Causing the growth of a GaN material with respect to a sapphire substrate using a conventional technique is inevitably followed by the occurrence of dislocations. Using a mask layer results in that the dislocations laterally flow. However, since the GaN crystal collides with a semiconductor layer that laterally grew from an adjacent region, perfect elimination of the dislocations is impossible. In view thereof, the invention is intended to provide a nitride compound-based semiconductor light emitting device which is based on using semiconductor layers that have been formed in a state of the dislocations' being less existent therein and which therefore has excellent property. To solve the above-described problems, the invention provides a semiconductor light emitting device being a gallium nitride-based semiconductor light emitting device that not only is equipped with a substrate but is also equipped with at least a first conductivity type semiconductor layer, active layer, and second conductivity type semiconductor layer in this sequential order on the substrate, wherein the first conductivity type semiconductor layer has a level difference portion the levels of which have a spacing therebetween in the lamination direction; and the dislocation density of the active layer that is formed on a portion of the first conductivity type semiconductor layer that has the higher level is lower than that of the active layer that is formed on a portion thereof that has the lower level.

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-207751 filed Aug. 18, 2003 including specification, drawings and claims is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gallium nitride-based semiconductor light emitting device and, more particularly, to a gallium nitride-based semiconductor light emitting device that has a high quality of semiconductor layer having less dislocation and that has a high level of luminous efficiency.
2. Description of the Related Art
A III group nitride-based compound is a direct transition type semiconductor whose stable phase is of a wurtzite structure and whose forbidden band width can be varied from 6.2 eV in case of AlN to 1.9 eV in case of InN. For this reason, attention has been drawn toward it as a material for light emitting device use that is available for the emission of a light from a visible shorter wavelength range to a near ultraviolet range. Under this circumstance, a gallium nitride-based semiconductor light emitting device that is comprised of a III group nitride-based compound has been being developed.
Of these III group nitride-based compounds, an AlGaInN-based compound that is expressed as the general formula of AlxGayIn1−x−yN (where 1≧x≧0, 1≧y≧0, and 1≧x+y≧0) has gone on being developed as a material for light emitting device and photo detector use for visible light because the wavelength of light that is emitted therefrom can be varied from ultraviolet rays to red color light rays. Especially, with it acting as a motive that there have been realized blue/green high luminance light emitting diodes each of that is based on using a gallium nitride (GaN)-based compound, further researches and studies on the material have been made. Also, since an AlGaN-based compound in which in the general formula above the variables x and y have been set as having a relation of x+y=1 is a semiconductor which is stable even at a high temperature of 500° C. or more, it has gone on being developed as a material for device use that is usable in a high-temperature environment, or is cooling unneeded.
Here, a general method that manufactures a semiconductor light emitting device using a III group nitride-based compound that is expressed as the general formula of AlxGayIn1-x-yN is using a single crystal of sapphire as a crystal substrate, causing various GaN-based crystal layers to be epitaxially grown on that substrate via buffer layers, and using a desired one of the GaN-based crystal layers as a relevant luminous portion. The reason for adopting that method is that, of the compounds expressed as the general formula of AlxGayIn1−x−yN (where 1≧x≧0, 1≧y≧0, and 1≧x+y≧0), a material of GaN has extreme difficulty synthesize the bulk crystal.
However, the difference between the sapphire substrate and the GaN material in terms of lattice constant is as great as approximately 16 percent. The defect density in the layer that has been grown amounts even to 106 to 109 cm−3. Within the GaN-based crystal layer that has been grown using that method, there exist with a high density the dislocations that are attributable to the non-alignment of lattices that occurs between the crystal layer and the sapphire substrate.
Namely, the sapphire substrate and GaN material are different in physical property, such as not only in lattice constant but also in thermal expansion coefficient. Therefore, the crystal defects that are called "the dislocations" occur in large number. The dislocations are inherited in the growth direction even when the GaN-based crystal has grown and the thickness of the layer has become increased. They then become a continuous portion of defects that is called "the dislocation line (through dislocation)" and it causes an impairment of the device propertu such as decreasing the life of the buleish purple laser.
The reason why the device operates even with such a high defect density is due to the nature, peculiar to the semiconductor made using a III group nitride-based compound, that the luminous efficiency does not largely decrease even if the defect density is high. However, for obtaining a high quality and high reliability of devices, decreasing the defect density is indispensable. As one method for decreasing the defect density there is the one that obtains a low-dislocation GaN-based crystal by using a mask layer (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-91253.). According to this method, in the process of growing as a semiconductor layer the dislocation laterally flows if that layer has a thickness that is somewhat great. This results in that the semiconductor layer with lesser dislocations is formed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-91253 is hereby incorporated by reference.


A rotation detecting means detects rotation of a mechanical movable portion and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the rotation rate of the mechanical movable portion. A rotation monitoring circuit, to which the detection signal from the rotation detecting means is provided, outputs a rotation-existing signal when the detection signal indicates that the mechanical movable portion is rotating. A rotation stop monitoring circuit, to which the detection signal from the rotation detecting means is provided, outputs a rotation-stop signal when the detection signal indicates a rotation rate lower than a predetermined rotation rate, and a movable portion control circuit uses at least either the rotation-existing signal or the rotation-stop signal and an external command signal for input signals to control the mechanical movable portion with logic of these signals. An apparatus for assuring safety by using the rotation-stop signal and rotation-existing signal as signals for securing safety of the operator against the mechanical movable portion is achieved.

A safety securing device of this type is disclosed in PCT/JP93/00758. Also, a sensor for verifying that the rotation or movement of a mechanical movable portion has stopped is disclosed in International Publication WO94/23303. In addition, a device for detecting that rotation is at a specific rate or lower is also required in an apparatus that includes a mechanical movable portion driven by a motor M or the like, i.e., a robot or the like, as a safety device that allows the operator to approach the apparatus only after the mechanical movable portion has completely stopped its operation, in order to assure the safety of the operator who must approach the apparatus. Such safety devices include the motor rotation stop detecting device disclosed in International Publication WO94/23303, which is capable of reliably detecting that the rotation of a motor M has stopped, including rotation under inertia, and operates toward safety when the apparatus has had a failure, thereby providing a high degree of safety. However, the device disclosed in this prior art publication has two problems yet to be solved, i.e., a delay in issuing notification of the stop that occurs because the device is not provided with a function for detecting the rotation rate and, since a bridge circuit is employed for a rotation sensor, adjustment of the bridge circuit is required.
These problems are eliminated in PCT/JP95/00165 for which an application was submitted by the applicant. However, PCT/JP95/00165 only discloses the technology for issuing notification of mechanical movable portion stop, and the disclosure does not encompass the use of the mechanical movable portion stop signal as a signal for assuring safety of an operator against the mechanical movable portion.


An assembly of an airbag module and a steering wheel of a vehicle has the airbag module moveable between a resting position and a working position, corresponding to the actuation of the horn of the vehicle. Advantageously, the retaining assembly drives the airbag module exclusively along parallel to the axis of rotation of the steering wheel, providing constant horn activation loads.

Assemblies are known for installing an airbag module within a steering wheel of a motor vehicle. Airbag modules are commonly secured by pins, screws, nuts, interlocking teeth, or similar attachments, in an appropriate housing coupled to the steering wheel frame. If the airbag module serves as an ancillary device for actuation of the horn of the vehicle, the airbag module needs to be moveable between a resting position and a working position at which the airbag module co-operates with suitable devices provided within the housing for the actuation of the horn. In this case, the driver operates the horn by pressing the airbag module, directly or indirectly through a cover, into the working position. An airbag module of this type is usually supported by one or more resilient elements that return the airbag module to the resting position upon its operation.

Assembly for retaining an airbag module to a steering wheel


A system of selectable carriers for receiving an interchangeable liner enclosing a plurality of articles for facilitating exchange of articles from one selected carrier to another. The system provides a plurality of carriers which each have at least an opening with a first connecting member having a first character and attached near the opening thereof. The carriers selectively engage a liner that has a closed bottom and an open end with a second connecting member having a second character attached to a perimeter edge thereof, for selective mating engagement of the liner with the first connecting member in the carrier, for joining the liner to the carrier. The liner receives a plurality of articles to be carried within the carrier, and transfer of which occurs substantially simultaneously by transferring the liner and the articles therein from one carrier to another selected one of the carriers.

Carrying devices such as luggage, purses, backpacks, and the like, have been used for a number of years for containing and carrying articles for use by persons. For example, persons attending school often carry books, papers, and supplies in backpacks or book satchels. Personal articles likewise are frequently carried in purses or handbags. These personal articles include a wide range of items, writing instruments, and more.
In addition to the utilitarian functions, carriers also have an ornamental and fashion function. Purses, handbags, pocket books, and backpacks, and the like are available in a wide range of shapes, colors, and sizes. Often one type of carrier is suitable for one occasion and not for others. For example, purses are available in a variety of styles and sizes which are deemed appropriate for one occasion but not for another. A small hand-held clasp bag, narrow in width, is typically appropriate for evening dress occasions, whereas a pocketbook having a short strap handle is considered more appropriate for ordinary daily use. A larger handbag with a longer strap may be particularly useful for shopping occasions. It is not unusual for fashion wardrobes to include a number of different purses of various sizes, shapes, and styles for use depending on the particular occasion.
While a particular carrier used on an occasion may differ from an earlier occasion, the articles contained within these carriers is typically the same. The carrier will contain a wallet for money and credit cards, identification, keys, and other personal articles particular to the individual. The carriers accordingly enclose a wide range of articles. When changing from one carrier to another, the transfer of articles from the previous carrier to the next carrier is a somewhat time consuming activity involving searches of the former carrier, identification of articles to transfer to a subsequent carrier, and transferring of the articles. Often most, if not all, of the articles are transferred from the former carrier to the subsequent carrier.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved system of carriers for facilitating the transfer of articles between carriers. It is to the provision of such that the present invention is directed.

Carriers and interchangeable liner therefor


This is a method and associated apparatus for operating a control signal repeater system to receive infrared (IR) control signals at a first location and cause duplicate control signals to be input at a second location to an IR-controlled device containing an IR detector with connecting wires without creating a duplicate IR signal at the location of the controlled device. This is accomplished by directing voltage-inducing energy into the wires of the IR detector in the controlled device so that the signals are induced directly into the wiring to be amplified and used without the need for first generating an IR beam into the IR detector.

This invention relates to repeater systems for repeating a control signal input at one location at a second location and, more particularly, in a control signal repeater system for receiving infrared (IR) control signals by a receiver at a first location and for outputting a first signal containing control information from the IR control signals to a second location where duplicate control signals are input to an IR-controlled device containing an IR detector with connecting wires, to a signal repeater for controlling the IR-controlled device without creating a duplicate IR signal at the location of the controlled device comprising, signal receiver means at the second location for receiving the first signal from the receiver and for outputting a second signal containing the control information from the IR control signals; and, signal transmitter means for transmitting an energy signal into the connecting wires of the IR-controlled device to induce voltage signals therein containing the control information from the IR signal repeater for a control signals.
Infrared controls are commonly used for remotely controlling televisions, VCRs, and the like. Such controls are light-weight and operate almost indefinitely from the power of a small battery or batteries. By pressing a button on the controller, the user causes a beam of infrared (IR) energy modulated with a unique control signal to be directed at the controlled device from the user's location. The device is thus controlled in its functions without the necessity of the user leaving his location and going to the device.
Over the years, various systems for repeating the IR control signals so that the user does not have to be in a line-of-sight relationship with the controlled device have been made available in the art. Such prior art repeater systems generally appear as the system 10 shown in FIG. 1. At the remote location, the standard controller 12 is pointed at a receiver 14. The IR beam 16 from the controller 12 is detected by the receiver 14 which then transmits the signal electrically over the connection 18 to the repeater 20. The repeater 20 then directs a duplicate IR beam 16' towards the controlled device 22. Numerous such systems have been patented with the principle difference being the form of the connection 18. Early systems employed wires as the connection 18 whereas later systems substituted a wireless link (such as radio frequency) for the earlier wires. In each case, however, the problem is with the repeater 20. As depicted in the drawing figure, it must be positioned in front of the controlled device 22 so that the controlled device 22 can receive the duplicate IR beam 16'. While such systems appear fine in the abstract of a patent application, in actual implementation it is quite often inconvenient to place the repeater 20 in such a relationship with the controlled device--particularly where power must be connected to the repeater 20. While the controller 12 could conveniently sit on a table next to the user because of its small size and battery operation, a repeater 20 requiring power from a wall outlet connection and of considerably larger size can be a real inconvenience.
With the recent advent of so-called "wireless video" on a commercially viable basis, such repeater systems have become far more important. Now that the television set, for example, can be taken anywhere in the house or yard and still receive signals broadcast locally by a VCR, the ability to control the functions of the VCR from the location of the television set is far more important. In systems which combine the wireless broadcasting of the video and audio signals in one direction with the broadcasting of the control signals in the opposite direction, unitary construction is also very desirable and the requirement of a separate repeater 20 does not fit in with such objectives.
Wherefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a control signal repeater system which can accept IR control signals at a remote location and activate an IR-controlled device at a second location without the need for a separate repeater box emitting a duplicate IR beam at the controlled device.
It is another object of this invention to provide a control signal repeater system which can be incorporated conveniently into a bi-directional wireless video system.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a control signal repeater system which can be employed with a bi-directional wireless video system and receive any power requirements from that system and thereby eliminate the requirement for a separate power supply for the repeater system.
Other objects and benefits of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows hereinafter when taken in conjunction with the drawing figures which accompany it.


A test assembly for permitting the sampling of the effluent of a waste water treatment apparatus is comprised of at least two parallel testing lines, one testing line being in flow communication with effluent that has been filtered through one type of filter and the second testing line being in flow communication with effluent that is unfiltered or has been filtered through a second type of filter. At least one positive shut-off valve is provided so each testing line can be shut off when effluent is passing through the other testing line.

The present invention relates to a test assembly for allowing the sampling of waste water effluent and more particularly to a method for testing the performance of selected devices and apparatuses in waste water systems.
Waste water treating facilities, and particularly septic tanks, are used to provide economical waste disposal for residential and commercial facilities in areas which are not served by sewer lines leading to sewer treatment facilities. The incoming fluids into the tanks includes large solids which are digested in the tank or broken into smaller solids. The final treatment of septic tank sewage is therefore in the drain fields. However, it is desirable to prevent the flow of as much of these solid particulates as possible into the drain field and therefore filters are provided in the outlet waste water streams from the septic tanks into the drain fields. And, the efficiency of some of these filters have proved to be inadequate in view of the fact that many of these filters become clogged with small particulates or the openings in the filter media in the filters are sufficiently large that a large segment of particulate materials flows through the outlet into the drain field.
There have been a number of test procedures that help to determine the efficiency of these filters but in most cases they have proved to be inadequate and/or excessively time consuming in determining the filters' efficiency. Particularly, since the materials in the septic tank are generally separated into a number of layers, large particulates being in the lowermost layer, a relatively clear layer being in the middle, and the uppermost layer generally consists of light weight solids and foam floating on the upper most layer, effluent leaving the filter is generally in a relatively laminar flow and therefore is also layered in the outlet conduits as it flows from the inside of the septic tank into the drain fields. Thus, grab samples at any given time are generally inadequate in view of the fact that only one of the layers may be obtained in the grab sample. Moreover, there have been continuous 24 hour composite sampling machines devised to sample the flow of effluent from a septic tank, but such devices have proved to be extremely costly and time consuming. More importantly, in some of these continuous 24 hour composite sampling machines, the machines are connected up to a tube which is installed in the effluent discharge wherein the tube includes openings therethrough which acts as a filter or particle selection device, due to the small opening sizes, thereby providing incorrect and unreliable information. Also with the composite sampling tube openings being at a fixed level, and with a small orifice, again only one layer of the effluent exiting the tank is taken and the solids determination assumed to be representative of the total effluent flowing from the septic tank, is in error.

Waste water effluent test method and assembly


A staged fluidized-bed combustion and filter system for substantially reducing the quantity of waste through the complete combustion into ash-type solids and gaseous products. The device has two fluidized-bed portions, the first primarily as a combustor/pyrolyzer bed, and the second as a combustor/filter bed. The two portions each have internal baffles to define stages so that material moving therein as fluidized beds travel in an extended route through those stages. Fluidization and movement is achieved by the introduction of gases into each stage through a directional nozzle. Gases produced in the combustor/pyrolyzer bed are permitted to travel into corresponding stages of the combustor/filter bed through screen filters that permit gas flow but inhibit solids flow. Any catalyst used in the combustor/filter bed is recycled. The two beds share a common wall to minimize total volume of the system. A slightly modified embodiment can be used for hot gas desulfurization and sorbent regeneration. Either side-by-side rectangular beds or concentric beds can be used. The system is particularly suited to the processing of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste.

Disposal of material contaminated with radioactive materials or chemically hazardous materials present substantial environmental and economic problems. Burial (land fill disposal) of these types of waste materials involve complex technical and socioeconomic-economic problems. In the case of radioactively-contaminated wastes, a substantial reduction in the volume of the wastes to be disposed is feasible since a large portion of the waste consists of organic material. With chemically hazardous wastes large volume reductions are also usually possible. Various methods have been tested to reduce waste volume, including conventional combustion, and staged and fluidized bed combustion.
Typical of the prior art are described in:
1. "Rocky Flats Plant Fluidized Bed Incinerator", L. J. Meile, et al, Report RFP-3249, Mar. 8, 1982. PA1 2. "Circulating Fluidized Bed Technology", Proc. First International Conference on Circulating Fluidized Beds, Ed. P. Basu, November 1985. PA1 3. "Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Fluidized-Bed Combustion, Vol. III", Report DOE/METC-85/6021, March 1985. PA1 4. "1989 International Conference on Fluidized Bed Combustion, FBC--Technology for Today", ASME April-May 1989. PA1 1) high combustion efficiency at relatively low temperature (about 550.degree. C.), resulting in a low-fired ash to enhance actinide recovery (if needed) and the elimination of refractory materials of construction which otherwise would create a secondary waste material when replaced; PA1 2) acids produced during combustion can be neutralized in-situ, as with sodium carbonate media, to eliminate off-gas scrubbing; PA1 3) only a dry filter system is needed since only particulate material and not gases must be removed, with the elimination of the need to process aqueous scrubbing solutions.
The above-cited references are incorporated herein by reference for any teachings of process parameters with regard to fluidization, combustion, filtration, etc.
The known techniques all have disadvantages when applied to radioactive and hazardous wastes. Low level radioactive wastes generally consist of a mixture of items such as contaminated gloves and clothing, contaminated wood and building materials, contaminated oils and lubricants, and miscellaneous other items. Primary concerns in the combustion of these materials is, of course, the retention of all radioactive material with the ash of combustion. These wastes typically contain large amounts of plastics with chlorine-containing compounds; therefore, conditions must be maintained to avoid the formation of volatile chlorides of radioactive elements and/or chlorine-containing organic compounds such as dioxins. Avoidance of the potential for criticality, when fissionable materials are present, is also an important consideration.
As stated above, fluidized bed combustion has been investigated as a means of reducing both the volume and weight of radioactive solid and liquid wastes. Some of the valuable characteristics of fluidized bed combustion with regard to this application are:
Although conventional fluidized bed combustion systems for radioactive wastes have these attractive features, the also have some undesirable features. For example, although the off-gas can be dry, carryover of particles from the bed still requires the use of various separators in the form of cyclones and banks of filters. These devices create higher pressure drops across the system, and add significantly to costs. Probably the most important drawback is the requirement for additional separate vessels, piping and hardware that becomes contaminated with radioactivity and complicates repairs and maintenance. Furthermore, because single fluidized bed reactors do not provide a uniform residence time for particles in the bed, some of the waste residue can be carried out of the bed or discharged before all organic matter has been consumed. Also, any chloride sorbent and oxidation catalyst is not fully utilized in a single bed system with the result that there is additional material for disposal.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system for the fluidized bed combustion of waste which minimizes components subject to contamination that must be disposed of during maintenance and repair.
It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus for the complete combustion of waste, such as hazardous chemical and radioactive waste, that permits retention of particulates as well as the in situ neutralization of acids.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a combined multi-stage combustion system coupled with filtration such that improved processing of hazardous waste is accomplished with a reduction of apparatus.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a unique combination of filtration and staging features that involves a combined fluidized bed filter and staged pyrolysis/combustor.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-staged combustion and filtration system for the desulfurization and regeneration of gases.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon a consideration of the drawings referred to hereinafter, together with a complete description thereof.

Staged fluidized-bed combustion and filter system

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


To update firmware on a consumer device intelligently, two or more application images are stored as firmware on the consumer device. If the primary application image is corrupt, the back-up application image is executed on the consumer device. The back-up application image can be updated based on the primary application image. User configuration files can be preserved during the update of an application image, or they can be overwritten. This firmware updating scheme can be advantageously implemented in a personal media broadcasting system.

This invention relates generally to consumer devices having one or more processors, and, more specifically, to updating and loading the firmware stored on such devices.
A number of consumer grade devices that run embedded software have the ability to accept firmware updates that allow the end user to use feature enhancements and to address problem fixes. These updates are often initiated by the user and are typically critical in nature. Failures in the update process are often catastrophic.
A failure could be due to power failure or glitches on the embedded device and/or the host initiating the update. Failures may also result from network interruptions and any number of other problems. When a failure occurs, the firmware on the consumer device is often erased or otherwise corrupted. Because firmware is typically integral to the successful operation of the device, the corruption or loss of the firmware can cause the consumer device to perform improperly, and in some cases, to be completely inoperable. Perhaps worst of all, once the device has been rendered inoperable, it may be impossible or impractical to restore the firmware. Thus, a failure during a firmware upgrade can result in the loss of the consumer device.
Therefore, what is needed is a way to intelligently update the firmware of a consumer device.

Firmware update for consumer electronic device


A vibration proof device for strings or frame of a racket for sports in which it is possible to absorb vibration not only of the strings but also the frame without hindering operation, comprised of a block of rubber or plastic having a centrally located mushroom shaped vibrator integrally formed by punching or moulding, said block having a size that is substantially the same size as the width between strings and having longitudinal recesses in opposite sides for fitting between strings in use.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vibration proof device for strings or frame of a racket for sports.
2. Background Information
Heretofore, as shown in FIG. 3, block 10 of rubber or plastic combined with a high grade special silicon vibration proof rubber having a vibration absorber 11 at the middle, being the same size that corresponds to the width between strings has longitudinal recesses 13, 13 on opposite sides for fitting between and engaging strings 12, 12 (gut) as shown on FIG. 4. Otherwise, a mushroom shaped vibration absorber 14 is attached to the end face of handle. However, the vibration absorbing effect is not sufficient in block 10 shown in FIG. 3, or with vibration absorber 14 shown in FIG. 4 because it hinders operation of the racket.

Vibration absorbing device for the strings or frame of a racket


This invention describes a method and apparatus to determine a safe rotational speed for a CD/DVD drive by detecting the amount of vibration of the disk by measuring the operating conditions of the spindle motor. A disk drive includes a motor for rotating the disk and an apparatus for monitoring the current or back emf in the windings of the motor. When the current or the back emf varies from a normal level, the disk is vibrating and a signal indicating a vibration condition is sent to the spindle motor driver. The maximum speed that the disk rotated is slowed until a vibrating condition is no longer detected and the rotational speed associated with a particular disk is based dynamically on the amount of vibration detected. Disks may also be identified that cannot spin a minimum rate of speed.

One of the key components of any computer system is a place to store data. Computer systems have many different places where data can be stored. One common place for storing massive amounts of data in a computer system is on a disk drive, such as a CD-ROM or DVD. The most basic parts of a disk drive are a plastic disk that is rotated, an actuator that moves a transducer to various locations over the disk, and electrical circuitry that is used to write and read data to and from the disk. Some of these drives have read only memory. Others can read the read only memory media and are capable of writing as well. The disk drives also include circuitry for decoding information read from the disk into data so that it can be successfully retrieved from the disk. For writable media, the disk drives also include encoders for encoding the data to a form that can be written to the disk surface so that the data can be retrieved at a later date. A microprocessor controls most of the operations of the disk drive as well as passing the data back to the requesting computer and taking data from a requesting computer for storing to the disk.
In each type of disk drive, the media, which is in the shape of a disk, spins during reading information representing data from the media. The disk also spins when information representing data is written to the drive. There is a constant push to spin the media faster and faster during either the read or write operation so that time required to access data from the disk is shorter or so that the time to write data to the disk is shorter. Some CD-ROM drives and DVD drives spin the media at constant angular velocity. Others vary the spin speeds as a function of the radial position of the data so that the media passes by the transducer at a constant linear velocity. These drives are referred to as constant linear velocity drives and achieve the highest rates of spin when the information representing data is at the outer perimeter of the recording surface. The first CD-ROM drive had a maximum speed of 1×. Current CD-ROM and DVD drives spin at maximum speeds which are multiples of the maximum speed of the 1× CD-ROM drive. Current CD-ROM and DVD drives are 16×, 32×, 40× and 52× which represent the multiple of the original CD-ROM maximum spin speed.
Spinning the disks at higher spin speeds have resulted in problems associated with CD-ROM and DVD drives. An increasing number of broken disks are being found in the high speed CD/DVD drives. Some believe that the disks have disintegrated due to structural defects such as cracks and the like. Another possibility is that the problem is caused when a disk is spinning at a high rate and begins to vibrate on the disk drive spindle.
Analysis of the construction of CD/DVD drives shows that this is a possibility. These disk drives include a disk tray. As the disk tray travels into the drive housing, the motor drive spindle and laser pickup assembly are pivoted up so the motor drive spindle goes through the newly inserted disk. At the same time, an upper spindle body fits over the lower spindle and is held by a magnet in the lower spindle. The result is that the only force holding the disk to the spindle is from the magnet.
If a disk begins to vibrate, at some point the magnet can no longer hold the upper spindle to the lower spindle to retain the disk. When the magnet can no longer hold the vibrating disk, the disk will be released and will spin off of the spindle at a high rate of speed in an uncontrolled direction. It is obvious what happens at this point. The disk slams against the housing and is destroyed. The resulting particles may also lodge within critical mechanisms within the drive and result in ruining the disk drive as well. For example, a plastic portion lodged near a mirror may block the light needed to read from the drive or prevent the mirror movement needed to focus the beam.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus that can detect vibration in a drive that holds a disk using a magnet having a relatively small force. There is also a need for a method and apparatus that can slow the disk drive in response to a detected vibration condition so as to prevent destruction of the disk in the disk drive.

Method of CD/DVD vibration detection by monitoring motor conditions


A method is described. The method includes receiving notice of a page fault. A page targeted by a memory access instruction that resulted in the page fault residing in persistent memory without system memory status. In response to the page fault, updating page table information to include a translation that points to the page in persistent memory such that the page changes to system memory status without moving the page and system memory expands to include the page in persistent memory.

Computing system designers are continuously seeking ways to improve the performance of their systems. With the onset of "big data", "cloud computing" and other data center centric computing paradigms, the importance of accessing increasing sizes of data with increasing performance is driving additional layers in the memory and/or storage hierarchies.

Fast page fault handling process implemented on persistent memory


A supply valve includes a first valve member formed with a plurality of ports which communicate with containers of different fluids, and a second valve member having a single port which communicates with an inlet of a chamber into which the fluids are selectively supplied. The second valve member sealingly and slidingly engages with the first valve member, and is movable by a computer-controlled motor drive relative thereto in two directions to positions in which the port of the second valve member communicates with the ports of the first valve member respectively. Each position has unique coordinates in the two directions such that the fluids can be selected in any sequence. In one embodiment, the first valve member is a cylinder having a bore with an axis and the second valve member is a piston which is coaxially received in the bore, and the two directions are rotation above the axis and translation along the axis respectively. In another embodiment, the first and second valve members are blocks having flat mating surfaces, and the two directions are translation parallel to the mating surfaces in two orthogonal directions respectively. Additional elongated parts may be provided into which cleaning fluid is supplied to clean the surfaces of the valve members during movement between the positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to fluid valves, and more specifically to a fluid valve having a plurality of inlet ports and a single outlet port or vice-versa, and a fluid supply system incorporating the valve.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is necessary in many applications to selectively connect one of a plurality of inlet ports which receive different fluids (liquids and/or gasses) to a single outlet port, or alternatively to selectively connect a single inlet port to one of a plurality of outlet ports. This has been accomplished in the past by connecting a plurality of discrete valves to a manifold or by means of a linear or rotary multi-port sequence valve.
The manifold system is disadvantageous in that volumetric dead spaces are inherent in the design which are difficult or impossible to purge. For this reason, manifold valves cannot be used in applications requiring selective supply of incompatible fluids such as solvents and acids.
Sequence valves can be designed with essentially no dead spaces. However, the ports can only be switched in a fixed sequence which is determined by the linear or rotary port arrangement.

Multi-fluid, variable sequence, zero dead volume valve and system


An apparatus and method for temporarily slaving and configuring a plurality of hardware resources such as computers, microprocessor-based devices, and the like, over a network, and then emancipating the resources to operate independently. Resources or targets may be enslaved at an operating system level. A controller may configure a plurality of hardware resources such as computers, microprocessor-based devices, and the like, to operate autonomously over a network. Resources or targets may be enslaved at an operating system level, configured with commands from a controller, and emancipated to operate independently. Emancipated resources may download applications, read and write files, communicate with other devices, and otherwise operate as independent computers. Data corresponding to test instructions may be downloaded from, and data corresponding to results may be recorded and saved on, a network server by a resource operating independently. Upon completion of a test or a series of tests, a resource may again report back to a controller, be enslaved and reconfigured, and be emancipated to operate other test software.

1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer networks and, more particularly, to novel systems and methods for temporarily slaving operating systems of a plurality of processors for configuration purposes or for downloading software, and then later emancipating these slaved devices (e.g. computers, microprocessor-based devices, instruments, etc.) to operate independently, including running software, downloading files, and uploading files over the network.
2. The Background Art
Networking typically involves several microprocessor-based devices (nodes) exchanging data with one another over a transmission medium, a communication link such as, for example, a hard wire, fiberoptic cable, radio frequency transmitter/receiver, or other physical communication mechanism. A link between a node and a network or between routers of a wide area network (WAN) may be wireless. Network cards provide a mechanical and data connection between the communication link (e.g. fiberoptic, wire, or wireless) and the processor of the node or device to be connected to the network. Communication may occur by various protocols (rules), with steps (activities) executed by devices satisfying those protocols.
Networks may be defined at several levels of grouping and communication. For convenience, the terms primary, secondary and tertiary network are used here to indicate the extent and complexity of a network. A primary network is the most fundamental connecting of two nodes in some manner. A local area network (LAN) may be thought of as a primary network. A secondary network is a routed network, one including at least two primary networks connected by a router for forwarding messages between the primary networks. A tertiary network (sometimes called an internetwork) is one including two primary or secondary networks, a router in one being separated by an intermediate network from a router in the other. Thus, as the name network implies, a tertiary network can extend from router to router to router via intervening primary networks virtually forever, within the constraints of the laws of electrophysics and communications protocols.
A server is a computer connected to a network via a network card and programmed to act as a traffic manager and storage device for files of data being transmitted over the network by the various connected nodes. A hard wire interconnected to a group of network cards with attached computers, with one of those computers acting as a server, is a typical network. In other networks, every device may be a server.
Computer networks are capable of facilitating many functions, but not certain other functions. For example, as computer network technology has grown, so has the need to pass information over the networks.
Likewise, a user at each node, typically, must configure the node, from physically connecting hardware and loading an operating system of the processor to loading an application and instructing the application how to store and retrieve data representing information. A high degree of automation of tasks normally done by users is not typically available between devices (nodes) across networks. One command line at a time is typically required to be sent and responded to.
Unfortunately, a user logging a controller computer on to a network cannot automatically download executables to a remote, general-purpose, computer for execution. The remote computer must be logged on and configured by the user just as any other computer.
Similarly, a slaved computer may be logged on to a network, configured, loaded with an application and then enslaved to communicate with a master to receive information from a master for use by an application previously launched on the slave computer. Instructions and responses are typically on a command-by-command basis.
Configuration may be thought of as programming a slave with executable codes, and providing information for establishing connections and protocols, identifying other devices to be addressed, identifying a server and possibly a router, providing the address of the slave to the network server, and so forth. Thus, once configured, a node (e.g. computer or other processor-based device on a network) may send and receive messages. Also, once an application has been launched (loaded and instructed to run), the slave may send and receive information related to the application. However, if a slave is basically a general purpose processor with an operating system and memory, or optionally including a storage device, it must be manually loaded with software and instructed to run by a user before communicating with a master.
What is needed is a system that enables a controller to act as a user or otherwise take control of a processor to instruct it. For example, a processor needs to be controlled long enough to be instructed to download "executables," (files containing a coded instruction capable of being "understood" by an operating system of a processor to result in an operable instruction executable by the processor), and to launch (run) the executables. Slaving an operating system and configuring the host (remote computer) need to be followed by a high degree of independent operation by the remote computer.
A scheme is needed for slaving and configuring, followed by downloading entire executables to a general purpose computer, that is, a target, located remotely from a controller, particularly over a network. For example, a controller may need to automatically perform all tasks normally required of a user seated at a keyboard associated with the target. For example, a user boots up a computer with some operating system, logs on to a network, navigates through a hierarchy of directories, locates and loads an executable file, and runs the "executable." For systems having an input/output (I/O) interface for dealing with humans, great utility may be obtained by providing for a remote computer to replace the user, thus providing automation of many manual tasks associated with setting up a computer, running software, and managing files.
Similarly, for processor-based apparatus having I/O interfaces embedded, without user interfaces as monitors and keyboards, great utility could be obtained by providing for automatic access to the operating system by a remote computer across a network. For example, automatic loading of executables from a remote computer, automatic upgrading, and any similar task accessing the operating system of a microprocessor-based device on a network could make management and upgrading of such devices tractable on a large scale.
Likewise, the need may be for downloading information to the memory of a device by which the device may operate a resident executable. For example, when a single computer connects to several peripheral devices, the single computer typically may control those various devices directly. Also, a controlling computer may simply provide data corresponding to responses, commands, or information needed by an application running on a slaved computer. However a need exists for autonomous devices to be temporarily accessed remotely with data for controlling or supporting resident executables, after which the devices return to their autonomous operating condition. The need, when compared with the conventional term "slaved computer" is for an "emancipated computer" that may be temporarily and remotely enslaved at an operating system level, configured, and emancipated to operate independently over the network. The emancipated computer or other device needs to be able to access files of input information or load itself with an executable, or launch an executable, after which it may report back to a master to be enslaved again, and reconfigured to operate again as an emancipated device.
A system is needed that is transparent to a user for tracking large numbers of such emancipated slave computers. Thus, a system is needed that will facilitate a controller accessing numerous resources (computers), monitoring their capabilities, taking temporary control of any available one, commanding the selected resource to configure itself, load and run software, and pass input and output information properly, and report to the controller when it is again available to be assigned another project. Again, single commands with reporting back for another command are not the intention. What is needed is true emancipation, maximizing the use of the emancipated slave resource, with minimum necessity for control by the controller, while at the same time permitting the controller to communicate with the resource at an operating system level when needed. Thus a general purpose computer may be commanded to completely re-configure itself as needed without human intervention.
Thus maximum utility of all resources may be achieved by simply programming the logical options, defaults, backups for failed options, and the like, in order to keep all resources operating all the time with tasks that each can complete. Thus, regardless of processor, speed, memory, architecture or operating system, each resource needs to be able to be put to work effectively for every minute that it is available, without waiting for a user to monitor, schedule, and program the resource manually. All this capability over network can make possible testing systems having great speed, throughput, and flexibility from an assembly of any number of available resources of virtually any type. Moreover, human intervention may be only required at some minimal degree, yet a human operator could access the controller for information on the system status, results, and the like at any time.


An animal cage for safely transporting and photographing animals is constructed with a circular base made from a commercially available black, plastic, bucket. Top access for observation or photography is obtained by an assembly of wooden blocks shaped to fit within a plastic ring at the top of the bucket. A frame is provided on the top with a square, glass pane sliding in grooves formed in the frame. Side access for observation or photography is obtained by cutting out a rectangular section of the bucket and fastening a side wooden frame having a glass pane sliding horizontally.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a container or a cage used for observing and photographing animals.
2. Description of the prior art
Various animal houses are already known, such as houses which may be referred to as cages, accommodation for animals, hatches, enclosures, or preconstructed fencing. Apart from a bird cage, in which a frame made of wire netting or latticed material of predetermined shape and predetermined inside cross section, which may be polygonal, circular, or oval is joined to floor boarding. One such animal cage is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,836 to Justl which discloses a method and apparatus for erecting or building an housing or containing small animals or birds by means of wall sections and a roof section, at least two wall parts being without frames and of rectangular contour, and two parallel front ends shaped in the form of a curve, are placed with one curved front end on the ground and detachably fixed in the desired operating position relative to the ground with parallel, straight edges which substantially touch one another, and the wall sections along these straight edges being detachably fixed to each other, forming a tube, and at least one hood shaped cover part being placed on this tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,810 to Tominga discloses an insect keeping and observing container comprising a round recessed part in the center of a removable lid of a main transparent container and a round plate at the bottom of the recessed part which can be removed by cutting joint pieces at the annular edge outside the round plate. The insect keeping and observing container can be connected to tubular members which serve as a tunnel to a rodent's breeding housing by removing the round plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,417 to Sakano discloses a cage for experimental animals comprising a body, a position detection part to be assembled with the body and a cover for covering the body. The body has a cylindrical cover projected from a bottom, and a keeping space defined between a side wall of the body and the cylindrical cover for keeping experimental animals. The position detection part has a detector at the circumferential surface for detecting the behavioral movement of the animal.
Each of the prior art devices disclose animal cages for temporary storage or study of animal behavior. Tominaga is rectangular and cannot provide clear access for cameras. Justl merely provides a round structure. Sakano discusses the prior art disadvantages of rectangular cages for the observation of animals.


A thin pen cartridge for a thermal ink-jet (TIJ) printer, to be carried in a pen carriage along a carriage scan axis above the print medium. The pen height and depth are at least twice the pen width measured along the scan axis in order to achieve a high volume pen. The reduction in pen width permits the carriage width along the scan axis to be reduced, in turn reducing the footprint size of the TIJ printer.

The present invention is related to the following commonly assigned pending U.S. patent applications: COMPACT FLUID COUPLER FOR THERMAL INK JET PRINT CARTRIDGE INK RESERVOIR, Ser. No. 07/853,372, filed Mar. 18, 1992, by James G. Salter et al.; INK PRESSURE REGULATOR FOR A THERMAL INK-JET PRINTER, Ser. No. 07/928,811, filed Aug. 12, 1992, by Tofigh Khodapanah et al.; COLLAPSIBLE INK RESERVOIR STRUCTURE AND PRINTER INK CARTRIDGE, Ser. No. 07/929,615, filed Aug. 12, 1992, by George T. Kaplinsky et al.; TWO MATERIAL FRAME HAVING DISSIMILAR PROPERTIES FOR A THERMAL INK-JET CARTRIDGE, by David S. Swanson et al., Ser. No. 07/994,807, filed Dec. 22, 1992; COMBINED FILTER/AIR CHECK VALVE FOR THERMAL INK-JET PEN, by George T. Kaplinsky, Ser. No. 07/995,109, filed Dec. 22, 1992; DOUBLE COMPARTMENT INK-JET CARTRIDGE WITH OPTIMUM SNOUT, by David W. Swanson et al., Ser. No. 07/995,221, filed Dec. 22, 1992; THERMAL INK-JET PEN WITH A PLASTIC/METAL ATTACHMENT FOR THE COVER, by Dale D. Timm, Jr. et al., Ser. No. 07/994,810, filed Dec. 22, 1992; RIGID LOOP CASE STRUCTURE FOR THERMAL INK-JET PEN, by David W. Swanson et al., Ser. No. 07/994,809, filed Dec. 22, 1992; and SPRING-BAG PRINTER INK CARTRIDGE WITH VOLUME INDICATOR, by David S. Hunt et al., application Ser. No. 07/717,735, filed Jun. 19, 1991; the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by this reference.
The present invention relates to thermal ink-jet (TIJ") pens characterized by a high volumetric efficiency in a thin pen package.
In any office product the overall size of the product has an effect on the cost and sell appeal of the product. In the thermal ink-jet printer market, the foot print of a personal printer is a key selling point if the printer can be made small enough to fit on a customer's desk top. In previous printers marketed by the assignee of the present invention, Hewlett-Packard Company ("HP"), such as the Paintjet XL and the Paintjet XL300, the printers are relatively large and typically are placed on a side table off the customer's desk due to their size. The HP Deskjet has a small footprint and is commonly placed on the customer's desk. The HP Deskjet is a single pen device and therefore the footprint is kept small. It is a goal of the present invention to permit a four pen color printer to have a footprint similar to such prior single pen printers.
When a thermal ink-jet product prints onto a page, the pen carriage must travel across the page such that every nozzle of every pen has an opportunity to reach the full paper area. In ink-jet devices, the paper is generally driven along one axis of motion and the pen is driven along a pen scan axis extending 90 degrees to the paper drive axis. This invention addresses shortening the travel along the pen scan axis.
For a single pen product, such as the HP Deskjet, the pen axis must travel the width of the paper plus the width of the pen head. For a four pen product, the pen axis must travel the width of the paper, plus the width of the four pens plus the space between the pens required to mount them. In this case the minimum product width is the paper width plus about twice the width of the pen carriage. The paper width is fixed (unless it is driven relative to the pens by a third axis of motion). In previous foam based pens, the pen width was about 1.25 inches and the pen mounts require about 0.2 inches per pen. In a four pen product this added up to a carriage width of 6 inches. This invention allows pens with the same amount of ink delivered to be narrow, e.g., 0.5 inches, and deliver the same ink volume with a carriage width of about 2.8 inches. This amounts to a reduction in the required product width of at least 6.4 inches, in this example.
As the product width is reduced, the volume of material required for fabrication and the size of plastic parts go down, reducing the molding machine size and thus the molding cost. The pen carriage is supported by beams that must span the length of travel. As the length of travel increase, the stiffness requirements of those beams cause their cross-sections, and thus their cost, to also increase. Thus any decrease in the spanned length is a cost benefit.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a pen cartridge for a TIJ printer having a substantially reduced dimension in the direction the pen is scanned during operation across the surface of the print medium.
A further object is to provide a TIJ printer of relatively small width, including a reduced width pen carriage carrying one or more pens of reduced width.

Thin pen structure for thermal ink-jet printer


Fast settling circuits and methods designed to align input signal amplitude level and to remove DC offset voltages with minimal loss of low frequency signal in receiving analog circuits are disclosed. With the key innovative circuits and methods for signal peak alignment, the disclosed circuits and methods achieve fast settling without significant attenuation of the input signal. Peak aligning circuits and methods can be implemented along with conventional RC AC coupling circuits. In applying the aligning circuits and methods to differential signal pair, DC offsets can be easily removed.

In processing a received signal, the signal may have an unintended DC offset component that was not part of the original signal. This DC offset component may be introduced by a variety of sources as the signal is processed by the circuitry or in the stream. This DC offset component causes distortion and creates further undesirable effects to downstream circuitry. Thus, the removal of this undesirable DC offset component becomes an important issue in many applications. Furthermore, a received signal as is processed may also drift such that it no longer conforms to its original signal DC level. This signal will need to be re-aligned back to its original level or aligned at a desired level.
For example, zero-intermediate-frequency (Zero-IF) architectures have become very popular in radio frequency (RF) receivers due to its lower requirements on channel select filters and amplifiers. This type of architecture demands that the signal to be processed at low frequencies that are very close to zero. Hence, the removal of undesirable DC offset (at zero frequency) generated by mismatch, local oscillator (LO) leakage, or self-mixing without damaging low-frequency signal is a critical issue. Many transceivers use calibration techniques to remove DC offset. Although calibration techniques can effectively remove DC offset caused by mismatch and LO leakage, DC offset caused by self-mixing of a strong interferer and other operation-dependent sources can not be easily predicted and canceled. Calibration techniques also considerably increase circuit complexity and require close collaboration between analog and digital receiver chips.
Another method for DC offset removal is the insertion of a simple RC filter, as is illustrated in FIG. 1, which utilizes a capacitor to block DC voltage level and a resistor to provide DC bias for the following circuits. Cut-off frequency of this RC circuit should be small enough to reduce attenuation of signal intensity and group delay and be large enough to be able to settle to near asymptotic state within a required time that is specified by the standard. For example, in the IEEE802.11 standards for wireless local area network (WLAN) applications, cut-off frequency of less than 10 KHz is desired. A naïve implementation of this circuit with frequency this low would take hundreds of microseconds to settle. However, the standard also requires DC offset cancellation circuit to settle within a period of 800 nS, three orders of magnitude lower. Previous works by others have implemented switchable RC filters that can switch cut-off frequency from high to low in three or more steps. This method cannot reliably settle because the switching action itself will generate a DC offset depending on the signal levels at the input and the output at the switching instant. The fundamental reason of switching-induced DC offset will be explained in more details later in this disclosure.
In analyzing a simple RC filter as illustrated in FIG. 1, a differential equation can be derived to describe the filter's behavior in the time domain.
                              C                                                                                ⅆ                              (                                                      V                    out                                    -                                      V                                          i                                                                                n                                                                      )                                                    ⅆ              t                                      =                  -                                    V              out                        R                                              (        1        )            With the initial conditionVout|t=0=V0   (2)The solution is
                                                                                V                  out                                =                                                                                ∫                        0                        t                                                                                p                                                                                (                                                          t                              ′                                                        )                                                                                ⅆ                                                                                V                                                                  i                                                                                n                                                                                (                                                                  t                                  ′                                                                )                                                                                ⅆ                                                          t                              ′                                                                                ⅆ                                                      t                            ′                                                                                +                                          V                      0                                                                            p                                                              (                      t                      )                                                                                ,                                                                          p                                                  (                  t                  )                                            =                              ⅇ                                                      ∫                    0                    t                                                                                (                        RC                        )                                                                    -                        1                                                                                ⅆ                                              t                        ′                                                                                (        3        )            Define cut-off frequency fT to be:
                              f          T                =                  1                      2                                                                          π                                                                          R                                                                          C                                              (        4        )            Assume that at time t=t0, the cut-off frequency is changed from fT to fT′ and the input signal can be decomposed into
                              V                      i                                                                          n                          =                              ∑                          n              =              0                        m                                                        A              n                                                  ⅇ                              j                                                                                (                                                                                ω                        n                                                                  t                                        +                                          ϕ                      n                                                        )                                                                                (        5        )            If ωT=2πfT is assumed to be constant, it can be derived that
                              V          out                =                              ∑                          n              =              1                        m                                          {                                                            1                                      1                    -                                          j                                                                                ω                          T                                                                          ω                          n                                                                                A                  n                                                                  ⅇ                                      j                                                              (                                                                                ω                            n                                                                              t                                                +                                                  ϕ                          n                                                                    )                                                                                +                                                V                  0                                                  p                                                        (                    t                    )                                                              -                                                                                A                      n                                                                                ⅇ                                              j                                                                                ϕ                          n                                                                                p                                                              (                      t                      )                                                                      ·                                  1                                      1                    -                                          j                                                                                ω                          T                                                                          ω                          n                                                                                }                                              (        6        )            In Equation (6), it is evident that the output voltage consists of three components: the desired signal represented by the first term in the bracket; the decaying voltage caused by initial condition of output voltage; and the decaying term caused by the instantaneous input signal level at initial time. Equation (6) shows that frequency switching will introduce other DC offset voltages itself while removing DC offset changes from the input. This switching-induced DC offset is proportional to the input signal amplitude and depends on the signal level at the input and the output at the switching instant. One of the challenges here is to remove this DC offset voltage in a fast and efficient manner so that information can be extracted from the signal.
Innovative circuits and methods for fast-settling signal alignment and for removing of DC offset are therefore desired to overcome the shortcoming of prior art technologies.

Circuits and methods for fast-settling signal alignment and DC offset removal


A device includes a first and a second stage round robin arbitrations receiving request signals associated with a first, a second and a third user. At least one request signal for each of the first, the second, and the third user is asserted to access a common resource. The first stage round robin arbitration selects the first, the second, and the third user in a round robin fashion, at a first, a second, and a third iteration. The second stage round robin arbitration receives the user selection and the plurality of request signals and at the first, the second, and the third iteration grants access to the common resource to one request signal associated with the first, the second, and the third user. At each subsequent iteration the first stage round robin arbitration selects a different user and grants access to another request signal until all request signals are processed.

A round robin scheme is generally used to grant access to a common resource. For example, round robin arbiters are generally used to arbitrate among multiple request signals. Recently system performance has improved by using high numbers of queues and further by using a larger queue size. In some conventional systems scanning arbiters may be used to facilitate access grants as quickly as possible. However, scanning arbiters suffer from high latency as the number of request signals increase. Furthermore, scanning arbiters result in reduced clock frequency when the window size is increased to reduce latency.

Multistage round robin arbitration in a multiuser system


A portable, preferably explosion-proof gas meter is improved in respect to shock loads and has a cylindrical measuring cell (5) and an evaluating circuit on a printed circuit board (6). The measuring cell (5) is connected to the printed circuit board (6) and is mounted in the housing in a shock-absorbing manner in the radial and longitudinal directions and is in gas flow connection with the environment through openings (40) in the housing.

Such gas meters are so-called portable gas meters and are explosion-proof in a special design, and it is necessary at the same time that the explosion-proof quality be also preserved under shock loads. Especially explosion-proof, preferably cylindrical catalytic heat tone gas sensors are used as measuring cells to measure combustible gases in the environment of a measuring site because of their known measuring properties. Such a measuring cell appears, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,472 B1. These measuring cells are measuring transducers for measuring the partial pressure of explosive gases in the ambient air. The ambient air to be monitored diffuses into the measuring cell through a sintered metal disk. The sintered metal disk prevents inflammation of the ambient air from the measuring cell. A detector element, a pellistor, which comprises a thin, coiled platinum wire, which is surrounded by a small ceramic bead with a catalytically active surface, especially one consisting of precious metals, is located in the measuring cell. The explosive gases are burned catalytically in a controlled manner at the heated detector element. The oxygen needed for the combustion is taken from the ambient air. The detector element is additionally heated by the heat of combustion, which is generated during the combustion and is characteristic of the burning gas or gases. This heating leads to a change in the resistance of the detector element, which is proportional to the concentration of the explosive gases. Besides the catalytically active detector element, a likewise heated, inactive pellistor, the compensator element, is located in the measuring cell. Both elements are part of a bridge circuit, especially a Wheatstone bridge. Environmental effects, such as temperature, humidity or thermal conduction of the ambient air to be monitored, act on both elements to an equal extent, as a result of which these effects on the measured signal are compensated nearly completely. Catalytic heat tone gas sensors have been used in large numbers for measurement and early warning for many years where combustible gases or vapors may form explosive mixtures together with air. Portable gas meters and especially explosion-proof gas meters are exposed to high mechanical loads, and to preserve the operating reliability, they should be designed such that they are fall-proof and shock-proof. Prior-art solutions heretofore are, for example, a rubber jacketing of the meter, which has the drawback that a thick layer of damping material must be applied for a sufficient mechanical damping, so that the gas meter becomes bulky and heavy.


An interconnection structure of a semiconductor device for electrically connecting a thin conductive layer and a metallization and the fabrication method thereof are disclosed. The interconnection structure includes a semiconductor substrate, an insulating layer coated on the substrate, a thick conductive layer formed on a certain portion of the insulating layer, a first interlaid insulating layer covering the thick conductive layer, a first contact hole formed within the first interlaid insulating layer on the thick conductive layer, a thin conductive layer consisting of vertical structure formed in the first contact hole and horizontal structure formed on the first interlaid insulating layer, a second interlaid insulating layer covering the thin conductive layer, a second contact hole formed within said first and second interlaid insulating layers and crossing the first contact hole, and a metallization filling the second contact hole and formed on the second interlaid insulating layer. Thus, the contact area between the metallization and thin conductive layer is increased, thereby allowing a reliable ohmic contact while directly connecting the thin conductive layer and metallization.

The present invention is directed to a semiconductor device and the method thereof, and more particularly to an interconnection structure in a semiconductor device and the method thereof which allows a thin lower conductive layer and an upper conductive layer to make ohmic contact.
In the pursuit of semiconductor device miniaturization from VLSI to ULSI, many problems concerning interconnections need to be solved. They are caused by the geometrical increment of levels, the miniaturization of contact holes and via holes, limitations on the coating of conductive material, and poor connections due to the thinness of the device.
FIG. 1 shows a vertical sectional view of a conventional semiconductor device having a contact hole for connecting upper and lower conductive layers. The semiconductor device comprises an electrically insulated substrate 1 on the surface of which a thick insulating layer 2 is formed, a first conductive layer 3 deposited and patterned on the insulating layer, for instance to a thickness of about 3000 to 4000.ANG. a thick insulating layer 4 formed on the insulating and first conductive layers, a contact hole 5 for partially exposing the first conductive layer 3, and for interconnecting a layer of metallization 6 and the first conductive layer 3, and the layer of metallization 6 formed on the partially exposed first conductive layer and the insulating layer 4.
The contact hole. 5 for interconnecting the first conductive layer 3 and the layer of metallization 6 plays the role of sending information of the first conductive layer to the layer of metallization and vice versa. The reliability of the information transfer depends not only upon the properties of the conductive layer itself but also the contact between the conductive layers.
In FIG.1 the contact hole 5 is formed by anisotropic etching, for example reactive ion etching (RIE), which simplifies highly dense integration of the circuit.
The miniaturization of integrated circuitry by the high density of the devices requires to contract not only the overall size of the device, but also selectively its width and/or thickness. For example, in a static RAM, a polysilicon layer is partially thinned to form a highresistance unit in each memory cell os, instead of the thinned highly resistant poly silicon layers, a thin PMOS transistor (TFT SRAM) is introduced.
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a semiconductor device of a general interconnection structure having a thin conductive layer and depicts the same process as FIG. 1 except that where the thickness of the first conductive layer of FIG. 1 is about 3000 to 4000.ANG., in FIG. 2 it is thinned to about 500.ANG..
Accordingly, an insulating level 4 is provided on a substrate 1 on which a thin conductive layer 7 has been formed on an insulating layer 2. Thereafter, a contact hole 5 is formed by anisotropic etching, e.g., an RIE method so that part of the thin conductive layer 7 is exposed. Then, conductive material is deposited and patterned on the surface of the insulating layer 4 and the exposed thin conductive layer, which completes the general interconnection structure including the thin conductive layer 7, the contact hole 5 and the layer of metallization 6.
When the contact hole 5 is formed by anisotropic etching, e.g., RIE, the etch selectivity of the thin conductive layer 7, e.g., an impurity-doped polysilicon layer against the insulating layer 4 to be processed is not so high (generally below 10). Therefore, when the first conductive layer 7 is formed very thin, i.e., to a thickness of about 500.ANG. as mentioned above, if a part of the insulating layer 4 is etched one and a half times as long as the conventional one which is an allowable error or processing margin, or if the layes is etched by a much lower etch selectivity, the insulating layer 4 together with the thin conductive layer 7 and even a part of the insulating layer 2 are etched by the above mentioned etching method, thereby partially exposing the semiconductor substrate 1. If the layer of metallization 6 is formed under these conditions, the layer of metallization is directly connected to the exposed portion of the substrate 1, causing a poor interconnection
Further, even if the insulating layer 2 is left intact, the whole exposed surface of the thin conductive layer and the layer of metallization to be connected are connected only to the exposed edges of the thin conductive layer 7, part of which is removed by the etching process, which substantially diminishes the contact area to worsen the resistive contact.
FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a conventional interconnection structure introducing a method in which the thin conductive layer and the layer of metallization are indirectly connected via an interposing conductive material such as metal, silicide or a thick polysilicon layer.
The conventional semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor substrate 1 electrically isolated by forming a thick insulating layer 2 thereon, a third conductive layer 8 patterned on the insulating layer, a thin conductive layer 7 isolated from the third conductive layer 8 by the first interlaid insulating layer 9 and connected to the third conductive layer 8 through the first contact hole 100, and a metallization 6 which is isolated from the third conductive layer 8 by the first and second interlaid insulating layers 9 and 10 and isolated from the thin conductive layer 7 by the second interlaid isolating layer 10 only, is connected to the third conductive layer 8 through the second contact hole 200.
According to the conventional method, as thin conductive layer 7 is connected to the third conductive layer 8 through first contact hole 100 first, and the third conductive layer 8 is again connected to a metallization 6 through the second contact hole 200, information applied to the thin conductive layer 7 is transferred to the metallization 6 through the third conductive layer 8, and vice versa.
This prevents poor ohmic contacts due to reduction of connecting surface area since the thin conductive layer is connected to the metallization without directly forming the contact hole connecting the metallization layer on the thin conductive layer. However, metal, silicide or polysilicon layer used as the third conductive layer still has a problem.
When using metal or silicide, the type of contact for interconnecting the thin and third conductive layers is determined by the type of impurities-doped polysilicon used as the thin conductive layer, and a ohmic contact is available for N-type impurities. P-type impurities create the same effect as a PN junction between the thin and third conductive layers, causing a rectified contact which makes for a poor contact.
Also, when using thick polysilicon as the third conductive layer, the type of impurities doped in the thick polysilicon layer is determined according to the impurity type of impurity-doped polysilicon used as the thin conductive layer. It is desirable that the types of the two impurities are the same for a highly reliable ohmic contact.
The interconnection of the conventional semiconductor device prevents removing the thin conductive layer by overetching, but, since information is transmitted through a third conductive layer, it causes a poor contact due to the difference in the properties between the third conductive layer and the adjacent material.

Interconnection structure in semiconductor device and the method thereof


Wake-up signal (WUS) downlink control information (DCI) may be configured to convey a wake-up indication as well as UE wake-up behavior configuration information. For example, WUS DCI may include one or more wake-up indications for one or more UEs via wake-up indication bits (e.g., wake-up indication bits may be conveyed in locations of the WUS DCI associated with monitoring indices of the one or more UEs to be activated). For example, WUS DCI may be encoded to include a wake-up indication and an indication of behavior configuration information for a group of one or more UEs. UE wake-up behavior configuration information may indicate some BWP to activate, may trigger a CSI report, etc. A UE may decode the wake-up indication and the wake-up behavior configuration information based on a monitoring index and the WUS configuration.

The following relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to compression of group wake-up signal (WUS).
Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple-access communications system may include a number of base stations or network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE).
In some wireless communications system, a base station and a UE may utilize a power saving signal, such as a WUS, for idle mode paging. For example, the UE may wake from a sleep state upon receiving the WUS and monitor for downlink transmissions (such as a paging message, a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from the base station. In some cases, a base station may utilize a group WUS, to wake-up one or more UEs (e.g., rather than transmit one or more UE-specific WUSs). In such cases, a UE may receive the group WUS, and may determine whether or not to wake from a sleep state (e.g., based on whether or not the UE is included in the wake-up group indicated via the group WUS).


Described herein, inter alia, are peptide containing polymers, and methods of making and using the same.

Peptides have been developed for decades for use as therapeutics, signaling agents, and sensors. However, significant problems limit their use in vivo, notably the short duration of their activity, due to expeditious digestion by endogenous proteases and efficient renal clearance due to their generally low molecular weights. Proteolytic digestion of circulating peptides can be rapid, occurring with half-lives of less than a few minutes, owing to the abundance of active proteases in both serum and tissues. The greatest threats to peptide integrity are found in the lumen of the small intestine, which contains gram quantities of proteases secreted by the pancreas (i.e. α-chymotrypsin, trypsin, and carboxypeptidases), as well as in the brush border membrane of epithelial cells, which houses some 15 peptidases that together cleave amide bonds in peptides and proteins with little specificity. In practice, unmodified therapeutic peptides are typically directly injected at the site of interest to minimize proteolytic degradation, and many are used only as last-resort, salvage treatments in patients with multi-drug resistant afflictions. Harnessing the inherent specificity, affinity, and low immunogenicity of peptides in therapeutic and diagnostic applications will require the development of simple, widely applicable, and easy-to-access methods that protect active peptides from proteolysis, but do not hinder their function.
Traditional strategies for limiting enzymatic degradation typically involve chemical modification of the peptide, such as by incorporating unnatural amino acids (including the use of D-amino acids), terminal capping via acetylation of the N-terminus or amidation of the C-terminus, introduction of backbone modifications such as N-methylation, use of stabilizing linkers, and conjugation to polyethylene glycol (PEG). Hence, chemistries are chosen such that peptides are no longer recognized by, or become inaccessible to, the active site of a proteolytic enzyme. However, because these strategies modify the connectivity or amino acid identity of the peptide, each modification has the potential to impact the ability of the peptide to elicit its intended response, often necessitating multiple rounds of structure-function studies to verify the activity of the material. Strategies that do not require direct modification of the peptide chemical structure typically involve manipulation of their three-dimensional spatial arrangement via chemical conjugation of the peptide to a higher molecular weight structure. Architectures of this type include polymeric, or nanoparticle conjugates or systems involving the display of multiple copies of the peptide on a small molecule scaffold. However, in practice syntheses of these materials often require multiple conjugation and purification steps or the preparation of complicated scaffolds that are not generalizable or convenient.
In addition to proteolysis, there are two other problems that often limit the bioavailability and clinical efficacy of peptide-based therapeutics: rapid renal clearance and inefficiencies in cellular uptake. Regarding the former, it should be noted that the exclusion limit for glomerular filtration includes molecules or assemblies whose molecular weight exceeds 50 kDa.
Provided herein are solutions to these and other problems.

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA


A video image capture apparatus including an image sensor for sensing light at a plurality of pixel positions received via an optical system, picture storage means for temporarily storing pixels derived from the image sensor, address generation means for applying differing write and read addresses to the picture storage to effect mapping of input pixels from the image sensor to provide output pixels compensating for the effects of imperfections of the optical system is described. A video camera producing high quality output images for instance can thereby be produced.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to video image capture apparatus including means for compensating for the effects of optical imperfections.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A high definition television system, for example with a resolution of 1920 pixels by 1035 active lines per frame makes very high demands on image capture apparatus such as cameras. High accuracy is required in capture resolution and also in picture geometry and registration. The resolution limits tend primarily to be a function of a sensor arrangement (e.g. a Charged Coupled Device (CCD) sensor or a tube target) of the capture apparatus whereas the accuracy of a picture geometry and registration is primarily determined by the capture apparatus's optical system through which light has to travel before reaching the sensor arrangement.
Significant distortion of the picture geometry can be introduced into a picture output from a camera, for instance, even when high quality lenses are used. Modern television cameras are typically provided with zoom lenses which may work over a relatively large optical range and fields of view. Due to the different optical and mechanical arrangements of the optical system contained in a zoom lens for different zoom settings, it is usually only possible to provide a highly accurate geometric arrangement at one point in the centre of range of operation of the lens. The better the lens, the less will be the distortion generated at other positions. However, it is not practically possible to make a zoom lens which is optically perfect at all points within the optical range. Typically, the design of a lens includes compromises to avoid excessive distortion at any particular point over its range of zoom operation. Similarly, compromises have to be made to avoid excessive distortions over the focusing range of a lens, whether a zoom lens or a lens of fixed focal length.
Other distortion effects can occur due to the placement and alignment of the image sensor or sensors in a camera, for example in a colour camera where a beam splitter is employed. These effects occur with fixed focal length lenses or zoom lenses.
As well as geometric distortions which can be introduced in the optical path through a lens (which may include many optical elements), chromatic distortions may appear at the image sensor. This is because the optical elements in the lens affect different light frequencies differently. Traditionally, a balance has to be met between the geometrical and registration errors which are considered unacceptable, and the expense of the lens. The tighter the specification of the lens (i.e. the lower the level of geometric, registration and chromatic errors which are acceptable), the more expensive it will be. It is to be noted that the cost of a lens in a camera system, for example a zoom lens on a video camera, is a significant portion of the total cost of the camera system, particularly where a very tight specification is required.
FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D of the accompanying drawings illustrate four well known examples of geometric distortions which can be introduced into a picture by an optical system.
FIG. 1A illustrates the so called pin-cushion effect.
FIG. 1B illustrates a skew effect.
FIG. 1C illustrates barrel distortion.
FIG. 1D illustrates tilt distortion.
The distortions which occur in a lens system can be characterised to a first approximation by combination of linear distortion (tilt and/or skew) and second order parabolic distortion (barrel or pin-cushion distortion).
Tube cameras are known where electronic means are employed to approximate a correction to a picture distortion by applying inverse signals to the horizontal and vertical scan drives of the tube to cancel the distortion. In other words, rather than attempting to arrange for the horizontal scans to be as near to linear as possible, correction signals are used to modify the output of the horizontal and vertical scan drives to compensate for the distortion encountered. For example, with regards to FIG. 1A, if pin-cushion distortion is caused by the optical system, then the horizontal and vertical scan drives of the tube can be controlled so that the electron beam traces a pattern to compensate for the distortion, so that signals can be output from the tube camera which would reflect the original image without the distortions introduced by the optical system. Such electronic means are widely used in current tube cameras. However, these cancelling signals are normally generated in analogue circuitry and cannot compensate for distortions which are not characterised by combinations of first and second order effects. Moreover, the techniques currently used are only applicable to cameras with image sensors which employ a scanning beam.
The object of the invention is to provide a video image capture apparatus such as a video camera with means for compensating for the effects of imperfections of the optical system of an image capture apparatus which is not limited in application to cameras with image sensors employing scanning beams. For instance, the image sensor or sensors of the video camera might include CCD chips.

Video image capture apparatus for digitally compensating imperfections introduced by an optical system