A method of populating a digital environment with digital content is disclosed. Environment data describing the digital environment is accessed. Populator data describing a populator digital object is accessed. The populator data includes semantic data describing the populator digital object. The populator digital object is placed within the digital environment. A semantic map representation of the populator digital object is generated. The semantic map representation is divided into a plurality of cells. A target cell of the plurality of cells is selected as a placeholder in the digital environment for a digital object that is optionally subsequently instantiated. The selecting of the target cell is based on an analysis of the environment data, the populator data, and the semantic map representation. Placeholder data is recorded in the semantic map representation. The placeholder data includes properties corresponding to the digital object that is optionally subsequently instantiated.

Construction of digital environments, such as one or more scenes of a computer-implemented game having a virtual world, can be a painstaking process. For example, using a conventional digital authoring system, an author or creator of the one or more scenes may use a graphical authoring tool to select individual digital objects from a large library or collection of digital objects and then manually place each of those individual objects at particular locations within the one or more scenes. Depending on the complexity of the digital environment, an author may manually place dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of such objects to create a satisfactory digital environment.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

Method and system for populating a digital environment using a semantic map


A slide which slides along a retainer attached to the bed of a pickup truck. The slide has a rearward end proximate the tail gate and a forward end proximate the cab of the truck. The rearward end preferably has gripping features allowing a user to easily grasp the slide and pull it rearward within the fixed retainer. The slide's forward end has an upstanding foot which engages cargo within the bed and propels it toward the tailgate. Two or more such devices can be installed in parallel and used simultaneously to unload cargo.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of labor saving devices. More specifically, the invention comprises a sliding device which is useful for moving cargo items from the front of a pickup bed toward the rear of the pickup bed where they may be grasped by a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a prior art pickup truck 10. Bed 12 is bounded by left side wall 20, front wall 16, right side wall 22, and tail gate 14. Two wheel arches 24 interrupt the smooth surface of the bed. Tail gate 14 is shown folded down into the open position, where it lies approximately parallel to the bed. User 64 is standing immediately to the rear of the tail gate, in a position suitable for removing cargo from the bed.
Cargo 30 lies near front wall 16, adjacent to cab 18. Those familiar with the art will know that cargo often winds up in this position. Even if the cargo is originally placed near the tail gate, it will tend to slide forward under braking. Thus, it is common for a user to face a situation where the cargo lies near the cab, well out of reach. The only option then is to climb up into the bed and walk forward to retrieve the cargo. Climbing into the bed is an inconvenience at best. For older or physically challenged users, it may not be a viable option. Thus, it would be useful to have some means to bring the cargo from the position shown in FIG. 1 back toward the tail gate.
Any device which is to be mounted within the pickup truck bed must accommodate the existing features. FIG. 2 shows a more detailed view of bed 12. The reader will observe the presence of numerous parallel ribs 26. FIG. 3 shows a sectioned elevation view through the bed. The bed comprises a flat deck 28 which is periodically interrupted by upstanding ribs 26. The ribs serve to stiffen the deck section. They also make it easier to move cargo about, since cargo 30 only rests upon the top portion of the ribs, rather than across a much larger contact area of deck. This fact minimizes friction. It also creates one or more voids 32.
In recent years, the use of detachable liners for protecting pickup truck beds has become increasingly common. Such layers are typically made of a strong polymer such as ABS. FIG. 4 shows one such bed liner 34. The bed liner actually rests over the top of the deck. FIG. 5 shows a sectioned elevation view through the deck with bed liner 34 in place. Most bed liners are heavily corrugated to provide additional strength. Thus, there are many more bed liner ribs 36 than ribs 26 in deck 28. Most bed liners are made so that some of the bed liner ribs overlay ribs 26 in deck 28. This interlocking prevents lateral motion of the liner.
Cargo 30 rests on top of bed liner ribs 36. The reader will observe that the use of a bed liner creates many more voids 32 than the case of the deck alone. Also, the spacing between the voids is reduced. The presence of these voids provides one possible location for installing a cargo moving device.
Bed covers are another increasingly popular accessory. These cover the open top of the pickup truck bed and shelter the bed from the weather. The user can still store cargo in the bed by opening the tailgate and accessing the bed from the rear. When cargo winds up in the forward portion of the bed, however, the presence of a bed cover presents a substantial impediment to unloading that cargo. Although most bed covers can be opened in some fashion, this step is often time-consuming and laborious. Thus, the present invention preferably facilitates the unloading of cargo with a bed cover in place as well.


A reel, alternately called a spool, may be manufactured in a fully assembled, single, homogeneously molded piece. Processes may include injection molding, blow molding, and other suitable molding processes adapted to polymeric resins. The apparatus and method are well adapted to manufacturing processes using olefinic resins, such as polypropylene and polyethylene. The resulting reel or spool may serve as a take-up reel for receiving, storing, transporting, and dispensing stranded materials wound thereon. The barrel may fit within a cylindrical envelope extending between hub portions of flanges disposed at opposite ends. An arbor hole extends along the longitudinal axis of rotation for supporting the reel. Flanges extend radially from the barrel, substantially orthogonally thereto, on a smooth, inside face of each flange. Flanges may be tapered, ribbed, and so forth in order to obtain proper stiffness with minimum weight, while still remaining moldable in a single process not requiring post-molding assembly. Apertures serving as drive holes for a drive pin, start holes for stranded (e.g. wire) material, and tie holes may be provided by pins of sufficiently small dimension to not interfere with hydraulic and cooling channels in the molds. Certain methods may use large core pulls, but certain embodiments may be made from two piece molds having "pull pins" only for the arbor hold and the aforementioned apertures. Tooling slides may be used but are not required.

Stranded materials, upon manufacture, are typically taken up directly onto a reel or spool. Utility reels and spools are well known in the art and are widely used for containing and dispensing wire, tubing, fabric and other stranded products which lend themselves to being wound helically and/or over themselves. The reel or spool is generally comprised of a cylindrical tube or barrel having at its ends two flanges, each having an inside and an outside face, the axis of the barrel extending normally from the faces defined by the inside surface of each flange.
A take-up reel or spool receives a strand directly from the last step in the manufacturing process. Thereafter, the filled reel is effective for storage and handling purposes. Upon sale or distribution, the spool is often placed on an arbor, either alone or with other spools, for convenient dispensing of the linear or stranded material. Linear or stranded materials include electrical wire whether in single or multiple strands and cable (comprised of multiple wires), rope, wire rope, hose, tubing, chain and plastic and rubber profile material (generally any polymeric or elastomeric, extruded flexible material). In general, a host of elongate materials as diverse as pharmaceutical unit dose packages, fiberoptic line and log chains are stored on reels. Likewise, ribbon, thread and other stranded materials are wrapped on spools.
The requirement for a reel or spool in the manufacture and handling of wire is substantially different than spools in the textile industry. For example, the weight of wire is several times the weight of thread or rope. The bulk of wire, which translates to the inverse of density, is substantially lower for wire than for hose, tubing or even chain.
Meanwhile, many spools or reels are typically launched on a one way trip. The collection and recycling of spools is hardly worth the effort in many instances, considering that their materials are not easily recyclable. In the art, a typical spool has a tubular or "barrel" portion extending between two flange portions positioned at either end.
Spools may be assembled, adding costly operations in manufacturing. Moreover, spools may break at the corner where the tube portion meets the flange portion or may fracture at an engagement portion along the tube portion. Three-piece spools typically break near the corner between the flange and the tube portion or where a joint bonds the tube portion to the flange portion.
What is needed is plastic spools that may be easily made, using automated processes minimizing human intervention, that are strong enough to tolerate the abuse of use when fully wrapped with wire or cable, and which may be easily recycled, such as by re-grinding for shipping.
Large spools are typically called reels in the wire industry. Heavy-duty reels of 12 inches in diameter and greater (6 feet and 8 feet are common) are often made of wood or metal. Plastic spools of 12-inch diameter and greater are rare and tend to be very complex. The rationale is simple. Inexpensive plastics are not sufficiently strong to tolerate even ordinary use with such a large mass of wire or cable wrapped around the spool.
Moreover, large flanges for reels are very difficult to manufacture. Likewise, the additional manufacturing cost of large spools is problematic. Designs do not always scale up. Assembly adds to cost, but costs of destroying conventional, multi-material (e.g wood/steel, plastic/steel/paperboard, or sheet metal) reels for sorting and re-grinding materials can be exorbitant.
A large reel or spool is usually manufactured of wood. Nevertheless, a plastic spool in 12-inch diameter may also be manufactured with a pair of plastic flanges holding a layered cardboard (paperboard) tube retained therebetween. The flanges are typically bolted together axially to hold the tube within or without a circumferential detent as with wooden reels.
Such reels have an additional difficulty during use. The flanges do not stay secured. One difficulty with the structural integrity of such a "three-piece," bolted, reel design is that the tube or barrel is not actually fastened to the flange. The flange and tube are often precarious assemblies held together by three or more axial bolts compressing the flanges together. The tube is prone to slip with respect to the flanges, breaking, tilting or otherwise losing its integrity under excessive loads. Such loads result from the impact of dropping onto a floor from a bench height or less (alternatively, a standard drop test). For the largest reels, rolling over or into obstacles or from decks during handling is likely a cause of reel or cable damage.
In the vernacular of the wire manufacturing and supply industry, "spools" have flange diameters up to 10 inches; "reels" have flange diameters greater than 10 inches. Hereinafter, however, the term "reel" shall be understood to apply to either a spool or a reel.
Generally, each flange has a round, central, arbor hole extending into the tube or barrel. An arbor inserted through the central arbor hole in one flange, through the hollow barrel and through the central arbor hole in the other flange provides an axle on which the reel may rotate. A drive hole (dog aperture) is also generally provided in the outside surface of one or both flanges a short distance from the arbor hole to accommodate an externally engaging dog or drive pin (dog, pawl) which orbits the arbor axis and causes the reel to rotate, winding the product onto the barrel.
Instead of a drive hole separate from the arbor hole, a spool may have a non-circular, mating shape for cooperatively engaging a rotating arbor having a corresponding cross section. The product to be stored on the reel is usually attached to the reel and is drawn onto the barrel in a winding fashion as the reel is rotated.
In the case of wire products, at least one of the flanges usually has a pair of through holes for receiving the wire. The first of the pair is a start hole and is located outwardly adjacent the outer surface of the barrel. The second of the pair is a finish hole located near the flange periphery. The leading end of a wire is fed through the start hole from inside of the flange and is knotted, bent or otherwise engages the flange such that the wire will be tensioned by rotation of the reel about the arbor axis. The wire is then cut and the trailing end of the reeled wire is fed through the finish hole and knotted or bent such as to prevent the wire from unraveling from the reel.
Previous utility reels have been assembled from sheet metal, wood, paperboard, or plastic components. Assembly of sheet metal reels may require inserting tabs extending axially from the tube through receiving slots in the flanges and bending or staking the tabs to retain the flanges to the barrel.
Plastic polymeric reels, component barrels, and flanges may be made of ABS, polystyrene, and other materials bonded, welded, or fastened together. Polymers, metal, wood, and other materials are subject to a significant risk of breakage in the field. In very cold environments, plastics become brittle. Because they do not become unacceptably brittle under cold conditions, polyolefin materials such as polyethylene or poylpropylene materials have been used. These materials, however, are chemically inert and are not bonded or reliably welded. Therefore, assembly of polyolefin reel components usually requires interlocking tabs and slots. Regardless of the type of plastic used, manufacturing a plastic reel thus involves two or more distinct steps at workstations remote in time and space. Molding the components occurs at a molding machine. Assembly requires another operation elsewhere.
As a means of storing and dispensing wound, stranded products, a reel itself provides no value to an end user once emptied of product. A great need exists to reduce the cost of providing such products without reducing quality. An economical, durable reel to meet the requirements of product manufacturers and end user is needed.


A data communication field network has a plurality of subscribers connected to it in parallel which have a high input impedance as compared with the characteristic impedance of the network which comprises a main bus into which are inserted first drop and insert devices to constitute secondary buses each comprising two first branches. The connecting device comprises a cable assembly comprising at least two second drop and insert devices inserted into one of the first branches. Each second drop and insert device provides a tertiary bus comprising two second branches. Each tertiary bus is adapted to connect one subscriber and the second branches of the tertiary bus are interconnected at the subscriber connection so as to ensure continuity of the field network and to maintain impedance matching throughout the network.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a device for connecting a data communication network to a plurality of subscribers, a subscriber being in the present context a sender and/or a receiver of data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known data communication buses can convey data, for example digital data, over one or more conductors between sensors and actuators (valves, motors, pumps, etc) and control units such as programmable automatic controllers, microprocessors and dedicated computers.
Communication buses of this kind are used, for example, to provide communication between units of this type used for home management (home automation application). The connection of the various units to a communication bus common to all units is an advantageous substitute for point-to-point wiring (star network) using the de facto 40-20 mA standard. The cost of wiring is reduced because the lengths of the connecting wires are reduced, electromagnetic interference is virtually eliminated and installation is greatly facilitated.
This type of network is also used in field networks for automating product manufacturing units. A unit (sensor, actuator, computer ruggedized for use in an industrial environment, etc) is connected to the data communication bus (or main cable or TRUNK) as shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 shows a field network comprising a plurality of subscribers.
A field network 10, of the Factory Instrumentation Protocol (FIP) type, for example, comprises a main cable conveying data serially over two twisted electrical conductors. The data is conveyed between subscribers CAC1, CAC2, . . . , CAC30 each consisting of a sensor, an actuator or a computer. The connection between these subscribers is made by means of drop and insert devices. A device of this kind is often called a TAP.
Both ends of the TRUNK link comprises means LT for matching the transmission line between each of the end of line TAPs TAP1 and TAP30.
The drop and insert connections made by the TAPs involve cutting the TRUNK link, inserting a TAP at the break and connecting the two sides of the link to each subscriber CAC1 through CAC30 as shown in FIG. 1A. This prevents the mismatching of the line that would occur in the case of a simple drop and insert connection from the TRUNK link to a subscriber.
The connections between each TAP and each subscriber are provided by identical cables 11 whose end opposite the TAP is fitted with a connector 12. The connector 12 shown in FIG. 1A comprises two connecting terminals 13 to which the wires from the TAP are connected in pairs to maintain the continuity of the electrical circuit. The shielding wires are not shown.
The dashed lines 14 in FIG. 1 represent the electromagnetic shielding of the subscribers connected to the shields 15 of the cables 11.
The network 10 therefore comprises the same number of TAPs and subscribers CAC.
The main drawback of this type of network is that when any new subscriber is added, for example to connect sensors and actuators of a new machine to the TRUNK line, it is necessary to insert a new TAP into the TRUNK line. The TAPs are drop and insert modules which are costly because they must meet specific standards, especially with regard to ruggedness and safety. In some cases the TRUNK links are buried and it is then necessary to excavate them to insert one or more TAPs, introducing considerable constraints in addition to the time needed to rebury the TRUNK link.
Also, because of the line mismatch that would result, it is not possible to connect in parallel with an existing cable another cable to a subscriber to be added to an existing installation.
The abstract of Japanese patent No 58.212245 in the name of FUJI XEROX K.K. describes a device for connecting main bus subscribers in the form of a drop and insert connection to the bus. Subscribers are connected in series to the drop and insert point by means of connectors. This solution has the drawback previously explained, i.e. that connecting this connecting device to the main bus produces a mismatch (the subscribers are connected in series to the bus). The impedance matching problem is not treated in this document because each subscriber can have its own input impedance and all the subscribers must be connected to the connecting device to ensure continuity.
A particular object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks.
To be more precise, one object of the invention is to provide a connecting device for field buses enabling at least two subscribers to be added to the bus quickly and easily without causing any mismatching of the bus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a connecting device of this kind which is less costly and easier to manufacture than those used in the prior art.

Device for connecting a data communication network to a plurality of subscribers


A system and method for analyzing predicate usage and proposing solutions to improve query performance. The system comprises a system for collecting performance statistics for database queries; an aggregation system that organizes the performance statistics based on predicate combinations used in the database queries; and an evaluation system that compares the performances of queries having similar predicate combinations. Further features include a problem identification system that identifies a predicate, which when added to a query, results in a low performing query, and a solution proposal system that automatically proposes a solution to address the low performing query.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to query processing, and more specifically relates to a system and method for identifying predicates causing inefficient query processing, and proposing and implementing solutions to improve query performance.
2. Related Art
In an environment such as SAP BW (or any environment using star schema or complex SQL), determining the cause of slow query performance can be difficult. For instance, individual queries must be identified for analysis, and then the SQL must be captured, explained, and analyzed to determine the possible reason for the performance problem.
When end-users use drill-down in queries, additional predicates are added to the query SQL to support the grouping or selection in the drill-down. Predicates may include any element of a search condition that expresses or implies a comparison operation. This means that a user drill-down creates SQL with similar sets of predicates, which are usually based on a core set of required predicates packaged in the query. The addition (or removal) of predicates can cause changes in query performance. If, for example, a predicate which would filter well is added to a query, but the predicate is not applied early in query processing (due to missing catalog statistics, missing indexes, optimizer problems, etc.), then an automated method of finding the predicate(s) associated with the slow performance can help to reduce the effort necessary to solve the problem.
Unfortunately, there exist no automated query tools capable of determining how predicate usage impacts query performance. Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method that can both analyze predicate usage and propose solutions to improve query performance.

System and method for addressing inefficient query processing

International Business Machines Corporation


Stereoscopic tracking during a zooming period is facilitated to alleviate eye fatigue. An image processing device includes an imaging unit 14 that acquires a stereoscopic image including a plurality of viewpoint images, an operation unit 16 that acquires a zoom value, an electronic zoom processing unit 17 that performs magnification of the stereoscopic image by image processing on the basis of the acquired zoom value, a monitor 21 capable of outputting the magnified stereoscopic image, and a control unit 25 that outputs the stereoscopic image immediately before or immediately after a change in the zoom value to the monitor 21 as a stereoscopic still image magnified by the electronic zoom processing unit 17 while the acquired zoom value is varying, and outputs the stereoscopic image acquired by the imaging unit 14 to the monitor 21 as a stereoscopic moving image while the zoom value is not varying.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device, an imaging device, and an image processing method that perform magnification of a stereoscopic image including a plurality of viewpoint images.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, magnification (zooming) of a stereoscopic image including a plurality of viewpoint images is performed.
JP-H08-317429A (JP1996-317429A) discloses a configuration in which the segmenting position and image horizontal phase (shift amount) of respective viewpoint images (a left eye image and a right eye image) are controlled according to the electronic zooming of a stereoscopic image, a maximum parallax amount and a minimum parallax amount are made to be within a setting range, and the depth direction of the stereoscopic image is adjusted (mainly to be fixed).
JP2003-52058A discloses aligning the center of a left eye image with the center of a right eye image according to the zoom, and controlling the shift amount of the left eye image and the shift amount of the right eye image according to the zoom to make the depth direction of the stereoscopic image variable.

Image proccessing device, imaging device, and image processing method


The present invention relates to a method and a device for providing a zone (2) of clean air at an operation area (3) wherein an air treatment device (1) having a lighting device (25) is brought to a functional position such that the air treatment device (1) and the lighting device (25) are located above an operation area (3) and between the operation area (3) and a ceiling (32) in the operation premises (4). Air is taken into the air treatment device (1) from upper portions of the operation premises (4) and subsequently filtered in the air treatment device (1). The air is cooled in the air treatment device (1) to achieve a lower temperature than impure air (8) surrounding the zone (2) of clean air and subsequently discharged from the air treatment device (1) as a laminar air flow descending slowly downwards towards the operation area (3).

The present invention relates to a method and a device for providing a zone of clean air at an operation area by means of an air treatment device, wherein a lighting device is provided for illuminating the operation area. The invention also relates to use of said device.
The purpose of ventilating operation areas is to avoid as far as possible infections of patients being operated on. Infections are caused by bacteria-carrying airborne particles contaminating the operation area. Particularly the operation personnel generates airborne bacteria-carrying particles. It is the direct drop-off of these particles in the exposed operation area of the patient which is one of the main reasons for the spreading of infections in the operation premises.
At the present improved ventilating devices for operation premises, the operation lighting is most often located between a so called LAF (Laminar Air Flow)-ceiling, emitting a laminar, downwardly directed flow of air, and the operation area. The operation lighting disturbs the flows of air partly by its location and partly by the convection currents generated by the heating effect of the lighting. Both disturbances give rise to stagnation zones where bacteria-carrying airborne particles can be concentrated and is an important danger factor for bacterial propagation in the operation area.
Present ventilating ceilings, the so called LAF-ceilings, are mostly connected to an infrastructure/air treatment plant which is fixedly built into the hospital and which provide said LAF-ceilings with treated supply air. This infrastructure requires a great deal of engineering during installation and it is most often a building or heating, water and sanitation contractor carrying through the installation. The engineering and contractor's work is most often bought in by local heating, water and sanitation engineers and contractors who mostly know very little about medicine and transmissions of infections.
Present ventilating ceilings, the so called LAF-ceilings, also require very large air flows to compensate for the equipment located between the ceiling and the operation area. Furthermore, since the present ventilating devices are fixedly built into the ceiling of the operation premises, they must cover all types of surgery taking place in said operation premises. Thereby, the ventilating devices become large and require large volumes of filtered ventilating air, resulting in expensive, bulky installations and high operating costs.
The large ventilating ceilings must also through their size compensate for the convection currents of the operation personnel generated within the extension of the ceilings. A substantial part of the bacteria-carrying particles is generated in these convection currents.
Methods and devices for providing zones of clean air are previously known from e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,577 and WO 2005/017419, but these methods and devices are not specifically adapted to generate zones of clean air for operation areas. U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,593 relates to an air treatment device for, inter alia, operation areas, but this device is adapted to blow air in horizontal directions. The device neither considers the temperature of the supplied air relative to the temperature of the surrounding air in the premises nor the thermal zoning in the premises.

Method and device for providing a zone of clean air at an operation area and use of said device


An overshoe construction (10) for athletic shoes (100) wherein the construction (10) includes a cover member (20) dimensioned to overlie the upper portion of the athletic shoe (100) and provided with an accessory unit (12) which includes a pocket member (30) and at least one strap member (32) adapted to releasably engage a miniature flashlight (50).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of protective outer wear for shoes in general; and, in particular to an overshoe for athletic footwear having convenience accessories associated therewith.
2. Description of the Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,445,287; 5,544,430; 5,600,901; and 5,211,672, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse overshoes for both athletic footwear and other shoes.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical overshoe construction for athletic shoes wherein the overshoe construction is provided with various accessories which will substantially enhance the overall use and versatility of the overshoe construction.
All of the prior art constructions merely focus on providing a protective outer cover for athletic shoes or the like, with no thought whatsoever to any other functions.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved type of overshoe construction having a variety of accessories that will substantially enhance the versatility of the overshoe construction; and, the provision of such a construction.


A composition for topical application to mammalian skin or hair is provided which comprises:. i) an effective amount of from 0.5 to 50% by weight of a glycosaminoglycanase inhibitor chosen from specific monosaccharide derivatives PA1 ii) from 0.5 to 50% by weight of ethane diol; and PA1 iii) up to 99% by weight of a cosmetically acceptable vehicle for the glycosaminoglycanase inhibitor.

The Hair Growth Cycle
It should be explained that in most mammals, hair does not grow continuously, but undergoes a cycle of activity involving alternate periods of growth and rest. The hair growth cycle can be divided into three main stages, namely:
(i) the growth phase known as anagen, during which the hair follicle penetrates deep into the dermis with the cells of the bulb dividing rapidly and differentiating to form the hair, PA1 (ii) the transitional stage known as catagen, which is heralded by the cessation of mitosis, and during which the follicle regresses upwards through the dermis and hair growth ceases, PA1 (iii) the resting stage known as telogen, in which the regressed follicle contains a small secondary germ with an underlying ball of tightly packed dermal papilla cells. PA1 i) an effective amount of from 0.5 to 50% by weight of a glycosaminoglycanase inhibitor chosen from monosaccharide derivatives having the structure (1): ##STR1## where A.sup.1 and A.sup.6 are each chosen from ##STR2## B is OR" or a lactone linkage to position 1 or 6, or --NHCOCH.sub.3 and where PA1 R is --H or C.sub.1-20 alkyl, PA1 n is 0, or integer 1 or 2. PA1 ii) from 0.5 to 50% by weight of ethane diol; and PA1 iii) up to 99% by weight of a cosmetically acceptable vehicle for the glycosaminoglycanase inhibitor. PA1 i) Nicotinic acid and esters thereof, particularly benzyl, nicotinate, methyl nicotinate and ethyl nicotinate, PA1 ii) Panthenol PA1 iii) .alpha.-1,4 esterified disaccharides as described by Choay S.A. in EP-A-0 064 012, PA1 iv) Oligosaccharide deriviatives, as described by Unilever in EP-A-0 211 610, PA1 v) Minoxidil glucuronides, as described by Unilever in EP-A-0 242 967, PA1 vi) Minoxidil sulphates, as described by The Upjohn Co. in WO-A-86/04231, PA1 vii) Minoxidil, and other derivatives thereof as described by The Upjohn Co, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,619. PA1 viii) Proteoglycanase inhibitors, glycosaminoglycan chain cellular uptake inhibitors and glycosaminoglycanase inhibitor other than those disclosed herein, as described by Unilever in EP-A-0 277 428, PA1 ix) Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or salts thereof, as described by Redken Laboratories, Inc. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,351, PA1 x) Esters of pyroglutamic acid, as described by Lever Brothers Company in U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,255, especially: PA1 pyroglutamic acid n-hexyl ester, PA1 pyroglutamic acid n-octyl ester, PA1 ethyl-2-[pyroglutamoyloxy]-n-propionate, PA1 linoleyl-2-[pyroglutamoyloxy]-n-caprylate PA1 lauryl-2-[pyroglutamoyloxy]-n-caprylate PA1 stearyl-2-[pyroglutamoyloxy]-n-caprylate PA1 glyceryl mono(2-[pyroglutamoyloxy]-n-propionate) PA1 glyceryl mono(2-[pyroglutamoyloxy]-n-caprylate), PA1 and PA1 glyceryl di(2-[pyroglutamoyloxy]-n-propionate). PA1 xi) Aryl-substituted ethylenes, as described by Unilever in EP-A-0 403 238, PA1 xii) Mono N-acylated amino acids, as described by Unilever in EP-A-0 415 598, especially: PA1 N-acetyl glycine PA1 Xiii) Saturated or unsaturated aliphatic alcohols having an odd number of carbon atoms of from 3 to 25 in number, especially: PA1 n-nonyl alcohol PA1 xiv) Saturated or unsaturated aliphatic carboxylic acids having an odd number of carbon atoms of from 3 to 25 in number, especially: PA1 nonanoic acid PA1 xanthan gum PA1 guar gum PA1 locust bean gum PA1 Biopolymer PS 87 PA1 sodium carboxymethyl cellulose PA1 hydroxypropyl cellulose PA1 methyl cellulose PA1 carboxyvinyl polymer PA1 hectorites PA1 bentonites PA1 i) transdermal penetration, i.e. the amount retrieved in receptor fluid flowing on the dermal side of the skin; PA1 ii) tape strips, i.e. amounts of radio active material adhering to the skin surface; PA1 iii) upper section of skin, i.e. remainder of stratum corneum, neck of hair follicle, viable epidermis and upper part of dermis; PA1 iv) lower section of skin, i.e. remainder of dermis containing the remaining part of hair follicles and dermal papillae.
The initiation of a new anagen phase is revealed by rapid proliferation in the germ, expansion of the dermal papilla and elaboration of basement membrane components. The hair cycle is then repeated many times until, as a consequence of the onset of male pattern baldness, most of the hair follicles spend an increasing proportion of their time in the telogen stage, and the hairs produced become finer, shorter, and less visible; this is known as terminal to vellus transformation.
Also, as male pattern baldness proceeds, new hair growth, where it occurs, tends to be finer than before, this being due at least partly to a decrease in the average diameter of individual hair follicles. Although this phenomenon is seen as a very gradual development associated with ageing, it is most apparent when actual hair loss begins to occur, for example at the onset of male pattern baldness. At this stage, the decrease in the average diameter of individual hair follicles is more rapid.

Glycosaminoglycanase inhibitor andethane diol composition for maintenance of hair growth

Chesebrough-Pond's USA Co., Division of Conopco, Inc.


A weight is attached to the rear side of a magnetic circuit of a speaker unit. The tip of a boss that projects from the front side of the weight is joined to the rear side of a center pole of the magnetic circuit with a bolt. Even if reactive force that is generated when an electrical signal is converted into mechanical vibration by the magnetic circuit and a voice coil and sound waves are emitted from a vibration plate is transmitted to the magnetic circuit, the vibration of the magnetic circuit is suppressed by the weight. In this manner, sound quality with a good transient characteristic can be obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a speaker apparatus for converting an electrical signal into an acoustic signal, and more specifically, to a structure for improving the sound quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, acoustic reproduction is performed by a speaker system 1 having a basic structure as shown in FIG. 7. In the speaker system 1, one or a plurality of speaker units 2 are accommodated in an enclosure 3. The speaker unit 2, which in many cases assumes a generally conical cross-section, has a vibration plate 4 called "cone." The speaker unit 2 is also equipped with a magnetic circuit 5, which has a main magnet 6, a center pole 7, and a plate 8. In a magnetic gap between the center pole 7 and the plate 8 is concentrated magnetic flux generated by the main magnet 6 in high density. A voice coil 9 whose tip is joined to the base portion of the vibration plate 4 is suspended in the magnetic gap.
When the voice coil 9 is energized, driving force acts on the voice coil 9 in the magnetic gap and the vibration plate 4 is thereby displaced, whereby sound waves are emitted from the vibration plate 4 to the neighboring air. Each speaker unit 2 is accommodated in the enclosure 3 to prevent back-side sound waves (opposite in phase to front-side sound waves) from going around the speaker unit 2 to the front side. Each speaker unit 2 has a frame 10 for use in fixing of the magnetic circuit 5 and for vibratably supporting the vibration plate 4. The frame 10 is fixed to the enclosure 3.
Having a structure called "external magnet type," the magnetic circuit 5 is suitable for a case where a ferrite magnet is used as the main magnet 6. However, the external magnet type magnetic circuit 5 leaks a large amount of flux to the outside. Where the speaker system 1 is used together with a cathode-ray tune (CRT) for acoustic reproduction as part of an audio-visual apparatus such as a TV receiver, a video player or acoustic reproduction for a personal computer or a game machine, there is fear that a color purity error or a distortion may occur and lower the image quality. Countermeasures for decreasing the leakage magnetic flux include attaching a cancellation magnet 11 to the rear side of the magnetic circuit 5 and, in addition, covering the magnetic circuit 5 with a shield cover 12.
The electromagnetic driving force acting on the voice coil 9 is transmitted to the neighboring air from the vibration plate 4. The vibration plate 4 applies pressure to the neighboring air and receives reactive force therefrom. The reactive force that the vibration plate 4 receives is transmitted to the magnetic circuit 5 through electromagnetic interaction between the voice coil 9 and the magnetic circuit 5 and then transmitted from the magnetic circuit 5 to the enclosure 3 via the frame 10. Therefore, in the speaker system 1, when sound is outputted from the vibration plate 4 by driving each speaker unit 2 electrically, the speaker unit 2 itself vibrates and this vibration is transmitted to the enclosure 3. Sound is also emitted from the surfaces of the enclosure 3. Being opposite in phase to the sound emitted from the vibration plate 4, this sound interferes with the sound emitted from the vibration plate 4. As such, this sound is a factor of deteriorating the quality of sound emitted from the speaker system 1 as a whole. Further, because of reaction to the movement of the vibration plate 4 for emitting sound, the center pole 7 side of the magnetic circuit 4 tends to vibrate. Therefore, the efficiency of energy transmission from the vibration plate 4 to the air is low, which influences the transient characteristic of sound and, in terms of the sound quality, lowers a sense of speed to be given to a listener.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications JP-A 5-153680 (1993), JP-A 11-146471 (1999), etc. disclose a technique in which in the enclosure each speaker unit is not fixed to the front side of the frame of the speaker unit but to the rear side of the magnetic circuit. By fixing the magnetic circuit to a grounding surface to make vibration hard to be transmitted to the magnetic circuit and to be transmitted from the frame to the enclosure, it is expected that the degree of sound emission from the enclosure will be lowered and the deterioration of sound quality will be decreased.
To strongly support the magnetic circuit portion while accommodating each speaker unit in the enclosure as in the above prior art technique, it is necessary to, for example, make the enclosure of a dividable type and assemble the enclosure after completion of support of each speaker unit. This results in problems that the number of assembling steps of the speaker apparatus increases and the structure of the enclosure becomes complex. There may be cases where the enclosure cannot be divided as exemplified by a speaker that is attached to a vehicle door as the enclosure.

Speaker system having processing circuitry


An electronic device includes an electronic panel including an active area and a pad area and including an input sensing member and a circuit board overlapping at least a side of the pad area. The electronic panel includes a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, a first organic insulation layer disposed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, a pattern layer disposed on the second conductive layer, overlapping the plurality of second conductive patterns, and including a plurality of organic patterns, and a second organic insulation layer covering the pattern layer and the second conductive layer. The pattern layer covers an upper surface of the second conductive layer.

The present disclosure relates to an electronic panel and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an electronic panel having improved process reliability and a method for manufacturing the same.
Electronic devices receive an electrical signal to be activated. The electronic device may include an electronic panel that can sense various types of external inputs. The electronic panel may be used alone or may further include a display member or the like for displaying an image to provide a user's convenience.
The electronic device may include various electrode patterns to be activated by an electrical signal. An area on which the electrode patterns are activated may display information or respond to a user's touch input.

Electronic panel and method for manufacturing the same


A semiconductor wafer dicing process is disclosed for dicing a wafer into individual dies. Scribe lines are formed within a polymer coating to expose regions of wafer to form a pre-processed product. The pre-processed product within the chamber is plasma etched to remove the exposed regions of the wafer to separate the individual dies and form a processed product. A frame cover is then removed and the processed product, wafer frame and adhesive tape are exposed to an oxygen plasma within the chamber to partially remove an outermost region of the polymer coating, which is most heavily contaminated with fluorine, to leave a residual polymer coating on the individual dies and form a post-processed product. The residual polymer coating on the individual dies of the post-processed product is then removed.

Following the manufacture of semiconductor or micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) devices on a semiconductor wafer, a wafer dicing or scribing step is required to segment the wafer into individual chips or die. Prior to the wafer dicing step the wafers are attached to a support film in order to support the discrete die post dicing step, which is in turn attached to an annular support frame. Once the dicing operation has been completed, individual die can be removed from the support film and be tested and incorporated into packaged devices.
The dicing of semiconductor wafers can be achieved by mechanical scribing, sawing, laser scribing, plasma etching or a combination of these techniques. Plasma dicing is found to improve the physical integrity and strength of the individual dies. Moreover, plasma dicing offers a narrower scribe channel upon the wafer, which enables more die to be occupied upon a wafer, and an improved layout of the integrated circuits. Framed, taped wafers are loaded into a plasma etching chamber where the individual dies are separated by etching the un-masked regions of the wafer between the dies, namely the wafer "streets". The etching process is stopped once all of the wafer material within the streets have been removed, and thus once the tape has been exposed.
During the plasma etching process it is common to use fluorine based chemistry to etch silicon wafers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,893 discloses a cyclic etch process, commonly described as the Bosch process, for silicon wafer dicing using SF6 and Ar gas in the etch cycle. However, it has been observed that residual fluorine within the chamber following the etch process can result in a corrosion of the exposed metal contact openings or solder bumps. Even when corrosion is not immediately visible on the exposed metal, it has been found that fluorine contamination can result in poor soldering adhesion and/or a high electrical contact resistance, which can lead to a premature failure due to a deterioration of the solder/wire bond.
We have devised an improved semiconductor wafer dicing process which alleviates at least some of the above-mentioned problems.


Feeder sections to be a target of interchange are to be expanded in order to improve the effect of power interchange between feeders. A control device for railway power conditioner is connected to a first feeder connected to a load side of a transformer in a first railway substation including a transformer receiving power from a power grid, and a second feeder connected to a load side of a transformer in a second railway substation including a transformer receiving power from a power grid, and decides an amount of power interchanged between the first and second feeders. The control device decides the amount of power interchanged between the first and second feeders, using the received power in the first railway substation and power on the first feeder, and the received power in the second railway substation and power on the second feeder.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control system for railway power conditioner and particularly to a control system for railway power conditioner suitable for a broad range of railway feeder sections.
Description of Related Art
A railway power conditioner carries out power conversion according to the traveling status of a train supplied with power from a railway feeder thereof. The traveling status of the train (traveling modes) includes a power running mode in which electric power is consumed to accelerate the train body, a regenerative mode in which kinetic energy is returned to electric energy when the train body is decelerated, and coasting and stop modes in which neither power running nor regeneration is carried out. Of these traveling modes, in the power running mode and the regenerative mode, the railway power conditioner executes transfer of electric power between the feeder and the train.
The feeder is supplied with electric power from a power grid (charging system of railway substation).
As techniques for optimizing the amount of power on a railway feeder using a power conditioner, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4,267,132 and "Review on measurement and effective use of train regenerative power on Joban Line," the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, Technical Society D, National Convention Record, Aug. 31, 2009, are known.
In short, in the conventional facilities, the transfer of electric power generated on the feeders between the two railway substations is adjusted by the power conditioner in the section post. These facilities and control technique are specified only for this section.
With a configuration in the related art, a target section is limited only to the section between a section post and a railway substation and there is a possibility that the opportunity of power interchange using the power conditioner may be limited. If this opportunity is limited, there is a problem that the effect of minimizing the amount of power consumed, which is the original purpose, is limited, too.
The section length of the feeders between the two railway substations is normally about several ten km. However, actual rails are often longer than that. Therefore, it is preferable to perform comprehensive control. For example, from a more comprehensive perspective, power interchange using a power conditioner, including power consumption by the substation inner loads, may be considered. Also, power interchange using a power conditioner with respect to other feeder sections that extend further may be considered.
Power interchange using a power conditioner is effective when one train operates in the power running mode while the other train operates in the regenerative mode. The duration of the time when multiple trains are on the rails within limited sections of the feeders, with one of the trains operating in the power running mode and with the other operating in the regenerative mode, is not very long. However, if the other feeder sections that extend further are included, it can be considered that the number of trains on the rails increases and that the duration of the time when there is a combination of trains, with one train operating in the power running mode and the other operating in the regenerative mode, becomes longer. Therefore, efficient operation can be expected.

Control device for railway power conditioner and control system for railway power conditioner


A tag hanger is provided and may include a first portion having a first attachment feature and a first locking element movable from an unlocked state to a locked state. The tag hanger may additionally include a second portion having a second attachment feature rotatably attached to the first attachment feature and a second locking element movable from an unlocked state to a locked state. The second portion may cooperate with the first portion to define an aperture that attaches the first portion and the second portion to an external structure when the first and second locking elements are in the locked state.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Identification tags are often used in conjunction with animals to identify the animal and/or to identify the animal's owner by name and address. Such identification tags are particularly useful in the event that the animal becomes lost to allow the animal to be identified and returned to the owner. Accordingly, identification tags are typically securely attached to a collar of an animal to ensure that the identification tag remains with the animal at all times.
Tags containing pest repellant are also often used in conjunction with animals in an effort to protect the animal from irritating and/or harmful bugs. For example, a tag may be impregnated with a chemical that repels fleas and/or ticks to prevent such bugs from irritating or harming the animal. Such tags may be fastened to a collar of the animal in a similar fashion as an identification tag such that the impregnated tag is disposed proximate to a neck of the animal.
Conventional collars typically include a metal loop or ring that receives a tag hanger that properly positions an identification tag and/or an impregnated tag relative to a neck of an animal. Such tag hangers may include a first portion supporting one or more tags and a second portion that attaches to the ring of the collar. In so doing, the tag hanger acts as an intermediary between a tag and a ring of a collar to attach the tag to the collar.
Conventional tag hangers typically include a main body having a first opening that is attached to a tag and a second opening that is attached to a ring of a collar. The respective openings typically include a latch mechanism that is movable from an open state to a closed state. When the latch mechanism is in the open state, the tag and the ring may be inserted into the respective openings of the tag hanger. Once the tag and the ring are inserted into the tag hanger, the latch mechanism may be moved into the closed state to prevent removal of the tag and the ring from the tag hanger. In this position, the tag is attached to the collar via the tag hanger and the ring to allow the tag to properly identify the animal and/or to provide the animal with a pest repellant.
Conventional tag hangers adequately support a tag relative to an animal. However, conventional tag hangers are typically cumbersome and heavy. For example, conventional latch mechanisms associated with tag hangers are typically made of metal to provide the tag hanger with at least one latch mechanism that may be repeatedly moved between a closed state and an open state without failing. As a result, conventional latch mechanisms and, thus, conventional tag hangers are somewhat cumbersome and heavy. Further, such latch mechanisms are typically biased into the closed state to prevent inadvertent removal of the tag from the tag hanger and to prevent inadvertent removal of the tag hanger from the ring of the collar. Biasing the latch mechanism into the closed state requires a biasing element such as a spring, which adds to the overall cost, complexity, and weight of the tag hanger. In short, while conventional tag hangers adequately support a tag relative to a collar of an animal, such tag hangers are typically heavy, costly, and unnecessarily complex.


A cathode ray tube includes a panel, a funnel and a funnel yoke portion having a non-circular-shaped vertical section. When a diagonal portion thickness on a certain vertical section between a reference line and a neck line is Td and a long side portion thickness at the same vertical section is Th, a glass structure of a cathode ray tube satisfies 0.5<Th/Td<1.01. When a diagonal portion thickness at a top round is Dt′, a long side portion thickness is DS′, a short side portion thickness is DL′, a diagonal portion thickness at a reference line is Dt, a long side portion thickness is DS, and a short side portion thickness is DL, then the glass structure of a cathode ray tube satisfies 1.3≦Dt′/Dt<1.80.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cathode ray tube, and in particular to a glass structure of a cathode ray tube which is capable of improving a deflection efficiency of a cathode ray tube, preventing a BSN phenomenon occurrence and lowering high stress acting on a funnel efficiently while improving the deflection efficiency.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a BSN (beam shadow neck) means a phenomenon in which a deflected electron beam clashes onto the internal surface of a yoke portion and throws a shadow on a screen.
As depicted in FIG. 1, the conventional color cathode ray tube includes a R (red)•G (green)•B (blue) fluorescent 40 coated onto the internal surface, a panel 10 having an explosion-proof means at the front surface, a funnel 20 welded to the rear end of the panel 10, an electron gun 130 inserted into a neck portion of the funnel 20 and generating an electron beam 60, a deflection yoke 50 for deflecting the electron beam 60, a shadow mask 70 installed to the inner surface of the panel 10 with a certain space and having plural holes for passing the electron beam 60, a mask frame 30 fixedly supporting the shadow mask 70 to make the shadow mask 70 maintain a certain distance from the panel 10, a spring 80 for connecting and supporting the mask frame 30 and the panel 10, an inner shield 90 for shielding the cathode ray tube not to be influenced by outer terrestrial magnetism, and a reinforcing band 110 installed to the circumference of the side surface of the panel 10 and absorbing outer impacts.
A general fabrication process of the conventional color cathode ray tube can be divided into the first half process and the latter half process, and the first half process is coating a fluorescent surface 40 onto the internal surfaces of the panel 10, and the latter half process consists of several processes, that are discussed below.
First, in a sealing process, the panel 10 in which the fluorescent surface is coated and includes a mask assembly is joined to the funnel 20 in which frit is coated onto the sealing surface. Afterward, in an enclosing process, the electron gun 130 is inserted into the neck portion 140 of the funnel 20. And, in an exhausting process the cathode ray tube is sealed after being vacuumized.
Herein, when the cathode ray tube is in the vacuum state, a high tensile force and a high compressive stress act on the panel 10 and the funnel 20.
Accordingly, after the exhausting process, in order to disperse the high stress acting on the front surface of the panel 10, a reinforcing process for adhering the reinforcing band 100 is performed.
An unexplained reference numeral 11 is a funnel body portion, 12 is a funnel yoke portion, 51 is a deflection core, and 52 is a deflection coil.
In the cathode ray tube, because the electron beam 60 reaches the fluorescent 40 coated onto the internal surface of the panel 10, a picture is formed. In order to move the electron beam 60 harmoniously, the internal surface of the cathode ray tube has to be in a vacuum state.
In addition, in order to form a picture on the screen, the electron beam 60 discharged from the cathode of the electron gun 130 has to be deflected while spreading widely on the screen, the deflection yoke 50 consisting of the coil 51 and the core 52 deflects the electron beam.
When a current flows onto the coil 52 of the deflection yoke 50, a magnetic field occurs in the core 51, and the electron beam 60 is deflected while moving along a Z axis by the generated magnetic field.
Herein, a size of the magnetic field is varied according to an amplitude of the current applied to the coil 52.
Generally, a deflection angle and a deflection center of the electron beam 60 is determined according to a size, a shape, a position of the coil 52 and the core 51 of the deflection yoke 50.
In addition, according to intensification of electronic appliance power consumption regulations, attempts to lower the power consumption of electronic appliances have been made. As well as other electronic appliances, lowering power consumption is an essential particular in the cathode ray tube.
In order to slim down the cathode ray tube and reduce power consumption thereof, a current applied to the deflection yoke 50 has to be decreased.
However, when the applied current is reduced, because the magnetic field generated in the core 51 is weakened, a sufficient deflection angle can not be secured, and accordingly a picture can not be formed.
In addition, when an absolute quantity of the core 51 and the coil 52 of the deflection yoke 50 is increased, a material cost and an absolute quantity of a leakage magnetic field are increased, and accordingly it is not good in the product reliability aspect.
Accordingly, because slimming down and reducing the power consumption of the cathode ray tube are greatly related to the deflection efficiency of the deflection yoke 50, improving the efficiency of the deflection yoke 50 is efficient way to slim down the cathode ray tube and reduce the power consumption thereof.
There are methods for improving the deflection efficiency. A first method is changing a section shape of the funnel yoke portion 12 and the coil 52 from a circular shape to a square shape. In the first method, because a distance between the electron beam 60 and the deflection yoke 50 is reduced, the electron beam 60 can be easily deflected by a smaller deflection magnetic field.
A second method is placing the core 51 and the coil 52 of the deflection yoke 50 at the neck portion 13 of the funnel 20.
In the second method, as depicted in FIG. 2, when the position of the deflection yoke 50 is changed so as to get closer to the neck portion 13 of the funnel 20, a distance D (before the change) between the deflection yoke 50 and the electron beam 60 is shorter than a distance d (after the change). Accordingly, the electron beam 60 crashes onto the internal surface of the funnel 20 at the is overlap portion.
In more detail, when the deflection center is moved toward the neck portion 13, a distance between the electron beam 60 and the deflection yoke 50 is reduced, the electron beam 60 can be influenced by a larger deflection magnetic field.
Because a distance between the electron beam 60 and the yoke portion 12 of the funnel 20 is smaller, the electron beam 60 crashes onto the internal surface of the yoke portion 12 and throws a shadow on the screen.
The section of the funnel yoke portion 12 is getting smaller toward the neck portion 13 of the funnel yoke portion 12, by reducing a distance between the electron beam 60 and the deflection yoke 50, a deflection efficiency can be improved.
The position change means moving the deflection center toward the neck portion 13, and accordingly the electron beam 60 is deflected early by the magnetic field.
In addition, third method is converting an electron beam scanning type from a horizontal scanning type into a vertical scanning type.
Generally, the cathode ray tube has a ratio of horizontal length:vertical length as 4:3 or 16:9. In the horizontal scanning type, 4, 16 distance has to be deflected. But, in the vertical scanning type, merely 3, 9 distance has to be deflected, a deflection electric power for the same deflection is smaller than that of the horizontal scanning type.
FIG. 3 illustrates a BSN phenomenon occurring at the yoke portion 12 of the funnel 20 of the cathode ray tube in applying of the vertical scanning type. As depicted in FIG. 3, the BSN phenomenon is caused by the electron gun arranged in the vertical scanning type and mainly occurs along the long side portion and the diagonal portion of the yoke portion 12.
Recently, in practical use, all three methods have been combined to improve the deflection efficiency, the improvement of the deflection efficiency makes possible to slim down the cathode ray tube and reduce a power consumption thereof.
In the meantime, FIG. 4 illustrates a BSN phenomenon that occurs by the electron beam 60 crashing onto the internal surface of the yoke portion 12 of the funnel 20 according to the deflection efficiency improvement in applying of the three methods.
In more detail, the lower the deflection efficiency, the more a BSN phenomenon occurrence portion moves toward a TOP (top of round), the higher the deflection efficiency, the more a BSN phenomenon occurrence portion moves toward a NSL (neck seal line).
Accordingly, a BSN phenomenon occurrence between a RL (reference line) and the NSL (neck seal line) is inevitable.
The BSN phenomenon occurrence according to the deflection efficiency increase is a major problem in slimming down the cathode ray tube and reducing a power consumption thereof.
However, the methods for improving the deflection efficiency increase the BSN phenomenon occurrence according to the electron beam deflection. The BSN phenomenon means a phenomenon in which a shadow of the internal surface of the yoke portion 12 is thrown onto the screen, it is very important characteristic in fabricating of the cathode ray tube.
In recent years, to improve the deflection efficiency of the cathode ray tube, a funnel having a square-shaped yoke portion and the vertical scanning type are applied to the cathode ray tube, however, those applications cause more BSN phenomenon occurrence than that in application of a funnel having the conventional circular shaped yoke portion and the horizontal scanning type.
In more detail, in application of the funnel having a square-shaped yoke portion, a distance between the electron beam 60 and the yoke portion 12 is reduced. In moving of the deflection center toward the neck portion 13, because a deflection angle of the electron beam 60 is increased and the electron beam 60 moves toward the internal surface of the yoke portion 13, the BSN phenomenon occurrence is increased, and accordingly a reliability of the cathode ray tube may be lowered.
In addition, in the vertical scanning type cathode ray tube, each R, G, B cathode emitting the electron beam 60 from the electron gun 130 has to be placed so as to be parallel to the vertical axial line. Herein, the electron beam emitted from the R, B cathodes is placed apart a certain distance from the Z axis in the vertical direction in comparison with the G electron beam.
Herein, because the electron beam emitted from the R, B cathodes gets closer to the deflection magnetic field as the distance separated from the Z axis, the electron beam 60 is deflected toward the vertical direction and crashes onto the internal surface of the long side of the funnel yoke portion 12, and accordingly the BSN phenomenon occurs.
The above-mentioned phenomenon greatly occurs between the funnel yoke portion 12, the RL (reference line) and the NSL (neckline seal line).
In the slim and the vertical scanning type cathode ray tube, the BSN phenomenon occurs along the diagonal portion and the long side portion, most of all, it mainly occurs at the long side's internal surface around the diagonal portion of the funnel yoke portion 12.
Herein, when the funnel yoke portion 12 is moved to the direction perpendicular to the Z axis (central axis), namely, gets farther apart, the BSN phenomenon is reduced, however, the deflection efficiency is lowered, and accordingly it is impossible to slim down the cathode ray tube and reduce power consumption thereof.
In the meantime, in the present display market, slimming down a display's volume is essential to facilitate a secure installation space. For example, a LCD (liquid crystal display) and a PDP, etc. are typical slim displays. In comparison with them, the cathode ray tube is heavy and large, and it is in a disadvantageous position in the installation facilitation, and accordingly it is required to slim down.
With the trend, in order to slim down the cathode ray tube, it is essential to secure the deflection angle, for that, the yoke portion 12 has the square shape, however, because it is an unstable shape in the structural aspect, a high stress acts on the panel 10 and the funnel 20.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a stress distribution on the yoke portion 12 of the funnel 20. As depicted in FIG. 5, by reducing the total length of the funnel 20 to slim down the cathode ray tube, a stress acts on the yoke portion 12 of the cathode ray tube. In FIG. 5, a dotted line arrow mark is a compression stress, a solid line arrow mark is a tensile stress. Herein, in the funnel 20 made of glass, the intensified stress distribution can be a fetal problem.
In more detail, when the funnel yoke portion 12 has the square shape, because the tensile stress on the outer surface of diagonal portion of the yoke portion 12 is increased, a high stress problem on the glass has to be solved.
In other words, when the cathode ray tube is slimmed down, the total length of the funnel 20 is shortened. In addition, when the yoke portion 12 has a square shape, a stress on the yoke portion 12 is increased, a deflection angle of the electron beam 60 of the electron gun to the fluorescent 40 is increased, and accordingly the BSN phenomenon occurs. In that case, a shadow is thrown around the fluorescent, and it may lower the reliability of the cathode ray tube.

Cathode ray tube including a funnel with a non-circular shaped funnel yoke portion


A semiconductor device production system using a laser crystallization method is provided which can avoid forming grain boundaries in a channel formation region of a TFT, thereby preventing grain boundaries from lowering the mobility of the TFT greatly, from lowering ON current, and from increasing OFF current. Rectangular or stripe pattern depression and projection portions are formed on an insulating film. A semiconductor film is formed on the insulating film. The semiconductor film is irradiated with continuous wave laser light by running the laser light along the stripe pattern depression and projection portions of the insulating film or along the major or minor axis direction of the rectangle. Although continuous wave laser light is most preferred among laser light, it is also possible to use pulse oscillation laser light in irradiating the semiconductor film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device constructed by a semiconductor film that has a crystal structure, and more specifically, to a semiconductor device using a thin film transistor whose active layer is formed of a crystalline semiconductor film obtained through crystal growth on an insulating surface. The present invention also relates to a semiconductor device product ion system using laser light.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, techniques for forming TFTs on a substrate have made great advancements and applications of TFTs to active matrix type semiconductor display devices are being developed. In particular, TFTs formed of polycrystalline semiconductor films (hereinafter referred to as polysilicon TFT) have higher field effect mobility (also referred to as mobility) than conventional TFTs that use amorphous semiconductor films, and accordingly can operate at high speed. Therefore pixels can be controlled by a driving circuit formed on the same substrate on which the pixels are formed, instead of a driving circuit external to the substrate as with the conventional technique.
Incidentally, for substrates used in semiconductor devices, a glass substrate is deemed more promising than a single crystal silicon substrate cost-wise. Glass substrates have poor heat-resistance and are easily deformed by heat. Therefore, when forming a polysilicon TFT on a glass substrate, using laser annealing to crystallize a semiconductor film in order to avoid thermal deformation of the glass substrate is extremely effective.
Laser annealing has characteristics such as remarkable reduction of processing time compared to an annealing method utilizing radiant heating or thermal conductive heating, and a semiconductor or a semiconductor film is selectively and locally heated so that a substrate is scarcely thermally damaged.
Note that the term "laser annealing" herein indicates a technique for recrystallizing a damaged layer formed on a semiconductor substrate or in a semiconductor film and a technique for crystallizing a semiconductor film formed on a substrate. The term "laser annealing" also includes a technique that is applied to leveling or improvement of a surface quality of the semiconductor substrate or the semiconductor film. Applicable laser oscillation devices are gas laser oscillation devices represented by an excimer laser, and solid laser oscillation devices represented by a YAG laser. Such laser oscillation devices are known to heat a surface layer of a semiconductor by laser beam irradiation for an extremely short period of time, i.e., about several tens of nanoseconds to several tens of microseconds so as to crystallize the surface layer.
Lasers are roughly divided into two types, pulse oscillation and continuous wave, by their oscillation methods. Pulse oscillation lasers are relatively high in output energy and therefore the size of laser beam can be set to several cm2 to increase the mass-productivity. In particular, if the shape of laser beam is processed by an optical system into a linear shape 10 cm or more in length, a substrate can be irradiated with the laser light efficiently to increase the mass-productivity even more. Accordingly, using pulse oscillation lasers to crystallize semiconductor films have been becoming mainstream.
In recent years, however, it has been found that the grain size of crystals formed in a semiconductor film is larger when a continuous wave laser is used to crystallize a semiconductor film than when a pulse oscillation laser is used. With crystals of larger grain size in a semiconductor film, the mobility of TFTs formed from this semiconductor film is increased while fluctuation in characteristics between the TFTs due to grain boundaries is reduced. As a result, continuous wave lasers are now suddenly attracting attention.
Trying to form a single crystal semiconductor film on an insulating surface is not new and a technique called graphoepitaxy has been devised as a more positive attempt. Graphoepitaxy is a technique in which a level difference is formed on a surface of a quartz substrate, an amorphous semiconductor film or a polycrystalline semiconductor film is formed on the substrate, and the film is heated by a laser beam or a heater so that an epitaxial growth layer is formed with the level difference on the quartz substrate as the nucleus. This technique is disclosed in, for example, Non-patent Literature 1.
[Non-Patent Literature 1]
J. Vac. Sci. Technol., "Grapho-epitaxy of silicon on fused silica using surface micropatterns and laser crystallization", 16(6), 1979, pp. 1640-1643.
Another semiconductor film crystallizing technique called graphoepitaxy is disclosed in, for example, Non-patent Literature 2. The literature is about inducing epitaxial growth of a semiconductor film by artificially-created surface relief grating on an amorphous substrate. According to the graphoepitaxy technique disclosed in Non-patent Literature 2, a level difference is formed on a surface of an insulating film, a semiconductor film is formed on the insulating film, and the semiconductor film is subjected to heating, laser light irradiation, or the like to start epitaxial growth of crystals of the semiconductor film.
[Non-Patent Literature 2]
M. W. Geis, et al., "CRYSTALLINE SILICON ON INSULATORS BY GRAPHOEPITAXY", Technical Digest of International Electron Devices Meeting, 1979, p. 210.
Crystalline semiconductor films formed using laser annealing methods, which are roughly classified into pulse oscillation and continuous wave, are masses of crystal grains in general. These crystal grains have varying sizes and are positioned at random, and it is difficult to specify the position and size of crystal grains in forming a crystalline semiconductor film. Therefore an active layer formed by patterning the crystalline semiconductor film into islands generally have interface between crystal grains (grain boundaries).
Unlike the inside of a crystal grain, a grain boundary has an infinite number of re-combination centers and trap centers due to an amorphous structure and crystal defects. When carriers are trapped in these trap centers, the potential of the grain boundary rises to block carriers and lower the current carrying characteristic of carriers. Therefore, grain boundaries in an active layer, in particular, in a channel formation region of a TFT, seriously affect TFT characteristics by lowering the mobility of the TFT greatly, by lowering ON current, and by increasing OFF current since a current flows in grain boundaries. Grain boundaries also cause fluctuation in characteristic among TFTs that are intended to have the same characteristic because the characteristic of a TFT having grain boundaries in its active layer is different from that of a TFT whose active layer has no grain boundaries.
Crystal grains obtained by irradiating a semiconductor film with laser light have varying sizes and are positioned randomly because of the following reason. It takes time for a liquefied semiconductor film that has been thoroughly melted by laser light irradiation to create a solid nucleus. As time passes, an infinite number of crystal nuclei are generated in the thoroughly melted region and crystals grow from the crystal nuclei. Since positions of the crystal nuclei to be generated are at random, they are distributed unevenly. Crystal growth is stopped as crystal grains collide against each other. Accordingly, the crystal grains obtained have varying sizes and are positioned at random.
Ideally, a channel formation region, which has a great influence over TFT characteristics, is formed from a single crystal grain removing adverse effect of grain boundaries. However, prior art is mostly unsuccessful in forming a crystalline silicon film with no grain boundaries by laser annealing. Therefore no TFT whose active layer is formed of a crystalline silicon film crystallized by laser annealing has succeeded in obtaining characteristics that rival the characteristics of a MOS transistor manufactured on a single crystal silicon substrate.

Semiconductor device and semiconductor device production system

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer-implemented random reliability engine for testing distributed computer environments. The random reliability engine performs reliability testing of applications in a distributed environment. The random reliability engine simulates a user who is invoking various commands in various documents that are open in the distributed environment. The random reliability engine is a random rule based engine that generates random sequences of commands on documents. The random reliability engine generates these sequences for a fixed amount of time. When these sequences are successfully executed within the fixed amount of time, the random reliability engine determines that the distributed environment is reliable. Moreover, the random reliability engine can be implemented as a graphical user interface test script that is executed by a graphical user interface driver.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to computer implemented random reliability engines, and in particular to a random reliability engine for executing test cases created using a graphical user interface (GUI) driver to test a distributed environment.
2. Description of Related Art
Increasingly, users are working in distributed computer environments. In some distributed computer environments, users at different computers that are connected by a network are able to share applications. In the following example, two computers are connected to each other by a network. A user at one of the computers invokes a word processing application. The output of the word processing application is displayed on the display device of each connected computer. The users at each connected computer can provide input to the word processing application and view the output of the word processing application at that computer, thereby sharing the application.
Typically, unit tests are performed to test parts of a computer environment. However, these unit tests are not adequate for testing distributed computer environments. Currently, there is a need for methods of testing distributed computer environments.
Object oriented programming (OOP) is increasingly used to develop complex applications. OOP is a process of developing computer software using objects. An object is a software package that contains both data and a collection of related structures and procedures. An object is a single instance of a class of objects. A class of objects can be viewed as a blueprint, from which many objects can be formed. OOP allows creation of an object that "depends from" another object. The object that depends from another object inherits all of the aspects of that object. The inherited characteristics can be overridden. Also, the object that depends from another object may have the same underlying functions associated with them, but these functions may have different implementations.
As OOP moves toward the mainstream of software design and development, methods of testing distributed environments should be adapted to make use of the benefits of OOP. A need exists for these principles of OOP to be applied to testing distributed environments such that a set of OOP classes and objects for testing distributed environments can be provided.
Additionally, frameworks are being increasingly used. A framework is a generic application that displays user interface elements, such as windows and dialog boxes, and that supports various functions, such as copy and paste. The framework code provides event handling and flow of control. Moreover, a framework is typically a collection of cooperating classes that make up a reusable design solution for a given problem domain. The programmer uses a framework by inheriting the default behavior of the framework and overriding some of the behavior so that the framework calls application code, which is written by the programmer, at appropriate times (e.g., when a proprietary data structure is to be created or manipulated).
Incorporation of the principles of OOP and frameworks in a testing system for testing distributed environments allows the testing system to be more tightly integrated with other OOP-based applications and operating systems. In addition, the maintenance and development effort required by such an OOP-based testing systems will likely be significantly less than complex procedural programming-based testing systems. This is because parts (i.e., objects or classes) of the OOP-based testing system may be modified as needed and automatically propagated throughout the software code without affecting the rest of the testing system. In contrast, an entire procedural programming-based testing system, as conventionally produced, must be completely tested and debugged each time any modification is made to the software code, because each modification must be manually propagated to different parts of the software code. Therefore, there is a need for a method of testing distributed environments that incorporates the principles of OOP and frameworks.

Random reliability engine for testing distributed environments

International Business Machines Corporation


In a discharge lamp lighting apparatus to light two discharge lamps, one terminal of the secondary side of a step-up transformer is connected to one terminal of each of the two discharge lamps, the other terminal of each of the two discharge lamps is connected, via each of two variable inductance elements, to one lamp current detecting unit, a signal of each lamp current detecting unit is connected to a lamp current control circuit, and an output signal from each lamp current control circuit is connected to each variable inductance element so as to vary the inductance of each variable inductance element, whereby the lamp current flowing through each discharge lamp is controlled.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a discharge lamp lighting apparatus, and more particularly to a discharge lamp lighting apparatus to light a plurality of discharge lamps for use as a backlight in a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An LCD apparatus, which is a flat panel display apparatus, is used in various applications. Since a liquid crystal in the LCD apparatus does not emit light by itself, a lighting device is required in order to achieve a good display. A backlight device to light a liquid crystal panel from behind is among such lighting devices. In the backlight device, a cold cathode lamp is mainly used as a discharge lamp, and a discharge lamp lighting apparatus including an inverter to drive the cold cathode lamp is provided.
Recently, the LCD apparatus is becoming larger and larger for use in, for example, a large-screen TV, and therefore a number of discharge lamps are used in a backlight device in order to achieve sufficient screen brightness for the LCD apparatus. In such a backlight device, if variation exists in brightness of the discharge lamps, the display screen of the LCD apparatus incurs non-uniformity thus significantly degrading the display quality. So, not only high luminance of each discharge lamp but also brightness uniformity of all discharge lamps is required. Further, cost reduction of the discharge lamp lighting apparatus is requested along with the price reduction of the LCD apparatus.
The brightness variation of the discharge lamps can be prevented by equalizing lamp currents flowing respective discharge lamps for achieving a uniform brightness. Lamp currents can be equalized by a method such that transformers which are provided in a number equal to the number of the discharge lamps are individually controlled by respective control IC's. This approach, however, requires an increased number of components thus pushing up cost, which eventually results in an increased cost of the discharge lamp lighting apparatus.
Lamp currents can alternatively be equalized by providing balance coils, but this alternative approach requires a large number of balance coils for multiple discharge lamps, and the balance coils must be designed individually with different specifications because the values of currents flowing through the balance coils differ from one another depending on the places where the balance coils are disposed. Consequently, the number of components is increased pushing up the cost on the discharge lamp lighting apparatus.
A discharge lamp lighting apparatus as still another approach is proposed, in which inductance values are controlled by variable inductance elements, rather than balance coils, so as to control respective lamp currents and reduce the variation in brightness of the discharge lamps for uniform brightness over the display screen (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-260580).
FIG. 3 is a block diagram for a circuitry of a discharge lamp lighting apparatus which is disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-260580, and in which two discharge lamps are provided.
Referring to FIG. 3, switching elements (FET's) 102 and 103 are connected in series between the positive and negative electrodes of a DC power supply 101, and the connection portion of the source terminal of the switching element 102 and the drain terminal of the switching element 103 is connected to the negative electrode of the DC power supply 101 via a series resonant circuit 120A which includes a capacitor 122a, and a coil 121a of an orthogonal transformer 121A constituting an variable inductance capable of controlling inductance values, and also via a series resonant circuit 120B which includes a capacitor 122a, and a coil 121a of an orthogonal transformer 121B constituting an variable inductance.
The connection portion of the coil 121a of the orthogonal transformer 121A and the capacitor 122a is connected to the negative electrode of the DC power supply 101 via a series circuit including a capacitor 110a, a discharge lamp 111a, and a current detecting resistor 123a of a control circuit 123A, and an output signal of the control circuit 123A is sent to a control coil 121b of the orthogonal transformer 121A.
The control circuit 123A supplies a control current to the control coil 121b of the orthogonal transformer 121A, and is arranged such that the connection portion of the discharge lamp 111a and the current detecting resistor 123a is connected to the inverting input terminal of an operation amplifying circuit 123c via a rectifier diode 123b, the connection portion of the rectifier diode 123b and the inverting input terminal of the operation amplifying circuit 123c is connected to the negative electrode of the DC power supply 101 via a smoothing capacitor 123d, the non-inverting terminal of the operation amplifying circuit 123c is connected to the negative electrode of the DC power supply 101 via a battery 123e having a reference voltage Vref to determine a reference value of a current of the discharge lamp 111a, and that the output terminal of the operation amplifying circuit 123c is connected to the negative electrode of the DC power supply 101 via the control coil 121b of the orthogonal transformer 121A.
The control circuit 123A functions to control the current of the discharge lamp 111a. Specifically, the control circuit 123A operates such that, when the current of the discharge lamp 111a is to be increased, the control current of the control coil 121b of the orthogonal transformer 121A is increased so as to decrease the inductance value of the coil 121a of the orthogonal transformer 121A thereby increasing the resonant frequency f0 of the series resonant circuit 120A thus decreasing the impedance of the series resonant circuit 120A at a driving frequency consequently resulting in an increase of a voltage generated across the both ends of the capacitor 122a, and such that, when the current of the discharge lamp 111a is to be decreased, the control current of the control coil 121b of the orthogonal transformer 121A is decreased so as to increase the inductance value of the coil 121a of the orthogonal transformer 121A thereby decreasing the resonant frequency f0 of the series resonant circuit 120A thus increasing the impedance of the series resonant circuit 120A at a driving frequency consequently resulting in a decrease of a voltage generated across the both terminals of the capacitor 122a.
There is provided another circuit which includes another orthogonal transformer 121B, and which is constituted and functions identically with the above-described circuit including the orthogonal transformer 121A.
In the discharge lamp lighting apparatus shown in FIG. 3, a control circuit 104 fixedly sets a switching frequency of a control signal to be supplied to the switching elements 102 and 103 whereby the currents flowing through the discharge lamps 111a and 111b are controlled at a predetermined value without controlling the switching frequency, thus uniform brightness between the discharge lamps 111a and 111b is achieved without performing complicated frequency control at the control circuit 104.
A high voltage of about 1,500 to 2,500 V is required to turn on a cold cathode lamp, and a voltage of about 600 to 1,300 V must be applied to keep the cold cathode lamp lighted on. Accordingly, a power supply to supply such a high voltage is required in a discharge lamp lighting apparatus. Since the discharge lamp lighting apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is not provided with a step-up circuit, the DC power supply 101 has a circuitry to output a high voltage in order to duly turn on the discharge lamps 111a and 111b.
Also, since the switching elements 102 and 103 to turn on the discharge lamps 111a and 111b, and the control circuit 104 to control the switching elements 102 and 103 are connected to the DC power supply 101 to output a high voltage, the switching elements 102 and 103 and the control circuit 104 must be composed of high withstand voltage materials which are expensive thus pushing up the cost of the components, and eventually the cost of the apparatus.
Further, in the discharge lamp lighting apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the capacitors 110a and 110b, which are current controlling capacitors (so-called "ballast capacitors") to stabilize the lamp current of the discharge lamps 111a and 111b, are connected in series to the discharge lamps 111a and 111b, respectively, and a high voltage is applied to the capacitors 110a and 110b. Consequently, the capacitors 110a and 110b must also be composed of high withstand voltage materials, and since the current controlling capacitors must be provided in a number equal to the number of discharge lamps to be driven, the cost of the apparatus is pushed up definitely. Also, since a high voltage is applied to the capacitors 110a and 110b as described above, there is a problem also in terms of component safety.

Discharge lamp lighting apparatus for lighting multiple discharge lamps