Methods of forming a shear-mode chemical/physical sensor for liquid environment sensing on V-shaped grooves of a [100] crystal orientation Si layer and the resulting devices are provided. Embodiments include forming a set of V-shaped grooves in a [100] Si layer over a substrate; forming an acoustic resonator over and along the V-shaped grooves, the acoustic resonator including a first metal layer, a thin-film piezoelectric layer, and a second metal layer in an IDT pattern or a sheet; and forming at least one functional layer along a slope of the acoustic resonator.

Mainstream microbalances for physical and chemical sensing in liquid environments use surface acoustic wave (SAW) and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators. However, SAW and BAW resonators suffer from dramatic viscous damping in liquid. Such damping reduces the quality (Q) factor and the sensitivity of the detector. A known solution to improve the loaded Q is a shear-mode sensor. A cross-sectional view of a portion of a process flow for forming a known shear-mode sensor is depicted in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, a silicon (Si) substrate 101 is placed on an inclined plasma vapor deposition (PVD) tool stage 103. Thereafter, tilted aluminum nitride (AlN) crystals 105 are formed on the Si substrate 101 by PVD, as illustrated by the target atoms 107 sputtered down from the sputtering target (not shown for illustrative convenience). Known shear-mode sensors can improve the loaded Q; however, the tilted-substrate deposition solution, as depicted in FIG. 1, hinders mass production and repeatability.
A need therefore exists for methodology enabling formation of a commercially feasible chemical/physical shear-mode sensor for liquid environment sensing with a high Q factor and sensitivity and the resulting device.

Shear-mode chemical/physical sensor for liquid environment sensing and method for producing the same

VANGUARD INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.


Methods and devices utilizing a dental appliance for dental retainer wire attachment are disclosed. One such wire attachment appliance includes a shell having one or more cavities formed therein and shaped to receive one or more teeth, at least two wire attachment members provided on the shell, and at least one attachment material reservoir provided on the shell, wherein the attachment material is provided to attach a wire to a tooth adjacent to a particular reservoir of the at least one attachment material reservoir.

The present disclosure is related generally to the field of dental treatment. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to attachment of a dental wire within a patient's mouth.
Various dental procedures move or adjust the position of teeth within a patient's mouth. When teeth have been moved, for example, to correct a dental malocclusion, once the movement and/or positioning of the one or more teeth is finished, if preventive measures are not taken, the teeth can also move to reproduce the original condition, to some intermediate position between the initial position and the final position attained after the procedures, or to a position that is not part of the treatment.
In such instances, a retainer can be used to prevent the adverse movement of the one or more teeth. The goal of the retainer is to stabilize the new configuration of the teeth so that the teeth do not move to one of the above incorrect positions.
Retention is useful because the bone around the teeth have to rebuild around the new position of the teeth in order to stabilize the teeth. Retention can be accomplished by use of a retainer that holds the teeth in position for a duration of time to allow for the periodontal ligaments and bone to reform around the new positions of the teeth.
In some instances, the periodontal ligaments and bone can, for example, need a number of years for stabilization. In order to provide such long term retention, a fixed retainer is often utilized where two ends of a metallic wire are attached between two teeth and the wire acts to keep the two teeth positioned with respect to each other. Additionally, the wire also can keep teeth in position that are positioned between two teeth at which the two ends of the wire are attached.
The attachment is often accomplished through the mounting of a band around each tooth and the ends of a wire attached to the bands or through the bonding of the ends of the wire to the teeth. These types of attachment methods are performed by the treatment professional and the retainers are shaped by the treatment professional just prior to attachment to the patient's teeth.
Accordingly, in some instances this can lead to imprecise positioning, poor adjustment prior to attachment, and other such problems. These processes can be difficult to perform and can also require special knowledge by the treatment professional to perform and/or specialized materials to implement.


Techniques are disclosed for protecting cryptographic secrets stored locally in a device, such as a mobile phone. A client device creates or downloads a shared secret to be used in a server transaction. To protect this shared secret locally, the client device encrypts the shared secret using a key generated a file system attributes value, along with other sources of entropy. The file system attributes value may correspond to the inode of a file in a UNIX-based file system. Thereafter, when the shared secret is required for logical computation, the client device reconstructs the key using the file system attributes value and the other previous sources of entropy. The client device may use the key to decrypt the information and use the shared secret for its required purpose, e.g., in generating a one-time password for a login session.

1. Field
Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to techniques for preventing the cloning of cryptographic secrets, particularly on mobile devices. More specifically, techniques are disclosed for encrypting shared secrets using file system attributes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Protecting encrypted data is a well-known issue in numerous contexts. For instance, a server application and the client device may possess a shared secret, such as a data credential or a symmetric key. The server application and client device may use this shared secret in authentication transactions to validate the identity of the client device or of an associated user of the device. For example, a server application and a client device may later use the shared secret to generate a one-time password or create another unique key during a login session. Alternatively, the client and the server may use the shared secret in a challenge-response method of authentication. Thus, because the shared secret is used in these secure authentications, it is important to protect it from being compromised by a malicious user. As one approach to protect the shared secret, the client device generates an encryption key using various sources of entropy (the randomness collected by an operating system or application for use in cryptography), such as the device ID, the CPU ID, keyboard timings, and the like. The client device uses the encryption key to secure the shared secret. If a client device later requires access to the shared secret for logical computation, the device reconstructs the key using the same sources used and decrypts the data.
However, in some cases, a malicious user can access the shared secret by reconstructing the key. The malicious user may do this by using a cloning application to copy data from the client device (including the encrypted shared secret and the sources used to secure the shared secret) and mimic the client device. Because all of the sources of entropy used to create the key are present in the cloning device, the malicious user has all of the required items to recreate the encryption key. Thereafter, the malicious user may use the reconstructed key to decrypt the shared secret. Alternatively, instead of reconstructing the key directly, in addition to copying the encrypted shared secret data from the client device, the cloning application may copy the code used to generate the key (in addition to the shared secret data) and run the code to reconstruct the key. At any rate, once the shared secret has been compromised, the malicious user may be able to use the data in server transactions. Such breaches in security result in weak device and user authentication, and therefore, approaches that prevent a malicious user from decrypting shared secrets through cloning are necessary to maintain strong authentication.

Protecting cryptographic secrets using file system attributes


Disclosed herein is a low-pressure type orbiting vane compressor that is capable of diverging low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant gas introduced into a shell through an inlet tube to an inlet port of a cylinder and a drive unit so as to simultaneously compress the refrigerant gas and cool the drive unit. The orbiting vane compressor comprises a vertical baffle disposed in the shell while being spaced apart from the inner end of the inlet tube, and a diverging channel defined between the baffle and the inlet tube, the diverging channel having one end communicating with the inlet port of the cylinder and the other end communicating with the drive unit. Consequently, the present invention has the effect of preventing overheating of the drive unit, and therefore, improving performance and reliability of the orbiting vane compressor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an orbiting vane compressor, and, more particularly, to a low-pressure type orbiting vane compressor that is capable of diverging low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant gas introduced into a shell through an inlet tube to an inlet port of a cylinder and a drive unit so as to simultaneously compress the refrigerant gas and cool the drive unit, and directly discharging compressed refrigerant gas out of a shell of the orbiting vane compressor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an orbiting vane compressor is constructed to compress refrigerant gas introduced into a cylinder through an orbiting movement of an orbiting vane in the cylinder having an inlet port. Various types of orbiting vane compressors, which are classified based on their shapes, have been proposed.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the overall structure of a conventional high-pressure type orbiting vane compressor. As shown in FIG. 1, a drive unit D and a compression unit P, which is disposed below the drive unit D, are mounted in a shell 1 while the drive unit D and the compression unit P are hermetically sealed. The drive unit D and the compression unit P are connected to each other via a vertical crankshaft 6, which has an eccentric part 6a.
The drive unit D comprises: a stator 2 fixedly disposed in the shell 1; and a rotor 3 disposed in the stator 2 for rotating the crankshaft 6, which vertically extends through the rotor 3, when electric current is supplied to the rotor 3.
The compression unit P comprises an orbiting vane 4 for performing an orbiting movement in a cylinder 5 by the eccentric part 6a of the crankshaft 6. As the orbiting vane 4 performs the orbiting movement in the cylinder 5, refrigerant gas introduced into the cylinder 5 through an inlet port 51 is compressed. The cylinder 5 has an inner ring 52. Between the inner ring 52 and the inner wall of the cylinder 5 is defined an annular operation space 53. A wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 performs an orbiting movement in the operation space 53. As a result, compression chambers are formed at the inside and the outside of the wrap 40, respectively.
At the upper and lower parts of the compression unit P are disposed a main frame 7 and a subsidiary frame 7a, which support opposite ends of the crankshaft 6. The subsidiary frame 7a has a discharge chamber 8a, which is formed by a muffler 8. The discharge chamber 8a is connected to a pipe-shaped discharge channel 9, which extends vertically through the compression unit P and the main frame 7, such that the compressed refrigerant gas is discharged into the shell 1 through the discharge channel 9.
Unexplained reference numeral 11 indicates an inlet tube, 12 an outlet tube, and 10a an Oldham's ring for preventing rotation of the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4.
When electric current is supplied to the drive unit D, the rotor 3 of the drive unit D is rotated, and therefore, the crankshaft 6, which vertically extends through the rotor 3, is also rotated. As the crankshaft 6 is rotated, the orbiting vane 4 attached to the eccentric part 6a of the crankshaft 6 performs an orbiting movement.
As a result, the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 performs an orbiting movement in the operation space 53 of the cylinder 5 to compress refrigerant gas introduced into the cylinder 5 through the inlet port 51 in the compression chambers formed at the inside and the outside of the wrap 40, respectively. The compressed refrigerant gas is discharged into the discharge chamber 8a through inner and outer outlet ports (not shown) formed at the cylinder 5 and the subsidiary frame 7a. The discharged high-pressure refrigerant gas is guided into the shell 1 through the discharge channel 9. Finally, the compressed refrigerant gas is discharged out of the shell 1 through the outlet tube 12.
FIG. 2 is a plan view, in section, illustrating the compressing operation of the conventional orbiting vane compressor shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 of the compression unit P performs an orbiting movement in the operation space 53 of the cylinder 5, as indicated by arrows, to compress refrigerant gas introduced into the operation space 53 through the inlet port 51. The orbiting movement of the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 will be described hereinafter in more detail.
At the initial orbiting position of the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 of the compression unit P (i.e., the O-degree orbiting position shown in view (a) of FIG. 2), refrigerant gas is introduced into an inner suction chamber A1, which is disposed at the inside of the wrap 40, through the inlet port 51, and compression is performed in an outer compression chamber B2, which is disposed at the outside of the wrap 40, while the outer compression chamber B2 does not communicate with the inlet port 51 and an outer outlet port 53b. Refrigerant gas is compressed in an inner compression chamber A2, and at the same time, the compressed refrigerant gas is discharged out of the inner compression chamber A2.
At the 90-degree orbiting position of the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 of the compression unit P (shown in view (b) of FIG. 2), the compression is still performed in the outer compression chamber B2, and almost all the compressed refrigerant gas is discharged out of the inner compression chamber A2 through an inner outlet port 53a. At this stage, an outer suction chamber B1 appears so that refrigerant gas is introduced into the outer suction chamber B1 through the inlet port 51.
At the 180-degree orbiting position of the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 of the compression unit P (shown in view (c) of FIG. 2), the inner suction chamber A1 disappears. Specifically, the inner suction chamber A1 is changed into the inner compression chamber A2, and therefore, compression is performed in the inner compression chamber A2. At this stage, the outer compression chamber B2 communicates with the outer outlet port 53b. Consequently, the compressed refrigerant gas is discharged out of the outer compression chamber B2 through the outer outlet port 53b.
At the 270-degree orbiting position of the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 of the compression unit P (shown in view (d) of FIG. 2), almost all the compressed refrigerant gas is discharged out of the outer compression chamber B2 through the outer outlet port 53b, and the compression is still performed in the inner compression chamber A2. Also, compression is newly performed in the outer suction chamber B1. When the orbiting vane 4 of the compression unit P further performs the orbiting movement by 90 degrees, the outer suction chamber B1 disappears. Specifically, the outer suction chamber B1 is changed into the outer compression chamber B2, and therefore, the compression is continuously performed in the outer compression chamber B2. As a result, the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 of the compression unit P is returned to the position where the orbiting movement of the orbiting vane 4 is initiated. In this way, a 360-degree-per-cycle orbiting movement of the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 of the compression unit P is accomplished. The orbiting movement of the wrap 40 of the orbiting vane 4 of the compression unit P is performed in a continuous fashion.
Unexplained reference numeral 55 indicates a slider for maintaining the seal between the high-pressure and low-pressure parts.
In the conventional high-pressure type orbiting vane compressor according to the above-mentioned description, however, high-temperature and high-pressure compressed refrigerant gas is discharged into the shell. As a result, the temperature of the drive unit and the structural components of the orbiting vane compressor is excessively increased, and therefore, the drive unit and the structural components of the orbiting vane compressor are deformed or damaged. Consequently, the performance of the compressor is deteriorated, and the service life of the compressor is reduced.

Low-pressure type orbiting vane compressor


A method for managing fixed-area video segments from fixed-area security cameras using a media asset management system includes collecting the fixed-area video segments from the fixed-area security cameras, associating corresponding geospatial data with each fixed-area video segment, and creating a search thesaurus including search descriptors with cross-references therebetween. At least one respective search descriptor from the search thesaurus is associated with each fixed-area video segment. The method further includes storing each fixed-area video segment, its geospatial data and its at least one search descriptor on the media asset management system for later search and retrieval, such as by a security organization. The search descriptors may be geospatial search descriptors that are cross-referenced in a hierarchical relationship.

In the past few decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of digital information being generated and stored. This accumulation has taken place at an explosive rate. The sheer volume of information available over the World Wide Web and corporate networks continues to accelerate. Broadcast organizations, advertising agencies, consumer products and services companies, and other businesses have demanding media asset management needs. Since media assets are very crucial to these organizations, they have a need for an efficient way to catalog, browse, search and manage their media assets.
A digital asset management (DAM) system customized around a particular domain or business area allows an organization to efficiently and accurately capture knowledge about, manage and exploit their enormous stores of data. Digital asset management has been broadly identified as the technologies involved with creating, acquiring, managing, storing and retrieving digital assets.
As a subset to this technology, media asset management (MAM) can be further characterized as an advanced set of tools that enable media-rich organizations the ability to manage time-based content, such as audio and video, in addition to other items of value, such as imagery, office documents and text. The two key benefits associated to this class of technology are asset and value. An asset, i.e., stored data, has little intrinsic value if it cannot be located in a timely manner or at all. The value of an asset can only be realized if it can be efficiently and accurately identified, stored, retrieved and reused.
One approach for a media asset management system is offered by the current assignee of the present invention, and is known as the Invenio™ media asset management system. The Invenio™ media asset management system streamlines the ingest process of digitally recording media into a required format, and creating meaningful metadata, i.e., encapsulated "information about information" that is essential for future usability. An intelligent archiving links digitally recorded media to a search engine so that it can be later located and retrieved. In addition, video segments can be marked using a keyword list and synonyms that link similar content for deeper links and associations.
Another media asset management system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,567,980 to Jain et al. Video segments are cataloged according to predefined or user definable metadata. The metadata is used to index and then retrieve encoded video segments. Video metadata track processors convert metadata tracks of video information to produce displayable frames containing hyperlinks between displayable data. Stored video information may be browsed, and hyperlinked frames of metadata track representations are displayed for selection.
An integrated information processing system for geospatial media is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,231 Burnett, in which visual, audio, textual and geospatial data is processed. A geospatial media recorder places geospatial data on each frame of the video segment. A geographic information system for managing and coordinating collected aerial imagery is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0008866 to Rhoads et al. Digital watermarks are used to convey information that is used to register or align geographic images with a corresponding image location.
Despite the different types of media asset management systems available, security organizations in particular have a challenging problem of managing their video segments. When monitoring an airport or a shipping port, for example, multiple fixed-area security cameras are used, with each fixed-area camera providing surveillance on a particular area of interest. This results in a large volume of temporal and location based media being generated on a daily basis, which compounds the problem.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Media asset management system for managing video segments from fixed-area security cameras and associated methods


Provided is a method of reforming a produced gas to reform tar contained in the produced gas from a gasification furnace. Quick lime comes in contact with a produced gas (3) from a gasification furnace (2) in a reformer (1) such that the quick lime absorbs carbon dioxide in the produced gas to generate calcium carbonate, and reforming reaction of the tar is performed with calcium as a catalyst using heat of reaction emitted during that time. In addition, as the calcium carbonate of the reformer (1) is supplied and burnt in a reforming agent regenerator (8), the quick lime is regenerated and supplied into the reformer (1) again. According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a method and device for reforming a produced gas that are capable of simplifying equipment and operation thereof.

Coal and other solid organic fuels are gasified to obtain a high calorific fuel gas used as a fuel gas or a source gas. Conventional gasification of coal or the like is performed at a high temperature of about 1273 K (1000° C.) or more, and in order to maintain the high temperature, combustion of some of the fuel such as coal is needed by supplying air or the like to combust some of the fuel such as coal or the like. As a result, a calorific value per unit volume of a produced gas may be decreased by mixing an exhaust gas due to the combustion therewith.
At the same time, since fuel conversion efficiency from the fuel to the produced gas is decreased, necessary fuel per calorific value of the gasified gas is increased, and operating cost needed for the gasification is increased. In addition, in recent times, while gasification using high purity oxygen instead of air has been performed in order to maximally increase the calorific value of the produced gas, in this method, since equipment for manufacturing oxygen is needed, equipment cost and operating cost are further increased.
Development of a technique of performing gasification at a low temperature is performed as a method of solving these problems. When the gasification is performed at the low temperature, consumption of air or oxygen can be reduced, and an increase in calorific value of the produced gas and a corresponding increase in fuel conversion efficiency are expected.
However, when the gasification is performed at the low temperature, a large amount of tar is generated in the produced gas, and the conversion efficiency of the fuel into the produced gas is decreased by the content of the tar. In addition, when the produced gas is used as a raw material for chemosynthesis, the tar should be removed.
A method of cleaning the produced gas with water and other solvents is generally employed in the related art as a method of removing the tar in the produced gas.
However, in the method of cleaning the gas with a solvent such as water, a large amount of drainage or waste liquid is generated, and the drainage or waste liquid should be processed. In addition, while the tar has a calorific value and can be used as fuel, it is difficult to recover the tar from the cleaned waste liquid, and accordingly, utilization efficiency of the fuel is decreased by the content of the tar.
In order to solve the problems, reforming the produced gas after the low temperature gasification at a high temperature and further decomposing the tar into CO, H2 or the like to use them has been considered (see Patent Document 1 or the like).
In addition, a gasification device in which, as a chemical such as limestone (CaCO3) is supplied into a combustion furnace filled with a bed material and an oxidant (air) is supplied to combust char supplied from a gasification furnace, heating of the bed material and burning (activation) of the chemical are performed, and as the bed material and the active chemical of the high temperature are supplied into a gas purifying furnace, the tar of the produced gas introduced into the gas purifying furnace from the gasification furnace is reformed by an catalytic action of the active chemical, is disclosed (see Patent Document 2 or the like).

Method and device for reforming produced gas


A magnet has a circular cylinder or circular tube shape and contains magnetic crystal grains, wherein an orientation of magnetization of the magnet is in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the circular cylinder or the circular tube, and directions of axes of easy magnetization of the magnetic crystal grains are isotropic.

Recently, magnetic rotational angle detectors are widely used for various purposes such as detection of a rotational position in steering of a vehicle. As the magnetic rotational angle detectors, for example, there are known rotational angle detectors disclosed in Patent Literatures 1 and 2.
The aforementioned rotational angle detectors include a magnet provided on a rotary shaft, and a magnetic sensor which detects a magnetic field from the magnet, and detect a rotational angle of the magnet on the basis of a detection output from the magnetic sensor.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No. 4947321
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent No. 5141780

Magnet, magnet structure, and rotational angle detector


A power tool, in particular a circular saw, for eccentrically a rotatable working tool and, in particular, a circular saw blade, includes a roller device (13) supported on a tool housing (6) and having at least two roller pairs (12, 16) each having a first roller (10, 14) and a second roller (17, 19) engageable with opposite sides of the working tool (4), with at least one of the rollers (10, 14, 17, 19) of at least one roller pair (12, 16) being rotatable by a tool motor (8) which is located in the housing (6), for driving the working tool (4), and a pivot device (20) for pivoting the first rollers (10, 14) together relative to the second rollers (17, 19) between a release position in which the working tool (4) is brought in or removed from the roller device (13), and a drive position in which a forcelocking connection between the at least one of the rollers (10) of the at least one roller pair (12, 16) and the working tool (4) is established.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power tool, in particular, a circular saw with an eccentrically driven working tool, in particular, a circular saw blade. The power tool includes a housing and a motor located in the housing. The power tool further includes a roller device supported on the housing and having at least two roller pairs spaced from each other and each having a first roller and a second roller. The first and second rollers of both roller pairs engage opposite sides of the working tool. At least one of the rollers of at least one roller pair is rotatable by the motor for driving the working tool.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In power tools of the type described above, as a rule, one roller pair is used for driving the working tool, with the working tool being clamped between one roller, which functions as a drive roller, and another, counter-pressure roller. The at least one another roller pair serves for guiding the working tool and for absorption of radial and axial forces generated during operation of the power tool. To this end, the at least one another roller pair has two rollers which function as guide rollers and which are freely rotatable and, during the operation of a power tool, roll over opposite sides of the working tool.
German Publication DE 21 61 489 discloses a power tool with a circular working tool. The tool has a drive roller pair with a drive roller and a counter-pressure roller, with the counter-pressure roller being biased, in different embodiments, with a spring element against the working tool. The tool further includes a guide roller pair, the guide rollers of which are spaced from the drive roller pair and are secured, with a possibility of rotation, on the circular blade housing.
The roller device of this German publication insures a stable guidance of circular working tool, during the operation against axial and radial displacements.
A drawback of the known power tool consists in that with the guide rollers being fixedly secured on the blade housing, wear of the guide rollers, which increases during their service life, cannot be compensated. As a result, the precision of the working tool guidance becomes reduced with time, which reduces the operational life of the tool. In addition, because of the fixed support of the guide rollers, the replacement of the working tool in the known power tool requires a relatively large amount of time and is very elaborate.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a power tool of the type described above and in which the above-discussed drawbacks of the known tool are eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a power tool of the type discussed above and which would insure a rapid and easy replacement of the working tool.

Power tool with an eccentrically driven working tool


The present invention relates to a novel, Nonadeca-6-enoic acid-3-(hexadecyloxy-hydroxy-thiophosphoryloxy)-quinoxalin-2-yl ester designated as streptolipin, useful for pancreatic lipase inhibition, isolated from the culture of Streptomyces vayuensis strain N2 having molecular formula (1) and a process for the preparation thereof.

Lipase catalyzes the hydrolysis of triglycerides to fatty acids and glycerol. Pancreatic lipase is the principle enzyme for digestion of dietary triglycerides and there fore pays a key role in absorption of fat from the small intestine. In conjunction with cofactors co lipase, pancreatic lipase hydrolyzes medium and long chain triglycerides to oil water interface to fatty acids and 2 mono glycerides. These fatty acids get accumulated in the body as a reserve source of energy. Excess accumulation of fat in the body leads to obesity. Inhibitor against this enzyme can be used as an antiobesity drug.
M. K. Meir, J. Tricari and Sullivan. Studies on the antiobesity activity of tetrahydrolipstatin, A potent and selective inhibitor of pancreatic lipase. International Journal of Obesity. (1987) 11, 35-42.
Obesity and hyperlipidaemia are medical conditions associated with a series of risk factors such as insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, hart diseases and stroke leading to an increased rate of mortality. Inhibitors against these enzymes thus have a potential application in medical sector.
Comparison of galenic formulations of orlistat (Tetrahydrolipstatin) A pharmacological approach. Drug Invest: 5(1): 44-50 (1993)
Weibel et al (1987) have reported that therapeutically active compound such as lipstatin as pancreatic lipase inhibitor (Weibel E K, Hadvary P, Hochuli E, Kupfer E and Lengsfeld H. The Journal of Antibiotics XL (1987) 1081-10191.
Panclicins, as novel pancreatic lipase inhibitors have been reported. Masae Mutoh, Naoki Nakada, Shoka Matsukuma, Shoichi Ohshima, Kiyoshi Yoshinari, Junko Watanabe and Mikio Arisawa. The Journal of Antibiotics vol 47, 1369-1375. Wherein the authors have discussed the use of various pancreatic lipase inhibitors in treatment of obesity.

Compound, useful for pancreatic lipase inhibition and the process for isolation thereof

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research


An edge gated injection molding apparatus includes a manifold having a manifold channel for receiving a melt stream of moldable material under pressure. A nozzle is coupled to the manifold and a nozzle melt channel of the nozzle receives the melt stream from the manifold channel. A mold cavity communicates with the nozzle melt channel of the nozzle and receives melt through a mold gate. The mold gate is located at an edge of the mold cavity. A chamber receives melt from the nozzle channel and communicates with the mold cavity through the mold gate. A portion of the chamber is located forward of the mold gate. A valve pin is slidable through the nozzle channel from a first position in which the mold gate is open to a second position in which an outer side surface of the valve pin blocks the mold gate.

Edge gating is well known in the art of injection molding and generally refers to a process for molding a part in which the mold gate is located at an edge or a side of a mold cavity, rather than at the center thereof. In general, the axis along which melt flows into the mold cavities in an edge gating system is at an angle to the main axis of the nozzle. Edge gating is typically used in applications where part geometry dictates that the gate cannot be located at the center of the part or in applications where it is desirable to hide the vestige left by the mold gate on the part. A typical application for edge gating is a molded syringe, which is generally a thin tube, for medical applications.
In a typical edge gated system, a plurality of cavities are located in a cooled cavity plate around a heated nozzle. Thermal gated mold gates are selectively openable to allow melt to flow from the nozzle into the cavities through heating and cooling of the mold gates. Thermal gating requires a heater to be provided along the nozzle and as near to the tip of the nozzle as possible.
There are applications where the mark, or the vestige, left on the edge or lateral gated molded part is not acceptable or should be almost invisible for aesthetic or functional reasons.
Hot runner nozzles for edge gating applications using mechanical means to open and close a mold gate, such as a movable valve pin, rather than thermal means are also known. Valve gated nozzles are presumed to provide a better control of the flow of material through the mold gate. However, there is still a need in the art for edge gating apparatus and methods that provide improved molded parts.


A system for protecting superconducting generator field coils including a controller configured to monitor for a quenching of a superconducting field coil of a generator and control a dissipation of a current flow in the superconducting field coil in an event of the quenching, and an armature coil of the generator configured to cause the dissipation of the current flow in the superconducting field coil responsive to the controller in the event of the quenching of the superconducting field coil. A method for protecting superconducting generator field coils including monitoring for a quenching of a superconducting field coil of a generator, and dissipating a current flow in the superconducting field coil via an armature coil of the generator in response to a detection of the quenching.

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to superconducting generators, and more particularly to systems and methods involving protection of superconducting generators for power applications.
In this regard, the protection of a superconducting generator field coil, which is constructed of a superconducting material ("superconductor"), is important to prevent damage of the field coil or other components in the event of a malfunction. For example, during generator operation, if the superconducting field coil rises above a certain temperature, thereby causing it to transition into a non-superconducting or "normal" state (a process known as "quenching"), this can result in significant damage to the field coil and/or other components rendering the generator inoperable and possibly unsalvageable. To prevent such damage when quenching occurs, it is important to dissipate the electrical current flow in the field coil to avoid excessive heating as a result of the increased resistance that occurs when the superconductor becomes normal. An external resistor that is connected in series with the field coil during quenching has been used for such purpose. However, this external resistor is usually large and heavy, which impacts the use of the generator in various power applications due to increased size, weight, associated costs, etc. Therefore, the ability to quickly dissipate the electrical current flow in the field coil during quenching without the use of an external resistor is desirable.

Systems and methods involving protection of superconducting generators for power applications


A method for calibrating a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) comprising applying a plurality of known voltages to the input of a VCO, monitoring, for each of the voltages, an output count from the VCO over a set interval, and storing the output counts for each voltage. Also disclosed is a system for calibrating a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) comprising a plurality of known voltages, wherein the known voltage are connectable to the VCO, and a controller coupled to the output of the VCO, wherein the controller maintains a calibration table of VCO output counts for selected voltage inputs.

In order to optimize the operating conditions of an integrated circuit, such as a microprocessor, it is often desirable to measure the current used by the circuit. The standard method for measuring a current is to send the current through a sense resistor of known value while measuring the voltage drop across the resistor. From the known resistance and the measured voltage, one may calculate the current load using Ohm's law (I=V/R).
It is important to get an accurate voltage measurement so that the current can be precisely measured. One method of measuring voltage in a digital circuit uses a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). When a voltage to be measured is applied to the control input of the VCO, the output of the VCO produces a series of pulses. A counter can be coupled to the VCO output and may count the VCO output pulses for a fixed interval. The VCO output frequency can then be correlated to a known input voltage, thereby determining the value of the unknown input voltage. However, the accuracy of this method may vary because the voltage versus frequency relationship for the VCO is not linear. The gain of the VCO may vary with voltage, temperature, age and other parameters. Therefore, the output count for a particular input voltage will vary for different operating conditions.

Method and system for calibration of a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO)

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A trim phone circuit device is composed of a base portion and a hand set portion which is connected with the base portion by a four-core line. The trim phone circuit device is capable of a calling line identification in view of a bridge rectifier circuit unit which has a positive terminal output capable of providing the telephone circuit with the power source and of reading the calling line information furnished by the phone company. When the bridge rectifier circuit unit of the base portion is turned on all the time to keep a calling line signal in the on-hook state on the phone line, the calling line detection circuit unit of the hand set portion is provided with the calling line signal in a single end input configuration so as to enable the trim phone circuit device to identify the calling line.

The cord of a conventional Trim phone to connect with its handset and base needs three cores, i.e., the on-hook terminal, the positive output terminal of bridge rectifier and the ground terminal. The operation of the conventional calling line identification circuit is based on the differential input configuration. It is well known that the differential input configuration has two input terminals, so that the cord of a conventional Trim phone must have more than four cores to connect with the conventional calling line identification circuit for having a caller identification function. But, in view of the fact that the cord of a trim phone to connect with its handset and base only has four cores, the trim phone is incapable of connecting with the conventional calling line identification circuit for identifying a calling line.
FIG. 2 illustrates the conventional three-wire cord telephone of the type with a handset H, base B, and cord C (also shown in FIG. 2). In FIG. 3 the dashed line schematically indicates the cord C and the wires are labeled 1, 2, and 3 (ground). Wires 1 and 2 branch from one terminal of a bridge rectifier circuit 10 and wire 1 includes a hook switch 30. The conventional phone of FIG. 3 includes no caller identification unit.
FIG. 4 illustrates the conventional circuitry for caller identification. The identification unit 70 is coupled directly to the tip and ring lines from the telephone company through an optional surge protector.
Because of this conventional circuitry, if a caller identification device is to placed into the handset H then the cord C must be a five-wire cord. However, standard telephone cords and jacks only contain four wires.

Trim phone circuit device having a calling line identification


A data transfer device is disclosed for writing data to and reading data from a disk drive system through a plurality of ports of the data transfer device. The data transfer device includes a first buffer for serially receiving, from a host system, control portions of data read requests and data write transfers; a second buffer for serially receiving, from the host system, data portions of data write transfers received by the first buffer; and N temporary storage devices, wherein N is a positive integer, coupled to the first buffer and the second buffer, the N temporary storage devices for parallelly receiving and temporarily storing consecutive control portions of the data read transfers and data write transfers from the first buffer. Up to N of the data read transfers and data write transfers are transferred to the disk drive system through the plurality of ports simultaneously.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a known data transfer system 100. Data transfer system 100 includes a data link 102 which receives data read transfers and data write transfers from a host (not shown) and transfers the data read transfers and data write transfers to a disk drive system (not shown) through a multi-port access architecture 104 for the purpose of reading data from and writing data to the disk drive system. Data transfer system 100 includes a FIFO buffer 106 which receives the data read transfers and data write transfers from the data link 102, and an output register 108, which is controlled by output register controller 110.
In operation, in the example shown in FIG. 1, a data write transfers 112, including a header "WRITE" and the data to be written, DATA1-DATA8, are input to the FIFO buffer 106 through the data link 102. Several data read transfers, "READ" 114, are then input to the FIFO buffer 106. Each data transfer is transferred to the output register 108 in the order that it was received by the FIFO buffer 106. The output register 108 processes each data transfer and transfers each data transfers to the proper port, as indicated in the header associated with the data transfer. The output register 108 processes the data read and write transfers one at a time as it transfers each through to the multi-port access architecture 104.
Although the combination of the single FIFO buffer 106 and the output register 108 are suitable for use with low-traffic systems, it becomes limited as the data traffic increases. Since the single FIFO buffer 106 and the output register 108 can process only one data transfer at a time, if a particular transfer cannot be completed because the client, or disk drive, to which the data transfer is directed, or the port through which the transfer is to occur, is not able to process the request, or takes a longer time than expected to process the request, the data transfer system stalls. No further transfers can be processed because the output register 108 holds the current data transfer until it can be processed, thus preventing subsequent transfers from being processed. The FIFO buffer 106 is still able to receive incoming data read and write requests from the data link 102, but the data requests in the FIFO buffer will remain backlogged until the data transfer in the output register 108 is processed. In the example shown in FIG. 1, if the data write transfer 112 is not able to be processed by the disk drive system coupled to multi-port access architecture 104, none of the data read requests 114 that follow the data write request 112 in the FIFO buffer 106 will be able to be processed until the data write request is processed. This can severely impede the operation of the data transfer system.

Split-FIFO multi-station data transfer system


A gingival retraction cord is constructed from two or more strands that are formed into a plurality of interlocking loops so as to form a knitted retraction cord. At least one strand is made from an absorbent material and another strand is made from a degradation-resistant material such as nylon or polyester. The absorbent strands are impregnated with a hemostatic agent. The degradation-resistant strands resist degradation by the hemostatic agent. Because the strands are part of the knit, the retraction cord is compressible and resilient in the longitudinal and transverse dimensions. Alternatively, one or more strands are used to make the knit and each strand is made from two or more different fibers. For example, one or more absorbent fibers and one or more synthetic fibers can be twisted to make a blended strand. The blended strands can then be used to knit a retraction cord.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gingival retraction cords. More particularly, the present invention relates to chemically impregnated retraction cords that have an additional strand or fiber incorporated therein for reinforcing or enhancing the knit of the cord.
2. The Related Technology
When performing various dental procedures, it is often desirable to retract the gingival tissue to prepare the patient's teeth for the procedure. Taking dental impressions, placing crowns, performing bridge work, or effecting other dental restorations are examples of procedures that benefit from retracted gingival tissue. A widely used method for retracting gingival tissue involves the use of retraction cords which are typically braided or knitted for increased strength, flexibility and resilience. Examples of braided or knitted gingival retraction cords may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,038 to Porteous, U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,933 to Fischer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,950 to Porteous et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,482 to Lococo.
The most common purpose for using a retraction cord is to retract the gingiva away from the tooth to take an accurate and reliable impression of the tooth. It is critical to make an accurate impression of the tooth when constructing artificial crowns to ensure that the crown remains properly secured to the tooth for an extended period of time. It is particularly important to make an accurate impression of the tooth in the area at or below the gingival margin. Failure to take an accurate impression can result in a poorly-formed or deficient prosthesis, particularly at the gingival margin. Premature failure of a crown is often due to poor marginal detail in the impression used to fabricate the crown.
The person's gingiva, or "gums", not only prevents an accurate impression of the proper shape of a person's tooth beneath the gingiva, it may also bleed if torn or damaged by high speed cutting drills or burrs used to remove tooth material preparatory to placing a crown. This bleeding may further interfere with the taking of a good impression because extravasated blood tends to prevent adequate cleaning and drying of the marginal area of the tooth prior to taking an impression and tends to displace the impression material before it can set. Thus, the dual problems of contraction of the gingival cuff and the presence of hemorrhaging tissues make it impractical to simply take an impression following shaping of the tooth with a high speed drill or burr without retraction of the gingiva.
To control or inhibit the tendency of the gingiva to bleed when physically retracted by the retraction cord and/or if accidentally cut or nicked by the high speed drill or burr, retraction cords are often treated with a hemostatic agent. One type of hemostatic agent includes astringents, which lock or seal off exposed blood vessels so as to arrest bleeding. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,321,038, 4,522,933, 4,617,950 and 4,892,482, referred to above, discuss the use of astringents such as "alum", or potassium aluminum sulfate.
Many chemicals used to impregnate a retraction cord often have an adverse affect on the strength of the fibers in the retraction cord. Many retraction cords are made of knitted or braided cotton fibers. The hemostatic agent or astringent placed in the retraction cord can degrade the cord over time making it more likely to fail during use. If fibers in the knit or braid fail during use, the dental packing instrument used to insert the retraction cord into the sulcus can slip through the fibers and potentially cut or injure the underlying tissue. In addition, fragments of the retraction cord can remain embedded between the tooth and gums. Furthermore, the expandability and resilience of the retraction cord diminishes as the integrity of the knit or weave of the cord degrades.
Therefore, what is needed is a gingival retraction cord that can properly retract the gingiva using a hemostatic agent while also resisting decomposition due to the hemostatic agent.


A locking device for an automatic shift lever on a car, having a housing provided at one side of the handle of the shift lever, an engaging lever, and a locating piece capable of rotating with a lock core received inside the housing. When a protruding end of the engaging lever is pressed inwardly, the locating piece will abut against a bottom edge of the engaging lever. In this position, a sleeve inside the handle has a slot which is engaged with a limiting end located on the top of the engaging lever, so that the shift lever is impossible to be moved.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a car locking device, more particularly to a concealed lock which occupies less space and is easier to use than the known devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, there are various kinds of car burglar alarming apparatuses available on the market. These can be classified into alarm bells, steering wheel locks (so-called stick locks) and shift lever locks etc. The application theories and disadvantages of such kinds of burglar alarming apparatuses are described as follows:
1. An alarm bell uses the theory of equilibrium. When a car is shocked by any vibration, a switch will be activated and will produce buzzer sounds to surprise the thieves. However, if the car body is incidentally touched by a pedestrian, or even other cars passing by, it can also produce vibrations which result in noisy alarms to disturb other people. This burglar alarm is directly connected to the car battery to produce buzzer sounds and the car will run an electric leakage hazard during parking. PA1 2. A steering wheel lock may use a lock which is arranged at the center of a cross bar, and such a lock can be firmly locked on the surface of a steering wheel. The length of the cross bar is longer than the diameter of a steering wheel, so as to limit the rotation of a steering wheel. Alternatively, a flexible hook lever may be used, having one end hooked to a steering wheel, another end hooked to the accelerator pedal to make a car impossible to move forwards, after the length is properly adjusted. Although such a lock can firmly lock the steering wheel, it is inconvenient to use. Therefore, a car driver is not willing to spend much time to use the steering wheel lock during temporary parking, and a car theft may usually happen in such a case. PA1 3. A shift lever lock uses a lock firmly fixed on the car body at the rear side of the shift lever (please refer to FIG. 4). The connection hole of the lock should face the shift lever and by means of a U-shaped lock to match the connection hole the shift lever may be locked to make it impossible to move the shift lever back and forth. However, during opening and closing the lock, the driver must insert the key into the locking hole with one hand and, at the same time, has to snap the U-shaped hook into the lock with the other hand. Thus, it is very inconvenient to operate in the narrow space inside a car.

Concealed car locking device for automatic shift lever

Back Building, No. 704-7, Chung-Cheng Rd.


Ceramic multilayer substrates as circuit supports for complex electronic circuits wth integrated capacitors are manufactured by printing capacitor structures, using the screen printing process, directly onto a first green ceramic film. The first green ceramic film with the printed structures is arranged in a stack with further green ceramic films, laminated, and fired. During lamination of the ceramic films, the printed structures are pressed into the ceramic films so that after firing, a multilayer substrate with integrated capacitors results.

A method of this kind for manufacturing ceramic multilayer substrates provided as circuit supports for complex electronic circuits is shown in European Patent Application No. 300 186. A conductive metal pattern and a coating made of an organic material are printed, using the screen printing process, onto a green ceramic film, i.e., an unfired ceramic film in the raw state. The structures are first pressed into the green ceramic film. The green ceramic film is then arranged in a stack together with further green ceramic films, laminated, and fired.
German Patent Application No. DE 43 36 235 shows a method for manufacturing ceramic multilayers which allows the configuration of capacitors in a ceramic multilayer substrate. In this method a first green ceramic film is equipped, before stacking, with punched holes (called "vias") that are filled with a capacitor paste, and electrodes are then printed above and below the vias using the screen printing process. The first green ceramic film, together with further green ceramic films which have the structures for conductive paths and through contacts, is then stacked, laminated, and fired.
The method shown in German Patent Application No. DE 43 36 235 for configuring capacitors in a ceramic multilayer has the disadvantage that the vias filled with the capacitor paste always extend through the thickness of the entire ceramic film, so that the dielectric layer between the two electrodes of the capacitor becomes relatively thick and cannot be defined as desired. In addition the electrode surfaces are only partly occupied by the filled vias, so that for this reason as well the capacitance of the resulting capacitor cannot be freely adjusted.

Method for manufacturing a ceramic multilayer substrate for complex electronic circuits


An interface between the host CPU and the programmably memory, providing an address, data and read/write control signals to create a non-volatile sector within the programmable memory. In an embodiment when the system reset is de-asserted immediately after power-on, the size of the protected EEPROM area is sensed on special strapping option pins and automatically configures the non-volatile sector. This allows the size of the protected area to be changed on the manufacturing line as needed for different applications. Once configured to protect a specific size and location in the non-volatile memory, the invention prevents the write control signal to the memory to be asserted when the address of the data access requested by the CPU is in the protected area of the memory. This has the effect of preventing modification of the protected area by a sector modification algorithm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protecting predetermined addressable data stored in programmable memory devices. More particularly, the invention relates to providing non-volatile memory sectors in conventional memory devices, for example, providing non-volatile "boot block" sectors in an industry standard, programmable memory devices such as electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM).
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of programmable read only memory (PROM) is common in many digital electronic applications, including computers, cellular telephones, and video games. The advantage of a PROM is that the software programmed into the devices is non-volatile and available at any time. However, if the need arises to change the software codes programmed into the PROM, the system must be disassembled, the device removed and a new device installed.
The disadvantage of the PROM device has, in recent years, been overcome to some extent by the electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). This device provides the advantage of in-circuit re-programmability, allowing code changes to be made without removing the device, or even disassembling the system chassis. However, by allowing a method of electrically erasing and reprogramming the device by a program running on the host system, its ability to be totally non-volatile and impervious to disastrous inadvertent erasure has been comprised.
For example, if the system power was temporarily lost during the process of reprogramming the EEPROM for routine system software maintenance, the EEPROM would be left in a partially erased and unusable state. This condition would render the system inoperable, and disassembly and replacement would likely be required. Furthermore, there are malicious programs called computer viruses in wide circulation. If a user of a computer were to unknowingly run such a program, one designed to take advantage of a fully volatile EEPROM by destroying or modifying the system software stored on it, the damage might not be limited to an unusable EEPROM. The user's own data stored in other subsystems of the computer would also be vulnerable to the unauthorized program stored by the virus in the EEPROM.
Some new devices, commonly called boot block sectored EEPROMs, also referred to as flash ROMs, provide the reprogrammability of the EEPROM, and also a limited amount of safe, totally non-volatile PROM. These devices allow the safe storage of a small block of disaster recovery software, such that in the event that an error occurred during in-circuit reprogramming, the system could bootstrap itself to a minimum level required to recover from the error. These devices typically have a predefined protected memory area size, which limits their flexibility in some applications.

Protected address range in an electrically erasable programmable read only memory


A backlight device capable of preventing or reducing, even when an optical sheet bends, occurrence of luminance nonuniformity and/or shades due to the bend. The backlight device 1 controls the properties of light emitted by a light source 12 using two upper and lower diffusion sheets 16, 20 and a lens sheet 18 placed between the diffusion sheets and illuminates the back side of a display panel with the light, in which a space 24 for expansion is provided between the lens sheet 18 and the upper diffusion sheet 20, the space for expansion accommodating a bend of the lens sheet 18 which is caused by expansion due to heat from the light source 12.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight device and a display device and, more particularly, to a backlight device suitably used for a display device having a translucent display panel, and a display device having the backlight device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some display devices including a non-self-emissive display panel such as a translucent liquid crystal display panel have a backlight device on the back side of the display panel. This backlight device includes a light source such as a fluorescent tube and predetermined kinds of optical sheets which control the properties of light emitted by the light source, and is arranged to illuminate the back side of the display panel with the light whose properties are controlled. The light illuminating the back side of the display panel passes through the display panel, making images displayed visible on the front side of the display panel, i.e., on the screen.
The optical sheets placed between the light source and the display panel is generally a stack of a diffusion sheet, a lens sheet, a prism sheet, and a polarizing reflection sheet.
Some optical sheets are stacks of a plurality of films or sheets having different coefficients of thermal expansion. When the display device is used and such optical sheets are heated by heat from the optical source and other members, a bend and/or a wrinkle may occur due to the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion of the materials.
In addition, difference between the coefficient of thermal expansion of optical sheets and that of a member supporting the optical sheets may also cause a bend and/or a wrinkle of the optical sheets. In the case of a structure where the optical sheets are supported by the supporting member at the edge portion, when the optical sheets and the supporting member are expanded by heat, the vicinity of the region supported by the supporting member of the optical sheets is pulled due to the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion, causing a bend and/or a wrinkle.
If a bend and/or a wrinkle occur in the optical sheets, the bend and/or the wrinkle may result in luminance nonuniformity and/or shades on the front side of the display panel. In particular, if the optical sheets bend repeatedly and thus undulates, or if a bend occurs in an optical sheet having directional optical properties such as a lens sheet, the luminance nonuniformity and/or shades on the screen are easy to visually perceive, which may degrade the display quality of the display device. Accordingly, it is preferable to keep the optical sheets free from a bend or a wrinkle.
Some conventional backlight devices are capable of reducing degradation of the display quality caused by a bend and/or a wrinkle of optical sheets. For example, a configuration is used in which a through hole is formed on the edge portion of optical sheets and a boss or other component is freely fitted into the through hole (see Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei11-337942). In another configuration, a positioning piece is provided on the edge portion of optical sheets and is engaged into a concave portion provided in a chassis or a frame (see Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2001-76527). In yet another configuration, such a through hole or a positioning piece is used to support optical sheets at about the middle of the side which is located on the top in terms of direction of gravitational force when the display device is in use (see Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2005-158707). The above configurations allow the edge portion of the optical sheets to freely alter the shape by heat, thereby reducing occurrence of a bend due to thermal expansion of the optical sheets to some extent.
However, even with a backlight device having such a support configuration, there are some cases where a bend or a wrinkle cannot be prevented perfectly, depending on the conditions of thermal expansion of the optical sheets.
For example, if the temperature of the edge portion of the optical sheets differs from that of the center portion, the amount of thermal expansion may be nonuniform in accordance with the temperature distribution, which may result in nonuniform bends and/or wrinkles. If the bending states are different as described above between the edge portion and the center portion of the optical sheets, it is difficult to remove the bends and/or wrinkles even if the edge portion of the optical sheets can freely alter its shape.
As described above, various factors such as the coefficient of thermal expansion and temperature distribution affect the optical sheets in combination and cause various types of bends. Consequently, it is very difficult to entirely remove bends and wrinkles of the optical sheets.

Backlight device, display device, and television receiver


Disclosed is a display device. The display device includes a panel into which a touch panel including a plurality of driving electrodes and a plurality of receiving electrodes is built, a touch sensing unit configured to supply a plurality of sensing pulses to the plurality of driving electrodes during a touch sensing period, a driver configured to drive the panel to allow the panel to display an image during an image display period, and a data line controller configured to connect a plurality of data lines to ground in a sensing pulse non-output period where the plurality of the sensing pulses are not supplied to the plurality of driving electrodes during the touch sensing period.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device and a driving method thereof, and more particularly, to a display device including a panel with a built-in touch panel and a driving method thereof.
Discussion of the Related Art
Touch panels are a type of input device that is included in display devices such as liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, plasma display panels (PDPs), organic light emitting display device (OLED), and electrophoretic displays (EPDs), and enables a user to input information by directly touching a screen with a finger, a pen or the like while looking at the screen of the display device.
Particularly, the demand for display devices integrated with in-cell type touch screen, which include a plurality of built-in elements configuring the touch screen for slimming portable terminals such as smart phones and tablet personal computers (PCs), is recently increasing.
In-cell type display devices may be categorized into mutual type display devices and self-capacitive type display devices.
FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a configuration of a related art in-cell display device using a mutual type. FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram showing an image display period and a touch sensing period in the related art in-cell display device using the mutual type. FIGS. 3 and 4 are waveform diagrams of a data line applied to the related art in-cell display device using the mutual type. FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 4 (a) are exemplary diagrams showing waveforms of a data line. FIG. 3 (b) and FIG. 4 (b) show a touch sync signal for distinguishing an image display period and a touch sensing period.
The in-cell display device using the mutual type (hereinafter simply referred to as an in-cell display device), as illustrated in FIG. 1, includes: a receiving electrode RX that is formed in a block form in parallel with a data line in a display area 11 of a panel 10; a driving electrode TX that is configured with a plurality of driving electrode parts 11 disposed with the receiving electrode RX therebetween in the display area 11 and is formed in parallel with a gate line; a display driver 50 that is provided in a non-display area of the panel 10, controls signals output to the data line and the gate line, and applies a common voltage or a sensing pulse to the driving electrode TX and the receiving electrode RX; a receiving electrode line that extends from the receiving electrode RX, and is connected to the display driver 50; a driving electrode line that extends from the driving electrode part 11 in parallel with the data line, and is connected to the display driver 50; and a touch sensing unit (not shown) that determines whether there is a touch, by using the driving electrode and the receiving electrode which are connected to each other through the display driver 50.
As described above, in the related art in-cell display device, as shown in FIG. 2, a period (hereinafter simply referred to as one frame period) corresponding to one frame is divided into the image display period and the touch sensing period.
That is, the related art in-cell display device simultaneously performs an image display function and a touch sensing function. A plurality of common electrodes for image display performs a function of the driving electrode when the panel 10 operates in a touch sensing mode.
Therefore, a touch panel applied to the in-cell display device includes the driving electrode TX, which is supplied with a common voltage in the image display period and is supplied with a sensing pulse in the touch sensing period, and the receiving electrode RX that is supplied with the common voltage in the image display period and is supplied with a reference voltage in the touch sensing period.
In this case, in the image display period, the common voltage is supplied to the driving electrode TX and the receiving electrode RX. Also, in the touch sensing period, a sensing pulse is supplied to the driving electrode TX, and the reference voltage is supplied to the receiving electrode.
When one frame starts, the image display period is first performed, and after the image display period, the touch sensing period is performed. However, the order where the image display period is performed and the order where the touch sensing period is performed may be switched.
In the related art display device having the above-described configuration, during the touch sensing period, a plurality of the data lines may be connected to ground GND, or may be maintained in a floating state.
First, during the touch sensing period, the data lines may be connected to ground GND so as to stabilize the data lines.
The receiving electrode that is disposed in the same direction as that of the data line is formed in the panel 10 so as to overlap the data line, and thus, when the data line is connected to ground, a capacitor is formed between the data line and the receiving electrode RX. The capacitor formed between the data line and the receiving electrode RX is a parasitic capacitor of the receiving electrode RX.
Due to the parasitic capacitor, as shown in FIG. 3, noise occurs in the data line. The parasitic capacitor of the receiving electrode RX reduces performance in which the touch sensing unit determines whether the touch panel is touched.
Second, when the data lines are connected to ground during the touch sensing period, as described above, the parasitic capacitor is formed, and thus, a touch sensitivity of the touch sensing unit can be reduced. In order to increase the touch sensitivity of the touch sensing unit by decreasing the number of the parasitic capacitors, the data lines may be maintained in a floating state during the touch sensing period.
However, in a state where the data line is floated, when whether the touch panel is touched is determined, whether a first driving electrode TX1 is touched cannot normally be performed due to instability of the data line.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in order to decrease the number of the parasitic capacitors, when the data line that holds an arbitrary data voltage during the image display period (which denotes a period labeled "Display" in FIG. 4) is changed to a floating state in the touch sensing period (which denotes a period labeled "Touch" in FIG. 4), the data line is unstably maintained according to an arbitrary voltage value which is held during the image display period.
In this state, when the sensing pulse is supplied to the driving electrode TX for touch sensing, a coupling component is generated between the sensing pulse and a voltage of the data line. A plurality of the coupling components are generated in different sizes in the first driving electrode TX, which is first supplied with the sensing pulse, and the driving electrodes (including a second driving electrode TX2) which are supplied with the sensing pulse after the first driving electrode TX1.
Therefore, a deviation of a plurality of sensing signals respectively received from the driving electrodes subsequent to the first driving electrode can occur.
During the touch sensing period, when the data line is connected to ground, a parasitic capacitor is formed between the data line and the receiving electrode RX, and thus, a touch sensing function is reduced. During the touch sensing period, when the data line is maintained in a floating state, a deviation of a sensing signal (received from a driving electrode which is first supplied with the sensing pulse) and a plurality of sensing signals respectively received from the other driving electrodes occurs, and thus, touch sensitivity is reduced.
To provide an additional description, in FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 4 (a), an area illustrated as TX1 denotes a timing when the sensing pulse is supplied to the first driving electrode TX1, and an area illustrated as TX2 denotes a timing when the sensing pulse is supplied to the second driving electrode TX2. That is, when the data line is connected to ground or is maintained in a floating state, as shown in FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 4 (a), an unstable voltage is induced to the data line while the sensing pulse is being supplied to the first and second driving electrodes, and thus, whether the first and second driving electrodes are touched cannot accurately be performed.

Display device and driving method thereof


A method and apparatus are provided for positron emission imaging to calibrate timing of a pixelated gamma detector using multi-channel events. The apparatus can include processing circuitry configured to obtain calibration data representing a time and a position at which gamma rays are detected at a plurality of detector elements, and determine which gamma-ray detections of the calibration data correspond to multi-channel detections in which energy of a respective gamma ray is shared and detected by two or more of the plurality of detector elements. Additionally, the processing circuitry can be configured to determine a timing calibration of the plurality of detector elements by optimizing an objective representing agreement between time data of the multi-channel detections in the calibration data and the timing calibration.

The "background" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
In positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, a tracer agent is introduced into a patient, and the physical and bio-molecular properties of the agent cause it to concentrate at specific locations in the patient's body. The tracer emits positrons, resulting in an annihilation event that occurs when the positron collides with an electron. This annihilation event produces two gamma rays (at 511 keV) traveling at substantially 180 degrees apart.
PET imaging systems use detectors positioned around the patient to detect coincidence pairs of gamma rays. A ring of detectors can be used in order to detect gamma rays coming from each angle. Thus, a PET scanner can be substantially cylindrical to maximize the capture of the isotropic radiation. A PET scanner can be composed of several thousand individual crystals (e.g., Lutetium Yttrium Orthosilicate (LYSO) or other scintillating crystal) which are arranged in two-dimensional scintillator arrays that are packaged in modules with photodetectors to measure the light pulses from respective scintillation events. For example, the light from respective elements of a scintillator crystal array can be shared among multiple photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) or can be detected by silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) having a one-to-one correspondence with the elements of a scintillator crystal array.
When PMTs are used as the photodetectors, Anger logic can be used, based on the relative geometry between the scintillating crystal elements and the respective PMTs, to determine the relative pulse energy measured by the photodetectors. Using Anger logic/arithmetic and a floodmap calibrated lookup table, the relative pulse energies of the PMTS are compared to determine at which position within the crystal array (i.e., which crystal element) the scintillation event occurred.
To reconstruct the spatio-temporal distribution of the tracer via tomographic reconstruction principles, each detected event is characterized for its energy (i.e., amount of light generated), its location, and its timing. By detecting the two gamma rays, and drawing a line between their locations, i.e., the line-of-response (LOR), one can determine the likely location of the original disintegration. The timing information can also be used to determine a statistical distribution along the LOR for the annihilation even based on a time-of-flight (TOF) between the two gamma rays. By accumulating a large number of those lines, the original distribution can be estimated using a tomographic reconstruction process.
TOF-PET detectors can be used in reconstructing images with greater contrast than that of traditional PET detectors. Specifically, TOF-PET detectors use timing information to produce the contrasted images. In order to achieve the best timing performance of TOF-PET detectors, the constant time offset of individual detector channels can be calibrated. These individual detectors include channels that can be calibrated due to differences in signal path length, channel jitter, and the like. However, if discriminators are used for timing measurement, additional energy/amplitude dependent time-walk correction can be further calibrated to yield better results when reconstructing images.

Method and apparatus to calibrate timing of a detector using multi-channel events


A load apparatus for testing is provided. The load apparatus for testing includes a first comparison circuit, a switch circuit, a voltage-dividing load circuit and a second comparison circuit. The first comparison circuit receives an input voltage from an input terminal and obtains a first sensing voltage according to the input voltage, and compares whether the first sensing voltage is greater than a first reference voltage for providing a first sensing signal. The switch circuit receives the first sensing signal and the input voltage. The switch circuit guides the input voltage to the voltage-dividing load circuit according to the first sensing signal. The voltage-dividing load circuit generates a second sensing voltage according to an input current generated at the input terminal. The second circuit is coupled to the voltage-dividing load circuit and compares whether the input current is greater than a reference current for providing a testing signal.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an electronic apparatus. Particularly, the invention relates to a load apparatus for testing a light emitting diode (LED) driving circuit.
2. Related Art
Since light emitting diode (LED) has advantages of low power consumption, long service life, environmental protection and small size, etc., it is widely used in backlight modules of illumination equipment, various display equipment and various mobile electronic products. However, since physical characteristics of the LED are unique, and the LED has a so-called light declining problem after a period of use time. Therefore, a current LED driving circuit generally drives the LED through a constant current mode. In order to test whether the LED driving circuit normally operates, following methods are generally used to implement the test. A first method is to directly use an actual resistor to serve as a load of the LED driving circuit, though since an impedance characteristic of the LED is not completely the same to a linear impedance characteristic of a general resistor, an obtained testing result is not necessarily suitable for actually driving the LED. A second method is to directly use an LED light bar (i.e. a plurality of LEDs connected in series) to implement the test, if the LED driving circuit is unstable, the LED serving as the load is often burned to increase the testing cost, and different numbers and specifications of the LEDs have to be prepared for different LED driving circuits to implement the test. A third method is to use a "programmable electronic load" dedicated to the simulation test to implement testing the LED driving circuit. However, the price of the programmable electronic load dedicated for experiment and simulation is too expensive, which is a heavy burden to the manufacturer in case of extensive production testing. Therefore, an applicable and convenient testing technique is required for testing the LED driving circuit.


A vacuum pump for a seed planter includes a housing, an impeller rotated within the housing, and a motor or other drive. The housing has a central inlet and a circumferentially arranged outlet passage. The impeller vanes define air paths that are open to the outlet passage. The impeller has a central aperture for coupling to the output shaft of the drive and an impeller center cap screwed into the central aperture. The impeller has a curved conical center hub that surrounds the central aperture. The center hub and the center cap are configured to smoothly direct air flow to the passages between the vanes to reduce or eliminate a stagnant air region in a center of the impeller. The center cap can also be used as a tool to remove the impeller from the output shaft.

In a typical agricultural seed planter, a plurality of seed meters are arranged in a row corresponding to furrows to be seeded. Such a seed planter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,646 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,225. Each seed meter is supplied with a supply of seeds. A seed meter disk is rotated within the seed meter in communication with the supply of seeds while a vacuum is applied to an opposite side of the disk. The seed meter discharges seed at a predetermined rate along the furrow. Such a seed meter is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,909.
To supply the vacuum to each seed meter, a vacuum pump is arranged on the seed planter. Typically, the vacuum pump used on agricultural seed planters is an off-the-shelf centrifugal fan or blower implemented in such a manner to generate the needed vacuum. These pumps can be large and cumbersome.
The current vacuum pump design for a JOHN DEERE 1700 series planter uses a typical centrifugal fan design with a scroll housing. In such a design, the outlet of the impeller is channeled into a single channel by the impeller housing. The vacuum pump is driven by a hydraulic motor. The current vacuum pump assembly for a JOHN DEERE 1700 series seed planter must be rotated at over 8000 rpm to achieve the necessary pressure drop for the vacuum seed meters to plant the larger corner-condition crops. This rpm requirement can necessitate a costly hydraulic motor for the vacuum pump.
Furthermore, the current JOHN DEERE 1700 series seed planter centrifugal blowers require a special tool to remove the impeller from the hydraulic motor output shaft.
The present inventor has recognized that a need exists for an improved seed meter vacuum pump that can generate sufficient pressure drop or vacuum to dispense larger "corner-condition" crops using vacuum controlled seed meters, at an rpm within a usable range for a cost effective hydraulic motor. The present inventor has recognized that a need exists for a seed meter vacuum pump that can generate an increased pressure drop compared to current centrifugal air blowers used on seed planters, while retaining a compact size.
The present inventor has recognized that a need exists for a seed meter vacuum pump that is easily maintained, including being easily assembled and disassembled.

Vacuum pump for agricultural seeding equipment


The systems and methods described herein relate in part to intuitive methods for creation and design of lighting sequences, e.g., for theatrical, entertainment, or advertising purposes, using a software interface. Additionally, the lighting sequences can be coordinated with control of additional devices. Also described herein is a controller capable of executing programs for lighting sequences and modifying the output and/or execution of the program based on external signals. In this way, the final output can be made responsive to external stimuli, or even interactive.

Most modern-day lighting controllers are designed to control white light (or monochromatic light) in a theatrical or high-end business setting. A light producing monochromatic light, such as white, blue, or red, can be changed primarily along a single dimension—brightness—from off to a maximum brightness. Current controllers permit a user to specify a brightness for each light over time.
This method becomes increasingly more complicated for lights capable of changing the color of emitted light, because the resulting color and intensity is a combination of the intensity of three component primary colors, each of which can be set independent of the others for a particular light. Thus, the output is a function of three dimensions, rather than one, to be specified for each point in time, greatly increasing the effort and time involved in creating an effect. U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,295 to Taylor et al. describes a system for creating lighting sequences which simplifies some aspects of creating a lighting sequence, but many of the parameters still need to be specified for each light, much as they would be on a standard lighting console. A more intuitive method for designing lighting sequences would not only simplify and speed up the designing process, but would permit users to design lighting sequences with less training and experience than is often necessary today.
Furthermore, although sequences can be created and played back by traditional methods, the content of the sequences typically progresses with time and is not subject to modification during playback. For example, if a dramatic scene requires a flash of lightning to be simulated at a certain time, this effect is typically achieved either by meticulously timing the staging to make the programmed flash and the critical moment coincide, or by manually effecting the flash at the critical moment. Such techniques either require considerable reliance on chance or preclude reliance on automation.
A technique that permits an intuitive approach to designing lighting sequences would reduce the time and training required to achieve a desired effect, and would permit colored lights to be operated with a minimal impact on efficiency. Additionally, a method for executing such lighting sequences that promotes flexibility in the reproduction of the sequence will permit increased freedom in an associated performance, or allow use of programmed lighting sequences in situations which are inherently unpredictable.

Systems and methods for authoring lighting sequences


An electronic component (10a, 10b), with assignment of an address to the component, comprises a first terminal (A10a) for the application of a first signal (SCL) and a second signal (SDA) different from the first signal, and a second terminal (A10b), different from the first terminal, for the application of the first signal (SCL) and the second signal (SDA). Depending on the external connection of the first and second terminals (A10a, A10b), the component is assigned an address by means of which the component is addressable.

Electronic components connected to a bus system are generally addressable via component-specific addresses. If each electronic component connected to the bus has an address of its own, data can be exchanged between, for example, a higher-level control component (master chip) and subordinate components (slave chips) likewise connected to the bus. One such bus system, for example, is the I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) bus, in which a higher-level control chip (I2C bus master) and several hierarchically subordinated chip components (I2C bus slaves) communicate with one another via a two-wire interface. The bus comprises one transmission line for transmitting a clock signal and one transmission line for transmitting a data signal. The components connected to the I2C bus can be addressed via their individual addresses.
In some bus systems, such as a USB bus, the addresses to be assigned to the electronic components connected to the bus system are assigned via a protocol when the components are addressed for first time. In other bus systems, such as the I2C bus, on the other hand, there are preset component addresses for the components connected to the bus system that are already assigned to the components during production by programming the relevant hardware. The components can have a ROM memory for example, in which the address assigned to the component during production is written.
If components of the same construction, having the same functionality and internal structure for example, are to be used in such a bus system, and these components have already been assigned individual addresses during production, they are individually different due to the respective address assigned to them, despite identical structure and functionality. When an electronic circuit such as a bus system is being equipped with such components, the components are generally handled individually, which results in an increased logistical expense.

Electronic component with assignment of an address to the component


A horizontal directional drilling machine for generating a bore with a drill string. The machine includes a frame defining a thrust axis. A rotational drive head for rotating the drill string is mounted on the frame. A thrust mechanism is provided for moving the rotational drive head in a first direction along the thrust axis to push the drill string into the ground, and a second direction along the thrust axis to pull the drill string from the ground. The horizontal directional drilling machine also includes an anchoring arrangement connected to the frame. In one embodiment, the anchoring arrangement includes a stake-down unit that is pivotally movable about a pivot axis that is generally transversely oriented relative to the thrust axis. The stake-down unit includes a power auger, and a stake-down actuator for moving the power auger toward and away from the ground. The anchoring arrangement also includes a tilt actuator for pivoting the stake-down unit about the pivot axis. In another embodiment, the anchoring arrangement can include a stake-down unit as described above that is laterally adjustable relative to the thrust axis.

The present invention relates generally to underground drilling machines. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems or methods for anchoring underground drilling machines for use in horizontal directional drilling.
Utility lines for water, electricity, gas, telephone and cable television are often run underground for reasons of safety and aesthetics. Sometimes, the underground utilities can be buried in a trench that is then back filled. However, trenching can be time consuming and can cause substantial damage to existing structures or roadways. Consequently, alternative techniques such as horizontal directional drilling (HDD) are becoming increasingly more popular.
A typical horizontal directional drilling machine includes a frame on which is mounted a drive mechanism that can be slidably moved along the longitudinal axis of the frame. The drive mechanism is adapted to rotate a drill string about its longitudinal axis. Sliding movement of the drive mechanism along the frame, in concert with the rotation of the drill string, causes the drill string to be longitudinally advanced into or withdrawn from the ground.
In a typical horizontal directional drilling sequence, the horizontal directional drilling machine drills a hole into the ground at an oblique angle with respect to the ground surface. During drilling, drilling fluid can be pumped through the drill string, over a drill head (e.g., a cutting or boring tool) at the end of the drill string, and back up through the hole to remove cuttings and dirt. After the drill head reaches a desired depth, the drill head is then directed along a substantially horizontal path to create a horizontal hole. After the desired length of hole has been drilled, the drill head is then directed upwards to break through the ground surface. A reamer is then attached to the drill string which is pulled back through the hole, thus reaming out the hole to a larger diameter. It is common to attach a utility line or other conduit to the drill string so that it is dragged through the hole along with the reamer.
During drilling and pull-back operations, substantial forces are applied to the drill string. Thus, during directional drilling operations, it is important for a directional drilling machine to be xe2x80x9canchoredxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstaked-downxe2x80x9d to prevent the directional drilling machine from moving during drilling or pull-back sequences.
One aspect of the present invention relates to a horizontal directional drilling machine for generating a bore with a drill string. The machine includes a frame defining a thrust axis. A rotational drive head for rotating the drill string is mounted on the frame. A thrust mechanism is provided for moving the rotational drive head in a first direction along the thrust axis to push the drill string into the ground, and a second direction along the thrust axis to pull the drill string from the ground. The horizontal directional drilling machine also includes an anchoring arrangement connected to the frame. In one embodiment, the anchoring arrangement includes a stake-down unit that is pivotally movable about a pivot axis that is generally transversely oriented relative to the thrust axis. The stake-down unit includes a power auger, and a stake-down actuator for moving the power auger toward and away from the ground. The anchoring arrangement also includes a tilt actuator for pivoting the stake-down unit about the pivot axis. In another embodiment, the anchoring arrangement can include a stake-down unit as described above that is laterally adjustable relative to the thrust axis.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to an anchoring assembly for a directional drilling machine. The anchoring assembly includes a stake-down mount adapted to be pivotally connected to the directional drilling machine. The anchoring assembly also includes a first and second stake-down units connected to the stake-down mount. Each of the stake-down units includes a power auger and a stake-down actuator. The first stake-down unit is connected to the stake-down mount by a lateral extension member that is mounted to slide relative to the stake-down mount.
A further aspect of the present invention relates to a method for anchoring a horizontal directional drilling machine including a frame having a thrust axis. The method includes aligning the thrust axis at an oblique angle relative to the ground; pivoting a power auger of the directional drilling machine about a tilt axis generally transversely aligned relative to the thrust axis; and driving the pivoted power auger into the ground.
A variety of advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows:
FIG. 1 shows a horizontal directional drilling machine adapted for use with an anchoring system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an anchoring system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, the anchoring system is shown in a laterally retracted orientation;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the anchoring system of FIG. 2 with the anchoring system in a laterally extended orientation;
FIG. 4 is a top view of the anchoring system of FIGS. 2 and 3;
FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a lateral extension mechanism for extending one of the stake-down units of FIGS. 2 and 3;
FIG. 6 is a side view of the anchoring system of FIGS. 2 and 3 with the power auger of one of the stake-down units in a raised orientation;
FIG. 7 is a side view showing the anchoring system of FIGS. 2 and 3 in a backwardly tilted orientation; and
FIG. 8 shows the anchoring system of FIGS. 2 and 3 in a forwardly tilted orientation.

Anchoring system for a directional drilling machine and methods of use