A method using a single pass sequencer having a transport system for transporting the mail pieces to a transport system having a first carriage system and a second carriage system with a plurality of holders slidable between the first carriage system and the second carriage system with packaged output. Each of the plurality of holders holding a mail piece of the mail pieces received from the transport system. The method includes assigning a code to: (i) the mail pieces based on the destination information, (ii) the plurality of holders on the first carriage, and (iii) a position on the second carriage which corresponds to the initial sequence and a destination sequence of the mail pieces. The method instructs movement of the plurality of holders from the first carriage to the second carriage based on the code assigned to the mail pieces, the plurality of holders on the first carriage and the position on the second carriage such that when the mail pieces are moved to the second carriage they are in sequential order of delivery destination, ready to be packaged.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a single pass sequencer process and in particular to a method for sequencing objects in a single pass such as mail pieces in order of delivery using a single pass system.
2. Background Description
The delivery of mail such as catalogs, products, advertisements and a host of other articles have increased exponentially over the years. These mail pieces are known to be critical to commerce and the underlying economy. It is thus critical to commerce and the underlying economy to provide efficient delivery of such mail in both a cost effective and time efficient manner. This includes, for example, arranging randomly deposited mail pieces into a sequential delivery order for delivery to a destination point. By sorting the mail in a sequential order based on destination point, the delivery of mail and other articles can be provided in an orderly and effective manner.
In current sorting processes, optical character recognition systems may be used to capture delivery destination information. A host of feeders and other complex handling systems are then used to transport the mail to a host of bins or containers for sorting and future delivery. To this end, central processing facilities, i.e., United States Postal Service centers, have employed a high degree of automation using bar code readers and/or character recognition to perform basic sorting of articles to be transported to defined geographic regions or to local offices within those regions. It is also known to manually sort mail pieces, but this process is very labor intensive, time consuming and costly.
As to known automated sorting processes, currently, for example, a two pass algorithm process is used as one method for sorting mail based on delivery destination. In this known process, a multiple pass process of each piece of mail is provided for sorting the mail; that is, the mail pieces, for future delivery, are fed through a feeder twice for sorting purposes. In general, the two pass algorithm method requires a first pass for addresses to be read by an optical character reader and assigned a label or destination code. Once the mail pieces are assigned a label or destination code, they are then fed to bins based on one of the numbers of the destination code. The mail pieces are then fed through the feeder a second time, scanned, and sorted based on the second number of the destination code. It is the use of the second number that completes the basis for sorting the mail pieces based on delivery or destination order.
The two pass algorithm method may present some shortcomings. For example, the mail pieces are fed through the feeder twice, which may increase the damage to the mail pieces. Second, known optical recognition systems typically have a reliability of approximately 70%; however, by having to read the mail pieces twice, the rate is multiplied by itself dramatically reducing the read rate and thus requiring more manual operations. That is, the read rate is decreased and an operator may have to manually read the destination codes and manually sort the mail when the scanner is unable to accurately read the destination code, address or other information associated with the mail pieces two consecutive times. Additionally, bar code labeling and additional sorting steps involves additional processing time and sorting machine overhead as well as additional operator involvement. This all leads to added costs and processing times.
It is also known that by using the two pass algorithm method as well as other processing methods, the containers and bins may not be efficiently utilized, thus wasting valuable space. By way of illustrative example, a first bin may not be entirely filled while other bins may be over-filled. In this scenario, the mail pieces are not uniformly stacked within the bins, wasting valuable space, causing spillage or an array of other processing difficulties.
The present invention is designed to overcome one or more of the above shortcomings.

Method for sequentially ordering objects using a single pass delivery point process


A system and method for manufacturing semiconductor devices with dielectric layers having a dielectric constant greater than silicon dioxide includes depositing a dielectric layer on a substrate and subjecting the dielectric layer to a plasma to reduce top surface roughness in the dielectric layer.

Continuing trends in semiconductor product manufacturing include reduction in electrical device feature sizes (scaling), as well as improvements in device performance in terms of device switching speed and reduced power consumption. Metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor performance may be improved by reducing the distance between the source and the drain regions under the gate electrode of the device, known as the gate or channel length, and by reducing the thickness of the layer of gate oxide that is formed over the semiconductor surface. Field effect transistors (FETs) are widely used in the electronics industry for amplification, filtering, and other tasks related to both analog and digital electrical signals.
One of the most common FETs is a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). MOSFETs generally have a metal or polysilicon gate contact or electrode that is biased to create an electric field in the channel region of a semiconductor body. The semiconductor body can be silicon, strained silicon on SiGe, Ge, or strained silicon by other means. This electric field inverts the channel and enables a current flow between the source region and the drain region of the semiconductor body. The source and drain regions are typically formed by adding dopants to targeted regions on either side of the channel region in a semiconductor substrate. The gate dielectric or gate oxide, such as silicon dioxide (SiO2), is normally grown over the channel region, typically by thermal oxidation of the Si substrate. A gate electrode or gate contact is then formed over the gate dielectric, and the gate dielectric and gate electrode materials are then patterned to form a gate structure overlying the channel region of the substrate.
Recent efforts directed to MOS device scaling have accordingly focused on dielectric materials having dielectric constants greater than that of SiO2. These materials, commonly known as high-k dielectric materials, reduce gate current leakage compared to that of equivalent SiO2 or nitrided SiO2 as a result of a higher physical gate dielectric thickness while keeping the overall capacitance density to the required equivalent SiO2 thickness.
Unlike silicon dioxide, high-k gate dielectrics are deposited on the silicon surface rather than grown. Deposition processes usually do not yield surfaces as smooth as those of the grown silicon oxide and the surface roughness of the films can promote device degradation. The relative performance of these high-k materials is often expressed as equivalent oxide thickness (EOT). Equivalent oxide thickness, (teq or EOT) is the thickness of the SiO2 layer (κ˜3.9) having the same capacitance as a given thickness of an alternate dielectric layer.
EOT represents the theoretical thickness of SiO2 that would be required to achieve the same capacitance density as the alternate dielectric and is given by:
      t    eq    =      3.9                      ɛ        0                          (                  A          C                )
For example, if a SiO2 capacitor is used, and assuming that 1.0 nm of this film produces a capacitance density of (C/A)=34.5 fF/μm2, the physical thickness of an alternate dielectric that must be used in order to achieve the same capacitance density is given by:
            t      eq              κ      ox        =            t              high        -        κ                    κ              high        -        κ            This can be rearranged as:
      t          high      -      κ        =                    κ                  high          -          κ                    3.9                  t      eq      where 3.9 is κSiO2. Therefore, an alternate gate dielectric with a relative permittivity of 16 and physical thickness of 4.0 nm can be used to obtain teq˜1.0 nm.
Various problems are associated with depositing high-k dielectrics onto substrates; some of these problems are: interfacial SiO2 formation, limited availability of precursors, and very low depositions rates. Furthermore, most of these high-k materials are likely to be crystallized during further thermal processing, creating more defects such as grain boundaries and surface roughness at the dielectric/gate electrode interface. Depositing high-k dielectrics onto substrates also results in a rough surface morphology. Additionally, as the thickness of the gate dielectric material deposited decreases, improvement in surface roughness is required.
Common techniques or methods to deposit high-k dielectrics include chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), or physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes. The performance and reliability of the resulting transistors with these deposited high-k materials depends upon the bulk quality of the high-k dielectric material, as well as the quality of the interfaces between the high-k gate dielectric material, the gate (which can be poly-silicon or a metal gate), and the channel material. Therefore, there is a need for improved gate structures and fabrication techniques by which high quality gate dielectrics and interfaces can be achieved using high-k dielectric materials.

Top surface roughness reduction of high-k dielectric materials using plasma based processes


An earphone device includes an acoustic tube having an inner diameter substantially identical to that of the external auditory canal has an ear mounting portion at one end and an acoustic non-reflecting portion at the outer end. An earphone unit and an internal microphone unit are mounted on the periphery of the acoustic tube adjacent each other and communicate with the interior of the acoustic tube with their respective vibration plates facing inwardly of the tube. The phase of the signal representing the external noise in the acoustic tube picked up by the internal microphone unit is reversed and combined with the audio signal fed to the earphone unit. The earphone device also includes an external microphone unit on the outside of the acoustic tube and a variable ratio mixing circuit for mixing the input audio program signal, the reversed phase signal obtained from the internal microphone unit, and the signal from the external microphone unit, so that external sounds can be heard without removing the earphone device.

So-called ear fitting type noise reducing apparatus which is used in working in an environment in which external noises are very loud has been widely known. This ear fitting type noise reducing apparatus is worn in such a manner that the headphone cap covers the ears for reducing the external noises. The headphone cap is pressed upon the temple of the head so that external noises from the environment will not pass through a gap between the temple of the head and the headphone cap. The noise reducing apparatus has been used in such a manner.
However, it is necessary to strongly press the headphone cap of the above mentioned prior art noise reducing apparatus upon the temple of the head in order to prevent external noises from the environment from entering the gap between the headphone cap and the temple of the head. Accordingly, an oppressive sensation is felt on the temple of the head and the noise reducing apparatus per se is large in size and heavy. Therefore, use of this apparatus for a long period of time is unbearable. Also a headphone cap cannot shield noise having low frequencies (several hundred Hz to not higher than 1 KHz). If noises are reduced by the above mentioned method and reproduced sounds are attempted to be listened to, an effect of so-called localization in head occurs due to reflections of the reproduced sound in the headphone cap so that an adverse influence is given to communication, etc. The effect of localization in head occurs as follows: Reflections occur between the headcap and the entrance of the external auditory canal since the acoustic impedance in the entrance of the external auditory canal is different from the impedance in the external auditory canal. The reflected wave returns to the ear drum, resulting in that a sound image is localized in the head. An uncomfortable feeling as if the ear were plugged is felt.
So-called active type earphone devices have been known as earphone devices used in working in loud noise places. Such type earphone devices reduce the noises generated near the headphone unit by converting the external noises into electrical signals by a microphone unit and by negatively feeding back the converted electrical signal in an opposite phase via a negative feed back loop.
Such active type earphone device has a high sound shielding ability and is thus capable of almost shielding external sounds. Accordingly, it is very inconvenient for the user to remove the earphone device from the ear each time when the user desires to listen to external sounds such as emergency information or human voices.
The present invention was made under such circumstance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an earphone device which will not cause an effect of localization in head and can be used for a long period of time without pressing the head and is capable of effectively reducing external noises.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an earphone device within which external sound can be listened to even if the earphone device which has been worn is not removed.


A method and device for hygienically delivering a liquid food to or from a food or beverage dispenser by delivering a flow of liquid food through an outlet positioned at a distance of all surfaces of the dispenser and by frequently cleaning the outlet with a flow of cleaning liquid directed onto the external surfaces demarcating the outlet to eliminate the liquid and solid food residue. The device may include a connection fitment with an elongated food delivery member which is configured to connect to a cleaning chamber of the dispenser. The device can be easier and more conveniently cleaned and/or sanitized enabling the dispensing of microbial sensitive food products such as milk concentrate and the like.

In the foodservice domain, there is a high demand in varied food preparations and beverages dispensed from automatic dispensing systems. In particular, hot and cold specialty beverages such as dairy based beverages are very much appreciated. Popular frothed and non-frothed dairy based beverages encompass, for instance, cappuccino, latte, mocchiato, and coffee frappe. Such beverages are usually produced from powder milk which is mixed with water and delivered simultaneously with or before coffee is delivered in the cup.
However, beverage powder poses a number of disadvantages. In particular, powder is difficult to dissolve in tepid or cold water, and sometimes also, in hot water, precisely, when powder contains an amount of fat such as in whole or semi-skim milk powder or insoluble proteins such as in skim milk powder. Therefore, powder requires more energy and/or time for mixing with other fluids but also for delivering a decent froth on top of the beverage. Powder is also sensitive to humidity and renders dose-to-dose accuracy more difficult to achieve. At certain levels of humidity, the dosing devices, such as canisters and augers, may even be blocked up to an extent which requires intervention from a maintenance operator. Food powder also suffers from a lower image in term of quality and is viewed as inferior in quality compared to liquid food.
Therefore, there is an increasing demand for dispensing systems which can deliver dairy based beverages in a more convenient way, while requiring less maintenance, low energy consumption and while providing frothed or non-frothed beverages of high quality.
Therefore, liquid food proves to offer these important advantages over food powder. However, contrary to food powder, certain liquid foods which are more microbiologically sensitive such as milk based and juices tend to spoil rapidly if drastic hygiene conditions are not respected. When food such as milk based products and juices are contaminated, their sensory quality is affected and it becomes unsafe to consumption with sometimes even risks of food poisoning.
Handling a liquid food product such as liquid milk, milk concentrate or juice in a safe and hygienic way in a dispenser system usually requires maintaining the product in refrigerated conditions when the container is opened in order to slow down microbial growth and extend the shelf life of the product sufficiently to avoid wasting too much product. However, refrigeration does not avoid microbial contamination but simply reduces the bacterial growth at the low temperature. Furthermore, it also requires frequent cleaning operations. To thorough clean the dispenser, it is usually necessary to disassemble parts of the machine. This disassembly is time consuming and labour intensive requiring training for the foodservice operators and increasing the chances for contamination if operators do not follow required hygienic standards or do not use the right tools.
Furthermore, the fitment areas for connection of the source of liquid food with the dispenser offer critical zones for microbial contamination and growth. Indeed, food residue and deposits tend to accumulate and settle in these connection zones and these surfaces are then difficult to be properly sanitized or cleaned. Again, dismantling the connections is often necessary to continue to ensure a high level of safety and food quality in the dispensing service.
GB 2,385,291 A relates to a liquid dispenser for dispensing a beverage comprising a reservoir for storing a liquid that supports microbial growth connected to a delivery outlet that is constructed as a capillary tube positioned to aim a fine jet of liquid directly into a dispensing container. The capillary tube is regularly sterilized by exposing the delivery outlet to an oxidizing gas such as ozone or chlorine dioxide. For that, the capillary tube is enclosed in a clamshell casing during the sterilizing process and the oxidizing gas is circulated around the capillary tube. This solution poses several problems in particular related to the way of sterilizing the capillary tube by the use of an oxidizing gas. Indeed, distributing, forcing the gas around the tube and evacuating the gas require a sophisticated arrangement. The gas is also corrosive and the gas must remain confined to the delivery outlet to avoid chemical attacks to other parts of the machine. The gas has a sterilization effect but does not remove liquid drops or solid residues, which can become a source of contamination and growth. In particular, the system requires repeated mechanical shocks to remove the last droplet of milk at the bottom of the capillary tube. This adds to the complexity and affects the reliability of the system. Furthermore, such system is not well adapted to deliver a food liquid to dispensing components downstream such as a mixing bowl and/or a whipper because of the use of oxidizing gas which can corrode or accelerate the aging of these components.
Therefore, there is a need for handling and delivering liquid food in or from a dispenser while using a simpler and more reliable method for cleaning and sanitizing the parts in contact with the liquid food which are subjected to risks of microbial growth.
There is also a need for a method which does not require dismantling of parts of the dispenser while reducing the risks of microbial spoilage.
There is also a need for providing a safer connection between the source of liquid food and the dispenser.
There is a need for a system that can be operated at any time and as frequently as required by the circumstances and/or safety regulations and without requiring the intervention of a maintenance operator.
There is also a need for a system that can offer an automatic cleaning and a sanitizing solution, which can be more easily controlled and made less susceptible to contamination by operator mishandling. The present invention now satisfies these needs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Device and method for hygienically delivering a liquid


A catheter includes a catheter body having a temperature-controlled anchor element thereon that is configured to attach the catheter body to tissue by forming a congealed adherence layer between the anchor element and the tissue. An ablation element is connected to the catheter body and is configured to ablate tissue when the anchor element is attached to the tissue.

The mitral valve is a complex structure located between the left atrium and ventricle of the mammalian heart. During systole, large pressures (e.g., greater than 120 mmHg) are imposed on the closed mitral valve. The mitral valve leaflets resist these pressures to prevent mitral regurgitation, which can cause serious cardiac complications. The mitral valve includes two leaflets (anterior and posterior) whose free edges are tethered to the wall of the left ventricle at the papillary muscles via the chordae tendinae. The basal edges of the leaflets are attached to the left ventricle via a fibrous annular ring. The anterior leaflet is a single continuous membrane, and the posterior leaflet is made up of three scallops with the central scallop being the largest.
Although there are multiple components of the mitral valve complex that can lead to dysfunction, a loss of structural integrity of the mitral valve leaflets to withstand systolic pressure can be detrimental to mitral valve performance. A specific mitral valve syndrome called mitral valve prolapse occurs when the leaflets billow back into the left atrium during systole, typically resulting in compromised mitral valve and cardiac function. Cardiologic hallmarks of mitral valve prolapse include superior displacement, such as more than 2 mm, of one or both of the leaflets into the left atrium.
Clinically, there are two distinct patient groups with mitral valve prolapse. The first group is typically younger females, and the majority of this group do not require intervention. The second group is older males with moderate to severe mitral regurgitation and thickening leaflets. Histological analysis of autopsied mitral valve prolapse leaflets from this second patient group typically reveals disrupted and/or fragmented collagen architecture with enhanced quantity of proteogylcans. This disrupted architecture is called myxomatous mitral valve disease. Because of the disrupted architecture of the myxomatous mitral valve leaflets, collagen fibers are unable to provide the neaded structural integrity to appose left ventricle pressure during systole, and the leaflet(s) displaces into the atrium, prohibiting closure and leading to mitral regurgitation.
Standard treatments for myxomatous mitral valve disease are surgical repair or replacement. Both repair and replacement of the mitral valve are expensive, potentially invasive procedures with substantial recovery times. Percutaneous edge-to-edge repair procedures can be used in some cases of myxomatous mitral valve disease, which avoids open-chest surgery and reduces hospital stay and recovery time. However, the current mode of edge-to-edge repair has a significant detractor in that it can form a double-orifice mitral valve, and the long-term fluid mechanics and left ventricle remodeling of this flow pattern are not well-understood. Moreover, if the degree of myxomatous degeneration is high, the edge-to-edge technique may not be suitable. Edge-to-edge repairs are also not suitable for many patients, including those with ischemic mitral regurgitation, recurrent mitral regurgitation after complex mitral valve repair, or mitral regurgitation associated with papillary muscle displacement. On the other hand, mitral valve replacement surgeries typically involve open-heart surgery, which can be problematic, especially in an older patient population.

Catheter having temperature controlled anchor and related methods


To significantly reduce mobile station static power consumption, and to make it possible to use a high speed asynchronous link in the mobile station, the invention uses one of the amplitude levels of, preferably, a PAM-5 (Pulse Amplitude Modulation with five amplitude levels) modulation technique as a strobe signal to generate a change in the transmitted signal. The change in the transmitted signal makes it possible for a PAM-5 receiving circuit to sample and decode two consecutive occurrences of the same data bits. The use of this invention avoids the requirement to include an oscillator in the PAM-5 receiver, or to dedicate a signal line to transmit a clock signal from the transmitter to the receiver.

Multi-level analog signaling (MAS) is used in Ethernet (10 Gigabit Ethernet) and other applications. Various MAS techniques include T-Waves, Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) and, of most interest to this invention, PAM, in particular PAM-5. In general, transmitting different amplitude levels over a serial asynchronous link can be used to reduce electromagnetic interference and other problems, and is a well known technique.
If an oscillator is required at the receiver for data recovery, then the ability to reduce receiver power consumption during idle periods (static power consumption) is compromised, as the oscillator will typically remain powered on at least for some part of the idle period. If powered down or off, then some finite amount of time is required to re-power and settle the oscillator circuitry when the idle period ends (i.e., when data reception begins again). Further, and depending on the architecture of the system, there may be a plurality of instances of the receiver circuitry, each requiring its own associated oscillator. As may be appreciated, in many applications it is desirable to minimize power consumption, circuit complexity and cost. While the clock signal could be transmitted through a separate line from the transmitter to the receiver, this technique also adds cost and complexity to the system. For example, 4-level logic (with a separate clock line) is used in, for example, RAMBUS memory systems, with an option to use only the two middle amplitude levels.
A publication of interest to the teachings of this invention is IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, Vol 29, No 9, September 1994: Crister Svensson and Jiren Yuan, "A 3-Level Asynchronous Protocol for a Differential Two-Wire Communication Link". This publication describes a technique that uses multi-level amplitude signaling in such a way that there is no need to provide an oscillator at the receiver. In the 3-level signaling method of Svensson et al. the symbol 0 is represented by a change from state S(i) to S(I+1), and the symbol 1 is represented by a change from state S(i) to S(I−1).
Another publication of interest to this invention is "Ternary Physical Protocol for Marilan, A Multiple-Access Ring Local Area Network", R. J. Kaliman et al., Electrical Engineering Dept., Univ. of Maryland, College Park, Md., pp. 14-20, 1988. FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) show symbol encoding examples for an exemplary binary sequence and a ternary non-return to zero (NRZ) representation thereof, respectively. In the approach of Kaliman et al. the ring local area network physical layer uses the ternary NRZ code that is suitable for asynchronous transmission, and the code symbols assume values in the balanced ternary set {−1,0,1}. To detect a clock signal, a transition must occur at the end of every bit period and, consequently, two consecutive channel symbols must take different ternary values (as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) for the repeats of the binary 1 and binary zero bits).
Neither of the foregoing publications operates with more than three amplitude levels and, hence, they are limited on the amount of data that can be encoded by a symbol and thus the maximum data rate that can be sustained between a transmitter and a receiver.

Method and apparatus employing PAM-5 coding with clock embedded in data stream and having a transition when data bits remain unchanged


In a specific control state, confirmation is made whether or not the present torque limiter value exceeds a maximal value of an allowed torque value in the specific control state, and in the event that the present torque limiter value exceeds the maximal value of the allowed torque value in the specific control state, the torque limiter value is slowly lowered by subtracting a constant A1 from the present torque limiter value, while in the event of transition from the specific control state to an ordinary control state, the torque limiter value is slowly raised to the maximal torque limiter value in the ordinary control state by adding a constant A2 to the present torque limiter value. Thus, excessive change of torque at transition of a control state can be suppressed, and adverse effects on driving stability and driving performance under the specific control state can be minimized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving force distribution control device for a vehicle which controls engaging force of a coupling mechanism so as to change transmission torque, and distributes driving force.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, with a driving force transmission system for four-wheel-drive vehicles and so forth, a system has been known wherein a coupling mechanism made up of a multiple disc clutch and the like is disposed within a transfer, and controlling engaging torque of this coupling mechanism continuously controls distribution of driving force toward the rear wheel side.
With such a system, a torque limiter for limiting engaging torque of the coupling mechanism is provided. For example, Japanese Patent No. 2,599,965 discloses art wherein, with a four-wheel-drive vehicle having a center differential for dividing driving force output from the engine so as to transmit the divided force to a front-wheel-drive system and a rear-wheel-drive system, a mechanical torque limiter is disposed on the rear-wheel-drive system (or the front-wheel-drive system), and while this torque limiter is running, limiting differential of the center differential enables jack-rabbit starts and rapid acceleration.
However, the conventional torque limiter fixes the transmission torque at a constant value, so in the event of mounting nonstandard-diameter tires or in the event of performing specific control in a state wherein oil temperature of the differential (especially the rear differential) rises abnormally, deterioration of driving performance is brought about, and also in the event of transition from an ordinary control state to a specific control state or in the event of switching of the control state at recovery from the specific control state to the ordinary control state, the engaging torque is drastically changed, thereby causing problems such as deterioration for driving stability and driving performance.

Driving force distribution control device for vehicle


Provided herein is an apparatus including a top member configured to couple with an anatomical appendage or a structure thereof; a bottom member rotatably attached to the top member; and a movement-enabling means for enabling the apparatus to move across a surface substantially without interruption, wherein the movement-enabling means comprises a turntable bearing between the top member and the bottom member, and a rolling mechanism about a bottom surface of the bottom member.

Physical exercise reduces stress and improves overall health. Physical exercise includes a number of different training methods, including strength training, which includes creating a force resistant to contraction of one or more muscles. While strength training is generally performed to increase muscle strength and size, there are many other benefits as well. Such benefits include improved cardiac function, posture, and joint function; reduced potential for injury; and increased metabolism and bone density.

Systems and methods for physical exercise


A method of applying guidelines or guide ribs in the walking direction for visually handicapped persons. The method involves the steps of providing a mold having a plurality of slots arranged in mutually spaced rows, placing the mold in contact with a travel surface with the slots aligned relative to a travel path, filling the slots with a synthetic resin and permitting the resin to set, and then removing the mold.

The invention relates to a method for the application of guidelines for visually handicapped (V.H.) on an existing subsoil of one that can be fixed subsequently.
The guideline is used in those places where the natural guidelines for the visually handicapped person, such as walls, hedges, fences, are lacking or are unsuitable. It is also possible to draw the attention of the visually handicapped person to a place for crossing the road, intersection, or other dangerous situations.
The guideline should be recognisable for the visually handicapped person and should therefore differ from the local subsoil.
The guideline or guidepath comprises of one or more groups of ribs that are parallel next to each other. In the longitudinal direction these ribs are, preferably regularly, interrupted in connection with the removal of water and dirt.
The present novel method for the application of ribs has considerable advantages with regard to the manner in which the guidepaths are realised up to now.
By using carton molds with recesses for the formation of ribs and applying epoxy material in these recesses and scraping off the excess material, after the removal of the molds one obtains ribs which are clearly recognisable as guidelines for the visually handicapped person. In order to compensate for irregularities of the subsoil, the molds should be flexible.

Method for applying guidelines for visually handicapped persons


Antenna system and methodology for producing multiple interleaved beams using a hybrid frequency-reuse scheme. In particular, depending on the traffic demand in specific coverage areas, some beams are assigned with frequency channels in accordance with a 4-cell frequency-reuse scheme, and the other beams are assigned with frequency channels in accordance with a 7-cell frequency-reuse scheme. The antenna system has multiple feeds divided into clusters, and a number of reflectors fed by respective feed clusters and configured to form one beam for each of the feeds.

Over the last few years, there has been a tremendous growth in the use of multiple-beam antenna systems for satellite communications. For example, multiple-beam antennas are currently being used for direct-broadcast satellites (DBS), personal communication satellites (PCS), military communication satellites, and high-speed Internet applications. These antennas provide mostly contiguous coverage over a specified field of view on Earth by using high-gain multiple spot beams for downlink (satellite-to-ground) and uplink (ground-to-satellite) coverage.
Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) and Broadcast Satellite Service (BSS) payloads require that the spectral resource use be optimized, in order to enable several satellite operators to efficiently share a limited frequency spectrum. For satellite systems that require multiple spot beams to contiguously cover a large geographic coverage region, key performance parameters include the frequency-reuse factor and the co-polar isolation (C/I). For the downlink coverage, the co-polar isolation is usually more critical than for the uplink coverage. This parameter may be defined as the ratio of the co-polar directivity of the beam of interest to the combined directivity interference of all the beams that reuse the same frequency and is obtained by adding all the interferers, in power over the beam of interest.
To cover a large number of cells in the coverage region, conventional satellite systems utilize multiple-cell frequency-reuse schemes with a fixed number of cells using the same frequency channels. For example, a 4-cell frequency-reuse scheme or a 7-cell frequency-reuse scheme may be utilized. However, these known frequency-reuse schemes have some drawbacks. While the 4-cell frequency-reuse scheme provides a high system capacity and a high frequency-reuse factor, it has low C/I values. By contrast, the 7-cell frequency-reuse scheme limits the system capacity, but has better C/I values that makes the system inoperable. In addition, both these fixed-cell reuse schemes do not cater for non-uniform traffic demands based on geographic population of the coverage region. For example, the eastern and western regions of the Continental United States (CONUS) have higher spectral demand than the mountain and central regions.
Hence, there is a need for a multiple-beam antenna system supporting a hybrid frequency-reuse scheme that would provide a required system capacity with a sufficient co-polar isolation.

Multiple-beam antenna system using hybrid frequency-reuse scheme


A mathematical programming method in which a common decision space is defined by identifying decision variables, and a set of objective functions is developed as piecewise defined functions. Each objective function is dependent on at least one of the decision variables and corresponds to a goal. The objective function has a plurality of pieces, such that the objective function has only one piece for each combination of decision variables. A value function is developed in additive preference form based on weights and the objective functions. The value function is optimized by searching through the decision variable values to find the values of the decision variables that maximize the developed value function. An action dictated by the decision variable values can then be executed.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a multi-objective optimization method that evaluates a plurality of objective functions to determine the best decision variables satisfying those objectives.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
An agent designed to operate in the real physical world, must deal with the aspect of unpredictability in the environment. An unpredictable event may be something that is out of an agent's control (a car turning into it's path) or an event that is simply left out of the agent's reasoning scope (an on-schedule train crossing its path). The ability to react to unforeseen events makes life simpler for the agent by requiring it to predict less about the world and allowing it to avoid forming contingency plans for perhaps countless possible deviations from a long term plan. The interest in behavior-based robotics is tied directly to the interest in building robots or agents that are to be situated in such dynamic environments. Brooks (1991a) stated that traditional artificial intelligence was dominated by a preoccupation with search techniques which in turn promoted an "abandonment of any notion of situatedness" since simulated environments were sufficient for test and evaluation. The behavior-based control architecture has been found by many to be a viable architecture in situations where the environment is too complex for a single comprehensive world model, and the ability to react quickly to changes in the environment is especially important. (Brooks, 1986; Rosenblatt, 1997; Arkin, 1998; Pirjanian, 1998; Riekki, 1999). Each behavior specializes in one particular aspect of the overall task of the vehicle, thereby simplifying the implementation of each behavior. Unfortunately, the behaviors often disagree on what next action is best for the vehicle and a workable arbitration scheme therefore becomes necessary. Simple arbitration schemes often either suppress all but the most important behavior, or merely average or convolve a single action from multiple behaviors, which lead to unacceptable shortcomings in overall vehicle behavior. Effective coordination of behaviors requires each behavior to not only produce the one action that best serves the goals of the behavior, but also produce alternative actions that may lead to the best overall compromise between behaviors. By rating all possible actions, the behavior is in effect producing an objective function over the domain of all possible vehicle actions, and action selection then can be viewed as a multi-objective optimization problem. Unfortunately, the action domain grows exponentially with respect to the number of action variables, and requiring each behavior to explicitly rate all actions becomes computationally infeasible in all but the simplest applications.
One architecture for solving these problems is the subsumption architecture, introduced in Brooks (1986). To overcome slow reaction times, at each layer (or behavior), there is a tight coupling between sensors and actuators, and a commitment is made only to the next action. A lower, fundamental behavior such as avoiding obstacles, could take quick control, suppressing or ignoring higher level behaviors. To overcome the pitfalls of relying on a complete world model, each behavior is responsible for taking whatever it needs from the environment for its own limited world perspective. No communication or model sharing is proposed between behaviors. The decentralized nature of the model also contributes to a modular design process and robust performance, and has the effect that overall intelligence attributed to the agent tends to be seen as an emergent property of performance, rather than due to a single grand design. A layered design implies a prioritization of behaviors and thus a policy for choosing an action when different behaviors are in conflict. Control of the vehicle alternates between behaviors while the action preferences of other behaviors are ignored completely. This can be viewed as a serious shortcoming if the desire is for the agent to react simultaneously to more than one event, or react in a way that is consistent with longer term plans.
Other models such as those taught by Arkin (1989b); Payton et al. (1990); Maes (1990), have tried to address these issues, and cooperative action selection, where an action can be influenced by two or more behaviors simultaneously, has since been common. Behavior-based implementations are typically thought of as containing a separate, distinct component responsible for action selection. As an example, the distributed architecture for mobile navigation (DAMN) proposed in Rosenblatt (1997) contains an arbiter that receives votes from each behavior. Although action selection typically is the only source of communication (albeit one-way) between behaviors, there must be some degree of uniformity in how they communicate to the action selection process, since behaviors are likely to be heterogeneous in their implementation. In the DAMN architecture, this communication comes in the form of the weighted votes over a common set of action choices known to all behaviors. In general, there is a tradeoff to be made between the complexity of the information being passed from the behaviors and the complexity burden put on the action selection method. On one hand, by emphasizing quick decisions, there is the risk of sacrificing the quality of the decision. On the other hand, by emphasizing quality decisions, there is the risk of sacrificing the quickness of the decision.
A strength of the behavior-based architecture is its modularity and ability to accept additional behaviors into an existing system without redesigning existing behaviors. Opinions have varied, however, as to what constitutes a behavior. In Brooks (1986), behaviors were devoid of any internal model or representation of the world, and behaviors were thought of as direct mappings from sensory input to actions. Brooks (1989, pp. 449–450) advocated using the world itself as the only model utilized by behaviors.
Choosing a particular action involves attempting to choose a correct action in the shortest amount of time. Various action selection methods are provided in the prior art. These methods include no-compromise methods wherein one behavior is chosen and other behaviors are ignored. The problem becomes choosing the appropriate behavior. The defect of this approach is that when one behavior is chosen, a decision that is satisfactory to many of the other behavior can be ignored because they weren't the first choice for top behavior. Compromise methods are subdivided into single fusion compromise methods and multifusion compromise methods. In single fusion compromise methods, the choices of all of the behaviors are combined as by averaging. The problem with single fusion compromise methods is that they can lead to a compromise that is unsatisfying to both behaviors. Multifusion compromise methods are divided into single dimension and high dimension methods. In multifusion compromise methods compromising is performed by considering mutually agreeable alternatives and choosing one that comes with the highest combined backing from the contributing behaviors. When this involves only one action variable, this represents a single dimension multifusion compromise method. Additional action variables give rise to high dimension multifusion compromise methods. A primary problem of these methods is the computational burden required to determine the action variable in a timely manner.
The competing actions can be determined by implicit evaluation and explicit evaluation. Voting is one explicit evaluation method in which each behavior function votes for an action. In voting, each possible action is explicitly evaluated to provide a candidate, and the candidate receiving the most votes is chosen. Voting can be applied to all forms of behavior functions but it is computationally intensive. Implicit evaluation can be performed by using analytical methods to find local maxima. These local maxima can be used to represent a large number of possible actions thereby speeding the decision process. However, local maxima are not easily determined for all forms of behavior functions.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


Apparatus and methods for efficient external control of the transmit power of a remote fixed gain antenna unit in RF communications. Apparatus embodiments include a separate feeding unit coupled to a remote fixed gain antenna unit through a single coaxial line. The feeding unit is operative to provide transmit control signals to the remote antenna unit based on power feedback created in the remote antenna unit and sent to the feeding unit over the single coaxial line. Feedback and transmit/receive control inputs are transmitted through the single coax line together with RF signals. The coax line may be long. The apparatus and methods may be used in a vehicular environment.

A remote antenna unit is required where physical or thermal limitations prevent placing an entire communication unit/device in an antenna unit. Such limitations may exist for example for an antenna installed on a vehicle roof, an antenna exposed to high or low temperatures, or an antenna requiring a defined and restricting mechanical size and/or shape, the latter arising from practical and/or aesthetic considerations. If the distance between the remote antenna unit and the communication unit is relatively small (e.g. less than 1 meter), the two may be connected by a coax line. However, for larger distances or when the frequency band employed is above several (e.g. 5) GHz, the attenuation is too high and coax line loss degrades performance. The performance loss is duplicated for Transmit (TX) and Receive (RX) functionality. For example, an apparently "low" attenuation of 3 dB translates into 6 dB total attenuation, because the Transmit power is 3 dB lower than a maximal power amplifier output and the Receive sensitivity is 3 dB higher than optimally achievable.
There are three known types of remote antenna units: a) without any amplification (passive); b) with fixed gain but no power control loop in the antenna unit; and c) with variable gain and power control loop in the antenna unit. Type (a) is trivial and is commonly used. Type (b) is unusable. Regarding type (c), the known art may be understood with reference to, exemplarily, U.S. Pat. No. 7,965,977 by Angell et al. Such known art is shown schematically in FIG. 1, in which an apparatus embodiment 100 comprises a remote variable gain antenna unit 101 coupled to a feeding (communication) unit 102 through a long coax line 116. As used herein, "long" with reference to coax lines refers to a length greater than about 1 meter for frequencies greater than about 5 GHz. The antenna unit is further coupled to an antenna 120.
Feeding unit 102 includes a feeding transceiver 110 for up-converting and down-converting RF signals and a baseband device 112 for modem signal processing and for controlling the transceiver mode of operation and communicating this mode to the remote antenna unit. Remote antenna unit 101 includes a power control module 104, a TX/RX control module 106 and a RF circuits module 108. Power control module 104 controls the power and gain of a power amplifier (not shown) in RF circuits module 108, while TX/RX control module 106 controls the mode of operation (i.e. Transmit or Receive) of RF circuits module 108. RF circuits module 108 further includes a low noise amplifier (LNA) (not shown) and switches (not shown) which compensate for coax line losses and facilitate the sharing of TX/RX and RF lines on coax line 116. Diplexers 114 are provided in both remote antenna unit 101 and feeding unit 102 and are used for combining the TX/RX control line signals with the RF signal on the same coax line (116). Coax line 116 carries three signals: a Transmit RF signal 140, a Receive RF signal 142, and a TX/RX control 146. The Transmit RF signal and the TX/RX controls are sent from the feeding unit to the remote antenna unit, while the Receive RF signal is sent in the opposite direction. Antenna 120 may be placed on a printed circuit board carrying the RF circuits, or connected through a very short coax line to module 108.
Power control is essential for compensating for component behavior in view of temperature changes, lifetime changes and manufacturing differences. Exemplarily, an outdoor antenna unit is exposed to higher temperature variations than an indoor antenna unit. At high frequencies, RF component properties tend to change considerably due to the factors mentioned above. An enhanced level of power control may be achieved by setting a different power per packet. However, while required with most modern communication protocols, this enhanced level cannot be supported with the configuration in FIG. 1.
The implementation of power control inside a remote variable gain antenna unit (e.g. power control module 104) is possible only when all three conditions listed next are met:
a) The transmission power is fixed—i.e. all packets are transmitted using the same power. Most modern communication systems apply dynamic transmission power control. If transmission power control is performed in the antenna unit, then the information of the present transmission power has to be provided to the remote antenna. This is not possible with a single control line (116) of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,965,977.
b) The amplifier output power is not high. Adjustment of transmission power at the power amplifier can be performed only when its output is relatively low. It cannot be performed when it is high, since then it may result in unstable or non-linear operation.
c) The antenna unit size requirements are not restricting—i.e. room exists for implementing the power control function in the remote antenna unit.
When at least one of these three conditions is not met, a new scheme is needed. Some applications, such as vehicle-to-vehicle communications, fail to satisfy all three conditions. There is therefore a need for and it would be advantageous to have methods and apparatuss for efficient external control of the Transmit power of a remote fixed gain antenna unit with power feedback, in particular (but not limited to) for efficient external control performed over a single coax line in a vehicular environment.

Remote antenna unit with external power control using a single control line


A gas generator including a plug (24) having a header part (45) and two or more electrode pins (22, 23), a thin-film bridge (25) having electrode pads (41, 42), and a squib (10) in which upon supply of electric current to the thin-film bridge (25) via the electrode pins (22, 23), the thin-film bridge (25) is activated to ignite ignition materials (26, 27), wherein the thin-film bridge (25) is arranged into a hollow (32) prepared at the plug (24) in such a manner that the thin-film bridge (25) is kept approximately on a level with the head (35) of the electrode pins (22, 23) and the header part (45) of the plug (24), the thin-film bridge (25) is connected by wire bonding to the electrode pins (22, 23) at the electrode pad parts (41, 42), and at least either of the electrode pad (41) or (42) of the thin-film bridge (25) is connected by the wire bonding to a metal part of the header part (45) of the plug (24).

An airbag is known as a safety system for protecting a passenger from an impact resulting from a collision of an automobile. The airbag is activated by a large quantity of a high-temperature and high-pressure gas generated by a gas generator. Conventionally, gas is generated by gas generators according to two roughly-categorized methods. One is a pyro inflator method in which all gases are generated by burning solid gas generants (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The other is a hybrid inflator method in which a gas cylinder containing a high pressure gas and a small quantity of explosive compositions for supplying heat to a high pressure gas in the gas cylinder are used to discharge a large quantity of a high pressure gas (for example, refer to Patent Document 4).
Where gas generant compositions include low reactive materials such as guanidine derivatives and ammonium nitrate as its compositions, there poses a problem that the gas generants are low in ignitability, in addition to a slow burning velocity. An airbag takes 10 to 60 ms from the time when a gas generator is activated to the time when the airbag is deployed. Therefore, only a slight delay in activation of the gas generator will give such a serious impact that the airbag cannot exhibit a sufficient performance. Gas generants, which are low in ignitability, will take a longer time to ignite on a squib inside the gas generator, resulting in a delayed ignition of the gas generator. An increased quantity of a propellant inside the gas generator will improve the delayed ignition to some extent. However, the thus increased quantity of the propellant will lead to an increase in total calorific value of the gas generator itself, which consequently increases the weight of a filter member for cooling the gas and makes the gas generator larger in size.
Further, a gas generator using the pyro inflator method for inflating an airbag for side impact and a curtain airbag is mainly an elongated cylindrical housing, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, and structured in such a manner that both ends are sealed by welding. Therefore, where the gas generant disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, the gas generator must burn the gas generant at a higher pressure in order to obtain a sufficient burning performance, and a housing must be thicker in order to improve the pressure resistance of the housing. Where a propellant is used in a larger quantity to improve the ignitability, a filter member must be larger to give a sufficient cooling to the gas, because of an increased calorific value. Under these circumstances, conventional gas generators have not been made smaller in size or lighter in weight.
Further, Patent Document 3 has disclosed a gas generator according to the pyro inflator method in which a seal member such as an O-ring is provided on an outer peripheral end surface of a partition member in order to seal reliably a housing and the partition member. However, this gas generator needs a process for notching the outer peripheral end surface of the partition member to provide the seal member such as the O-ring, thereby increasing a cost of manufacturing the gas generator, which poses a problem. In addition, in the gas generator, the partition member does not divide a filter chamber and a combustion chamber.
In contrast, a gas generator according to the hybrid inflator method has a smaller quantity of gas generants and is suitable for making the generator small in size. However, since the gas generator must keep a high pressure gas in a gas cylinder, the high pressure gas may escape from the gas cylinder in the course of as long as 15-year life period as a gas generator, thereby resulting in a failure of providing a sufficient effect, where sealing is insufficient. For this reason, for sealing the gas in the gas cylinder for a longer time, which makes it necessary to seal the gas cylinder by using higher in breaking strength and a highly-sealable rupture disk. This type of gas generator is disclosed in Patent Document 4, for example. In order to increase the gas sealability of a first container (gas cylinder) in which a high pressure gas is sealed, a rupture diaphragm (rupture disk) having a high breaking strength is used in the gas generator, and a hollow piston provided in a second container having a combustion chamber, etc., is allowed to advance into the rupture diaphragm by ignition of a driving insert (squib), thereby rupturing a rupture diaphragm of the first container without fail and also reliably discharging a high pressure gas in the first container. This structure is able to rupture the rupture diaphragm without fail but requires a hollow piston or the like, thereby making the gas generator structurally complicated, which also poses a problem.
There is also available a gas generator in which rupture of a rupture disk for reliably sealing a gas cylinder is conducted not by using a hollow piston or the like as disclosed in Patent Document 4 but by increasing a quantity of a propellant to elevate the pressure inside a combustion chamber including a squib. However, an increased quantity of the propellant requires a chamber for accommodating the propellant, thereby making it difficult to miniaturize the gas generator. Further, in this instance, it is difficult to rupture the rupture disk simultaneously with ignition of the squib.
Further, in this type of gas generator, a high pressure gas inside a gas cylinder undergoes an adiabatic expansion to spout from the gas cylinder, thereby making it necessary to heat and discharge the gas. This generator is unable to sufficiently heat the gas from the gas cylinder, which poses another problem.
Still further, Patent Document 5 has disclosed a gas generator according to the hybrid inflator method in which a gas cylinder for retaining a high pressure gas and a small quantity of explosive compositions for supplying heat to the high pressure gas inside the gas cylinder are used to discharge a great quantity of a high temperature and high pressure gas.
In addition, Patent Document 6 has disclosed a squib used in these gas generators in which a thin-film bridge formed on a substrate of ceramics or the like is fixed to a plug by using epoxy resin, polyimide, ceramics and others. This thin-film bridge is electrically connected to an electrode pin provided on a plug by soldering or wire bonding or by using an electric-conductive epoxy resin or the like. A squib having the thin-film bridge is advantageous in that the ignition time is reduced to several times or more than a dozen times, as compared with that having a bridge wire. However, where the squib is connected with an electric-conductive epoxy resin and used in a gas generator for an automobile, it is exposed to a high-temperature environment on blazingly hot days in summer, which may result in a change in resistance value of the electric-conductive epoxy resin. Further, the resistance value is easily affected by the surface condition of an electrode even at an initial stage of assembly, resulting in a great variance in initial resistance value, which poses a problem. Wire bonding will solve the problems caused by soldering or by the use of an electric conductive epoxy resin, however, in the squib disclosed in Patent Document 6, a thin-film bridge is fixed in a state that it is projected on a plug. Therefore, a wire may be broken where a pressing force is applied upon insertion of the plug having the projected thin-film bridge into an ignition-charge loading cap. The possibility may be higher particularly where, as disclosed in Patent Document 6, the wire is erected to joint on the end surface, which is a so-called vertical joint.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Published No. 11-292678
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Published No. 2000-203372
[Patent Document 3] International Publication WO No. 01/74633, booklet
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Published No. 8-253100
[Patent Document 5] International Publication WO No. 02/062629, booklet
[Patent Document 6] U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,979B1 Specification


Method and apparatus to enable measurement of response times, for example at one-second resolution or better, in a system where a starting location and ending location of processing are different. A timing data that signals a start of data processing is entered into a logging device and recorded in a system log file with a time stamp placed according to a system clock of the logging device. Output data from a CIS interface or TV interface that signals the end of processing is sent to the logging device and recorded in the system log file 20 with a time stamp placed according to the system clock of the logging device. The processing time is calculated with reference to the time stamps in the log data in the system log file associated with the processing.

Normally, when a system integration service or system-outsourcing service is provided, service level agreements are reached between service provider and client. Therefore, the achievement of service levels needs to be measured. To work out service levels concerning system response time, it is necessary to measure and evaluate response times in the system development and testing phases, and continue to measure and evaluate them after the system starts production runs. This requires an objective system for measuring response times.
In the case of Web application systems and client/server systems, the source location of a user request and the destination location of a response to the user are the same. In such cases, a system that generates requests and receives responses can measure the time interval between the generation of a request and approval of a response using its system clock.
Clearly, the above mentioned technique used when the source location of a request and the destination location of a response are the same cannot be applied to cases where the source location of a request and the destination location of a response are different.
If the source location of a request and the destination location of a response are different, the response time can be measured, for example, as follows by using synchronization with a server that provides standard time. Specifically, the system from which the request is issued and the system at which the response arrives access the server that provides standard time and synchronize their system clocks with the standard time. The time when the request was issued and the time when the response was received are stamped according to the system clocks of the respective systems. Later, these times are gathered at one location to calculate the response time.
The above mentioned technique for synchronizing system clocks using standard time does not pose a particular problem if the temporal accuracy required is within a few seconds. However, difficulties arise if a subsecond temporal accuracy is required. Synchronization techniques on the order of several hundred milliseconds have been established on the Internet, but overhead information is necessary for synchronization. In the case of systems that require fast response, this overhead cannot be ignored as a load. Also, it is difficult to synchronize system clocks properly. Particularly, large systems such as systems for Olympic games, which require fast response speeds (one second or less) and consist of a large number of devices have difficulty in synchronizing the devices properly.
An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for measuring response times, for example, at one second resolution or better when the starting location (start device) and ending location (end device) of processing are different.

Method and apparatus for determining the performance of data processing devices with unsynchronized clocks

International Business Machines Corporation


Information, such as files received from a client, etc., is stored in a storage system, such as a content addressable storage system. A file server receives data from a client and chunks the data into blocks of data. The file server also generates metadata for use in forming a data structure. The blocks of data are stored in a block store and a copy of the data blocks and the metadata are locally cached at the file server. A commit server retrieves the metadata. In at least one embodiment, the metadata is retrieved from an update log shared between the file server and the commit server. Based on the retrieved metadata, the commit server generates a version of a data structure. The data structure is then stored at the block store.

The present invention relates generally to content addressable storage and more particularly to improved access to data in content addressable storage systems.
Storing large quantities of data is critical to business. File systems must be backed up, volumes of records must be kept to satisfy regulatory requirements, and large collections of data must be stored, among other business applications. This important data must be stored in a manner that is resilient to hardware failure. Various systems have been employed which address the particular needs of each of these data collections.
Previously, content addressable storage (CAS) has been used for building high capacity storage systems. CAS systems generate an address for a block of data by hashing the data block contents. This allows duplicate copies of the data block to be readily identified so that the CAS system need only store one copy of the data block. The reduction in storage requirements makes CAS systems useful for high capacity storage.
However, since CAS typically store immutable objects, they only allow writing data organized in Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs). That is, once a parent block points to (e.g., contains the address on a child block, it is not possible for the child block to point to the parent block. Ignoring the sharing aspect in which a child is pointed to by many parents) these DAGs as may be informally referred to as "trees." Using CAS to implement a storage system that allows stored data to be modified (e.g., allows a file to be overwritten) presents two important challenges—(1) how to efficiently utilize the storage (e.g., minimize the use of parent blocks to point to a set of changing data/leaf/child blocks), and (2) how to allow concurrent modifications to different parts of the tree (e.g., avoid excessive locking) in order to offer better performance. Accordingly, improved systems and methods of storing and retrieving data in content addressable storage systems are required.

System and method for content addressable storage


A telephone number display apparatus stores a plurality of telephone number information data and displays the telephone number information data on a plurality of display areas divided in correspondence with a predetermined number of telephone number information data. At least part of one display area of the plurality of display areas is displayed in a color different from that of a remaining display area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone number display apparatus for storing a plurality of telephone numbers and displaying these telephone numbers in display areas divided in correspondence with a predetermined number of telephone numbers and, more particularly, to a telephone number display apparatus for facilitating to confirm the telephone number in each display area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a technique associated with a telephone number display apparatus of this type, a technique is described in, e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-294352 in which switches constituted by a touch panel and telephone numbers are electronically displayed in the order of use frequencies. The Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-294352 discloses a multifunction telephone set which reads out a plurality of telephone numbers and the use frequencies of these telephone numbers from a storing means in accordance with a designation signal output by touching the touch panel, and displays the telephone numbers on an electronic display means in the order of use frequencies.
In the conventional telephone number display apparatuses, including the apparatus described in the above prior art, the telephone numbers displayed on the display unit are arranged in the order of use frequencies. For this reason, the order may change every time a telephone number is read out to make call origination. As a result, to search a target telephone number in a telephone number list consisting of similar numerals and data, telephone numbers must be confirmed one by one, resulting in an increase in time required for searching and confirmation.
When telephone numbers on the display screen are to be moved at a high speed by scrolling the telephone numbers, the position of the displayed telephone numbers must be set to the first, the last, or the intermediate one of the registered and arranged telephone numbers at only the start or end of scrolling. Therefore, determination during the movement of the telephone numbers by scrolling is difficult.

Telephone number display apparatus listing telephone numbers by frequency of use


A device for ultrasonic treatment of a workpiece which at least two treatment spots has at least two resonant units which are adapted to be associated with corresponding ones of said treatment spots, each of the resonant units having a convertor and a sonotrode connected with the convertor, a joint mounting body arranged so that the resonant units are mounted on the joint mounting body in an arrangement which is dependent on a position of the treatment spots on the workpiece, and a displacement unit which is common for the resonant units and is coupled with the mounting body.

The present invention relates to a device for ultrasonic treatment of workpieces.
Devices of this type are used for connection of two components by welding or riveting with the use of ultrasound. They also can be used for other purposes, for example for cutting and the like. The treatment is performed so that an electrode which is identified as a sonotrode is subjected to mechanical vibrations by a converter which converts electrical energy into mechanical energy, and is pressed in the region of a preselected treatment point against the workpiece so as to plasticize the workpiece over a short time by heating. Such methods are utilized nowadays in many areas, for example in automobile industry and used there in particular for production of shock absorbers, door and trunk space coatings, instrument panels, consoles and the like of polypropylene and other thermoplastic materials.
In the known devices of this type, for example as disclosed in the German patent document DE 42 06 584 C2, each resonant unit (or vibration structure) which is composed of a converter, a sonotrode and in some cases a booster (or amplitude transformer) cooperating within them, are mounted on an associated displacement unit. The displacement unit is composed of a controllable, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder/piston unit and displaces the resonant unit in direction of the workpiece to be treated. The sonotrode, depending on the position and construction of the treatment spots, can be composed of a one-piece vibration body or of a carrier body with at least one daughter horn (screw-in pin). The vibration body or the daughter horn is provided as a rule with a working or welding surface extending perpendicular to the direction of displacement. Thereby, for example in the case of a welding or riveting, it is guaranteed that the welding or riveting dome which is formed on the workpiece and applied on one of the two components to be connected can extend through corresponding openings of the other component. It can be for example 10 mm high and 1-3 mm wide, it can be loaded exactly in its axial direction, and therefore with conventionally utilized pressing forces of for example 200 N during the softening it does not move back or curve laterally.
The German reference DE 44 39 470 C1 discloses further arrangements of the above mentioned type in which the sonotrodes are connected with at least two converters. This guarantees that the sonotrodes with large treatnent surfaces are driven uniformly into vibrations over their full expansion.
During the utilization of known arrangements of the above mentioned types, the existing problems are, not resolved satisfactorily always when the workpiece has a plurality of treatment spots, for example in form of welding or riveting spots, which are located at different heights, in particular when they are located closely near one another and the distances between then are for example less than 50 mm. Since the whole resonant unit must be determined always within narrow limits of a preselected resonance frequency of for example 35 kHz, the sonotrode must have throughout substantially the same height corresponding to an integral multiplicity of the half wave length. With the use of several daughter horns per sonotrode, the pins must also have substantially the same length. This practically excludes the simultaneous treatment of treatment spots located at different height levels with the same sonotrode, since the daughter horns or sonotrode surfaces which deviate from one another in direction of the height by only several millimeters or have other asymmetricities can lead to fast distortion of a corresponding converter.
Known optimization methods for the sonotrodes, such as disclosed for example in the German patent document DE 31 43 461 A1, help this problem only conditionally. As a result, a special resonant unit which is adapted for each treatment welding location is needed, or the closely adjacent treatment pots must be treated frequently in several, successive cycles, since they are not simultaneously accessible with the available sonotrodes, in particular when the treatment direction must extend parallel to the axial direction of the riveting dome or the like. This increases the treatment times and requires a high expense for the holding of a plurality of different sonotrodes.

Device for ultrasonic treatment of workpieces background of the invention


In an information processing system in which a plurality of modules are connected to a ring bus, data transfer efficiency is enhanced by deleting an unnecessary packet from the ring bus. This invention relates to an information processing system in which a plurality of modules that execute data processing are connected to a ring bus. More particularly, this invention relates to a ring bus operation technique that allows efficient data transfer by monitoring a flag of a packet, and removing an unnecessary packet from the ring bus.

Various ring-shaped communication networks (circuit networks) have been proposed and have prevailed. For example, the LAN (Local Area Network) specification includes a so-called token ring (see ISO/IEC 8802-5: 1998).
Data transfer in a token ring system will be briefly described below. A node that wants to transmit data acquires a token called a free token, which is not occupied by any node, and is going around a ring bus. The node that acquired the free token copies a destination identifier and processing data to the token, and outputs that token onto the ring bus to transmit it to a destination module. As described above, in the token ring system, a frame called a token is transferred in turn from a node to another node, and then to the next node, which are allocated on the ring bus, thus transmitting that frame to a target terminal.
On the other hand, when a receiving node receives a token which has a destination as the self node, it copies processing data and enters the received token, which is set with a reception completion flag indicating completion of reception, again onto the ring bus. This entry is done to inform the transmission source node of successful data transfer, and the transmission source node re-transmits the identical token if the token which is not set with the reception completion flag is returned. In this way, the receiving node sets the reception completion flag in the token, and returns that token to the transmission source node, thus implementing data transfer.

Information processing apparatus and operation method thereof, computer program, and storage medium


The present invention is directed to a data processing apparatus and a computer implemented method for modeling and analyzing relational data represented in a network that includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of connections between the nodes. The method includes assigning at least one weight to a connection between two nodes in the network. A set of possible dendrograms is then generated for the network, and a likelihood of each dendrogram in the set is determined. The determination of the likelihood is based on at least the one weight of the connection. One of the dendrograms from the set is selected as an optimal dendrogram based on the determined likelihood. The selected dendrogram is then output via an output device. The dendrogram may be used to predict missing links or identify any possible false-positive (noisy) links within a relational dataset.

Networks or graphs are useful in describing and quantifying relationships between entities in a broad variety of complex systems, such as the world wide web, the Internet and social, biochemical and ecological systems. Studies suggest that networks often exhibit hierarchical organization, where vertices divide into groups that further subdivide into groups of groups, and so on. In many cases, these groups are found to correspond to known functional units, such as ecological niches in food webs, modules in biochemical networks, or communities in social networks. Network analysis has hence been widely and successfully used in areas such as intelligence data analysis, social network analysis, Internet data processing, authorship networks, bioinformatics and medical data processing, and many others.
A hierarchical random graph (HRG) is a useful tool for clustering nodes in network graphs according to their connectivity with one another. The basic HRG algorithm was developed by Aaron Clauset, and employs Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation methods to compute a population of binary trees, called dendrograms. The general HRG concept is described in further detail in Clauset et al., "Structural Inference of Hierarchies in Networks," Airoldi, E. M. et al. (eds.), IMCL 2006 Workshop, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 4503; 1-13 (2007), and Clauset et al., "Hierarchical Structure and the Prediction of Missing Links in Networks," 453 Nature 98-101 (May 2008), the content of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In general terms, given a network graph G with n vertices, a dendrogram D is a binary tree with n leaves corresponding to the vertices of G, in which pairs of nodes are organized according to their connectivity in the network and closely emulate the structure of the original network. Each branch of the tree only has two children. The nodes of the network naturally cluster themselves in the tree by placing nodes that are very closely connected in the network close to one another in the dendrogram. That is, such nodes share a very low-level common branch. Nodes that are less connected, however, share a higher-level branch. Nodes that are very far apart are connected at the highest level of the dendrogram. A hierarchical random graph is a combination of a dendrogram along with its probabilities.
FIGS. 1A-1B are respectively a schematic diagram of a network graph and a schematic diagram of a corresponding dendrogram generated via the traditional HRG algorithm. Initially, nothing is known about the network except for the connectivity of the nodes. This is analogous to the network graph of FIG. 1A without any shading. At this initial stage, the network is disorganized and difficult to interpret. After processing the network into a dendrogram, the connectivity of the nodes becomes much clearer. It is possible to see the relationships between nodes based on the height of their common branch. For example, the dendrogram contains a group of three nodes 120. The two nodes to the right are connected at the lowest level, while the one node to the left is connected at the next level. These nodes are relatively far from another group of nodes 121 at the far right of the dendrogram; their common branch is at the top 122, indicating that they are not strongly related in the network.
After the dendrogram is generated, one can color code or shade the nodes in the network graph based on their closeness. The shading in FIG. 1A is the result of the clustering by the dendrogram. Thus, computing a dendrogram allows an individual to easily see the relationships in the network data, which might not be apparent from simple inspection of the network graph.
One drawback of the traditional HRG framework is that it is only applicable to simple networks in which the links between nodes exhibit an all or nothing behavior. That is, in the traditional HRG algorithm, either two nodes in the network are connected fully, or they are not connected at all. This limits the utility of the HRG algorithm to an extremely small subset of network science problems, such as those in ecology. For problems that require the analysis of networks where nodes have different connection strengths, or those networks which connectivity changes over time (e.g., social networks, etc.), the application of traditional "all or nothing" HRG is insufficient.
There are plenty of networks where links between nodes must be expressed in terms of a weight, such as, for example, to express quantity of goods flowing through a supply chain network, frequency of communication in e-mail networks or cell phone networks, and many others. In addition, when dealing with dynamic networks in which the links between nodes change as a function of time and activity, one must be able to express the strength of the connections between nodes as a continuous variable.
There are two possible ways to apply the traditional HRG algorithm to networks in which the connections have variable strengths, such as the weighted and dynamic networks. The simplest method is to consider all nonzero weights as generic connections. The actual weights of these connections must be handled internally by the algorithm, but do not affect the calculation of dendrograms during the MCMC process. The problem with this method is that it does not differentiate between very strong and very weak connections. That is, a connection with strength 0.99 would exhibit the same connectivity as a connection with strength of 0.01, which would eliminate the ability for connections to compete against one another in the dendrogram population.
An alternative approach to thresholding the connections at zero is to have a variable threshold in which all connections with a weight greater than this threshold are considered connected, while those whose connection strengths fall below this threshold are considered disconnected. While this is an improvement from the threshold-at-zero approach, this is still insufficient.
Another drawback of the original HRG framework is that it exclusively concerns networks having only one kind of relational attribute between network nodes. There are, however, many circumstances where multiple kinds of attributes between nodes are present. For example, the relation between two people in a social network may be revealed by both physical meetings and electronic communications (phone calls, emails, etc.). The original HRG framework can deal with such networks by 'flattening' the multiple attributes into a single quantity. One example of such flattening is to simply compute an average of multiple attributes, to come up with a single number (a weight). However, much information is lost by flattening the attributes into a single weight.
Accordingly, what is desired is a system and method for clustering nodes in network graphs that takes into account the strength of the connection between two nodes, as well as multiple attributes that may be present between the nodes. Such a system and method may be desirable to model and analyze multi-modal, relational, and spatial-temporal, and multi-layered data to discover mixed communities from multi-layered relationships within the dataset.

System and method for modeling and analyzing data via hierarchical random graphs


A liquid crystal display for use in applications where direct exposure to sunlight creates a thermal gradient from the front of the display to the back of the display uses a high efficiency iodine-type input polarizer and a high temperature type output polarizer. The output polarizer has a higher temperature rating than the input polarizer, so that the thermal gradient does not degrade display performance.

The present invention relates to display devices. In particular, the present invention relates to liquid crystal displays having a input polarizer and an output polarizer, and which have an extended high temperature operating range.
A liquid crystal display typically includes a light source, an input polarizer, a liquid crystal module, and an output polarizer. Light from the light source travels to the input polarizer, which polarizes the light. The polarized light then travels from the input polarizer to the liquid crystal module.
A liquid crystal module includes liquid crystal compositions contained between two substrates. As polarized light passes through the liquid crystal composition, the liquid crystal molecules gradually change the light's plane of vibration to match the angle of the liquid crystal. When the light reaches the exit side of the liquid crystal module, it will vibrate at the same angle as the molecules of the liquid crystal.
Liquid crystal modules operate through the use of matrix arrays of circuits. These matrix arrays allow control over the angle of the liquid crystal molecules at various locations along the array. There are many different variations of matrix arrays. A very efficient and widely used form is found in active matrix displays. Active matrix displays incorporate matrix arrays containing thin film transistors located at each array intersection. Thin film transistors are switching elements that allow distinct control over individual pixels in the matrix. When a particular pixel is to be manipulated, the row where the pixel is located is turned on and a voltage is applied to the column where it is located. Because all of the other rows were turned off, only the given row that is turned on receives the voltage. When the voltage is received by a certain pixel, the liquid crystal molecules change their twist angles in proportion to the voltage and modify the plane of vibration of the incoming light. The light then travels to the output polarizer, whose polarization direction is oriented at 90° to the input polarizer. Based on the angle of rotation of the light polarization while passing though the liquid crystal module, a percentage of the polarized light will pass through the output polarizer.
Because of the need for optimal polarization to obtain an effective liquid crystal display, high efficiency of the input and output polarizers is required. Polarizers absorb part of the light transmitted through the liquid crystal display. A common form of polarizer is a high efficiency iodine-type polarizer, which is well known for its excellent optical performance. High efficiency iodine-type polarizers incorporate long molecular chains of iodine molecules, which are the mechanism for the light absorption. In addition to the iodine molecular chains, iodine-type polarizers are typically composed of several polymeric layers that include materials such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and cellulose triacetate (CTA). The CTA is used on both sides of the PVA layer to protect the iodine molecules in the PVA layer against degradation from exposure to moisture. For special applications, additional protection can be provided against more demanding environments. Such additional protection may include laminating glass sheets over the CTA layers, in order to further encapsulate the polarizer and protect it against environmentally caused degradation. Adhesive layers may also be incorporated to bind multiple layers together.
A common structure of iodine-type polarizer is a film polarizer. A film polarizer includes a stretched layer of a polymeric substrate, such as polyvinyl alcohol. The polymeric substrate such as PVA is stretched along an axis, so that the long molecular iodine chains will align themselves on the surface of the PVA in a direction parallel to the stretched axis. The iodine molecules are absorbed onto the stretched polymeric substrate in the form of long molecular chains. These long molecular chains of iodine, that are oriented parallel to the stretched axis of the PVA, absorb the incoming light that is polarized parallel to the stretched axis. The remaining light, that is transmitted through the iodine type polarizer, is polarized perpendicular to the direction of the stretched axis.
Despite their excellent optical performance, iodine-type polarizers reach a performance limit at about 90° C. Above 90° C., iodine-type polarizers degrade in optical performance, due to a heat driven reaction. Above 90° C., the heat can initiate the break up of the long molecular iodine chains that provide the means for absorbing polarized light. In this process, the polarizer is bleached because it no longer absorbs polarized light. One known mechanism for breaking the molecular iodine chains is water absorption. It has been hypothesized that the breakdown of the iodine molecular chains is due to the release of the residual water molecules in the polyvinyl alcohol substrate.
Avionics is one of the many fields that utilize liquid crystal displays. Avionics liquid crystal displays have made use of high efficiency iodine polarizers for both input and the output polarizers. In certain avionics applications, liquid crystal displays are directly exposed to sunlight, which heats the front of the display. This creates a thermal gradient from the front of the display to the back of the display. As a result of this thermal gradient, the temperature of the output polarizer that is closest to the front of the display is greater than the input polarizer that is closest to the rear of the liquid crystal display. The effect of this is the output polarizer closest to the front of the display can be exposed to temperatures up to about 110° C., while the input polarizer closest to the rear of the liquid crystal display is slightly cooler (about 85–90° C.). Therefore, the input iodine type polarizer at the rear of the display is capable of high performance for a much greater duration than the output iodine type polarizer at the front of the display.
Other high efficiency polarizers are known which have very good optical performance, but not quite as good as the high efficiency iodine type polarizers. A polarizer is needed that can withstand high temperatures up to 110° C. and maintain its optical performance without degradation. This high temperature type polarizer will need to provide optical performance comparable to the current high performance iodine-type polarizers in terms of transmission and efficiency. An example of a high temperature polarizer is the high efficiency dye-type polarizer. Dye-type polarizers are stable at high temperatures, but have lower transmission compared to iodine type polarizers. For example, currently the best iodine type polarizer has a transmission T1=42.7% (Nitto EG 1224DU, for example), while currently the best dye-type polarizer has a T1=39.7% (Sumitomo ST 1822AP, for example). The dye-type polarizer transmits only 93% of the polarized light compared with the Nitto iodine-type polarizers. Using two dye-type polarizers as the input and output polarizers in place of iodine type polarizers would reduce the transmission of polarized light through the liquid crystal display to about 85% compared with the Nitto iodine-type polarizers. Similarly, by using two dye-type polarizers as the input and output polarizers in the cross configuration (i.e., polarization directions of the polarizers oriented at 90° to one another to maximize the extinction of light), the transmission is reduced to 0.02%. With two crossed iodine polarizers, the transmitted light is reduced to 0.01%, which is twice as good as the two crossed dye-type polarizers.

Liquid crystal display with mixed polarizers for high temperature operations


The present invention relates to a cable-operated actuating device for a motor vehicle, in particular for a transmission, comprising:    an actuating means having a recess for inserting a coupling connector of a cable control, a blocking means which is radially displaceable in the recess and in a radially outer position permits an axial displacing of the coupling connector in the recess and in a radially inner position axially fixes the coupling connector against an inserting direction in a positively connected and/or frictionally connected manner, a housing, which receives a connecting point between the coupling connector and the recess, and an actuating means for radially displacing the blocking means, which can be actuated outside the housing.

In motor vehicles, cable controls serve in particular for remote actuating. Thus, transmission shift levers can be coupled to a manual shift or automatic transmission via a cable control in order to shift the transmission by moving the shift lever. Goods, tank lids and the like can also be locked and/or unlocked through cable controls.
During the vehicle assembly, the cable control has to be connected to the actuating means, for example, the transmission shift lever.
At least one object herein is to improve this connecting. In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

Cable-operated actuating device for a motor vehicle