A programmable message storage system for a multifunctional printing system is provided. The programmable message storage system includes a configurable database for listing a plurality of message identifiers, the plurality of message identifiers corresponding respectively with the plurality of messages. The plurality of code sets corresponds respectively with the plurality of message identifiers, and each code set controls a manner in which a corresponding message is displayed on the display screen. In practice, at least one of the plurality of code sets is user programmable so that, in response to user input, the at least one of the plurality of code sets is reconfigured in the database for changing the manner in which the message corresponding with the at least one of the plurality of codes sets is displayed as a function of said reconfiguring.

This invention relates generally to a user interface (xe2x80x9cUIxe2x80x9d) for a multifunctional printing system and more particularly to a management scheme for the UI which controls a manner in which precoded informational messages are delivered to the UI for displaying selected messages thereon.
Quoting from U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,723 to Herceg et al. (Issued: Jan. 7, 1992);
As reproduction machines such as copiers and printers become more complex and versatile in the jobs they do, the user interface between the machine and the operator or user, which in essence permits the dialogue (i.e., the ability to talk) between operator and machine, must necessarily be expanded if full and efficient utilization of the machine is to be realized. A suitable interface must not only provide the controls, displays, and messages necessary to activate, program, monitor, and maintain the machine, but must do so in an efficient, relatively simple, and straightforward way. For if the user interface fails in this respect, the abilities that were designed and built into the machine and which the machine owner pays for, may never be realized.
As disclosed by the ""723 Patent as well as U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,958 to Bunker et al (Issued: Oct. 29, 1991) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,860 to McLaughlin et al. (Issued: Feb. 18, 1997) a user interface (xe2x80x9cUIxe2x80x9d) can contain a wide range of information impacting the functionality of a corresponding printing system. Most significantly, a UI permits a user to provide the printing system with control information, such as suitable values for attributes. That is, the user typically provides control instructions for parameters associated with everything ranging from image processing to finishing characteristics. As disclosed in the above-mentioned patents, many dialogs may be required to sufficiently program the control instructions for a corresponding printing system. One exemplary way of organizing such dialogs is shown in FIG. 7 of the ""860 Patent.
No matter how well organized the dialogs might be, however, relatively complex printing systems typically are associated with complex UIs. This situation is best seen in the area of network printing where information related to multiple printing machines is displayed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,571 to Rosekrans et al. (Issued: Sep. 12, 1995) discloses a system in which an interclient job ticket of a network printing arrangement is filtered for the sake of displaying the selections available at a single printer, rather than a plurality of printers. In this way, a user is not burdened with the task of determining which control selections are available at all of the printers in the network printing system, but rather with simply determining what control selections are available at the printer selected by the user.
As further disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,958 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,434 to Hower et al. (Issued: Nov. 14, 1995), a typical UI will include certain status information relating to selected operational information about a corresponding printing machine. For instance, the dialog in FIG. 4 of the ""434 Patent conveys when the system is xe2x80x9cReady to Scanxe2x80x9d and/or xe2x80x9cReady to Printxe2x80x9d. As further shown in the two above-mentioned patents, the status information is commonly provided in conjunction with control information, while the dialog is partitioned in such a manner that the control information is shown in one section and the status information is shown in another. Commonly, when the control and status information are shown together, the amount of space devoted to the status information is relatively small. Provided that the amount of status information is relatively minimal, then this does not pose a problem. When the amount of status information is relatively large, however, fitting a significant amount of control and status information on a single screen can be challenging.
When using a multifunctional printing machine with many services and a relatively small display screen, it may be impossible to fit all of the status information on a display screen with accompanying control information. In one example, this situation is handled by rotating status messages on a timed basis. That is, one status message is displayed during one time interval, while another status message is displayed during another time interval. This can be annoying to a user and even counterproductive if the user misses a status message because s/he is concentrating on programming control related attributes rather than observing the timed status message currently being displayed.
Moreover, multifunctional printing machines can possess a significant number of services, e.g. print, copy, fax, and filing services, and hence generate a variety of interfering status messages. For example, a group of messages associated with the print service (which is often network oriented) may have little to do with a set of messages relating to the copy service (which is often locally oriented). Accordingly, displaying messages in a non-ordered manner may be very confusing. For example, displaying a status message relating to one service while programming in another service is not optimal. It is believed that many of the challenges associated with comprehending the full significance of status messages in an easy, straightforward manner could be alleviated by providing a status messaging system in which status messages are displayed in an organized fashion where the particular messages being displayed are logically related to the control information being displayed therewith.
Finally, reconfiguring status message systems can be a very difficult task in view of the way a typical UI messaging system is developed. Commonly, code is written to provide a variety of status messages and that code is then compiled. When UI messaging systems are set up in this manner, it is necessary, for the sake of adding, deleting or changing messages, to alter existing code and then recompile the same. This not a procedure that is accessible to a typical machine owner. It would be desirable to provide a UI messaging system in which the machine owner could readily reconfigure status messages to accommodate for changes in system demand.
In accordance with the presently disclosed invention there is provided a programmable message storage system for a multifunctional printing system including a printing machine for producing prints from an electronic document stored therewith. The printing machine includes a user interface with a display screen upon which one or more of a plurality of messages can be displayed for providing a user with status information about the printing system. The programmable message storage system, in the plurality of messages are stored, comprises: a configurable database for listing a plurality of message identifiers, the plurality of message identifiers corresponding respectively with the plurality of message; a plurality of code sets corresponding respectively with the plurality of message identifiers, each code set controlling a manner in which a corresponding message is displayed on the display screen; and at least one of the plurality of code sets being user programmable so that, in response to user input, the at least one of the plurality of code sets is reconfigured in the database for changing the manner in which the message corresponding with the at least one of the plurality of codes sets is displayed as a function of said reconfiguring.

Message management system for a user interface of a multifunctional printing system


The present subject matter relates to a laminate comprising: an outer layer of 50% to 70% of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and 50% to 30% of Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE); an aluminum core layer disposed between Ethylene Acrylic Acid (EAA) layers; and an inner layer of about 50% to 70% of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and 50% to 30% of Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE). The outer polyethylene layer or inner polyethylene layer is a multilayer film, preferably three layer film.

For manufacturing of a laminated tube of large diameter, such as 25 mm and beyond, the stiffness or the body strength of the laminated tube becomes an important attribute. In general, laminate of thickness of about 250μ a and higher are typically used for manufacturing tubes of larger diameter.
Usual polymer combinations used for making such laminated tubes are selected from Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) etc. In some manufacturing processes, Polypropylene (PP) is also used as a one of the polymers.
Polypropylene being an inert polymer is very difficult to bond with other poly ethylene film substrates. Moreover, Polypropylene requires comparatively high temperature to seal with each other. HDPE polymer, on the other hand, is easier to process singularly or in combination with other low and medium density Polyethylene. HDPE polymers based film could be manufactured by co-extruded Cast or co-extruded blown. Pure High Density Polyethylene film and laminate is known to have poor Environmental Stress Crack Resistance (ESCR) and poor Impact resistance.

Abstract: The present subject matter also relates to a process for the preparation of the laminate.


Provided are an illumination system and a projection TV employing the same. The illumination system includes: a laser light source including a plurality of lasers which emit laser beams including a plurality of beamlets; a first diffractive optical element which separates the laser beams according to wavelength and which focuses the separated beams onto different segments of a second refractive optical element; and the second diffractive optical element which focuses and superimposes a plurality of beamlets, of the laser beams transmitted by the first diffractive optical element, in order to spatially average the laser beams and to eliminate laser speckle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an illuminating system designed to eliminate speckles of laser light and a projection TV employing the same, and more particularly, to an illumination system designed to efficiently reduce or eliminate laser speckles by spatially averaging laser beams using a diffractive optical element and a projection TV employing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A projection TV using a laser light source unit is capable of providing a wide range of color expression and has a small divergence angle and high optical efficiency due to a superior collimating property, and thus can have a small size. However, in addition to these advantages, projection televisions utilizing laser light sources suffer from speckles of laser light due to the coherency of the laser light. Speckles of laser light are generated due to the interference with an arbitrary phase when coherent beams are reflected from a rough surface. Such speckles of laser light are the main factor in the degradation of the resolution and of the quality of images.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,090 discloses a conventional projector that can remove laser speckles.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional projector includes a laser light source 20, a beam expanding optical unit 24, a diffuser 34, and a beam shaping optical unit 38, which are coaxially arranged. The beam expanding optical unit 24 includes a diverging lens 26 and a collimating lens 30. The beam shaping optical unit 38 includes a fly's eye integrator 40, a condenser lens 44, and a field lens 46.
The beam expanding optical unit 24 expands beams emitted from the laser light source 20 into collimated beams with larger diameters. The beam shaping optical unit 38 shapes the beams with Gaussian distributions to have uniform intensity distributions by overlapping the expanded beams and adjusts the shapes of the beams to match with the shape of a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator 52. The beam reflected by the liquid-crystal spatial light modulator 52 is reflected by a polarizing beam splitter 50 and is enlarged and projected onto a screen 60 by a projection lens 58, so that an image is displayed on the screen 60.
In the conventional structure, the beams diffused by the diffuser 34 are radiated by the beam shaping optical unit 38 toward the spatial light modulator 52 such that they overlap, thereby eliminating laser speckles. However, eliminating laser speckles only using the diffuser 34 as described above results in low speckle removing efficiency and a degraded image quality.

Illumination system eliminating laser speckle and projection TV employing the same


A method for generating timing constraint systems, where the constrained object is a digital circuit, is provided, where the constraints are generated for the use of a digital logic optimization (synthesis) tool. The synthesis tool is used to optimize the circuit, under the applied constraints, so that the circuit exhibits certain desirable timing properties, while at the same time minimizing hardware cost and various other properties. The particular class of timing constraints generated by the disclosed invention is useful when the circuit is to be retimed after optimization. Typically, the joint use of the described invention and retiming results in improvements in the overall cost/performance tradeoff curve of the design. The invention comprises a method that comprises the following steps: (1) the flip-flops of the design are replaced with buffers having a negative delay whose magnitude is approximately the desired clock cycle time of the design; and (2) cycles in the design are broken using flip-flops having an infinite or quasi-infinite clock frequency. Following optimization by the synthesis tool, the temporary changes can be reverted, and retiming performed on the circuit.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a method for generating optimized timing constraint systems for retimable digital designs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The following is a description of a generic logic synthesis system, with descriptive emphasis being given to those aspects of the system that are most relevant to the invention described herein. FIG. 1 shows the flow through a generic logic synthesis system 11 that features retiming, and that produces a netlist 19 expressing an optimized design. The input design 10 is expressed in a hardware description language (HDL), such as Verilog or VHDL. This text is analyzed, i.e. parsed and translated into an initial circuit representation 12. In the next step 14, a clock signal is declared, and a clock period is associated with the clock signal. A clock is present in both combinational and sequential circuits. In a combinational circuit the clock signal is a dummy, but the period must still be declared. In both the combinational and sequential cases, the clock period is used to constrain the timing of the circuit.
In the case of a combinational circuit, the paths being constrained begin at inputs and end at outputs. The clock period determines the allowable difference between the arrival time at the inputs and the required time at the outputs. Where additional timing offsets are needed, e.g. an additional delay on a particular input or output pin, these can be expressed as being with respect to the arrival/required times implicit in the clock period. Thus, for example, if one specifies a clock period of 100 nanoseconds, the default delay allowed between an input I and an output O is 100 nanoseconds. If there was a specific input pin X with an arrival time 10 nanoseconds later than the others, one would express this as being 10 nanoseconds late with respect to the declared clock.
In the case of a sequential circuit, a constrained path may begin either at a circuit input pin, or at the Q pin of a flip-flop. Paths end either at circuit output pins, or at D pins of flip-flops. The path delay constraint is the period of the clock that drives the flip-flops in the case where a path begins at a flip-flop and ends at a flip-flop. In other cases, the timing relationship between the I/O port and the flip-flop is computed in a manner known to practitioners of the art.
It is sometimes helpful to visualize this kind of timing constraint system implemented by collections of variously colored tokens. Each token is colored with a color corresponding to a particular clock. A token is launched at either an input pin or at the Q of a flip-flop clocked by the clock whose color the token bears. It is propagated through combinational logic, accumulating delay as it propagates, and finally it arrives at, and is absorbed by, either an output pin or the D pin of a flip-flop. The timing relationship (if there is one) between the token and its final destination can then be determined by comparing the colors of the token and the clock that constrains the flip-flop or output. Thus, for example, if a green token arrives at a D pin of a blue-clocked flip-flop, then the permissible delay accumulated on the token must be less than or equal to the worst-case time between the valid edges of the green and blue clocks, if such a worst-case time is defined. If a worst-case time is not defined, then the token is ignored and no constraint is adduced.
For purposes of logic synthesis, it is also convenient to imagine a second set of tokens being propagated backwards through the same circuit, in a symmetrical manner, with delays being subtracted instead of added, thus computing required times.
The term 'slack' is used to denote the difference between the arrival and the required time at a particular net or pin of the circuit. A positive slack characterizes a situation where the circuit satisfies the constraint in question; a negative slack characterizes a situation in which the circuit does not.
Hence, the worst-case slack of a pin P of the circuit can be computed as being the minimum, taken across all colors and valid combinations of colors, of the difference between the arrival (forward traversal) and required (backward traversal) token delays, which are recorded at P as the tokens pass through P. It is also normal practice just to speak of the 'slack' of a gate, where implicitly the slack is of the output pin (usually there is only one) of the gate in question, and the slack is the worst-case slack.
The next step of the generic flow pictured in FIG. 1 is logic synthesis 16. Here the circuit is optimized by restructuring its logic. The primary objective is usually to meet the timing constraints as expressed in the previous step, and the secondary objective is usually to minimize circuit area, gate count, or some other cost function such as power consumption. The logic synthesis software uses the difference between token arrival times and token required times to drive its decision making process.
Consider, for example, the two circuits shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b. The two circuits shown both implement the logical AND of five literals A, B, C, D, and E. In FIG. 2a, the function is implemented by a single five-input gate 20, and in FIG. 2b, by a degenerate tree 22 of four two-input gates, 23-26. Neither of these circuits is intrinsically better than the other. The one a synthesis tool ought to choose depends on the arrival times and slacks of the signals A-E. If, for example, all five inputs arrive at the same time and have the same slack, the circuit shown in FIG. 2a is probably better; whereas if E is a relatively late-arriving, low-slack signal, then the circuit shown in FIG. 2b is probably better.
The example discussed above represents only one kind of optimizing decision. There are many other kinds of optimizing decisions that a logic synthesis system can make. Each of these can be characterized by two or more alternative designs or classes of designs, and by a tradeoff between optimizing some properties and degrading others. For example, the path A-F is degraded in the design shown in FIG. 2b of the simple AND-gate example, whereas the path E-F is optimized. Furthermore, area, power, and other cost functions are also affected by these tradeoffs.
Some of these optimizing decision classes are:                Sharing of high-level functional units such as adders, multipliers, etc. (multiplexing inputs);        Speculation of high-level functional units (multiplexing outputs);        Implementation styles of high-level functional units, e.g. the choice of carry-lookahead as opposed to ripple-carry adders;        The use of complex gates as opposed to collections of simple gates;        The choice of drive strength within a family of functionally similar gates;        Input swapping; and        Functional decomposition.
These decisions have a profound effect on the overall performance and cost of the design.
Following logic synthesis is a retiming step 18. This is not always present because retiming is most useful in the context of a pipelined design. In retiming, registers are repositioned in the design in such a way as to preserve overall functionality while optimizing the achievable clock frequency and register count.
Consider, for example, FIG. 3. In this circuit 30, the maximum achievable clock frequency is determined by the delay on the path A-F1. However, notice that if the flip-flop F1 32 is retimed through the gate G 34, in effect creating two flip-flops on the inputs of G, the maximum clock frequency is improved by the delay of G. If those two flip-flops are then retimed further to the left (see the three routers 32′ in the circuit 32′ shown in FIG. 4), the clock frequency improves still more.
At this point it is useful to make two observations about the generic synthesis flow being described herein.
First, logic synthesis never changes the population of flip-flops in the design, except in cases where a flip-flop can be completely deleted because there is no path from the flip-flop's output to an output of the circuit as a whole or as the result of a constant propagation process.
In this context, the population of flip-flops of a design can be represented of as the set of Boolean functions that drive flip-flop D pins. Thus, the number of functions in the population determines the number of flip-flops in the design, and the sequential (Mealy machine) behavior of the design is completely described by the union of the flip-flop population and the functions that drive output pins of the design.
Second, retiming only repositions flip-flops, and never changes the circuit other than by deleting and inserting flip-flops. In other words, once logic synthesis has come up with a certain topology for the combinational logic, retiming cannot change that topology. Also, once HDL analysis or retiming has come up with a flip-flop population, logic synthesis cannot change that population. Thus, it is easy to construct examples of circuits where a poor choice of the initial flip-flop population can only be remedied with difficulty if at all.
Consider, for example, the circuits shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b. If retiming moves F 52 one gate to the left in both cases, in FIG. 5a the circuit 50 has five flip-flops, none of which could be removed by logic synthesis. Whereas in the circuit 51 shown in FIG. 5b, moving F one gate to the left results in only two flip-flops.
The salient implication of these properties is that a well-chosen set of initial timing constraints and flip-flop population leads to a better design after retiming. Note however that it is seldom easy to construct a well-chosen constraint set and flip-flop population because the exact positioning of the flip-flops, the delays of the gates, and the clocking constraints collectively determine the slack of the gates and hence the retiming solution. While the delays of the gates cannot be known until after logic synthesis, which chooses the gates and the topology by which the gates are interconnected.
Another observation is that optimizing decisions are driven primarily by the timing slack available at the various gates of the circuit. In other words, two copies of a small region of the circuit tend toward the same general topology if the slacks are the same, almost independently of the surrounding logic.
The constraint generation system should therefore have a property that is henceforth called slack equivalence. Slack equivalence means that for any gate G, the timing slack at G is the same under the initial constraint system and in an optimally retimed version of the circuit. Thus, if the entire circuit is slack-equivalent, logic synthesis sees the same local constraints as if the circuit had already been retimed in a near-optimal way.
Slack equivalence is useful because it allows logic to be optimized independently of the distribution of registers in the design, and hence it alleviates the problem that logic synthesis is unable to change the population of registers.

Method for generating optimized constraint systems for retimable digital designs


A soft chewable capsule film suitable for medicament or foodstuff encapsulation, and a method of fabricating capsules from such a film. Such capsules demonstrate fast rupture in the oral cavity, good mouth feel and chewability, and rapid dissolution of the shell components. In particular, the modified starch is substantially ungelatinized, due at least in part to the processing temperature, and may act as a water retention agent to promote hydration. Additionally, gelatins are selected for bloom strengths that result in a robust capsules that may be fabricated at a thinner wall thickness than previously experienced in the art. Accordingly, such thin capsules have a smaller mass than traditional capsules of the same size and dissolve more quickly than chewable capsules having greater thicknesses. The capsules may be fabricated by a rotary die process at speeds greater than those generally known for soft chewable capsules.

Common routes for the administration of pharmacologically active agents are a plurality of oral dosage forms, including such familiar forms as tablets, pills, and capsules. Such dosage forms are generally fairly convenient, stable in storage and transport, and familiar to the user. However, they are not without problems, and these problems are often significant. It is extremely difficult for most people to swallow any of these oral dosage forms without supplemental water. In the fast-paced world, it is frequently inconvenient or messy to have to take supplementary water with oral medicaments. Such difficulties are compounded for those with difficulty in swallowing, such as, for example, children and the elderly. Certain medical conditions, such as Parkinsonism or other neurological states, make it difficult to swallow oral dosage forms, even with supplemental water.
Additionally, swallowing oral dosage forms intact implicates a complex system of variables involved in gastrointestinal dissolution of dosage forms and absorption of drugs.
Accordingly, there is considerable interest in oral medicaments and so-called pre-gastric absorption of the active ingredient, that is, absorption of the active ingredient from that part of the alimentary canal prior to the stomach. The term "pre-gastric absorption" thus includes buccal, sublingual, oropharyngeal and esophageal absorption. Medicaments absorbed by such pre-gastric absorption pass straight into the systemic circulatory system thereby avoiding first pass metabolism in the liver. Accordingly, bioavailability of agents absorbed in this way may also be increased. This means that the dose of such agents may be reduced while still producing the desired beneficial effects and this decrease in dose may result in a corresponding reduction of unwanted side effects. Current research, as noted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,486 to Dugger, shows in particular that absorption through the buccal mucosa represents an often underappreciated route of oral administration that is unavailable to drugs in tablet, pill, or capsule form. There are also non-oral mucosal absorption sites, such as rectal or vaginal mucosa, that may serve as administration routes for dissolvable medications.
Additionally, a wide range of foodstuffs and oral hygiene products, such as breath fresheners, are obviously orally dispensed. Compositions comprising gelatin are widely used to carry such materials. Gelatin, which is normally utilized in such formulations, is defined as a protein obtained by partial hydrolysis of animal collagenous tissues, such as skins, tendons, ligaments and bones; or various collagenous portions of warm and cold water fish. Thin gelatin strips have been employed, particularly for dispensing breath freshening agents, but these are limited in the amount of active ingredient that can be carried by the thin strips. Much research has been devoted to gelatin capsules that may be broken up in the mouth, and at least partially dissolved by chewing. Gelatin capsules of varying compositions are widely known in the art, but in general, are compounded of various mixtures of gelatin, a plasticizer or plasticizers, and water.
A tension has always existed in the formulation of gelatin capsules, namely, that dosing, stability, and storage and handling characteristics are generally furthered by relatively high gelatin content and a relatively low plasticizer and end water content in the capsules as dispensed; while chewability, mouth feel, and therefore, client acceptance, are generally furthered by lower gelatin content and higher plasticizer and end water contents. With capsules designed to be swallowed intact, generally denominated "hard" gelatin capsules, or soft gel capsules designed to be broken in the mouth and then swallowed, this tension is relatively minor. However, with capsules designed to be broken up in the mouth and completely or nearly completely dissolved by chewing, that is, the so-called "chewable soft" gelatin capsule, this tension is difficult to resolve. Such true "chewable soft" capsules are a type of soft gelatin capsule that is particularly distinguished by both a pleasant chewing experience and a complete or near complete dissolution in a short period of time in the oral cavity. Such capsules are also distinguished by particular fabrication problems, such as excessive stickiness during rotary die encapsulation and sticking of the product to other capsules during post-encapsulation handling. Gelatin capsules with high end water content typically have poor storage performance, sticking to one another in bulk packaging and often melting or leaking during storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,243 to Borkan, et al. discloses a chewable gelatin capsule composition that comprises less than about 30%, and preferably comprises about 20-26% water, and is directed to the use of a hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, which allowed a lower than expected end water content. U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,126 to Ebert, et al. discloses examples of soft gelatin capsules formed at as high as 37% water content, but specifies that these capsules were then subsequently dried to some undisclosed final end water content, in order to obtain desired chewing characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,051 to Miskel et al. discloses numerous embodiments of a soft gelatin capsule that has an initial capsule shell water content of between 28.3 and 36.6%, but further discloses that the capsules are then dried to be in equilibrium with the internal gel-lattice composition, which has a water content of 15-20%. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,380 to Overholt, capsules are fabricated from a wet mass that is initially as much as 30% water by weight, but is then subsequently dried to 6%-8% water.
In addition to the effects of water content, chewability of capsules can be affected by the bloom strength and the melting points of the gelatin used in the encapsulation process. In general, gelatins of lower bloom strength and lower melting point have preferable organoleptic qualities,
Co-owned U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 10/456,450 to Makino; accomplished a high degree of hydration using fish gelatin having a low sol-gel transition temperature, that is, a relatively low melting point. However, such formulations can be problematic when stored at high temperatures or high humidity. For example, it is very difficult to formulate a fish gelatin capsule that will be stable at a storage temperature above 35° C. Capsules made with such low melting point gelatins tend to become sticky during storage, and may even burst or melt, releasing their contents. On the other hand, it is known that mammalian gelatins, some of which have melting temperatures above 60° C., tend to be much more stable at higher storage temperatures, but to often have poorer organoleptic qualities. The research behind the instant invention was designed to pursue the goal of increasing heat stability, at least in part by exploring gelatins of higher bloom strength and mammalian origins, while maintaining the excellent organoleptics seen in fish gelatins with low bloom strengths, low melting points, and/or high water contents.
In sum, the art has needed a material and method for the formulation of commercially acceptable chewable gelatin capsules having organoleptic properties similar to those seen with high end water content capsules, that is, capsules having a high water content at the time the capsules are packaged and made available for sale. This is to be accomplished by manipulation of the gelatin, plasticizer, and starch components, while maintaining water levels in the capsules that are within the normal range for such formulations. Additionally, these capsules, which do not have excessively high water contents, should exhibit stability under reasonably expected storage times and conditions.

Chewable soft capsules containing ungelatinized starch


A packaging system for use with irregular shaped articles is described. The system includes a carton having slotted sidewall members disposed to receive suspension folders at least one suspension folder. The suspension folder includes a layer of a packaging material having a pair of apertures and having a pair of creases disposed along a region of the layer coextensive with an edge portion of each one of the apertures. The layer is provided with a stretchable material bonded to a first surface of said layer of packaging material. A strong hinge is provided at portions of the layer disposed along the edges of the pair of apertures to join the first and second portions of the layer of packaging material.

This invention relates generally to packaging and more specifically to reusable suspension packaging of irregular shaped items.
As is known in the art, it is often necessary for irregular-shaped items to be packaged and transported over large distances during part of the manufacturing process for an article. For example, a computer system is assembled from circuit boards. Often these circuit boards are manufactured in different facilities and are transported to a computer system assembly facility. These circuits boards are generally populated with integrated circuits and often take on different sizes and shapes. They are thus transported from one manufacturing facility to the computer system assembly facility.
For circuit boards special problems arise in safely transporting these devices. In particular, the different sizes and heights of integrated circuits bonded to the circuit board and the existence of components at the outer edges of the circuit board present difficult challenges. Several approaches are possible including the use of reusable bulk packages. Most reusable bulk packages are made of rigid plastic or corrugated fiberboard which can be knocked down, i.e., taken apart and nested or shipped flat for return delivery of the packaging for their eventual reuse. One problem with many of these approaches, however, is that they do not adequately provide an arrangement for transporting circuit boards when the circuit boards have components disposed at the periphery of the board. Moreover, many of these arrangements do not permit circuit boards having different heights of components disposed thereon to be adequately shipped without redesign or providing additional packaging materials such as cushioning materials or spacers.
Another approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,743. In this patent a reusable folder is described. The folder is comprised of a two sheets of plastic bonded to two sheets of fiberboard with each fiberboard sheet having a window cutout. The sheets of plastic form a hinge thereby allowing an article to be suspended between the plastic sheets disposed in the region of the pair of cutouts in the fiberboard. While this arrangement provides a technique for suspending a component in the package, one problem associated with this described folder is that the hinge portion provided by the plastic film and fiberboard sheet is relatively weak and is susceptible to damage, particularly if the folder is reused several times as is generally the intent in the above-described environments. Moreover, damage to the hinge may cause even more serious damage to the component which it is carrying should the hinge give way and the component fall through the bottom of the folder.

Reusable slotted suspension bulk package


A tap changer with vacuum-switching tubes for controlling a transformer having taps has a selector for power-free selection of a one of the taps to be switched and a load-changeover switch for actual switching over from the connected tap to a new, pre-selected one of the taps. A first cam disk is fixed against rotation on a rotatable switch shaft, and a rocker lever arrangement has a first roller for actuating the vacuum-switching tubes. A second cam disk is also rotationally fixed on the switch shaft, and there are two further arms of U-shaped construction on the rocker lever arrangement. A lever has a free end provided with a second roller that co-operates with the second cam disk. This lever is between the further arms and mounted to be rotatable about an axis. A compression spring is provided between the lever and the further arms.

Tap changers for uninterrupted changeover between different winding taps of tapped transformers have been in use in large numbers worldwide for many years. Such tap changers usually consist of a selector for power-free selection of the respective winding tap that is to be switched to, of the tapped transformer and a load-changeover switch for the actual switching from the connected to the new, preselected winding tap. The abrupt changeover usually takes place with the assistance of an force-storage device whose triggering rapidly rotates a switch shaft. In addition, the load-changeover switch usually comprises a contact switch s and a resistance switch. The contact switches in that case serve for direct connection of the respective winding tap with the load diverter and the resistance switches for temporary connection, i.e. bridging-over by one or more switch-over resistances.
In such a load-changeover switch of a tap changer, the vacuum-switching tubes are used for uninterrupted switching, is known from DE 195 10 809 [U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,717]. In that case respective cam disks are provided for each switching element to be actuated and each movement direction of the drive shaft. The respective ends of the individual cam disks have a defined profile that departs from the circular shape and that, on rotation of the switch shaft, actuate individual vacuum-switching tubes or also mechanical contacts.
In DE 42 31 353 A1, actuation of the individual switching tubes is effected by a switch shaft that is rotatable in both directions and that is rapidly rotated after triggering of a force-storage device. In that case, fixed on the switch shaft for actuation of the vacuum-switching tubes is a cam disk on whose end there is for each vacuum-switching tube a control cam in which a roller—that acts on the actuating lever of the associated vacuum-switching tube—is mechanically positively and constrainedly guided. The control cam is here realized in the form of a horizontal encircling groove that departs from a circular profile and in which the respective roller mechanically positively engages.
In addition, there is known from DE 40 11 019 [U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,200] a load-changeover switch that operates according to the reactor principle and in which the cam disk for actuation of the contacts does not have at the encircling end a profile departing from a circular shape, but possesses grooves of geometrically different design on the upper side and lower side thereof. A double-sided actuation of different switching elements with different switching sequence is possible with this known solution.
However, in different cases of use of such known tap changers with vacuum-switching tubes for regulation of power transformers a high surge voltage strength of up to 100 kV and significantly thereabove is required. Such undesired surge voltages whose level is essentially dependent on the construction of the tapped transformer and the winding parts between the individual winding taps, are on the one hand lightning surge voltages resulting from lightning strikes in the grid. On the other hand, switching surge voltages caused by unpredictable switching surges in the grid to be regulated can also occur.
If the tap changer has insufficient surge voltage strength a temporary tap short-circuit or undesired break-through of the ceramic or of the damping screens of vacuum-switching tubes in the load branch not conducting load current can happen that not only can cause long-term damage thereof, but also is undesirable in general.
This problem is solved in the prior art inter alia in that the movable plunger of the vacuum-switching tube, which is susceptible in terms of circuitry to this lightning surge voltage, is provided with a stroke of such a length, i.e. spacing between the contact surfaces of the co-operating fixed and movable plungers within the vacuum-switching tubes, that the dielectric spacings between the contact surfaces of the co-operating plungers are thereby dimensioned to be sufficiently large and as a consequence undesired arcing during a lightning strike surge cannot arise.
However, a disadvantage of the solution known from DE 42 31 353 A1 is that the required long stroke of the movable plunger requires a control cam with correspondingly large cam throws. This in turn presupposes within the load-changeover switch a large constructional space that, however, is often not available and from the technical aspect is a constructionally disadvantageous solution. Moreover, in each switchover process there is material erosion at contact surfaces of the contact system within the vacuum-switching tube caused by electric arcs that occur during mechanical separation of the contact surfaces of the vacuum-switching tube under load. DE 42 31 353 A1 does not offer a solution as to how compensation can be provided for the effects that are produced by material erosion of the contact surfaces on the actuating lever of the respective vacuum-switching tube and that with time produce tolerances within the contact system. This problem comes very much to the forefront due to the promised lengthy maintenance intervals of several hundred thousand switch-over actions per tap changer that manufacturers guarantee to customers in the case of a tap changer with vacuum-switching tubes.
DE 195 10 809 C1 does, in fact, compensate for tolerances arising due to material erosion at the contact surfaces in that here the actuating lever operatively connected with the movable plunger of the vacuum-switching tube applies the requisite contact force purely by a spring and not by mechanically constrained guidance. In that case the spring has, apart from its function of providing the required contact force, the further task of introducing the closing force to the actuating lever. In other words: the spring here has a double function of compensation for tolerances and application of the required contact force in the closed state of the vacuum-switching tubes. If in this solution known from DE 195 10 809 C1 the stroke of the movable plunger of the vacuum-switching tube is to be increased then a larger size compression spring with a spring rate corresponding therewith and greater spring travel is necessary for that purpose. However, in sum this causes a significantly increased expenditure of force for actuation of the vacuum-switching tubes and thus a more substantial dimensioning of the individual components that in turn is linked with significant disadvantages due to constructional and cost aspects. Since, as just described, the contact force of the contact surfaces of the vacuum-switching tube is limited to the spring force of the spring employed, in the case of a short-circuit load a transient lifting-off of the contact surfaces of vacuum-switching tube and thus an electrically undefined state within the power transformer can additionally arise.

Stepping switch with vacuum switching tubes


A method for manufacturing an organic EL display including an organic EL elements and an organic field effect transistors being integrated on a same substrate is disclosed. A semitransparent electrode layer of the organic EL element and a gate electrode of the organic transistor are formed on a same transparent plastic substrate. An organic gate insulating layer is deposited on the gate electrode and an organic semiconductor layer is formed on the organic gate insulating layer. A source and drain electrodes is formed on the organic semiconductor layer. An organic EL layer is formed on the semitransparent electrode layer and a part of the drain electrode. The organic semiconductor layer can be made of a charge transfer complex or a thiophene derivative polymer. The resultant EL device is capable of mechanically bent, and then is readily adaptable for use in flexible displays.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for making an organic electroluminescent (EL) device, more specifically, to a method for manufacturing an actively controllable organic EL display including an organic EL elements and an organic field effect transistors (FET) being integrated on a same substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an organic EL display device, many of organic EL elements are arranged in matrix on a substrate. Each of the EL elements, namely a pixel (picture element), consists of a transparent electrode layer, an organic EL layer and an upper electrode layer. At least one transistor for controlling current applied to the EL element is electrically connected to this EL element.
However, the conventional EL display has an exceedingly large size and complexity in process, since the EL element and the transistor are discrete each other. Also, it is impossible to mechanically bend because an active region of the conventional transistor is composed of an inorganic substance.

Fabrication method of an organic electroluminescent devices

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


Apparatus and method for initiating pyrolysis of a feedstock by establishing a continuous, standing shock wave. Several embodiments of a shock wave reactor (10, 100, 150) are disclosed; each is connected to receive an ethane feedstock and a carrier fluid comprising superheated steam. The feedstock and the carrier fluid are pressurized so that they expand into parallel supersonic streams that mix due to turbulence within a mixing section (36) of a longitudinally extending channel (12) of the shock wave reactor. The carrier fluid heats the ethane feedstock as it mixes with it, producing a mixture that flows at supersonic velocity longitudinally down the channel. A gate valve (44) disposed downstream of the channel provides a controlled back pressure that affects the position of the shock wave and the residence time for the reaction. The shock wave rapidly heats the mixture above a pyrolysis temperature, producing a desired product by cracking the feedstock. Rapid heating of the mixture enables a residence time in the pyrolysis section of only 5 to 50 milliseconds. By varying the position of the shock wave, the residence time is controlled as required to obtain maximum yield from different feedstocks. Downstream of the pyrolysis section, the mixture is quenched, cooling and terminating the pyrolysis reaction. The relatively short residence time and the control of its duration with a resolution in the microsecond range are substantial advantages of the shock wave reactor.

The cracking of hydrocarbons brought about by heating a feedstock material in a furnace has long been used to produce a variety of useful products. For example, ethylene, which is among the more important products in the chemical industry, can be produced by the pyrolysis of feedstocks ranging from light paraffins, such as ethane and propane, to heavier fractions such as naptha. Typically, the lighter feedstocks produce higher ethylene yields (50-55% for ethane compared to 25-30% for naphtha); however, the cost of the feedstock is more likely to determine which is used. Since the pricing of feedstocks that may be used to produce a desired product is very volatile, it is preferable to design a pyrolysis plant to use a variety of feedstocks, enabling the most cost effective feedstock to be used in response to changing market prices.
Energy consumption is another cost factor impacting the pyrolytic production of chemical products from various feedstocks. Over the last two decades, there have been significant improvements in the efficiency of the pyrolysis process that have reduced the cost of production. In the typical or conventional pyrolysis plant, a feedstock passes through a plurality of heat exchanger tubes where it is heated externally to a pyrolysis temperature by the combustion products of fuel oil or natural gas and air. One of the more important steps taken to minimize production costs has been the reduction of the residence time for a feedstock in the heat exchanger tubes of a pyrolysis furnace. Reduction of the residence time increases the yield of the desired product while reducing the production of heavier by-products that tend to foul the pyrolysis tube walls. Heat transfer rates can be increased by using smaller diameter, shorter tubes for the pyrolysis heat exchanger and residence times in the range of 50-100 milliseconds can thus be obtained (compared to 250-1000 milliseconds in earlier design conventional furnaces). In the production of ethylene, this provides a 5-10% increase in the yield when ethane is used as a feedstock, and a 20-30% increase in the yield for heavier feedstocks. A furnace having this range of relatively short residence times is sometimes referred to as a "millisecond furnace." Even greater increases in yield and reduction in coking are potentially available by further shortening the residence times; however, the design of millisecond furnaces of this type does not readily permit further reduction of the residence time.
An alternative approach to heating a petroleum feedstock to a cracking or pyrolysis temperature is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,015. The process taught in this patent involves the injection of an atomized petroleum feedstock into a stream of hot combustion products formed by the combustion of a fuel (H.sub.2 or CH.sub.4) mixed with oxygen. The fuel and oxygen mix with steam in a mixing zone of the furnace and subsequently burn in a combustion zone, producing hot products of combustion that travel at subsonic velocity into a constricting throat of the furnace. The liquid feedstock is injected into the stream of hot combustion products just upstream of the constricting throat. In the throat, the atomized liquid feedstock is mixed with and vaporized by the hot combustion products, causing an initial cracking or pyrolysis of the feedstock to occur. The mixture passes into an acceleration region where its velocity increases to a supersonic level (between Mar. 1 and 2). A cross-sectional expansion of the pyrolysis zone and back pressure developed downstream produce a shock wave that increases the temperature of the mixture, effecting a final thermal cracking of the feedstock. Downstream of the shock wave, the velocity of the stream slows to a subsonic level, but the cracking process continues until the stream enters a quenching zone in which it is cooled by water injection. Finally, the quenched stream passes into a heat exchanger that recovers usable energy. This reference teaches that operation of the furnace in the supersonic mode increases the production of ethylene by about 7% and substantially reduces the accumulation of burnt carbon (or coking).
In Russian Patent No. SU 392723A, a related method is disclosed for producing acetylene and ethylene via the oxidizing pyrolysis of methane. The oxidizing pyrolysis occurs in a supersonic outflow of a heated mixture of methane and oxygen from a supersonic nozzle. The reference teaches that a shock wave created in the supersonic flow raises the yield of the end products. In this method, methane and oxygen are separately preheated in heat exchangers to 800.degree. C. and are then fed into a preliminary mixing chamber. Since the induction period is short, the mixture does not immediately ignite. Instead, the mixture cools and gathers velocity as it expands through a nozzle, achieving a supersonic speed (1500 meters/second). Upon exiting the nozzle, the supersonic stream of mixed gases impacts against a barrier, which raises the temperature sharply to the ignition temperature, causing a violent combustion of the mixture to occur. Methane molecules in a high-temperature layer of the mixture are pyrolized to ethylene and acetylene, but since the methane only resides in a high-temperature zone of the furnace for a very brief period, secondary reactions are of less importance. Water is injected into the mixture in which the methane is undergoing pyrolysis to quench the reaction.
In both of the above-referenced patents, the energy required to raise the feedstock temperatures to initiate pyrolysis is provided by combustion of feedstock or carrier fluid in an oxygen-rich environment. In the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,015 the feedstock is partially pyrolyzed by direct exposure to combustion products at temperatures as high as 2200.degree. C., and partially pyrolyzed in the shock-heated zone downstream. As a result, uncontrolled pyrolysis of the feedstock occurs prior to heating caused by the shock wave. The temperature of the products of combustion and feedstock is thus likely to remain sufficiently high so that some coking in the furnace occurs upstream of the shock wave. In Russian Patent No. SU 392723A, the shock wave initiates combustion, again producing very high temperatures at which the feedstock is pyrolized. Accordingly, it will be apparent that merely providing a short residence time downstream of the shock wave is not sufficient; the feedstock should remain below the pyrolysis temperature until the pyrolysis reaction is initiated in a pyrolysis region. In addition, the residence time of the feedstock in the pyrolysis region of the furnace should be as brief as possible and precisely controllable to enable different feedstocks to be pyrolized, with maximum yield of the desired product.

Method for initiating pyrolysis using a shock wave

Board of Regents of the University of Washington


A memory array having decreased cell sizes and having transistors with increased channel widths. More specifically, pillars are formed in a substrate such that sidewalls are exposed. The sidewalls of the pillars and the top surface of the pillars are covered with a gate oxide and a polysilicon layer to form a channel through the pillars. The current path through the channel is approximately equal to twice the height of the pillar plus the width of the pillar. The pillars are patterned to form non-linear active area lines having angled segments. The polysilicon layer is patterned to form word lines that intersect the active area lines at the angled segments.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits and, more particularly, to integrated circuits implementing high density transistors having increased channel widths.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Semiconductor memory devices, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices, are widely used for storing data in systems such as computer systems. A DRAM memory cell typically includes an access device such as a field effect transistor (FET) coupled to a storage device such as a capacitor. The access device allows the transfer of charges to and from the storage capacitor thereby facilitating read and write operations in the memory device. The memory cells are typically arranged in a number of rows and columns to provide a memory array.
With the constantly increasing demand for higher data storage capacity, memory arrays are becoming more dense. Memory density is typically limited by current processing technologies implemented to fabricate the memory arrays. Typical memory cell array topologies provide for feature sizes (F) which are limited by the width of the electrically conductive word lines and bit lines in the array, and the width of the isolation regions between the word lines and bit lines. Conventional array topologies provide for cell sizes on the order of 8F2. While this may be acceptable in most applications, a reduction in feature size, thereby enabling an increase in memory density, may be desirable.
Still further, increasing the density of the memory arrays without sacrificing performance capabilities is generally desirable. Among the concerns in fabricating memory devices is to provide memory cells with minimal leakage to prevent the loss of storage cell data. Further, alpha-particle induced soft errors which alter the data stored in the memory cells should also be considered, and simplification in fabrication techniques may also be desirable.
One technique for fabricating DRAM cells implements planar access transistors. As will be appreciated, sub-threshold characteristics and threshold characteristics greatly affect DRAM devices. Disadvantageously, improving sub-threshold characteristics may adversely affect threshold characteristics. Sub-threshold (off-state) characteristics of planar DRAM devices are closely associated with the device's ability to meet refresh requirements. Further, for low power applications, scaling down the threshold voltage of the DRAM device is important in accommodating low Vcc requirements. Over the past several generations (0.35 to 0.10 um technologies), access device threshold and sub-threshold voltages have not scaled down fast enough to meet these conflicting design specs.
Further, the performance of complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices in the periphery portions of a DRAM may be constrained due to several unique processing steps in fabrication of the DRAM device. In particular, highly resistive polysilicon plug processes for providing access to the sources/drains of buried transistors, non-salicided active areas, back end heat steps, deactiviating anneals, etc., place limits on periphery device performance. It is desirable to have a process flow that does not compromise periphery logic while achieving acceptable characteristics for the access devices in the memory array.
Off-state characteristics in a MOS transistor are largely determined by the extent to which the gate controls the charge density in the channel region. Reducing gate oxide thickness increases the gate capacitance and therefore increases gate control. Double-gate or dual-gate transistors may be implemented to further increase gate control and reduce short channel effects but double gate transistors are often complex to manufacture and may not be practical in many applications. One type of double-gate structure implements FETs fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. Unfortunately these devices suffer from severe reduction in drive currents unless several "fins" are constructed along the width direction of the access device. These devices are generally referred to as "FinFETs," as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. In a large width logic device, constructing several fins might be possible. However, in dense drives, such as DRAM arrays, the additional real estate that would be occupied by the additional fins makes the device impractical in such high density applications.
Further, implementing SOI substrates, rather than bulk silicon to fabricate DRAM devices introduces a number of design and operation issues. One consideration in implementing SOI devices is the floating body effect (FBE) due to lack of body contact. Controlling the FBE is one consideration in the integration of SOI devices in a DRAM process. As will be appreciated, fully depleted SOI devices generally exhibit less FBE. However, very thin silicon films are generally necessary for full depletion and this potentially introduces large variation in device characteristics for small variation in silicon film thickness. Even for relatively long devices (e.g., 0.25 um), large increases in sensitivity of threshold voltage to silicon film thickness generally occur.
Still further, as gate oxide thickness is scaled down to increase gate capacitance (and therefore, increase gate control of the channel region), several additional problems may arise. Poor gate oxide integrity, poor gate oxide life, direct tunneling due to high electric fields (gate current), soft breakdown, etc. are all considerations in DRAM device design and operation. In addition, for dual-gate polysilicon processes implementing both n+ and p+ gate polysilicon, boron penetration from the p+ polysilicon gate through the gate oxide into the channel may be problematic. To minimize boron diffusion, nitrided gate oxides may be implemented. Disadvantageously, for very thin gate oxides (e.g., less than 35 angstroms), the nitridation process (e.g., RPN, DPN) introduces a large number of trap states in the oxide and therefore further degrades oxide quality.
High dielectric constant materials like zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide and aluminum oxide have been proposed as replacement for silicon-dioxide (SiO2) which is generally implemented to form the gate oxide. However, these materials have poor quality interface compared to SiO2 and therefore severely degrade mobility in the channel. For this reason, a very small buffer SiO2 layer is generally desirable between the silicon active area and high-k gate dielectric. Most double gate structures have a silicon sidewall that has crystallographic planes different than the (100) plane. Because the oxidation rate is higher in crystal planes other than (100) due to higher silicon density in those planes and the higher trap state densities in those planes, gate oxide thickness along the silicon sidewalls are generally thicker than along the planar regions. Disadvantageously, this results in poor gate control along the sidewall. Another undesirable effect of growing gate oxide in the sidewall for nanometer scale devices is the decrease in the width of the device due to excessive gate oxide growth. As will be appreciated, decreasing the width of the device generally results in decreased total available drive current.
Embodiments of the present invention may address one or more of the problems set forth above.

High density memory array having increased channel widths


A stereo vision based collision avoidance systems having stereo cameras that produce imagery that is processed to produce a depth map of a scene. A potential threat is detected in the depth map. The size, position, and velocity of the detected potential threat are then estimated, and a trajectory analysis of the detected potential threat is determined using the estimated position and the estimated velocity. A collision prediction based on the trajectory analysis is determined, and then a determination is made as to whether a collision is imminent based on the collision prediction and on the estimated size of the potential threat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vision systems, e.g., as deployed on a vehicle. In particular, this invention relates to detecting imminent collisions using stereo vision.
2. Description of the Related Art
Significant interest exists in the automotive industry for systems that detect imminent collisions in time to avoid that collision or to mitigate its damage. Collision avoidance systems typically must detect the presence of potential threats, determine their speed and trajectory, and assess their collision threat. Prior art collision avoidance systems have used radar to determine the range and closing speed of potential threats. However, affordable radar systems usually lack the required spatial resolution to reliably and accurately determine the size and the location of potential threats.
Since stereo vision can provide the high spatial resolution required to identify potential threats, stereo vision has been proposed for use in collision detection and avoidance systems. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/461,699, filed on Jun. 13, 2003 and entitled "VEHICULAR VISION SYSTEM," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses detecting and classifying objects (potential threats) using disparity images, depth maps, and template matching. While the teachings of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/461,699 are highly useful, its methods of detecting potential threats are not optimal in all applications.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for new techniques of using stereo vision for collision detection and avoidance.

Stereo-vision based imminent collision detection


This invention is a process for producing stable polymer emulsions and latexes. The polymers are block copolymers of conjugated dienes and vinyl aromatic hydrocarbons. The process comprises making a solution of the polymer, adding another block copolymer as a stabilizing agent, emulsifying the polymer solution by mixing it with an aqueous phase and removing the solvent, cosolvent and excess water. The stabilizing block polymer contains an acrylic block in addition to at least one vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon and/or a conjugated diene block.

This invention relates to the production of fine stable latexes of block copolymers of vinyl aromatic hydrocarbons and conjugated dienes. More specifically, it relates to the production of such latexes which are stabilized with a non-migrating acrylic block polymer stabilizer.
It is known that a block copolymer can be obtained by an anionic copolymerization of a conjugated diene compound and an alkenyl arene compound by using an organic alkali metal initiator. Block copolymers have been produced which comprise blocks of these different monomers such as configurations which are linear, radial or star, i.e. many arms radiating from a central core. The proportion of thermoplastic blocks to elastomeric blocks and the relative molecular weights of each of these blocks is balanced to obtain a rubber having unique performance characteristics.
It has been found advantageous to prepare latexes of these polymers in order to obtain products that can be formulated into coatings and adhesives without the need for organic solvents. In some cases, small amounts of organic solvents are preferred to control evaporation of water or to serve as coalescing aids. But the quantity of organic solvent needed to control evaporation or aid coalescence will be much less than that needed to make corresponding coatings and adhesive films from organic solvent solutions (solvent-borne coatings and adhesives). Therefore, these latexes are comprised of the polymer, surfactants, coalescing solvents and water.
Preparation of such latexes is well known to those skilled in the art (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,360,599, 3,238,173 and 3,726,824). Latexes of polyvinyl aromatic-polydiene block copolymers are conventionally made by (1) dissolving the block copolymer in an organic solvent or solvents to form a polymer cement, (2) emulsifying the polymer cement in an aqueous solution containing one or more surfactants, and (3) stripping the emulsion of organic and excess aqueous liquids to form a stable, suitably concentrated latex. Polymer cements are often available directly from the polymerization reactor. Surfactants are usually present such that the total concentration of surfactants ranges from about 0.2 to more than 20 parts per hundred rubber (phr), where the rubber is the block copolymer. Such surfactants may be low molecular weight conventional surfactants including anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactants or they may be polymeric surfactants having one or more water soluble blocks. Low levels of organic solvents are often left in the latex and/or other solvents are added following latex concentration as aids to control evaporation of water or aid coalescence and film formation after application. Therefore, conventional latexes of block copolymers are usually comprised of polymer, surfactants, organic solvents, and water.
Surfactants are capable of migrating through the polymer matrix during film formation since they are not irreversibly anchored in any one location. Therefore, high surfactant concentration can negatively impact adhesive properties of adhesives and lead to moisture ingress in coatings. Those interested in water-based emulsion adhesives and coatings have attempted to solve this problem by using less surfactant but some surfactant must be used in order to form the emulsion. Thus, it would be highly advantageous to be able to make a block copolymer emulsion and latex with a non-migrating stabilizer.
In some cases, fine polymer cement emulsions are necessary in order to make fine latexes. The present invention can produce fine emulsions using a non-migrating polymeric stabilizer. It is also known that small (submicron) particle sizes in latexes can enhance coating and adhesive film coalescence. Thus, it is highly advantageous to be able to produce a stable polymer cement emulsion with an average drop size of less than one micron.

Process for making stable latexes of block copolymers


Methods of making a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane composite are described. The methods may include applying a sizing composition to a plurality of fibers to make sized fibers, where the sizing composition may include at least one curative for a thermoplastic polyurethane prepolymer. The sized fibers may be contacted with a thermoplastic polyurethane prepolymer composition to form a resin-fiber amalgam, where the thermoplastic polyurethane prepolymer composition includes 50 wt. % or less of a total amount of the curative that is also present on the sized fibers. The resin-fiber amalgam may then be cured to form the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane composite.

Thermoplastic resins are commonly combined with fibers, particles, and other solids to make reinforced composites. The solids in the composite can increase tensile strength, dimensional stability, and other physical and mechanical characteristics of the articles made with the composites. For example, glass fibers may be combined with a thermoplastic resin composition to produce a glass fiber-reinforced composite (GFRC) with high tensile strength and improved rigidity. The glass fibers may take various forms, such as continuous or chopped strands, rovings, woven or non-woven fabrics, and continuous or chopped strand mats.
The thermoplastic resin composition and glass fibers may be supplied by a extruder to a compression- or injection-molding machine so that they can be formed into the GFRC. Typically, resin pellets and fiberglass are fed together or separately into the extruder. During the extrusion process using single or twin-screw machines, the resin is melted and the fibers are dispersed throughout the molten thermoplastic resin to form a fiber/resin mixture. Next, the fiber/resin mixture may be degassed, cooled, and formed into pellets. The dry fiber strand/resin dispersion pellets may then be fed to a molding machine and formed into molded composite articles that have a substantially homogeneous dispersion of glass fibers throughout the composite article.
One difficulty with combining the thermoplastic resin composition and the fibers is the typically high viscosity of the melted resin composition. In many instances, thermoplastic polymers heated to a melting temperature have a viscosity well above room temperature water, more akin to a carbohydrate syrup such as room temperature molasses. Increasing the temperature of melted thermoplastic resin further can reduce the viscosity, but also increases the risk the resin will thermally decompose.
Thus, there is a need for developing methods of making fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites that permits a thermplastic resin composition to be combined with fibers at lower viscosity. There is also a need for methods of reducing the viscosity of the thermoplastic resin composition without heating a polymerized thermoplastic resin to its decomposition temperature. The present application addresses this and other challenges in making reinforced thermplastic composites.

Fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites and methods of making


An ultrasonic sensor is located in the bottom of a lift cylinder of a forklift and emits ultrasonic waves toward a piston in the cylinder. A controller controls the ultrasonic sensor to consecutively emit ultrasonic waves that have different amplitudes at predetermined intervals. The ultrasonic waves are emitted in order of smallness of amplitude. The controller computes the distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the piston based on a period from when the ultrasonic sensor emits one of the ultrasonic waves to when the ultrasonic sensor receives the ultrasonic wave that is reflected by the piston. As a result, the range of the detectable distances is extended.

The present invention relates to a device and a method for detecting the position of a movable body by using ultrasonic waves. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a device and a method that use an ultrasonic sensor to detect the position of a piston in a hydraulic cylinder used in industrial vehicles.
A typical forklift has a fork for lifting and lowering a cargo. Some forklifts are equipped with an automatic controller for lowering or lifting the fork to a predetermined position. The automatic controller requires a fork height sensor to continuously detect the height of the fork.
Reel-type fork height sensors are known in the art. A reel type sensor includes a wire, a reel for winding the wire and a rotation sensor such as a potentiometer. One end of the wire is connected to an inner mast. As the inner mast is lifted or lowered, the rotation position of the reel changes. The rotation sensor detects rotation of the reel. The height of the fork is detected based on the rotational position of the reel.
However, since the reel, around which the wire is wound, is relatively large, the reel-type sensor occupies relatively large space. Also, the wire and the potentiometer, which are exposed, can be damaged by contact with foreign objects, which may make the sensor less reliable.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-238513 discloses a fork height detector that uses an ultrasonic sensor. The ultrasonic sensor is located in a lift cylinder for lifting and lowering a fork and detects the location of a piston in the lift cylinder. The height of the fork is detected based on the detected position of the piston.
Specifically, the ultrasonic sensor is located at the bottom of the cylindrical housing. The ultrasonic sensor emits ultrasonic waves to the end surface of the piston and receives the reflected ultrasonic waves. The distance between the sensor and the piston, or the position of the piston, is calculated based on the traveling time of an ultrasonic wave, or the time from when an ultrasonic wave is emitted to when the reflected wave is received. The height of the fork is calculated based on the detected piston position. Unlike reel-type sensors, the ultrasonic sensor, which is located in the lift cylinder, is not exposed. Therefore, the height detector is less vulnerable to damage, which improves reliability.
When the distance between the ultrasonic sensor and an object is relatively short, reverberation due to the emission of an ultrasonic wave remains until the reflected wave is received by the sensor. Since the sensor induces voltage signals based on the reverberation and a voltage signal based on a reflected wave, whether the reflected wave is received cannot be accurately detected based on the voltage signal outputted by the ultrasonic sensor. Thus, normally, a distance range between the sensor and one tenth of the maximum distance that can be detected by an ultrasonic sensor is out of the detectable distance range of the sensor.
If the maximum distance that can be detected by an ultrasonic sensor is, for example, ten meters as shown in FIG. 7, the detectable distance range is from a point that is one meter away from the sensor to the ten meter point. When a wave generation signal (voltage signal) is supplied to the ultrasonic sensor, the sensor generate an ultrasonic wave and induces a voltage signal S based on the reverberation of the ultrasonic wave. When the distance between the sensor and an object is shorter than one meter, the sensor induces a reception signal (voltage signal) R based on the received reflected wave while the voltage signal S is being generated. The time at which the reception signal R is generated cannot be detected based on the synthesized signal of the voltage signals S and R. Therefore, the detectable range of the ultrasonic sensor is limited.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a device and a method for detecting the position of a movable body in a wide range of distance by using ultrasonic.
To achieve the foregoing and other objectives and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a device for detecting the position of a movable body that moves in a predetermined move range is provided. The device includes an ultrasonic sensor and a controller for controlling the ultrasonic sensor. The ultrasonic sensor emits ultrasonic waves toward the movable body and receives ultrasonic waves that are reflected by the movable body. The controller controls the ultrasonic sensor to consecutively emit a plurality of ultrasonic waves that have different amplitudes at predetermined intervals, thereby measuring the distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the movable body. The controller computes the distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the movable body based on a period from when the ultrasonic sensor emits one of the ultrasonic waves to when the ultrasonic sensor receives the one ultrasonic wave that is reflected by the movable body.
The present invention may also be applied to a method for detecting a position of a movable body that moves in a predetermined move range by using ultrasonic waves emitted form an ultrasonic sensor. The method includes consecutively emitting a plurality of ultrasonic waves that have different amplitudes at predetermined intervals from the ultrasonic sensor, thereby measuring the distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the movable body, and computing the distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the movable body based on a period from when the ultrasonic sensor emits one of the ultrasonic waves to when the ultrasonic sensor receives the one ultrasonic wave that is reflected by the movable body.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.

Device and method for detecting position of movable body by using ultrasonic waves

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho


Described herein is a method and system for motion estimation in a video encoder. There are two parts to the motion estimation. Coarse motion estimation generates a set of motion vectors for a current picture and at least one reference picture. Typically, coarse motion estimation operates on sub-sampled pictures. Fine motion estimation can refine coarse motion estimation results by searching interpolated video data in a region defined by the motion vectors from the coarse motion estimation.

Video communications systems are continually being enhanced to meet requirements such as reduced cost, reduced size, improved quality of service, and increased data rate. Many advanced processing techniques can be specified in a video compression standard. Typically, the design of a compliant video encoder is not specified in the standard. Optimization of the communication system's requirements is dependent on the design of the video encoder.
The video encoding standard H.264 utilizes a combination of intra-coding and inter-coding. Intra-coding uses spatial prediction based on information that is contained in the picture itself. Inter-coding uses motion estimation and motion compensation based on previously encoded pictures. The encoding process for motion estimation consists of selecting motion data comprising a motion vector that describes a displacement applied to samples of a previously encoded picture. As the number of ways to partition a picture increases, this selection process can become very complex, and optimization can be difficult given the constraints of some hardware.
Limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Method and system for motion estimation in a video encoder