or LysB28ProB29 human insulin.
The insulin analogue can also be selected among those disclosed generically as well as specifically in EP 885 961 (such as (B3)Lys, (B28)lle, (A21)Gly human insulin).
In another preferred embodiment the insulin is selected from the group of soluble long-acting insulin derivatives such as derivatives of human insulin having one or more lipophilic substituents, preferably acylated insulins.
The insulin derivative according to this embodiment is preferably selected from the group consisting of B29-Nxcex5-myristoyl-des(B30) human insulin, B29-Nxcex5-palmitoyl-des(B30) human insulin, B29-Nxcex5-myristoyl human insulin, B29-Nxcex5-palmitoyl human insulin, B28-Nxcex5-myristoyl LysB28 ProB29 human insulin, B28-Nxcex5-palmitoyl LysB28 ProB29 human insulin, B30-Nxcex5-myristoyl -ThrB29LysB30 human insulin, B30-Nxcex5-palmitoyl-ThrB29LysB30 human insulin, B29-Nxcex5-(N-palmitoyl -xcex3-glutamyl)-des(B30) human insulin, B29-Nxcex5-(N-lithocholyl-xcex3-glutamyl)-des(B30) human insulin, B29-Nxcex5-(xcfx89-carboxyheptadecanoyl)-des(B30) human insulin and B29-Nxcex5-(xcfx89-carboxyheptadecanoyl) human insulin.
The most preferred insulin derivative is B29-Nxcex5-myristoyl-des(B30) human insulin or B29-Nxcex5-(N-lithocholyl-xcex3-glutamyl)-des(B30) human insulin.
The above mentioned soluble long acting insulin derivatives bind albumin and have been designed to provide a constant basal supply of insulin (Markussen, Diabetologia 39, 281, 1996). Subcutaneous administration once or twice daily secure the required basal delivery of insulin, whereas several daily inhalations are recommended using pulmonary administration, preferably in connection with meals.
The insulin derivatives have a protracted onset of action and may thus compensate the very rapid increase in plasma insulin normally associated with pulmonary administration. By careful selection of the type of insulin, the present invention enables adjustment of the timing, and in order to obtain the desired insulin profile.
In a particular embodiment of the present invention, the insulin formulation comprises an insulin analogue or human insulin as well as an insulin derivative.
The insulin preparation of the present invention preferably has a pH value in the range of 7 to 8.5, more preferably 7.4 to 7.9.
The present invention also relates to a method of treating type I or type II diabetes, comprising administering (preferably by pulmonary delivery) to a patient in need of such treatment an insulin formulation according to any of the preceding claims.
In a preferred embodiment, insulin formulation is administered in connection with meals.

Stable aqueous insulin preparations without phenol and cresol


In one embodiment, a method includes, by a computing device of a first sensor receiving synchronization information from a controller. The synchronization information being generated based on a clock of the controller. The method also includes determining, based on the synchronization information, a first offset between a first clock of the first sensor and the clock of the controller; storing the first offset; and synchronizing, based on the stored first offset and the first clock of the first sensor, a first data capture by the first sensor with a second data capture by a second sensor. The first data capture and the second data capture being requested by the controller.

Sensors (e.g., cameras, infrared sensors, LiDAR, etc.) are often used to capture information about an environment. Since the amount of information that needs to be captured may be beyond the capabilities of any one sensor, multiple sensors may be needed to capture all the desired information (e.g., multiple cameras may be needed to capture a 360-degree view of the surrounding). Especially since the environment could change over time, the sensors would need to capture information at the same instant to preserve correspondence between the captured information. Simultaneously-captured information may be used for stereo-depth computation, computer vision, sensor fusion applications, three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of an external environment, autonomous navigation, etc. As an example and not by way of limitation, multi-camera systems may be used for robotics, assisted navigation of vehicles, generating virtual or augmented reality content, or industrial assembly. For these and other applications, the data captured by multiple sensors should be synchronized for the results to be accurate.
Synchronizing sensor capture, however, is not simple. For example, cameras could be triggered by a central controller that sends synchronization pulses simultaneously to each camera. Each camera may be configured to begin its exposure immediately upon receiving the pulse, so the simultaneity of the exposures corresponds to how simultaneously each camera received the pulse (which could be affected by cable length, noise, serialization/deserialization processes, etc.), plus the comparatively small but variable internal delay of the camera itself. While the cameras could all have cables of the same length connected to the central controller to minimize discrepancies between when the cameras receive the pulse, having so many wires may not always be practical or scalable. Especially in cases where space is limited (e.g., on an automobile), multi-camera systems may benefit from reducing the number of wires used. However, if the cameras share a single wire, the serialization and deserialization process could introduce jitter and contribute to timing discrepancies. In other words, the time offset when each camera receives the synch pulse may be caused by jitter from a serializer/deserializer used to multiplex signals between the cameras and the camera interface board. As such, even if the synchronization pulses are sent at the same instant, the cameras may not trigger their exposures at the same time.
Inaccurate sensor synchronization could have significant consequences. For example, a vehicle may be equipped with a variety of systems or modules for enabling it to determine its surroundings and provide assistance in navigation. In the case, generating accurate data or a three-dimensional model of the external environment is dependent on proper synchronization of the cameras. To maintain an accurate representation or model of the external environment, the cameras of the vehicle should capture the scene at the same time. However, the synchronization of image-capturing operations between the cameras is non-trivial. For cameras having a rolling shutter and operating at 1080p, the cameras should be synchronized within a line time (e.g., approximately hundreds of nanoseconds). Such stringent synchronization requirement may be difficult to achieve considering the amount of jitter in the serial, coaxial connection between a camera interface board and the cameras.

Systems and methods for synchronizing sensor capture


Embodiments of the invention provide a slider structure able to lower a flying height compensation ratio caused by a projecting deformation of an air bearing surface of a slider by a flying height control mechanism and afford a change in flying height with a low control power. In one embodiment, a slider is provided with a leading edge, an air bearing surface, and a trailing edge. The air bearing surface includes a front pad, the front pad being made up of a front step bearing surface, leading rail surfaces, and side step bearing surfaces. The air bearing surface also includes a negative pressure groove surface surrounded by the front pad. The air bearing surface further includes a rear pad, the rear pad being made up of a rear step bearing surface formed at the same depth as the depth of the front step bearing surface and positioned on the trailing edge side, a trailing rail surface, an intermediate groove deeper than the trailing rail surface, and a trailing pad surface lying at the same height as the trailing rail surface. The front and both sides of the trailing pad surface are surrounded by the trailing rail surface.

The present invention relates to a magnetic head slider and a magnetic disk drive carrying the magnetic head slider thereon. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with the shape of an air bearing surface of a magnetic head slider.
A magnetic head slider, which is adapted to fly over a rotating disk recording medium while maintaining a slight spacing (flying height) with respect to the disk, is used in a magnetic disk drive. Usually, the magnetic head slider is provided at a trailing edge of a slider with a magnetic transducer for write and read of information to and from a disk recording medium. In order to enhance the memory capacity, it is required for a magnetic disk drive to further increase the bit (recording in the circumferential direction) density and track (recording in the radial direction) density. In particular, as one technique for increasing the bit density, it is required to cause a slider to fly in a low flying height as close as possible to the disk recording medium.
At present, one of the effective methods for satisfying such a strict requirement for a low flying height is to use a magnetic head slider provided with a mechanism for controlling the flying height of a magnetic transducer and the vicinity thereof, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5-20635). In this method, when the magnetic transducer of the magnetic head slider reads information stored on a disk recording medium, the magnetic transducer is heated with a heater or the like formed in the vicinity thereof and is approximated toward the disk recording medium by utilizing the resulting heat deformation. On the other hand, when writing information onto the disk recording medium, the magnetic transducer approaches the disk temporarily by utilizing a spontaneous heat deformation caused by an electric current flowing in the magnetic transducer. According to this method, the magnetic transducer can be approximated temporarily to the disk recording medium only at the time of writing or reading information to or from the disk recording medium. When the magnetic transducer does not perform an information write or read operation, the flying height can be set relatively high. Therefore, variations in flying height attributable to the manufacturing process of the magnetic head slider and the magnetic disk drive and changes in flying height caused by changes in pressure and temperature can be tolerated in wide ranges. Consequently, both a low flying height for improving the magnetic recording capacity and the improvement in reliability of the magnetic disk drive can be attained at the same time.
In Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.2001-297421) is disclosed a technique of making the flying height almost uniform throughout the whole surface of a magnetic disk and decreasing a change in flying height in a high land. This technique is characterized in that there are disposed a rail surface including a magnetic transducer and a rail surface at a front position on a leading side of the rail surface through a groove surface. Also proposed is a shape of an air bearing surface wherein the rail surface subsequent to the leading side is once constricted in width at a position just before the magnetic transducer.
In the magnetic head slider having a flying height control mechanism in the vicinity of the magnetic transducer, which is described in Patent Document 1, however, when the flying height control mechanism is operated, the air bearing surface located near the magnetic transducer is projected and deformed out of plane, causing a change in the state of generation of a flying force on the air bearing surface. The change in the flying force caused by a deformation in the direction in which the projection of the air bearing surface increases acts in a direction to increase the flying height near the magnetic transducer. The amount of this increase of the flying height with an increase of the flying force offsets the amount of decrease of the flying height caused by the projection. Therefore, a larger control power is needed if an attempt is made to obtain a desired decrease of the flying height. Such an increase of the control power is not desirable for the magnetic disk drive for which the operation at a low power consumption is required more and more strongly. Further, a smaller magnetic head slider used in a small-sized magnetic disk drive has a tendency that an area ratio of the projectingly deformed region on the air bearing surface increases and so increases the offset ratio in flying height caused by deformation.
Therefore, a lower power consumption of the flying height control mechanism is required in order to attain a lower power consumption of the magnetic disk drive. For the air bearing surface of the slider it is required to provide a slider structure able to lower the offset ratio of flying height caused by projecting deformation and afford a change in flying height caused by a low control power.
According to the technique described in Patent Document 2, it is possible to decrease somewhat the offset ratio of flying height. However, the portion which generates the highest pressure on the air bearing surface lies on the rail surface including the magnetic transducer and there occurs a change in flying force caused by projecting deformation, not attaining a fundamental air bearing surface structure able to decrease greatly the offset ratio of flying height. Further, since the generated pressure is offset to the center of the slider as a whole, there exists a situation where an increase of variations in flying height attributable to the longitudinal shape of the air bearing surface, i.e., crown, or to a lowering of pitch rigidity must be suppressed.

Magnetic head slider with trailing rail surface for flying height control

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


Method for controlling a vehicle, comprising: identifying an upcoming curve and determining its properties; determining current vehicle speed, vv, estimating friction, μe, between a tire of the vehicle and the road; estimating maximum allowable vehicle speed, vmax_e, when entering the curve based on the properties, speed and friction; if the current vehicle speed is higher than the estimated maximum allowable vehicle speed, determining that a friction measurement is required; if distance, dv, between the vehicle and a curve entrance is higher than a predetermined threshold distance, dT, and if a braking action is detected, performing a friction measurement during the braking action to determine current friction, μc; if a distance between the vehicle and the curve entrance is lower than the predetermined threshold distance, performing a friction measurement to determine a current friction; and determining a maximum allowable vehicle speed vmax_d based on the curve radius, speed and friction.

Both autonomous vehicles and human drivers need to adapt the speed before entering curves to be able to stay on the road. The maximum speed with which a curve can be entered is primarily determined by the tire-to-road friction and the radius of the path that the car will take.
For autonomous vehicles it is assumed that knowledge of friction is particularly important to guarantee to not departure the road. Large friction uncertainty means that vehicle speed must be lower and maybe too low for driver acceptance. The radius on the path can be estimated using e.g. on board cameras or map information, where curve cutting behaviour also can be accounted for. Getting reliable estimates of the tire-to-road friction is commonly known to be more difficult. The easiest way is brake fully and measure the deceleration, but this would be disturbing to the driver and to surrounding road users.
To overcome this problem, several attempts have been made to make nonintrusive measurements of the tire-to-road friction using e.g. forward looking cameras, LIDAR's and accelerometers inside of the wheels.
Recently, a promising new technology for reliably measuring tire-to-road friction without reducing the vehicle speed has been developed, see EP3106360A1. The technology measures the friction by simultaneously braking on the rear axle and accelerating on the front axle. Using this technology, measurements of the tire-to-road friction can be made without reducing the vehicle speed. However, the driver and passengers may possibly notice the measurements through the sound of the braking/propulsion system. The vehicle may also appear to "sit" on its rear axle when the measurement is performed, as braking on the rear axle and accelerating on the front axle temporarily will extend the vehicle slightly. Moreover, if the measurements are performed frequently, they will have a negative effect on the fuel consumption. Hence, there is a need to minimize the number of measurements while still providing a measure of the tire-to-road friction with sufficient confidence to assist the driver and autonomous vehicle to adapt the speed to be able to stay on the road.

Method and system for controlling a vehicle tire-to-road friction estimation


A compressor has a rotor (13), which rotor (13) has a number of rows of rotor blades (14, 14′) which are at a distance from one another, one behind the other in the axial direction, with a number of thermal barrier segments (10), which are detachably attached to the rotor (13) and are mounted such that they can move in the circumferential direction, being arranged one behind the other in the circumferential direction on the circumference of the rotor (13), and with securing devices (15) being provided on the thermal barrier segments (10), which secure the thermal barrier segments (10) against being moved in the circumferential direction. In the case of such a rotor (13), production and assembly are simplified in that only some of the thermal barrier segments (10) are equipped with the securing devices (15).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of turbomachines, and in particular to a compressor having a rotor.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
High-pressure compressors, as are used in particular for compression of the combustion air in gas turbines, include a multistage blade system, which includes rotor blades and stator blades arranged alternately in the axial direction. The rotor blades are mounted on the rotor, which is mounted such that it can rotate. The stator blades are arranged between adjacent rotor blade rims on the inner housing of the compressor.
The air which flows through the annular channel in the compressor formed between the rotor and the inner housing and which is compressed in the process is heated as a result of being compressed. In order to protect the rotor and the inner housing against being thermally overloaded by the heated air, thermal barrier elements are frequently arranged between adjacent rotor blade and stator blade rims, and form a circumferential protective ring (see, for example, DE-A 1-198 08 740). Since the thermal barrier segments are in each case opposite the blade tips of the rotor blades and stator blades, and abut against them, they are a significant factor in the setting of the blade clearance. In order to prevent direct contact between the blade tips and the thermal barrier segments, cutting tools are arranged between the thermal barrier segments, which project by a specific amount beyond the thermal barrier segments and at the same time prevent the thermal barrier segments from being moved in the circumferential direction. However, a rotor design such as this is highly complex to manufacture and assemble.
One known embodiment of the thermal barrier segments on the rotor side, that is to say those which are opposite the stator blades, is described in DE-A-1-196 15 549, and is also illustrated in FIG. 1 of the present application. The known thermal barrier segments 10 are in the form of shell-shaped circular ring segments which have a smooth outer surface 11, with two segment feet 12, which extend parallel in the circumferential direction, and have a hook-shaped cross section, being integrally formed on its lower face. In order to secure the thermal barrier segments 10, a circumferential groove with two hooks which extend over the entire circumference is provided between adjacent rotor blade rims in the rotor, behind which hooks the segment feet of the thermal barrier segments are hooked in. Each of the thermal barrier segments is secured against movement in the circumferential direction by means of a securing pin (FIG. 3 and claim 4 of DE-A-1-196 15 549). In this case as well, the method in which each thermal barrier segment is secured in the circumferential direction involves considerable complexity, because the corresponding holes must be incorporated in the rotor and in the thermal barrier segments, and the securing pins must be installed. Furthermore, in this case, no precautions are taken to set a specific clearance between the thermal barrier segments and the blade tips.


A sports towel with diverse abrasive surfaces, multiple means for connection to a target element, interior polishing pockets and exterior accessory pockets. A first embodiment includes a piece of material having a first, pile-like textured surface and a second, felt-like textured surface. A second embodiment provides a second piece of material mounted on the first piece of material along the peripheral edges thereof, defining a pocket. A third embodiment provides a third piece of material mounted on the assembly of the first and second pieces of material, along only a portion of the periphery of the third piece of material, defining a pocket.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to towels adapted for sporting events, specifically golf.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sport towels are well known in the art. Typically, sport towels comprise a two-sided, absorbent, textured material for wiping one's hands or pieces of equipment associated with a sport. Often, these towels are attached to various target elements, such as the user's belt or equipment container, such as a golf bag.
The patent literature is replete with many towel inventions. Some towel inventions include diverse surfaces for providing different gradations of abrasion. Some towel inventions provide pockets for receiving hands or pieces of equipment. However, no invention encompasses all of these features plus the added feature of a storage pocket for receiving items such as glasses or score cards and the like. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,532, issued Jul. 17, 1956, to L. H. Kanehl et al., a sports towel is shown having means for attachment to a belt. The attachment means includes a snap having a first part at the distal end of a strap and a second part located at some point down the strap which engages with the first part and secures a loop about a belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,703, issued Sep. 15, 1992, to J. Provost et al., describes a golf towel set including a generally teardrop-shaped towel with a belt clip mounted thereon. The invention may include an ancillary towel having a similar, smaller shape mounted on the towel as well. Both the larger and smaller towels are formed by folding the two outer edges toward the center of the back towel, similar to that of a conventional four-in-hand towel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,705, issued Jul. 26, 1994, to M. Melov, describes a cleaning aid comprising a cloth towel having a fiber scouring pad and a cleaning cloth stitched over part of the cloth. The invention includes a two-piece snap assembly mounted directly on a towel itself such that the corner of the towel may be doubled onto itself and secured about a belt.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 317,693, issued Jun. 25, 1991, to A. C. Jencks et al., shows a golf towel having a generally teardrop shape. As with the Provost et al. patent described above, the towel is formed by folding the outer edges in toward the center of the back of the towel. A hook/snap fastening means is mounted on the top of the towel.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 330,140, issued Oct. 13, 1992, to H. Lerner, shows a towel having an inside pocket to wipe off golf clubs and balls. The device has two sheets of toweling which appear to be stitched about three edges to define an interior volume. The two stitched corners farthest from the opening are folded toward each other and retained together by a ring clip.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 360,797, issued Aug. 1, 1995, to M. S. Evans, shows a combined towel and mesh bag. The device appears to include a towel section connected to a mesh section. The mesh section appears to define some sort of interior pocket. The means for and the extent of the definition of the mesh bag are unclear.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,616, issued May 14, 1995, to E. F. Fesler, describes a portable towel accessory. The device includes a cover which hangs freely from the carrying means and a towel which hangs freely from a connector means within the cover. The key carrying means include a chain interconnecting loops, or loops extending from the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,890, issued Aug. 29, 1995, to T. B. Higginson, describes lens cleaning devices. The device includes a generally hourglass-shaped towel which may be folded about an axis transverse to its longitudinal axis. A second piece may be adapted and mounted to fit around the locally folded area. An attachment strap with an attached hook clasp are mounted on the invention for easy attachment to a belt or golf bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,918, issued Dec. 31, 1991, to B. Zeltner et al., describes a combination cleaning towel and carrying case with construction method therefor. The body of the device is made from a folded towel stitched back to back, defining an interior pocket. A second towel device is stitched about an upper portion and hangs freely along the outside of the body of the device. A brush may be attached to a lower front portion thereof. The device is connected to a golf bag by means of a loop.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,800, issued Apr. 3, 1990, to B. Zeltner, describes a cleaning device for golfers and construction method therefor. The device includes a conventional towel having elements stitched thereto having different textural qualities. The device may be attached to a golf bag by means of a loop.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,943, issued Oct. 29, 1991, to L. M. Stoffo, describes a gripping aid. The device includes a fabric member impregnated with non-slip material attached, in layered fashion, to a terrycloth towel arranged so as to protect the impregnated layer. The device includes an attached patch of hook-and-loop material to facilitate its attachment to a belt or golf bag. The device also may include a loop for performing the same function.
Clearly the above illustrates the need for a sports towel possessing diverse abrasive surfaces, internal pockets for receiving equipment, external pockets for receiving accessories and a fastener for attaching the present sports towel to a target element.
None of the above references, singly or in combination, teach or suggest the present invention.


A toy golf playset includes a golf club having an elongated shaft supporting a soft foam handle at one end thereof and a soft foam clubhead at the remaining end. The golf club is formed shorter and thicker than conventional golf clubs. The golf club head defines a pair of equally angled ball hitting surfaces or facets to facilitate use of the golf club by both right-handed and left-handed children. An omnidirectional golf tee defines a quartet of symmetrically positioned generally cylindrical elements each of which joins the remaining elements a common center of intersection and each of which defines a concave ball recess facilitating the positioning of a soft resilient foam ball upon the vertically extending one of the elements when the tee is placed upon a play surface. The golf tee is preferably formed of a resilient soft foam material or the like.

The game of golf has become one of the most popular participation and spectator sports throughout most of the industrial world. Its popularity is relatively easy to understand in that it may be played at virtually any skill level with considerable enjoyment. The benefits of golf as a sport and relation activity are well known. Golf provides beneficial exercise, outdoor activity with plenty of fresh air and usually moves at a relaxing stress-free pace. The apparatus used to play golf is relatively simple in its basic construction. The user employs a plurality of golf clubs each having elongated handles and extending usually cylindrical somewhat flexible shaft portions which terminate in a club head designed to strike the ball. The club heads are subject to substantial specialization in that the material used and interacting club face structure are varied to provide the appropriate club under virtually any condition of play. At the initial points called tees within the golf course, the user generally elevates the ball upon a small raised support known generally as a tee. The ball itself comprises a small very hard and highly elastic ball having a pebbled or dimpled outer surface which is usually formed of a hard rubber or plastic material.
As is well known, children innately desire to imitate or mimic the adult activities and situations which they observe in their surroundings. Sports and games are no exception to this general rule and thus children often desire to imitate or mimic the adults sports activities which they observe. In many ways, the game of golf is an excellent amusement and entertainment activity for young children in that it provides development and improvement of several basic skills. For example, the proper use of the golf club in striking the ball improves hand to eye coordination and manual dexterity. The visual distance and space judgments required to properly engage in the game of golf provide beneficial exercise of the child's spatial judgment and coordinating skills.
However, despite the many benefits to be provided to young children by participation in the game of golf, several safety concerns generally restrict the activity to older children and deny these benefits to younger children. There remains therefore a need in the art for golf playsets which may be safely utilized by very young children without compromising legitimate concerns of safety and injury avoidance. In addition, there remains a further need in the art for such golf playsets which are more appropriate to the limited skill level of young children while nonetheless providing amusement, entertainment and play motivation.


A method for preparing a beverage from a substance contained in a capsule is provided. The method includes rotationally driving the capsule at an adjustable rotational speed while feeding liquid into the capsule and draining the beverage produced in the capsule by a beverage draining means. Flow resistance of the beverage draining means is modified by at least one valve, and a state of the at least one valve is controlled by external valve operating means to modify the flow resistance of the beverage draining means while draining the beverage. The external valve operating means applies a force from outside the beverage draining means, and a magnitude of the force is not based on the beverage flowing inside the beverage draining means.

The preparation of a beverage by using centrifugation is known. The principle mainly consists in providing a beverage ingredient in a receptacle, feeding liquid in the receptacle and rotating the receptacle at elevated speed to ensure interaction of the liquid with the ingredient while creating a gradient of pressure of liquid in the receptacle; such pressure increasing gradually from the centre towards the periphery of the receptacle. As liquid traverses the coffee bed, extraction of the coffee compounds takes place and a liquid extract is obtained that flows out at the periphery of the receptacle.
WO 2008/148601 describes a possible example of a device using such principle wherein the receptacle is a capsule containing beverage ingredients. Hot water is fed in the centre of the capsule via a water interfacing part comprising a water injector aligned in the rotation axis. The receptacle is held in a capsule holder which is rotated by means of a rotary motor. Both the liquid interfacing part and the capsule holding part are mounted along ball bearings. The beverage is extracted from the capsule by a plurality of peripheral needles that creates openings through a lid of the receptacle. As the capsule is centrifuged about its rotation axis, hot water passes through the beverage ingredient, interacts with it to produce a liquid extract and the resulting liquid extract traverses, under the effect of the centrifugal forces, the peripheral openings and is projected against an impact wall of the collector. The liquid extract, thus constituting the beverage, is then drained through a beverage duct of the device and collected into a recipient such as a cup.
WO 2008/148646 and WO 2008/148650 further describe a beverage preparation device wherein a flow restriction is created downstream of the receptacle, in particular a capsule, for example, by a valve system which opens or enlarges under the pressure created by the centrifuged liquid leaving the receptacle. The higher the rotational speed, the more the valve opens or enlarges. The valve system can be formed by a mobile restriction part of the device which is elastically urged against a rim portion of the capsule.


An endoscope has a channel switching device for use in switching over a suction channel. The channel switching device consists broadly of a cylinder unit and valve unit. The valve unit can be disassembled into three component parts; a button assembly, piston assembly, and mount assembly. The button assembly has a cap, which is made of a rigid resin such as polyether ketone (PEEK) or polysulfone (PSU), as the uppermost part thereof. Since the cap is made of a rigid resin durable to autoclaving; such as, PSU or PEEK, the valve unit will not be damaged due to autoclaving. Even when the autoclaved valve unit is put to use though it is not yet cooled down, an operator will not perceive heat very much but can manipulate the endoscope as he/she intends.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope having a channel switching device for switching the communicating states of a plurality of kinds of channels lying through an insertional part for the purpose of such functions as aeration, perfusion, and suction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in addition to illumination optical fibers, an imaging optical system, and observation optical fibers, many members such as a forceps channel tube that is also used for a suction channel, an aeration channel tube, and a perfusion channel tube are incorporated in an insertional part of an endoscope. For implementing various functions in an endoscope, it is necessary to insert various members in an insertional part of the endoscope. This poses a problem that the insertional part becomes larger in diameter.
Proposed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2-121002 is an endoscope whose insertional part is made thinner by placing a channel switching device in an operation unit.
As shown in FIG. 29, in a channel switching device 200 disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2-121002, a push button 202 formed on the top of a piston 201 is pushed in order to switch channels. The push button 202 is firmly screwed down by means of a male-threaded section 203 of the push button 202 and a female-threaded section 204 in the upper part of the piston 201.
Generally, the foregoing channel switching device included in an endoscope comprises a cylinder unit formed in an insertional part of the endoscope and a valve unit attached to the cylinder unit.
For reusing the endoscope, at least the endoscope and valve unit must be disinfected.
For effective disinfection using a disinfectant solution, it is necessary to expose all the ins and outs of the valve unit to the disinfectant solution. The valve unit is therefore usually detached from the endoscope and then disinfected.
However, since the valve unit has a relatively complex structure, the work of brushing or swinging the valve unit in the disinfectant solution is required to expose all the ins and outs of the valve unit to the disinfectant solution. The disinfection work using a disinfectant solution is therefore time-consuming. Besides, special care must be taken for fear the disinfectant solution be splashed on a human body during the disinfection work.
By contrast, autoclaving is a sterilizing means using hot steam. Since steam penetrates all the ins and outs of a member having a complex structure, the valve unit can be sterilized reliably. Moreover, sterilization can be completed safely and easily for a short period of time. It is therefore preferred that the valve unit be autoclaved.
However, since the known valve unit is not made of a material that is durable to autoclaving, when the valve unit is autoclaved, component parts constituting the valve unit may be damaged.
Moreover, during autoclaving, the valve unit is exposed to a hot steam environment of about 120.degree. to 135.degree. C. The temperature of the valve unit itself reaches about 120.degree. to 135.degree. C. After being autoclaved, when the valve unit is used for endoscopic examination, as long as the valve unit is cooled down to around the room temperature of an endoscopic examination room, a heat-related problem will not arise for an operator. For increasing the patient throughput of endoscopic examination, it is required not to wait until the valve unit is cooled down to the room temperature but to use the valve unit in a heated state in which the temperature of the valve unit is still higher than the room temperature. In this case, depending on the temperature of the valve unit, an operator cannot manipulate the endoscope as he/she intends. In particular, when a metallic member constitutes an outer surface of a valve, there arises a problem that an operator is likely to perceive heat and be hindered from manipulating an endoscope freely.

Endoscope capable of manipulation soon after autoclaving


A semiconductor device comprising: a support substrate; an embedded insulating layer formed on the support substrate; a semiconductor layer on the embedded insulating layer; at least an element region formed in the semiconductor layer; a plurality of source/drain regions of a first conductivity type, formed in the element region at predetermined intervals; a plurality of body regions of a second conductivity type, sandwiched between a pair of adjacent ones of the source/drain regions in the element region; and a gate formed on each of the body regions with a gate insulating film being laid between them, each of the source/drain regions including: an inner high-concentration portion extending to the embedded insulating layer, and an outer low-concentration portion surrounding the inner high-concentration portion and having a direct contact with the body regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to a semiconductor device suitable for use as a floating-body cell (will be referred to as "FBC" hereunder) type semiconductor memory having a charge-storage region.
2. Background Art
In the field of semiconductor memories, there has been used the 1T-1C (one transistor/one capacitor) type DRAM. Currently, however, it appears that the cell size cannot further be reduced, and therefore a semiconductor memory having a new structure has been sought. A semiconductor device having a data storage region formed under a transistor itself has been proposed as one of the typical examples of such a new-structure semiconductor memory thus sought.
The FBC memory is known as such a semiconductor device. It was introduced during a lecture given in the ISSCC 2002 (International Solid-State Circuit Conference 2002, held in San Francisco, Mar. 3–7, 2002). The details of this memory were clarified in "ISSCC 2002/SESSION 9/DRAM AND FERROELECTRIC MEMORIES /9.1/Memory Design Using One-Transistor Gain Cell on SOI/Takashi Ohsawa et al." An FBC memory made experimentally under the 0.175-μm rule was reported as an example.
The above FBC cell includes an MOS transistor formed on an SOI (silicon on insulator) substrate. It has no separate charge-storage capacitor but a charge-storage region formed under the transistor.
Since the semiconductor device having the above structure needs no separate capacitor, it can easily be miniaturized, integrated to a higher degree, and have the speed of operation enhanced.
Note that generally, the demand for mounting the semiconductor device along with a higher-speed logic LSI in one chip has been larger and larger and also a higher consistency of the logic LSI with the manufacturing process has also been demanded for a simpler process.
FIGS. 22 to 25 show together an FBC memory as a typical example of the conventional semiconductor devices known to the Inventors of the present invention. FIG. 22 is a plan view, FIG. 23 shows sectional views of the conventional semiconductor device, taken along lines B—B and C—C, respectively, in FIG. 22, FIG. 24 shows sectional views taken along lines D—D and E—E, respectively, FIG. 22, and FIG. 25 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 22. FIG. 25 shows a physical relationship between strip-shaped element isolation films 8 and, silicon layers 4 sandwiched between the isolation films 8 and diffusion layers 6S and 6D formed as source/drain layers on the silicon layers 4, among others.
As especially shown in FIG. 23(B), the above conventional semiconductor device is formed on an SOI substrate 100. The SOI substrate 100 is a lamination of a support substrate (p-type semiconductor substrate) 1, n-type diffusion layer 2, embedded oxide film (SiO2) 3 and a p-type silicon layer 4.
As especially shown in FIGS. 24(D) and 24(E) and 25, the uppermost silicon layer 4 has the element isolation films 8 formed thereon. As especially shown in FIG. 25, the element isolation films 8 is strip-shaped and extend horizontally in the plane of the drawing. As also shown in FIG. 23(C), these element isolation films 8 extend horizontally (in the plane of the drawing) below and between bit lines BL that will be described in detail later. As shown in FIG. 25, ones of the silicon layers 4, located between the element isolation layers 8, are so-called strip-shaped element regions 4a. The strip-shaped element regions 4aoverlap the bit lines BL vertically and extend under, and in the same direction as, the bit lines BL in the plane of FIG. 22(A). Each of the strip-shaped element regions 4ahas N+ diffusion layers 6D and 6S formed thereon at predetermined intervals as especially shown in FIGS. 23(B) and 25. In the case of one of these element regions 4a, for example, the element region 4a(j), parts thereof sandwiched between the diffusion layers 6D and 6S provide the silicon regions 4b in which channels are to be formed. Further, of the diffusion layers 6S and 6D, the diffusion layer 6S forms a source and the diffusion layer 6D forms a drain. They are alternately arranged as shown. As shown in FIG. 23(B), hot holes developed when a current flows from the drain (diffusion layer 6D) to the source (diffusion source 6S) via the silicon region 4b where the channel is to be formed are stored in the silicon region 4b. Gate electrodes 7 are formed on the silicon regions 4b with gate oxide layers 6 being laid between them. As shown in FIG. 22(A), the gate electrodes 7 are strip-shaped and extend vertically in the plane of the drawing. Also, on the diffusion layers 6S, there are formed source line SL each of which is a lamination of a strip-shaped contact plug 9S and a strip-shaped metal layer 10S. The contact plug 9S and metal layer 10S extend vertically in the plane of FIG. 22(A). Also, the diffusion layer 6D have each bit line BL extending horizontally as in FIG. 22(A) connected thereto via columnar contact plugs 9D as contacts. Note that the reference 11 indicates an interlayer insulating layer.
As seen from the above and as especially shown in FIG. 25, the silicon layers 4 are sandwiched between the element isolation films 8 to have a strip-like shape and extend horizontally in the plane of the drawing and the cells adjacent to each other in the plane of the drawing are isolated from each other by the N+ diffusion layers 6S and 6D being a source/drain, respectively.
However, in case the memory cell is miniaturized to such a high degree that the bit line of the N+ diffusion layer 7 is as short as 0.1 μm or so in the 0.1-μm generation, for example, the bipolar operation among P, N+ and P taking place among the adjacent cells in FIG. 23(B) is not negligible and data stored in the cells will be damaged due to their mutual interference in the worst case.
The above problem will be solved by raising the impurity concentration in the N+ diffusion layers 6S and 6D being a source/drain, respectively. In the case of the FBC structure, however, such a raised impurity concentration will increase the junction leakage between a floating body as a memory region and the source/drain, resulting in a considerably low data storage function.
As above, the conventional semiconductor device has such a problem that a higher integration results in an insufficient isolation between elements and increasing the impurity concentration in the diffusion layers forming a source and drain, respectively, to improve the inter-cell isolation results in the junction leakage current and also in a deteriorated storage capability of the floating body.


Optical transmission systems of the present invention include a plurality of optical amplifiers configured to provide optical amplification of one or more information carrying optical signal wavelengths. At least two of the optical amplifier are operated to provide net losses or net gains along corresponding spans, while the cumulative gain provided by the plurality of optical amplifiers substantially compensates for the cumulative loss of the spans.

The present invention is directed generally to optical systems. More particularly, the invention is directed toward optical transmission systems including amplifying devices, such as optical amplifiers.
The continued growth in traditional communications systems and the emergence of the Internet as a means for accessing data has accelerated demand for high capacity communications networks. Telecommunications service providers, in particular, have looked to wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) to increase the capacity of transmission systems to meet the increasing capacity demands placed on their network infrastructure.
In WDM transmission systems, pluralities of distinct information signals are carried using electromagnetic waves having different wavelengths in the optical spectrum, typically using infrared wavelengths. Each information carrying wavelength can include multiple data streams that are time division multiplexed ("TDM") together into a TDM data stream or a single data stream.
The pluralities of information carrying wavelengths are combined into a "WDM" optical signal that is transmitted in a single waveguide. In this manner, WDM systems can increase the transmission capacity of the network compared to space division multiplexed ("SDM"), i.e., single channel, systems by a factor equal to the number of wavelengths used in the WDM system.
Optical WDM systems were not initially deployed, in part, because of the high cost of electrical signal regeneration/amplification equipment required to compensate for signal attenuation for each optical wavelength throughout the system. However, the development of the erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) provided a cost effective means to amplify optically multiple optical signal wavelengths in the 1550 nm range. In addition, the 1550 nm signal wavelength range coincides with a low loss transmission window in silica based optical fibers, which allowed EDFAs to be spaced further apart than conventional electrical repeaters/regenerators.
Optical amplifiers are deployed periodically, e.g., 40–120 km, throughout the optical system to compensate for attenuation that incurs in a span of optical fiber preceding the amplifier. The amplifiers are operated so that the gain provided by the optical amplifier compensates, or substantially compensates, for the loss in each span. As a result, no net loss or gain of signal power occurs in each span, i.e. Amplifier Gain≅Span Loss, which is referred to as transparent operation.
The use of EDFAs essentially eliminated the need for, and the associated costs of, electrical signal repeater/regeneration equipment to compensate for signal attenuation in many systems. The dramatic reduction in the number of electrical regenerators in the systems, made the installation of WDM systems in the remaining electrical regenerators a cost effective means to increase optical network capacity.
WDM systems have quickly expanded to fill the limited amplifier bandwidth of EDFAs. New erbium-based fiber amplifiers (L-band) have been developed to expand the bandwidth of erbium-based optical amplifiers. Also, new transmission fiber designs are being developed to provide for lower loss transmission in the 1400–1500 nm and 1600–1700 nm ranges to provide additional capacity for future systems.
In addition, Raman fiber amplifiers ("RFA") have been investigated for years and are now being commercially deployed and operated in a network. RFAs offer the potential to exploit a substantial portion of the optical waveguide transmission capacity
While optical amplifiers have provided significant benefits by eliminating the need for numerous electrical regenerators, optical amplifiers do have a shortcomings. For example, optical amplifiers often do not provide uniform amplification, or gain, profile over the signal wavelength range. As such, optical amplifiers often will be deployed in combination with gain flattening filters, which provide wavelength specific filtering to produce a more uniform bring about more uniform gain.
In addition, the gain profile of the optical amplifier can vary depending upon the amount of gain, or gain, being provided by the amplifier. In operating system, the amplifier gain is set to compensate signal power attenuation that occurs in a fiber span preceding the amplifier. The attenuation in each span, i.e., the span loss, generally varies from span to span in a system; therefore, the optical amplifiers have to be operated at different gains corresponding to the span loss. However, operation at different gain can introduce gain profile variations that result in signal power variations, which can degrade system performance.
While it is possible to design gain flattening filters and amplifiers for specific span losses, individualized amplifier and filter designs generally are not feasible from a commercial standpoint. As such, amplifiers generally are designed for a nominal gain and gain flattening filters are designed based on that nominal gain. When the amplifiers and filters are deployed in the system, operation of the amplifiers at gains other than the nominal gain will introduce signal power variations into the system.
Alternative designs have been proposed, in which the amplifiers are operated at the designed nominal gain and a variable attenuator is provided proximate the amplifier to introduce additional attenuation into the span. The variable attenuator is controlled, such that the variable attenuator loss plus the span loss is equal to the nominal gain of the amplifier.
The variable attenuator configurations allow the operation of optical amplifiers at designed gains allowing for more uniform gain profiles. However, the introduction of excess gain balanced by excess attenuation introduces additional noise into the system that also degrades system performance. In addition, these alternative designs require that the amplifier be designed to provide high gain that can be attenuated to accommodate various span loss, which can increase overall amplifier and system costs.
The development of higher performance, lower cost communication systems depends upon the continued development of higher performance components and subsystems for use in the system. It is, therefore, essential that optical systems and optical amplifiers be developed having increased performance capabilities to meet the requirements of next generation optical systems.

Optical transmission systems including optical amplifiers and methods of use therein


Methods and systems of the present invention employ perturbation techniques for configuring RFID-tag-reader networks in order to achieve increased overall efficiency of a network of RFID-tag readers. According to described embodiments of the present invention, individual RFID-tag readers within a multi-RFID-tag-reader network may be removed or shut down, or RFID-tag readers may be displaced relative to one another, in order to remove interferences between RFID-tag readers and to increase the interrogation efficiency of the multi-RFID-tag-reader network.

A large research and development effort has been directed to radio frequency identification ("RFID") technologies during the past ten years. As a result of these efforts, and as a result of their utility and economy, RFID tags and RFID-tag readers have found widespread, commercial application in a variety of disparate fields, from identification of pets to inventory management and inventory control. As discussed in the following sections, techniques have been developed to allow an RFID reader to interrogate, or read the contents of, multiple RFID tags within the RFID-tag reader's physical range of interrogation, or field. Despite advances in this area, however, the efficiency of an RFID-tag reader may be, in certain applications, significantly less than a desirable or needed efficiency, and significantly less than the RFID-tag reader's theoretical maximum efficiency under optimal conditions. Less research and development effort has been devoted to reading of RFID tags by multiple, interfering RFID-tag readers. In many applications, mutually interfering RFID-tag readers severely constrain, or even completely prohibit, effective interrogation of RFID tags by the mutually interfering RFID-tag readers, leading to low efficiency of multi-RFID-tag-reader networks that include mutually interfering RFID-tag readers. For these reasons, RFID researchers and developers, as well as manufacturers, vendors, and users of RFID tags and RFID-tag systems, have recognized the need for methods for improving the efficiencies of multi-RFID-tag-reader networks that include two or more mutually interfering RFID-tag readers.

Method and system for perturbing multi-radio-frequency-identification-tag-reader networks to increase interrogation efficiency

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An adjusting tool having two electrical contacts provides a means for measuring an electrical signal that is used for adjusting electrical parameters of an object as the object is being physically adjusted by the adjusting tool. In an embodiment, the adjusting tool is configured such that the two electrical contacts make electrical contact with electrical contacts of a potentiometer of a hearing aid to receive an adjustment signal that is also applied to circuits in the hearing aid. The two electrical contacts of the adjusting tool maintain electrical contact with the electrical contacts of the potentiometer as the adjusting tool physically adjusts the potentiometer. In an embodiment, the adjusting tool includes a display to provide a visual representation of the adjustment signal as the potentiometer is adjusted.

Hearing aids have adjustable operational parameters that improve the performance of the hearing aid for a specific person or for specific environments. Such adjustable operational parameters include, for example, gain and output. Hearing aids based on analog circuitry may have operational parameters that can be adjusted by a potentiometer. Most analog hearing aids are not programmable. Digital hearing aids, on the other hand, are typically programmable and offer more sophisticated performance. Digital hearing aids often include memory and processor capability and operate based on data stored in the digital hearing aid. The operational parameters of such a digital hearing aid are determined from the stored data, where the data is programmed by software run on a computer coupled to a programming port in the digital hearing aid.
Digital hearing aids are more flexible, sophisticated than analog hearing aids, but require the use of a computer for programming. Hearing aid dispensers may be reluctant to sell digital hearing aids for any number of reasons including:                They may prefer making potentiometer adjustments for the end-user rather than making adjustments by computer.        They may prefer the portability of a screwdriver to the portability of a computer. They may frequently do fittings outside the office and would have to carry a laptop computer around to fit/adjust digital hearing aids.        They may not want to invest in computer equipment for the office.        They may be unfamiliar with and/or intimidated by computers.
The frequency response of a non-programmable, analog hearing aid is controlled via the adjustment of one or more potentiometers. Adjustment of a potentiometer, or trimpot, requires the use of a small screwdriver designed to fit in the shallow indentation that spans the diameter of the trimpot. A typical trimpot diameter is 0.10″. Rotation of a trimpot in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction causes a continuous change in one or more response characteristics. Examples of parameters typically controlled through trimpot adjustment include gain, output, high pass filter characteristics, and low pass filter characteristics. A response range defines the behavior for a given trimpot. The minimum and maximum of the response range are defined by the points at which the trimpot is rotated fully either clockwise or counter-clockwise, but precise intermediate settings are not specified.
The frequency response of a digital hearing aid is typically controlled via adjustments made on a computer while the hearing aid is connected to it by a cable. The desired response is then saved to the device before it is disconnected from the computer. However, digital hearing aids can also be controlled via the adjustment of potentiometers, as is done with analog devices. The variable resistor inside the potentiometer is connected to an analog to digital (A/D) converter in the hearing aid that converts the voltage across the resistor to a discrete parameter value. The number of discrete values for a given parameter depends on the precision of the A/D converter. A 4-bit A/D converter, for example, will map the full range of trimpot positions to 16 discrete settings. It may be desirable in some cases, however, to be able to make precision adjustments to the hearing aid without the use of a computer.
There exists a need for improved digital hearing aids and improved methods for adjusting the operational parameters of digital hearing aids.

Adjusting and display tool and potentiometer


A memory device has a page copy mode that writes data into memory cell by memory page units by using a common bit line without outputting accessed data externally. The memory device, e.g., a DRAM includes an interface unit having an address multiplexor for multiplexing a plurality of address signal bits in accordance with a row address strobe signal. A row address resetting unit is for resetting an output signal from the address multiplexor in accordance with the row address strobe signal. A pre-decoder decodes an output signal from the row address resetting unit. A row decoder is for decoding an output signal from the pre-decoder. A word line driving unit receives an output signal from the row decoder to drive a corresponding word line. A block decoding signal latch unit latches an output signal from the pre-decoder in accordance with a page copy signal. A block decoder decodes an output signal from the block decoding signal latch unit and a sense amplifier controller receives an output signal from the block decoder. The sense amplifier controller outputs a sense amplifier enabling signal and a sense amplifier equalizing signal to a sense amplifier driving unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory device, and in particular, to a semiconductor memory device.
2. Background of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a memory cell array and a sense amplifier in a related art memory device, e.g., DRAM. The memory cell array and sense amplifier of the related art DRAM includes a sense amplifier driving unit 10 for receiving sense amplifier enabling signals SN and SPB and a sense amplifier equalizing signal SAEQ and sense amplifiers 11-14. The sense amplifiers 11-14 are driven by the sense amplifier driving unit 10 and connected with respective pairs of bit lines BL0-BLm and BL0b-BLmb. The memory cell array and sense amplifier further includes pre-charge units 15-18 for pre-charging the bit lines BL0-BLm to a level corresponding to one-half of the supply voltage Vcc in accordance with a bit line equalizing signal BLEQ and a pre-charge signal line VLBP and a memory cell array 19 having a plurality of cells 19a and 19b connected with word lines WL0-WLn and the bit lines BL0-BLm and BL0b-BLmb. The memory cell array 19 is configured in a folded form. In other words, the cells 19a and 19b are formed on either the bit lines BL0-BLm and BL0b-BLmb.
The sense amplifier driving unit 10 includes a PMOS transistor 10a. The gate of the PMOS transistor 10a receives the sense amplifier enabling signal SPB, the source receives the supply voltage Vcc and the drain is connected with a signal line SPC to the sense amplifiers 11 through 14. An NMOS transistor 10b has the drain connected with the drain of PMOS transistor 10a and the signal line SPC. The gate of the NMOS transistor 10b receives the sense amplifier equalizing signal SAEQ, and the source is connected with a signal line SNCB to the sense amplifiers 11 through 14. An NMOS transistor 10c has the drain connected with the source of the NMOS transistor 10b and the signal line SNCB, the gate receives the sense amplifier enabling signal SN, and the source is connected to ground supply voltage Vss.
The sense amplifier 11 includes PMOS transistors 11a and 11b. The sources of the PMOS transistors 11a and 11b are commonly connected with the signal line SPC and the respective gates are connected with the bit lines BL0b and BL0, and with the drain of their counterpart PMOS transistor. The sources of NMOS transistors 11c and 11d are commonly connected with the signal line SNCB. The drains of the NMOS transistors 11c and 11d are connected to the drains of the PMOS transistors 11a, 11b, respectively, and the respective gates are connected the drain of their counterpart NMOS transistor and with the bit lines BL0b and BL0, respectively. The remaining sense amplifiers 12 through 14 have the same construction as the sense amplifier 11.
The pre-charge unit 15 includes an NMOS transistor 15a, the drain and source of which are respectively connected with the bit lines BL0 and BL0b, and the gate of which is connected with a bit line equalizing signal BLEQ line and gates of NMOS transistors 15b and 15c. The sources of the NMOS transistors 15b and 15c are commonly connected to the pre-charge signal VLBP line, the gates are connected with the bit line equalizing signal BLEQ line and the respective drains are connected to the bit lines BL0 and BL0b, respectively. The remaining pre-charge units 16 through 18 have the same construction as the pre-charge unit 15.
As shown in FIG. 2, the interface unit for driving the memory cell array and sense amplifiers of the related art DRAM includes an address multiplexor 20 for multiplexing address signal bits Ai and Aj in accordance with a row address strobe signal /RAS and a row address resetting unit 21. The interface unit further includes for resetting the output signal from the address multiplexor 20 in accordance with the row address strobe signal /RAS and a pre-decoder 22 for decoding the output signal from the row address resetting unit 21. The interface unit further includes a row decoder 23 for decoding the output signal from the pre-decoder 22, a word line driving unit 24 for receiving the output signal from the row decoder 23 and for driving the word lines WL0 through WLn, a block decoder 25 for decoding the output signal from the pre-decoder 22, and a sense amplifier controller 26 for receiving the output signal from the block decoder 25. The sense amplifier controller 26 also applies the sense amplifier enabling signals SN and SPB and the sense amplifier equalizing signal SAEQ to the sense amplifier driving unit 10 as shown in FIG. 1.
The address multiplexor 20 includes an inverter 20a for inverting the row address strobe signal /RAS, a transmission gate 20b for switching the address signal bit Ai line in accordance with the row address strobe signal /RAS and the inverted signal RAS from the inverter 20a and inverters 20c and 20d for latching the output signal from the transmission gate 20b. The address multiplexor 20 further includes a transmission gate 20e for switching the address signal bit line Aj in accordance with the row address strobe signal /RAS, and inverters 20f and 20g for latching the output signal from the transmission gate 22e. The remaining address signal bit lines have the same associated circuitry as the bit line Aj.
The row address resetting unit 21 includes NOR-gates 21a through 21d for each NORing the row address strobe signal /RAS and the output signals of inverters 20c and 20d from the address multiplexor 20. Each pre-decoder 22, as shown in FIG. 3, includes NAND-gates 22a through 22d for selecting 1 valid output signal "Low" from the row address resetting unit 21, and inverters 22e through 22h for inverting the respective output signals of the NAND-gates 22a through 22d.
For example, while /RAS is "Low" if the output signal of the NOR gate 21a is "High" and the output signal of the NOR gate 21c is "Low", the output signal of the NOR gate 21b becomes "Low" and the output signal of the transmission gante 20b becomes "High".
So only the output signal of the pre-decoder 22c becomes "Low" and the other 3 signals become "High".
In case /RAS is "High", NOR gates 21a,b,c,d become "High" and pre-decoders 22e,f,g,h become "Low".
The operation of the related art DRAM will now be described. When the row address strobe signal /RAS, as shown in FIG. 4A, is transited (asserted), the address signal, as shown in FIG. 4B, is inputted into the address multiplexor 20. The row address passed through the address multiplexor 20 is applied to the pre-decoder 22 through the row address resetting unit 21, and if the row address strobe signal /RAS is high level, the row address signal is reset by the row address resetting unit 21.
The pre-decoder 22 decodes the row address inputted and outputs the row address to the row decoder 23 and the block decoder 25, respectively. Therefore, in the word line driving unit 24, a high level signal is carried on the word line WLi corresponding to the row address, and the bit line corresponding to the address signal is selected.
The sense amplifier controller 26 outputs sense amplifier enabling signals SN and SPB and sense amplifier equalizing signal SAEQ to activate the sense amplifier driving unit 10 so that the data of a corresponding cell of the memory array 19 is read. Thereafter, the row address strobe signal /RAS is again transited to a low level, and the signal of the word line WLi is transited to a low level. In addition, the bit lines BL0 through BLm and BL0b through BLmb are pre-charged as much as one-half of the voltage Vcc in accordance with the pre-charge signal VBLP.
When the row address strobe signal /RAS is again transited (asserted) another address signal is inputted. Therefore, the word line WLj corresponding to the new address signal is activated. In the related art DRAM, whenever the address is changed, the bit lines BL0 through BLm and BL0b through BLmb are always pre-charged so that the data of the next addressed memory location is not combined with the previous data.
However, the related art DRAM has various disadvantages. Since the bit lines BL0 through BLm and BL0b through BLmb are always pre-charged when the address is changed, it is not possible to write the data corresponding to the previous address and stored in the sense amplifier into the memory cell of another address via the common bit line.


Abstract of the Disclosure Implantable drug delivery devices and methods of making and using the same are provided. The implantable drug delivery devices permit selective activation and deactivation of drug delivery while subcutaneously implanted in a patient without the use of electronic equipment or power. The devices include a bistable member that has two stable states. In a first stable state, the bistable member does not close off a fluidic pathway between a drug reservoir and a drug release aperture, thereby allowing drug release from the device. In a second stable state, the bistable member closes off or narrows the fluidic pathway, thereby reducing or preventing drug release from the device. A patient or another person can reversibly change the bistable member between the first and second stable states by applying pressure on the patient's skin over the site of implantation and/or manipulating the device through the patient's skin at the site of implantation.

The present disclosure generally pertains to implantable drug delivery systems and methods, including but not limited to devices and methods in which release of drug can be activated and deactivated while the device is implanted in a patient.
Implantable drug delivery devices are known. In some conventional designs, drug release is passive and continuous. For example, the drug may be combined with a polymeric matrix material which provides sustained release of the drug over an extended period. One example is the Nexplanon™ birth control implant. It is subcutaneously inserted and then releases progesterone for up to three years to prevent pregnancy.
Drug release cannot be turned off and on while the Nexplanon device remains implanted. Instead the device must be removed from the patient if the patient wishes to become pregnant, and a new device reinserted to resume birth control. The insertion and removal procedures are relatively simple for a physician but are not trivial. The devices are not designed for a patient to be able to activate or deactivate the drug release on her own. Because the device is not designed for a female patient to be able to activate and deactivate drug release on her own, the patient must seek the services of a physician to manage her birth control.
In other known implantable designs, drug release is actively controlled such that release of a drug can be provided in temporally spaced, discrete doses, on-demand or in accordance with a programmed schedule. An example of such an implantable device being developed by Microchips Biotech Inc. is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,628 and U.S. Publication 2013/0053671 A1. These actively controlled devices, however, require power and electronics to operate. In addition, these microchip drug delivery devices have relatively complicated designs and may be difficult and expensive to manufacture relative to, for example, the Nexplanon device.
It therefore would be desirable to provide new and improved drug delivery devices that allow active control, including on-off functionality, of drug release. It would also be desirable to provide drug delivery devices that are operable without electric power and electronic controls—and their attendant costs and complexity. It furthermore would be desirable to provide a drug delivery device in which release of a drug can be manually turned on and off, preferably without any special tools or expertise, while the device remains implanted in a patient. Desirably, such a device would be capable of releasing therapeutic amounts of one or more drugs over an extended period such as from one to ten years, or in other cases longer or shorter periods.

Subcutaneous drug delivery device with manual activation and deactivation of drug release


A steel having excellent HAZ toughness can be used for ships, buildings, pressure containers, linepipes, and so forth. The steel is of a Ti--Mg--O system steel containing at least 40 pcs/mm.sup.2 of oxide and composite oxide particles of Ti and Mg having a size of 0.001 to 5.0 .mu.m. A steel having excellent HAZ toughness can be produced, and the safety of structures using this steel can be remarkably improved.

One of the most important characteristics required for steel materials used for structures such as ships, buildings, pressure containers, linepipes, etc, is HAZ toughness. Recently, heat-treating technologies, controlled rolling and machining heat-treating method have made a remarkable progress, and the improvement of low temperature toughness of the steel material itself has become easy. Because the welding HAZ is reheated to a high temperature, however, the fine structure of the steel material is completely lost, and its microscopic structure becomes extremely coarse to thereby invite drastic deterioration of HAZ toughness. Therefore, as means for refining the HAZ structure, (1) a technology for limiting coarsening of austenite grains by TiN and (2) a technology for forming intergranular ferrite by Ti oxides, have been examined and put into practical application. For example, CAMP-ISIJ Vol. 3 (1990) 808 describes the influences of N on intergranular ferrite transformation in Ti oxide type steels, and Vol. 79 (1993) No. 10 describes the effect of B on intergranular ferrite transformation in Ti-containing oxide steels. Nonetheless, the level of HAZ toughness produced by these technologies is not yet entirely satisfactory. From the aspect of execution of welding, therefore, a steel material which has higher strength and can be used at a low temperature and with a large heat input has been strongly desired.

Steel having improved toughness in welding heat-affected zone


A spiral conveyor system including a tank for containing a liquid at a predetermined temperature therein. A conveyor conveys items through the liquid. A guiding structure is disposed in the tank for guiding the conveyor in a spiral-type fashion. The spiral conveyor system further comprises means for securing the items while being conveyed through the liquid.

In present-day large-scale processing of items such as, for example, chilling, freezing, pasteurizing, cooking, or chemically treating food products, conveying systems are employed in order to provide a continuous flow of the products through the process. In order to provide a relatively long path length within an insulated enclosure of minimal volume and external surface area, a conveyor which transports the items through the enclosure is typically adapted to follow a helical path—termed 'spiral' path in the industry. During transport inside the enclosure, the items are exposed to air heated or chilled to a predetermined temperature or cryogenic gas contained in the enclosure.
Unfortunately, due to the relatively low heat transfer rate between the air or cryogenic gas and the items, the processing still requires exposure of the items to the air or cryogenic gas for a substantial length of time, thus requiring a substantial path length inside the enclosure—i.e. a substantial size of the enclosure—or a very slow movement of the conveyor.
The heat transfer rate between a liquid, such as, for example, water or brine, and the items is substantially larger than the heat transfer rate between the air or cryogenic gas and the items. Therefore, employment of water or brine for the processing requires exposure of the items thereto for a substantially shorter length of time, thus reducing energy consumption and enabling use of a substantially shorter path length inside the enclosure resulting in a smaller system or a higher speed of the conveyor enabling increased throughput.
Furthermore, transportation of a liquid through the system is substantially more efficient and, therefore, cost effective, than the transportation of air.
However, employment of conventional conveyors for submerging the items in a liquid is limited since many items have a density that is less than the density of the liquid. The resulting buoyancy then causes the items to dislodge from their place on the conveyor, clog the conveyor, or float on the liquid surface, likely damaging the item or its packaging resulting in inefficient handling and processing. These effects may also be experienced when the density of the item is not sufficiently larger than the density of the liquid to create enough friction for the item to stay in place on the conveyor against the force of the flow of the liquid.
It may be desirable to provide a spiral conveyor system for transporting items immersed in a liquid for heating, cooling, or chemically treating the same.
It also may be desirable to provide a spiral conveyor system for transporting items immersed in a liquid for heating, cooling, or chemically treating the same that is designed such that the items while submerged in the liquid are secured.
It also may be desirable to provide a spiral conveyor system for transporting items immersed in a liquid for heating, cooling, or chemically treating the same that provides a relatively long path length of the conveyor while minimizing the size of the enclosure containing the liquid.

Spiral conveyor system for immersing items in a liquid


A head mounted display apparatus and a backlight adjustment method thereof are disclosed. The head mounted display apparatus comprises a display module, a backlight module, an application processor, an eye image capture apparatus, an infrared (IR) light emitting diode (LED) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The backlight module provides a backlight to the display module. The eye image capture apparatus captures an eye image. The IR LED provides an auxiliary light source to the eye image capture apparatus. The ASIC calculates a current pupil size according to the eye image. The application processor adjusts the backlight intensity of the backlight module according to the current pupil size in an adjustment mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to an electronic apparatus, and more particularly to a head mounted display apparatus and a backlight adjustment method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with the advance in technology, people assimilate more and more information every day. The commonly seen multimedia play apparatus, network communication apparatus and computer apparatus are equipped with a CRT or LCD display for displaying images. However, the pixels and size of a displayed image depend on the size and efficiency of the display. Conventional CRT or LCD display cannot meet the requirements of large size and convenient portability at the same time. To resolve the above problem, an optical see-through head mounted display (HMD) apparatus is provided. The optical see-through HMD apparatus allows the user to see the real image of the physical world and the virtual image provided by the head mounted display apparatus at the same time. The head mounted display apparatus has a CRT or LCD display disposed in front of each eye. The head mounted display apparatus projects the image outputted by respective CRT or LCD display onto the user's retina through a beam splitter and creates a 3D effect by using the parallax between the user's two eyes. However, when the luminance level of a virtual image is higher than the ambient light luminance, the user will feel the virtual image projected on the display module dazzling. Conversely, if the ambient light luminance is higher than the luminance of a virtual image, the user will be unable to clearly see the virtual image projected on the display module. Therefore, how to avoid the ambient light luminance affecting the user's visual perception has become a prominent task for the industries.

Head mounted display apparatus and backlight adjustment method thereof