A communication system and device that enables free-hand drawn SMS (Short Messaging Service) messages to be transmitted and received from/to various user devices. A buffer device is inserted within a GSM compatible handset providing a buffer for both conventional SMS messages created by typing a message on the keypad of the handset and for free-hand drawn SMS messages created by drawing or writing the free-hand message on a data entry device. An optional OCR (Optical Character Recognition) facility can be provided in either the buffer device inserted within the handset or in a network server that receives the transmitted message and processes it for proper routing to the intended recipient.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of mobile handset communication. More particularly, this invention relates to improved techniques in the areas of SMS (Short Messaging Service), EMS (Enhanced SMS) and Inage messaging with respect to a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) communications network.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are two basic types of services offered through GSM: telephony (also referred to as teleservices) and data (also referred to as bearer services). Telephony services are mainly voice services that provide subscribers with the complete capability (including necessary terminal equipment) to communicate with other subscribers. Data services provide the capacity necessary to transmit appropriate data signals between two access points creating an interface to the network. In addition to normal telephony and emergency calling, GSM supports dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF), facsimile group III, cell broadcast, voice mail, fax mail and short message services (SMS).
The latter of the above-referenced GSM facilities, SMS, is the service most relevant to the present invention. According to the SMS service, a message consisting of a maximum of 160 alphanumeric characters can be sent to or from a mobile station. This service can be viewed as an advanced form of alphanumeric paging with a number of advantages. If the subscriber's mobile unit is powered off or has left the coverage area, the message is stored and offered back to the subscriber when the mobile unit is once again powered on or has reentered the coverage area of the network. This function ensures that the message will be received.
The SMS service makes use of an SMSC (Short Message Service Center), which acts as a store-and-forward system for short messages. The wireless network provides the mechanisms required to find the destination station(s) and transports short messages between the SMSC and wireless stations. In contrast to other existing text-message transmission services, such as alphanumeric paging, the service elements are designed to provide guaranteed delivery of text messages to the destination. Additionally, SMS supports several input mechanisms that allow interconnection with different message sources and destinations.
A distinguishing characteristic of the SMS service is that an active mobile handset is able to receive or submit a short message at any time, independent of whether a voice or data call is in progress. In some implementations, this may depend on the MSC (Mobil Switching Center) or SMSC capabilities. As mentioned above, SMS also guarantees delivery of the short message by the network. Temporary failures due to unavailable receiving stations are identified, and the short message is stored in the SMSC until the destination device becomes available.
SMS is also characterized by out-of-band packet delivery and low-bandwidth message transfer, which results in a highly efficient means for transmitting short bursts of data. Initial applications of SMS focused on eliminating alphanumeric pagers by permitting two-way general-purpose messaging and notification services, primarily for voice mail. As technology and networks evolved, a variety of services have been introduced, including e-mail, fax, paging integration, interactive banking, information services such as stock quotes, and integration with Internet-based applications. Wireless data applications include downloading of SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards for activation, debit, profile-editing purposes, wireless points-of-sale (POSs), and other field-service applications such as automatic meter reading, remote sensing, and location-based services. Additionally, integration with the Internet spurred the development of Web-based messaging and other interactive applications such as instant messaging, gaming, and chatting.
One of the most popular ways an SMS message is sent and/or received is via a GSM handset equipped with SMS capabilities. An identification number is first stored in the memory of the handset. This identification number identifies the Mobil Switching Center (MSC) to which each SMS message from that particular handset will be sent for proper distribution to the intended recipient. The identification number only needs to be stored once and each time an SMS message is generated using that handset, the stored number is used for message routing.
After storing the proper MSC identification number, SMS messages are typically created using the GSM handset by manually entering a combination of message text and/or characters by pressing the appropriate keys located either on the handset itself or on an accessory keyboard that can be operably attached to the handset or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). According to the SMS standard, up to 160 characters can be sent in each SMS message.
Currently, free-hand message creation, i.e., messages drawn freely by the author using symbols, characters, text, pictures or any other desired nomenclature, as opposed to using predetermined keystrokes, such as in conventional SMS messaging, is known with respect to PDAs. However, such devices are quite expensive and complicated when compared to a conventional cellular handset, i.e., 2G or, second generation handsets. In addition to PDAs, there are certain other approaches that permit free-hand message creation. These other approaches, however, typically require additional hardware devices that work in conjunction with cellular handsets and they are unique for each handset. For example, some known devices must connect to the handset's external connector, which is a proprietary connection for each handset. Furthermore, these externally attached modules are both large and expensive.
Also, the devices that allow free-hand message transmission comprise handsets with externally connected modules that are not generic with respect to the handset. This contributes to increased costs, typically making these devices very expensive when compared to the cost of a cellular handset. PDAs, on the other hand, do not require any attachments, but PDAs cannot send free-hand drawn images. Also, PDA devices are expensive when compared to regular second generation cellular handsets. Lastly, entering message data is even more complicated when it is desired to send a message using characters not supported by the keypad of the device, e.g., Chinese characters.

Free-hand mobile messaging-method and device


A brake system (10) comprising: a master cylinder (20) including a primary (24) and a secondary (26) chamber and a reservoir (26); an accumulator (40), a pump (42) having first inlet port connected to a reservoir (26) of the master cylinder (20) and the second outlet port (b) connected to the accumulator (40), a motor (50) for selectively driving the pump as a function of system pressure, a pressure boost mechanism (60) connected to the accumulator (40) and the primary and secondary chambers of the master cylinder for generating a boosted pressure at a fixed multiple of the pressure in either the primary or secondary master cylinder chambers.

The present invention relates to a brake system for a vehicle which utilizes a hydraulic boost mechanism as replacement for the more usual vacuum booster.
The present invention comprises: a brake system comprising: a plurality of hydraulic brake mechanisms, associated with each wheel of a vehicle; a master cylinder including primary and secondary chambers and a reservoir and a pressure boost device. The pressure boost device comprising: an accumulator and a pump connected the reservoir and to the accumulator. A motor is provided to selectively drive the pump as a function of system pressure. The pressure boost device is also connected to the primary and secondary chambers of the master cylinder for generating a boosted pressure at a fixed multiple of the pressure in either the primary or secondary master cylinder chambers. First and second isolation valves are provided to isolate the master cylinder from brake cylinders during normal brake operation and first and second proportional solenoid valves provide an antilock or adaptive braking mode of operation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a brake system for a vehicle in which the brake pressure generated during normal brake operation is obtained by utilizing a pressure boost device or mechanism that is remotely situated from the master cylinder.

Electrohydraulic braking system with remote booster


A pressure-sensitive adhesive composition capable of giving a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet which simultaneously realizes satisfactory holding power, adhesion, and peel resistance in peeling from curved surfaces, while balancing these properties, and has satisfactory heat resistance. The composition comprises the following ingredients: (A) a maleimide crosslinking agent having two or more maleimide groups per molecule; (B) a monomer which, when caused to homopolymerize, gives a homopolymer having a glass transition temperature of −40° C. or lower; (C) a carboxylated monomer copolymerizable with the monomer of the ingredient (B); and (D) a photopolymerization initiator, the maleimide crosslinking agent of the ingredient (A) being contained in an amount of 0.01-2 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the sum of the monomers of the ingredients (B) and (C).

Holding power, adhesive strength and curved-surface peel resistance are some of the properties required of an adhesive. It has been widely recognized that the holding power and the adhesive strength of an adhesive are contradictory properties, as are the holding power and the curved-surface peel resistance. For example, increasing the holding power of an adhesive by increasing the amount of the crosslinking agent added to the adhesive to thereby increase the degree of crosslinking of the adhesive can lead to an increased molecular weight of the polymer component of the adhesive and can thus result in a decrease in the adhesive strength and the curved-surface adhesion resistance. On the other hand, decreasing the degree of crosslinking by decreasing the amount of the crosslinking agent added leads to a decreased molecular weight of the polymer component of the adhesive, resulting in an increased adhesiveness of the adhesive as well as in an increased adhesive strength thereof. This however decreases the heat resistance, holding power and curved-surface peel resistance of the adhesive.
An adhesive composition that exhibits the contradictory properties, i.e., holding power, adhesive strength and curved-surface peel resistance, in a well-balanced manner has been proposed (Patent Document 1). This adhesion composition is composed of a hard segment monomer whose homopolymer has a relatively high glass transition temperature (for example, 60° C. or above), a soft segment monomer whose homopolymer has a relatively low glass transition temperature (for example, −20° C. or below), a monomer whose homopolymer has an intermediate glass transition temperature, and a photoinitiator. Another type of adhesive composition has also been proposed that contains a monomer that can be homopolymerized to form a homopolymer with a glass transition temperature of −50° C. or below, an imide (meth)acrylate that is used in an amount of 1 to 20 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the monomer, a photopolymerization initiator, and optional acrylic acid (Patent Document 2).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-073025    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-285105

Sony Chemical & Information Device Corporation


Large area silicon carbide devices, such as light-activated silicon carbide thyristors, having only two terminals are provided. The silicon carbide devices are selectively connected in parallel by a connecting plate. Silicon carbide thyristors are also provided having a portion of the gate region of the silicon carbide thyristors exposed so as to allow light of an energy greater than about 3.25 eV to activate the gate of the thyristor. The silicon carbide thyristors may be symmetric or asymmetrical. A plurality of the silicon carbide thyristors may be formed on a wafer, a portion of a wafer or multiple wafers. Bad cells may be determined and the good cells selectively connected by a connecting plate.

Silicon carbide thyristors are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,217 (the '217 patent) the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth fully. The thyristors described in the '217 patent are three terminal devices having a gate and one of an anode or a cathode on a first side of the device and the other of the anode and the cathode on the opposite side of the device. Such silicon carbide thyristors may exhibit improved power handling capabilities over similar silicon thyristors.
Light-activated thyristors having an integrated light source and a silicon carbide active layer have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,580. Such devices may include four terminal devices and include anode and cathode terminals for a light emitting diode which acts to trigger a thyristor having its own anode and cathode terminals.
Silicon thyristors which are light activated have been utilized in high power applications. For example, optically triggered parallel lateral thyristors are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,126.
While silicon carbide thyristors may provide improved power handling capabilities over comparably sized silicon devices, it may be difficult to create large scale thyristors in silicon carbide. For example, in silicon a single thyristor may be made on a wafer such that the thyristor is substantially the same size as the wafer. However, manufacturing defect free silicon carbide wafers may be difficult, if not impossible. Thus, a device which consumes an entire wafer may have defects incorporated into the device which may limit its performance.

Manufacturing methods for large area silicon carbide devices


Systems and methods sense electrical events about a selected annulus region of the heart to identify the location of an accessory pathway. The systems and methods establish a contact site between heart tissue along the selected annulus and a multi-electrode array having a generally circular shape that conforms to the circumferential geometry of the selected annulus region. The systems and methods maintain the site of contact between the electrode array and heart tissue, while conveying signals representing electrical events sensed by bipolar pairs of the electrodes in the selected annulus region, The systems and methods display the signals as graphic information that represents the time differences between the atrial and ventricular electrogram complexes sensed by bipolar pairs of the electrodes on the selected annulus region. The bipolar pair of electrodes displaying the least time separation between the atrial and ventricular complexes identifies the region of the accessory pathway. With this information, the systems and methods convey energy to one or more of the electrodes of the selected pair to ablate tissue in the selected annulus region.

Normal sinus rhythm of the heart begins with the sinoatrial node (or "SA node" ) generating an electrical impulse. The impulse usually propagates uniformly across the right and left atria and the atrial septum to the atrioventricular (AV) groove. This propagation causes the atria to contract.
At the atrioventricular (AV) groove, the impulse encounters the so-called "skeleton" of the heart. Here, a fibrous structure separates the atria from the ventricles. The rings or annuli of the tricuspid valve (between the right atrium and right ventricle) and the mitral (or bicuspid) valve (between the left atrium and the left ventricle) are attached to this fibrous skeleton.
The fibrous skeleton is electrically inert. It normally acts as an insulator to block the conduction of the impulse from the SA node. The electrical impulse would be prevented from crossing over to the ventricular side of the AV groove, if not for the specialized AV conducting tissue, called the atrioventricular node (or "AV node") and the bundle of HIS (or "HIS bundle").
The AV node slows the conduction of the impulse to the ventricles, allowing the atria to first complete their contraction and empties blood from the atria into the ventricles. The slowed impulse eventually enters the HIS bundle, which delivers the impulse to the ventricular side. The ventricles then contract.
The AV conduction system results in the described, organized sequence of myocardial contraction.
Normally, the AV conduction system is the only way for electrical impulses to be conducted from the atria to the ventricles. However, some people are born with additional electrical conduction paths between the atria and ventricles. These extra connections are called "bypass tracts" or "accessory pathways". Accessory pathways consist of tiny bands of myocardial tissue that most commonly insert in atrial muscle on one end and ventricular muscle on the other end. The most common variety is located along the AV groove.
Accessory pathways offer a potential parallel route for electrical impulses, bypassing the normal AV conduction system.
The accessory pathways do not slow down the electrical impulse, like the AV node does. Instead, the accessory pathways conduct impulses more quickly, like myocardial tissue. When they conduct the impulses in the antegrade direction (i.e., from the atria to the ventricles), they precede the normal impulse from AV node, causing premature stimulation and contraction of the ventricles. When they conduct the impulses in the retrograde direction (i.e., from the ventricles to the atria), the atria contract after the ventricles do. In either case, normal heart rhythm becomes disrupted.
Patients with accessory pathways are susceptible to re-entrant tachycardias involving both the AV node and the accessory pathway. The resultant fast heart rate can be potentially life-threatening. The elevated heart rate can lead to serious hemodynamic compromise. Sudden syncope or hemodynamic collapse can occur.
Accessory pathways are generally invisible to the naked eye. They therefore must be located by their electrophysiologic effects.
Catheter-based techniques have been developed to record accessory pathway activation by mapping the left and right annuli of, respectively, the tricuspid valve and the mitral valve. The techniques map these regions within the heart using sensing electrodes carried by catheters introduced by vascular access into the heart.
These catheter-based techniques have allowed identification of the site of the accessory pathway. Once identified, the pathway can be rendered non-conductive by catheter-based ablation techniques.
However, physicians frequently find it difficult to map and ablate around these annuli, particularly when working on the atrial side. Many complex movements are presently required to map the entire annulus using conventional catheters. Stable and intimate contact between the myocardial tissue and the mapping electrodes are often difficult to achieve.
Furthermore, conventional systems require the use of separate ablating elements. Coordinating the position of the mapping electrodes and the ablating electrodes further compounds the difficulties.
As a result, mapping and ablating of accessory pathways using conventional catheter-based techniques are difficult and time consuming. For these reasons, many attempts at creating curative lesions ultimately fail.
There is a need for catheter-based systems and methods that simplify the procedures for mapping and ablating accessory pathways.

Systems for locating and ablating accessory pathways in the heart


A method for the production of panel-type components having at least three layers of boards disposed parallel to the plane of the component, with the boards being connected to one another without glue by dowels extending substantially transversely to the plane of the component, includes disposing a plurality of layers of boards on top of each other in different orientations, providing a plurality of bores in these boards which penetrate the layers, and pressing dowels into the bores. An especially high strength is achieved by tensioning layers of the boards during drilling and insertion of the dowels, the tensioning including applying compressive forces. Also, the dowels are preferably compacted in a radial direction before insertion in the bores.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for the production of panel-type components having at least three layers of boards disposed parallel to the plane of the component, the boards being connected to one another without glue by dowels extending substantially transversely to the plane of the component, with firstly a plurality of layers of boards being disposed on top of each other in different orientations, a plurality of bores being provided in these boards which penetrate the layers, and the dowels being pressed into the bores.
2. The Prior Art
It is known to connect wood components by dowels. It is possible in this context to produce wall elements or the like made from one material, which means that the connection of the individual components among each other occurs exclusively through the frictional connection of the components with the dowels. Examples of walls elements produced in this manner are provided in EP 1 097 032 A or EP 1 381 740 of the applicant. If no glue is to be used in the dowel joint, as is required for ecologically high-value components, it is necessary to produce the respective holding forces via the frictional connection between the dowels and the components from which the components are made. This can occur in the known manner in such a way that dowels are used which have a diameter which is larger than the bore that are determined for receiving the dowel. There are limits to hammering or pressing in such dowels however. A further possibility of improving the frictional connection is that wedges or the like are driven into the face-side ends of the dowels. This comes with the disadvantage however that the frictional connection is improved in this case not over the entire length of the dowel, but only in the area of the wedges. There is a further disadvantage in that when the surface is machined which leads to reduction in the thickness of the components especially the especially supporting parts of the dowel are removed, leading to an impairment in the quality of the joint.
It is known from "innovations in wood" in the "Forum Planning June 2003" to produce wood elements by dowel joints, with the dowels being compressed in the radial direction prior to being driven in. The dowels are pressed in a rotating manner through a conically tapering opening, so that the glue grooves, if any, are flattened to a substantial extent. Although it is possible with such a dowel to improve hold even in case of humidity changes of the component, the security to be gained is not sufficient for all applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,493 A shows a dowel for producing joints between components with a slit arranged in a screw-like manner. It is usually not possible with such a dowel to produce components made of a single material. Moreover, the forces that can be transmitted by such a dowel are limited.
JP 2000-064436A shows a dowel which is compressed prior to being driven in and increases its volume by taking up humidity. In order to achieve a secure hold, a relatively strong compression needs to be performed, which under adverse conditions may lead to damage to components.
DE 299 18 118 A shows a wood production component which is connected by dowels which are arranged parallel to the panel plane. When there is a bending load, the tensions occurring in the component are absorbed only by the dowels in the worst case. Such a component is therefore not very strong.
A solution is known from SU 1 025 831 A in which individual boards are arranged perpendicular to the plane of stacks of boards. The dowels are used to maintain an applied tensioning. The dowels are subjected to shearing strain. The components thus arranged are primarily suitable as supports, but not to provide planar components.
It is the object of the present invention to further develop a method of the kind mentioned above that a sturdy component with high loading capacity is created which is insensitive to the various humidity influences and offers high heat insulation values and high leak-tightness.

Method for the production of panel-type components


A magnetoresistive read sensor based on the spin valve effect and having a multilayered, dual spin valve structure is described. The sensor read element includes first, second and third layers of ferromagnetic material separated from each other by layers of non-magnetic metallic material. The first and third layers of ferromagnetic material, i.e., the outer layers of the structure, have their magnetization orientation fixed, while the second, intermediate ferromagnetic layer is magnetically soft and has its magnetization oriented perpendicular to that of both the outer ferromagnetic layers in the absence of an applied magnetic field. In one preferred embodiment, the two outer ferromagnetic layers have their magnetizations fixed parallel to each other by exchange coupling with adjacent antiferromagnetic layers.

The present invention relates generally to magnetic sensors for reading information signals recorded in a magnetic medium and, more particularly, to an improved magnetoresistive read sensor which utilizes a multilayered, dual spin valve structure and antiferromagnetic exchange coupling to provide a fixed bias field for the sensor.
The prior art discloses a magnetic read transducer referred to as a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor or head which has been shown to be capable of reading data from a magnetic surface at great linear densities. An MR sensor detects magnetic field signals through the resistance changes of a read element fabricated of a magnetic material as a function of the strength and direction of magnetic flux being sensed by the read element. These prior art MR sensors operate on the basis of the anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) effect in which a component of the read element resistance varies as the square of the cosine (cos.sup.2) of the angle between the magnetization and the direction of sense current flow through the element. A more detailed description of the AMR effect can be found in "Memory, Storage, and Related Applications", D. A. Thompson et al., IEEE Trans. Mag. MAG-11, p. 1039 (1975).
More recently, a different, more pronounced magnetoresistive effect has been described in which the change in resistance of a layered magnetic sensor is attributed to the spin-dependent transmission of the conduction electrons between the magnetic layers through a non-magnetic layer and the accompanying spin-dependent scattering at the layer interfaces. This magnetoresistive effect is variously referred to as the "giant magnetoresistive" or "spin valve" effect. Such a magnetoresistive sensor fabricated of the appropriate materials provides improved sensitivity and greater change in resistance than observed in sensors utilizing the AMR effect. In this type of MR sensor, the in-plane resistance between a pair of ferromagnetic layers separated by a non-magnetic layer varies as the cosine (cos) of the angle between the magnetization in the two layers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,039 to Grunberg describes a layered magnetic structure which yields enhanced MR effects caused by antiparallel alignment of the magnetizations in the magnetic layers. As possible materials for use in the layered structure, Grunberg lists ferromagnetic transition metals and alloys, but does not indicate preferred materials from the list for superior MR signal amplitude. Grunberg further describes the use of antiferromagnetic-type exchange coupling to obtain the antiparallel alignment in which adjacent layers of ferromagnetic materials are separated by a thin interlayer of chromium (Cr) or yttrium (Y).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,590, assigned to the instant assignee, discloses an MR sensor in which the resistance between two uncoupled ferromagnetic layers is observed to vary as the cosine of the angle between the magnetizations of the two layers and which is independent of the direction of current flow through the sensor. This mechanism produces a magnetoresistance that, for selected combinations of materials, is greater in magnitude than the AMR, and is referred to as giant magnetoresistance or the "spin valve" (SV) magnetoresistance.
Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/937,620 filed Aug. 28, 1992, assigned to the instant assignee, discloses an MR sensor based on the above-described effect which includes two thin film layers of ferromagnetic material separated by a thin film layer of a non-magnetic metallic material and in which the magnetization of one ferromagnetic layer is maintained perpendicular to the magnetization of the other ferromagnetic layer at zero externally applied magnetic field by exchange coupling with an adjacent layer of antiferromagnetic material.

International Business Machines Corporation


This wafer polishing apparatus includes: a polishing plate having a polishing pad; a carrier plate which is placed facing the polishing pad and which slides and presses wafers against the polishing pad, while rotating in a state of holding the wafers; and an abrasive slurry supply device, wherein the abrasive slurry supply device is able to supply different abrasive slurries, each of the abrasive slurries contains abrasives of which the average grain size is different from those contained in the other abrasive slurries. This method for polishing wafers includes: while supplying an abrasive slurry to a surface of a polishing pad, sliding and pressing wafers against the polishing pad, wherein different abrasive slurries are supplied to the surface of the polishing pad, and each of the abrasive slurries contains abrasives of which the average grain size is different from those contained in the other abrasive slurries.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for polishing wafers and a method for polishing wafers which are employed to polish surfaces of wafers or the like that forms integrated circuits.
This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-145612, filed May 18, 2005, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Background Art
Generally, a silicon wafer of which the surface has being etched is subjected to a polishing step in which the surface is polished. A conventional polishing includes a first polishing step in which coarse bumps are smoothed away in the surface of the wafer using a wafer polishing apparatus provided with a hard polishing pad and a second polishing step in which eliminates minute pits are eliminated in the surface of the wafer using a wafer polishing apparatus provided with a soft polishing pad. Thereby, the surface of the wafer is finished to a smooth mirror surface having no strain. Since the type of the polishing pad used in the first polishing step is different from that of the polishing pad used in the second polishing step, a wafer polishing apparatus is used exclusively for each of the first polishing step and the second polishing step.
FIG. 7 is a view showing the schematic structure of a wafer polishing apparatus used in the conventional polishing method. In FIG. 7, a figure (a) is a plan view and a figure (b) is a side view thereof (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
A conventional wafer polishing apparatus includes a rotating disk 31, a polishing pad 32 adhered to substantially the entire surface of the rotating disk 31, a plurality of rotating holders 33 provided above the rotating disk 31, and a wafer mounting plate 35 fixed to each of the rotating holders 33. The rotating holders 33 are constructed so as to be able to perform a rotational movement as well as a vertical movement using a shaft 34. A plurality of wafers 36 are mounted on the wafer mounting plates 35. The symbol 37 in the drawings is an injection pipe and if needed, the wafer may be polished while an abrasive slurry 38 such as a cerium oxide based slurry is supplied from the injection pipe 37.
However, in the conventional polishing method, because the wafer polishing apparatus and the polishing pad are used exclusively for each of the first polishing step and the second polishing step, equipments and polishing materials are needed for each of the steps in order to polish the wafers. As a result, the problem arises in which production costs become high. Moreover, after the first polishing step is finished, the wafer polishing apparatus is changed and then the second polishing step is started. Therefore, the problem arises in which the polishing process becomes complicated and it takes a long time to polish the wafers.
The present invention was conceived in view of the above described circumstances and it is an object thereof to provide an apparatus for polishing wafers and a method for polishing wafers which enable to reduce equipments and polishing materials required for polishing wafers, and which can realize simplification of the wafer polishing process and reduction in the polishing time.
(Patent Document 1) Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. S64-78758

Wafer polishing apparatus and method for polishing wafers


A method and an apparatus are provided for estimating and removing interference of a signal at a wireless repeater operating in a multi-carrier system. In the method, a current echo channel linear prediction coefficient, which represents a coefficient between a current train signal section and a previous train signal section, is estimated using a current echo channel coefficient estimated in the current train signal section and a previous echo channel coefficient generated in the previous train signal section. A next echo channel coefficient is estimated using the current echo channel coefficient, the previous echo channel coefficient, and the current echo channel linear prediction coefficient. An echo channel coefficient outside a train signal section is estimated using the current echo channel coefficient and the next echo channel coefficient.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and an apparatus for estimating and removing an echo channel. The present invention relates particularly to a method and an apparatus for estimating the echo signal formed when an output signal of a transmission antenna of a wireless repeater returns and is re-input via a reception antenna, and transmitting, via the transmission antenna, a signal from which the estimated echo signal has been removed in advance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile communication plays an important role in the development of an information-oriented society. It is optimal for a mobile communication system to allow a subscriber to utilize the functions of an entire communication network wirelessly, so that the subscriber may communicate with anybody, anywhere, at anytime. The mobile communication system utilizes a wireless repeater for swift communication in a communication scheme based on wireless and mobile communication technologies, such as indoor/outdoor wireless data communication, vehicle and cellular phone, a future personal communication network, etc. The wireless repeater is equipment for primary use in a shadow region, such as a shielded space, an underground shopping center, a tunnel, and an underground parking lot, where it is not suitable to newly establish a base station or operate a relay vehicle. The wireless repeater extracts a weak signal to be relayed from signals still existing in a shielded space or a shadow region, amplifies the extracted signal with a low noise, and re-transmits the amplified signal via an antenna, thereby allowing mobile communication even in a communication obstacle region.
However, when the wireless repeater transmits a radio signal to a mobile terminal, oscillation or a fine oscillation is generated due to the fact that an output signal of a transmission antenna returns, is re-input via a reception antenna and is amplified, thereby deteriorating signal quality. Such a limitation can be resolved using a method of separating the transmission/reception antennas of the wireless repeater by a sufficient distance. However, this method causes the installation costs of a wireless repeater to increase and it is difficult to select a region where installation is possible in a scattering environment such as the downtown.
To prevent the above-described oscillation phenomenon without providing additional separation distance between a transmission antenna and a reception antenna, a technique is performed in which a signal returning from the transmission antenna to the reception antenna is estimated using digital signal processing in a baseband or an intermediate frequency band, and the estimated returning signal is removed. Due to time delay and costs, this technique generally uses a unique characteristic of a signal in order to estimate a returning signal without decoding a transmission/reception signal.
Since a spread spectrum scheme, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), uses a scrambling code, such as a pseudo noise code, the spread spectrum scheme has an autocorrelation characteristic where a discrete signal having a sampling frequency of a wireless repeater is excellent. Therefore, it is possible to prevent oscillation by an echo signal by estimating the echo signal using this autocorrelation characteristic and removing the estimated echo signal. However, in a wireless repeater where a multi-carrier system is applied that does not guarantee the autocorrelation characteristic, it is difficult to accurately estimate an echo signal and prevent oscillation.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of an apparatus for removing an echo signal and preventing oscillation in a general wireless repeater. Referring to FIG. 1, a multi-carrier input signal received via a reception antenna of a wireless repeater passes through a delay generator 101. The delay generator 101 compensates for a synchronization difference by an additional delay, such as a band pass filter required during analog/digital conversion, and is output to a transmission antenna. An echo signal is removed by applying an output signal of the delay generator 101 as an input of an echo signal remover 103, and subtracting a filter response of an echo signal estimator 105 from a multi-carrier input signal. For correct operation of the echo signal remover, an impulse response of an echo channel is estimated and used as a filter coefficient of the echo signal remover. When the multi-carrier input signal is in a time-division train signal section, a multi-carrier input signal is transferred to an input channel estimating unit through a switch. The input channel estimating unit includes an input channel estimator 107 and a train signal generator 109. The input channel estimating unit removes an input signal from an input signal of the echo channel estimator 105 by passing a train signal generated by the train signal generator 109 through the input channel estimator 107. When the above-described process is performed, an echo signal and an input signal are removed, so that only an additional noise is left. Therefore, when an estimation technique such as Least Square Estimation (LSE) and Minimum Mean Square Error Estimation (MMSE) is applied, an echo channel and an input channel filter coefficient can be estimated that minimize power sum of interference-removed output signal or average power.
However, since a train signal section of the multi-carrier system is an extremely small portion of an entire signal section, when a time-variant characteristic of an echo channel cannot be ignored due to an influence of neighboring scattering objects, in an aspect of an installation environment of a wireless repeater, quality of interference-removed signal may be deteriorated by a channel change between a periodic time-division train signal section and the other sections.

Method and apparatus for estimating/removing echo signal using channel coefficient predicting technique in multi-carrier system


A display panel includes a first sub-pixel electrode and a second sub-pixel electrode alternating with each other to form a horizontal electric field, a first data line transmitting a first data voltage to the first sub-pixel electrode, and a second data line transmitting a second data voltage to the second sub-pixel electrode, wherein the second sub-pixel electrode is formed to overlap the first and second data lines.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is directed to a display panel, and more particularly, to a display panel having a horizontal electric field formed between first and second sub-pixel electrodes.
2. Description of the Related Art
A display panel of a liquid crystal display (LCD) displays images using a plurality of unit pixels each including a thin film transistor (TFT) and a liquid crystal capacitor.
The liquid crystal capacitor includes pixel electrodes, a common electrode, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the pixel electrodes and the common electrode. The display panel provides the pixel electrode with external charges through the TFT to change an electric field formed between the pixel electrodes and the common electrode. The change in the electric field formed between the pixel electrodes and the common electrode changes the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, which changes the light transmittance of liquid crystal molecules, to thereby display an image.

Display panel with alternating sub-pixel electrodes


Shooting gallery devices and methods are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a shooting gallery includes a plurality of targets rotatably connected to a plurality of target connectors. The targets rotate between an extended position and a fallen position. The target and target connector assembly at least partially retains the targets in the extended position and/or prevents the targets from rotating from the extended position to the fallen position. Furthermore, the targets and target connector assemblies are configured to reset from the fallen position to the extended position without a rail guide or reset cam.

Shooting galleries have existed for many years, providing amateurs and professionals alike the opportunity to shoot a firearm at a moving target for fun, skill, sport, enjoyment, and/or practice. Shooting galleries range from those found at amusement parks using numerous types of projectiles (water, cork, beans, BB's) to galleries designed for high power rifles. Conventional shooting galleries include multiple targets moving on an endless chain or belt in front of a shooter. As the targets pass laterally in front of a shooter, the shooter attempts to hit the targets with a projectile to knock the targets over. When a shooter successfully hits a target, the target temporarily disappears from view. The target then travels around a loop and reappears upright in front of the shooter. Most shooting galleries typically reset the targets by using a complex system including guides, reset cams and target rails to direct the targets upright again. One example of a shooting gallery device requiring a target rail to reset and retain the targets in an upright position along the target track is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,400 issued to Cesternino. These components increase the cost, complexity, size and weight of the gallery. Accordingly, a need exists to improve conventional shooting galleries.


A device for invasive temperature measurements during surface and deep hyperthermia treatments. The device includes a needle-pin element and a catheter of a biocompatible material semi-rigid sheath surrounding the needle-pin element. The needle-pin element and the sheath are coupled such that the needle-pin element can be drawn out. At least one thermocouple is provided on an outer circumference of the semi-rigid sheath of the catheter. The thermocouple has an end to affect the temperature reading and is provided close to a surface of the sheath which is in contact with tissue of a human body. Positioning means are provided at the bottom of the catheter to position the catheter adjacent to a human body and for maintaining the catheter in position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for the invasive thermometrical measurement and the introduction of a medicament for surface and deep hyperthermia treatments.
More specifically, the invention relates to a device which allows one to obtain with the maximum precision, the temperature reached employing the hyperthermia techniques in the zone to be treated, in order to optimize the therapeutic effect and if desired to introduce medicaments within the tissue.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is well known that hyperthermia is a therapy-active technology employed in the last ten years in the treatment of the cancer.
During the application of the hyperthermia therapy, radio-frequency and/or microwave apparatuses deposit electromagnetic waves within the organism thus producing heat within the organism, and it is necessary to take a measurement of the temperature within the treated zone in order to obtain the maximum result.
In order to obtain the maximum effect on the tumoral cells the temperature within the tumor reaches a temperature of approximately 42.5.degree.-43.degree. C., with a margin of error of +/-0.1.degree. C.
It clearly follows that to obtain good results for the therapy, the temperature measurement systems must be able to operate with some precision.
After many years of experimentation, although the technology to deposit heat in depth has been improved, the invasive thermometric systems presently available have not reached a technological level similar to that of the apparatuses for the application of the hyperthermia, which still have remarkable drawbacks and contraindications.
In fact, the thermometric systems presently available are made up of constatan copper thermocouples and/or optical fiber introduced within the tumor by the introduction of needles-cannulae width 14-18 mm (+/-1.5 mm) and length 3-7.5 cm. The needles-cannulae are then drawn out leaving the wire bearing the thermocouple within the tissue.
With this technology, for each needle-cannula an average of one or two thermocouples and/or optical fibers are introduced. For each therapy treatment it is necessary to take 8-15 temperature reading points and therefore, it is necessary to employ from 4 to 15 needles.
This operation must be repeated for each hyperthermia treatment, for the complete cycle (5-10 treatments). Obviously it creates many inconveniences both for the patients, who must be pierced each time with needles of relatively large sizes, and for the operators who have practical and technical problems in correctly positioning and maintaining the thermocouple in the reading point.
In fact, for example, when drawing out the needle, very often the position of the thermocouple changes within the tissue thus having a negative effect on the temperature efficiency.
Although it facilitates the keeping of the position of the thermocouple within the tumoral zone, the presence of the needle within the organism is not allowed since it causes very strong pains for the patient both in case of muscle twitch and for the overheating of the needle (70.degree.-80.degree. C.) subjected to radiofrequency, RF.
Summarizing, the drawbacks of the present invasive thermometrical measurement systems can be individuated in a high needle/thermocouple number for each treatment, a needle cross-section that causes strong pains to the patients, a lack of precision of the positioning and maintaining the thermocouple at the correct reading point, the impossibility of maintaining the needle within the organism due to the overheating due to the radiofrequency, a scarce utilization practicality, a difficult possibility of use, and an inconvenience for the use in hyperthermia therapy in the medical field.
During the years, temperature reading systems of the non invasive kind have been suggested employing the TAC, the magnetic resonance and the radiometry.
However, the invasive reading of the temperature is until now the most precise and correct way.
In "International Journal of Hyperthermia", Vol. 2 No. 1 Jan-March 1986, a device is described having many of the disadvantages listed above.

Device for the invasive thermometrical measurement and for the introduction of a medicament for surface and deep hyperthermia treatments


In a linear actuator in which a slide table on a pedestal is caused to reciprocate linearly by two air cylinder mechanisms mounted in the pedestal, exhaust holes are provided to positions adjacent to ports, flow rate restricting mechanisms for restricting a flow rate of exhaust are provided between the exhaust holes and the ports, and pieces of cushion packing for being positioned over one of through holes of the ports on an exhaust side immediately before the piston reaches a stroke end is provided to an outer peripheral face of the piston to cause compressed air in pressure chambers to be discharged from the exhaust hole through the flow rate restricting mechanism.

The present invention relates to a linear actuator for causing two air cylinder mechanisms mounted in a pedestal to operate synchronously to cause a slide table on the pedestal to operate linearly and more specifically relates to a linear actuator having means for stopping the slide table at a stroke end in a cushioned manner.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-61611, for example, there is a known linear actuator having two air cylinder mechanisms mounted in a pedestal and causing the air cylinder mechanisms to operate synchronously to cause a slide table on the pedestal to reciprocate linearly.
In such a linear actuator, various cushioning mechanisms are attached for stopping the slide table at a stroke end in a cushioned manner. For example, a damper elastically biased by a spring is provided to a side face of the pedestal and a contact member provided to a side face of the slide table is brought into contact with the damper at the stroke end.
However, the cushioning mechanism provided to any known linear actuator mechanically absorbs a shock, has a simple structure, and its operation is reliable, but cannot be used for some uses because a sound of the shock is produced or the cushioning mechanism projects from a side face.
On the other hand, in a normal air cylinder device, a cushioning mechanism of an air cushion type is used in which air is temporarily sealed in pressure chambers on an exhaust side in operation of pistons to increase pressure of the pressure chambers and to decelerate the pistons by the exhaust pressure, thereby causing the pistons to stop at the stroke ends in the cushioned manner.
However, because a long cushion ring is provided on at least one side of the piston and a long cushion chamber into which the cushion ring is fitted is provided in the pressure chamber in the above cushioning mechanism of the air cushion type, the length in an axial direction of a cylinder increases and the size of the linear actuator is increased if the cushioning mechanism is applied to the linear actuator. Furthermore, because the linear actuator has two air cylinder mechanisms, the size of the linear actuator is further increased if the air cushion is provided for each air cylinder mechanism.
It is a technical object of the present invention to provide a linear actuator having a small and rational design structure including a cushioning mechanism of an air cushion type.
To achieve the above object, a linear actuator of the invention comprises two air cylinder mechanisms which are arranged in parallel with each other and operate synchronously, a pair of ports common to both the air cylinder mechanisms, and at least one air cushion mechanism common to both the air cylinder mechanisms, wherein the air cushion mechanism has an exhaust hole which is provided to a position adjacent to at least one of the ports and which communicates with the pressure chambers at positions closer to chamber ends than the ports, a flow rate restricting mechanism which is connected between the exhaust hole and the port and which restricts a flow rate of exhaust discharged from the pressure chambers, and cushion packing which is mounted to an outer peripheral face of one of the pistons and which gets over the port on an exhaust side immediately before the piston reaches the stroke end to cause the compressed air in the pressure chambers to be discharged only from the exhaust hole.
In the linear actuator of the invention having the above structure, if the compressed air is supplied to or discharged from the pressure chambers of the respective air cylinder mechanisms through the pair of ports, the pistons of both the air cylinder mechanisms operate synchronously and a slide table reciprocates linearly on a pedestal.
Stopping of the slide table in a cushioned manner when the slide table reaches the stroke end is carried out by synchronously decelerating the pistons of the two air cylinder mechanisms by the common air cushion mechanism.
In other words, in sliding of the pistons of the respective air cylinder mechanisms, the compressed air in the respective pressure chambers on the exhaust side is discharged at first mainly through the port. When the piston approaches the stroke end and the cushion packing gets over the exhaust-side port, the port is separated from the pressure chambers and the compressed air in the pressure chambers is discharged only from the exhaust hole through the flow rate restricting mechanism in a restricted manner. As a result, the pressure in the pressure chambers is increased by control of the flow rate by the flow rate restricting mechanism and the increased pressure functions as piston back pressure to decelerate the pistons while causing the pistons to reach the stroke ends.
As described above, because the linear actuator has the cushioning mechanism of the air cushion type, the linear actuator does not produce a sound of a collision and is quiet unlike a mechanical cushioning mechanism.
The linear actuator does not produce dust and can be used in a clean room and the like. If the mechanical cushioning mechanism is provided to only one side of the slide table like in prior art, the slide table is supported on the one side when it stops and therefore, an axis of the slide table is likely to incline. In the present invention, however, a cushioning effect acts on the pistons of the respective air cylinder mechanisms coaxially with a direction in which thrust of the pistons is produced and the air cylinder mechanisms are synchronously decelerated. Therefore, inclination of the slide table is not generated. Furthermore, not only because the one air cushion mechanism common to the two air cylinder mechanisms is provided but also because the air cushion mechanism does not require a long cushion ring and a long cushion chamber into which the cushion ring is fitted unlike the prior art, it is possible for the linear actuator to be very small and have a rational design structure.
According to a concrete embodiment of the invention, the flow rate restricting mechanism includes a throttle hole for restricting a flow rate of exhaust flowing from the exhaust hole toward the port and a check valve for restricting a flow of exhaust from the exhaust hole toward the port and for allowing a flow of compressed air in a reverse direction.
In this case, it is preferable that a valve chamber communicating with the exhaust hole and the ports is formed in the pedestal and the flow rate restricting mechanism is mounted into the valve chamber by disposing a valve member having the throttle hole in the valve chamber through a lip seal forming the check valve.

Linear actuator with air cushion mechanism


The present invention provides a display device which includes a common electrode drive circuit having the single channel constitution which can miniaturize a circuit scale without increasing elements compared to a conventional display device. A display device includes a plurality of pixels and a common electrode drive circuit. The common electrode drive circuit includes a plurality of basic circuits, wherein the basic circuit includes a first circuit which latches a first input signal at a point of time that a clock signal is changed to a first voltage level from a second voltage level; a second circuit which latches a second input signal at the point of time that the clock signal is changed to the first voltage level from the second voltage level; a first switching circuit which is turned on based on the first circuit; and a second switching circuit which is turned on based on the the second circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly to a display device which includes a common electrode drive circuit adopting an every-line-independent common AC drive method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display module adopting a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) system has been popularly used as a display device of a portable equipment such as a notebook-type personal computer. Particularly, a liquid crystal display module which includes a miniaturized liquid crystal display panel is used as a display device of a portable equipment such as a mobile phone which a user always carries with him/her, for example.
In general, when the same voltage (DC voltage) is applied to a liquid crystal layer for a long time, the tilting of the liquid crystal layer is fixed and, eventually, an image retention phenomenon is induced thus shortening a lifetime of the liquid crystal layer.
To prevent such a drawback, in the liquid crystal display module, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer is alternated for every fixed time. That is, using a voltage applied to a common electrode as the reference, the voltage applied to pixel electrodes is changed to a positive voltage side and a negative voltage side for every fixed time.
As a drive method for applying the AC voltage to the liquid crystal layer, there has been known a common inversion method which inverts a voltage applied to a common electrode to two potentials, that is, the potential at a high potential side and a potential at a low potential side. As one such common inversion method, a drive method which independently alternates a voltage applied to the common electrode for every line (also referred to as an every-line independent common AC drive method) is described in JP-A-2001-194685 (patent document 1) which is a document related to the present invention.
The every-line independent common AC drive method described in the above-mentioned patent document 1 uses an IPS (In Plane Switching) liquid crystal display panel, wherein the voltage applied to the common electrodes on respective display lines is independently alternated for respective lines. According to the drive method of the present invention, it is possible to decrease a voltage width of a gate voltage supplied to scanning lines.


Battery pack includes battery module, metallic installation substrate, metallic attachment member disposed between battery module and installation substrate, metallic fastening part, and insulating member for electrically insulating fastening part and attachment member, and attachment member and installation substrate, from each other, respectively. Insulating member includes annular insulating part having an inner-diameter hole allowing passing through of a male screw shaft portion of fastening part, and electrically insulating between attachment member and an entire surface of an outer periphery of the male screw shaft portion of the fastening part, and between attachment member and an entire surface of an outer periphery of the larger-diameter portion of fastening part; and plate-like insulating part having a corresponding inner-diameter hole which corresponds to the inner-diameter hole of annular insulating part and allows passing through of the male screw shaft portion of fastening part, and electrically insulating between attachment member and installation substrate.

In order to strongly fix two elements to each other, a metallic fastening member such as a screw and a bolt is used. At such a time, it may be necessary to secure electrical insulation between the two elements.
PTL 1 describes an insulating spacer for insulating an electronic apparatus and a metal frame from each other when the electronic apparatus is fastened and fixed to the metal frame with a metal screw. PTL 1 describes an example in which a metal frame is sandwiched between two divided insulating collars, an example in which an insulating spacer having an elastic part whose diameter is increased when a metal screw is inserted, and the like, as the prior art, and indicates that the shapes of them are larger than the outer diameter of the metal screw. Then, PTL 1 discloses an insulating spacer including a plurality of elastic thin base supports and clipping portions each of which is provided at the tip of each of the base supports. The base supports, which are apart from each other, are arranged upright from an insulating base portion. The clipping portions sandwich the shaft part of a metal screw. In any of these examples, a head part of the metal screw is exposed from an insulator.