The present invention suppresses to a minimum the degradation of the transmission quality caused by chromatic dispersion characteristic of an optical transmission medium, and the interplay between the chromatic dispersion and non-linear optical effects in dense WDM transport systems. A baseband input data signal is pre-coded in advance by a pre-coding unit, phase modulation is carried out using a pre-coded signal by the optical phase modulating unit, and the phase modulated optical signal is converted to an RZ intensity modulated signal by the optical filter unit that performs phase-shift-keying to amplitude-shift-keying conversion. For example, an optical phase modulating unit generates an encoded DPSK phase modulated signal using a differential phase shirt keying (DPSK) format, and a phase modulated signal is converted to an RZ intensity modulated signal by the optical filter unit disposed downstream of the optical phase modulating unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical transmitter and an optical transmission system that can minimize the deterioration in the transmission quality due to the chromatic dispersion of an optical transmission medium such as an optical fiber, or due to the interaction between the chromatic dispersion and nonlinear optical effects.
This application is based on patent application No. 2001-199467 filed in Japan, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Background Art
An RZ (return-to-zero) optical intensity modulation format used along with phase modulation has been proposed having the object of minimizing the deterioration in the transmission quality due to the chromatic dispersion of an optical transmission medium such as an optical fiber, or due to the interaction between the chromatic dispersion and nonlinear optical effects.
For example, a citation 1, Y. Miyamoto et al. "Duobinary carrier-suppressed return-to-zero format and its application to 100 GHz-spaced 8×43-Gbit/sec DWDM unrepeatered transmission over 163 km", Tech. Digest of OFC 2001, paper Tu U4, 2001, discloses a technology relating to a duobinary carrier-suppressed return-to-zero (DCS-RZ) format that modulates a dual mode beat signal with an optical duobinary code.
FIG. 41 is a diagram for explaining the conventional structure of an optical transmitter that uses a DCS-RZ format.
In FIG. 41, a direct current bias is applied to the first push-pull type Mach-Zehnder (MZ) optical intensity modulator 91 so as to realize transmission-null when unmodulated, and the first push-pull type Mach-Zehnder optical intensity modulator 91 is complementarily driven by an electrical sine wave signal having one-half the frequency of the line rate generated by a half frequency divider 92.
The intensity and phase of the CW light output from the single longitudinal mode LD 90, which is the light source of the carrier frequency f0, are simultaneously modulated by the MZ optical intensity modulator 91 using the frequency multiplier function and the phase modulation function of an MZ optical intensity modulator, and a dual mode beat signal having a repetition frequency of B is generated. Here, B is the line rate.
At the second MZ optical intensity modulator 93, the dual mode beat signal is modulated with data using an optical duobinary format. The input NRZ (non-return-to-zero) signal is converted to a pre-coded NRZ code by the precoder circuit 97 that is formed by the logic inversion circuit 94, the exclusive OR circuit 95, and the 1 bit delay circuit 96, and the pre-coded NRZ code is differentially output.
The differential pre-coded NRZ code is amplified by the baseband amplifier 98, and then converted to a complementary ternary electrical duobinary code by the low pass filter (LPF 99) having 3 dB bandwidth of B/4. A direct current bias is applied to the second MZ optical modulator 93 so as to realize transmission-null when unmodulated, and the second MZ optical modulator 93 modulates with a complementary ternary electrical duobinary code to generate a DCS-RZ optically modulated code.
FIGS. 42A through 42F and FIGS. 43A and 43B show an example of the operation of the conventional technology. FIG. 42A shows the binary NRZ signal input generated by the binary NRZ signal generating unit 103. FIG. 42B shows the NRZ data signal output from the logic inversion circuit 94 in the case that a binary NRZ signal is input. FIG. 42C shows the positive-phase signal output from the pre-coding circuit 97 in the case that the output NRZ data signal is input, and the logic thereof is inverted each time a space bit is input as the input NRZ signal. FIG. 42D shows the waveform output from the LPF 99 in the case that the pre-coded signal is input.
As shown by reference numeral 100 in FIG. 41, the logical operation of the LPF 99 is identical to that of a circuit block comprising the 1 bit delay circuit 101 and the analog AND circuit 102. Due to the band limiting function of the LPF 99, the complementary ternary electrical duobinary signal shown by the bold solid line is generated.
FIG. 42E shows the electrical field waveform of the dual mode beat optical signal modulated by the first MZ optical intensity modulator 91 when the CW optical signal from the LD 90, which is the light source, is input. The electrical field waveform forms an optical pulse train where the repetition frequency is equal to the line rate, and whose optical phase is alternate π phase flip for each bit. This dual mode beat optical signal is modulated with the ternary electrical duobinary signal shown in FIG. 42D, and thereby the DCS-RZ code shown in FIG. 42F is generated. The phase is inverted for each mark bit, and thus an RZ intensity modulated optical data signal is obtained.
FIG. 43A shows the optical spectrum of the dual mode beat signal output from the first MZ optical intensity modulator 91. The optical carrier signal component f0 is suppressed, and at the optical frequency fb±(B/2) (where B is the line rate), two longitudinal modes having a frequency spacing of B are generated. The two longitudinal modes are modulated with each of the optical duobinary codes by the second MZ optical modulator 93.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 43B, the optical modulated spectrum of the generated DCS-RZ optical signal is comprised of two optical duobinary signal modulated spectrum arranged at optical frequencies f0±B, the carrier component is completely suppressed, and the optical modulation band is narrowed to 2B. Thereby, the tolerance with respect to chromatic dispersion is double that of the conventional RZ.
The above format suppresses the impairment of the optical duobinary code due to optical nonlinear effects, and thus RZ encoding can be realized while suppressing the broadening of the optical modulation band. Thus, this is suitable as a modulation format in a dense wavelength division multiplexing transmission system.
When considering a wavelength division multiplexing system on a binary RZ intensity modulation code, the optical nonlinear phase shift due to the cross-phase modulation from other channels is strongly depending on the signal pattern, and the interplay between chromatic dispersion and cross-phase modulation (XPM) causes the system performance to deteriorate. In order to mitigate the XPM-induced impairment, T. Miyano et al. propose an RZ-intensity-modulated phase-encoded signal in citation 2, T. Miyano, M. Fukutoku, and K. Hattori, "Suppression of degradation induced by SPM/XPG+GVM transmission using a bit-synchronous intensity modulated DPSK signal", Digest of OECC2000, Makuhari, paper 14D3-3, pp. 580–581, 2000.
As described above, in a conventional optical transmitter and optical transmission system using an RZ optical intensity modulated format used with phase modulation, generally, optical modulators are necessary for each intensity modulation, phase encoding, and pulse modulation, and these optical modulators are connected in a multi-stage cascade. Thereby, the insertion loss in the modulating unit increases, and the optical output power of the modulating unit decreases. Thus, there are the problems that the optical signal shot noise increases and the SN ratio of the output of the optical transmitting unit degrades.
In addition, in the case of high speed transmission, the relative phase between an electrical data signal and a clock signal for each of the modulators connected in multi-stage must be precisely controlled, and in order to compensate the drift of the phase due to temperature characteristics and the like, a stable phase control must be carried out. Thereby, the problem of the control circuits and the like becoming complicated is made tangible.
Furthermore, in the conventional wavelength division multiplexing system, since two or more optical modulators must be installed for each channel, the number of parts increases, in particular in the case that the number of channel increases in the WDM system. This is a drawback because the cost of the optical transmitter and the optical transmission system using them increases.
At the same time, in the conventional RZ optical transmitter and optical transmission system using a DCS-RZ format, the optical duobinary encoding unit, which carries out the intensity data modulation and phase modulation in data encoding process requires a baseband analog processing circuit (LPF 99 shown in FIG. 41) that generates a ternary opto-electrical signal converted signal depending on the line rate.
As the line rate increases, however, it is difficult to realize the high-speed baseband analog processing in the unit. In order to suppress waveform distortion of the ternary electrical duobinary signal, the waveform distortion due to reflected waves in the rejection band of the LPF 99 must be suppressed. At the same time, in the high frequency band, realizing ideal electrical characteristics is difficult, and in particular, terminating the reflected wave in the rejection band of the filter is difficult. In addition, when realizing the ideal roll-off characteristics of the electrical filter, frequency dependent loss and frequency dispersion of the electrical transmission line and the filters occurs as the line rate increases, and thereby the waveform distortion occurs. Thus, there is the problem that compensation of the waveform becomes difficult.
In addition, the conventional PSK signal that has been modulated using an RZ format can suppress the cross-phase modulation in a wavelength division multiplexing system. However, when considering an increasingly high density of the wavelength division multiplexing system equal to or above 0.4 bits/s/Hz, the optical modulation band spreads four times the line rate, and thus the cross-talk penalty increases. In addition, when considering the high-speed transmission using the conventional technology, it is necessary to increase the operating speed of the baseband signal input into the modulator.
However, as the line rate increases, generally there is a tendency for the breakdown voltage of the electronic device to decrease, and thus this makes difficult to realize high output operation in a driver for driving a modulator or the like becomes difficult. Furthermore, realization of high-speed operation in the pre-coding circuit as well becomes difficult, and it is necessary to redesign and remanufacture the circuit each time the line rate is increased.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical transmitter and an optical transmission system wherein decreasing the loss and increasing the speed of the optical modulator is facilitated by using the RZ optical intensity modulation format along with phase modulation. In addition, the invention measures the increasing speed of the analog signal processing by performing a function in the optical carrier frequency domain, which has been carried out by a conventional baseband analog processing circuit. Furthermore, the invention facilitates realization of an amplifier circuit such as a driver circuit by encoding all the electric signals with a simple binary NRZ format.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical transmitter and an optical transmission system that use the RZ optical intensity modulation format along with phase modulation, and that make possible simultaneous PSK-ASK conversion of the wavelength division multiplexed signals by using a periodic optical conversion filter, and make possible the elimination of the synchronization function in the active high-speed signal processing by using a passive optical filter.

Optical transmitter and optical transmission system

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Coproration


In a method for assembling a lead frame between two plate-mold cavity plates, a lead frame that includes a plurality of integrated circuit chips mounted spaced at intervals in a row thereon, is placed on a bottom one of the cavity plates which has a row of cavities spaced apart at the same intervals as the integrated circuit chips, each chip being positioned over a corresponding cavity. The bottom cavity plate is held about horizontal on the base plate of an assembly fixture. Two short guide pins extend upward from the cavity plate, the lead frame having two pilot holes directly above the guide pins. Accurate positioning of the lead frame will permit penetration of the pilot holes by the guide pins. When inaccurate positioning occurs, the lead frame will ride up on the guide pin(s) admitting ambient light into light-detecting holes formed in the bottom cavity plate, and a light detection system in the assembly fixture, including photo-detectors at each hole and a signal generating circuit, will generate a warning signal that may in turn generate a warning light or sound to advise an operator to reposition the lead frame accurately.

This invention relates to the plastic molding of electronic components that are first mounted on a metal lead frame, and more particularly relates to the assembly of a pair of cavity plates with a lead frame sandwiched therebetween, which assembly is subsequently placed between two heated flat mold platens before compressing this stack and introducing a liquid plastic into the cavities surrounding the individual components.
Molds of this kind are often referred to as plate molds, and offer the advantage of assembling the lead frame to unheated cavity plates that are unencumbered by platens. Also the platens may be absolutely flat, i.e. they need not contain cavities in their surfaces, and are much easier to keep clean.
The assembly begins by positioning the lead frame over the bottom cavity plate so that pilot holes therein are registered about directly over guide pins that extend upwardly from the bottom cavity plate. The guide pins are very short, namely no longer than the thickness (e.g. 0.020 inches) of the metal lead frame. Then by pressing down on the lead frame the pins penetrate the pilot holes so that metal portions of the lead frame lie flush with the top surface of the bottom cavity plate. In this position the electronic components are each adjacent a cavity of the bottom cavity plate.
At this step, however, the operator who may be assembling many lead frames on the bottom cavity plate, can easily fail to exactly register the pilot holes to the guide pins which results in the lead frame riding up on at least one guide pin. Such a slight elevation of a mis-registered lead frame is difficult to see, and when a cavity plates assembly containing a mis-registered lead frame is compressed, both the lead frame with its plurality of components and the expensive bottom cavity plate may be seriously damaged.
It is an object of this invention to provide a method for overcoming the above noted shortcomings of the prior art plate molding methods.

Assembling a lead frame between a pair of molding cavity plates


Systems and methods for determining object location may include a memory and a processor. The processor may be configured to collect seismic data and geophysical data to determine object location. The processor may be configured to determine one or more seismic attributes associated with a plurality types of noises based on the seismic data and the geophysical data using one or more machine learning algorithms. The processor may be configured to eliminate unwanted noises from noise classifications based on the one or more seismic attributes. The processor may be configured to predict the object location by comparing time and velocity data of the object with recorded timing and velocity data. The processor may be configured to validate the object location by comparing the determined noise with image data. The systems and methods may be used in, for example, detecting missing planes such as Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.

Techniques for identifying the location of an object are often limited to knowing when to lodge an object, thereby effectively knowing where the object is located when it hits a surface. In addition, such techniques lack the ability for improving the prediction of object location.
These and other deficiencies exist.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide A system for creating and applying a predictive model for the location of an aircraft that has crashed in the ocean, the system comprising: an aircraft administrator associated with ownership and creation of the aircraft; a data storage unit configured to store data associated with at least the aircraft and a crash associated with the aircraft; a memory; and a processor. The processor is configured to retrieve, from the aircraft administrator, a first set of information associated with the aircraft. Then, the processor can retrieve, from a predetermined group of entities associated with a presumed crash location, a second set of information associated with the location of the aircraft and the crash comprising at least historical data associated with previous aircraft crashes. Then, the processor can calculate a time frame for the plane impact signal, the time frame comprising the difference between the time of last communication with the aircraft, and the time for the sound to propagate in the water. Then, the processor can analyze the first and second sets of information and the time frame for the plane impact signal. Then, the processor can generate, after analyzing the one or more sets of information associated with the aircraft and the crash, a predictive model configured to determine a most accurate location for the aircraft and the crash. Then, the processor can update the predictive model with a set of new information associated with the aircraft and the crash wherein the information is retrieved and stored in the data storage unit. Then, the processor can calculate, by the predictive model, a prediction for a most accurate location for the aircraft and the crash. Then, the processor can transmit the prediction to the aircraft administrator.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide A method creating and applying a predictive model for the location of crashed aircraft. The methods can begin with retrieving, from the aircraft administrator, a first set of information associated with the aircraft, then retrieving, from a predetermine group of entities associated with a presumed crash location, a second set of information associated with the location of the aircraft and the crash comprising at least historical data associated with previous aircraft crashes. Next, the method proceeds with calculating a time frame for the plane impact signal, the time frame further configured as the difference between the time of last communication with the aircraft, and the time for the sound to propagate in the water, then analyzing the one or more sets of information associated with the aircraft and the crash. Next, the method proceeds with generating, after analyzing the one or more sets of information associated with the aircraft and the crash, a predictive model configured to determine a most accurate location for the aircraft and the crash, then updating the predictive model with a set of new information associated with the aircraft and the crash wherein the information is retrieved and stored in the data storage unit. Next, the method proceeds with calculating, by the predictive model, a prediction for the most accurate location for the aircraft and the crash, then transmitting the prediction to the aircraft administrator.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a computer hardware arrangement comprising a processor, configure the processor to perform procedures comprising the steps of: retrieving, from the aircraft administrator, a first set of information associated with the aircraft; retrieving, from a predetermine group of entities associated with a presumed crash location, a second set of information associated with the location of the aircraft and the crash comprising at least historical data associated with previous aircraft crashes; calculating a time frame for the plane impact signal, the time frame further configured as the difference between the time of last communication with the aircraft, and the time for the sound to propagate in the water; analyzing, by the processor, a set of communications between the aircraft and one or more control centers, the analysis comprising a determination of whether information related to the aircraft's location at any time was communicated by a pilot associated with the aircraft; retrieving a set of historical data associated with aircraft malfunctions and aircraft crashes; analyzing the one or more sets of information associated with the aircraft and the crash; generating, after analyzing the one or more sets of information associated with the aircraft and the crash, a predictive model configured to determine a most accurate location for the aircraft and the crash; updating the predictive model with a set of new information associated with the aircraft and the crash wherein the information is retrieved and stored in the data storage unit; calculating, by the predictive model, a prediction for the most accurate location for the aircraft and the crash; and transmitting the prediction to the aircraft administrator.

Aircraft rescue systems and methods using predictive models


An improved athletic shoe for use in situations where cleats are required. The shoe is provided with a plurality of cleats coupled to the sole of the shoe. Also coupled to the sole of the shoe and provided around the cleats is a resilient material such as rubber. The cleats and rubber are sized and configured so as to allow the resilient material to compress and extend the cleats relative to the material when pressure is applied to the sole. Similarly, when weight is withdrawn from the sole, the resilient material biases the cleats into a retracted position, thereby allowing the shoe to move laterally or in any other direction relative to the ground. By allowing the shoe to move freely when weight is released, injuries otherwise associated with an athlete being struck while the cleats are engaged in the ground are substantially eliminated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an improved sports shoe and, more particularly, to an improved sports shoe having retractable cleats designed to reduce injuries.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known in the art to provide shoes with deep tread design to increase traction and increase performance in various types of sports. In sports such as baseball, football, soccer and the like, it is often desirable to provide shoes with cleats to further increase traction. One drawback associated with cleats is the shorter cleats produce reduced traction, while the longer cleats tend to increase discomfort by transferring energy to more specific areas of the foot. More importantly, prior art cleats tend to increase injuries by preventing the foot from moving when unnatural pressure is applied to the leg, knee or hip and the cleats prevent the foot from moving and releasing the pressure. As a result, prior art cleats are often associated with injuries to the leg, ankle and foot.
While it is known in the art to provide removable spikes to allow a user to adjust the size of spikes to the appropriate sports surface conditions, all prior art spikes tend to increase injuries below the waist by preventing movement of the foot when the foot or leg is struck. Even if the wearer attempts to release pressure on the foot and move the foot laterally, the spikes often stay imbedded in the ground, preventing movement and leading to injury.
Another drawback associated with the prior art is the damage athletes experience with prior art cleats. To engage the ground prior art cleats are rigid, transferring much of the shock of ground contact to the athlete. Additionally, the increased wear on the athlete associated with prior art cleats limiting movement when the athlete is struck reduces athlete longevity. It would, therefore be desirable to provide a shock absorbing cleat system which allowed athlete movement after the athlete has been struck.
Yet another drawback associated with the prior art is that prior art cleats are often more difficult to lift than regular shoes. The engagement of the cleats with the ground often causes additional friction which resists the athlete's ability to raise the shoe. While this frictional resistance is often minor, over a period of time, the resistance can affect an athlete's ability to perform. It would therefore be desirable to provide a cleat which reduced the force required to lift a cleat from the ground. It would additionally be desirable to provide a cleat system which resiliently biased the cleats out of the ground and provided the athlete with a resilient upward "push" on the shoe.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a shoe which provided the traction associated with cleats, while providing the injury reduction associated with shoes having no cleats. It would be most desirable to provide a cleat system which provided the additional traction associated with cleats "on demand" and reduced traction when not needed. The difficulties encountered in the prior art discussed hereinabove are substantially eliminated by the present invention.


The invention analyzes relationships between factors, within a patient population, to identify autonomic dysfunction patterns. Patient test results are then compared with the identified patterns to determine the patient's autonomic function. The invention can continually amend the patient population with new test results to create increasingly accurate normative data sets from which a patient's autonomic function can be more accurately assessed. The invention may apply this concept in an application service provider model. An embodiment of the invention may use a novel method of identifying certain components on physiological signals such as the R-wave for an ECG. The method locates R-waves by searching for maximum slope values and cycle lengths that satisfy certain threshold values. Another embodiment of the invention entails a non-provocative HRV test whereby certain time domain and frequency domain factors are analyzed to determine a patient's autonomic function.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for detecting physiological signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is primarily responsible for the fine-tuned regulation of many human organs and systems. An individual whose autonomic nervous system, correctly regulates such organs and systems is said to have good autonomic function. Improper autonomic function may be referred to as autonomic dysfunction, which can be the result of autonomic neuropathy (AN). AN can result in improper regulation of organs and systems, which in turn may lead to the malfunction of those organs and systems. AN is often associated with a number of disorders such as diabetes and coronary artery disease. In fact, the last two decades have witnessed the recognition of a significant relationship between AN and cardiovascular mortality, including sudden cardiac death. Thus, testing for AN may be a useful health monitoring tool.
One way to test for AN is by evaluating how well the ANS regulates the heart through a "heart rate variability" (HRV) study. In such a study, a patient performs certain breathing tests, which, in a person with a properly functioning ANS, will cause fluctuations in the patient's heart rate (HR). As AN increases HRV decreases. HRV is a measurement of the fluctuation of R-R intervals in a patient's electrocardiogram (ECG). The R-R interval is the distance between R peaks in a QRS complex. Detection of R-R intervals may be achieved by various methods such as a simple threshold technique or statistical method, both of which are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
HRV testing is useful for more than determining whether a patient has AN. For example, HRV testing may be used to monitor disease progression as a function of changes in autonomic function. HRV testing may also be used to evaluate a patient's response to a prescribed treatment for an autonomic disorder. Other applications for HRV testing include: general health screening, diabetic neuropathy assessment, pre-condition cardiac health screening, post-myocardial infarction risk assessment and evaluation, drug studies including the relationship between certain drug dosages and AN function, and stress measurement of, for example, ADHD children.
Several clinical tests, known to those of ordinary skill in the art, help physicians or clinicians measure HRV. Examples of such tests are the Slow Metronomic Breathing test, Valsalva test and Orthostatic test. Each test measures certain HRV parameters, subsets of which may indicate whether a patient is predisposed for, or afflicted with, AN and one or more of its related maladies such as diabetes. These three tests will now be addressed.
1. Slow Metronomic Breathing Test
The Slow Metronomic Breathing test is designed to assess the parasympathetic branch of the ANS. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, during the test the patient breathes deeply and evenly, in a supine position, at six breaths per minute. Any events that could alter spontaneous breathing, such as speech or coughing, should be limited. To foster patient compliance with the prescribed breathing regimen, the patient should breathe for one minute following pacer movements, similar to a metronome, which may be displayed on a computer screen.
The breathing regimen described above helps assess ANS function because parasympathetic regulation of the heart rhythm relies on different types of receptors located in the lungs. These receptors are taxed by the deep breathing performed during the Metronomic test. More specifically, chemoreceptors detect concentrations of CO2 and H+ ions in the arterial blood, which change as one breathes. Chemoreceptors send signals to the brain that are representative of the concentration of these elements. The brain may then regulate the heart, by adjusting the heart rate, to achieve these reported concentration levels. Mechanoreceptors, unlike chemoreceptors, react to changes of air pressure within a patient's airways. Breathing, and especially heavy breathing, creates changes in intrathoracic pressure which are then sensed by mechanoreceptors. This results in a change in blood pressure. The baroreflex mechanism then causes changes in heart rate. These changes in pressure produce signals that are sent along afferent fibers from the mechanoreceptors to the brain stem. In summary, changes in breathing can affect both chemoreceptors and mechanoreceptors, both located in the lungs, which in turn communicate with the brain to potentially illicit a change in HR for a person with "good HRV."
The HRV parameters or measurements in measured in the Metronomic test may include one or more of the measurements found in FIG. 16B. The parameters are calculated on "normal-to-normal" inter-beat intervals (NN intervals), which are R-R intervals calculated on beats caused by normal heart contractions paced by sinus node depolarization.
2. The Orthostatic Test
Like the Metronomic test, the Othostatic test is used to evaluate the effect of parasympathetic regulation on HR. Therefore, the test provides a good indication of autonomic function and HRV. More specifically, the Orthostatic test evaluates how a change in body position affects heart rate. The patient is instructed to lie down in an idle, relaxed, supine position. After a minute of recording ECG signals, the patient stands up while avoiding any rapid movements. The patient remains standing for another minute. The patient's heart rhythm is monitored continuously while the patient lies down and stands up. HR monitoring should continue until a stationary state in HR is detected.
The Orthostatic test helps evaluate autonomic function because it taxes a set of regulatory mechanisms that support parasympathetic regulation of the heart rhythm. More specifically, blood mass redistribution takes place when a patient changes from a supine position to a standing position. The baroreceptors situated in the aortic arch and carotid nodes perceive this change in blood distribution and communicate the change to the brain via afferent fibers. These communications cause an increase in the activation of sympathetic efferent fibers and a decrease in activation of parasympathetic efferent fibers. These efferent fibers then transmit regulatory instructions from the brain down the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves pathways. The tonus of the arteries in the carotid sinus is consequently decreased causing activation of the adrenergic receptors of blood vessel walls and perivascular tissues. Thus, the body shift causes a sympathetic positive chronotropic effect. Concurrently, when the patient changes positions, an increase of muscular activity takes place thereby causing an increase in blood delivery from the extremities. The sympathetic effects are increased and sustained during the post-stimuli period to support the vertical posture. So, blood pressure gradually increases due to activation of the sympathetic NS. The increase in blood pressure causes stimulation of the parasympathetic NS. This stimulation occurs via the baroreflex mechanism and is followed by a decrease in HR. In summary, changing positions taxes the ANS, which should result in a change in heart rate for those patients with good HRV.
The HRV parameters or measurements measured in the Metronomic test may include one or more of the measurements found in FIG. 16A. The parameters are calculated on "normal-to-normal" inter-beat intervals (NN intervals), which are R-R intervals calculated on beats caused by normal heart contractions paced by sinus node depolarization.
3. The Valsalva Test
The Valsalva test also helps assess autonomic function. The Valsalva test commences with the patient in the supine position with his head slightly elevated. The patient then strains by blowing into a mouthpiece until a 40 mm Hg pressure is obtained for 15 seconds. Following cessation of the Valsalva strain, the patient relaxes and breathes at a normal rate. The ECG is monitored during the strain and at 30-45 seconds afterwards. Maximum and minimum heart rates are obtained respectively at about one second after cessation of strain and then 15-20 seconds later. This process is repeated three times and the largest heart rate ratio is considered the best reflection of autonomic function. The end result of the test is a measurement called the Valsalva ratio. The Valsalva ratio ("VR"), which constitutes a HRV parameter, is the ratio of the longest R-R interval to the shortest R-R interval at one second and 15-20 seconds after the Valsalva maneuver is completed. Again, the methods for performing the Metronomic, Orthostatic and Valsalva tests are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
While the methods for performing the Metronomic, Orthostatic and Valsalva tests produce valuable information regarding autonomic function, prior art methods and equipment fail to take full advantage of the available information. For instance, in the prior art, normative databases for HRV values are not created and maintained. As an illustration, the prior art does not attempt to determine normal VARmax values for patients according to such diverse factors as race, age, smoking history and gender. Consequently, the VARmax value of a black, 30-year old, non-smoking man is often compared with that of a 30-year old, white woman who has smoked for 10 years. Doing so may lead to an inaccurate assessment of the male patient's autonomic function. Furthermore, the prior art does not attempt to link certain factors such as race, age and VARmax value with a risk factor for contracting, for example, hypertension. An additional limitation in the prior art is the inability to provide normative databases that expand, and whose accuracy is refined as HRV studies continue to be performed. Finally, the prior art requires expensive, complicated and burdensome HRV testing equipment that many non-specialists are unlikely to use. As a result, AN associated maladies, such as heart disease and diabetes, are not assessed as well as possible because the vast majority of clinicians do not possess these complex tools.
Therefore, a method and apparatus for measuring autonomic nervous system function is needed that can help patients gain early notice when they are at risk for developing an illness forecasted or indicated by poor autonomic function. In addition, a need exists for specific normative databases that provide targeted HRV information that focuses on both demographic and health factors. Such a normative database should help discern HRV patterns to allow clinicians to better assess potential health issues for patients. The normative database should continue to expand and provide more valuable forecasting and assessment tools as HRV studies are conducted over time. Finally, a need exists for HRV testing which is available through an Application Service Provider model so practitioners need not invest heavily in sophisticated equipment that must be updated regularly. Such testing capabilities would become a powerful tool in the clinician's hands for early detection of various medical problems before those maladies show any clinical manifestation. Furthermore, such capabilities would better allow health care providers to assess progress or deterioration in a patient's previously assessed autonomic dysfunction.

Method and apparatus for detecting physiologic signals


The invention provides a film of an yttria-alumina complex oxide having a high peel strength with respect to a substrate. A mixed powder of powdery materials of yttria and alumina is sprayed on a substrate to form a sprayed film made of an yttria-alumina complex oxide. Preferably, the powdery material of yttria has a 50 percent mean particle diameter of not smaller than 0.1 μm and not larger than 100 μm, and the powdery material of alumina has a 50 percent mean particle diameter of not smaller than 0.1 μm and not larger than 100 μm. Preferably, the yttria-alumina complex oxide contains at least a garnet phase, and may further contain a perovskite phase.

The invention relates to a method of producing a film of an yttria-alumina complex oxide, a film of an yttria-alumina complex oxide, a sprayed film, a corrosion-resistant member and a member effective for reducing particle generation.
In semiconductor manufacturing systems requiring a super clean state, halogen-based corrosive gases such as chlorine-based gases and fluorine-based gases are used as deposition gases, etching gases and cleaning gases. For example, these gases are used as cleaning gases for a semiconductor composed of a halogen-based corrosive gas such as ClF3, NF3, CF4, HF and HCl after the deposition stage in a semiconductor producing system, such as a hot CVD system. Further, halogen-based corrosive gases such as WF6, SiH2Cl2 or the like are used for film formation in the deposition stage.
Further, in film-forming and etching stages of CVD or PVD processes, the chemical reactions for film formation or etching produce by-products, which are deposited onto a susceptor, an electrode or the parts constituting the chamber. Particularly, in a so-called cold wall type system, the chamber wall is low in temperature, so that particles may be easily deposited onto the cold chamber wall. Although such deposits are subjected to wet or dry cleaning processes at predetermined intervals, excessive deposits may fall or be moved onto a semiconductor wafer, resulting in instability of semiconductor processing or reduction of the production yield.
To prevent falling particles, it has been known to apply shot peening or blast treatments using glass beads on the surface of a metal plate to increase the surface roughness, so that the retention force of the metal surface may be improved.
It has been thus desired to form a film that is highly resistive against halogen-based gases or plasmas and which is stable over a long time period on a member used for a semiconductor-producing system, such as a member contained in the chamber or the inner wall surface of the chamber. Further, when by-products are deposited on a member contained in the system or the inner wall surface of the chamber, it is desired that the deposited by-products are retained thereon for a long time period.
The assignee filed a Japanese patent application P2001-110, 136. According to the disclosure, it is possible to form a film of an yttria-alumina complex oxide on a substrate by spraying and to provide a high anti-corrosion property against a halogen-based gas plasma, thus preventing the particle generation. The corrosion-resistant film, however, might leave the following problems. That is, cracks may be induced in the film depending on the conditions for spraying. The sprayed film may be subjected to a heat treatment at a high temperature. Such heat treatment may induce cracks in the film. If cracks are generated in the film of an article having a substrate and the film, such film may be easily peeled from the substrate to generate particles and reduce the anti-corrosion property against a corrosive substance. The resulting article may be undesirable, thus reducing the production yield.

Film of yttria-alumina complex oxide, a method of producing the same, a sprayed film, a corrosion resistant member, and a member effective for reducing particle generation


A discovery apparatus among a plurality of networks including at least one client includes: a transceiver which transmits and receives shared information and a request message to and from the client within the plurality of networks, the shared information being intrinsic information of the clients; a storage unit which receives the shared information from the transceiver and stores the shared information of the transceiver; and a controller which creates a shared space, which stores the shared information in the storage unit, in accordance with the request message received through the transceiver, and manages the shared information stored in the shared space.

1. Field of the Invention
Methods and apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to a discovery apparatus and method for discovery between clients within a plurality of networks, and more particularly, a discovery apparatus and method for discovery between clients within a plurality of networks, in which all of clients jointly use intrinsic information of components, such as IP addresses, names, and port numbers of clients, which is required for discovery, in a shared space of a server, thereby discovering clients in other networks and allowing the respective clients to communicate with each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internet users should know an address and a port number of a corresponding component to communicate with a component which uses an Internet protocol (IP) address system in the Internet. All of components directly connected to the Internet register, the IP addresses, and names of the components in a domain name server (DNS) to allow other clients to identify the addresses from the names. Also, it is proposed that the components receive port numbers input through given ports.
However, a problem occurs in that it is difficult to discover IP addresses through the DNS in an ad-hoc network. Moreover, in the case that a component has an arbitrary IP address like the ad-hoc network, a problem occurs in that since a component does not always have a single IP address, it is difficult to always maintain the same IP address.


A function of being controlled by a second monitor camera controller is added to a first monitor camera controller which controls a plurality of monitor cameras. The second monitor camera controller is caused to recognize the first monitor camera controller as a monitor camera. The first monitor camera controller synthesizes videos from the monitor cameras as one video, and transmits the synthetic video to the second monitor camera controller. Control of the monitor cameras or acquisition of videos is conducted by controlling the first monitor camera controller recognized as a monitor camera by use of a control function of a part or all of pan, tilt and zoom.

The present invention relates to a monitor camera controller.
As for the background art of the present technical field, JP-A-6-86290 can be mentioned. Therein, there is a description "in an ITV remote multipoint monitoring system configured to transmit video information from at least two ITV cameras in a monitoring area 1 to a remote monitoring station 4 though a transmission line 3 and monitor the video information in the monitoring station 4, signals from respective ITV cameras 2 are collected by a video synthesizing device 5 installed on the monitoring area 1 side and transmitted to the monitoring station 4."


Embodiments of a unified airflow system for ultraviolet disinfection devices are disclosed. One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a unified airflow assembly and a control unit. The unified airflow assembly provides a shared airflow passage between a UV source and an airflow accessory capable of extracting contaminants from a target surface using a suction airstream. The UV source may be fluidically disconnected from the airflow accessory. The unified airflow assembly may include at least one air restriction unit in the shared airflow passage for manipulating a suction airstream therein. The control unit may be configured to drive the at least one air restriction unit to restrict the suction airstream to only one of the UV source and the airflow accessory.

Ultraviolet (UV) light is widely known for contactless surface disinfection. When used in addition to contact-based surface cleaning tasks, e.g., mopping, brushing, wiping, etc., UV-based disinfection enhances pathogen deactivation on surfaces such as door knobs, cupboards, and floors. Of late, various surface cleaning equipment have become available with UV disinfection capabilities. One such surface cleaning equipment is a floor vacuum-cleaner fitted with a UV lamp that emits UV light to deactivate pathogens while extracting dirt from a floor. However, the extent of such UV disinfection is limited by the positioning of UV lamp on the vacuum cleaner.
In one approach, the UV lamp is typically positioned proximate to a suction opening or an air-nozzle of the vacuum cleaner. Since the air drawn into the air-nozzle via the suction opening becomes unclean with dirt, the UV lamp is typically screened to prevent any operational interference by the unclean air. However, such screening prevents the drawn air from cooling-off the UV lamp that heats-up during operation, thereby deteriorating life and performance of the UV lamp over time. Moreover, the UV lamp, at such positions, projects the UV light towards the floor or adjacent lower surfaces such as floor baseboards, and is unable to disinfect surfaces, e.g., table tops, door knobs, etc., located at a substantial height from the floor. As a result, the UV disinfection is limited to surfaces close to the ground or those of the vacuum cleaner itself such as the vacuum cleaner body.
In another approach, the UV lamp is usually located away from the suction opening or the air nozzle, for example, on top of the vacuum cleaner body. Although the UV lamp thus projects the UV light away from the floor, an additional component such as a fan is typically required to cool-off the UV lamp installed at these locations. Such additional component amplifies the manufacturing or assembly cost and increases an overall weight of the vacuum cleaner to impede easy maneuverability. Moreover, at a set orientation, the UV lamp projects the UV light to a narrow surface area causing significant delays when attempting to disinfect a large area such as a room.
On the other hand, traditional area or room UV disinfection devices are used along with the conventional surface cleaning equipment such as mops and floor vacuum cleaners for faster and wholistic decontamination. However, such use of additional cleaning equipment increases the storage and upkeep cost to make the task of everyday surface decontamination expensive and cumbersome. Moreover, typical room UV disinfection devices generate copious amounts of harmful ozone during operation that can adversely affect the health of a user over time.

Unified airflow system for ultraviolet disinfection devices


This invention relates to a process for manufacturing a charging roller used in an image formation device according to the method of electrophotography; and more particularly, to a process for forming the surface layer with uniform resistivity on the surface of the charging roller coated with certain soluble conductive agent, thus ensuring better charging effects.

In general, some image formation devices according to the method of electrophotography (e.g., electronic copier, laser beam printer, facsimile, etc.) are operated in such a manner that electrostatic latent images are formed on the surface of a photoconductor drum; images are developed on the drum by a toner; such developed images are transferred and fixed on a record paper to give a picture.
Hence, a method of forming the electrostatic latent images comprises in that after charging the whole surface of a photoconductor drum, the image of manuscript or a laser beam by the electric signal in a computer is exposed on the drum, and lost electric charge exposed by light results in obtaining the electrostatic latent images in the shape of manuscript or electric signal.
Meantime, the common methods of charging the surface of a photoconductor drum are being carried out by corona and contact methods but recently, there has been a trend toward the contact charging method as more preferable than corona, since the latter has encountered safety problems and excessive generation of ozone due to higher voltage (4.about.8 KV) of direct current used.
As illustrated in the attached FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in such contact charging method a photoconductor drum (10), contacted with a charging roller (1), is rotated and then, a voltage between them is applied, thereby charging the surface of photoconductive layer (14) on the drum. The contact charging method is superior to the corona charging method in that no generation of ozone is observed since the former adopts a lower voltage (0.5.about.2 KV) than the latter.
Also, the above contact charging method uses an elastomer roller having good conductivity designed for better charging performance and active electric contact between the photoconductor drum (10) and charging roller (1).
However, if the conductivity of a charging roller is excessively large and electric resistance is too low, excessive current flow may inflict damage on the photoconductor drum or mechanical equipment. In case of defects such as pin hole on the surface of the photoconductor drum or damages of the fragment, excessive current is leaked out through the defective areas and the whole surface of the photoconductor drum contacted at that moment cannot be evenly charged. As a result, a black line will occur.
To overcome such occurrence of black line, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,913 disclosed a method of restricting the intensity of current by forming a high resistance layer at the surface of a conductive elastomer roller.
Nevertheless, if the surface resistance of a charging roller becomes too high, the intensity of current flowing at the surface becomes lowered and a lot of currents do not flow into some defected area, even if some defects such as pin hole exist at the surface of the photoconductor. Thus, the removal of black line may be available but when the surface of the photoconductor drum is charged, poor charging efficiency may cause a charging insufficiency.
In general, the resistivity of surface layer should be in the range of 10.sup.7 .about.10.sup.9 .OMEGA..multidot.cm so as to allow the appropriate conductivity to the surface layer but it has been reported that a very difficult technical problem exists in providing a roller surface layer with accurate resistivity, since such resistivity is in the scope of semi-conductivity.
The method of manufacturing the conventional charging roller comprises in that a common form of conductive powder (carbon black, graphite, metal powder, etc.) is dispersed in a binder (resin solution, etc.) to give a conductive paint, which functions to coat the surface of a conductive roller.
As for the conductive film, so formed, small numbers of conductive particles are mixed in the resin; in an accurate term, there are two different parts--extremely high resistance (resin) and extremely low resistance (conductive particles) and the distribution of conductive particles is thought not to be uniform at all surfaces.
In other words, the conventional conductive paint comprises in that a conductive powder is mixed with a binder such as resin and in case of the electric resistance at some areas where the conductive powder is crowded or dispersed in the resin, it is extremely higher or lower than standard value. In this respect, two local parts exist such as extremely high resistance and extremely low resistance.
If electric resistance of the surface layer using such conductive paint becomes extremely large charging insufficiency occurs. Further, when a part with extremely high resistance is contacted with the defective area of the photoconductor, black lines appear in the image recorded due to excessive current.
Therefore, it is very difficult to form an uniform surface layer having constant resistance values at the surface of a roller.

Method for manufacturing a charging roller


A hydraulic damping bearing comprises an inner part, an outer part arranged at a distance from the inner part, and an elastic element inserted therebetween. At least one chamber filled with a damping medium is arranged between the elastic element and the outer part. The outer part includes at least one bore hole in one of the end regions. The elastic element in this region has a recess communicating with the chamber which is alignable with the bore hole when the elastic element is not fully inserted in the outer part. The bore hole is closed by the elastic element when the elastic element is fully inserted.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a hydraulic damping bearing comprising an inner part, an outer part arranged at a distance from the inner part, and an elastic element inserted therebetween, in which is arranged at least one chamber filled with a damping medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hydraulic damping bearings, which are constructed as hydraulic bushings or as hydraulic engine bearings, comprise an inner part, an outer part, and an elastic member between the inner part and the outer part. A chamber is created by seals on the elastic member between the elastic member and the outer part. The structure of the known bearing makes it difficult to fill this chamber with a damping medium. To assemble the individual parts, the elastic rubber part together with the inner part, is inserted into the outer part in the dry state. Subsequently, a damping medium is introduced into the bearing using a fill hole in the inner part. However, this method requires expensive individual parts because the necessary fill hole is arranged in the inner part. Therefore, additional structural component parts such as balls, etc. are needed to close the fill hole. A further disadvantage of this method is that the risk of damaging the sealing lips of the rubber-metal part during assembly in the dry state is extremely high.
Another method for filling the chambers with a damping medium includes assembling the individual parts in an assembly pan filled with damping liquid, that is, the parts are assembled while submerged below the surface of the damping liquid. This is disadvantageous in that high energy losses occur because the bearings must be washed in warm water after assembly. This leads to environmental loading through the carrying along of the damping liquid after assembly. Moreover, it is disadvantageous that when undercuts, inner stops or duct parts are arranged inside the damping chamber, there is a risk that air will be trapped inside the chamber at the corresponding undercuts, decreasing the desired operability characteristics. Another problem consists in that important structural component parts may get lost in the liquid during assembly. These are usually small parts, e.g., duct parts or internal stops, which have already been mounted on one of the structural component parts or which must be inserted under liquid during assembly.


A method of remotely detecting rule violations at an outdoor site according to one aspect of the invention includes installing a self-contained VMU at the outdoor site near ground elevation, including affixing a chassis of the VMU to a permanent mount. The VMU is operated in a low-power standby mode that includes passively monitoring an ambient magnetic field at the outdoor site to detect a disturbance caused by a presence of a substantial ferrous object. In response to a detection of a disturbance in the ambient magnetic field, the VMU exits the low-power standby mode and initiates an active operating mode. The active operating mode includes operating a video camera by the VMU to capture video data; and wirelessly transmitting a signal representing at least a portion of the video data to a computer network. The video data is received by a remote node in the computer network via the computer network, and stored in association with a database record.

Monitoring of activity to ensure laws are abided by, such as protecting private property from trespassers or policing proper use of natural resources, at remote sites can be manpower-intensive. Having an enforcement officer present at the appropriate time and place to prevent, recognize, and cite an infraction is unlikely for many reasons. For example, to place a conservation officer or security guard at an access point to monitor lawful access to land and appropriate usage of resources would require at least $120,000 per year per location, and local governments and private organizations or landowners simply do not have the financial and other necessary resources to staff their remote sites around-the-clock. Also, it is generally understood that lawfulness of conduct is greatly affected by the presence or absence of an enforcement officer. Thus, in the usual instance when an enforcement officer is absent, unlawful activity is much more likely to take place and go un-checked. The use of volunteers or interns in lieu of enforcement officers is often ineffective as a deterrent to unlawful activity as the volunteers and interns lack the authority to issue citations to infractions.
In order to capture usage activities occurring in remote locations and notify authorized personnel for enforcement actions against improper use, an unmanned, low maintenance system for capturing activities when they occur is desirable. Capturing video images may provide the added benefit of evidence if there is to be enforcement sought such as criminal prosecution or civil remedies. Video camera technology for safety and security monitoring is well-known and widely deployed. Common applications include protecting premises, personal safety, traffic management and rule enforcement. For example, typical traffic monitoring systems are directed to identifying congestion, speeding or red-light running instances. These systems utilize outdoor cameras to remotely capture still image or continuous video sequences, which are subsequently analyzed at special monitoring centers manned 24 hours a day by dedicated personnel. Certain applications are known in which multiple cameras are deployed that are automatically monitored by locally-housed computer systems that can select specific video sequences for transfer to a centralized monitoring center.
Conventional video monitoring systems generally enjoy the advantages of having an AC mains power supply and communications connectivity that can enable the user to select full-function video camera features and functionality (e.g. pan, tilt, zoom, high-definition CCD image sensing, or locally-housed image storage). Typically, mounting locations for video monitoring cameras are selected to be physically inaccessible to the public (such as at elevated points) or at places where pedestrian access is prohibited (such as at parking ramp exists). The general area of deployment tends to be around population centers where there is existing mounting structures, abundant electrical power, and communications infrastructure. These types of technologies are not well-suited to monitoring remote locations, such as in rural outdoor sites in which electrical power and communications infrastructure is not present or readily accessible.
For instance, conventional video cameras have significant power requirements such that mains power is necessary at the camera locations. Moreover, conventional network-accessible cameras require a readily available broadband networking capability to communicate. For remote deployment, providing power and communications infrastructure is impracticable. Conventional solutions for protecting the remote-mounted cameras from vandalism, such as mounting the cameras 18 feet or more above the ground is costly without the ability to use existing structures and wiring. Deploying these systems at or near ground level (for example, such that the camera is between 1 and 5 feet from an elevation of a road or trail) or in remote locations to capture infractions only viewable near the ground would quickly render damage to these systems by those individuals whose activity is to be captured at a location where there are no other personnel in the vicinity. Also, conventional camera housings are typically not hardened to the area of deployment. A person with malicious intent could fairly easily dispatch a conventional camera with a shot from a rifle.
The use of hidden or unobtrusively-placed video cameras limits the camera's ability to capture critical identifying information about the subject being monitored, such as a license plate number or boat registration ID. Moreover, hidden cameras do not provide a deterrent effect for unlawful behavior, which is desirable in some cases.
Remote location video monitoring systems presently exist that selectively capture still images or video sequences in response to a certain sensed event. One type of event-triggered system is the intersection infraction camera systems deployed in many cities. The intersection infraction (i.e. red light running) cameras can utilize various sensing mechanisms to detect the presence of a vehicle in an intersection. One type of well-known sensing technology is an induction-type sensor in which a magnetic field is generated by under-street magnetic radiating antenna stimulating signal generator coupled thereto. When a vehicle passes through the radiated magnetic field, the voltage induced in the loop by the magnetic field changes, and this change is detected by sensing circuitry. Another type of sensing technology involves the use of radar or laser instruments such as those used for measuring the speed of vehicles. Other mechanisms for detecting an intersection infraction involves taking continuous video and analyzing the images in the video to detect the presence of a vehicle at certain times. All of these types of sensing technologies involve emitting relatively high-energy signals or operating the monitoring system continuously for video capture and processing. As described above, due to the lack of power infrastructure, these triggering technologies are not suited for remote non-urban outdoor site monitoring.
Infra-red (IR) motion detectors for use in triggering remote video monitoring cameras are known. These types of motion detectors are generally low-power and respond to detected movement of people and animals in addition to the movement of certain vehicles. However, IR motion detectors cannot specifically distinguish vehicles from animals. Therefore, IR motion detectors are not well suited for detecting activities involving vehicles while ignoring other types of activities. IR motion detectors also require a visual line-of-sight to the monitored site. This requirement adds significant design and cost constraints. It is also quite difficult to use IR sensors and protect them from environmental and vandalism damages.
To date, a practical solution for remote video monitoring of non-urban outdoor sites for specific activities has not been proposed. In view of the limitations of existing video monitoring technologies described above, as well as other related limitations, the existing remote video monitoring technologies are not readily adaptable to such applications.

Remote video monitoring of non-urban outdoor sites


Disclosed herein are various methods of forming metal nitride layers on various types of semiconductor devices. In one example, the method includes forming a layer of insulating material above a semiconducting substrate, performing a physical vapor deposition process to form a metal nitride layer above the layer of insulating material, wherein the metal nitride layer has an intrinsic as-deposited stress level, and performing at least one process operation on the metal nitride layer to reduce a magnitude of the intrinsic as-deposited stress level in the metal nitride layer.

1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the present disclosure relates to the manufacturing of sophisticated semiconductor devices, and, more specifically, to various methods of forming metal nitride layers on various types of semiconductor devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In manufacturing semiconductor devices, it is very common to use metal nitride films or layers for a variety of purposes. For example, titanium nitride has been employed as a hard mask material that is formed above one or more layers of insulating material on an integrated circuit product. Metal nitride layers have also been employed in other applications, such as for capacitor electrodes, contacts, barrier liners, etc. Metal nitride layers may be formed by performing a chemical-based process, like a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process using appropriate precursors, or by performing a sputtering type process, such as a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process in which material is sputtered off of an appropriate metal target. Plasma-enhanced versions of such processes may also be employed to form metal nitride layers. Illustrative examples of metal nitride layers include titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, zirconium nitride, hafnium nitride, etc.
Typically, a metal nitride layer, such as a layer of titanium nitride—in the "as formed" condition—has a relatively high intrinsic stress level, such as a relatively high compressive stress level. In general, it is desirable that the intrinsic stress level of the metal nitride layer be as low as possible so as not to transfer this intrinsic stress level in the metal nitride layer to adjacent dielectric layers, such as so-called "low-k" dielectric materials (k value less than 3), that are not as strong mechanically as the metal nitride layer. There are only a few known methods for reducing the intrinsic stress level in a metal nitride layer, such as a layer of titanium nitride. However, such methods typically result in a reduction of the density of the metal nitride layer, which may adversely impact other processing operations that are to be performed on the metal nitride layer. More specifically, reducing the density of a metal nitride layer may have the effect of reducing the etch selectivity exhibited by the metal nitride layer when it is exposed to at least some etching processes. The reduction in the density of a metal nitride layer, therefore, may require more complex and perhaps less efficient etching processes.
One technique employed in an attempt to reduce the intrinsic stress of a metal nitride layer, such as an illustrative layer of titanium nitride, involves performing a relatively high-temperature anneal process (T>750° C.) in atmospheres of hydrogen (H2), nitrogen (N2), or combinations thereof, as well as ammonium (NH3), that may reduce the intrinsic stress level in a metal nitride layer to some degree. However, such high-temperature anneals cannot be employed on integrated circuit products where copper-based metallization systems are employed.
Depending upon the allowable "thermal budget" for the particular device under construction, certain deposition techniques have been employed to form metal nitride layers with different stress conditions. For example, titanium nitride layers that are formed using a TiCl4-based CVD process tend to exhibit a tensile intrinsic stress level as originally deposited, while titanium nitride layers that are formed using a TiCl4-based PECVD process tend to exhibit an intrinsic compressive stress. The intrinsic stress levels in such CVD deposited layers of titanium nitride can be modified, to at least some degree, by modifying nitridation cycle numbers and/or processing time. Additionally, titanium nitride layers that are formed using a TiCl4-based atomic layer deposition (ALD) process tend to exhibit a tensile intrinsic stress level as originally deposited, while titanium nitride layers that are formed using a TiCl4-based PEALD process tend to exhibit an intrinsic compressive stress. From a thermal budget point of view, CVD formation of titanium nitride layers typically involves relatively high temperatures (>600° C.) although there are some CVD processes that may be performed at temperatures of down to about 350° C. (divided cycle or pulsed CVD processes). Titanium nitride layers formed using an ALD process may be formed at relatively lower temperatures (<400° C.).
Titanium nitride layers that exhibit a tensile intrinsic stress may also be formed using a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process using TDMAT (tetrakis dimethyl-amino titanium) and TEMAT (tetrakis diethyl-amino titanium) as precursors. However, the resulting titanium nitride layers with no plasma densification are not as dense as titanium nitride layers formed by other processes, and therefore tend to oxidize more easily as compared to more dense titanium nitride layers.
Despite the various techniques employed to form metal nitride layers, such as the illustrative ones briefly described above, and various attempts to reduce the intrinsic stress levels of the resulting metal nitride layers, there still is a need for an effective and efficient technique for reducing the intrinsic stress levels for metal nitride layers. Thus, the present disclosure is directed to various, more efficient methods of forming metal nitride layers on various types of semiconductor devices that may at least reduce or eliminate one or more of the problems identified above.

Methods of forming metal nitride materials


This invention is achieved to provide a water-flow ultrasonic oral-cavity cleaning device. In the water-flow ultrasonic oral-cavity cleaning device (1), cleaning liquid (W1) from a cleaning-liquid supplying device (2) is supplied into a transducer case (21) through a supply port (26). Ultrasonic waves (S1) are propagated into the cleaning liquid W1 from an ultrasonic transducer (22) mounted in a transducer mounting part (23) inside the transducer case (21). The water-flow of the cleaning liquid (W1) is collected at the apical-part inside the transducer case (21), and then emitted from the issue (27) into the oral cavity, wherein power supply of 100W or less is supplied to the ultrasonic transducer (22) of 50 mm or less in diameter to propagate the ultrasonic waves (S1) of 100 kHz or more to 3 MHz or less in frequency into the cleaning liquid (W1).

In the past, high-pressure water-flow devices for cleaning oral cavities have been put into practical use for dental treatment. In the case of using such a device, a large volume of cleaning liquid is needed. Also, during the dental treatment, it is necessary to discharge the cleaning liquid from the mouth of the patient. However, the more liquid that is used, the more processing power for the water-removal device is required, thus making it costly to process the cleaning liquid and drainage.
As a dental treatment, the use of ultrasonic scalers for removing plaque or the like and ultrasonic cleaning-devices for cleaning oral cavities, such as ultrasonic toothbrushes, which devices use ultrasonic vibration, have already been put into practical use. Also, although it is now disclosed as a means for dental treatment, ultrasonic foreign-body removal devices for removing foreign matter by using ultrasonic vibration are suggested (for example, see Patent Document 1, below). Patent Document 1 shows an ultrasonic foreign-body removal device of which the ultrasonic vibration from the oscillator is transmitted to a horn, and foreign matter is removed by the apical end of the horn. This device also has a means for supplying the cleaning liquid to wash out the foreign matter and a means for vacuuming up the foreign matter as well as the cleaning liquid. It is thus possible to clean an oral cavity by using such an ultrasonic foreign-body removal device.
Using the aforementioned ultrasonic scalers, ultrasonic toothbrushes, ultrasonic foreign-body removal devices or the like to clean oral cavities makes it possible to reduce the volume of cleaning liquid being used.

Flow-type ultrasonic oral cavity washing device


A handle device for vehicle configured to operate a door lock device via a cable device, the handle device includes an operation member connected to the cable device; and a handle case housing the operation member. The handle case includes a cable fixing base in which the cable device is arranged, a cap part configured to fix the cable device to the cable fixing base, and a hinge portion provided between the cable fixing base and the cap part, and rotating the cap part from an open position at which the cap part is open with respect to the cable fixing base to a fixing position at which the cap part faces the cable fixing base and clamps the cable device between the cap part and the cable fixing base.

In the related art, a handle device for performing an opening operation of a door of a vehicle is known. The handle device is provided, for example, on a side door. The side door is provided with a door lock device that is engaged with a vehicle body and holds the side door in a closed state, and the door lock device and the handle device are connected via a cable device. The cable device includes an inner cable and a hollow outer cable, and the inner cable is inserted into the outer cable. When the handle device is operated, an operating force of an operator is applied through the inner cable of the cable device, and the door lock device is operated accordingly.
In addition to a handle operated by the operator, the handle device includes a handle case that houses the handle. The handle case includes a cable fixing base on which an outer cable of the cable device is arranged, a cap part that fixes the outer cable to the cable fixing base, and a thin plate shaped hinge portion that rotates the cap part with respect to the cable fixing base. The handle case is manufactured as an integrally molded product that is obtained by linearly connecting the cable fixing base with the cap part with the hinge portion therebetween, and is shipped to a vehicle manufacturing process as a part of the components constituting the handle device.
In the vehicle manufacturing process, the outer cable of the cable device is fixed to the cable fixing base. Specifically, first, an end portion of the outer cable is arranged on the cable fixing base. Next, the cap part is rotated around the hinge portion, and the cap part is opposed to the cable fixing base. Accordingly, the outer cable is clamped between the cap part and the cable fixing base, and is fixed to the cable fixing base.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a structure in which an end portion of an outer cable is held by a clip attached to a handle base.


A replaceable solar bulb assembly generates electrical energy that includes a photo voltaic cell for converting solar energy into electrical energy. A housing includes at least one reflector for focusing the solar energy on the photo voltaic cell. A connector removably and mechanically connects the housing to a solar receiver array and electrically connects the photo voltaic cell to the solar receiver array.

An array of concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar receiver arrays includes a plurality of receiver assemblies arranged in an X by Y array for receiving the Sun's energy and converting it into electricity. Within current designs, when any particular CPV receiver assembly becomes defective, there is no way to replace the individual receiver assembly. Thus, the only options for solving the problem of a defective assembly are leaving the defective assembly within the array such that the overall electrical energy generated by the array is reduced by the amount of the one receiver, or alternatively, the entire array would have to be replaced. This is due to the fact that current designs for CPV solar energy receivers do not allow for the ready replacement of defective receivers within an array on an individual receiver assembly basis. Thus, there is a need for a design of a CPV solar bulb assembly that enables the assemblies within an array to be individually replaced when the assemblies become defective and cease to function.

Replaceable solar bulb assembly for use with a solar receiver array


A coupling is provided between two structural elements, each comprising at least one part having tensively strong gauze formed for instance of metal such as steel, which parts can be registered in interlaced relation and which can be mutually coupled in this interlaced and registered situation by an elongate coupling element. A very practical embodiment is that in which the one part has at least two hook-like or loop-like protrusions which can be placed through the other part, wherein the elongate coupling element can be placed through these protrusions to thus block rearward displacement.

The invention relates to the coupling between two structural elements.
In order to build spatial constructions, in particular with reinforced concrete, use is made of a reinforcement consisting of mutually coupled elongate concrete reinforcing rods which are brought into the correct shape on site and subsequently enclosed in a shuttering with concrete in order to be embedded therein.
Examples of spatial constructions include walls, buildings, and catch pits.
The invention generally proposes as its object to provide a coupling between two structural elements such that it can be prepared in advance in the factory and such that on site the coupling can be realized in the most simple and rapid manner.

Coupling between two structural elements and spatial structure with such couplings


A tool hanging rack for attaching to a verticle surface consists of an elongated member forming a C-shaped channel and one or more tool hanger assemblies consisting of one or more nuts which can slide within the C-shaped channel and one or more support rod base plates which can be connected to the nuts by bolts or screws and tighted securely against the elongated member at desired positions along the channel so when the tool hanging rack is fastened to a verticle wall, the support rods are angled upwards and can support tools or other objects. In a second embodiment, the tool hanger assembly comprises a base plate having a front and back surface and a support rod secured at an angle to the front surface. The base plate is manufactured just small enough to slide within the channel of the elongated member with the support rod extending through the front wall opening. By applying downward pressure on the support rod, the base plate can be wedged against the inside of the channel such that the tool hanger assembly resists lateral movement and the support rod is angled slightly upward when the tool hanging rack is attached to a wall. The base plate and support rod of the second embodiment can be formed in one peice by bending a rod.

This invention relates to a tool hanging rack that can be attached to a wall. Historically, many different methods and apparatuses have been developed and utilized to hang tools and other various objects from vertical walls. The simplest form of tool hanger can involve nails banged into a wall wherein a tool (or another object such as a hat or extension cord) can be hung on the nail. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,966, an improved hanger system is disclosed in which a number of support rods can be inserted into holes bored at different positions along an elongated base member such that when the base member is attached to a wall, the support rods extend upwardly. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,724, a similar tool hanging rack is disclosed wherein support rods are mounted in holes bored at right angles to an elongated base member and the base member itself is adapted to mount at an acute angle to the wall. When the base member is attached to the wall, the support rods are thus angled upward. In both inventions it is possible to locate the support rods at different positions along the elongated member, however, the location of support rods is fixed depending on the location of the bores. Further, in both inventions, the support racks are designed to operate only when the elongated base member is mounted to a wall with its axis of elongation horizontal. The present invention overcomes both problems by providing a support rack that allows for infinite positioning of the support rods along the entire axis of elongation of the base member. Further, in one embodiment, the support rack is adapted to be operable when the elongated base member is mounted to a wall either horizontally or vertically.


A curable film-forming composition is provided, comprising: (a) a polymeric binder comprising reactive functional groups; (b) a curing agent comprising functional groups that are reactive with the reactive functional groups of (a); and (c) a polysiloxane resin comprising aromatic functional groups and terminal active hydrogen groups. In certain examples of the present invention, the polymeric binder (a) comprises an acrylic polyol prepared from a monomer mixture comprising a hydroxyl functional monomer, and the curable film-forming composition further comprises a rheology modifier comprising: (1) a non-aqueous dispersion of an internally crosslinked organic polymer; (2) a silica dispersion; and/or (3) a reaction product of an amine and an isocyanate. Also provided are coated substrates that include the curable film-forming compositions described above and methods for forming a composite coating on a substrate.

Color-plus-clear coating systems involving the application of a colored or pigmented basecoat to a substrate followed by the application of a transparent or clear topcoat to the basecoat are standard in the industry as original finishes for automobiles. The color-plus-clear systems have outstanding gloss and distinctness of image, and the clear topcoat is particularly important for these properties.
Often during application of the coatings to an automotive substrate, which is typically done by spraying, the appearance of a coating (such as its smoothness) is different when applied to a horizontally oriented substrate surface than when applied to a vertically oriented surface. This can result in noticeably different surface appearances in different areas of the same vehicle. Uniformity of vehicle appearance can be impacted by efforts to balance workability of the formulated coatings and appearance, and developing tools that improve coating flow and leveling behavior without hurting sag resistance. In addition to the focus on horizontal/vertical uniformity, an optimal balance of sag resistance and appearance is also advantageous for good appearance in difficult shapes and contours that are prone to sags and drips during coating application.
It would be desirable to provide a curable film-forming composition that demonstrates improved appearance properties over an entire substrate surface without loss of cured film properties such as acid etch resistance and UV durability.

Curable film-forming compositions containing reactive functional polymers and polysiloxane resins, multilayer composite coatings, and methods for their use


A method of fabricating an organic electroluminescent array and the array are disclosed. Column buses of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) are formed on a light transparent substrate and a resistor network is simultaneously formed of the ITO. An array of organic electroluminescent devices is formed on the column buses with each column bus connected to a terminal of each device in an associated column of devices. Row buses are formed on the organic electroluminescent devices with each row bus connected to a second terminal of each device in an associated row of devices and, simultaneously, the resistor network is connected to the row buses. The resistor network is part of a "pull up" circuit integrally formed with the organic electroluminescent devices to dynamically reverse bias the devices and neutralize forward bias voltage of a scan of the devices.

Arrays of light emitting devices, such as inorganic light emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes or electroluminescent devices, etc., are becoming increasingly popular in displays. This popularity is chiefly due to the low operating voltages and power required and to the small size, as well as the ease of manufacturing. This is especially true of organic electroluminescent devices (OEDs), since manufacturing is even easier than many other light emitting devices, the brightness is even greater, and the voltage requirements are substantially less.
Also, organic electroluminescent device (OED) arrays are emerging as a potentially viable design choice for use in small products, especially small portable electronic devices, such as pagers, cellular and portable telephones, two-way radios, data banks, etc. OED arrays are capable of generating sufficient light for use in displays under a variety of ambient light conditions (from little or no ambient light to bright ambient light). Further, OEDs can be fabricated relatively cheaply and in a variety of sizes from very small (less than a tenth millimeter in diameter) to relatively large (greater than an inch) so that OED arrays can be fabricated in a variety of sizes. Also, OEDs have the added advantage that their emissive operation provides a very wide viewing angle.
Generally, OEDs include a first electrically conductive layer (or first contact), an electron transporting and emission layer, a hole transporting layer and a second electrically conductive layer (or second contact). The light can be transmitted either way but must exit through one of the conductive layers. There are many ways to modify one of the conductive layers for the emission of light therethrough but it has been found generally that the most efficient OED includes one conductive layer which is transparent to the light being emitted. Also, one of the most widely used conductive, transparent materials is indium-tin-oxide (ITO), which is generally deposited in a layer on a transparent substrate such as a glass plate.
The problem is that most of the light emitting devices have an internal capacitance which charges during operation and remains charged after activation of the device. This lingering or persisting charge produces what is commonly referred to as shadows in the display, because the charge remaining from a previous row of data will continue to produce light emissions that appear in the next row of data and, in some circuits, may effect the next row of data. Because OEDs include a layer of organic material, which is nearly a dielectric, sandwiched between layers of conducting material, the internal capacitance is relatively large. Thus the shadow problem is especially prevalent in arrays of OEDs.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to produce an array of light emitting diodes in which no shadow is prevalent.
It is a purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved array of light emitting devices with active pull down shadow canceling.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved array of light emitting devices with active pull down shadow canceling which adds very little complexity to the array.
It is still another purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved array of light emitting devices with active pull down shadow canceling which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
It is a still further purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved array of light emitting devices with active pull down shadow canceling which is easily integrated on a common substrate with little additional cost and effort.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide new and improved means for scanning an organic electroluminescent array display.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide organic electroluminescent displays which are less expensive, smaller, and easier to manufacture.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide electroluminescent displays with reduced shadow effects in image generation.

Method of forming an electroluminescent array


An apparatus and method for visualizing volume rendered images relative to a viewing vector are provided, where the apparatus includes a processor, a detection unit in signal communication with the processor for detecting occluding contours of opacified structures in the image data, and a resampling unit in signal communication with the processor for generating curved multi-planar-reformat (MPR) resamplings that follow the occluding contours of the opacified structures; and the method includes receiving a volume rendered image, including distance values and surface normals for every pixel that is opacified, gathering all opacified pixels that are orthogonal to the viewing vector into a group of occluding points, and separating the group of occluding points into individual occluding contours.

Volume rendering is a technique for displaying three-dimensional (3D) data using a classification method called a volume rendering transform (VRT) or transfer function, which maps image intensities to colors and opacities. By varying the parameters of the VRT transfer function, a user can manually cause various structures to become selectively transparent or opaque in the volume-rendered image.
When rendering vascular images, for example, a VRT transfer function is typically set to show the high intensity opacified lumen of a vessel. Viewing a vessel lumen is a useful function that generally helps radiologists detect pathological conditions such as aneurysm or stenosis, but it only tells part of the story. Much of the essential information is not carried in the lumen geometry, but in the contents of the region immediately surrounding the lumen. In healthy vessels, for example, the lumen is immediately adjacent to the vessel wall. In other cases, however, other materials may collect between the vessel lumen and the vessel wall, such as plaque and thrombus, for example. Visualization, measurement and categorization of such other materials would be useful to a clinician.
Typically, plaque and thrombus may be represented in computed tomograpic angiography images (CTA), but other imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance (MR), computed tomography (CT), rotational 3D angiography (3D Angio) and 3D/4D ultrasound may also represent this material. It is currently possible to visualize the lumen alone by adjusting the transfer function in a volume-rendered image. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to simultaneously and globally visualize plaque and lumen automatically, or even semi-automatically, using such a transfer function. Accordingly, what is desired is an automated way to visualize volume-rendered data having occlusions.

Visualization of volume-rendered data with occluding contour multi-planar-reformats


The invention relates to an adhesion-promoting additive for an ink for imprinting glass comprising at least one silane, and at least one reticulating agent based on an organic ester of o-silica.

The invention relates to an adhesion-promoting additive for an ink for imprinting glass comprising at least one silane, an ink comprising at least one solvent, an adhesion-promoting agent and a pigment, a method for printing a surface of glass with an inkjet printer, wherein ink is applied in the form of droplets onto the surface of the glass, as well as the use of the additive.
The decoration or marking ("labelling") of glass and glass products is important in many areas of business. There is an enormous demand in the field of architecture for individually designed glass both for internal and external use, in the automotive field, in advertising, in the field of decorating household objects etc. Whilst large amounts of identically printed glasses and glass products are usually produced by screen-printing methods, inkjet printer applications for printing individually designed glass in small batches or with frequently changing motifs are an interesting alternative.
For decorative inkjet printing on different substrates, such as e.g. plastics, paper, etc., there are a number of pigmented organic ink formulations, which can be cured thermally or by UV radiation. Despite the amount of inks available said formulations have considerable disadvantages with regard to their adhesion onto glass, their scratch-resistance and resistance to water or solvents.
Alternative approaches involve burning in inorganically pigmented inks. Said formulations, which in addition to pigments and other typical ink components also often contain fritted glass (e.g. bismuth oxide, lead-containing materials etc.), after the burning process have good resistance to abrasion and the effect of water and solvents, but due to the toxicity of some pigments and fritted glass, the difficulty of grinding pigments and fritted glass, and due to the complicated burning-in process are uneconomical to use and may be unhealthy.
For these reasons for many applications, which have strict requirements with regard to adhesion and scratch resistance, attempts have been made to modify UV or thermally curable organic graphic inks so that the criteria required for glass printing are satisfied. In this case, various different solution strategies have been pursued, including in particular the admixing of organic polymers (e.g. novolac resins, silicon resins) to increase scratch resistance. Likewise attempts have been made to increase the stability of glass printing by applying various primers (e.g. Pyrosil®). Furthermore, the admixing of silanes for the covalent bonding of the printed pattern onto the glass surface is known from the prior art.
Thus e.g. DE 696 030256 T2 describes an ink composition for an inkjet printer which has improved adhesion and abrasion resistance on glass, PET or aluminium in humid conditions. The composition comprises an organic solvent, a flexible thermoplastic polyurethane resin, a colouring means, a silicon resin and a silane. The proportion of silane is between 0.5 wt. % and 2.5 wt. %. Epoxy alkyl oxysilane and amino alkyl alkoxy silane are given as the silanes.
From DE 697 01 873 T2 an inkjet printing ink for marking containers, such as bottles, is known, which during the printing can have a film of condensation on their surface. In order to address this problem an alkoxysilane polyalkylene imine is added as an adhesion accelerator to the printing colour.

Adhesion-promoting additive for an ink for imprinting glass

Durst Phototechnik Digital Technology GmbH