A drive current value is regulated by a current value regulator circuit of a current drive circuit provided externally of each pixel circuit, so that control lines for a program control provided in order to unify operating threshold values of drive transistors becomes unnecessary. Therefore, the number of transistors of each pixel circuit can be reduced and the circuit size of each pixel circuit can be reduced thereby.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive circuit of an active matrix type organic EL panel and an organic EL display device using the drive circuit and, in particular, the present invention relates to an active matrix type organic EL display device, which can reduce luminance unevenness of a display screen of a portable telephone set or PHS, etc., even when the size of pixel circuit is restricted by removing a circuit for compensating for an operating threshold value of drive transistors and is suitable for high luminance color display.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been known that an organic EL display device, which realizes a high luminance display by spontaneous light emission, is suitable for a display on a small display screen and the organic EL display device has been attracting public attention as the next generation display device to be mounted on a portable telephone set, a PHS, a DVD player or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), etc. Known problems of such organic EL display device are that, since, when it is driven by voltage as in a liquid crystal display device, luminance variation thereof becomes substantial and that, since there is difference in sensitivity of organic EL element between R (red), G (green) and B (blue), a control of luminance of a color display becomes difficult.
In view of these problems, an organic EL display device using current drive circuits has been proposed recently. For example, JPH10-112391A discloses a technique in which the luminance variation problem is solved by employing a current drive system.
An organic EL display panel of an organic EL display device for a portable telephone set, a PHS, etc., having 396 (=132×3) terminal pins for column lines and 162 terminal pins for row lines has been proposed. However, there is a tendency that the number of column lines as well as row lines is further increased.
An output stage of a current drive circuit of such organic EL display panel of either the active matrix type or the passive matrix type includes a current source drive circuit, such as an output circuit constructed with a current mirror circuit, for each of the terminal pins.
In the active matrix type organic EL display device, a pixel circuit composed of a capacitor and a current drive transistor is provided for each display pixel. The transistor of the pixel circuit is driven by a voltage stored in the capacitor and the organic EL element (referred to as OEL element, hereinafter) is current-driven by the transistor. A drive system therefor is a digital drive system in which the OEL element is binary-controlled by ON/OFF of the transistor or an analog drive system in which a drive current of the OEL element is controlled by an analog input data. In the case of the digital drive, a display area is controlled by providing a sub pixel in the pixel or a color tone of a display pixel is controlled according to a difference of a drive time by time-dividing a light emitting time. The analog drive system is classified to a voltage assigning type system (voltage program system) and a current assigning type system (current program system). In the voltage assigning type analog drive system, a terminal voltage of the capacitor of each pixel circuit is set by a voltage signal and, in the current assigning type analog drive system, the terminal voltage of the capacitor is set by a current signal.
In such active matrix type organic EL display device, luminance unevenness tends to occur due to variation of operating threshold value of the drive transistor in each of the pixel circuits. Since it is difficult to make the operating thresholds of the drive transistors of the respective pixel circuit uniform during a fabrication process of the display device, it has been considered to restrict the luminance unevenness by controlling the voltages of the capacitors of the respective pixel circuits. In order to realize such scheme, a threshold value compensation circuit is provided within the pixel circuit. Examples of the threshold value compensation circuit are of the voltage program type and the current program type.
The voltage program type threshold value compensation circuit utilizes four transistors and two capacitors provided in each pixel circuit and two wiring lines for compensating for variation of the operating threshold value of the drive transistors are provided in addition to data lines and selection lines. The current drive is performed without influence of the threshold values of the drive transistors by charging the two capacitors by control signals to the two lines with predetermined timing.
In the current program system, the pixel circuit includes three transistors, which includes the drive transistor, and a switching transistor for setting a specific voltage. Further, the pixel circuit includes a data line, two selection lines and a power source line (source line) of a specific voltage Vdd. First, the drive transistor is separated by the switching transistor to charge the capacitor by current drive and then the drive transistor is connected to the capacitor by the switching transistor and the OEL element is current-driven by supplying power from the source line.
Each of these drive methods requires a program timing control. Particularly, in the current drive system, the preciseness of current value required for intermediate tone display control becomes 0.1 μA or smaller. Therefore, the control itself becomes difficult. Further, when the density of display pixels becomes as high as, for example, VGA, SVGA, XGA, etc., the circuit size of each pixel circuit becomes large since the program timing control must be performed within a limited time and lines for the program control are required in addition to the data line and the selection line.

Drive circuit of active matrix type organic EL panel and organic EL display device using the same drive circuit


An urethral probe comprised of a generally inflexible rod having a length of about 14 to 20 centimeters, extremely smooth surfaces and including a bulbous tip approximately one centimeter in length, an enlarged central portion of approximately 0.5 centimeters in diameter and a rounded terminal end portion. The probe is preferably of molded plastic, packaged in a sterile individual wrapper and disposed of after a single use. Calibrations in hypoallergenic ink assist the doctor or technician in the performance of a "Q-tip test" for measuring the urethral length, for evaluating the tone of the patient's sphincter, i.e., the trigone of the bladder, and for detecting the amount of change in the urethral vesicle angle incident to the diagnosis and evaluation of urinary stress incontinence.

It has been more than 25 years since gynecologists first performed a "Q-tip test" utilizing a cotton-tipped device as an urethral probe for measuring the urethral length and change in the vesicle angle while making a diagnosis and/or evaluation of urinary stress incontinence. This procedure is described in considerable detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,144 granted in 1978 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,939 granted in 1986.
A clinician uses an urethral probe for examining the urethra of a female patient as an aid in determining the extent of relaxation or change in position of the supporting tissues around the neck of the bladder, sphincter (trigone) and urethra.
The probe in the hands of a skilled physician is used to measure the change in the urethral vesicle angle when the patient performs one or more straining maneuvers, and also is used to determine the length of the urethra and the tone of the sphincter, i.e., the trigone of the bladder.

Urethral probe for diagnosing stress incontinence


A flow rate sensor includes a main conduit, a sensor tube and a bypass tube connecting an upstream portion of the main conduit to a downstream portion of the main conduit such that flow through the main conduit is divided through the sensor tube and the bypass tube, and at least one heater element for heating the sensor tube. A first flow restrictor of porous media is positioned between the upstream portion of the main conduit and the sensor tube, and a second flow restrictor of porous media is positioned between the upstream portion of the main conduit and the bypass tube. The flow restrictors provide the flow rate sensor with a fixed bypass ratio so that the sensor can operate independently of the type of gas being measured.

In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, it is necessary to achieve precise control of the quantity, temperature and pressure of one or more reactant materials which are delivered in a gaseous state to a reaction chamber. Mass flow controllers are widely used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry to control the delivery of process reactants. In FIG. 1 there is shown an example of a typical mass flow rate controller (MFC). The MFC generally includes a mass flow rate sensor (which includes a sensor tube and bypass tube, as described below) for measuring the rate of flow of gas through the MFC, a valve for controlling the flow of gas through the MFC and a simple control circuit or a computer mounted on a P.C. board and connected to the mass flow rate sensor and the valve. The computer is programmed with a desired flow rate through a connector, for example, which the computer compares to an actual flow rate as measured by the mass flow rate sensor. If the actual flow rate does not equal the desired flow rate, the computer is further programmed to open or close the valve until the actual flow rate equals the desired flow rate.
Thermal mass flow sensors operate on the principle of conservation of thermal energy, where power applied to a flowing gas equals the mass flow rate of the gas multiplied by the specific heat of the gas, the density of the gas and the temperature change of the gas. The mass flow rate can therefore be determined if the properties of the gas, the temperature changes of the gas, and the rate of power applied to the gas are known.
One class of thermal mass flow rate sensors employs a sensor tube as the primary sensing mechanism, as shown in the exemplary prior art mass flow rate sensor 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2. In such a device, a sensor tube 12 diverts a portion 14 of the main flow 16 passing through a primary conduit 18 of the MFC, while the remainder of the flaw passes through a bypass tube 18a that includes a laminar flow element 22. It is important to note that this figure is not necessarily to scale. Typically the sensor tube 12 is significantly smaller than the primary conduit 18, but is shown somewhat large in FIG. 2 for clarity, Generally one or more heating elements 20 attach tote sensor tube 12 to allow a heat transfer from the heating elements 20, through the tube 12 and to the fluid. The heating elements 20 also serve as resistance tenperature sensors that track the local temperature of the wall of the sensor tube 12.
The increase in gas temperature between the two heating elements 20 is a function of the mass flow rate of the gas through the sensor tube 12, the specific heat of the gas, the density of the gas, and the power delivered to the heater elements 20. A circuit converts the difference in resistance (or temperature) of the two elements 20 into a voltage output (power) which is calibrated to known flow rates. Normally, the change in resistance is converted to voltage by a Wheatstone bridge, which is connected to the processor. The processor compares the voltage level to stored reference gas calibration data to determine the flow rate. The stored reference gas calibration data, or table, includes voltages produced by the sensor for a range of known flow rates of the reference gas.
Since the calibration data changes for gases other than the reference gas, a characterization of the calibration data is required for each type of gas being measured in the sensor tube 12, in order for the resulting measurement to be accurate. This characterization is also referred to as multi-gas correction functions. The multi-gas correction function is the ratio of flows, in the sensor tube 12 only, of the new gas over the reference gas (Qnew/Qref). This ratio changes with sensor voltage. The calibration table of the reference gas is simply a list of sensor voltages and measured total flows at those voltages. To obtain the calibration table in the new gas, the flow of the reference gas is multiplied by the multi-gas correction function at each voltage in the reference gas calibration table. The multi-gas correction function is meant to make the sensor tube 12 independent of the type of gas being measured.
The multi-gas correction function assumes that a bypass ratio is the same in both the reference gas and the gas being measured. The bypass ratio η (also referred to as split ratio) of the sensor 10 is defined as the total flow through the bypass tube 18a and the sensor tube 12, Qtotal divided by flow through just the sensor tube 12, Qsensor.
                              BypassRatio          ≡          η                =                                            Q              Total                                      Q              sensor                                =                                                    Q                sensor                            +                              Q                bypass                                                    Q              sensor                                                          (        1        )
In a multi-gas application, η must be equal for all gases. Any change in η from that of the reference gas is defined as the multi-gas bypass ratio error εbp for that gas.
                              MulitgasBypassRatioError          ≡                      ɛ            bp                          =                  (                                    η              -                              η                ref                                                    η              ref                                )                                    (        2        )
εbp translates directly into a calibration error for the new gas. The bypass tube 18a is normally designed to minimize this error.
The multi-gas bypass ratio error εbp occurs because the bypass ratio η changes for different gases because of pressure losses, such as entrance effects, caused by non-ideal geometric conditions of the primary conduit, the bypass tube and the sensor tube. These pressure losses are often referred to as "Reynolds Losses" because the losses are a function of the Reynolds number of the gas being measured. The Reynolds Losses can be a major source of error in measuring the gas flow. The Reynolds losses are normally minimized or eliminated so that the bypass ratio η remains constant for different gases by properly designing the bypass tube 18a and the sensor tube 12. Properly designing the bypass tube 18a, however, often results in a complex, relatively large and expensive sensor 10, especially at high flow ranges.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a new and improved thermal mass flow rate sensor which can be used with different gases. Preferably, the new and improved thermal mass flow rate sensor will be substantially independent of gas properties (i.e., characterization of the bypass ratio will not be required for each type of gas being measured in the mass flow rate sensor). In addition, the new and improved thermal mass flow rate sensor also will preferably be relatively simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, and compact in size.

Thermal mass flow rate sensor having fixed bypass ratio


A conveyor suitable for use, e.g., in food processing apparatus, includes particular procedures and arrangements for decontaminating the surface of the conveyor. The conveyor surface is subject first to a mechanical cleaning, e.g., by spraying of liquid followed by brushing in a rinse/clean unit. This step displaces gross debris from the conveyor surface. In a second step, the surface is subjected to UV irradiation to sterilize the cleaned surface. This UV irradiation may be provided by banks of UV lamps between which the conveyor passes. Detectors for residual organic material may be used to monitor the cleanliness of the surface.

The use of conveyors, especially of the continuous belt type, for moving substrates through high throughput manufacturing units is well established. In the food industry, any contact between an item of food and any equipment surface, especially the conveyor, is a potential source of microbial contamination of the food. Furthermore contaminants on the surface of the food can be transferred to equipment leading to cross contamination of subsequent items. The nature of continuous belt conveyors tends to increase the risk of cross contamination, which is of particular concern in the food industry as it can lead to reduced shelf life of the contaminated food item, or even to food poisoning.
Conveyors can be wholly or partly enclosed within a decontaminating unit, for example as described in WO94/24875 (which is incorporated herein by reference) in which a plurality of UV sources are distributed around the walls of a tunnel and directed radially inwardly towards the centre of the cavity through which the substrate is conveyed. The equipment effectively decontaminates the conveyor and the substrate on the conveyor at the same time; although this simultaneous action is often highly desirable from the point of view of food hygiene, it is not universally permitted. Further, in use such equipment can occupy large areas of factory floor, partly because the requirement for ensuring operator safety often entails providing additional features.
Such equipment is effective in minimising the effect of cross contamination between belt and substrate, provided especially that the conveyor belt is apertured or UV transmissive. If the belt is neither apertured nor UV transmissive, decontamination of the underside of the belt can be less effective. Even with belts that are substantially apertured, such as conveyors with belts of interlocking metal or plastic mesh, some contamination can build up in small crevices that are inevitably present in practice, particularly at the flexible nodes of the mesh.


The present invention provides a supporting structure of a roof corner for a large vehicle in which the roof corner includes a roof structure and a side structure connected to the roof structure, the supporting structure comprising a reinforcing member coupled to the roof structure and the side structure for supporting the roof corner and minimizing deformation of the roof corner in the event of vehicle overturn.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a supporting structure of a roof corner for a large vehicle, and more particularly to a supporting structure of a roof corner for a large vehicle in which a reinforcing member is coupled to a roof corner so as to enhance supporting rigidity thereby maximizing a passenger survival space in the event of vehicle overturn.
(b) Background Art
FIG. 1 is a drawing showing deformation of a roof corner of a conventional large vehicle when the vehicle experiences overturn.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the event that the vehicle experiences overturn, impact load may act on a roof corner C. As a result, the roof may be deformed from state A to state B, and a passenger survival space may be invaded by a vehicle body structure.
For a conventional large vehicle, in order to prevent the passenger survival space from being invaded, a reinforcing member has been diagonally coupled to a portion of the pillar of the vehicle and a portion of the floor.
However, since assembling tolerance in the application of the reinforcing member to a large vehicle varies depending on kinds and types of vehicles, an additional margin is required.
In such conventional structure, a roof structure and a side structure are connected only by welding, so the connection part may be easily deformed by external impact. Accordingly, there is a need for a structure for minimizing such deformation.

Supporting structure of roof corner for large vehicle


A rotating hair brush with a fins or similar implement projected into the moving path of the brush bristles. The fins automatically remove the hair/fur from the brush bristles. The amount of exposed bristles can be varied and completely concealed inside of the housing. The brush core can contain the batteries and/or motor to reduce the overall size of the assembly. A suction device can be attached to remove dislodged debris. The overall structure contains all of the components such as the motor, power source, brush and hair removal fins in a single housing. The brush is removable and can be exchanged for another with a different bristle configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to brushes used on human hair, animal hair and animal fur. Brushing short curly human hair is a simple process if you don't desire a well-manicured look.
2. Discussion of Background Art
To achieve a well-manicured look or wave pattern, the hair must be trained over time by employing a regimen of manual brushing multiple times a day a few minutes at a time. A similar problem occurs with animal hair and animal fur. There are many styles of pet brushes on the market, but each requires the user to spend large amounts of time brushing the coat of the animal to achieve the desired results, in addition to removing the animal hair/fur from the brush.
Research did not uncover any products specifically designed to address all of the problems for short human hair, animal hair or animal fur, but there are a few patents that attempt to provide solutions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,635 issued to Marino (2000) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,073 issued to Jiovanni (2000), provide a means for brushing long human hair. Both inventions utilize a brush with bristles spaced 360 degrees around a core powered by a motor and the Marino invention includes dividers that prevent the hair from wrapping around the brush core. The Jiovanni invention can be used on short or long human hair but the separate handle-brush configuration isn't effective at applying downward force through the bristles to the scalp. The handle-brush configuration requires the user to generate a large amount of force across a moment arm to generate the desired downward force at the scalp.
The Marino invention is intended to be used by humans with long hair who are concerned about their hair wrapping around the brush core. The dividers in this configuration make it difficult to use close to the scalp and skin because the dividers will bump against the surface. Also neither of these inventions provides a means of removing the hair and fur that may get lodged into the bristles.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2004/0231077 submitted by Richmond provides a means for brushing short hair close to the scalp or skin. This invention utilizes a belt with perpendicular bristles to smooth the hair. Just as the other inventions, the Richmond solution does not provide a means of removing hair or fur from the bristles.
Although the prior devices have utility for their intended purposes, there remains a need in the art for a hair/fur brush that overcomes all of the known deficiencies and problems. The present invention has been developed as a solution to the known problems, and specifically to provide a hair brush that delivers many strokes per minute with minimal manual effort and the ability to easily remove dislodged hair and fur from the brush bristles, and more specifically such a brush having a configuration that can easily apply sufficient downward force between the bristles and the object being brushed to achieve maximum performance.


A fluid separator for a compressor is disclosed including a hollow main body having an annular flange and an annular collar formed thereon, wherein the annular collar includes an annular array of apertures formed therein for separating a liquid from a fluid and attenuating pressure pulsations of the fluid.

Hybrid electric vehicles having improved fuel economy over internal combustion engine and other vehicles are quickly becoming more popular as a cost of traditional fuel increases. Typically, the improved fuel economy is due to known technologies such as regenerative braking, electric motor assist, and engine-off operation.
Although the technologies improve fuel economy, there are drawbacks. One such drawback is that accessories powered by a fuel-powered engine no longer operate when the fuel-powered engine is not in operation. One major accessory that does not operate is an air-conditioning compressor, which cools air in a passenger compartment of the vehicle. Ultimately, without the use of the compressor, a temperature of the air in the passenger compartment increases to a point above a desired temperature and the fuel-powered engine of the vehicle must restart.
Accordingly, vehicle manufacturers have used a full electric compressor on hybrid vehicles. The full electric compressor operates whether the fuel-powered engine is operating or not. A significant disadvantage of the full electric compressor is the inefficiency that occurs from converting engine shaft power to electricity, then electricity back to compressor shaft power. Thus, the use of a hybrid compressor which is mechanically and electrically driven is advantageous. One such hybrid compressor is a dual drive scroll compressor described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,243 entitled HYBRID COMPRESSOR, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In order to achieve high reliability and long life of the compressor, oil is used for lubrication to minimize a wear of internal components of the compressor. In addition to lubricating the compressor, the oil also carries away heat and performs a sealing function, particularly between mating surfaces.
The oil is typically stored in an oil reservoir disposed in the compressor, and transported in the compressor unit with a refrigerant. However, it is desirable that the oil contained in the refrigerant be separated before leaving a housing of the compressor, so that the oil may flow back into the oil reservoir. Prior art oil separators, such as cyclone separators, which include filtering means and spaces to reduce the velocity of flow, are known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,874,328 entitled HYBRID COMPRESSOR DEVICE, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses an oil separating unit. The oil separating unit is a funnel-shaped member adapted to cause a swirling movement of a refrigerant. Such swirling movement applies a centrifugal force to a lubricating oil contained in the refrigerant, thereby separating the lubricating oil from the refrigerant. An outer periphery of the funnel-shaped member contacts an inner wall of an oil storage chamber and is affixed thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,264,453 entitled HORIZONTAL SCROLL COMPRESSOR HAVING A CONNECTING PASSAGE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF A SUCTION PORT FOR CONNECTING A MOTOR ACCOMMODATING CHAMBER WITH A SUCTION CHAMBER, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses an oil separator for separating a lubricating oil from a high pressure refrigerant gas. The oil separator is a hollow member having a passageway formed therethrough. The passageway facilitates the flow of the high pressure refrigerant gas to a discharge port. The oil separator is disposed in a discharge chamber of a compressor, wherein the discharge chamber includes a reservoir to accumulate the separated lubricating oil.
It is also desirable that during operation of the compressor, a noise generated thereby which is perceptible by passengers of the vehicle is minimized. Operating noise is primarily caused by pressure pulsations associated with compression. In practice, different structures are used for reducing the pressure pulsations, such as chambers where pressure waves are attenuated by expansion.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0175239 entitled REFRIGERANT COMPRESSOR, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a compressor having an oil separation structure. The separation structure includes a plurality of separation chambers for separating a lubricating oil from a refrigerant gas. The separation chambers are in fluid communication with a muffler chamber. An expansion type muffler effect of the muffler chamber attenuates variation in pressure waves of the refrigerant gas.
Although the aforementioned structures operate effectively, the structures involve higher manufacturing costs. Additionally, the structures are complex, heavy, and are difficult to package in small engine bays of hybrid vehicles.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to produce a fluid separator for a compressor, wherein an attenuation of pressure pulsations and a separation of a fluid flowing therethrough are maximized and a cost, complexity, and space requirement thereof are minimized.


A push-on switch according to the present invention is constructed so that a pressing part faces the top surface of a dome-shaped movable contact, across a given clearance. Such a construction allows the pressing part to be pressed a distance until the pressing part touches the movable contact to be utilized for pre-loading, even if the movable contact has a short operation stroke.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a push-on switch that is used as an operating switch for an input operation unit in an electric apparatus including an electric component such as a car air-conditioner, and audiovisual equipment.
2. Background Art
In recent years, a push-on switch has been widely used as an operating switch for an input operation unit in an electric apparatus including a car air-conditioner and audiovisual equipment. A description will be made for such a conventional push-on switch, using FIG. 7.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the conventional push-on switch. In FIG. 7, case 1 is a case made of insulating resin, open at its top. Fixed contact 2 (2A and 2B), made of a pair of metal plates, is insert-molded to be fixed to the central part of inner bottom surface 1A of case 1.
The bottom end of movable contact 3, made of an elastic thin metal plate, formed in a dome shape, and open at its bottom, is placed on fixed contact 2B disposed at the outer position. In this case, the bottom surface of movable contact 3 maintains a clearance of the height of the dome from fixed contact 2A at the central position that corresponds to the position below the central top of movable contact 3.
Power driver 4, made of rigid material, is placed movably up and down on the central top of the above-mentioned movable contact 3. This power driver 4 is composed of flange 4A, annularly formed at the position of an intermediate height; lower pressing part 4B, with a small diameter, projectingly formed on the bottom surface of flange 4A; and operating projection 4C, projectingly formed on the top surface of lower pressing part 4B. The bottom surface of the above-mentioned lower pressing part 4B touches the central top of the above-mentioned movable contact 3.
Meanwhile, operating projection 4C of power driver 4 projects upward through a through-hole disposed on cover 5. The cover 5 is combined with case 1 so as to cover the opening of case 1, where the top surface of flange 4A of power driver 4 touches the bottom surface of cover 5 in a non-operational state.
The conventional push-on switch with the structure as mentioned above is mounted to a cabinet or the like so that a pressing operation can be performed with set knob 7, which is an operation button in the electric apparatus, disposed movably up and down, as shown in FIG. 7.
When operating projection 4C of power driver 4 is pressed through the above-mentioned set knob 7, the central top of movable contact 3 is immediately pressed by lower pressing part 4B provided on the bottom of power driver 4, and then a given force causes movable contact 3 to invert at its central part with comfortableness (i.e., with a comfortable feeling to the operator). Consequently, the bottom surface of movable contact 3 touches centrally-disposed fixed contact 2A; and then externally-located fixed contact 2B short-circuits with centrally-located fixed contact 2A through movable contact 3, to enter a switch-on state.
Movable contact 3, when pressing of power driver 4 is stopped, returns to its original, upwardly convex dome shape, with comfortableness, owing to its own restorative force, to separate from centrally-positioned fixed contact 2A. Then, power driver 4 is pressed back upward according to the restorative action, to enter the original switch-off state shown in FIG. 7.
Here, information on prior art documents related to the present invention includes Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2002-343178.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional push-on switch, small dimensional tolerance is required for the parts of the electric apparatus in order to incorporate set knob 7 for pressing down power driver 4, without rattle.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


In one aspect, an electrical connector to connect circuit cards includes a compliant member that includes a first end portion and a second end portion, a first rigid member attached to the first end portion of the compliant member and including a first bore extending along an axis, a second rigid member attached to the second end portion of the compliant member and including a second bore extending along the axis and a pin secured in the first bore and configured to move within the second bore. The compliant member is configured to translate along the axis from a first position corresponding to the first and second rigid members being separated to a second position corresponding to the first and second rigid members being in direct contact.

Sometimes it is desirable to transfer signals (e.g., power signals) from one circuit board to another circuit board. In one example, an interconnection between circuit cards includes a busbar blade and a corresponding busbar blade connector to receive the busbar blade. Generally, the busbar blade interconnection is used for low inductance requirements. In another example, a pin-and-socket connection is used. For example, one part of the interconnection includes a series of pins and another part of the interconnection includes a series of sockets, each socket configured to receive a corresponding pin. Generally, the pin-and-socket connection is used for high current requirements.

Electrical connector to connect circuit cards


A security alarm module for attaching to an item of merchandise in a security system for protecting the item of merchandise has a housing, a logic control circuit including a central controller, a wireless interface for communicating with a programmable key containing a security code, and a memory circuit for storing the security code. An attachment device attaches the alarm module to the item of merchandise and a sense loop operatively communicates with the attachment device for sensing when the integrity of the attachment device is compromised. An audio alarm is located within the housing and is actuated when the integrity of the sense loop is compromised. A visual indicator such as an LED, indicates the status of the alarm module. The housing includes a base and a bottom housing member which is spaced from the base to form a sound region. The audio alarm is mounted in the bottom housing member and communicates with the sound region which enhances the sound level of the alarm when actuated. The housing includes a plurality of terminal jacks which are connected to the logic control circuit for connection to one or more attachment devices containing the sense loops which extend from the alarm module to items of merchandise.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to security devices and systems for protection of merchandise, and in particular, a system based on a smart key that is programmed with a security disarm code (SDC) at a programming station, and more particularly to an alarm module attached to an item of merchandise into which the SDC is programmed by the smart key for subsequent disarming of the alarm module.
2. Background Information
Various retail establishments use numerous types of theft deterrent devices and systems to discourage shoplifters. Many of these systems use various types of alarm modules which are attached to an article to be protected in one manner or another. When the integrity of the module or the item of merchandise protected thereby is compromised in any manner, such as cutting attachment cables which attach the alarm module to the item of merchandise, removing the merchandise from the alarm module or disturbing the alarm module, will cause an audible alarm to be sounded in the module to alert store personnel that the item of merchandise or security device is being tampered with illegally. These alarm modules, as well as the items of merchandise protected thereby, also may contain various electronic article surveillance tags (EAS) which will sound an alarm at a security gate upon approaching or passing through the gate in an unauthorized manner.
These alarm modules usually have some type of key, either mechanical or magnetic, which is used to unlock the module from the protected item of merchandise to enable the merchandise to be taken to a checkout counter, as well as to disarm the audible alarm contained in the alarm module. One problem with such security systems is that these keys will be stolen from the retail establishment and used at the same store or at another store using the same type of alarm modules or security devices, to enable a thief to disarm the alarm module as well as unlock it from the protected merchandise. These keys also are stolen by dishonest employees for subsequent unauthorized use by the employee or sale to a thief for use at the same or other stores which use the same alarm modules controlled by the key.
It is extremely difficult to prevent the theft of these alarm module keys by dishonest employees or even by a thief within the retail establishment due to the number of keys that must be available and used by the various clerks in the various departments of the store to facilitate the use of the numerous alarm modules that are needed to protect the numerous items of merchandise.
Thus, the need exists for a security system and in particular for an alarm module used therein, which is attached to various items of merchandise, which will prevent or deter a thief or dishonest employee from using the key that is used to disarm the alarm module in an unauthorized manner, as well as preventing use of the key on similar types of alarm modules at other retail establishments including the store from which the key was stolen.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Programmable alarm module and system for protecting merchandise


An ultrasonic cleaner apparatus is disclosed which includes a support housing, a tub supported by the housing and an ultrasound and sensor transducer contacting the bottom of the cleaning tank. A fixture assembly for holding items to be cleaned is configured for insertion into the cleaning tank. The fixture assembly comprises a predetermined number of slots, which are positioned around the perimeter of a pair of end disks disposed on the fixture assembly. The slots are configured to receive the distal ends of slats or other items to be cleaned. Rotation of the fixture assembly in the cleaning solution and ultrasonic energy effectively cleans the items while the fixture assembly securely holds the items during cleaning, rinsing and drying.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a washing device, system and method for cleaning slats used in slat-type counting machines adapted for small, discrete particles such as pharmaceutical and nutritional tablets, capsules and caplets.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many devices on the market today for counting capsules and tablets into containers such as bottles or boxes. One of the fastest types of tablet counters on the market today is a slat counter wherein slats are fitted onto a moving belt rotating through a hopper containing tablets or capsules. The slats have a predetermined number of holes, each of which are filled with a capsule or tablet from the hopper. As each slat moves to the unloading position, a predetermined number of tablets or capsules are directed into a container.
One type of slat counter is a continuous slat counter, which typically comprises a moving bed with a series of grooved slats that pass beneath a quantity of tablets. The grooves are further subdivided into cavities and one tablet is permitted to drop into each cavity until all the cavities are filled. After the filled slats move from beneath the stationary quantity of tablets, they are inverted and the tablets fall out and are collated and fed into containers via transport through a manifold system.
Another version of a continuous slat-type counting and filling machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,960, in which the slats and cavities are oriented horizontally, i.e., coaxial with the axis around which they are moving. A series of chutes collects the counted tablets and delivers them to a moving series of containers. Yet another variation of slat counting machines is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,259, in which the slats are vertically-oriented cavities that deliver the counted product to a series of chutes that shuttle alternately between a first and a second row of containers.
While slat-type counting devices provide high speed counting, their advantages become limited when the product enclosed in the capsules changes or when the quantity or size of the capsules to be packaged changes. If any of these parameters are altered, every slat has to be cleaned before it can be re-configured for the new product, which requires considerable down time.
The cleaning process presents a number of difficulties due to the size and configuration of typical slats. Historically, the slats used in counting devices are made from a FDA approved material, such as Delrin®, and have a row of cavities drilled into them to hold the tablets or capsules. Therefore, the cleaning process requires the precision of small parts cleaning in that small particles will need to be removed from small crevice-like openings and indentations. The cleaning process must also be on an industrial scale because the slats are typically fairly large items that must be cleaned in large quantities in industrial packaging settings. Typically, however, slats are taken to a maintenance area within a manufacturing facility and washed manually with, for example, tap water from a hose, and air-dried. The present invention discloses an apparatus and method for cleaning slats, which permits more thorough and efficient cleaning of slats, which is suited to industrial packaging settings.


Methods, systems and apparatus for billing network usage in a network are provided. Statistics of subscribers' network usage and subscriber information are transmitted from a plurality of First Hop Multicast Routers (FHMRs) to a Net Flow Collection Server (NFCS). The NFCS consolidates the statistics received and subscriber information into a report. Thereafter, a Billing Module (BM) prepares subscribers billing information based on the report and policies configured on the BM. Advantageously, subscribers are charged based on their individual network usage.

1. Field of the Present Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate, in general, to networking. More specifically, the embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and a system for billing network usage in a multicast content-delivery network.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a typical content-delivery network, sources transmit streaming content, such as a television channel instance, to selected multiple subscribers who have joined a multicast group. Each source has to generate only a single data stream and a multicast-enabled router forwards a multicast stream to a particular network only if there are multicast receivers on that network.
Membership in a multicast group is dynamic; hosts can join and leave at any time. There is no restriction on the location or number of members in a multicast group. A host can be a member of more than one multicast group at a time. How active a multicast group is and what members it has can vary from group to group and from time to time. A multicast group can be active for a long time, or it may be very short-lived. Membership in a group can change constantly. A group that has members may have no activity.
Routers executing a multicast routing protocol, such as Protocol-Independent Multicast (PIM), maintain forwarding tables to forward multicast datagrams. Routers use the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) to learn whether members of a group are present on their directly attached subnets. Hosts join multicast groups by sending IGMP report messages.
Many multimedia applications involve multiple participants. IP multicast is naturally suitable for this communication paradigm. In order to show interest in receiving the content, the users transmit multicast-group join messages to the edge sites. For example, in a television network, television channels are streams of data. These channels are transmitted from various sources to a large number of subscribers through various service providers. The subscribers can switch between the various channels as desired.
To join a multicast, the subscriber transmits a multicast group join message to the multicast router operated by a service provider. The join message includes a control packet such as an IGMP join message. Subsequently, the router transmits a control packet such as a PIM join message to a Rendezvous Point (RP) router in the content-delivery network. All routers along the way to the RP transmit the PIM join message to their respective next-hop routers in the direction of the RP. In this way, multicast state is created on each router from the router closest to the subscriber to the RP. Thereafter, the RP router transmits the PIM join message to the source of the multicast stream. In this way, a multicast distribution tree is set up after which the subscriber is able to receive the multicast stream.
Setting up the multicast distribution tree requires processing the control packet, a process that can involves a considerable amount of time. Thus, there is often substantial latency for the subscriber to receive the transmission of the multicast.
When the subscriber switches from one multicast stream to another, a new multicast distribution tree must be set up. For each multicast stream, state must be maintained and routers sitting in the path from the source of the multicast stream to the subscriber must process the control packets.
If the subscriber switches between a number of multicast streams within a time window, then the control packet processing would also have to scale to match the number of multicast streams subscribed to by the subscriber within the time window. This leads to a substantial amount of additional processing by the routers in the multicast distribution tree. Additional bandwidth may need to be allocated if the selected multicast stream is not already in the set of multicast streams.
Conventionally, service providers bill subscribers on a fixed-rate basis. For example, a fixed monthly charge for a set of multicast streams is billed to the subscribers. Therefore, a subscriber who is frequently switching multicast streams is charged equal to a subscriber switching less frequently. Moreover, a subscriber subscribing to a multicast stream with heavy bandwidth requirement is charged equal to a subscriber subscribing to multicast streams with low bandwidth requirement. What is needed is a method and a system for monitoring and billing multicast stream subscribers based on various differential billing policies.

Method and system for billing network usage in a network


A method, computer program product, and a data processing system for selecting services of a business process for execution is provided. Ontological data is read from a data store, and an ontological model representative of the ontological data is then generated. The ontological model is mapped to a business process that comprises a plurality of sub-processes. The ontological model is used to select a subset of the plurality of sub-processes comprising the original business process resulting in a modified business process.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a data processing system and method for enabling dynamic and adaptive business processes through an ontological data model. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a method, computer program product, and a data processing system for enabling generation of a modified business process by mapping ontological data to a business process.
2. Description of Related Art
Enterprise systems are increasingly integrating various business systems and processes to facilitate data collaboration among various software systems. Business processes may be implemented in a proprietary software language or may be implemented using an industry standard language, such as the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). Business processes define workflows that generally include a variety of tasks. Typically, managing the collaborative sharing of information in a business enterprise system is difficult.
Networks such as the Internet provide the ability for geographically diverse systems to communicate with very low latency with other systems or individuals. Many enterprise systems once limited to enterprise intranets are now being deployed on the Internet to exploit available Web services. However, in doing so, effective implementation of a business process requires integration of even more diverse data and systems. As such, effective implementation of business processes is becoming even more complex.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a mechanism that facilitates enabling dynamic and adaptive business processes. It would further be advantageous to provide a mechanism that facilitates business process adaptation or modification by mapping ontological data to a business process.

Method and computer program product for enabling dynamic and adaptive business processes through an ontological data model

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention presents an excellent liquid crystal display composition possessing a negative dielectric anisotropy, comprising one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of formulas I, II, III, IV and V, ##STR1## where R.sup.1 is alkyl, alkoxyalkyl, mono- or difluoroalkyl, or alkenyl, with each group having 2 to 7 carbon atoms; h, i, j, and k denote 0 or 1 with proviso that i+j=1; m is 0, 1 or 2; a six-membered ring expressed by A, B, or C respectively represents any one of trans-1-sila-1,4-cyclohexylene, trans-4-sila-1,4-cyclohexylene, or trans-1,4-cyclohexylene group; L represents F; and L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 represent H or F; n is 0, 1 or 2; and R.sup.2 is H, R.sup.1 or OR.sup.1, in which at least one compound thereof contains trans-1-sila-1,4-cyclohexylene group or trans-4-sila-1,4-cyclohexylene group.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal composition composed of a liquid crystal compound containing silacyclohexane ring only, or a mixture of it with a conventional liquid crystal compound not containing silicon.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display element makes use of the optical anisotropy and dielectric anisotropy of a liquid crystal substance. Depending on the mode of display, there are TN type (twisted nematic type), STN type (super-twisted nematic type), SBE type (super-birefringent type), DS type (dynamic scattering type), guest-host type, DAP type (deformed array phase type), OMI type (optical mode interference type), and other type of devices. The most general display device possesses a twisted nematic structure depending on Shutt-Hellfritt effect.
Although the properties required of liquid crystal substances used in such liquid crystal displays may be slightly different depending on the display mechanism, wide liquid crystal temperature ranges and stability against moisture, air, light, heat or electric field are common requirements for all display methods. Moreover, the liquid crystal materials are preferred to have low viscosity, short address time, low threshold voltage and high contrast when used in a cell. At the beginning of the line present, there is no known single compound satisfying all of these requirements, and from several to more than ten liquid crystal compounds or latent liquid crystal compounds are mixed for use. Accordingly, it is also important that the constituent components are mutually miscible easily.
In particular, in view of recent developments in multimedia and wide spread use of portable appliances, energy saving and lower driving voltage are demanded in liquid crystal displays. Of the power used in a direct-viewing type liquid crystal display, the backlight consumes about a half, and as the means of curtailing power use dramatically, the reflection type liquid crystal display is being intensively pursued.
The action modes of the reflection type liquid crystal display include DS (dynamic scattering) mode, ECB (electrically controlled birefringence) mode, GH (guest-host) mode, and others, and in certain types it is required to use a liquid crystal material with a negative value of .DELTA..di-elect cons. (dielectric constant anisotropy).
Hitherto known independent liquid crystal compounds with negative .DELTA..di-elect cons. values include: ##STR2## where R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are represented by an alkyl or alkoxy group with each group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms (Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 61-26898), ##STR3## where R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are an alkyl or alkoxy group with each group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms; the sum of q and r equals 1 or 2; Z represents a single bond, CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2, OCH.sub.2, OCO, or CO.sub.2 ; X.sup.1 and X.sup.2 represent H, F, Cl, Br, or CN (Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 60-199840), ##STR4## where R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are non-substituted or substituted alkyl groups with each group having 1 to 15 carbon atoms, Q is CO or CH.sub.2 (Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2-503436), and other compounds having a partial structure with positions 2 and 3 of a 1,4-substituted phenylene group substituted by F, CN, etc., and other compounds having a partial structure with axial position of 1 or 4 of a 1,4-substituted cyclohexylene group substituted by F, CN such as ##STR5## (Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 60-226835).
One of demerits of liquid crystal display is the narrowness of the viewing field angle. To improve this, various novel modes have been proposed. One of them is the in-plane switching mode. In this mode, the viewing field angle is excellent because it is extended to .+-.60 degrees both vertically and horizontally, but its shortcoming is the slow response speed. This is because it was forced to use Nn type liquid crystals (.DELTA..di-elect cons.<0) of high viscosity.

Liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal display element comprising the same


Pipes and/or wires extend in a bundle from a hollow portion of a second wrist element to a hollow portion of first wrist element of a robot. The first wrist element can rotate relatively to the second wrist element around an axis that passes through the two hollow portions. This bundle is divided into a plurality of split bundles in the hollow portion of the first wrist element. The split bundles are led out individually through a plurality of openings in the sidewall of the first wrist element and are connected to a working unit on a flange portion of the first wrist element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laying structure for linear elements, such as wires or pipes, located between two relatively rotating members, and more particularly, to a laying structure adapted to lay linear elements between relative rotation parts in a turning machine such as a robot or manipulator.
2. Description of the Related Art
A bundle of linear elements that are formed of wires and pipes, such as cables for supplying electricity and hoses through which a fluid such as air or water runs, is attached to and stretched between two members that can rotate relatively to each other. When the two members rotate relatively to each other, in this case, the bundle of linear elements is twisted, so that its durability lowers.
There are increasing demands for the enlargement of the range of operation of a robot and the improvement of the reliability of built-in cables of the robot, in particular. Accordingly, various proposals have been made to improve wiring and piping structures, such as cables, hoses, etc. in the relative rotation parts.
In the case of a robot wrist, in particular, a working unit such as a hand or welding gun is attached to the distal end of the wrist. Further, a plurality of linear elements, such as cables for supplying the working unit with electricity or hoses for running a fluid, such as air or water, are bundled and laid along an arm or wrist of the robot. Wrist elements of the robot wrist to which the working unit is attached frequently rotate and move relatively to a pedestal element, so that the durability of the linear elements is a critical problem.
There is a system to tackle this problem. According to this known system, the wrist elements are made hollow, and the central axis of the hollow is the center of relative rotation of the wrist elements. A bundle of linear elements, such as cables, is passed through the hollow structure. The bundle of linear elements is twined in the hollow structure as it is guided into the wrist elements so that the wrist element on the side of pedestal and the wrist element on the side of rotating part can rotate relative to each other within a given range.
As mentioned before, however, the hand, welding gun, or other working unit is attached to the rotating parts (wrist elements) on the distal end of the robot wrist, so that each rotating part may not be able to be formed in the shape of a pipe that has a through hole. In this case, the bundle of linear elements must be taken out through the side faces of the rotating parts.
FIG. 4 is a view illustrating relative rotation parts on the distal end of one such conventional robot wrist. A first wrist element 101 and a second wrist element 102 are formed having a hollow shape and a common central axis. The first wrist element 101 rotates relatively to the second wrist element 102 around the common central axis. The first wrist element 101 is formed having a flange portion on its distal end to which the hand, welding gun, or other working unit (not shown) can be attached. Thus, the distal end of the hollow first wrist element 101 is closed by the flange portion and is not pierced.
Accordingly, a bundle 10 of linear elements, which are formed of wires and pipes, such as cables for supplying electricity to the working unit on the flange portion of the first wrist element 101 and hoses through which air, water, or some other fluid runs, is led out through an opening 103 that is formed in the side face of the first wrist element 101.
The bundle 10 of linear elements passes through the respective hollow portions of the second and first wrist elements 102 and 101, bends in the shape of an L, and comes out through the opening 103 in the side face of the first wrist element 101. In the second wrist element 102, the bundle 10 is fixed by means of a fixing portion 104. In the first wrist element 101, the bundle 10 is fixed by means of a fixing portion 105 that is located near the opening 103.
When the first wrist element 101 rotates relatively to the second wrist element 102, therefore, the bundle 10 of linear elements also rotates together with the first wrist element 101, so that it is twisted in the direction of rotation of the element 101. If the first wrist element 101 repeatedly rotates in two opposite directions, it lowers the durability of the linear elements. If the number of linear elements that constitute each bundle 10 increases, the bundle 10 becomes so thick that it cannot be suddenly bent in the shape of an L with ease. Thus, the first wrist element 101 requires a wide space inside. If such a wide space is required in the robot wrist, however, the wrist must inevitably be large-sized, which is not structurally favorable.
Described in WO01/39933A1 is a method in which one bundle of linear elements is divided into a plurality of split bundles, and the split bundles are taken out in the direction of the radius of rotation of a first wrist element through an opening in its side face. According to this method, however, the split bundles inevitably gather and adhere to one another near the center of a hollow configuration that is located near the opening of the first wrist element. If the first wrist element rotates relatively to the second wrist element, therefore, a force to twist the bundles of linear elements is enhanced, and the split bundles strongly rub against one another, so that the durability of the bundles lowers.

Linear element laying structure in relative rotation mechanism


A medical fluid control device with a fluid flow housing has at least one attachment port for attaching and removing an external medical fluid-guiding component and at least one connection port for connecting to a further functional component of the medical fluid conduction system, and with an adjustment member for controlling a flow of fluid relative to the at least one attachment port and/or the at least one connection port. A particulate filter with a pore width of between 2 μm and 15 μm is integrated in the attachment port.

A medical fluid control device in the form of a three-way valve for a medical infusion system is generally known. A fluid control device of this kind is provided to be able to deliver medicaments to a patient line of a medical fluid conduction system. Corresponding drugs can be stored in fluid reservoirs that are made of glass or that have rubber closure stoppers. The medicaments to be administered can accordingly be contaminated with glass or rubber particles or other contaminants, caused during production or packaging or by the preparation for use, for example by piercing the stopper or breaking open the glass vials. The contamination of such administered medicaments with glass particles or rubber particles is known. To avoid such contaminants reaching the patient, provision is made that, when introducing such medicaments into a corresponding fluid line, filter components are inserted in-line between the fluid reservoir, which holds the medicaments, and the patient line. However, in routine clinical practice, it may happen that members of the medical personnel forget to insert suitable filter components between fluid reservoir and patient line.

Medical fluid control device and a particulate filter for same


A compact and cost-efficient lamp assembly includes cold-cathode fluorescent lamps in a variety of edge-lit display sign applications specifically, in edge-lit emergency lighting signs. The lamp assembly includes in one self-contained module a lower housing unit and an upper housing unit shaped to cover the lower housing unit. The lower housing unit is divided into a lower frame and an upper frame disposed on top of the lower frame. The upper frame has at least two inverters disposed within. The lower frame is a parabolic shape reflector frame supporting at least two cathode lamps in line with the two inverters, each of which is connected to each lamp for providing high voltage to power up the lamps. Additionally, an edge-lit panel having a front and back side is disclosed in the present invention. The backside includes a semi-transparent frosted surface with a white opaque lamination glued on the frosted surface. A legend is printed on the front side using a first white layer and a colored second layer of semi-transparent materials. So, when the light passes through the first layer it is split in such a manner that part of the light is reflected back into the panel and the other part of the light illuminates the second colored layer.

The use of cold-cathode fluorescent lamps for general applications is well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,620, incorporated by reference herein, is one example showing the use of such lamps in EXIT signs, traffic signals, light bulbs and for general lighting applications.
Cold-cathode fluorescent lamps are desirable since they are more efficient and offer savings in both energy consumption and operating expenses. Such cold-cathode lamps operate at a very low current (although the voltage is quite high) and they have a longer life when compared with standard fluorescent lamps. Cold-cathode fluorescent lamps are low power consumption lamps with long life expectancy and low maintenance requirements. These lamps are often used to provide background illumination in various lighting applications. Cold-cathode fluorescent lamps require a substantial AC voltage typically several hundred volts, in order to achieve optimal light output. Although the frequency at which a cold-cathode lamp is driven varies, typically they are operated at a drive current frequency on the order of about 10–50 KHz, and have a life expectancy of 15,000–25,000 hours.
One difficulty with these types of lamps, as addressed by the above patent, is in making it easy to install and replace them. Generally cold-cathode fluorescent lamps are stand-alone tubes having a variety of plugs and wires extending therefrom for insertion into a dedicated socket. Due to the fragility of the lamp itself, extreme care must be taken during such installation as well as in shipping, handling and storage. Additionally, as indicated above, voltages required for cold-cathode fluorescent lamp operation are generally high (upwards of 1500 VAC) and thus inserting such a lamp when the fixture is still powered creates the potential for electrical shock.
Additionally, the lamp assembly using an edge-lit panel for emergency light signs such as a lighted exit sign is well known in the art. Typically, the panel includes a front side and back side having two layers of paint, a colored layer for legend and a white layer for the background. The light coming through illuminates both the legend and the background while traveling through multiple reflections and refractions on panel surfaces.
Traditionally, a prior art edge-lit panel 50 of an exit or any other sign as shown in FIG. 5 consists of a glass or plastic (acrylic) panel having a front side 50a and backside 50b. The panel 50 typically has two layers of paint (screening), a layer 52 for the legend text (usually red or green color) and a white layer 54 for the background. The layers 52 and 54 are screened on the backside 50b of the panel (the legend is in a mirror). As an option the legend may have an engraved contour 59 which is typical .1″ depth and width on the backside of the acrylic panel 50 to accentuate the contrast between the legend and background. The light 56 as shown by vertical lines falls from the top edge of the panel 50 illuminates both the legend 52 and background 54 while traveling through multiple reflections 57 and refractions 58 on the surfaces of the panel 50.
This method has several disadvantages. First, poor uniformity of the background illumination (shadow around the legend letters), poor contrast ratio between the legend 52 and background 54, and a certain colored light migration (pink shadow) from the legend 52 to the surrounding background 54, due to the multiple light reflections 57. In order to meet the UL924 visibility requirements for exit signs, the edge-lit panel 50 must be exposed to intense light sources (e.g.: two 8-Watt fluorescent lamps) which consume electrical power and dissipate heat.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,743, there is shown an edge-lit sign or panel that has a translucent light reflecting layer formed of white paint applied to the backside. Further, two opaque layers are applied to the front side of the device. In this method, the legend is not internally illuminated, which makes the panel look black and white, i.e., the legend remains black in complete darkness. Therefore, this design would not meet the requirements for a colored legend in both stand-by (AC) and emergency mode.
Therefore, it is thus desirable to make an edge-lit panel to overcome these disadvantages to provide an improved uniform brightness on the panel surface.

Cold-cathode fluorescent lamp assembly for lighting applications


A training aid for skiers or other individuals engaged in physical activity using an athletic apparatus includes a sensor for sensing the force between a skier's leg and his boot. The sensor is arranged to generate an electrical signal indicative of the weight distribution of the skier during skiing. This signal is monitored and if it indicates that the skier's weight distribution is improper, an indication is provided to the skier so that the skier can take corrective measures.

A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to an apparatus for sensing and indicating weight distribution of an individual using sporting equipment, such as skis and other similar apparatus wherein said weight distribution has an important impact on the ability of the individual to achieve maximum performance.
B. Description of the Prior Art
In many sports activities in which specialized devices are required, an important parameter which affects the operation of the devices is the weight distribution of the individual engaged in said activity with respect to the device(s). For example, a skier riding on a pair of skies downhill must insure that he leans forward sufficiently so that his weight is not supported by the rear portion (i.e., behind the binding) rather than the rear portion of the skis. This weight distribution is important because when the weight is in the front, the individual can control his skis much better than if his weight is in the back. However, at certain instances, especially on steep slopes, even the most experienced skiers may forget to adjust their weight distribution properly and accordingly their performance suffers. Less experienced skiers may lose control of their skis and crash into other skiers or objects thereby risking injury. Similarly considerations are applicable to ski boarders, roller- and ice-skaters, etc.
An attempt has been made in the past to provide an indication when the skier's knee is not positioned correctly (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,919). It is also known to measure the strain generated in the skis (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,110). However, the inventors are not aware of any devices which measure the weight distribution of a skier (or an individual engaged in another sport) and which indicate the same to the individual.

Weight distribution training system for skiers and the like


An image sensor circuit is provided. The image sensor circuit includes a pixel array and a processing circuit. The pixel array includes a pixel. The pixel includes a photoelectric conversion unit, a first processing unit and a second processing unit. The photoelectric conversion unit is configured to convert a light signal into an electrical signal. The first processing unit, coupled to the photoelectric conversion unit, is configured to receive the electrical signal and generate a pixel output. The second processing unit is configured to receive a reference signal and generate a reference output. The reference output carries noise interference information. The processing circuit, coupled to the pixel, is configured to generate a sensor output according to the pixel output and the reference output. A control method of an image sensor circuit is also provided.

An existing image sensor utilizes active noise cancellation (ANC) to reduce row noise interference in a pixel array to thereby enhance image quality. However, active noise cancellation requires numerous dummy pixels to achieve good noise reduction performance, which causes a decrease in a ratio of the number of effective pixels to the number of total pixels in a pixel array. Additionally, active noise cancellation has to perform complicated digital signal processing to subtract an output of a dummy pixel from an output of an active pixel, thus resulting in an increase in system power consumption. Furthermore, owing to process variations, active noise cancellation fails to refer to individual noise occurring in each active pixel to perform noise reduction. Active noise cancellation merely subtracts average noise of a row of dummy pixels from an output of the active pixel.
Therefore, there is a need for a novel image sensing scheme, which has a large ratio of the number of effective pixels to the number of total pixels and reduced computational complexity, and is capable of referring to individual noise occurring in each active pixel to perform noise reduction.

Image sensor circuit with reduced noise interference and control method thereof


A method for detecting a fall by a user includes a method of detecting a fall by a user. The method includes processing measurements obtained from one or more sensors to extract a respective value for a plurality of features associated with a fall. A respective log likelihood ratio for each of the values is determined. Whether the user has fallen is determined based on the determined log likelihood ratios.

Falls affect millions of people each year and result in significant injuries, particularly among the elderly. In fact, it has been estimated that falls are one of the top three causes of death in elderly people. A fall can be defined as a sudden, uncontrolled and unintentional downward displacement of the body to the ground followed by an impact.
Personal Help Buttons (PHBs) are available that require the user to push the button to summon help in an emergency. However, if the user suffers a severe fall (for example if they are knocked unconscious), the user might be unable to push the button, which might mean that help doesn't arrive for a significant period of time, particularly if the user lives alone.
Fall detectors are also available that process the output of one or more movement sensors to determine if the user has suffered a fall. However, it has been found that these fall detectors have an unfavourable trade-off between fall detection probability and false alarm rate.
Given that a high false alarm rate will result in additional costs to the organisation responsible for giving assistance to the user of the fall detector (i.e. they will need to contact or visit the user of the fall detector when the fall detection alarm is triggered) and that a high false alarm rate is undesirable for the user of the fall detector, it has been found that an economically viable fall detector should provide a false alarm rate of, say, less than one false alarm in each two-month period, while maintaining a (positive) fall detection probability above 95 percent.
Most existing body-worn fall detectors make use of an accelerometer (usually a 3D accelerometer that measures acceleration in three dimensions) and they try to infer the occurrence of a fall by processing the time series generated by the accelerometer. Some fall detectors can also include an air pressure sensor, for example as described in WO 2004/114245. However, these existing fall detectors do not meet the detection requirements set out above.
Thus, one of the main disadvantages of existing fall detectors is their moderate reliability as expressed by a Receiver Operating Curve (ROC). The ROC expresses the achievable probability of detecting a fall versus the false alarm probability for different settings of parameters of a given system.
Even with an extended set of features (i.e. determining more than just an impact from the accelerometer measurements and a change in height from the pressure sensor measurements), it has been found that it is difficult to obtain a satisfactory performance if each feature is simply compared to a threshold and the subsequent reasoning only involves the feature-wise binary outcomes of these comparisons.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved method for detecting falls.

Method for detecting falls and a fall detector


A method for producing an electro-optical device comprising a first photolithographic step of forming a transparent pixel electrode, a second photolithographic of forming a gate electrode and a gate wiring, a third photolithographic step of forming a contact holes in an insulator film leading to the pixel electrode and the gate wiring, a fourth photolithographic step of forming a source electrode and a drain electrode and a channel portion above the gate electrode, and a fifth photolithographic step of forming a contact hole in a passivation film and isolating the semiconductor active film below the source electrode, the drain electrode and the source wiring from other adjacent portions.. The number of photolithographic steps can be reduced, to improve the yield and decrease the production cost adjacent thin film transistors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method of producing an electro-optical device in which thin film transistors are formed and, more in particular, it relates to a technique capable of reducing the number of photolithographic steps as compared with that in the prior art method.
2. Description of the Related Art Statement
FIG. 165 shows an example for a constitution of an equivalent circuit of an active matrix liquid crystal display device using thin film transistors as switching elements.
In FIG. 169, a plurality of gate wirings G1, G2, - - - , Gn and a plurality of source wirings S1, S2, - - - , Sm are wired in a matrix, in which each of the gate wirings G is connected to a scanning circuit 1 and each of the signal wirings S is connected to a signal supply circuit 2 respectively. A thin film transistor (switching element) 3 is disposed to a crossing point between each of the wirings and a capacitance section 4 as a capacitor and a liquid crystal device 5 are connected to a drain electrode of the thin film resistor 3 to constitute a circuit.
FIG. 170 and FIG. 171 illustrate an example for a structure of a thin film transistor array substrate having portions, for example, the gate wirings G and the source wirings F on a substrate in an existent active matrix liquid crystal display device shown by the equivalent circuit in FIG. 169.
In the thin film transistor array substrate shown in FIG. 170 and FIG. 171, the gate wirings G and the source wirings S are wired in a matrix on a transparent substrate 6 such as made of glass. Further, a thin film resistor 3 is disposed near the crossing point between each of the gate wirings G and the source wirings S.
The thin film transistor 3 shown in FIG. 170 and FIG. 171 has a general etch-stopper type constitution formed by disposing an gate insulator film 9 on the gate wiring G and a gate electrode 8 led out of the gate wiring G, disposing a semiconductor film 10 made of amorphous silicon (a-Si) on the gate insulator film 9 and further disposing, on the semiconductor film 10, a drain electrode 11 and a source electrode 12 made of an electroconductive material opposing to each other. An ohmic contact film 10a comprising, for example, amorphous silicon and doped at a high concentration with an impurity as such as phosphorus as a doner is formed to the uppermost layer of the semiconductor film, on which an etching stopper 13 is formed being put between the drain electrode 11 and the source electrode 12. Further, the gate electrode 8 has a double structure comprising a gate insulator film 8a of an upper layer and a gate wiring 8b of a lower layer, and a transparent pixel electrode 15 made of a transparent electrode material is formed from a portion above the drain electrode 11 to lateral sides of the drain electrode 11.
Then a passivation film 16 is disposed covering, for example, the gate insulator film 9, the transparent pixel electrode 15 and the source electrode 12.
A not illustrated orientation film is formed on the passivation film 16, and liquid crystals are disposed above the orientation film to constitute an active matrix liquid crystal display device 15 and the device can control the orientation of liquid crystal molecules when an electric field is applied to the molecules of the liquid crystals by way of the transparent pixel electrode 15.
By the way, the thin film transistor array substrate of the structure described above has been produced so far based on the steps as described in Table 1 shown below.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Step Production method Material Remarks ______________________________________ Initial cleaning Brush and UV Formation of surface Reactive sputtering TaOx 750 nm stabilization layer Formation of gate DC sputtering Al 200 nm wiring metal Gate wiring metal PL1 Wet etching Formation of gate DC sputtering Ta 400 nm electrode Gate electrode PL2 Dry etching Anodization of gate TaOx 300 nm electrode Formation of gate Plasma CVD SiNx 250 nm insulation Formation of a-Si Plasma CVD a-Si 50 nm Formation of ES Plasma CVD SiNx 100 nm insulator layer ES insulator layer PL3 Wet etching Back exposure method Formation of SD Plasma CVD n + Si 25 nm semiconductor Device area PL4 Dry etching Formation of SD DC sputtering Ti 400 nm electrode SD electrode PL5 Dry etching Formation of transparent Reactive sputtering ITO 50 nm electrode Transparent electrode Wet etching PL6 Formation of Plasma CVD SiNx 250 nm protection layer Protection layer PL7 Wet etching ______________________________________ Note: PL: photolithography, ES: etching stopper, SD: source/drain 1-7: Exposure process
At first, a transparent substrate, for example, made of glass is prepared, and then put to initial cleaning by a brush cleaning device and an UV-irradiation device, and a surface stabilization film, for example, made of TiO.sub.x is formed by using a film-forming method such as reactive sputtering on the transparent substrate after cleaning.
A metal film for gate wirings made of an electroconductive material such as Al is deposited on the substrate formed with a surface stabilization film by using a film forming-method such as DC sputtering, and the metal film is etched in a first photolithographic step (1) using a method such as wet etching, to form gate wirings.
Then, a metal film for forming a gate electrode made, for example, of Ta is deposited on the gate wirings by a film forming method such as DC sputtering and then the metal film is etched in a second photolithographic step (2) using a method such as dry etching, to form the gate electrode.
Then, the gate electrode is anodized to form the surface portion into TaO.sub.x to apply a treatment for improving the insulation performance of the gate electrode.
Successively, a gate insulator film made of SiN.sub.x, a semiconductor film made of a-Si (amorphous silicon) or the like and an insulator film for etching stopper made of SiN.sub.x are formed on them by a film-forming method such as plasma CVD.
Then, etching is applied in a third photolithographic step (3) using a method, for example, of wet etching to form an etching stopper on the gate electrode.
Then, an ohmic contact film such as made of a-Si(n.sup.+) is formed on the surface of the substrate after the third photolithographic step by using a method such as plasma CVD.
Then, the semiconductor film and the ohmic contact film are patterned in a fourth photolithographic step (4) using a method such as DC sputtering to form a semiconductor portion above the gate electrode in a state isolated from other portions.
Then, a metal film made, for example, of Ti is formed on the surface of the substrate after the fourth photolithographic step by using a film-forming method such as DC sputtering.
Then, the metal film is patterned in a fifth photolithographic step (5) using a method such as dry etching to form a source electrode and a drain electrode.
Then, a transparent conductive film, for example, made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) is formed on the surface of the substrate after the fifth photolithographic step by a film-forming method such as reactive sputtering.
Then, the transparent conductive film is fabricated in a sixth photolithographic step (6) using a method such as wet etching to form a transparent pixel electrode, and then a protection film, for example, made of SiN.sub.x is formed on the surface of the substrate after the sixth photolithographic step by a method such as plasma CVD.
Then, a seventh photolithographic step (7) of patterning the protection film by a method such as wet etching to form a contact hole for a source terminal for connection with the source electrode and a contact hole for a drain terminal for connection with the drain electrode, to complete the thin film transistor array substrate.
However, when the thin film transistor array substrate is produced by the method as described above, photolithographic steps have to be applied for seven times and, since there are a number of photolithographic steps, they give a significant effect by so much on the yield to bring about a problem of increasing the production cost.
Then, in a case of producing the thin film transistor array substrate of this type, it may be adopted a structure in which various thin films are stacked, a contact hole is formed to a portion of the laminate film, and a conductive film is formed to the contact hole to electrically connect the film of the upper layer with the film of the lower layer by way of the conductive film.
FIG. 172 shows an example of such a structure in which an insulator film 18 made, for example, of SiN.sub.x and a conductive oxide film 19 made of ITO are stacked on a metal film 17, for example, made of Ti formed on the substrate, and the conductive oxide film 19 is connected with the metal film 17 by way of a contact hole 18a formed to the insulator film 18.
In the structure of this example, the contact hole 18a is formed by a method of forming the insulator film 18, depositing thereover a predetermined pattern of a photoresist, etching the insulator film 18 by dry etching using, for example, SF.sub.6 +O.sub.2 gas to form the contact hole 18a, and then peeling off the photoresist with O.sub.2 plasma and subsequently forming the conductive oxide film 19. However, since the metal film 17 is exposed through the contact hole 18a to an oxidative atmosphere in the course of the process, there is a worry that the metal film 17 is oxidized.
In view of the above, Ti has been used so far as a metal capable of providing a good contact with the conductive oxide film 19 and is less oxidized by the O.sub.2 plasma atmosphere but a thin film of Al or Ta which is oxidized more readily than Ti can not be used, so that the material used for the metal film 17 suffers from restriction. By the way, in a case where a contact area of the connection portion is set to 7 um.sup.2 and a contact chain of a structure having 1,600 steps for the contact portion of the structure shown in FIG. 172 is formed, the contact resistance of the thin Al film to the thin ITO film is from 10.sup.10 -10.sup.12 ohm, whereas the contact resistance of the Ti thin film to the ITO thin film is from 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.5 ohm and the Ti thin film is apparently superior in the contact performance. It is considered that exposure to the O.sub.2 plasma atmosphere forms oxide layers at the boundary of the connection portion and, even if Ti has lower conductivity as compared with that of Al, it contrarily shows less contact resistance than the latter due to the presence of the oxide layers.
Further, in a case of using the thin Ti film as the metal film 17 described above, if the structure is applied to a thin film transistor array substrate to form gate wirings with the metal film 17, the Ti metal film 17 can be served for usual application use but it may possibly cause signal delay in the gate wirings since the specific resistivity of Ti itself is high, to result in a disadvantage in view of increase for the size of a liquid crystal panel.

Method of producing an electro-optical device


A fore-aft positioning adjuster adapted for use with an object, such as a seat, includes a locking mechanism, and an actuator employing an active material element operable to undergo a reversible change when exposed to or occluded from an activation signal, and configured to selectively cause the mechanism to release, so that the object can be repositioned, as a result of the change.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to a locking mechanism for retaining an object, such as a seat, in a fore-aft position; and more particularly, to a locking mechanism that utilizes active material actuation to release and/or relock the object in a fore-aft position.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Conventional locking mechanisms used in securing an object in a fore-aft position feature manual or electro-mechanical releases that present various concerns in the art. For example, in an automotive setting, fore-aft seat positioning typically involves complex releasing mechanisms that require the occupant to reach and exert sufficient force upon an often large handle. In response, powered actuators have been developed to release and/or reposition the seat; however, these mechanisms typically feature complex electro-mechanical configurations, including motors, solenoids, cylinders, valves, etc., that add to the weight, complexity, reduction in packaging space, and costs of the vehicle.

Fore-aft position adjuster utilizing active material actuation


A ground engaging agricultural tillage blade having a central opening adapted to be attached to an implement for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis of rotation; the blade having an outer periphery; and reinforcing flutes disposed in the plate from a location substantially at the outer periphery to a location adjacent the central opening. The blade can be used with a hub disposed around the central opening, a hub that covers at least a portion of the flutes or a spacer on a shaft extending through the central openings of adjacent blades, the spacers extending radially outwardly by a distance sufficient to place a portion of the spacer in abutment with at least a portion of the flutes.

Fluted coulters or discs, for example as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,688 to Szucs et al., has an outer peripheral cutting surface and flutes 17/27/37/51/61/81 that extend radially outwardly from a respective center flat portion 14/24/34/44/54/64/74/84 that has a respective central opening 15/25/3545/55/65/75/85. From the point of view of strength of the Szucs et al. blades, anywhere that the metal of the disc/coulter has been changed from being flat as it started out from in the manufacturing process, is going to be weaker than that part of the blade that has not been changed from flat. And that portion of the blade where any abrupt change from flat occurs is going to be the weakest part of the blade and consequently the most likely place for the blade to break if subjected to extreme forces such as when the blade hits a large rock in a farm field during use.
Simpler blades like that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,663,239 to Bucknam, U.S. Pat. No. 2,291,722 to Ingersoll and British Patent Specification No. 832,431 to Gheraldo have circular bends on radially inner diameters compared, for example, to a simple convex/concave disc of the well known common type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,197 to Boyd-Dunlop.
So if the discs shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,663,239 to Bucknam, U.S. Pat. No. 2,291,722 to Ingersoll and British Patent Specification No. 832,431 to Gheraldo hit a large rock in the field and break, the break will of course be at the weakest place on the disc which is at the circular area where the sharpest bends of the respective discs are located. When such a disc hits a rock, the greatest moment arm (thereby causing the greatest breaking forces) will be from where the disc hit the rock on the outside periphery of the disc to the radially innermost weakest part of the disc where the flat plate abruptly changes from flat to some other shape. This weakest part is radially outwardly from the center of rotation of the disc to the most radially inward place where one of the abrupt bend of the plate/disc occurs, such as at 16 of Buckman, 18 of Ingersoll and 18 or 11 of Gheraldo or the radially innermost place on the Szucs et al. coulters where the flat part of the coulter is bent, for example.
If the simple convex/concave disc of the well known common type that has been used for over a century like that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,197 to Boyd-Dunlop hits a big rock hard enough, it will break, but it is not predictable where the break will occur in the blade because the curvature is constant throughout the entire blade except for the sharpened portion on the extreme outer periphery thereof.
All of the aforementioned prior art documents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Accordingly, there is a need for a disc, coulter or planter blade that is stronger than those available in the past due simply to the configuration thereof.

Agricultural drill/planter/coulter/disc blade with ribs for strength


Formed bodies of glass, especially glass panes, are disclosed provided with electrically conductive circuits and with a colored appearance of the circuits upon looking through the glass and a method of their production. A layer of essentially pigments based on inorganic compounds is located between the optionally enamelled formed body of glass and the circuit which layer is connected via adhesive bridges of a vitrifying material to the formed body and to the circuits. The method of production is carried out by the application of a coating material which contains pigments and is free of vitrifying materials onto a formed body and (ii) the application of a conductive paste thereover containing a vitrifying material and (iii) a heat treatment.

The invention relates to formed bodies consisting of glass, especially glass panes, provided with electric strip conductors having a colored appearance of the electric circuits when viewed through the glass. In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for production of the above formed bodies in which a colored layer and a conductive paste are applied in succession onto the optionally enamelled form body and the object obtained in this manner is subjected to a heat treatment.
The electrically conductive circuits or tracks on the rear windows of automobiles, antennas integrated into windshields and circuits for other purposes are obtained by means of the application of a paste based on noble metals, preferably silver, onto a formed body of glass and subsequently firing it in. After the firing, it can be determined upon looking through the glass that the color of the circuit varies from bright yellow to dark brown as a function of the state of the surface of the glass and of the firing temperature.
Various methods have been used with the goal of preventing this lack of homogeneity of color: Application onto the "tin" side of the float glass, adaptation of the firing temperature, and addition of pigments to the noble- metal pastes. None of these methods resulted in satisfactory results either as regards the appearance or on account of too great a change of the electric and mechanical properties; such as weldability of the tracks.
In order to avoid the phenomenon of the discoloration of the glass or of the enamel, which is caused by the thermo-activated migration of Ag.sup.+ from the layer of the circuit into the glass or enamel, thus adversely affecting the appearance of the glass pane, an attempt was made, to the extent possible, to coat the silver-based circuit by applying the silver pastes onto highly pigmented glass enamels and/or ones containing compounds capable of blocking the Ag.sup.+ migration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,383 teaches that the migration of silver ions can be prevented by using an enamel consisting of a glass flux or paste based on a glass frit, and as pigments, elementary aluminum and/or lithium oxide as well as a vehicle or medium for the paste. Patent application EP-A 0,377,062 claims the improvement of the covering power of glass enamel over silver due to the addition of silicon, boron, carbon, lead and/or silver in their elementary form before making up the paste.
Such additives are not completely satisfactory for obvious reasons of cost (silver), on account of the special processing conditions conditioned by the addition of strongly reducing elements such as silicon or boron, for reasons of stability vis-a-vis acids (lithium) and of toxicity (lead). In addition, in spite of the aesthetic aspect which a complete coating of the silver circuit by a glass enamel would represent, the colors of these glass enamels are limited to a few black and gray tones.

Formed bodies consisting of glass and provided with electric circuits and method of their production