A vehicle tire having a rotation time wear indicator associated with the tire tread which visually shows when the tire tread has worn to various levels at which levels the tire should be rotated to a different wheel position on a vehicle. The wear indicator is a plurality of pattern parts such as holes, raised portions in tread grooves or other distinctive patterns in the tread which are positioned at various radial levels of the tread with the different levels being spaced apart at different locations around the circumference of the tread. When the tread wear reaches various levels relative to the levels of the pattern parts, so that any particular pattern part is no longer visible, then it is time to rotate the tire to another wheel position.

Various different types of tire tread wear indicators are known in the prior art to indicate when a tread has worn to a level where the tire is no longer safe for use. On such tread wear indicator is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,756 issued to J L Hill which shows the use of wear indicating members in the shape of pins or pegs molded in the tread material adjacent the inner surface of the tread. These members are made in a color contrasting to the color of the tread so that as the tread wears to a certain level the wear indicators become visible. U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,274 issued to H Y Awaya, et al. shows another example of the use of contrasting colored indicia embedded in the tread to indicate the amount of tread remaining and when the tread has worn to an unsafe level. Likewise U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,467 issued to C D Simms shows a tire tread having annular ribs of a contrasting colored material embedded at the radially inner portion of the tread in such a position that when the tread wears to a certain depth, the ribs become visible. A similar concept is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,040 issued to C G Bins. U.S. Statutory Invention Registration No. H1283 shows a tire having plies of contrasting colors to each other and with a bottom ply having a contrasting pattern so that various levels of wear are indicated by the different colored plies and the bottom ply serves as a warning of an unsafe condition. U.S. Pat. No. 2,706,509 issued to E J White indicates various levels of tire wear by means of stepped surfaces located in the voids or grooves between adjacent ribs of a tire. This indicator will show for example of whether the tread is worn one-forth, one-half or to some other level for the purpose of providing a price adjustment on a tire which may fail before the tread is fully worn.
While the above described tread wear indicators may function as various levels of effectiveness for the purposes for which they were designed, none of the above wear indicators was designed for the purpose of indicating when a tire should be rotated from one wheel location to another on a vehicle to compensate for any uneven tread wear and extend the life of the tire.

Tire with rotation time tread wear indicator


A search engine database is utilized to identify “entities”, or things for which there exists associated discrete, objective information. For hosted information that is independently available, the entity detector independently accesses such information and identifies entities. For information that has defined potential entities, such as entertainment or lifestyle information such defined potential entities are provided to the entity detector to verify, with reference to the search engine database, whether they are entities. Once entities have been identified, a related task generator, with reference to the search engine database, identifies tasks that are related to the identified entities. Such tasks include informational tasks, economic tasks, time-sensitive and location-sensitive tasks. The identified entities and related tasks are provided to applications, with metadata quantifying confidence, relationship, importance, location and time sensitivity, and the like, thereby enabling those applications to proactively provide selects ones of that information to users.

As network communications among multiple computing devices have become ubiquitous, the quantity of information available via such network communications has increased exponentially. For example, the ubiquitous Internet and World Wide Web comprise information sourced by a vast array of entities throughout the world, including corporations, universities, individuals and the like. Such information is often marked, or "tagged", in such a manner that it can be found, identified and indexed by services known as "search engines". Even information that is not optimized for search engine indexing can still be located by services, associated with search engines, which seek out information available through network communications with other computing devices and enable a search engine to index such information for subsequent retrieval.
Due to the sheer volume of information available to computing devices through network communications with other computing devices, increasingly users turn to search engines to find the information they seek. Search engines enable users to search for any topic and receive, from this vast volume of information, identifications of specific information that is responsive to, or associated with, the users' queries, often presented in order of relevance or importance to the user. To sort through the vast amounts of information that is available, and timely provide useful responses to users' queries, search engines employ a myriad of mechanisms to optimize the identification and retrieval of responsive and associated information.
Unfortunately, search engines are, by definition, reactive entities in that they only provide information in response to an initial action seeking such information in the first place. Simply put, if a user does not realize that they are lacking specific information that may be of benefit to them, then all of the information that is available through the search engine will remain unused by such a user, and, thereby will not be of any use to that user.

Proactive delivery of related tasks for identified entities


The nucleic acid sequence of the POMC enhancer is disclosed herein. Sequences from the human, rat, rabbit, hamster, mouse, and cow POMC enhancer are disclosed. Hybrid transgenes, comprising a POMC transcriptional control element operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence encoding a marker are also enclosed. In addition, transgenic mice carrying a hybrid transgene including a POMC control element operably linked to a marker are disclosed herein.

POMC neurons of the hypothalamus are critical components of the neural circuitry controlling appetite, feeding, and metabolism. In addition they modulate the activity of other hypothalamic neurons which control reproduction, thyroid hormone levels, growth hormone secretion, prolactin secretion, and neuroendocrine stress responses. These neurons also are involved in the nervous system's endogenous analgesic and reward circuits. POMC is a prohormone that is postranslationally processed into several different biologically active neuropeptides. The most important of these neuropeptides within the hypothalamus are alpha-MSH, gamma-MSH, and the opioid beta-endorphin. The two MSH peptides are potent anorexigenic substances that play a fundamental role in modulating weight homeostasis. β-endorphin also modulates food intake by at least two distinct mechanisms. It can directly increase food intake when administered acutely, but it also modulates the neural circuitry underlying the rewarding aspects of food ingestion and thereby influences an organism's motivation to work to obtain food.
Genetic evidence in humans implicates the POMC gene in the regulation of weight and fat mass. Rare mutations causing null alleles result in a syndrome of adrenal cortical insufficiency, red hair, and obesity. The three components of the syndrome are secondary to losses of peripheral ACTH, peripheral MSH, and central MSH, respectively. However, a number of other gene association and quantitative trait loci analyses in human populations suggest a much more common role for the POMC gene in weight homeostasis.
The POMC promoter has been identified. For example, in the rat, 5′ flanking sequences form −323 to −34 are sufficient for correct spatial, temporal and hormonally regulated expression of POMC in the pituitary gland (e.g. see Liu et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 12:3978–3990, 1992; Liu et al., Biochem. J. 312:827–832, 1995). In addition, a transgene including approximately 13 kilobases (kb) of the mouse POMC gene has been demonstrated to produce cell specific and developmentally regulated expression of POMC in transgenic mice (Young et al., J. Neurosci. 18:6631–6640, 1998). However, other specific nucleic acid elements involved in tissue specific expression, such as a POMC enhancer, have not been identified.

Upstream control elements of the proopiomelanocortin gene and their use


The present disclosure provides an ultrathin, flexible, and tattoo-like triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with a well-designed aesthetic pattern. The tattoo-like TENG as an energy harvester can provide not only an aesthetic pattern, but also various practical applications. With the rising acceptance of people towards the tattoo, the tattoo-like TENG offers an alternative tattoo-like epidermal electronics covering traditional tattoo's advantages and further carries out other potential applications.

Self-powering technologies have been a more preferential energy supply in wearable electronics, and triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is one of the prominent technologies due to its high flexibility, stretchability, high energy density, and tiny size. However, the thickness of conventional TENG is limited by the thickness of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and the metallic patterns of the TENG are primarily designed in a dense structure for higher stretchability and energy output without aesthetic meaning.
Tattoos can be regarded as an expression of personal style or fashion accessories, which more and more people are accepting and willing to have tattoos, especially teenagers. However, with the increasing rate of people with tattoos, the percentage of people who regard having a permanent tattoo also raises. This implies that a non-permanent tattoo could be more favorable among tattoo lovers.
Tattoo is an enduring trend among teenagers who believe a fancy tattoo could express their personality. Only their color and pattern could be selected for the traditional tattoos, but they do not own any practical daily applications.

Tattoo-like stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator for energy harvesting


In embodiments, apparatuses, methods, and storage media may be described for removing, from a frequency domain (FD) portion of a signal, a guard interval portion. One or more data symbols of the resultant unconstrained FD portion of the signal may then be constrained according to one or more tolerance parameters or thresholds. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in the present disclosure and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In some wireless networks such as long term evolution (LTE) networks as defined by various third generation partnership project (3GPP) technical specifications (TSs), a variable guard interval (GI), also known as a variable-length GI, may be used as part of a transmission of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) signal (collectively referred to as "OFDM(A) signals" or "OFDM(A) transmit signals"). Specifically, a radio frame in which an OFDM(A) signal is transmitted may include the data payload of the OFDM(A) signal, and the frame may further include a GI between concurrent signals. As used herein, the term "OFDM(A) signal" will be used to refer to the combination of the data payload of the OFDM(A) signal and the GI. In embodiments, the OFDM(A) signal in the frequency domain (FD) may be comprised of a number of OFDM symbols or OFDMA subsymbols (collectively referred to herein as "OFDM(A) symbols") across a given frequency bandwidth.
In general, the frequency-domain (FD) input signal that may be used to generate the OFDM(A) signal may include data such as a payload data and/or quasi-random reference signals. The FD input signal may occupy a majority of the subcarriers of the radio frame used to transmit the OFDM(A) signal. After an inverse discrete fourier transform is applied to the FD input signal, the resultant time-domain (TD) signal may not include a GI, or may include a GI with a length that is different than the intended length of the GI of the OFDM(A) signal.


A display device includes: a plurality of signal lines which extend in a zigzag manner in a column direction and to which image signals are supplied, respectively; an insulation film which covers the plurality of signal lines; and a plurality of pixel electrodes which are formed on the insulation film and to which the image signals are input from the plurality of signal lines, respectively. A distance between ones of the pixel electrodes located adjacent to each other in the column direction is equal to or larger than a line width of the signal lines.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, a plasma display panel (PDP), an inorganic or organic electroluminescent (EL) display device, a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a fluorescent display tube, an electric field emission display device, an electrophoretic display device, and an electrochromic display device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A color LCD using a thin film transistor (TFT) is one of active matrix driven LCDs. A color LCD includes a TFT substrate as an active matrix substrate, a counter substrate disposed so as to be opposed to the TFT substrate and including a common electrode and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates. The TFT substrate includes TFTs provided so that each of the TFTs is located in the vicinity of an intersection point of each of gate lines and an associated one of source lines and pixel electrodes connected to the TFTs, respectively. Red (R), green (G) and blue (B) color filters are disposed so that each color filter corresponds to each pixel electrode, whereby each pixel is formed. Pixels are disposed, for example, in a delta arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,288. U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,288 is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating a TFT substrate of an LCD including pixels disposed in a delta arrangement. On a display section 1 of the TFT substrate, gate lines 4 each extending from a gate driver 2 and source lines 5 each extending from a source driver 3 are formed. TFTs 6 are provided so that each of the TFTs 6 is located in the vicinity of an intersection point of each of the gate lines 4 and each of the source lines 5, and pixel electrodes 7 are connected to TFTs 6, respectively. A signal corresponding to each of the pixel electrodes 7 is supplied to the pixel electrode 7 through an associated one of the TFTs 6. Thus, a voltage is applied between each of the pixel electrodes 7 and a common electrode (not shown), so that the optical property of a liquid crystal layer corresponding to a region of each pixel is controlled and a display is performed.
In the TFT substrate of FIG. 1, the gate lines 4 linearly extend in the row direction whereas the source lines 5 extend in a zigzag manner in the column direction. Moreover, the pixel electrodes 7 to which signals are supplied from the same source line 5 are disposed left and right alternatively between adjacent rows, i.e., in a staggered pattern, with respect to each of the source lines 5.
On the other hand, to increase an aperture ratio of each pixel, an LCD with a high aperture ratio in which each source line is covered with an insulation film and each pixel electrode is formed on the insulation film has been developed. However, for example, with the LCD with a high aperture ratio using a delta arrangement, the following problem arises.
FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically illustrating a capacitance between each source line and each pixel electrode in a delta arrangement panel of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, seen from the top, each of the pixels 7 is interposed between adjacent ones of the source lines 5 in the row direction. For example, in FIG. 2, each of green pixels 7G1 in the first row and green pixels 7G3 in the third row is interposed between an associated one of green pixel source lines 5G for inputting image signals PS to the green pixels 7G and an associated one of blue pixel source lines 5B for inputting image signals PS to blue pixels 7B each of which is located adjacent to the associated one of green pixels 7G in the row direction.
On the other hand, in FIG. 2, each of green pixels 7G2 in a second row and green pixels 7G4 in a fourth row is interposed between an associated one of the green source lines 5G and an associated one of red pixel source lines 5R for inputting image signals PS to red pixels 7R each of which is located adjacent to the associated green pixels 7G in the row direction. In other words, the green pixels 7G1 and 7G3 each being interposed between an associated one of the green pixel source lines 5G and an associated one of the blue pixel source lines 5B and the green pixels 7G2 and 7G4 each being interposed between an associated one of the green pixel source lines 5G and an associated one of the red pixel source lines 5R are arranged alternately between rows. That is, green pixels 7G, each of which is interposed between ones of the source lines 5 of two types located adjacent to each other in the row direction, are arranged so that each of the green pixels 7G appears every second rows. That is, between two rows, green pixels 7G of two types, each of which interposed between different two of the source lines 5, are alternately arranged.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view partially illustrating the pixel arrangement with one of the green pixels 7G2 in the second row in FIG. 2 being centered. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a cross section taken along the line A-B of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a cross section taken along the line C-D of FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the pixel electrodes 7 and the source lines 5 are disposed with an insulation film 8 interposed therebetween, so that a source-drain capacitance, i.e., a parasitic capacitance exists therebetween. A parasitic capacitance between one of the pixel electrodes 7 and an associated one of the source lines 5 for inputting an image signal PS to the pixel electrode 7 (in other words, one of the source lines 5 which drives the pixel electrode 7) is assumed to be a capacitance Csd1 and a parasitic capacitance between another one of the pixel electrodes 7 and an associated one of the source lines 5 which does not input an image signal PS to the pixel electrode 7 (in other words, one of the source lines 5 which does not drive the pixel electrode 7) is assumed to be a capacitance Csd2. For example, the capacitance Csd1 exists between the red pixel source line 5R and the red pixel 7R and the capacitance Csd2 exists between the red source line 5R and the green pixel 7G or the blue pixel 7B. The potential of the source line 5R is changed due to the capacitances Csd1 and Csd2 and this change influences the potential of the pixel electrode 7. For example, the potential of the green pixel 7G2 located in the second row and interposed between the red pixel source line 5R and the green pixel source line 5G is influenced by the source lines 5R and 5G, and the green pixel 7G1 located in the first row and interposed between the green pixel source line 5G and the blue pixel source line 5B is influenced by the source lines 5G and 5B. Therefore, the potential Vpix of an influenced pixel electrode (e.g., the green pixel 7G) can be expressed by the following equation:Vpix=Vsl 0+(Csd 1/Cpix)×ΔVsl 1+(Csd 2/Cpix)×ΔVsl 2where Vsl 0 is a potential before the potential is influenced (i.e., a potential applied from the source line 5G to the green pixel 7G via a TFT for inputting an image signal), ΔVsl 1 is a voltage amplitude of the source line 5G for inputting an image signal to the green pixel 7G, ΔVsl 2 is a voltage amplitude of the source line 5R or 5B which does not input an image signal to the green pixel 7G, and Cpix is the sum of capacitances (such as parasitic capacitance, auxiliary capacitance and the like) applied to the green pixel 7G.
FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating influences of the source lines 5 to the potential of the pixel electrodes 7G. In FIG. 6, the potential of the green pixel 7G1 in an upper row is influenced by the red pixel source line 5R and the green pixel source line 5G, and the potential of the green pixel 7G2 in a lower row is influenced by the green pixel source line 5G and the blue pixel source line 5B. Thus, the respective potentials of the green pixel 7G1 in the upper row and the green pixel 7G2 in the lower row are equal to each other. However, a potential influenced by the red pixel source line 5R and a potential influenced by the blue pixel source line 5B are not always the same and thus the influenced potentials in the green pixel 7G1 in the upper row and the green pixel 7G2 in the lower row might be different from each other. That is, a voltage applied to the green pixels 7G might be different between rows. In this case, luminance difference among pixels in different rows appears as horizontal stripes, so that a uniform display can not be achieved. For example, when the red pixel 7G is in a white display state (i.e., a state where a transmittance is the highest), the green pixel 7G is in a half-tone presentation state, and the blue pixel 7B is in a black display state (i.e., a state where a transmittance is the lowest), horizontal stripes markedly appear.
This phenomenon occurs not only to the green pixel 7G but also to the red pixel 7R or the blue pixel 7B. Moreover, this phenomenon may also occur not only in a delta arrangement but also in a mosaic arrangement or a square arrangement.

Display device having particular signal lines


Described are charge reversible polymers, peptides and their resulting colloidal particles, comprising polymers and peptides having primary and secondary amines that are protected as easily hydrolysable amides. The amides are charge-reversible such that at neutral pH they are negatively charged but become positively charged at pH less than 6 and thus are relatively stable at neutral pH but quickly hydrolyze at pH below 6. Incorporating a drug in a micelle or a polymer comprised of the charge-reversible polymers or peptides provides a drug carrier for delivering the drug preferentially to the solid tumor or other targeted cells.

The invention relates generally to charge reversible polymers, peptides and their resulting colloidal particles and, more specifically, to easily hydrolysable amides that are relatively stable at neutral pH but quickly hydrolyze at low pH.
Cationization is a potent approach to enhance cellular uptake by electrostatically adsorptive endocytosis of macromolecules and colloidal particles such as proteins, nanoparticles and liposomes. For instance, cationic photosensitizer chlorine-6 (ce6)-conjugate with cationic polylysine had up to 17 times higher cellular uptake of ce6. This enhanced endocytosis is of great importance in cancer-targeted drug delivery because intracellular drug release from liposomes, polymer-drug conjugates, and polymeric micelles or nanoparticles can circumvent membrane-associated multidrug resistance. Cationic polymers such as polyethyleneimine (PEI) can also disrupt lysosomal membranes, which is useful for drug delivery to cytosol. Nuclear localization signals (NLS), which are short highly positively charged basic peptides that actively transport large molecules across the nuclear membrane and localize cargo molecules (to which they have been conjugated) from the cytosol to the cell nucleus, is also useful for nuclear drug/gene delivery.
The in vivo applications of those positively charged macromolecules or colloidal particles, however, is very limited because cationic charges can cause severe serum inhibition and rapid clearance from the plasma compartment, and sequestered to mainly in the liver. For instance, a cationized antibody had a 58-fold increase in the systemic clearance from the plasma compartment and a 9-fold reduction in the mean residence time as compared to the native antibody. Such a fast plasma clearance makes them impossible to reach their targeted tissues other than the liver or intracellular compartment.
Most cancer chemotherapy drugs, such as anthracyclines and cisplatin, target nuclear DNA to cause DNA damage and/or topoisomerase inhibition to induce cell death (apoptosis). In addition to the overexpressed multidrug-resistance mechanism in the cell membrane, drug-resistant cancer cells have many intracellular drug-resistance mechanisms to limit the access of cytosolic drugs to the nucleus. Consequently, only a small percentage of drugs delivered into the cytosol finally reach the nucleus. For example, less than 1% of the cisplatin molecules that enter the cell actually bind the nuclear DNA. Thus, a drug carrier capable of localizing and directly releasing drugs into the nucleus would circumvent the multidrug-resistance and intracellular drug-resistance mechanisms to effectively deliver drugs to the vicinity of DNA, leading to a high therapeutic efficacy.
Polymer nanoparticles can carry drugs preferentially to cancerous tissues by means of the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect and bypass the multidrug resistance in the cell membrane, but the nanoparticles developed to date were found retained in cytoplasmic organelles including lysosomes rather than the nucleus. Nuclear localization peptides (NLPs)—short highly positively charged peptides that actively transport large proteins across the nuclear membrane—have been used to localize drug molecules from the cytosol to the nucleusA cationic polymer, polyethyleneimine (PEI), has been used extensively in nonviral gene delivery. It can carry DNA across the cell membrane, harness the molecular motors to actively move along the microtubule network, and finally enter the nucleus. NLPs and PEI, however, are highly positively charged at physiological pH. Positively charged polymers or colloidal particles can cause severe serum inhibition and are rapidly cleared from the plasma compartment, and thus cannot be used in vivo.
An ideal regime would be to activate the cationic charges only in cancerous tissues or their intracellular compartments. In the present invention, nanoparticles with a negative-to-positive charge-reversal PEI outer layer triggered by the solid tumor extracellular acidity (pH<7) or lysosomal (pH 4-5) for nuclear drug delivery. Negatively charged polymers have little interaction with the blood components and have been used extensively in vivo.


Bidirectional field emission devices (FEDs) and associated fabrication methods are described. A basic device includes a first unitary field emission structure and an adjacently positioned, second unitary field emission structure. The first unitary structure has a first cathode portion and a first anode portion, while the second unitary structure has a second cathode portion and a second anode portion. The structures are positioned such that the first cathode portion opposes the second anode portion so that electrons may flow by field emission thereto and the second cathode portion opposes the first anode portion, again so that electrons may flow by field emission thereto. A control mechanism defines whether the device is active, while biasing voltages applied to the first and second unitary structures define the direction of current flow. Multiple applications exist for such a bidirectional FED. For example, an FED DRAM cell is discussed, as are methods for fabricating the various devices.

Field emission devices (FEDs) or micro-vacuum tubes have many advantages over conventional semiconductor silicon devices for signal and data processing. For example, FEDs are much faster switching in the terahertz regime, are temperature and radiation tolerant, and are relatively easy to construct, requiring the disposition of appropriate layers of interleaved metals and insulators above a supporting substrate. Recognized applications range from discrete active devices to high density SRAMs and displays, radiation hardened military applications and temperature insensitive space technologies, etc. The literature on field emission devices, which is extensive, principally (if not totally) focuses on unidirectional emission devices. Typically, such prior art devices include a cathode, a gate to aid in controlling the emissions of the cathode, and an anode. With only these three dedicated electrodes the resultant device is necessarily application limited.
Activity in the field of cold cathode emission at VLSI levels has been increasing in the past few years. (For example, certain novel lateral field emission device structures and methods of fabricating the same are presented in a co-pending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 07/722,768, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,263 entitled "Lateral Field Emission Devices and Methods of Fabrication," the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.) The present application is believed to further advance the state of the art by providing novel bidirectional field emission devices which more closely mirror the capabilities of a conventional, silicon-fabricated field effect transistor.
As an example of one application, a significant number of publications have proposed using certain existing field emission devices for SRAM cells. However, few (in any) proposals for using a field emission device structure for a DRAM cell have been expressed. The disadvantage to the traditional FED for use as a DRAM cell relates to its inherent unidirectional nature. By providing a bidirectional field emission device, however, a cell can be designed such that the cell state (`1` or `0`) will be a stored charge on an addressable device. The device state can then be queried to ascertain the stored result.
Thus, to further continue advancement of field emission technology, a genuine need exists in the art for bidirectional field emission devices and for methods of fabricating the same. With a bidirectional FED, multiple applications become possible, including the unique use thereof in a DRAM cell structure.

Fabrication methods for bidirectional field emission devices and storage structures

International Business Machines Corporation


A water shoes for improving the safety of public bathing and swimming areas. The water shoes includes comprises a sole portion, and upper portion including vamp and quarters, and a cuff portion for abutting an ankle of the user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to footwear and more particularly pertains to a new water shoes for protecting the feet of a user while standing in water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of water related footwear is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,585 describes a rubber soled sock for protecting a user form sharp objects. Another type of water related footwear is U.S. Pat. No. 2,403,477 for use with diving suits.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a device that is superior for use in public bathing and swimming facilities to help minimize injury and or infection.


A human centered informational display is disclosed that can be used with vehicles (e.g. aircraft) and in other operational environments where rapid human centered comprehension of an operational environment is required. The informational display integrates all cockpit information into a single display in such a way that the pilot can clearly understand with a glance, his or her spatial orientation, flight performance, engine status and power management issues, radio aids, and the location of other air traffic, runways, weather, and terrain features. With OZ the information is presented as an integrated whole, the pilot instantaneously recognizes flight path deviations, and is instinctively drawn to the corrective maneuvers. Our laboratory studies indicate that OZ transfers to the pilot all of the integrated display information in less than 200 milliseconds. The reacquisition of scan can be accomplished just as quickly. Thus, the time constants for forming a mental model are near instantaneous. The pilot""s ability to keep up with rapidly changing and threatening environments is tremendously enhanced. OZ is most easily compatible with aircraft that has flight path information coded electronically. With the correct sensors (which are currently available) OZ can be installed in essentially all current aircraft

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a computer based human-centered display for e.g. a vehicle, and particularly to a display in which important operational and positional information are displayed to the person(s) controlling the vehicle in a way designed to provide immediate comprehension by that person of the location, orientation and operational parameters of the vehicle. The principles of the invention are particularly useful in providing a display to person(s) controlling an aircraft, i.e. either the pilot(s) flying the aircraft or, in the case of a remotely controlled vehicle, the remotely located human controlling the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Current state-of-the-art instrumentation in a cockpit is usefully categorized into flight, engine, weather, and radios instruments. The flight instruments consist of several discrete displays that must be individually viewed. Information from several of these discrete displays is required for the pilot to form a mental image of the aircraft""s position and flight path. During instrument flight, the pilot maintains a rigorous scan of these flight instruments and cannot afford to let the scan of the flight instruments xe2x80x9cbreak down,xe2x80x9d since safe instrument flight requires the pilot to maintain an accurate mental model of the aircraft""s position and flight path. This mental model depends upon the information obtained from the flight instruments. If the scan does break down, it takes time to restart the information collection as well as update and correct the mental model (15 and 18). The time a pilot takes to view and interpret the flight instruments limits the speed with which the pilot can respond as well as the time and resources the pilot has to allocate to all the other tasks necessary to fly the aircraft. It is only after considerable training and experience that a pilot is adequate for this demanding task. If the vehicle were e.g. a remote controlled aircraft or a remote controlled submarine, in which a human controlling the vehicle but located remotely from the vehicle was being fed the same type of information as a pilot as to the operation, orientation and location of the vehicle, the same type of problems would be present. To overcome these difficulties requires a totally different approach to a human centered information display for e.g. a cockpit or a remotely located human controller, is provided. That solution is sometimes referred to herein as xe2x80x9cOZxe2x80x9d.
The problem underlying the invention, and the solution described below, are described in connection with a cockpit display for a pilot flying an aircraft, but it will be clear to those in the art that the principles of the invention are applicable to various types of vehicles and/or other operational environments in which rapid human centered perception of an operational environment is required.
Problem
All conventional flight instrument displays require directed focal attention; the pilot must look at, or at least near, each instrument. To understand what the aircraft is doing, the pilot has to interpret what the instrument is indicating, and integrate that information with information from the other instruments. These requirements introduce substantial perceptual delays and a significant mental workload. For example, since viewing one instrument requires a minimum of about 200 milliseconds, the fastest that 5 instruments can be viewed is about 1 second (21). These delays severely limit pilots"" ability to cope with turbulence, rapidly changing situations, and emergencies. Furthermore, when deviations from flight path occur, even substantial ones, the instruments do not grab the pilot""s attention. Thus the pilot must continually scan or monitor the instruments to determine whether the aircraft has strayed from its intended flight path. Because conventional instruments require essentially constant attention, pilots develop rigorous continuous and routinized instrument scan strategies. Moreover, current flight instruments do not share a common frame of reference nor do they facilitate integration with the other three important areas of cockpit instrumentation; engine, weather, and radio instruments. This lack of integration conflicts with the requirements for instrument scan and compounds the problems of instrument flight. In the past, the solutions to these problems have been to severely limit the flight envelope of the aircraft, emphasize specific scan training, and require extensive pilot experience.
Requirements: The Ideal Display
The pilot""s display should allow essentially instantaneous comprehension of aircraft performance, location, and environment. Flight instruments should be designed to grab attention when deviations from flight path occur. Flight instruments should allow for the uninterrupted and effortless comprehension of flight path and spatial localization, even when focal attention is directed toward other tasks. A pilot""s Situational Awareness depends in large part on the ability to integrate many different sources of information. This integration is facilitated when the different instruments, and the real world, use a common frame of reference.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is a display that will provide a pilot with all information to fly the aircraft.
Another object of the invention is to provide a display that clearly informs the pilot of aircraft orientation and movement.
In addition, an object of the invention is an informational display that will not distract the pilot from flying the craft while providing information regardless of where the information is displayed in the visual field.
Still another object of the invention is an informational display that can be used with remotely controlled vehicles and in other operational environments where rapid human centered comprehension of an operational environment is required.
According to a broad aspect of the invention, a vehicle such as an aircraft has a sensing system configured to sense orientation and/or location parameters of the aircraft and a plurality of operational parameters of the aircraft, and a processing system is configured to process the sensed parameters for display on a visual display. An informational display, according to the invention, provides perceptual primitives configured into metaphorical structures whose appearance and locations conveys information simultaneously about the orientation, location and operational parameters of the aircraft, and the processing system is configured to process the sensed parameters and to produce the visual display in perceptual primitives according to the metaphorical structures.
Preferably, the metaphorical structures are configured to convey the information regardless of the extent of a viewer""s visual field (e.g. across the viewer""s central and peripheral vision field), and within a time frame of less than 200 milliseconds.
In a particularly important adaptation of the present invention to a vehicle, the orientation and/or location parameters include orientation and location parameters of the vehicle relative to objects located within a 360 degree field of the vehicle, and the metaphorical structures are configured to display the objects within the 360 degree field of the vehicle in a three dimensional display and to display the movement of the vehicle in the three dimensional display utilizing the angular scale of the three dimensional display.
In a more general application of this principle of the invention to an operational environment such as a vehicle, the orientation and/or location parameters include orientation and location parameters of the vehicle are represented by visual primitives forming a three dimensional display representing an externally stable frame of reference, and the metaphorical structures include a representation of the movement of the vehicle in the three dimensional display utilizing the angular scale of the three dimensional display.
In its more specific application to an aircraft, the present invention integrates all cockpit information into a single display in such a way that the pilot can clearly understand with a glance, his or her spatial orientation, flight performance, engine status and power management issues, radio aids, and the location of other air traffic, runways, weather, terrain features, waypoints, distance, wind, drag, range, and endurance, gravity effects on speed, fuel tank, rpm, engine pressure and temperature, mixture, cowl flaps, landing gear, other aircraft, multiengine procedures including engine out, Space Shuttle display and landing system, sailplane application, With the present invention, the information is presented as an integrated whole, the pilot instantaneously recognizes flight path deviations, and is instinctively drawn to the corrective maneuvers. Our laboratory studies indicate that OZ transfers to the pilot all of the integrated display information in less than 200 milliseconds. The reacquisition of scan can be accomplished just as quickly. Thus, the time constants for forming a mental model are near instantaneous. The pilot""s ability to keep up with rapidly changing and threatening environments is tremendously enhanced.
Moreover, in its application to an aircraft, the invention is most easily compatible with aircraft that has flight path information coded electronically. With the correct sensors (which are currently available) the invention can be installed in essentially all current aircraft. The cost to implement the invention in existing aircraft should not be prohibitive.

Computer based human-centered display system

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


One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a read head for a data storage device including a sensor for reading data from a data storage medium, a first shield disposed adjacent to the sensor and characterized as moment-compensated, and a second shield disposed adjacent to the sensor, the second shield being moment-compensated.

Hard disk storage devices are used in many computer system operations. In fact, most computing systems are not operational without some type of hard disk drive or similar storage device to store the most basic computing information such as the boot operation, the operating system, applications, and the like.
The basic hard disk drive model includes a storage disk or hard disk that spins at a designed rotational speed. An actuator arm is utilized to reach out over the surface of the disk. The arm carries a head assembly that has a magnetic read/write transducer or head for reading/writing information to or from a location on the disk. The transducer is attached to a slider, such as an air-bearing slider, which is supported adjacent to the data surface of the disk by a cushion of air generated by the rotating disk. The transducer can also be attached to a contact-recording type slider. In either case, the slider is connected to the actuator arm by means of a suspension. The complete head assembly, e.g., the suspension and head, is called a head gimbal assembly (HGA).
In operation, the hard disk is rotated at a set speed via a spindle motor assembly having a central drive hub. Additionally, there are tracks evenly spaced at known intervals across the disk. When a request for a read of a specific portion or track is received, the hard disk aligns the head, via the arm, over the specific track location and the head reads the information from the disk. In the same manner, when a request for a write of a specific portion or track is received, the hard disk aligns the head, via the arm, over the specific track location and the head writes the information to the disk.
Over the years, the disk and the head have undergone great reductions in their size. For example, the original hard disk drive had a disk diameter of 24 inches. Modern hard disk drives are much smaller and include disk diameters of less than 2.5 inches (micro drives are significantly smaller than that).
This continual reduction in size has placed steadily increasing demands on the technology used in the HGA, particularly in terms of power consumption, shock performance, and disk real estate utilization. One recent advance in technology has been the development of the Femto slider, which is roughly one-third of the size and mass of the older Pico slider, which it replaces; over the past 23 years, slider size has been reduced by a factor of five, and mass by a factor of nearly 100.
Some of the recent improvement has resulted from reduction in the size of the read head. FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a common read head 100. Read head 100 typically comprises a sensor 110, shields 121 and 122, and conductive leads 131-132. For the purposes of illustration, thickness will refer to horizontal dimensions in FIG. 1, height will refer to vertical dimensions in the figure, and width will refer to dimensions going into the page. In today's read heads, sensors are commonly on the order of 300 Å thick, whereas shields are typically 1-2 microns thick and 50-100 microns wide. Thus, shields 121 and 122 are significantly larger than sensor 110. Furthermore, the separation between the head 100 and disk 140 is typically only around 1-2 nm.
During head operation, the head is excited with high current, causing the temperature in the head to rise. This rise in temperature can cause shields 121 and 122 to thermally expand. Thus, shields 121 and 122, which are commonly made of NiFe, will actually protrude, causing sensor 110 to become recessed. In come cases, shields have been known to protrude as much as 1 nm. This is quite significant considering the small distance between the air bearing surface 150 and the disk 140. Protrusion of the shields hinders the reliability of the sensor interface as well as the sensitivity of the sensor.
Thus, it is desirable to restrict shield thickness to less than 100 nm. However, reducing the size of shields can adversely affect their ability perform their two primary functions: providing resolution by shielding the sensor from fields of bits other than the bit directly below; and providing contacts for external an current supply. First, when the shield material becomes thin, it can easily saturate and will no longer act as a shield. Second, the shield material does not have a high degree of conductivity, so making a shield thinner will only increase its resistivity. Furthermore, decreasing the size of a shield can cause it to become magnetically unstable.

Lead/shield structure for read head sensors

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


A semiconductor light emitting element in which changes in light distribution characteristics due to inclination angle of side surfaces are suppressed. The semiconductor light emitting element includes a semiconductor structure having a light extracting surface as its upper surface; a reflecting layer disposed on side surfaces of the semiconductor structure; and a positive electrode and a negative electrode disposed on a lower surface of the semiconductor structure. Side surfaces of the semiconductor structure are inclined, expanding upward from the lower surface to the upper surface. At least a portion of each side surface includes a plurality of protrusions, a plurality of recesses, or a combination thereof.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor light emitting element applicable for displays, etc.
2. Background Art
A light emitting element such as that described in JP 2002-26382A has a shape in which the side surfaces of the light emitting element are extending in the light extracting direction, and a light reflecting portion made of a light reflecting material is closely adhered to the side surfaces of the light emitting element to be unified with the light emitting element (see FIG. 4 of JP 2002-26382A).
In the light emitting element such as that described in JP 2002-26382A, a change in the inclination angle (an angle between the lower surface and a side surface) of one or more side surfaces of the light emitting element due to manufacturing variation may result in a change in the light distribution characteristics.
Embodiments of the present invention are devised to solve the above-described problems, and are aimed to provide a semiconductor light emitting element in which the light distributing properties is barely subjected to a change in the inclination angle of one or more side surfaces of the semiconductor light emitting element.

Semiconductor light emitting element having semiconductor structure with protrusions and/or recesses


A booster apparatus of a vacuum type for a brake device has a housing including therein a chamber, a diaphragm for dividing the chamber of the housing into a constant pressure chamber and a variable pressure chamber, an input shaft including a distal end, an output shaft including a proximal end, a plunger which is engageable with the distal end of the input shaft for transmitting force from the input shaft to the output shaft, a reaction disk disposed between the plunger and the proximal end of the output shaft for transmitting reaction from the output shaft to the plunger, and a valve body mounted on the diaphragm. The valve body includes a hole for slidably receiving the plunger, a recess for fixedly receiving the reaction disk and the proximal end of the output shaft which recess is larger than the plunger hole in inner diameter, and an intermediate hole portion disposed between the plunger hole and the recess. The intermediate hole portion is smaller than the recess and is larger than the plunger hole in inner diameter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a booster apparatus of a vacuum type used in a brake device of an automobile.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 8 shows one example of conventional booster apparatuses of a vacuum type. The booster apparatus includes a housing 1 having therein a constant pressure chamber 4 and a variable pressure chamber 5 which are divided by a diaphragm 3 supported by a power piston 2. Negative pressure generated by an internal combustion engine (not shown) is introduced into the constant pressure chamber 4 through an intake pipe 6. The booster apparatus also includes a generally cylinder-shaped valve body 7 having at the outer side thereof annular grooves 2a and 3a. The inner ends of the power piston 2 and the diaphragm 3 are fixedly fitted into the annular grooves 2a and 3a, respectively.
The valve body 7 includes a large diameter cylinder portion 8 mounted on the power piston 2 and the diaphragm 3 and a small diameter cylinder portion 9. The small diameter cylinder portion 9 is integrally formed with the large diameter cylinder portion 8. The rear end portion of the small diameter cylinder portion 9 extends through the rear of the housing 1 outwardly of the housing. An appropriate portion between the rear of the housing 1 and the small diameter cylinder portion 9 is tightly sealed to prevent the variable pressure chamber 5 from being brought into communication with the atmosphere through between the rear of the housing 1 and the small diameter cylinder portion 9. The interior of the valve body 7 communicates with the atmosphere.
An input shaft 10 connected to a brake pedal (not shown) extends into the small diameter cylinder portion 9. A plunger 11 moving in interlocking relation with the input shaft 10 is provided at the leading end portion of the input shaft 10. The valve body 7 includes therein a plunger supporting slide hole portion 12. The plunger 11 slides along the slide hole portion 12. The valve body also includes at its leading side a recess 13 which has a larger inner diameter than the slide hole portion 12. The recess 13 is adjacent to the slide hole portion 12. The base portion 15 of an output shaft 14 and the whole of an elastic reaction disk 16 are inserted into the recess 13. The diameter of the base portion 15 of the output shaft 14 is substantially identical to (or slightly smaller than) the inner diameter of the recess 13. The diameter of the reaction disk 16 is also substantially identical to (or slightly smaller than) the inner diameter of the recess 13.
The valve body 7 includes an air passage 17 for communication of the variable pressure chamber 5 with the inside of the valve body 7 and a negative pressure passage 18 for communication of the constant pressure chamber 4 with the inside of the valve body 7. Provided on the inside of the valve body 7 is a valve member 21. An air valve 19 includes portions of the valve member 21 and the plunger 11. A vacuum valve 20 includes portions of the valve member 21 and the valve body 7. The valve member 21 is biased toward the output shaft 14 by a valve spring 22 provided between the valve member 21 and the input shaft 10. The air valve 19 and the vacuum valve 20 are opened and closed in response to the movement of the input shaft 10, the plunger 11 and the valve body 7 relative to each other. A spring 40 is provided between the small portion 9 and the input shaft 10. A diaphragm return spring 41 is provided in the housing 1 for biasing the valve body 7 toward the input shaft 10.
In the initial state as shown in FIG. 8 (during which the engine is in operation and the brake pedal is not in operation), the constant pressure chamber 4 is the same in pressure (negative pressure) as the variable pressure chamber 5, and both the air valve 19 and the vacuum valve 20 are in a closed position. The application of at least a force of F.sub.1 (see FIG. 9) pushing the input shaft 10 then moves the plunger 11 forwardly of the valve member 21, thereby opening the air valve 19 with the vacuum valve 20 being in the closed position. The opening of the air valve 19 allows the air to flow into the variable pressure chamber 5 through the air passage 17, thereby causing a pressure difference between the constant pressure chamber 4 and the variable pressure chamber 5. Thus, this provides the output shaft 14, through the valve body 7 and the reaction disk 16, with the force to propel it forwardly (or a jumping value indicated in the output area "A" of FIG. 9). If a force less than F.sub.1 is applied to the input shaft 10, a force pushing the output shaft 14 forwardly is not created. The application of force less than F.sub.1 to the input shaft 10 cannot compress the springs 22 and 40 to move the input shaft 10 and the plunger 11 forwardly to open the air valve 19.
Application of a force between F.sub.1 and F.sub.3 (see FIG. 9) to the input shaft 10 to open the air valve 19 causes the above pressure difference to be generated, thereby creating a force for propelling the valve body 7 forwardly. The valve body propelling force is transmitted to the output shaft 14 through the reaction disk 16. The value of the output force for pushing the output shaft 14 is then that of the input force for pushing the input shaft 10 multiplied by a force-boosting ratio of the booster apparatus. For example, the value Fo of the output force for pushing the output shaft 14 becomes the same value as that shown in the output area B of FIG. 9. The force-boosting ratio is determined by a ratio between the contact area of the reaction disk 16 (or the base portion 15 of the output shaft 14) with the valve body 7 and the plunger 11 and the contact area of the plunger 11 with the reaction disk 16. As mentioned above, in response to the transmission of the input shaft-pushing force to the output shaft 14, the reaction from the output shaft 14 is transmitted to the brake pedal through the input shaft 10, thereby enabling a driver to receive a sense of the reaction via the brake pedal when pushing the brake pedal.
If a force of F.sub.3 is applied to the input shaft 10, the pressure in the variable pressure chamber 5 becomes identical to the atmospheric pressure so that the pressure difference between the chambers 4 and 5 is maximized. Thus, a force above F.sub.3 from the input shaft 10 is transmitted to the output shaft 14 by the plunger 11 being pressed against the reaction disk 16.
In the booster apparatus of a vacuum type, the introduction of the atmospheric pressure to the variable pressure chamber 5 causes the pressure difference between the constant pressure chamber 4 and the variable pressure chamber 5. The force of the pressure difference moves the power piston 2 forwardly, and thereby the output shaft 14 generates a boosted thrusting force.
It is necessary for a booster apparatus of a vacuum type to be able to generate a strong force in a case of an emergency. In order to do this, it is necessary to increase the jumping valve as shown in the output area A of FIG. 9 or the force-boosting ratio. In the conventional booster apparatus of a vacuum type, since the force-boosting ratio is constant, increasing the jumping valve or force-boosting ratio causes an excessive braking force to be applied even if the brake pedal is pressed down lightly, causing the brakes to be slammed on. In order to avoid this happening, it is necessary for a driver to operate the brake pedal carefully, even in normal driving conditions, resulting in a driver feeling uncomfortable, and ill at ease.


An embodiment of the disclosed invention includes a method for attenuating noise during acquisition of marine seismic date. The method includes placing a seismic streamer in a body of water. The seismic streamer includes a streamer body having a length and a channel, a seismic sensor disposed within the channel, and a gel disposed within the channel. The gel has a complex viscosity of at least 50 Pascals and includes a concentration of a polymer between the range of about 5% and about 25% by weight. The method also includes placing a source in the body of water. The seismic streamer and the source are towed through the body of water and the source is fired while being towed through the body of water. Data is collected from the seismic streamer as it is towed through the body of water.

This disclosure generally relates to acquiring marine seismic data, and more specifically but not by way of limitation to acquiring marine seismic data using solid streamers.
Seismic exploration involves surveying subterranean geological formations for hydrocarbon deposits. A seismic survey typically involves deploying seismic source(s) and seismic sensors at predetermined locations. The sources generate seismic waves, which propagate into the geological formations creating pressure changes and vibrations along their way. Changes in elastic properties of the geological formation scatter the seismic waves, changing their direction of propagation and other properties. Part of the energy emitted by the sources reaches the seismic sensors. Some seismic sensors are sensitive to pressure changes (e.g., hydrophones), others to particle motion (e.g., geophones), and industrial/seismic surveys may deploy only one type of sensors or both. In response to the detected seismic events, the sensors generate electrical signals to produce seismic data. Analysis of the seismic data can then indicate the presence or absence of probable locations of hydrocarbon deposits.
Some surveys are known as "marine" surveys because they are conducted in marine environments. However, "marine" surveys may be conducted not only in saltwater environments, but also in fresh and brackish waters. In one type of marine survey, called a "towed-array" survey, an array of seismic sensor-containing streamers and sources is towed behind a survey vessel.
Streamers are long cables that house various sensor networks and other devices useful in the acquisition of seismic data. Streamers may be manufactured as liquid-filled streamers or solid streamers. Prior art solid streamer cables are often constructed with a central core with transmission and power bundles that are continuous through the streamer section (a segmented portion of a streamer cable). The transmission and power bundles are typically connected to electronics modules between the streamer sections through end connectors. Also within a streamer section, there is a need to connect distributed sensors and (if present) sensor electronics by wires to transmit power and data to the electronics modules.

Seismic acquisition using solid streamers


The present apparatus and method are configured to remove challenging polymer films and structures from semiconductor wafers. This technique involves the use of a double soak and spray sequence with unique parameters and can be varied depending upon the application. The initial immersion step is used to initiate the swelling and dissolution of the polymer. The first spray step may include a high pressure needle to pierce through the top layer allowing more solvent to penetrate in the subsequent soak process. The second immersion can then penetrate further and faster allowing substantial penetration of the polymer by the solvent. The final high pressure spray proceeds to remove all of the polymer coating. The process ends with a final rinse and dry sequence.

As technology nodes continue to decrease in critical dimensions, the number of photoresist strip steps increases along with the requirement for no material loss in the process. Photoresist is used in a variety of processes such as lift-off, thick dry films for plating, and protection for implantation to name a few. In order to withstand these process conditions, the photoresist is sometimes crosslinked and hardened to make it stable during the subsequent steps. This hardening makes it more difficult to remove with conventional techniques.
Lift-off of metal and other materials result in a complete coating being formed over the photoresist as shown in the present figures. As will be appreciated, the photoresist structure can take can number of different forms in that the photoresist can be deposited in a number of different patterns. As described herein, one lift-off technique involves immersing the wafers in a solvent bath to dissolve the patterned resist. The path for the solvent penetration can vary depending upon the sidewall angle in the lift-off structure. For examples, FIGS. 1A-C shows metal lift-off structures with different sidewall angles. FIG. 1A shows a first metal lift-off structure 10 that is formed of a lift-off polymer (patterned photoresist) 20 with metal 30 being deposited thereon. The structure also includes a metal pattern 11 that is formed on the substrate (wafer). As shown in the figures, after the photoresist cleaning process, the metal pattern 11 remains (see FIG. 2C). The lift-off polymer 20 in FIG. 1A has a sidewall structure defined by a negative angle. In FIG. 1B, the lift-off polymer 20 has a sidewall structure defined by vertical angle (i.e., the sides of the polymer 20 are vertical and parallel to one another). In FIG. 1C, the lift-off polymer 20 has a sidewall structure defined by a positive angle. It will be appreciated that the profile angle of the lift-off polymer 20 affects the shape of the deposited metal and the ease of the lift-off (with a positive angle sidewall structure (FIG. 1C) being difficult and a negative angle sidewall structure (FIG. 1A) being easier). Increasing the thickness of the lift-off polymer 20 assists in the removal of the lift-off polymer since it allows larger areas for solvent penetration. In some cases (e.g., positive angle sidewall as in FIG. 1C) there is complete coverage of the sidewall and therefore it is virtually impossible for the solvent to penetrate the lift-off polymer 20 for removal thereof.
FIGS. 2A-C illustrates solvent penetration and removal of the lift-off polymer (photoresist) 20 that has a sidewall structure according to one configuration. In this case, the lift-off polymer 20 has a negative angle sidewall structure as in FIG. 1A. FIG. 2A shows solvent penetration as a result of the wafer being exposed to solvent as by immersing the wafer within a solvent bath. The solvent penetrates the underlying photoresist (lift-off polymer 20) which results in the photoresist swelling and breaking apart. The photoresist dissolves in the solvent. FIG. 2B shows that the flow of solvent removes residual photoresist and acts to "lift" the deposited metal 30 from the surface. FIG. 2C shows the intended result of the process in that a clean metal pattern remains. In other words, the metal that does not overlie the photoresist and is arranged according to a predetermine pattern remains. It will be appreciated that the force required to completely remove photoresist depends upon several factors including but not limited to: the solubility of the photoresist, thicknesses of the photoresist and metal, and lift-off structure angle.
FIGS. 3A and 3B show one challenge to the photoresist removal process and in particular, during some manufacturing processes, a crust is formed on the top and sidewalls of the photoresist 20. More specifically, implantation for doping of the silicon result in an ion-rich layer and carbonized crust formed on the top and sidewalls of the photoresist 20 (solvent-rich photoresist layer). This crust 40 makes it difficult to penetrate the soft photoresist underneath and thereby strip. In FIG. 3A, an ion-induced carbonized layer 40 is formed on the photoresist 20 and an ion-rich layer or region 42 is formed on the photoresist 20. Implant sputter residues and implant species that are formed are indicated at 44.
FIGS. 4A-C depicts three conventional prior art methods for removing implanted resist. FIG. 4A depicts an undercut method for removing implanted resist 20 from a substrate (wafer) 15 (formation of the undercut facilitates removal of the resist 20); FIG. 4B depicts a method using mechanical force to remove implanted resist 20 from the substrate 15 (the mechanical force is used to penetrate (break apart) the crust layer and subsequently remove the resist 20); and FIG. 4C depicts a dissolution method for removing implanted resist 20 from the substrate 15. Unfortunately, none of these methods (techniques) are completely successful and therefore additional techniques are required in order to completely remove implanted resist 20.
Photoresist strip processes are typically a batch soak or single wafer spray process. However due to the impenetrable layer on top of the photoresist, the conventional processes, including a combination of these techniques, do not always provide complete photoresist removal.
There is therefore a need for an improved apparatus (system) and method for complete removal of the photoresist.

Apparatus and method for removing challenging polymer films and structures from semiconductor wafers


In a simulation game machine for play on the basis of images of three-dimensionally constituted terrain features and characters which are represented as if viewed from a prescribed camera within a virtual space, allows the viewing point to be shifted in three dimensions while looking over a stage, thereby enhancing the interest of the game. Upon entering a topographical mapping data check (ST1), the viewing point is shifted while panning and zooming in movie-like fashion along a predetermined path (ST2), and messages disposed along the path are displayed (ST4).

This invention relates to a graphics processing technique for generating an image, analogous to one observed from a prescribed viewing point, of a virtual space which is defined by three-dimensional coordinates and which contains segments (terrain features, human figures moving about in the virtual space, and the like) disposed therein, and more particularly to a method for shifting this viewing point in an effective manner.
Recent advances in computer technology and declines in prices have led to widespread consumer adoption of video game machines. Various games can be played on such video game machines by inserting the appropriate ROM cartridge or CD-ROM.
These types of games include xe2x80x9csimulationxe2x80x9d games. In simulation games, the game consists of a plurality of stages. The display image contains a designated movable segment which can be controlled by the player, other segments which move under the control of the program, and other segments depicting terrain features (hereinafter, the movable human figure or other player-controlled segment will be referred to as the xe2x80x9cplayer-controlled character,xe2x80x9d and segments which move under the control of the program will be referred to as xe2x80x9cenemy charactersxe2x80x9d). The player controls the player-controlled character to fight with the enemy characters to xe2x80x9cbeatxe2x80x9d (complete a stage) the various stages.
Some simulation games of this type display an introductory screen which introduces the plurality of stages upon the issuance of a game start instruction, but these have several drawbacks.
For example, many conventional games of this type allow one to move through a page on the screen (called xe2x80x9cscrollingxe2x80x9d) in order to view displays of all the stages. However, the information displayed together with the stage displays was limited to messages (Conventional Example 1).
Some simulation games which use a cursor to facilitate control allow one to move the cursor to a desired location within the display, at which point data describing the terrain feature segment displayed at that location is presented. However, only data for the location selected with the cursor is shown; relationships to terrain features adjacent to cursor are not indicated (Conventional Example 2).
Conventional simulation games also include those which use topographical mapping data. However, this topographical mapping data is defined two-dimensionally; none of the simulation games employ topographical mapping data defined three-dimensionally. Accordingly, no game processing exists which utilizes terrain features rendered as images capable of simulating events likely to happen in any ordinary three-dimensional terrain, for example, a character sustaining injury by falling from a cliff. Even if such a game exists, the orientation of an injury and the extent of an injury would be predetermined factors, and the inability for the nature of the injury to change in a manner dependent on the terrain results in a lack of realism (Conventional Example 3).
Furthermore, while some conventional simulation games vary the viewing point for creating the display, none of them allow the viewing point to be changed arbitrarily (Conventional Example 4).
As noted above, in conventional game design, the display is two-dimensionally defined, and the resulting display is unavoidably lacking in realism when compared to the real world, which is three-dimensional.
Accordingly, representation whereby the display in each stage is rendered on the basis of three-dimensionally-defined topographical mapping data, the position of the viewing point can be shifted vertically and horizontally, and the player is presented a more three-dimensional display would serve to facilitate understanding of terrain features.
It should be noted that defining terrain feature segments in three dimensions and allowing the viewing point to be positioned at any location within virtual space creates several new problems.
For example, where a enemy character or the like is hidden behind a terrain feature segment which is represented in three dimensions, the enemy character cannot be made visible unless the position of the viewing point is changed. This creates problems, unless the position of the viewing point is aligned with the player-controlled character. Specifically, directions for player-controlled character movement are assigned to control buttons on the input device (pad). This does not present a problem when the direction of the line of sight extending into the virtual space from the viewing point is aligned with the direction in which the player-controlled character is facing. However, if the direction of the line does is not aligned with the direction in which the player-controlled character is facing, proper control becomes impossible.
For example, let it be assumed that the assignment for the UP switch on the pad is such that when it is pushed, the player-controlled character moves FORWARD. This is not a problem where the viewing point is such that the player-controlled character is viewed from behind. Pushing the UP switch causes the player-controlled character to move in the z-axis direction in the viewing point coordinate system. With this control button assignment, however, if the viewing point is changed so that the player-controlled character is viewed from the side, pushing the UP switch will cause the player-controlled character to move in the z-axis direction, i.e., in the sideways direction with respect to the player-controlled character. Properly speaking, FORWARD should move the player-controlled character in the forward direction.
To summarize, where a three-dimensional simulation game is conducted using three-dimensionally-defined polygons or the like, the use of processing analogous to that for conventional two-dimensional simulation games makes control difficult and may diminish the interest of the game.
This invention was developed to address the problems noted earlier, and is intended to provide a graphics processing device which allows the viewing point in a three-dimensionally-defined virtual space to be shifted arbitrarily, and to present a suitable operating environment (Object 1).
This invention was developed to address the problems noted earlier, and is intended to provide a graphics processing device which allows information for the surroundings of the cursor-selected position to be displayed, and to present a suitable operating environment (Object 2).
This invention was developed to address the problems noted earlier, and is intended to account for the effects of a three-dimensionally-defined terrain feature on a player-controlled segment, and to present a suitable operating environment (Object 3).
This invention was developed to address the problems noted earlier, and is intended to align the orientation of a player-controlled segment in virtual space with the direction of the line of sight for visual field conversion, and to present a suitable operating environment (Object 4).
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device for generating a display wherein segments defined three-dimensionally within a virtual space are viewed from a viewing point located within the virtual space, comprising viewing point shifting means for shifting the viewing point over the predetermined three-dimensional paths established within the virtual space.
The segments are representations of terrain features, human figures, and the like, and are constructed from polygons, for example. Two-dimensional representations of the polygons observed from a viewing point in the virtual space are displayed. In contrast to moving through two dimensions, the paths are designed to allow movement while changing position in a third dimension direction (such as the height direction).
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device, wherein display locations for displaying predetermined messages are established along a path, and the viewing point shifting means displays messages at these display locations.
Locations for message display may include, for example, locations where enemy characters are positioned, locations of prescribed objects, location of characteristic terrain features such as cliffs or precipices, and other locations where information useful to the player in proceeding through the game should be placed. Messages may be displayed in a prescribed message window, for example. The message window need not be three-dimensional; a two-dimensional display may be used.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device, wherein the path is configured such that each of the plurality of segments can be represented from different viewing point positions.
Examples of paths providing representation from different viewing point positions are:
paths providing an elevated viewing point position for commanding a wide view of flat terrain features;
paths providing a lowered viewing point position for providing an unobstructed view when encountering a view obstructed by valleys, forests, or other complex terrain features;
paths modifiable upon encountering a terrain feature that represents an obstacle, thereby allowing one to avoid the obstacle to view a desired terrain feature;
paths modifiable upon encountering a distinctive terrain feature or object, allowing the area to be rendered in close-up, for example, when looking up at an inclined surface, lowering the viewing point and approaching the inclined surface, or, when looking over a cliff, elevating the viewing point and approaching the cliff; and
paths otherwise modifiable for achieving movie effects such as pan, zoom, and the like, for example, paths set up such that the camera can be adjusted continuously from extreme zoom-out to close-up in order to focus on a particular point.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device, wherein the viewing point shifting means holds a reference point for the viewing point in a predetermined location when shifting the viewing point along a path.
An embodiment of the invention provides a game machine designed with a plurality of stages, comprising a graphics processing device whereby virtual terrain features are defined three-dimensionally within virtual space for each stage, and representations thereof are displayed as viewed from the viewing point.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing method for generating representations of segments defined three-dimensionally within virtual space displayed as viewed from the viewing point, comprising the step of shifting the viewing point over the predetermined three-dimensional paths established within the virtual space.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing method, wherein display locations for displaying predetermined messages are selected along a path, and the step for shifting the viewing point displays the messages at the display locations.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device for generating representations of segments defined three-dimensionally within virtual space displayed as viewed from the viewing point, comprising cursor generation means for generating a cursor, cursor moving means for moving the cursor through operation by the player, data generating means for acquiring data concerning segments located peripherally around the cursor and generating display data, and data display means for producing data displays on the basis of the display data.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device, wherein the data generating means, on the basis of conditions of motion applied to the cursor and data concerning segments located peripherally thereto, makes decisions as to whether cursor movement should be enabled, computing the load required for movement where movement is enabled, and the data display means displays a xe2x80x9cmovement not enabledxe2x80x9d indicator in directions in which cursor movement is not enabled, as well as displaying a xe2x80x9cmovement enabledxe2x80x9d indicator in directions in which cursor movement is enabled, together with the load required therefor.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device, wherein the data generating means acquires attribute data concerning segments located peripherally around the cursor and generates display data, and the data display means displays the display data next to the segment(s) in question.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device, wherein the cursor generating means changes the cursor display with reference to the attributes of the segments.
An embodiment of the invention provides a game machine designed with a plurality of stages, comprising a graphics processing device whereby virtual terrain features are defined three-dimensionally within virtual space for each stage, and a cursor is displayed in the display of each stage.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing method for generating a display of segments defined three-dimensionally within a virtual space and portrayed as viewed from a viewing point located within the virtual space, comprising a cursor moving step in which the cursor is moved through player control, a data generation step in which data pertaining to segments located peripherally around the cursor is acquired and display data is generated, and a data display step in which a data display is produced on the basis of the display data.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device for generating a display of segments defined three-dimensionally within a virtual space and portrayed as viewed from a viewing point located within the virtual space, comprising attribute modification value generating means which, where a segment has moved, computes an attribute modification value for the segment on the basis of its status prior to moving, after moving, or both, and attribute modifying means for modifying the attributes of the segment on the basis of the attribute modification value.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device, wherein the attribute modification value generating means computes the attribute modification value on the basis of the difference in distance of the segment prior to and after moving.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device, wherein the attribute modification value generating means computes the attribute modification value on the basis of the status defined for the terrain feature segment located at the current position of a segment which has moved.
An embodiment of the invention provides a game machine designed with a plurality of stages, comprising a graphics processing device for defining virtual terrain features three-dimensionally within a virtual space and modifying segment attributes for each stage.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing method for generating a display of segments defined three-dimensionally within a virtual space and portrayed as viewed from a viewing point located within the virtual space, comprising an attribute modification value generating step wherein, where a segment has moved, an attribute modification value is computed for the segment on the basis of its status prior to moving, after moving, or both, and an attribute modifying step wherein the attributes of the segment are modified on the basis of the attribute modification value.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device for generating a display of segments defined three-dimensionally within a virtual space and portrayed as viewed from a viewing point located within the virtual space, comprising segment moving means for moving prescribed segments through control by the player, coordinate alignment determining means for determining if the direction in which a designated segment in virtual space is facing is aligned with the direction of the line of sight extending from the viewing point, and association modifying means for modifying the association of the control direction instructed through player control and the direction of movement of the segment where the coordinate alignment determining means has determined that these are not aligned.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device, further comprising control input type determining means for determining whether a control input by the player pertains to movement of a segment, and control direction setting means for setting the direction instructed through control by the player to a predefined direction in the event that it is determined by the control input type determining means that the input does not pertain to movement of a segment.
Cases where a determination that a particular control input does not pertain to movement of a segment would be made include, for example, specification of an action not directly related to movement of a segment but rather performed on a terrain feature, tree, rock, or other object in the virtual space, or of some modification of attributes (equipment, weapons, tools, etc.) including those of segments. Cases where a determination that a control input does not pertain to the virtual space would be made include, for example, operations performed in display screens not directly related to virtual space coordinates (such as game setting, segment setting, and other initial screens, setting screens for modifying parameters during the course of the game, message windows, and the like). xe2x80x9cPredefined directionxe2x80x9d refers to some direction defined with reference to the display screen (for example, UP, DOWN, LEFT, or RIGHT).
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing device, further comprising control input reference determining means for determining whether a control input by the player is an operation to be performed on the display screen which displays the virtual space, and control direction setting means for setting the direction instructed through control by the player to a predefined direction in the event that it is determined by the control input reference determining means that the operation is not one to be performed on the display screen which displays the virtual space.
An embodiment of the invention provides a game machine designed with a plurality of stages and comprising a graphics processing device for defining virtual terrain features three-dimensionally within a virtual space for each stage, and for moving the segments.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing method for generating a display of segments defined three-dimensionally within a virtual space and portrayed as viewed from a viewing point located within the virtual space, comprising a segment moving step in which a designated segment is moved through control by the player, a coordinate alignment determining step in which a determination is made as to whether the direction in which the designated segment in virtual space is facing is aligned with the direction of the line of sight extending from the viewing point, and an association modifying step in which the association of the control direction instructed through player control and the direction of movement of the segment is modified in the event that the coordinate alignment determining means has determined that these are not aligned.
An embodiment of the invention provides a graphics processing method, further comprising a control input type determining step in which a determination is made as to whether a control input by the player pertains to movement of a segment, and a control direction setting step in which the direction instructed through control by the player is set to a predefined direction in the event that it is determined by the control input type determining means that the input does not pertain to movement of a segment.
An embodiment of the invention provides in a computer a machine-readable storage medium for storing a program which embodies a graphics processing method for generating a display of segments defined three-dimensionally within a virtual space and portrayed as viewed from a viewing point located within the virtual space, and which executes a step whereby the viewing point is shifted over predetermined three-dimensional paths established within the virtual space.
An embodiment of the invention provides in a computer a machine-readable storage medium for storing a program which embodies a graphics processing method for generating a display of segments defined three-dimensionally within a virtual space and portrayed as viewed from a viewing point located within the virtual space, and which executes a cursor movement step wherein the cursor is moved through control by the player, a data generation step wherein data pertaining to segments located peripherally around the cursor is acquired and display data is generated, and a data display step in which a data display is produced on the basis of the display data.
An embodiment of the invention provides in a computer a machine-readable storage medium for storing a program which embodies a graphics processing method for generating a display of segments defined three-dimensionally within a virtual space and portrayed as viewed from a viewing point located within the virtual space, and which executes an attribute modification value generating step wherein, where a segment has moved, an attribute modification value is computed for the segment on the basis of its status prior to moving, after moving, or both, and an attribute modifying step wherein the attributes of the segment are modified on the basis of the attribute modification value.
An embodiment of the invention provides in a computer a machine-readable storage medium for storing a program which embodies a graphics processing method for generating a display of segments defined three-dimensionally within a virtual space and portrayed as viewed from a viewing point located within the virtual space, and which executes a segment moving step in which a designated segment is moved through control by the player, a coordinate alignment determining step in which a determination is made as to whether the direction in which the designated segment in virtual space is facing is aligned with the direction of the line of sight extending from the viewing point, and an association modifying step in which the association of the control direction instructed through player control and the direction of movement of the segment is modified in the event that the coordinate alignment determining means has determined that these are not aligned.
Examples of storage media are floppy disks, magnetic tape, magnetooptical disks, CD-ROM, DVD, ROM cartridges, RAM memory cartridges equipped with battery packs, flash memory cartridges, nonvolatile RAM cartridges, and the like. xe2x80x9cStorage mediumxe2x80x9d refers to a component capable of storing data (mainly digital data and programs) by some physical means and of enabling a computer, dedicated processor, or other processing device to perform prescribed functions.
Wired communications media such as phone lines, wireless communications media such as microwave circuits, and other communications media are included as well. The Internet is also included in this definition of communications media.

Image processor, image processing method, game machine and recording medium


Provided is a thin-film transistor (TFT) display panel having improved electrical and reliability properties and a method of fabricating the TFT display panel. The TFT display panel includes gate wiring formed on a substrate; an oxide active layer pattern formed on the gate wiring; data wiring formed on the oxide active layer pattern to cross the gate wiring; a passivation layer formed on the oxide active layer pattern and the data wiring and made of nitrogen oxide; and a pixel electrode disposed on the passivation layer.

1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relates to a thin-film transistor (TFT) display panel and a method of fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a TFT display panel having improved electrical properties and improved reliability by fabricating a oxide TFT and a method of fabricating the TFT display panel.
2. Discussion of the Background
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are one of the most widely used flat panel displays (FPDs). An LCD includes two substrates having electrodes formed thereon and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the two substrates. The LCD applies voltages to the electrodes to rearrange liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer and thus control the amount of light that passes through the liquid crystal layer.
With the soaring demand for LCDs, and in particular higher-quality LCDs, a lot of research is being conducted to develop LCDs with improved current and light tolerance. Oxide TFT display panels using oxide semiconductors as active layer patterns have high mobility, light insensitivity, and low-temperature deposition properties. Due to these properties, oxide TFT display panels are increasingly used in LCDs.
An oxide TFT display panel includes oxide active layer patterns made of an oxide semiconductor, a passivation layer disposed on the oxide active layer patterns, and a gate insulating film disposed under the oxide active layer patterns.
If the passivation layer or the gate insulating film contains hydrogen atoms, the hydrogen atoms may react with or diffuse into the oxide active layer patterns. Accordingly, the oxide active layer patterns may become conductive, rendering the oxide TFT display panel unable to perform its function.

Thin-film transistor display panel including an oxide active layer and a nitrogen oxide passivation layer, and method of fabricating the same


A method of transcoding digital data which, at the start, appear in the form of a thermometric code, the successive values of which may be represented by a first bit matrix (columns 1 to 8). The method uses an intermediate code defined by a second matrix (low significance), (columns (1), (2), (3) and (4)), and by a third matrix (high significance), (columns 4 and 8), which is extracted from the first matrix. The intermediate code delivers digital words which are shorter than the starting words and permits a later transformation into a binary code (columns [1], [2], [3], [4],) which is very simple. A decoder and a converter using this method is described where the decoder is organized so as to first produce the values of the intermediate code and then, the corresponding values in binary code. The converter employs analog gates with multiple inputs instead of the purely logic input blocks of the decoder.

The subject of the present invention is a method of transcoding data expressed in digital words of like number of bits, according to a thermometric type coding, the successive values of which can be represented in the form of a first matrix each row of which is a digital word.
Thermometric codes are very frequently employed in particular in analog-digital converters, which, owing to the resistance scales used to define reference levels for comparison, generate thermometric codes internally to the converter. An analog-digital converter therefore has a code converter (or decoder), the function of which is to transform the thermometric code into a binary code. Such a conversion requires a large number of comparators (or gates), thus noticeably increasing the area occupied on an integrated circuit. The conversion of a cyclic thermometric code with 2.sup.N -bit words into a binary code requires in fact not less than 2.sup.N comparators (or gates).

Method of transcoding data from a thermometric code, decoder and converter applying this method


A protective liner for a truck bed, and a method for making the same. The liner includes a coated liner adhesively coupled to a truck bed, the coated liner having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first surface contacting the truck bed and having a transverse section and a bed section, the transverse section and the bed section forming a cavity; and a pre-formed liner disposed within the cavity and at least partially contacting the second surface.

Truck bed liners protect the beds of trucks, such as pickups, against scratches, mars, and other damage that can otherwise occur. These liners are generally available in two forms. One is a "drop-in" liner that is a pre-formed plastic component that form-fits to the bed to be protected. The other is a spray-on liner and is formed by spraying a thick polymer coating to the bed and then curing the same.
Each of these previous liners has disadvantages. The "drop-in" liner, no matter how form-fitting, is generally unable to completely contact the truck bed at all points. Thus, pockets may occur in which water or other materials may pool or collect, deleteriously damaging the truck bed after time. To apply the spray-on liner usually requires a prior preparation of the truck bed to enhance adhesion, this application often including scratching the truck, deleteriously damaging the same.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.