A portable ultrasound diagnostic device dynamically collecting diagnostic data from a patient and, once the portable ultrasound diagnostic device determines that collecting the diagnostic data is complete, the portable ultrasound diagnostic device transmits the diagnostic data using a communication channel to a person at another location to analyze the diagnostic data.

With the advent of miniaturized digital technology, it is now possible to reduce the size of diagnostic devices to a hand-held or portable case-like size. For instance, it is now possible to reduce the size of an oscilloscope to a device that fits in the palm of one""s hand. Also, diagnostic ultrasound imaging devices are also being produced which are small enough to carry as readily as a book. The diagnostic data obtained by these devices is typically an image or graphical display or numerical data.
The convenience which these smaller, lighter devices offer results in their expanded use, often times by persons less skilled than in the past. Specifically, rescuers in an emergency situation may be required to use portable ultrasound diagnostic devices, such as a hand-held oscilloscope, to perform specific diagnostic procedures. However, once the rescuers obtain the diagnostic data from a patient using the diagnostic device, often times these rescuers do not have adequate training to determine from the diagnostic data a medical treatment the patient needs. Thus, while persons less skilled can obtain the diagnostic data, assessment of the diagnostic data obtained needs to be performed by someone not present at the field examination.
Accordingly, the rescuer or user would read the diagnostic data from an ultrasound device or oscilloscope and enter the data in a personal computer (PC), for instance, which requires a certain degree of expertise from the user. Further, manually entering the diagnostics obtained from either an ultrasound device or oscilloscope into the PC creates an uncertain degree of inaccuracy and mistake. While portable ultrasound diagnostic devices exist with serial interfaces, these devices require a connection to a PC to a serial interface, and therefore, require a person skilled in the use of specialized software to run the PC to extract the diagnostic data from the hand-held diagnostic device.
Thus, it is necessary to develop an evaluation system allowing for individualized evaluation configurations and a centralized hierarchy so large computer resources are not necessary at the user""s end in order to make an adequate determination of the treatment for the patient, for instance, based on diagnostic data obtained from the patient. The evaluation system may also be used to obtain evaluation configurations from devices or systems such as electronic devices or vehicles. Further, an evaluation system is needed that allows authorized users to enter new diagnostic data and edit and view existing diagnostic data, including searching for diagnostic data within available databases at another location.
In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides for an apparatus including a portable ultrasound diagnostic device dynamically collecting diagnostic data and transmitting the diagnostic data using a communication channel to a person at another location to analyze the diagnostic data.
The present invention also provides an apparatus including a portable ultrasound diagnostic device dynamically collecting diagnostic data from a patient; and a user interface where a user commands the portable ultrasound diagnostic device to transmit the diagnostic data via a communication channel in the portable ultrasound diagnostic device once collecting the diagnostic data from the patient is complete, to a person at another location to analyze the diagnostic data.
The present invention is also achieved by a method including connecting a portable ultrasound diagnostic device to a patient; dynamically collecting diagnostic data from the patient; transmitting the diagnostic data using a communication channel to a person at another location once collecting the diagnostic data from the patient is complete; and receiving and analyzing the diagnostic data.
The present invention is also achieved by a method including connecting a portable ultrasound diagnostic device to a patient; dynamically collecting diagnostic data from the patient; connecting the portable ultrasound diagnostic device to a connector once collecting the diagnostic data from the patient is complete; transmitting the diagnostic data using a communication channel to a person at another location; and analyzing the diagnostic data and determining therefrom a medical treatment for the patient.

Portable ultrasound diagnostic device with automatic data transmission


A new and distinct verbena variety is provided which forms attractive large vivid reddish purple blossoms. The plant is broad and exhibits a spreading growth habit. The blossoms are borne in abundance on spikes. The blossoming is of long duration and commonly occurs between April and November. The plant exhibits a high tolerance to rain, cold, and heat. Good resistance to diseases, such as powdery mildew, also is exhibited.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of verbena plant obtained from a crossing "Novaris deep blue with eye" (.female.) and a wild type of verbena plant, Verbena peruviana (.male.) native to Brazil.
The verbena is a very popular plant and is used for flower bedding and potting in the summer season. There are only a few varieties of the verbena plant which have a spreading growth habit, much branching, the formation of a high number of flowers in a spike and which have a high resistance to rain, heat, cold, and diseases. Accordingly, this invention was aimed at obtaining a new variety having a spreading growth habit, strongly branching, the formation of a high number of flowers in a spike, a large diameter flower, high tolerance to heat and cold, and resistance to diseases and pests, and also having vivid reddish purple flower petals.
The new variety of Verbena plant according to this invention originated from crossing verbena hybrida "Novaris deep blue with eye" (.female.) and a wild type of verbena plant Verbena peruviana (.male.) native to Brazil. The new variety of the present invention is botanically classified Verbena hybrida.
First of all, 74 seedlings were obtained in the autumn of 1992, from crossing "Novaris deep blue with eye" as female parent and a wild type of verbena plant (Verbena peruviana f. rosea) as pollen parent in the May of 1992. From this crossing, 28 seedlings were selected in view of spreading growth habit were propagated by cuttings, and then grown as a trial for flower bedding and planter growth beginning in the spring of 1993. Finally only one plant was selected from these 28 during such evaluation that was carried out until the autumn of 1994 and the botanical characteristics of 28 seedlings were examined, using the similar variety "Novaris deep blue with eye" for comparison. As a result, it was concluded that this verbena is distinguishable from any other variety whose existence is known to us, is uniform and is stable in its characteristics. This new variety of verbena plant was named "Sunmariba".
In the following description, the color-coding is in accordance with the Horticultural Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England (R.H.S. Colour Chart), and the Inter-Society Colour Council-Nation Bureau of Standard Color Name (I.S.C.C.-N.B.S. Color Name). A color chart based on The Japan Color Standard for Horticultural Plant (J.H.S. Color Chart) is also added for reference.
The "Novaris deep blue with eye" plant used in the crossing as female parent variety is commercially available. The main botanical characteristics of "Novaris deep blue with eye" are as follows.
Plant: PA0 Stem: PA0 Leaf: PA0 Flower: PA0 Physiological and ecological characteristics: Low resistance to diseases and pests, low tolerances to heat and cold. PA0 Plant: PA0 Stem: PA0 Leaf: PA0 Flower: PA0 Physiological and ecological characteristics: High resistance to diseases and pests, high tolerances to heat and cold.
Growth habit.--Erect. PA2 Plant height.--20-30 cm. PA2 Plant extension.--15-20 cm. PA2 Diameter.--2.0-3.0 mm. PA2 Anthocyanin pigmentation.--Absent. PA2 Branching.--Medium. PA2 Pubescence.--Medium. PA2 Length of internode.--3.0-4.0 cm. PA2 Phyllotaxis.--Opposite. PA2 Shape of blade.--Hastate. PA2 Length.--3.0-4.0 cm. PA2 Width.--2.0-2.5 cm. PA2 Depth of incision.--Shallow. PA2 Color.--Dark yellow green (R.H.S. 146A, JHS 3508) PA2 Pubescence.--Few. PA2 Facing direction.--Upward. PA2 Outward curvature of petal.--Slightly curved. PA2 Diameter.--1.5-2.0 cm. PA2 Height.--20-30 mm. PA2 Color.--Dark purple (R.H.S. 86A, JHS 8609). PA2 Color intensity.--Absent. PA2 Overlapping of petals.--Opened. PA2 Spike.--30-40 mm in length: and 40-50 mm in diameter. PA2 Calxy.--1.0-1.5 cm in length. PA2 Anthocyanin pigmentation of calyx limb.--Absent. PA2 Peduncle.--2-3 mm in thickness; and 50-60 cm in length. PA2 Number of flowers.--Medium (commonly 10-14). PA2 Reproductive organs.--1 pistil and 4 stamens. PA2 Flower fragrance.--Absent. PA2 Flowering duration.--Long. PA2 Growth habit.--Spreading. PA2 Plant height.--10-20 cm. PA2 Plant extension.--100-150 cm. PA2 Diameter.--1.0-2.0 mm. PA2 Anthocyanin pigmentation.--Present. PA2 Branching.--Medium. PA2 Pubescence.--Medium. PA2 Length of internode.--3.0-4.0 cm. PA2 Phyllotaxis.--Opposite. PA2 Shape of blade.--Hastate. PA2 Length.--3.0-4.0 cm. PA2 Width.--1.5-2.0 cm. PA2 Depth of incision.--Shallow. PA2 Color.--Moderate olive green (R.H.S. 146A, JHS 3509) PA2 Pubescence--Few. PA2 Facing direction.--Upward. PA2 Outward curvature of petal.--Slightly curved. PA2 Diameter.--2.0-3.0 cm. PA2 Height.--20-30 mm. PA2 Color.--Strong reddish purple (R.H.S. 77B, JHS 8911). PA2 Color intensity.--Absent. PA2 Overlapping of petals.--Opened. PA2 Spike.--30-40 mm in length; and 50-60 mm in diameter. PA2 Calyx.--1.5-2.0 cm in length. PA2 Anthocyanin pigmentation of calyx limb.--Absent. PA2 Peduncle.--1-2 mm in thickness; and 3.0-5.0 cm in length. PA2 Number of flowers.--Plentiful (commonly 10-14) PA2 Reproductive organs.--1 pistil and 4 stamens. PA2 Flower fragrance.--Absent. PA2 Flowering duration.--Short.
The pollen parent used in the obtaining of this new variety "Sunmariba" was a wild type of verbena native to South Brazil (Verbena peruviana). This wild type of verbena plant is presently maintained at the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory of Suntory Ltd., residing at 863-1, Aza-Iketani, Oomori-cho, Youkaiti-shi, Shiga-ken, Japan. . The main botanical characteristics of this pollen parent are as follows.
This new variety of verbena plant "Sunmariba" was asexually reproduced by cuttings at the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory of Suntory Ltd., 863-1, Aza-Ikentani, Oomori-cho, Youkaiti-shi, Shiga-ken, Japan, and the homogeneity and stability thereof were confirmed.


A hydrodynamic bearing system, having a bearing sleeve and a shaft inserted into an inner cylindrical bore of the bearing sleeve. A bearing gap is formed between the shaft and the bearing sleeve, the bearing gap being filled with a lubricating oil. A shield encloses the bearing sleeve. The shield is secured within a recess formed at the top surface of the bearing sleeve at a position distanced from the bearing gap. The shield is pressed against a sharp edge of the recess by a metal ring placed into the recess.

Disk drive memory systems have been used in computers for many years for storage of digital information. Information is recorded on concentric memory tracks of a magnetic disk medium, the actual information being stored in the form of magnetic transitions within the medium. The disks themselves are rotatably mounted on a spindle the information being accessed by means of read/write heads generally located on a pivoting arm which moves radially over the surface of the disk. The read/write heads or transducers must be accurately aligned with the storage tracks on the disk to ensure proper reading and writing of information.
During operation, the disks are rotated at very high speeds within an enclosed housing by means of an electric motor generally located inside the hub or below the disks. One type of motor in common use is known as an in-hub or in-spindle motor. Such in-spindle motors typically have a spindle mounted by means of two ball bearing systems to a motor shaft disposed in the center of the hub. However, with the decreasing size of information storage systems, other types of bearings including hydrodynamic bearings are being developed.
In these types of systems, lubricating fluid, either gas or liquid, functions as the actual bearing surface between a stationary base or housing and the rotating spindle or rotating hub and the stationary surrounding portion of the motor. For example, liquid lubricants comprising oil, more complex ferro-magnetic fluids, or even air have been utilized for use in hydrodynamic bearing systems. The reason for the popularity of the use of air, is the importance of avoiding the outgassing of contaminants into the sealed area of the head disk housing. However, air does not provide the lubricating qualities of oil. Its low viscosity requires smaller bearing gaps and therefore higher tolerance standards to achieve similar dynamic performance.
In the case of a hydrodynamic bearing employing a liquid lubricant, the lubricating fluid and its components must be sealed within the bearing to avoid loss of lubricant which results in reduced bearing load capacity. If too much lubricant evaporates from the bearing, physical surfaces of the spindle and housing can contact one another, leading to increased wear and eventual failure of the bearing system. Equally seriously, loss of a seal or failure to control the fluid level within the bearing system may cause contamination of the hard disk drive with lubricant particles and droplets as well as outgassing-related condensation.
A further difficulty with prior art designs of liquid lubrication hydrodynamic bearings is that, during operation of the spindle motor, lubricating fluid can splash onto the shaft and migrate along the shaft into the environment. To prevent this oil migration and/or splashing, a sealing shield may be provided at one end of the shaft enclosing the bearing system.
An example of a conventional hydrodynamic bearing system 100 incorporating a shield is shown in FIG. 2(b). Hydrodynamic bearing system 100 includes a shaft 112 with a bearing element 114 secured thereto. Shaft 112 is inserted into an inner cylindrical bore of bearing sleeve 116 such that a bearing gap is formed between an outer surface of the shaft with the bearing element and an inner surface of the sleeve. The bearing gap is filled with lubricating oil 118. Oil reservoir 122 is provided at the top portion of the bearing gap to accommodate excess oil. Shield 120 having cylindrical opening 132 is placed over shaft 112 and secured to step 126 of bearing sleeve 116 such that its inner surface partially contacts lubricating oil 118. Oil fill hole 128 is provided in the shield to enable injection of lubricating oil 118 into the bearing gap.
During assembly of the conventional hydrodynamic bearing system 100, bearing element 114 is press-fit onto shaft 112 which is then inserted into the inner cylindrical bore of bearing sleeve 116. Shield 120 is then placed onto step 126 of the bearing sleeve such that shaft 112 protrudes through cylindrical opening 132. Shield 120 is then laser welded to the bearing sleeve at reference point 124. Lubricating oil 118 is next injected into the bearing gap through the oil fill hole 128.
For proper functioning of the spindle motor, it is very important to inject an adequate but not excessive amount of lubricating oil through the oil fill hole. However, the above method of assembly does not allow a manufacturer to observe the level of lubricating oil inside the system and therefore to prevent an insufficiency or overflow of lubricating oil. Manufacturer's view is obstructed by the shield. If, however, the shield is secured to the bearing sleeve after the oil is filled, laser welding of the shield causes lubricating oil to overheat because of its close proximity to the shield.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a hydrodynamic bearing system design allowing a manufacturer to observe the level of lubricating oil inside the system in order to prevent an insufficiency or overflow of lubricating oil.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Shield and sealing method for a hydrodynamic bearing


A Device for determining the flow of a flowing medium according to the float principle with at least one floating body and at least one measuring tube with medium flowing through it, wherein the floating body is movable in the measuring tube along an axis (4). To provide a device for measuring the flow rate according to the float principle that, in certain areas, shows insensitivity to changes in properties of the medium or changes of process variables affecting the properties of the medium, an actuating element is provided that acts upon the floating body depending on at least one property of the medium and/or depending on at least one process variable acting on a property of the medium.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for determining the flow of a flowing medium according to the float principle. Here, the device has at least one floating body and at least one measuring tube with medium flowing through it. The floating body is movable in the measuring tube along an axis.
2. Description of Related Art
Measuring devices that determine the flow of a medium—particularly a fluid, such as liquids or gases—by means of the float process have, in most cases, a measuring tube that is arranged vertically—i.e., in the direction of gravity—or is alternatively arranged horizontally. The measuring tube, through which a medium to be measured flows, usually has a conical interior that widens in the flow direction, in which the movable floating body is arranged along the direction of flow.
The flowing medium—in the case of a vertically oriented measuring tube—exerts a force in the flow direction on the floating body, which is dependent on the flow resistance of the floating body. Additionally, the buoyancy of the floating body acts in the direction of flow. The weight force acts opposite the direction of flow, so that three forces act on the floating body: two in the direction of flow and one in the opposite direction. According to transient response, the floating body remains at a level in which the three forces are just balanced. Since the position is dependent on this, i.e., the position of the floating body in the measuring tube is dependent on the flow of the medium, this value allows for conclusions about the flow.
If the measuring tube is arranged horizontally, the lack of a weight force is replaced by the spring force of a spring that acts on the floating body.
The height can be determined, for example, in that the floating body is arranged in an inspection glass, which is provided with a corresponding scale. It is described in patent DE 196 39 060 C2 that the determining of position occurs via a permanent magnet connected to the floating body.
The flow of the medium is obtained from the determined height dependent on a flow coefficient α. The flow coefficient α is dependent on the geometric shapes of the measuring tube and the floating body and on the Ruppel number Ru, which incorporates medium-specific parameters such as viscosity and density (see, for example, German Utility Model DE 83 17 576 U1). For the implementation of the measuring principle, a data set with the flow coefficient α is determined depending on the height h and the Ruppel number Ru for the medium to be measured or for a plurality of possible media and stored for evaluation, thus, specifically for each measuring device type, i.e., for identical instruments.
The disadvantage is that many media have a viscosity that is dependent on temperature. For most liquids, the viscosity decreases with increasing temperature, so that less friction force can be transferred to the floating body. As a result, the floating body moves toward its rest position, which would be associated with reduced flow.
A relatively complex design of a variable-area flowmeter can be seen in German Patent Application DE 33 41 460 A1, in which the media is partly lead through a bypass that is opened and closed by a valve assembly dependent on temperature.

Device for determining the flow rate according to the float principle


In one embodiment, a processor comprises a prediction circuit and another circuit coupled to the prediction circuit. The prediction circuit is configured to predict whether or not a first load instruction will experience a partial store to load forward (PSTLF) event during execution. A PSTLF event occurs if a plurality of bytes, accessed responsive to the first load instruction during execution, include at least a first byte updated responsive to a previous uncommitted store operation and also include at least a second byte not updated responsive to the previous uncommitted store operation. Coupled to receive the first load instruction, the circuit is configured to generate one or more load operations responsive to the first load instruction. The load operations are to be executed in the processor to execute the first load instruction, and a number of the load operations is dependent on the prediction by the prediction circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of processors and, more particularly, to handling load/store operations in processors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Processors generally include support for loads and stores to facilitate transfer of data between the processors and memory to which the processors may be coupled. As used herein, a load is an operation specifying a transfer of data from a main memory to the processor (although the transfer may be completed in cache). A store is an operation specifying a transfer of data from the processor to memory. Loads and stores may be an implicit part of an instruction which includes a memory operation, or may be explicit instructions.
A given load/store may specify the transfer of multiple bytes beginning at a memory address calculated during execution of the load/store. For example, 16 bit (2 byte), 32 bit (4 byte), and 64 bit (8 byte) transfers are common in addition to an 8 bit (1 byte) transfer. The number of bytes transferred for a given load/store is generally referred to as the size of the transfer. The address is typically calculated by adding one or more address operands specified by the load/store to generate an effective address or virtual address, which may optionally be translated through an address translation mechanism to a physical address of a memory location within the memory. Typically, the address may identify any byte as the first byte to be transferred, and the additional bytes of the multiple byte transfer are contiguous in memory to the first byte and stored at increasing (numerical) memory addresses.
Many processors execute loads/stores speculatively (that is, before the results can be committed to architected state or memory). For stores, the updated bytes are often stored in a queue until the stores can be committed to a data cache (or to memory). Thus, a load may be executed, and one or more bytes updated responsive to a previous uncommitted store in the queue may be accessed responsive to the load. However, since there are various sizes of loads and stores and also since loads and stores of the same size may partially (but not fully) overlap, it is possible that one or more additional bytes that are not updated responsive to the previous uncommitted store may be accessed responsive to the load. For brevity herein, accessing bytes responsive to a load may be referred to as the load accessing bytes. Similarly, updating bytes responsive to a store may be referred to as the store updating bytes.
If a load accesses one or more bytes updated by a previous uncommitted store and also accesses one or more additional bytes not updated by a previous uncommitted store, hardware may be implemented to select the bytes updated by the store from the queue and the additional bytes from another source (such as a data cache) to obtain the bytes accessed by the load. However, such hardware may be complex and expensive to implement. Alternatively, the load may be cancelled and attempted again at a later time, after the previous store is committed. However, such a design may experience a loss of performance due to the delay of the load and due to the resources consumed unnecessarily to execute the load, only to cancel it and wait for subsequent reexecution.


Described is storage system and method for reducing power consumption. The storage system has first and second physical disks configured to provide mirroring. The first physical disk is placed into a power-saving mode of operation, while the second physical disk is in an active mode of operation responding to read and write requests. The first physical disk transitions from the power-saving mode of operation to an active mode of operation for destaging writes pending from cache to the first physical disk, while the second physical disk responds to read and write requests. The second physical disk transitions from the active mode of operation to the power-saving mode of operation, while the first physical disk responds to read and write requests.

Data centers are continuously growing larger, their storage arrays ever expanding in number and in storage capacity. Usually, the data centers configure their storage arrays to operate at optimized input/output (I/O) performance and system response time. Often, though, little or no consideration is given to managing the overall power consumption of the storage system. Thus, the storage systems run continuously at their maximum power consumption. This continuous operation increases the total power dissipated and, consequently, the cost of ownership to the data centers.

Power-saving mechanisms for a dynamic mirror service policy


A method of detecting a user's presence at a workstation is provided. The workstation includes a computer (12) having an operating system (100) that has an interface for communicating with a screen saver (110). The interface provides for screen saver communications intended to selectively result in screen saver activation and screen saver deactivation. The method includes: detecting the screen saver communications; determining that the user is not present at the workstation when the detected communications are intended to result in screen saver activation; and, determining that the user is present at the workstation when the detected communications are intended to result in screen saver deactivation.

It is a common practice to use packet-switched networks, such as IP networks, to connect calls (e.g., voice, data or multimedia calls) between end users. For example, Voice over IP (VoIP) has been developed to permit Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), such as IP telephones, to be connected over an IP network so that end users may exchange voice communications via the connected CPE. Moreover, IP gateways have been developed that bridge IP networks with the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN), a circuit-switched network as opposed to a packet-switched network. That is to say, an IP gateway acts as a point of entry for IP calls into the PSTN, e.g., via a telephone switch, such as a class 5 switch, and vice versa for calls from the PSTN into the IP network.
Other types of real-time communications are also known which utilize an IP or other packet-switched network, e.g., Instant Messaging (IM). Via computers operatively connected to a common network (typically, the Internet), IM permits end users to exchange communications (e.g., text-based messages) with one another over that network in substantially real-time. Commonly, an IM client running on the end user's computer is employed to send and/or receive an IM message. In some cases, IM clients support a kind of presence detection so that end users connected to the network can detect the presence of other end users similarly connected to the network. In this manner, the end users are made aware of who is connected to the network and/or their availability for IM. Such presence detection often relies upon the end user being logged in or out of their IM client, the network, etc. This approach, however, can lead to unreliable detection of an end user's actual state of presence at their computer, e.g., when an end user forgets to log in or out so as to appropriately reflect their actual state of presence at their computer.
Furthermore, the concept of presence detection has not heretofore been suitably extended to IP telephony. Nevertheless, the suitable application of presence detection to IP telephony achieves, in certain instances, desirable results, the benefits and/or advantages of which have not been previously realized.
Accordingly, a new and improved approach to presence detection is disclosed that overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.


There is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. The method includes the successive steps of: (a) providing a semiconductor substrate; (b) forming a plurality of semiconductor chips having electrode pads on the semiconductor substrate; (c) forming internal connection terminals on the electrode pads; (d) forming an insulating layer on the plurality of semiconductor chips to cover the internal connection terminals; (e) forming a metal layer on the insulating layer; (f) pushing a whole area of the metal layer to bring the metal layer into contact with upper end portions of the internal connection terminals; (g) pushing portions of the metal layer which contact the upper end portions of the internal connection terminals, thereby forming first recesses in the internal connection terminals, and thereby forming second recesses in the metal layer; and (h) forming wiring patterns by etching the metal layer.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and, more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, in which upper end portions of internal connection terminals, which are provided to electrode pads of a plurality of semiconductor chips formed on a semiconductor substrate, are electrically connected to wiring patterns.
2. Related Art
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a semiconductor device in the related art.
By reference to FIG. 1, a semiconductor device 100 (e.g., a chip-size package) in the related art includes a semiconductor chip 101, internal connection terminals 102, a resin layer 103, wiring patterns 104, a solder resist 106, and external connection terminals 107.
The semiconductor chip 101 has a sheet-like semiconductor substrate 110, a semiconductor integrated circuit 111, a plurality of electrode pads 112, and a protection film 113. The semiconductor integrated circuit 111 is provided on the surface side of the semiconductor substrate 110. The semiconductor integrated circuit 111 is composed of a diffusion layer, an insulating layer, vias, wirings, and the like. The plurality of electrode pads 112 are provided on the semiconductor integrated circuit 111. The plurality of electrode pads 112 are connected electrically to the wirings provided on the semiconductor integrated circuit 111. The protection film 113 is provided on the semiconductor integrated circuit 111. The protection film 113 is a film for protecting the semiconductor integrated circuit 111.
The internal connection terminals 102 are provided on the electrode pads 112 respectively. Upper surfaces of upper end portions of the internal connection terminals 102 are exposed from the resin layer 103. The upper end portions of the internal connection terminals 102 are connected to the wiring patterns 104. The resin layer 103 is provided to cover the semiconductor substrate 110 on the side on which the internal connection terminals 102 are provided.
The wiring patterns 104 are provided on the resin layer 103. The wiring patterns 104 are connected to the internal connection terminals 102 respectively. The wiring patterns 104 are connected electrically to the electrode pads 112 via the internal connection terminals 102. The wiring patterns 104 have an external connection terminal providing area 104A, on which the external connection terminal 107 is provided, respectively. The solder resist 106 is provided on the resin layer 103 to cover the wiring patterns 104 except the external connection terminal providing areas 104A.
FIG. 2 to FIG. 10 are views showing steps of manufacturing the semiconductor device in the related art. In FIG. 2 to FIG. 10, the same reference symbols are affixed to the same constituent portions as those of the semiconductor device 100 shown in FIG. 1 in the related art.
At first, in steps shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor chip 101 having the semiconductor integrated circuit 111, the plurality of electrode pads 112, and the protection film 113 is formed on the surface side of the semiconductor substrate 110. A thinning process is not applied to the semiconductor substrate 110 yet. Then, in steps shown in FIG. 3, the internal connection terminals 102 are formed on the plurality of electrode pads 112 respectively. In this stage, there is variation in height of the plurality of internal connection terminals 102.
Then, in steps shown in FIG. 4, a flat plate 115 is pushed against the upper end portions of the plurality of internal connection terminals 102, and thus respective heights of a plurality of internal connection terminals 102 are set uniformly. Then, in steps shown in FIG. 5, the resin layer 103 is formed to cover the semiconductor chip 101 and the internal connection terminals 102 on the side on which the internal connection terminals 102 are formed.
Then, in steps shown in FIG. 6, the resin layer 103 is polished until upper surfaces 102A of the upper end portions of the internal connection terminals 102 are exposed from the resin layer 103. At this time, the polishing is carried out until an upper surface 103A of the resin layer 103 is almost same level as the upper surfaces 102A of the upper end portions of the internal connection terminals 102.
Then, in steps shown in FIG. 7, the wiring patterns 104 are formed on the upper surface 103A of the resin layer 103. Then, in steps shown in FIG. 8, the solder resist 106 is formed on the resin layer 103 such that this resist covers the wiring patterns 104 except the external connection terminal providing areas 104A.
Then, in steps shown in FIG. 9, the semiconductor substrate 110 is polished from the back surface side to reduce a thickness of the semiconductor substrate 110. Then, in steps shown in FIG. 10, the external connection terminal 107 is formed on the external connection terminal providing areas 104A respectively. As a result, the semiconductor device 100 is manufactured (see e.g., Japanese Patent No. 3614828).
However, in the method of manufacturing the semiconductor device 100 in the related art, the step of making the height of the plurality of internal connection terminals 102 uniform and the step of exposing the upper surfaces 102A of the plurality of internal connection terminals 102 from the resin layer 103 by polishing the resin layer 103 are required. Therefore, such a problem existed that the number of steps is increased and thus a production cost of the semiconductor device 100 is increased.
Also, upon polishing the resin layer 103, it is difficult to remove the resin layer 103 existing on the upper surfaces 102A of the upper end portions of the internal connection terminals 102 with good precision. Therefore, the resin layer 103 still remains on the upper surfaces 102A of the upper end portions of the internal connection terminals 102. As a result, such a problem existed that adhesion between the internal connection terminals 102 and the wiring patterns 104 is degraded (in the worst case, peeling occurs between the internal connection terminals 102 and the wiring patterns 104), a resistance value between the internal connection terminals 102 and the wiring patterns 104 is increased. Thus, the yield of the semiconductor device 100 is lowered.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device


An actuator for an active roll control system that connects a stabilizer bar with a lower arm may include a screw housing having a space, a power transmitter slidably mounted in an upper interior circumference of the screw housing, and having an upper end portion connected to one end of the stabilizer bar and a lower end portion slidably movable in the space wherein the lower end portion of the power transmitter includes a screw groove and a screw thread is formed at an interior circumference of an inlet portion, a lead screw being inserted in the screw groove of the power transmitter and threaded to the screw thread of the inlet portion and having a screw rotation shaft integrally connected to a lower end thereof, and a drive motor mounted at a lower portion of the screw housing and having a rotation shaft connected to the screw rotation shaft.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuator for an active roll control system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an actuator for an active roll control system that varies torsional rigidity of a stabilizer bar and is capable of actively controlling roll of a vehicle as a consequence that a lead screw in a screw housing converts rotation movement of a motor into linear reciprocal movement and transmits the linear reciprocal movement to a power transmitter connected to one end of the stabilizer bar by a joint.
Description of Related Art
Generally, a suspension system of a vehicle connects an axle to a vehicle body so as to control vibration or impact transmitted from a road to the axle when driving not to be directly transmitted to the vehicle body. Accordingly, the suspension system of a vehicle prevents the vehicle body and freight from being damaged and improves ride comfort.
Such a suspension system, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a chassis spring 101 relieving impact from the road, a shock absorber 103 reducing free vibration of the chassis spring 101 and improving the ride comfort, and a stabilizer bar 105 suppressing roll of a vehicle (it means that a vehicle inclines with reference to a length direction of the vehicle body).
Both sides of the stabilizer bar 105 is mounted at the vehicle body 107, and both ends of the stabilizer bar 105 is mounted at a lower arm 109 or a strut bar (not shown). Therefore, in a case that left and right wheels 111 move to the same direction (upward direction or downward direction), the stabilizer bar 105 does not work. On the contrary, in a case that the left and right wheels 111 move to the opposite direction (one moves upwardly and the other moves downwardly), the stabilizer bar 105 is twisted and suppresses the roll of the vehicle body 107 by torsional restoring force.
That is, when the vehicle body 107 inclines toward a turning axis by the centrifugal force in a case of turning or heights of the left and right wheels is different from each other by bump or rebound of the vehicle, the stabilizer bar 105 is twisted and stabilizes position of the vehicle body by torsional restoring force.
However, a conventional stabilizer bar 105 suppresses inclination of the vehicle or restores the inclined vehicle body 107 by only using torsional restoring force of the stabilizer bar 105, it is difficult to control roll of the vehicle quickly and precisely. In order to solve above-mentioned problem, an active roll control system provided with an actuator having a hydraulic pressure cylinder 113 connected to one end of stabilizer bar 105 and controlling the roll of the vehicle actively is developed.
According to an active roll control system that controls the roll of the vehicle actively by using the hydraulic pressure cylinder 113, one lower arm 109 is connected to one end of the stabilizer bar 105 by a stabilizer link 115 and the other lower arm 109 is connected to the other end of the stabilizer bar 105 by the hydraulic pressure cylinder 113, as shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, the active roll control system stabilizer bar 105 changes torsional rigidity of the stabilizer bar 105 by changing a length between the other end of the stabilizer bar 105 and the lower arm 109.
That is, according to the active roll control system, a lower end of the hydraulic pressure cylinder 113 is connected the other lower arm 109, and an upper end of piston rod 117 of the hydraulic pressure cylinder 113 is connected to the other end of the stabilizer bar 105 by a ball joint 119.
Therefore, an ECU controls a hydraulic pressure system including a valve and a hydraulic pressure pump based on signals output from an acceleration sensor, a vehicle height sensor, and a steering sensor, and improves the roll of the vehicle according to the active roll control system.
Since the conventional active roll control system has the actuator provided with the hydraulic pressure cylinder 113, the hydraulic pressure supply system for supplying and controlling hydraulic pressure including a hydraulic pressure pump, a hydraulic pressure valve, and a hydraulic line is very complex. Thus, an additional bracket 121 is required in order to mount the hydraulic pressure cylinder 113, and the conventional active roll control system has drawbacks in layout.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.


A collection device for a testing system includes a central volume and a trough, adjacent the central volume. The trough is configured with a pour spout such that, as fluid is poured from the collection device, a controlled volume remains in the trough. The trough is configured to receive a portion of a test kit and to apply the controlled volume of the sample to test strips within the test kit. The trough can also include apertures in the wall between the trough and the central volume which allow excess sample to flow back into the cup when the cup is placed upright after pouring and when the test kit is inserted into the trough.

Testing for the presence of controlled substances has been widely used in government and industry for more than fifteen years. The traditional testing method involves collection of a urine sample from a donor, then sending the sample to a central laboratory for testing. A qualitative screening test is performed on the sample and the results of all of the tested samples are reported to the client, although negative results are often reported earlier than positive or inconclusive results. If a test is positive, it is repeated and the results are evaluated by a neutral third party. The target turn-around time for reporting negative results is 24 hours. There are many factors, however, such as sample transport time, lab staffing and daily volume fluctuations that can delay results. Approximately 85–90% of the samples tested for drugs screen negative. There is an industry need to obtain results from negative drug screens more quickly.
In response to this industry need, manufacturers have developed drug screening tests that can be evaluated at the collection sites. Many on-site test kits are designed to work on urine samples. The kit consists of one or more test strips packaged in a plastic housing. Typically, a technician applies a small amount of a urine sample (e.g. three drops) to a predetermined area on the test kit. The urine is then conveyed through the test strip, for example, by capillary action. Certain areas on the test strip are reactive when brought in contact with a specific drug analyte (e.g., Cocaine, THC, PCP). This reaction causes a change in the appearance of the test strip in that local area. The test strips also include a control area which indicates that the urine has been conveyed to all of the test areas and, thus, provides an indication of when the results of the test may be read. After this area indicates a completed test, the technician reads the test strip and reports the result.
With on-site testing, negative drug screens can be reported to the client in a shorter time period than for laboratory tests. There is a growing interest in the use of on-site testing in the retail industry for pre-employment screening. While these test kits have gained widespread use, they are not without problems. First, the indicator for the drug analyte relies on a chemical reaction which may produce a continuum of results depending on the batch from which the test strip was selected, the age of the test strip and what the person being tested ate or drank before being tested. These variations in the indicators may result in one technician reading a result as a negative while another tester would read the same result as being inconclusive. Because all inconclusive tests must be followed up with a laboratory test and that test evaluated by an independent third party, it would be beneficial if a test could be devised which did not rely on human judgement or on the training or experience of the technician administering the test.
Finally, many test kits require the technician to measure a predetermined amount of urine and apply it to the test kit. This may undesirably bring the technician into contact with the urine.


Cyanine compounds represented by the general formula (I) which exhibit decomposition behavior suitable for the optical recording material to be used in optical recording layers of optical recording media for high-speed recording: (I) wherein A and B are each an optionally substituted benzene or naphthalene ring; X is O, S, Se, CR3R4, or NY; at least either of R1 and R2 is a group represented by the general formula (II) or (III) and when only either is a group represented thereby, the other is an organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms; R3 and R4 are each an organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms; Y is hydrogen or an organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms; at least either of Y1 and Y2 is a group represented by the general formula (IV) and when only either is a group represented thereby, the other is hydrogen or an organic group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms; Z is hydrogen, halogeno, or cyano; Anm− is an m-valent anion; m is an integer of 1 or 2; and p is a coefficient capable of keeping the electric charge neutral.

Compounds with intense light absorption in 550 to 620 nm, particularly compounds having a wavelength of absorption maximum (λmax) in 550 to 620 nm, are used as optical recording materials for forming optical recording layers of optical recording media such as DVD-R.
As the above optical recording materials, there are many reports with cyanine compounds having an indole ring since they have merits of high sensitivity and compatibility with high-speed recording. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 report low temperature-decomposable cyanine compounds in which a metallocene-containing group is introduced into a side chain on the nitrogen atom, whereas Patent Document 3 reports low temperature-decomposable cyanine compounds in which a benzyl group is introduced into the position-3. Patent Document 1 also describes use of perchlorate as an anion component of cyanine compounds can further decrease the decomposition temperature.
If the optical recording material used in the optical recording layer of optical recording medium releases large heat on its decomposition, recording properties will be deteriorated due to thermal interference of recording pits. Optical recording materials are, therefore, desired to decompose not only at lower temperature but also less exothermically. For example, cyanine compounds containing perchlorate anion, which is effective for lowering the decomposition temperature, release large heat on decomposition, possibly deteriorating jitter properties of optical recording media.                Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2003-171571        Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2004-195765        Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2003-231359

Cyanine compound and optical recording materials


A dynamoelectric machine is provided with improved connection structure which does not require external leads and which provides an integral ground connection for the dynamoelectric machine. The dynamoelectric machine is a motor, which includes a stator assembly, having a motor winding which is terminated at the winding ends with quick connected terminals. The motor includes at least one end shield. A terminal receptacle is designed to mount internally of the motor endshield. The terminal receptacle includes provisions for holding the ground terminal positionally, and is provided with a spring loading mechanism for loading the receptacle against the endshield. The terminal receptacle has an external latch which receives an associated terminal block in locking arrangement, normally being accompanied with an audible signal. The receptacle preferably is color coded to give a visual indication as to motor rating or identifying different motor types, for example.

This invention relates to dynamoelectric machines and more particularly, to a leadless electric motor. While the invention is described with a particular reference to a unit bearing, shaded pole ac induction motor, those skilled in the art will recognize the wider applicability of the inventive principles disclosed hereinafter.
Dynamoelectric machines, particularly, both ac and dc motors, commonly include a core formed from a plurality of individual laminations. The core has winding receiving slots formed in it, and a winding is positioned on the core along the slots. The physical ends of the windings commonly are connected to internal electrical leads, which in the past have been brought externally of the motor. The leads are used to connect the motor to a source of external electrical energy. More recently, motor manufacturing efforts have been directed toward developing leadless motors. An example of such construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,894, issued May 14, 1991, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The disclosure of the 5,015,894 patent is intended to be incorporated herein by reference. As pointed out in that patent, electrical leads and their interconnection add cost to the motor. Among other reasons for such added cost is the fact that leads inhibit automation of the motor manufacturing process. Elimination of leads would facilitate automation and reduce manufacturing costs. Leadless motors also are more easily shipped, and the ability to simplify the shipping process also leads to reduced costs.
Unit bearing motors also are well known in the art. Specific reference to their construction may be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,209,722 and 4,499,661, the disclosures of which are intended to be incorporated herein by reference. Both patents are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Unit bearing motors are widely used in a number of condenser fan applications, having become ubiquitous in such applications as refrigerators and small room air conditioners.
Because of their wide acceptance in commercial products, certain safety features are required in the motor design. These features include, for example, a ground connection for the motor. Incorporating a ground connection easily in the receptacle design so as to permit automation of the motor manufacturing process is a continuing problem for motor manufacturers.
In addition, because the motor is leadless, and intended for application by original equipment manufacturers' personnel, the receptacle must be designed for foolproof installation of the power leads for the motor. Another problem facing motor manufacturers is the ability easily to color code the motor so that various ratings or motor types may be visually apparent to an OEM. Our invention overcomes these leadless prior art difficulties with a simply constructed, easily automated motor construction.


A method and system, suitable for using an original entertainment file for playing as a ring tone on a communication device (104), is provided. The method includes decrypting (304) a part of the original entertainment file using an authorization key upon receiving an incoming call signal. The part of the original entertainment file is played (306) until the incoming call signal is acknowledged. The method further includes decrypting (308) a remaining part of the original entertainment file using the authorization key after the incoming call signal is acknowledged. The remaining part of the original entertainment file is then encrypted (310) using a local authorization key to form a second entertainment file. The second entertainment file is then stored (312) in the communication device.

Communication devices are widely used as entertainment units through various value-added services. For example, users can download audio and video files, as well as other entertainment files, to their communication devices from the Internet. To restrict access to these entertainment files, Digital Rights Management (DRM) is gaining wide popularity. DRM ensures that only users with valid permissions are able to access protected entertainment files. Typically, users can access protected entertainment files by paying for them. One application of entertainment files is their use as ring tones. Users can periodically change their selected ring tones to, for example, distinguish callers or simply for variety.
There are various existing techniques for playing protected entertainment files as ring tones on communication devices. However, existing techniques involve multilevel authentication of entertainment files, which causes processing delays and inefficient operation. Moreover, by using these existing techniques, users cannot play a DRM protected entertainment file both as a ring tone as well as music unless they purchase one version of the entertainment content for use as a ring tone and another version of the entertainment content for use as music.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements, to help to improve an understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

Method and system for using entertainment files as ring tones


A method and a wash, clean, dry and protect system are provided for easy handling, for washing, cleansing, drying and/or protecting a body part, and for the delivery of water and/or a cleansing solution to a surface area of a human subject. The built-in cleanser assembly is incorporated onto a wash and clean bidet seat system for washing, cleansing, drying and protecting private body parts of the person.

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a wash system with built-in cleanser assembly for the delivery of a cleanser solution to a surface area of a human subject. More specifically, aspects of the present invention provide a method and a wash system with a built-in cleanser assembly for washing and applying a cleaning solution to a region of a human body (e.g., skin, genital or anal area, intimate parts, perianal region) and cleaning thereof.


A method for optical imaging of retinal function comprises an illuminating observing step (S1) of illuminating the retinal region (2) of the rear surface of an eyeball (1) including the macular area and the optic disk with an invisible light (3) and observing the retinal region (2), a stimulating step (S3) of illuminating the retinal region (2) with a visible flash light (4) to stimulate a retinal function including an optic disk's function, an imaging step (S2) of capturing images (A, B) before and after the stimulation of the retinal region (2) illuminated with the invisible light, and a calculating step (S4) of detecting the change of the retinal function of the retinal region from the images (A, B) before and after the stimulation. In the calculating step, the images (A, B) before and after the stimulation are registered in advance, and the change of the retinal function of the retinal region is displayed with an image from the registered images.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to method and apparatus for optical imaging of retinal function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently there are known technologies such as fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, and optical coherent tomography(OCT) as general ophthalmic diagnostic imaging technologies.
The fundus photography is to image a part of the ocular fundus on an optical film or a CCD while illuminating the inside of a patient's eye through the pupil of the eye. Although it is effective to detect hemorrhage of an eye ground, retinal arteriosclerosis, or other abnormalities, it cannot detect the retinal function and the optic disk function.
The fluorescein angiography is to visualize a fluorescent labeling pattern of the microvascular network of the retina by injecting fluorescent agent. Although it is effective to detect defects of a retinal vasculature, it can acquire only indirect information about the retinal function and the optic disk function.
The OCT is to provide an image of the retinal section anatomically. Thus, it does not reflect any functional problem at all.
Therefore, the conventional general ophthalmic diagnostic imaging technologies have been incapable of directly detecting the functional structure of the retina to make use of it for diagnosis or the like.
On the other hand, it is already known that a change is detected in the reflected light intensity of an area where a neural activity arising from stimulation occurs when illuminating a neural tissue such as the cerebral cortex with a light having a certain wavelength. The change is referred to as "intrinsic signal." The "intrinsic signal" indicates an increase of the deoxyhemoglobin level of the blood arising from the neural activity, an increase in a blood flow or a blood volume, or the change in absorption of light caused by a structural change in the neural tissue.
Furthermore, there is known "an optical imaging method" of continuously recording a reflected light intensity by illuminating the neural tissue with a light having a certain wavelength as means for detecting the intrinsic signal. This optical imaging method facilitates the extraction of a two-dimensional functional structure, for example, referred to as an ocular dominance column of monkey primary visual cortex, by mapping the local activities of the neurons.
Moreover, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for optical imaging the functional structure of the retina by applying the optical imaging method to the retina.
"The system and method for noninvasively imaging the retinal function" in the Patent Document 1 relates to a system for imaging the change of reflectance of the retina and the intrinsic change caused by the retinal function. As shown in FIG. 1, the system includes an imaging illuminating unit 52 for illuminating retina 51, a retinal stimulation illuminating unit 53 for inducing a functional response, an imaging device 55 for receiving a light from the retina 51 via a retinal imaging optical system 54, image store means 56 for digitalizing and storing the image received from the imaging device 55, and a computer 57 for controlling the system operations and processing the stored image to output a differential function signal corresponding to the retinal function.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Unexamined PCT Publication No.2002-521115, "System and Method for Noninvasively Imaging Retinal Function"
The means of the above Patent Document 1 constantly illuminates the retina with a near infrared ray to calculate the change of brightness of a retinal image before and after illuminating the retina with a visible light that activates the neurons of the retina. The change of the intrinsic signal, however, is minute (for example, around 0.1%). Thus, to detect the change, there has been a need to give an examinee anesthesia or the like to fix his or her eyeball strictly during recording.
Therefore, when the above method is applied to a conscious examinee (for example, due to earlier diagnosis) without giving anesthesia or the like, it has been hard to detect a minute difference in the intrinsic signal very reliably because of slight movements of the examinee's eyeball that inevitably occur during recording. Moreover, particularly a patient having a disorder in the retina finds difficulty fixing. In this manner, the problem caused by the movements of an eyeball has been serious.
On the other hand, the human retina has a characteristic that the visual functions concentrate on "the macular area" located in the center where an image comes into a focus. Specifically, the macular area, where cone photoreceptors concentrate most intensively, is the most important area to maintain normal sight. Therefore, it is extremely important to image the function of the macular area and the optic disk in the clinical ophthalmology or the retinal physiology.
According to the means in the Patent Document 1 described above, the discoloration or change in hemoglobin caused by stimulation is relatively small. Therefore, it has a problem that it cannot detect the change of the intrinsic signal that genuinely reflects the photoreceptor function of the macular area.

Method and apparatus for optical imaging of retinal function


An axle is disclosed which comprises a beam designed for conventional installation on the load-bearing structure of a vehicle, and has, journalled on its opposite ends, road wheel hubs subject to be steered through a steering actuator and being interlinked by a bevel-gear steering drive, such that their relative angular movements can be synchronized to suit pre-determined transmission parameters; the steering actuator is fully supported on the beam and has a stationary part which is rigid with the beam and independent of the load-bearing structure of the vehicle and a moveable part which is connected to the wheel hubs through the steering drive.

This invention relates to a steering axle for vehicles, being of a type which comprises:
a beam arranged for conventional mounting to the load-bearing structure of a vehicle; PA1 a road wheel hub supported rotatably on each of the two opposite longitudinal ends of the beam; PA1 a steering actuator arranged to act on at least one of said road wheel hubs; and PA1 a steering drive interconnecting the two road wheel hubs to synchronize their relative angular displacements in accordance with pre-determined drive parameters, said steering drive comprising two shafts, synchronously counter-rotating relatively to each other and being rotatively connected to the corresponding one of the hubs through respective angle transfer gear mechanisms, said transfer mechanisms including first and second gears keyed respectively to the end of said shaft next to the corresponding hub and being made rotatively rigid with said hub.
An axle with the above features is known from JP-A-60-1075.
The axle shown in that document is provided with a gear-type steering system operated through a steering actuator for pivoting the road wheel hubs fitted to the opposite ends of the beam.
That actuator is attached to the load-bearing structure of the vehicle and has an output shaft which carries, keyed to its free end, one gear of the steering system. The shaft extends through a bore in the load-bearing structure of the vehicle and a corresponding tubular passageway formed in the respective journal formation on the beam.
A steering axle to that design has a number of drawbacks.
First, the actuator is mounted at a location where it is subject to shocks and may come to harm. This is more likely to occur when the axle is used on such all-terrain vehicles as agricultural tractors, where the probability of shocks is relatively high.
Secondly, with the above construction, relative rotation is allowed to take place both between the actuator shaft and the corresponding journal formation, as well as between the latter and the load-bearing structure of the tractor whereto said actuator is, in turn, attached. The corresponding journal formation of the beam intervenes, therefore, between the actuator shaft and the load-bearing structure of the vehicle, while being mounted to swing with respect to either. Accordingly, the machining tolerances for the different component parts add algebraically to one another, to establish operating conditions that make the required oil-tight fits between the axle beam and the actuator shaft difficult to achieve. This problem is made the more serious by that the standard admissible tolerances for journal formations in the agricultural tractor industry are comparatively large. Further, with that design, the axle tends to steer, even with the steering wheel held still, every time that it is caused to perform swinging movements relatively to the vehicle structure, and this on account of the steering system gears being forced to roll about the actuator gear whenever such a situation of relative oscillation is encountered. Thus, the structure proposed in said document is unsuited to such applications.
It should be also noted that in the axle according to the Japanese Patent the drive which connects the axle shaft to the road wheel hub to drive the latter is of a type comprising a bevel gear pair. This drive arrangement increases the vertical dimension of the axle in the area of swivel connection to the road wheel hubs.
A further consequence of this prior structure is that, as a torque is transferred between the axle shaft and the wheel hub, radial thrust forces appear between the bevel gear pair. The radial thrust is discharged, on the axle shaft side, to a specially provided support which carries, at a location proximate to the corresponding gear, the axle shaft and the corresponding coaxial tubular shaft from the axle steering drive. The structure shown has a first bearing between the axle shaft and the tubular shaft of the steering drive, and a second bearing between the tubular shaft and a supporting flange rigid with the axle beam. It follows that the aforesaid radial thrust will be discharged to the support through the two bearings and the tubular shaft. Due to the frictional resistances that arise unavoidably from the above situation of radial loading, the torque being transferred between the axle shaft and the wheel hub makes an undesirable effect felt on the steering drive. This effect is the more apparent the higher is the torque being transferred through the axle shaft.
Other known axles to more traditional designs are equipped with a steering drive which includes a quadrilateral linkage effective under steer to cause the centers of rotation of the steering axle wheels, respectively on the turn inside and outside, to be coincident. This arrangement has substantially the shape of an isosceles trapezoid whose major base is formed by the axle section included between the two stub axles for the wheel hubs, oblique sides are the steering arms rigid with the respective hubs, and minor base is a rod tying the steering arms together.
With that quadrilateral linkage configuration, the centers of rotation are brought to coincide when the extension lines from the steering arms intersect approximately on the centerline of the rear axle. It follows that this alignment will be dependent on several factors, such as the vehicle wheelbase, tread (as a function of the stub axle spacing), etc. In many cases, however, an axle is manufactured without all the parameters of its ultimate utilization being known, or is intended for installation on vehicles having different parameters, or is of an adjustable type whose adjustments affect the steering geometry. Such axles cannot ensure, therefore, an appropriate steering geometry for every installation and/or adjustment, e.g. every tread adjustment.
In addition, axles of that kind are comparatively bulky constructions due both to the steering arms and the tie rod provided. The intrusive steering arms, by interfering with structural members of the vehicle, may become a limiting factor of the maximum steering angle afforded. Further, the steering arms and tie rod are both subject to shocks and the actions of such environmental agents as dirt, mud, and dust, all apt to deteriorate them over time.
To obviate in part the problems posed by the space requirements, axles are employed which have steering actuators of the double-acting, two-rod hydraulic jack type mounted close against the box-type structure of the axle. The jack rods are swivel-associated with their respective steering arms through struts. This construction, however, makes for inaccurate steering geometry, which frequently results in a small, but perceivable, amount of tyre slip in the radial direction on a turn.


A new plant variety of Chrysanthemum having medium yellow flowers with a maroon eye.

The present invention is directed to a new and distinct variety of Chrysanthemum botanically classified as Dendranthema grandiflora. The varietal denomination of the new chrysanthemum is `Jose Sunset Lady.`
`Jose Sunset Lady` was discovered as a naturally occurring mutation on a single branch in a controlled cultivated planting of the variety `Sunset Lady`, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,924. The new variety has been asexually reproduced by vegetative cuttings in Ventura County, Calif. and the distinguishing characteristics are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.

Chrysanthemum plant named `Jose Sunset Lady`


One object is to reduce a volume occupied by a device disposed in a first space spatially limited to a large degree. An electric actuator diving and controlling device is provided with a drive unit positioned in a first space in a piece of equipment and configured to apply power to an electric actuator and a control unit positioned in a second space in the piece of equipment and configured to transmit, to the drive unit, a power command signal including information related to power to be applied to the electric actuator. The first space having the drive unit positioned therein is limited compared with the second space having the control unit positioned therein.

In a transportation machine such as an aircraft, there is used a mechanical component directly or indirectly driven by an electric actuator such as an electric motor. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-81828 (the '828 Publication) discloses an example in which a hydraulically actuated actuation mechanism configured to drive an elevator of an aircraft is indirectly driven via an electrically operated hydraulic pump. In the '828 Publication, together with a hydraulic pump and an actuator, a driver (an electric motor driving and controlling device) configured to drive and control an electric motor is provided inside a tail plane.
In recent years, it has been requested that a piece of equipment such as an aircraft be further reduced in size. This results in an increased limitation on a space for disposing an electric actuator driving and controlling device therein and increased difficulty in layout designing.

Electric actuator driving and controlling device, and aircraft


An automated knowledge base includes a system identifier and a target version. The system identifier identifies a particular computer system and the target version identifies a target computer program to be installed on the computer system. Configuration information of the particular computer system is retrieved using the system identifier and a warning statement that describes a conflict between the configuration information and the target computer program is identified. A warning document that includes the identified warning statement is generated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally an automated knowledge base. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automated knowledge base that provides information on and instructions for replacing one product with another, with particular applicability to upgrading and downgrading software.
2. Description of the Related Art
A knowledge base is a special kind of database for knowledge management. Generally, knowledge bases consist of explicit knowledge of an organization, including trouble shooting, articles, white papers, user manuals and others. Knowledge bases generally have a carefully designed classification structure, content format, and search engine.
In the software industry, knowledge bases include information on known bugs and incompatibilities of software products, as well as known supported and unsupported hardware. For complex software or for software distributed in a wide variety of environments and hardware configurations, the knowledge base can become quite lengthy. Add to this, the complexity of different versions of a specific software package, or conversions from or to different software vendors, and the knowledge base can become cumbersome even for an expert technician.
For example, in the process of upgrading an operating system, other complex software, or other component, it is necessary to determine the configuration of the system and to make sure that the target version of the software supports the current configuration and that the target version has no conflicts with other software currently installed. If any potential conflicts exist, then a procedure must be formulated to overcome each potential conflict prior to or during the installation of the new software version.
This procedure can be particularly difficult when upgrading a computer operating system where the target operating system must be capable of supporting all the current hardware, as well as have no conflicts with installed software currently on the system. If the hardware is old and no longer supported, then the hardware must be updated. It is also important to ensure that installed software can function with the new operating system. Since there exists a wide variety of computer architectures and system configurations, networking protocols, data storage systems, etc., and since any operating system can support only so many different architectures and so on, the list of incompatibilities can be quite large. Nevertheless, despite the complexities and potential risks of upgrading, there is often a very strong incentive to upgrade, e.g., so that new features and capabilities of newer versions can be leveraged.
A trained technician can refer to a knowledge base and/or other sources of information and formulate a procedure for upgrading a particular system depending on the various dependencies and compatibilities of the new and old software. However, due to the complexities described above, this can be time consuming and prone to errors even for an experienced technician.
There is therefore an unmet need for a system to provide some level of automation to the process of ensuring compatibility and hardware support of new software packages, as well as formulating a procedure for installing new software packages.

Automated compatibility and upgrade/downgrade knowledge base


A tip cleaning assembly for use with an extrusion head of an extrusion-based layered deposition system, the tip cleaning assembly comprising a support component, a purge ledge assembly mounted on the support component, at least one set block mounted on the support component adjacent the purge ledge assembly, and at least one contact head removably mounted on the first set block, where the at least one contact head is configured to engage at least one extrusion tip of the extrusion head.

The present invention relates to extrusion-based layered manufacturing systems for building three-dimensional (3D) objects. In particular, the present invention relates to cleaning assemblies for use with extrusion heads in extrusion-based layered manufacturing systems.
An extrusion-based layered manufacturing system (e.g., fused deposition modeling systems developed by Stratasys, Inc., Eden Prairie, Minn.) is used to build a 3D object from a computer-aided design (CAD) model in a layer-by-layer manner by extruding a flowable build material. The build material is extruded through an extrusion tip carried by an extrusion head, and is deposited as a sequence of roads on a substrate in an x-y plane. The extruded build material fuses to previously deposited build material, and solidifies upon a drop in temperature. The position of the extrusion head relative to the base is then incremented along a z-axis (perpendicular to the x-y plane), and the process is then repeated to form a 3D object resembling the CAD model.
Movement of the extrusion head with respect to the base is performed under computer control, in accordance with build data that represents the 3D object. The build data is obtained by initially slicing the CAD model of the 3D object into multiple horizontally sliced layers. Then, for each sliced layer, the host computer generates a build path for depositing roads of build material to form the 3D object.
In fabricating 3D objects by depositing layers of build material, supporting layers or structures are typically built underneath overhanging portions or in cavities of objects under construction, which are not supported by the build material itself. A support structure may be built utilizing the same deposition techniques by which the build material is deposited. The host computer generates additional geometry acting as a support structure for the overhanging or free-space segments of the 3D object being formed. Support material is then deposited from a second nozzle pursuant to the generated geometry during the build process. The support material adheres to the build material during fabrication, and is removable from the completed 3D object when the build process is complete.
During a build process, residual amounts of build and support materials may seep out of the corresponding extrusion tips after the extrusion processes are halted. These residual materials may interfere with subsequent extrusions, and may also potentially clog the extrusion tips. As such, it is desirable to periodically clean the extrusion head with a cleaning assembly to prevent material buildup in the extrusion tips. Current cleaning assemblies typically require precise calibrations during installation to ensure adequate alignment with the extrusion tips of the extrusion head. Such calibrations are time consuming and require skillful technicians. Thus, when portions of a cleaning assembly are damaged and need replacement, the cleaning assembly typically requires recalibration before being operated. This delays the operation of the extrusion-cleaning layered manufacturing system and may increase service costs. Thus, there is a need for a cleaning assembly that is efficient for cleaning extrusion heads, and is easy to repair with reduced recalibration requirements.


Mobile electronic devices and related methods to achieve an enhanced security level are disclosed. A security module is deeply embedded in a non-open companion chip of the mobile device, wherein the companion chip controls vital functions of the mobile device. Any security technology can be provided by the security module. The security module can, in case of a security violation, disable all vital functions of the companion chip without requiring communicating to other components of the mobile device. The vital functions deployed in the companion chip comprise e.g. system power management or audio functions.

(1) Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to the field of analysis of computer program code and relates in particular to code profiling on stand-alone devices.
(2) Description of the Background
For optimizing software in Microcontrollers it is necessary to debug this software by using Profiling. Code profiling is measuring relatively the number each function is called and its duration. So, if a function A is e.g. 30% of the time active it would be useful for the software engineer to optimize the code in this function. If function B is e.g. 0.05% of the time active, it may be not be necessary to optimize it.
This Code profiling could be performed for several processors, e.g. ARM (a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) instruction set architecture (ISA) developed by ARM Holdings) processors, by a Trace Unit or another debug unit. Debugger software running on a PC use this embedded Trace Unit to do the code profiling and the results are shown on the PC in e.g. graphical way.
But for most of the ultra-low energy (ULE) devices (e.g. DECT and Bluetooth Low Energy devices or other devices having a low duty cycle) such a Trace unit is not available. Such a Trace unit on chip requires too much chip area and is hence too expensive. Therefore code profiling cannot be performed for these devices so far.
Also if this trace unit would be available it would be impossible to do this Code Profiling for an ULE device (or other devices having a low duty cycle), because this device is going to sleep mode for e.g. 20 seconds and wakeups for only e.g. 20 Milliseconds. This wake up time is too short for a debugger to set up its conversation with this ULE device and so the debugger can't use the trace functionality for doing his Code profiling.
Code profiling by setting port pins would also not be always possible because the ULE devices have only a limited amount of output pins. So there would be no pins available to set to '1' and reset to '0' for doing any kind of code profiling.
Therefore code profiling cannot be performed for devices having a short wakeup mode and therefore the code cannot be optimized these days. This could result in too long time spent in wakeup mode. Finally this relative long wake up time results in a shorter standby time of the ULE device.
Therefore there is a need for code profiling tools, which can be applied to devices having a relatively short wakeup time compared to the sleep time (low duty cycle).

Code profiling in embedded ULE applications


An onboard flight management system in an aircraft comprises means for continuously calculating first geolocation data, from data received from at least one external geolocation device, comprising a current position and future positions of an aircraft along a trajectory sequenced in several portions and comprising second data comprising demands required by an international navigation procedure called “Required Navigation Performance”, or RNP, for all the portions of the trajectory. The management system additionally comprises a means for displaying first and second data all the way along the trajectory, the first and second data being represented graphically and simultaneously on the said display means in order to enable the pilot to anticipate the flight characteristics for the aircraft and make them converge toward the required demands of the next trajectory portion.

A Flight Management System, or FMS, is an onboard device on an aircraft. It provides for working out a flight plan on board and its modification in the event, notably, of rerouting. A flight plan is the detailed description of the route to be followed by an aircraft within the framework of a planned flight. It includes notably a chronological sequence of waypoints described by their position, their altitude and their time of overflight. A set of waypoints and the segments connecting them form the reference trajectory to be followed by the aircraft with a view to best adhering to its flight plan. This trajectory is a valuable aid both to the ground control personnel and to the pilot, for anticipating the movements of the aircraft, for example an airplane, and thus ensuring an optimum safety level, notably in the context of the maintaining of inter-aircraft separation criteria.
There are different flight management systems depending on the type of craft and the intended application. However, certain features are common to a majority of flight management systems. Specifically, a flight management system generally comprises a navigation database, a means for recording its flight plan, a performance database for calculating a trajectory and its predictions, guidance means and interfaces on various navigation screens.
FIG. 1 represents a known flight management system 1 comprising:                databases 100 to construct trajectories and procedures, notably the demands required by the "Required Navigation Performance", or RNP, procedure from data included in the databases such as waypoints, markers, trajectory portions called "legs", defined by several navigation parameters or characteristics such as instructions to follow concerning a position, an altitude or a heading, for example "Navigation database NAV DB" (registered trademark),        means 101 for entering geographic elements forming the reference trajectory of the route to be followed, for example "Flight plan FPLN" (registered trademark),        databases 102 containing aerodynamic performance data and aircraft engine data, for example PERF DB, in order to calculate the predictions of altitude, time of passage, fuel consumption along the trajectory,        means 103 for constructing a continuous trajectory from points on the flight plan which meet the performance characteristics of the aircraft and the confinement constraints (RNP), for example "Lateral trajectory TRAJ" (registered trademark),        means 104 for constructing an optimized vertical profile on the lateral trajectory, for example "Prediction PRED" (registered trademark),        means 105 for calculating the geographic position of the aircraft as a function of geolocation means of the GPS (registered trademark) type, Galileo (registered trademark) type, VHF radio beacons type or inertial unit type, for example "Navigation LOCNAV" (registered trademark),        means 106 for guiding the aircraft in the lateral plane and vertical plane on its 3D trajectory, while optimizing speed, for example "GUID" (registered trademark),        means 108 for communicating with control centers 112 and other aircraft, "DATALINK", the control centers 112 including, for example, an air traffic control center (ATC), an airline operation center (AOC), and the like.        a user interface 109 comprising a keypad and at least one screen for entering the required data and displaying the results.
The pilot of the aircraft uses the databases 100 in collaboration with the means 101 for constructing their flight plan and connecting these various waypoints in order to work out the structure of the route to be followed by the aircraft.
The means 103 inserts the structure of the route to be followed, as worked out by the pilot, and combines this with information relating to the aircraft performance characteristics supplied by the databases 100 and 102, thus providing for defining a trajectory which meets the characteristics of the aircraft and the demands required by the RNP procedure. From this trajectory, the means 104 constructs an optimized vertical profile. The means 105 locates the aircraft wherever its position on the terrestrial globe. During the flight, the geolocation data but also the accuracy demands required by international procedures, notably RNP, are transmitted to a means 106 for assisting the pilot or the automatic flight control, enabling the aircraft to be guided on its 4D trajectory. An interface 109 enables the pilot to display this information.
The international procedure called "Required Navigation Performance", or RNP, was first envisaged by the International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, as a means for facilitating changes in airspace. The RNP was created in order that it be possible to specify the conditions to be met as regards airspace and operation, without enduring the constraints of a slow process of equipment and systems specification.
A state in collaboration with industry undertook to update the criteria for using the RNP procedures in order to solve the serious problem of access to airports located in obstacle-rich environments, or during very unfavorable meteorological conditions.
This procedure gives, in addition to the conventional indications, criteria concerning operational aspects to be taken into account for implementing operations in the air: during an engine failure, during an ascent or during a balked landing, for example.
The RNP procedure can bring about considerable advantages from the point of view of operation and safety over other procedures by prescribing an accuracy, an enhanced navigation feature to allow operations using reduced margins for overcoming obstacles which makes the implementation of approach and departure procedures possible in situations where the application of other procedures is not realizable or acceptable from an operational point of view. The RNP procedure provides for taking advantage of lateral and vertical navigation means which improve operational safety and reduce risks of impact without loss of control.
The RNP procedure authorizes, among others, an aircraft to follow a specific trajectory between two points, the trajectory being defined in three dimensions. The RNP procedure prescribes accuracy requirements that the aircraft must adhere to. For example, an RNP requirement 5 indicates that the geolocation means 105 of the aircraft must be capable of calculating the position of the aircraft in a 10 NM wide corridor, where NM means "nautical mile" and 1 nautical mile is equivalent to 1852 m.
During a flight, the geolocation accuracy demand level varies: oceanic airspaces can have an RNP demand of between 4 and 10 NM, at the start of an approach toward an airport, and RNP demands are generally between 1 and 0.5 NM and between 0.3 and 0.1 NM for precision approaches. The increase in the accuracy demand level provides for defining a trajectory in three dimensions composed of straight lines and curves in an environment with high traffic density, around areas sensitive to noise or through a difficult terrain.
The accuracy demand level required can be defined in a configuration file of the flight management system, manually by the pilot or according to the database 100 present in the flight management system. The accuracy level can also be defined by default according to whether the space flown over by the aircraft is of the oceanic type or an airport, for example.
In order to be able to follow the demands of the RNP procedure, the navigation means 105 must be capable of calculating the position of the aircraft with the required accuracy level. The guidance means 106 must also ensure a guidance capability with the same accuracy.
The accuracy level of the guidance is fixed and known for a given aircraft; however, the accuracy level calculated on the position of the aircraft varies during a flight according to whether the aircraft flies over an airport or an oceanic environment.
This is because external satellite navigation devices 111 of the Global Positioning System (GPS) type have different coverage levels depending on the geographic area in question. The same applies for radio navigation means. As regards inertial means, they suffer from the problem of inertial drift inherent to these systems.
It is down to the pilot of the aircraft to ensure that their aircraft is capable of adapting according to the demands required by the RNP procedure.
Presently, the accuracy level required with respect to the current accuracy level is not easily accessible by the pilot. Furthermore, it is known by the pilot only relative to the current position of the airplane, without a true link with the trajectory.

System for anticipating required navigation performance


A linear motion guide device includes a slider slidably attached onto a guide rail, an end cap and a wiper device attached to each side of the slider, the wiper device includes two wiping members to be easily and detachably attached to each of the end cap without tools and fasteners. The wiping members each include one or more projections or one or more latches for engaging with the end cap and for anchoring and positioning the wiping members to the end cap without tools and fasteners. The end cap includes a space separated into two chambers and for receiving the wiping members respectively. The wiping members each include a soft wiping portion for resiliently engaging with the guide rail.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a linear motion guide apparatus, and more particularly to a linear motion guide apparatus including a wiper designed and arranged to be easily and readily attached to or disengaged from the linear motion guide apparatus without additional tools.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical linear motion guide devices comprise a slider or slide block slidably attached onto a guide rail, and normally, a ball bearing device disposed between the slider and the guide rail for facilitating the sliding movement between the slider and the guide rail and for allowing the slider and the guide rail to be smoothly moved relative to each other.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,722 to Yuasa et al. discloses one of the typical linear motion rolling guide units comprising a slider or slide block slidably attached onto a guide rail, and one or more end seals or wiper devices attached onto the slide block or the end caps and having a soft rubber lips or lip portions for engaging with the guide rail and for making a tight seal between the slide block and the guide rail and for wiping off the dust or particles or the like that may be engaged into the space formed between the slide block and the guide rail.
However, the dust proof wipers or end seals are solidly secured onto the end cap or the slide block with four or more fasteners, and it will also take a long time to fasten and to unfasten the fasteners onto and from the dust proof seal. In addition, the dust proof wipers or end seals should be slightly bent or twisted for allowing the dust proof wipers or end seals to be attached onto and engaged with the guide rail.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,146 to Lee discloses another typical linear motion rolling guide device also comprising a slider or slide block slidably attached onto a guide rail, and a dust proof seal attached onto the slide block and having a soft rubber member for engaging with the guide rail and for making a tight seal between the slide block and the guide rail and for wiping off the dust or particles or the like that may be engaged into the space formed between the slide block and the guide rail.
However, similarly, the dust proof seal is normally solidly secured onto an end cap or the slide block with four or more fasteners, and it takes a long time to fasten and to unfasten the fasteners onto and from the dust proof seal. In addition, the dust proof seals may only be attached or engaged onto the guide rail from the end portion of the guide rail.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,724 to Lee et al. discloses a further typical linear motion rolling guide device also comprising a slider or slide block slidably attached onto a guide rail, and a wiper member attached onto the slide block and having a soft rubber member for engaging with the guide rail and for making a tight seal between the slide block and the guide rail, and a frame provided for receiving or securing the end caps and the wiper members.
However, the wiper members and the end caps are required to be received and secured in the frame, such that the end caps and the wiper members also may only be attached or engaged onto the guide rail from the end portion of the guide rail, and the wiper members may not be easily and quickly attached or engaged onto the end caps.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional linear motion guide devices.