A transparent composite composition is provided which comprises an epoxy resin (a) and a glass filler (b) and in which the epoxy resin (a) comprises at least one epoxy resin whose refractive index after curing is lower than the refractive index of the glass filler (b) and at least one epoxy resin whose refractive index after curing is higher than the refractive index of the glass filler (b). The transparent composite composition of the invention has a low coefficient of linear expansion and is excellent in transparency, heat resistance and solvent resistance, among others and, therefore, is judiciously used, for example, in the form of liquid crystal display device substrates and organic EL device substrates (in particular of the active matrix type) and, further, transparent sheets, optical lenses, color filter substrates, solar cell substrates, touch panels, optical devices, optical waveguides, LED sealing materials and so forth.

Those display panel or device substrates (in particular of the active matrix type) for use in liquid crystal display devices and organic EL display devices, color filter substrates, solar cell substrates and the like which are made of glass are generally in wide use. In recent years, however, for the reasons that glass sheets are breakable, inflexible, high in specific gravity and unsuited to weight reduction, various plastics materials have been investigated as substitutes therefor. For example, Laid-open Japanese Patent Application (JP Kokai) H06-337408 and JP Kokai H07-120740 describe transparent resin substrates for liquid crystal display devices as made of curing products obtained by curing an epoxy resin composition comprising an epoxy resin, an acid anhydride type curing agent and a curing catalyst. However, these prior art plastics materials as substitutes for glass are high in coefficient of linear expansion as compared with glass sheets and, when used as active matrix display device substrates, in particular, they may cause such problems as warping and aluminum wiring breaking in the production process and, accordingly, it is difficult to apply them to such fields of use. Thus, plastics materials satisfying the transparency, solvent resistance, liquid crystal resistance and heat resistance requirements, among others, imposed on display device substrates, in particular active matrix display device substrates and, at the same time, showing a small coefficient of linear expansion are demanded.
For reducing the coefficient of linear expansion, attempts have been made in the art to produce composite materials by incorporating an inorganic filler, such as a glass powder or glass fiber, in resins. In the case of such resin-inorganic filler composite materials, however, the transparency of the substrates is often impaired. The main cause is the difference in refractive index between the inorganic filler and resin, which causes diffused refraction of the light passing through the resin.
To solve such problems, various investigations have already been made to attain transparency by matching the refractive index of the resin with that of the inorganic filler. Various epoxy resin compositions rendered transparent by refractive index matching for use in photosemiconductor devices have been reported. For example, JP Kokai H04-236217 discloses a light-transmitting epoxy resin composition comprising an acid anhydride-cured epoxy resin and a filler substantially identical in refractive index to the resin. However, the fillers used in the prior art photosemiconductor device materials are special ones given a controlled refractive index by adjusting the silica-titania composition. Accordingly, it is demanded that technologies be developed for providing such resin compositions usable in a wider range of application fields by utilizing general-purpose glass fillers.


An on-screen display unit solves a problem of a conventional on-screen display unit. The conventional unit cannot implement a moving display of an image with a small amount hardware. The novel on-screen display unit includes a first memory for storing the image code of each of images to be displayed. A second memory stores font data of the images. A latch circuit stores information indicating one of a moving display ON mode and a moving display OFF mode. A line memory stores at least one horizontal line image. An image data generating unit generates image data to be stored in the line memory. A selector selects output data from the second memory when the latch circuit stores information indicating the moving display OFF mode and selects output data from the line memory when the latch circuit stores information indicating the moving display ON mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display unit for displaying characters and graphics on its screen.
2. Description of Related Art
There are roughly two methods of displaying characters and graphics on a screen: One is a character based on-screen display (abbreviated as character OSD from now on); and the other is a bitmapped on-screen display (abbreviated as bitmapped OSD from now on). Although the character OSD has a feature of achieving the character display with rather small hardware, it cannot implement moving display in which characters and graphics move from time to time, thus imposing limitations on display capability. In contrast, the bitmapped OSD has enhanced display capability, making it possible to implement the moving display such as graphics display, although it requires a large capacity display memory, and increases the scale of hardware.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional character OSD unit, in which the reference numeral 1 designates a CPU for carrying out overall control of the unit; 2 designates a font ROM for storing font data; 3 designates an OSD RAM for storing character codes and the like; 4 designates a control signal generator for generating control signals required for operating respective blocks; 5 designates a main memory for storing programs for operating the CPU 1; 6 designates a latch circuit for latching the output signal of the font ROM 2 in accordance with one of the control signals generated by the control signal generator 4; 7 designates a shift register for delivering the output of the latch circuit 6 in accordance with one of the control signals generated by the control signal generator 4; and 8 designates an OSD RGB circuit for coloring data output from the shift register 7.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating details of the control signal generator 4 in FIG. 11. In FIG. 12, the reference numerals 9-24 each designate a control register for controlling each block; 25 designates a horizontal synchronizing signal pulse counter for counting pulses of a horizontal synchronizing signal H-SYNC after being reset by a vertical synchronizing signal V-SYNC; 26 designates a comparator for comparing the output value of the horizontal synchronizing signal pulse counter 25 with the outputs of the control registers 9-24 of the blocks; 27 designates a latch circuit for latching the display block number output from the comparator 26; 28 designates a frequency divider for dividing the horizontal synchronizing signal H-SYNC; 29 designates a vertical line counter for counting the divided horizontal synchronizing signal H-SYNC; and 30 designates a horizontal control signal generator for generating from a display clock signal a horizontal display character number, an OSD RAM access signal, a font ROM access signal, a shift register latch signal, a latch signal, and the like.
Next, the operation will be described.
First, setting of registers and others will be explained. In accordance with a program stored in the main memory 5, the CPU 1 first sets the control registers 9-24 of the blocks in the control signal generator 4. The control registers 9-24 store data such as vertical display start positions of respective blocks 1-16. Subsequently, the CPU 1 stores each character code of characters to be displayed at an address in the OSD RAM 3 corresponding to a desired display position (in terms of an n-th character position of an m-th block). Afterward, it starts display by setting a particular bit in the control signal generator 4 for controlling the start of the display.
Next, decision of the display start position in the vertical direction will be described. Having been reset by the vertical synchronizing signal V-SYNC, the horizontal synchronizing signal pulse counter 25 counts the pulses of the horizontal synchronizing signal H-SYNC. The comparator 26 sequentially compares the count value of the horizontal synchronizing signal pulse counter 25 with each value of the vertical display start positions stored in the control registers 9-24 every time the horizontal synchronizing signal H-SYNC is supplied, and outputs a vertical position matched signal when they agree with each other. Thus, the display block number is latched in the latch circuit 27, and the latched display block number is supplied to the OSD RAM 3.
Once the vertical display start position has been determined, the vertical position matched signal, activates the horizontal control signal, generator 30 which generates in accordance with the display clock signal the horizontal display character number, OSD RAM access signal, font ROM access signal, shift register latch signal, display clock 1, and latch signal.
The display block number stored in the latch circuit 27 and the horizontal display character number output from the horizontal control signal generator 30 are supplied to the OSD RAM 3 as its address. Thus, the OSD RAM 3 reads the character code to be displayed in response to the OSD RAM access signal. The character code is input to the font ROM 2 and serves as the address of the font ROM 2 along with the count value of the vertical line counter 29. The font ROM 2 outputs the font data in response to the font ROM access signal, and the latch circuit 6 holds the font data.
Having been reset by the vertical position matched signal, the vertical line counter 29 counts the signal generated by dividing the horizontal synchronizing signal H-SYNC by the frequency divider 28. Its dividing ratio varies depending on the vertical dimension of a display character. The shift register 7 stores the font data held in the latch circuit 6 in response to the shift register latch signal. The shift register 7 shifts the font data in serial fashion in response to the display clock signal 1 generated by dividing the original display clock signal in accordance with the horizontal character dimension. The font data output from the shift register 7 is colored by the OSD RGB circuit 8 whose color information necessary for the coloring is stored in the OSD RAM 3. Details of the color information will be omitted here because it has no direct bearing on the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a timing chart showing the operation of the conventional character OSD. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the font data fed from the font ROM 2 is latched in response to the signal indicating the horizontal display character number, and is output from the shift register 7.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a bitmapped OSD unit for carrying out the OSD by writing data into a frame memory in the bitmapped fashion. In FIG. 14, the reference numeral 51 designates a CPU for controlling the overall operation of the unit; 52 designates a font ROM for storing font data; 53 designates a frame memory having a memory capacity matching the pixel numbers on a desired display screen; 54 designates a main memory for storing programs and data for operating the CPU 51; 55 designates a first in first out memory (abbreviated as FIFO from now on) for storing data output from the frame memory 53; 56 designates a color palette for converting display data to color data; and 57 designates a D/A converter for converting a digital output from the color palette 56 to an analog signal and outputs it.
Next, the operation of the conventional bitmapped OSD unit shown in FIG. 14 will be described.
The CPU 51 operates in accordance with the programs stored in the main memory 54. First, the CPU 51 reads the font data stored in the font ROM 52, processes the font data, and transfers the font data to the frame memory 53. Alternatively, the CPU 51 generates font data in accordance with the program stored in the main memory 54, and stores the font data in the frame memory 53. Since the frame memory 53 corresponds to the display screen, the CPU 51 must store the font data in addresses corresponding to their display positions on the screen when storing them in the frame memory 53. The display data set in the frame memory 53 are sequentially transferred to the FIFO memory 55 in the order to be displayed. The FIFO memory 55 shifts the data in response to the display clock signal, and transfers the data to the color palette 56 at a constant rate. The display data output from the color palette 56 is fed to the D/A converter 57 which converts the display to analog data.
It is impossible for the conventional character OSD unit as shown in FIGS. 11-13 to achieve the moving display of the characters and graphics. Although the bitmapped OSD unit as shown in FIG. 14 can achieve the moving display of the characters and graphics, it requires a large capacity frame memory. For example, it requires 25.6 kilobytes to display a text of 16 lines high by 40 characters wide, with each font data of one character consisting of 20 dots high by 16 dots wide with two colors. Thus, the frame memory occupies much of the hardware when implementing the bitmapped OSD unit in an on-chip system.
In short, it is necessary for the conventional on-screen display unit and image display method to have a large capacity frame memory to achieve the moving display of the characters and graphics because of its configuration.

Method and system for displaying static and moving images on a display device

Mitsubishi Electric System LSI Design Corporation


In a skin of a robot, it is configured to have a plurality of tactile sensors discretely installed on a base, a first member disposed on the tactile sensors, the first member being continuously formed, at its surface facing the tactile sensors, with projections which are tapered toward the respective tactile sensors as viewed in cross-section to be capable of pressing each of the tactile sensors, and a second member that is disposed on the first member and is made of a material being lower in rigidity than a material of the first member. With this, the skin is equipped with the second member as a soft skin surface and it becomes possible to reliably detect a point of action or distribution of a load applied through the skin surface, thereby enabling to reliably estimate a point in contact with an external object.

Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Reference 1, there is proposed a robot skin equipped with tactile sensors discretely allocated at intervals on a base, an internal skin (first member) made of a high-stiffness material that is located on the tactile sensors to fully cover them and an external skin (second member) made of a low stiffness material having high coefficient of friction that is located on the internal skin to cover it, which is configured to use the tactile sensors to detect a load generated by a contact with an external object through the internal skin.
Patent Reference 2 discloses a robot skin that is equipped with matrix-arranged tactile sensors installed on an outer surface (base) and a pseudo skin (first member) made of silicon and located on the tactile sensors, and is configured to detect a load generated by a contact with an external object based on changing amount of capacitance. In the technique taught in Patent Reference 2, the pseudo skin is bored by holes of convex shape in section at a layer above a sensing point where comb electrodes of the tactile sensors intersect, projections having the same shape are each inserted therein, and ends of the projections are projected from the pseudo skin surface to be able to contact with an external object, such that a load from the external object acts on the sensing point through the projections.    Patent Reference 1: Japanese Patent Publication Hei 7 (1995)-8477    Patent Reference 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-230532


A system for lacquer transfer is disclose having a device for lacquer transfer. The device includes a frame, a transfer roller with a circumferential lateral wall, and a slit nozzle for dispensing lacquer. The slit nozzle is connected to the frame. An outside contact surface of the lateral wall includes several depressions. The transfer roller is mounted rotatably to the frame. The slit nozzle is arranged contactless to or in direct contact with the outside contact surface of the lateral wall for dispensing lacquer into respective depressions in the lateral wall while the transfer roller is rotated. The transfer roller is configured to roll with the outside contact surface on a work surface of a work piece for transferring the lacquer from the depressions to the work surface.

The present disclosure relates to a system for lacquer transfer to a work surface, in particular to an aerodynamic surface component of an aircraft, such as an outer surface component of a wing. The disclosure also relates to a method for lacquer transfer by such a system.
The system comprises at least one device for lacquer transfer. The device comprises a frame, a transfer roller with a circumferential lateral wall, and a nozzle in the form of a slit nozzle with a muzzle end for dispensing lacquer. The slit nozzle is directly or indirectly connected to the frame. An outside contact surface of the lateral wall comprises several depressions. The transfer roller is mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation at the frame. The slit nozzle is arranged contactless to or in direct contact with the outside contact surface of the lateral wall for dispensing lacquer into respective depressions in the lateral wall while the transfer roller is rotated about the axis of rotation. The transfer roller is configured to roll with the outside contact surface on a work surface of a work piece for transferring the lacquer from the depressions to the work surface of the work piece.
A similar system for lacquer transfer is known from WO 2015/155 128 A1.
In the known systems for lacquer transfer the frame is connected to a robot arm, so that lacquer is transferred to the work piece by moving the device with the robot arm along the work surface. However, it is very complex to achieve a high quality of lacquer transfer when the device is moved and transferring lacquer at the same time, specifically when the work piece has large dimensions and a complex shape, such as aircraft surface parts often do.


A color conversion film is provided. The film includes at least one narrow band emission phosphor dispersed within a binder matrix, wherein the narrow band emission phosphor has a D50 particle size from about 0.1 μm to about 15 μm and is selected from the group consisting of a green-emitting U6+-containing phosphor, a green-emitting Mn2+-containing phosphor, a red-emitting phosphor based on complex fluoride materials activated by Mn4+, and a mixture thereof. A device is also provided.

The subject matter described herein relates generally to ink formulations for phosphor materials and more particularly, for forming color conversion films or layers for lighting and display applications.
Narrow band emission phosphor materials achieve high color quality in lighting and displays based on LEDs. Next generation displays may incorporate mini-LEDs and microLEDs having active areas of 10,000 μm2 or less that are capable of generating light visible to the human eye at very low drive currents. Mini-LEDs are LEDs with a size of about 100 μm to 0.7 mm. For micro-LEDs, the displays may be self-emissive or include miniaturized backlighting and arrayed with individual LEDs smaller than 100 μm.
New methods of applying phosphor materials onto the miniaturized μm-sized LED elements need to be developed to enable the full potential of mini-LED and micro-LED technologies. Coating and printing films, such as ink jet printing, spin coating or slot die coating of phosphor materials is being developed to prepare LEDs including small size LEDs.
Ink jet printable ink has been prepared using quantum dots. Quantum dot material has nanometer particle sizes with a strong absorption coefficient. Quantum dots suffer from low quantum efficiency (QE) and poor thermal stability, which significantly limit their practical applications.
Phosphors have improved properties over quantum dot materials. Phosphors for use with small size LEDs must have a correspondingly small size. Printing and coating compositions require stable dispersions and phosphor materials with common organic solvents can create sedimentation or phase separation which is undesirable for subsequent coating and printing processes. Also, phosphor materials with small particle sizes tend to agglomerate when mixed with commonly used solvents making it unsuitable for ink compositions or formulations.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Films with narrow band emission phosphor materials


Methods and apparatus are described for marine asset security and tracking (MAST). A method includes transmitting identification data, location data and environmental state sensor data from a radio frequency tag. An apparatus includes a radio frequency tag that transmits identification data, location data and environmental state sensor data. Another method includes transmitting identification data and location data from a radio frequency tag using hybrid spread-spectrum modulation. Another apparatus includes a radio frequency tag that transmits both identification data and location data using hybrid spread-spectrum modulation.

1. Field of the Invention
An embodiment of the invention relates generally to the field of security and tracking. More particularly, an embodiment of the invention relates to marine asset security and tracking (MAST).
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The worldwide ocean-going freight transportation infrastructure, known as the Marine Transportation System (MTS), is under stress from several fronts including: terrorism, antiquated technology, environmental restrictions, just-in-time manufacturing practices, overlapping state/federal/local jurisdictions, and a lack of basic technological infrastructure. Terrorist attacks may likely focus on economic terrorism to affect change in the modern world. One need only look to the open movement of containerized cargo to find simple, effective, and efficient means of large-scale economic damage (RFID Journal, 2003). The destruction, or the stoppage of flow at a few key ports could damage our economy and cripple the nation in a matter of weeks (Flynn, 2003). Consequently, there is a need to develop and deploy tracking and monitoring technologies at the container level to help secure the global supply chain and the critical port facilities that service the economic well-being of our nation and other nations (Gills and McHugh, 2002; Bonner, 2002; Verton, 2002).
A port is an assemblage of many facilities, entities and functions including: federal stakeholders (e.g., U.S. Customs, Coast Guard, DOD, TSA, FBI, etc.), state government stakeholders (e.g., Ports Authority, State Law Enforcement, Emergency Preparedness, etc.), and local stakeholders (e.g., local law enforcement, local fire departments, port security, and commercial terminal operators, labor unions, etc.). Developing additional facilities to network the critical components of operations at each port to provide for port security/management and ship/cargo security/tracking/management will aid in efficient use and safety of each port. Ultimately, these local port facilities should be linked to a regional center and/or national center with potential for international expansion. Consequently, there is a need to adopt technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS), global satellite communications, the internet, and wireless monitoring/tracking/security infrastructure in managing/securing the modern supply chain preferably with an open systems architecture to allow multiple public and private entities to participate.
Shipping via the Marine Transportation System (MTS) totaled $480 billion in cargo and contributed $750 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product in calendar year 1999, and the current volume of domestic maritime shipping is expected to double (USDOT, 1999) over the next 20 years. International maritime shipping is expected to triple over the same time period (Prince, 2001). Many port facilities are under economic stress from the above-noted several fronts, including antiquated technology, environmental restrictions, just-in-time manufacturing practices, overlapping federal/state/local jurisdictions, and the lack of basic technological infrastructure to orchestrate a secure and efficient container management system. In addition, land competition and environmental regulations will restrict the geographic expansion of most current port facilities. The information systems tasked with managing containers are still largely dependent on manual data entry. Consequently, there is a need for automated technology solutions to increase efficiency and security in port facilities (Gills and McHugh, 2002; Verton, 2002; Gillis, 2002).
In addition to concerns about MTS economic inefficiencies, the MTS currently has an unprecedented emphasis on homeland security. In 2001, 5.7 million containers entered the U.S. via the MTS (Gills and McHugh, 2002). U.S. Customs inspects less than 2% of these containers manually, relying on intelligence to "profile" containers. The Coast Guard and U.S. Customs do not have the manpower or resources to manually search each container entering the U.S., and doing so would bring the supply chain to a catastrophic halt (Loy, 2002). Intelligent profiling of cargo and containers is critical to securing the global supply chain and enabling legitimate commerce. Tracking and monitoring would provide better data from which to build intelligent profiles. Therefore, there is a need for investment in appropriate tracking and monitoring technology as the key to increased security and economic efficiency (Flynn, 2003).
A key concern with containerized cargo transportation is the relative ease with which a thermonuclear device or radioactive material for a "dirty bomb" could be smuggled into the target country in a shipping container. A significant specific problem for Homeland Security is the potential shipping of radioactive material for a "dirty bomb" into the United States in a shipping container. The standard marine shipping container has become the dominant method of importing and exporting goods worldwide. The number of containers arriving and departing from US ports each day is so large that only an extremely small fraction is ever inspected. Since only a small fraction of containers can ever be inspected, some method must be employed to "flag" containers for inspection. Locating sensor portals through which each container must pass at each port facility is considered unrealistic. Such a bottle neck could cost the US economy billions of dollars each day. Employing a radiation sensor in, on or near the cargo container to look for elevated levels of radiation would be one method of flagging containers.
However, there are problems with existing radiation sensors that have been proposed for shipping containers. First, existing radiation sensors must use power during the dose integration (active sensing) time. Existing active radiation sensors must either utilize very short integration times, thus reducing sensitivity, or they will use up their available battery power long before the end of the service life of the container. Replacing batteries requires maintenance personal time, coordination between the maintenance schedule and the physical location of the container and logistical support. There is a need for radiation sensors with a much longer unattended service life.
Second, existing active radiation sensors do not make the dose integration data available for secure and uninterrupted monitoring of the each container. Reading the dose integration data requires that the individual sensors be removed and read, or at least individually read, leading to the same problems of costly maintenance personal time, coordination between the data collection schedule and the physical location of the container and logistical support. There is a need for radiation sensors that make the dose integration data automatically and remotely available for intelligent profiling and analysis.
Third, existing active radiation sensors are prone to false alarms. Existing active radiation sensors cannot discriminate between different types of radiation leading to false alarms from substances used for medical diagnosis and even from benign cargo such as bananas which naturally contain concentrations of ionizing radiation substances (e.g., potassium). There is a need for more sophisticated and discriminatory radiation sensors.
Heretofore, the requirements of container-level tracking and monitoring by long-life sensors, making the critical data automatically and remotely available for intelligent profiling and analysis and reducing false alarms have not been met. What is needed is a global container security and asset (ship and cargo) tracking system that satisfies (preferably simultaneously all of) these requirements.

Marine asset security and tracking (MAST) system


A fan voltage regulation control device includes a voltage regulation control unit for providing the power to a heat-dispersing fan, wherein the voltage regulation control unit is connected to a temperature detecting element and a voltage detecting unit. The temperature detecting element may influence the output power from the control unit to the fan, and through the voltage detecting unit, an input current to the fan can be maintained for providing overload and overheated protections.

Heat consumption always happens in electronic products, and the scale of heat consumption of electronic element influences the heat dispersal inside the electronic product. However, since the size of electronic product is getting smaller owing to the technology development, a better heat-dispersing device must be used. Therefore, the design of the control device for the heat-dispensing fan which is installed in the electronic product has become an importance in the industry. Furthermore, because the modern electronic product requests more efficient heat dispersion, the control circuit of the heat-dispersing fan also relatively demands a better efficiency. Thus, the design of the voltage regulating control circuit for the heat-dispensing fan also means a lot in the industry.
The methods for controlling the heat dispersion of the electronic device can be divided into manual-control mode and auto-control mode. References to the manual-control mode are as disclosed in R.O.C. Patent Publication Nos. 527090, 545624 etc., and references to the auto-control mode are as disclosed in R.O.C. Patent Publication No. 420326, R.O.C. Patent Nos. M241884, M250225 etc. However, no matter the auto-control or the manual-control mode, both can be concluded as FIGS. 1 and 2. Currently, the proposed control modes are mainly achieved by utilizing a temperature sensing element, such as thermistor, to constantly detect the temperature coefficient of the environment inside the electronic device as the electronic device is operated, and then changing the driving electricity inputted to the heat-dispersing fan by altering the impedance of the temperature sensing element or altering the wire resistance in the shunt circuit according to the coefficient variation. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotation speed and the temperature have a linear relationship, but this kind of control mode still might cause an unstable voltage supply. Generally, the heat-dispersing fan of a power supplier not only provides the heat-dispersing function for the electronic element inside the power supplier, but also has to exhaust the heat produced by other electronic devices in the computer (such as CPU, hard disk etc.). Therefore, the position of the power supplier and the quantity or position of other electronic devices will influence the direction and temperature of the wind guided by the heat-dispersing fan, the noise caused by wind shearing, and also the efficiency of heat-dispersion. Furthermore, owing to the influence of temperature rising, falling and current variation, the temperature sensing element might have problems of heat consumption and material carbonation which may cause the current hard to control.
Besides, the position of the temperature sensing element and the heat current direction inside the casing are also important. The relationship therebetween may influence the supplied current to the heat-dispersing fan so as to indirectly cause the rotation speed thereof unstable and therefore a rotation noise. Currently, for most computer products, such as personal computer, server computer, or barebone computer, the advantage thereof is quiet as operating. However, if the heat-dispersing fan has an unstable current input or fluctuant power input, the rotation of the fan may be influenced to generate shearing noise; or if the current transiently rises or falls, the rotation speed may have a transient which also causes the noise. Therefore, the voltage control of heat-dispersing fan in the prior art is unstable and still can be improved.


An image capture device and a converter lens assembly thereof are provided. The image capture device includes a mobile phone and the converter lens assembly wherein the converter lens assembly is connected to the mobile phone. The converter lens assembly includes a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens and a fifth lens, all of which are arranged in sequence from an object side to an image side along an optical axis. The first lens is with positive refractive power. The fourth lens is with positive refractive power. The converter lens assembly satisfies the condition: 1<|f1/f2|<2 and/or the condition: 1<|f345/f2|<2, wherein f1 is the effective focal length of the first lens, f2 is the effective focal length of the second lens, f345 is the effective focal length of the combination of the third lens, the fourth lens and the fifth lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image capture device and converter lens assembly thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most current mobile phones have photographic function. Some mobile phones can take photos with image resolution up to 8 megapixels or even more than 8 megapixels that is capable of generating good image quality. However, most imaging lenses of mobile phones are fixed focal length lenses because of the slim trend. Very few mobile phones have zoom lenses but are not popular among people because they are thicker and not easy to carry.
In view of this, a converter lens has been developed enabling a lightweight and slim mobile phone to have a zooming function. When in use, one end of the converter lens assembly is connected to the lens of a mobile phone and then a zoom lens is connected to the other end of the converter lens assembly. However, the image taken by the mobile phone with the zoom lens externally connected thereto is still unsatisfying in quality and the brightness of image edge is obviously lower.

Image capture device and converter lens assembly thereof


An average write speed M is calculated by averaging write speeds for blocks of a tentative block size La, and write speed variation σ of the blocks with respect to the average write speed M is calculated (Step S12). A maximum speed Vmax is calculated by accelerating and then decelerating (or decelerating and then accelerating) a stage when moving the stage by the width of one of the blocks of the tentative block size La (Step S13). When the relationship “Vmax−M≧σ” does not hold, the tentative block size La is increased (Step S15). When the relationship “Vmax−M≧σ” holds, the tentative block size La is set as an optimal block size Lb (Step S16).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for charged-particle beam writing.
2. Background Art
With larger-scale integration of semiconductor devices, their circuit patterns are being further reduced in size. The formation of microscale circuit patterns on semiconductor devices necessitates the use of high-precision original patterns (i.e., reticles or photomasks), which are fabricated with the use of an electron-beam writing apparatus with high resolution.
Such an electron-beam writing apparatus uses write data that specifies the shapes and positions of circuit patterns to generate shot data for each of strip-shaped writing areas. To write the patterns included in the shot data, the apparatus generates data for each of its main deflector and sub-deflector. The apparatus then actuates its DAC-integrated amplifiers to perform digital-to-analog conversion on each of the deflector data and amplify the resultant signals. Thereafter, the apparatus applies the signals to the main deflector and sub-deflector, thereby writing circuit patterns on a sample.
Pattern writing onto a sample is performed while the apparatus continuously moves its sample stage in X directions. One method for shortening the write time is variable stage speed writing in which the writing system performs writing while varying the speed of its sample stage based on shot density.
A known method for stage speed calculation is to calculate a stage speed for each compartment area (hereinafter abbreviated to "CPM"), which is obtained by sectioning horizontally strip-shaped writing areas in a direction of writing (See Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2008-182073). According to the method disclosed therein, a stage speed is obtained for each CPM by calculating write time for each CPM based on shot data and dividing each of the calculated write times by the size (or width) of a CPM.
Another method for stage speed calculation is to create multiple blocks by putting a particular number of CPMs together into one block and then calculate a stage speed for each block. According to the method, write times calculated for all the CPMs included in each block are added up to calculate write time for each block. The write time calculated for each block is then divided by the size (width) of a block to calculate a stage speed for each block. This block size is typically a fixed value specified in a writing condition file.
However, when a stage speed is calculated for each block of the size specified in the file, the stage speed difference between two adjacent blocks may increase. As a result, the stage cannot be accelerated during the time period between the end of writing on one of the two blocks and the start of writing on the other. In that case, the calculated stage speeds have to be reduced, and throughput cannot be improved. Thus, block size, which is the conventionally used unit for calculating the speed of a stage in variable stage speed writing, has not been optimal in terms of throughput.

Apparatus and method for charged-particle beam writing


Access to encrypted data on a removable computer media such as a computer tape is controlled via a uniquely-structured header on the medium having a symmetrical key wrapped by asymmetrical encryption plus a public key associated with the asymmetrical encryption. The data on the medium is encrypted using the symmetrical key. Prior to automated reading of the data by a reader, a challenge is issued to a host system including the public key and preferably a nonce value. The host responds by signing the nonce using a private key associated with the public key in order to prove it has rights to decrypt the data. The symmetrical key is unwrapped using the private key, and finally the unwrapped symmetrical key is used to decrypt the data on the medium, thereby allowing automated reading of the tape data without the need or risk of two administrators sharing a symmetrical key value.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to technologies for secure handling and encryption of data in removable media, such as on computer tapes and tape drives.
2. Background of the Invention
More and more data is being written to tapes as encrypted data to protect this information in transit. The data is generally encrypted by a symmetric key, and possession of the key is required to decrypt the tape.
Symmetric encryption, also known as secret-key cryptography, refers to an encryption scheme in which both the encrypting party (or device) and the decrypting party (or device) share a single, common key value. Symmetric encryption tends to be simpler, using only one key or password value, and faster to execute. One commonly used symmetric encryption scheme is Data Encryption Standard ("DES").
For example, if a set of database records are written to a tape in preparation for shipping the tape from one data center to another, the administrator may specify a password for DES encryption routine which would then encrypt the data as it is stored on the tape. The administrator would then securely share the password with the intended recipient administrator at the destination data center.
If during transit the tape were stolen, lost, or duplicated, a person or system attempting to decrypt the data would be unable to do so unless he or she possessed the secret key (e.g. the password), or an encryption busting tool. It is more common that the password would be compromised, but encryption busting tools are also available for weaker encryption schemes.
When the tape arrives at its destination data center, the second administrator would then mount the tape, supply the password to a DES decryption routine, and then as the data is read from the tape, it would be decrypted and stored locally, such as in a database.
As such, existing means of decrypting the tape are based on the encryption key being loaded into the reading tape drive by an external entity, with simply being able to access the tape allows for loading of the key, and for reading of the data. This provides a relatively insecure environment, which is difficult to automate.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a computer media encryption and decryption method and system which are relatively easy to operate, but which provide data security.

Encrypted tape access control via challenge-response protocol

International Business Machines Corporation


This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to acoustic transducers.

Graphene speakers and microphones have demonstrated wide-band frequency response in the audio and ultrasonic frequencies. FIG. 1A shows an example of a cross-sectional schematic illustration of a speaker including a graphene membrane suspended between two perforated electrodes. These acoustic transducers comprise a suspended graphene membrane separated by spacers on each side from two air permeable electrodes. The graphene membrane in these transducers is generally 1 millimeter (mm) to 10 mm in diameter to achieve wide-band, audio- and ultrasonic-frequency response (e.g., 20 Hz-10 GHz).
Using current techniques, the membrane generally cannot be made any smaller than this range (i.e., smaller than 1 mm) while maintaining good audio-frequency response. Making the membrane smaller than 1 mm increases the resonant frequency and decreases the bandwidth of the membrane. As shown in FIG. 1B, shrinking the membrane not only leads to a sharper frequency response, but also shifts the response out of the audible range and into the ultrasonic range. Shrinking the membrane also reduces the volume displacement of the membrane, resulting in a quieter sound. The relationship between the diameter of the membrane and its amplitude and frequency response is illustrated in FIG. 1B. FIG. 1B thus demonstrates using current techniques, the membrane needs to be larger than 1 mm in diameter to provide wideband response and be effective for audio frequencies.

Acoustic transducer including a modified membrane

The Regents of the University of California


Embodiments of an organic electroluminescence display capable of preventing line mura generated due to manufacturing differences in driving transistors are disclosed. The manufacturing differences may be due to deviations of irradiated energy beam density generated from an excimer laser annealing process for crystallizing amorphous silicon into polycrystalline silicon. One embodiment of an organic electroluminescence display a plurality of pixel circuits arranged perpendicular to a laser scan direction for crystallization. Each pixel circuit comprises an organic light-emitting diode, and a driving transistor configured to supply current to the organic light-emitting diode. Each driving transistor comprises at least two channels formed therein, wherein the sums of lengths of the at least two channels in each driving transistor of the display are equal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light-emitting display, and more particularly, to an organic electroluminescence display configured to prevent line mura generated due to differences in driving transistor characteristics resulting from non-uniformities due to excimer laser annealing.
2. Description of Related Technology
Various flat panel displays have been developed which overcome the large weight and volume which are drawbacks of cathode ray tube displays. Types of flat panel displays include a liquid crystal display, a field emission display, a plasma display panel, and an organic electroluminescence display.
The organic electroluminescence display uses a self-light emitting device for emitting light by recombination of electrons and holes. The organic electroluminescence display has a fast response speed and low power consumption.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a plurality of pixels in an exemplary organic electroluminescence display, and FIG. 2 is an illustration of the layout of the organic electroluminescence display of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the exemplary organic electroluminescence display comprises a plurality of pixel circuits 11 surrounded by a plurality of scanning lines S1 to Sm, a plurality of data lines D1 to Dn, and a first power supply line VDD. The scanning lines Sm are formed in a row direction, and the data lines Dn and the first power supply line VDD are formed in a column direction.
Each pixel circuit 11 comprises an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a driving transistor MD, a capacitor Cst and a switching transistor MS, wherein the transistors MD and MS are MOSFETs (metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors). Each pixel circuit 11 receives a data signal from the data line Dn when a selection signal is supplied to the scanning line Sm, and the pixel emits light in response to the received data signal.
A first electrode of the OLED, e.g., an anode electrode, is connected to the driving transistor, and a second electrode, e.g., a cathode electrode is connected to a second power supply line VSS. The OLED comprises an emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and a hole transport layer, formed between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The OLED further comprises an electron injection layer and a hole injection layer. When a voltage is applied between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode of the OLED, electrons generated from the cathode electrode move to the emitting layer via the electron injection layer and the electron transport layer, and electrons generated from the anode electrode move to the emitting layer via the hole injection layer and the hole transport layer. Thereby, electrons from the electron transport layer and holes from the hole transport layer are recombined in the emitting layer to emit light.
In operation, the switching transistor MS is turned on in response to a selection signal supplied to the scanning line Sm, and the switching transistor MS supplies a data signal from the data line Dn to a gate electrode of the driving transistor MD. The storage capacitor Cst stores a voltage difference between a driving voltage supplied to the first power supply line VDD and a data signal supplied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor MS.
The driving transistor MD controls the light emission from the OLED in response to the data signal supplied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor MD, thereby controlling a current level supplied to the OLED from the first power supply line VDD. When the switching transistor MS is turned off, the driving transistor MD supplies a constant current to the OLED with voltage stored in the storage capacitor Cst until a data signal of a next video frame is supplied to the data line Dn. Thereby, the driving transistor controls emission of the OLED.
As described above, the driving transistor MD of the respective pixel circuits 11 plays an important role in controlling the light emission from the OLED. The light emission of the OLED is controlled by the driving transistor MD by controlling the amount of current supplied to the OLED according to voltage supplied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor MD itself. Thus, a current Ids supplied to the OLED through the driving transistor MD is determined by the following equation (1), where W and L are the width and length of channels in the driving transistor MD, Vgs is the voltage applied across the gate and source terminals of the driving transistor MD, Vth is the threshold voltage of the driving transistor, μ is mobility, and Cox is gate capacity per unit area of the driving transistor MD:Ids=(1/2)×(W/L)×μCox(Vgs−Vth)2  (1)
Referring to equation (1), the current Ids supplied through the driving transistor MD is determined by data voltage supplied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor MD, and characteristics of the data voltage depend on the threshold voltage Vth and mobility. The driving transistor MD, however, may have non-uniform characteristics, such as threshold voltage and mobility, as a result of a laser annealing process comprising crystallizing amorphous silicon into polycrystalline silicon. In a process for fabricating an organic electroluminescence display, a process of forming a semiconductor layer for the pixel circuit transistors MD and MS includes a laser annealing process comprising crystallizing amorphous-silicon thin film into a poly-silicon thin film.
FIG. 3 is an illustration of a laser annealing method for crystallizing a semiconductor layer for the transistors of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is an illustration of a line mura generated in a conventional organic electroluminescence display. The line mura denotes non-uniformity of displayed image. Referring to FIG. 3, a poly-silicon thin film is formed by crystallizing an amorphous-silicon thin film patterned on a substrate 10. The amorphous-silicon thin film is crystallized by an excimer laser annealing process (labeled "ELA"), comprising scanning a line beam 40 using an excimer laser in a row direction. The poly-silicon thin film is formed by repeatedly melting and solidifying the amorphous-silicon thin film by a very short laser beam that is irradiated at high energy, thereby recrystallizing the amorphous-silicon thin film.
Although the laser annealing process provides for formation of a poly-silicon thin film on a wide substrate, grain size and mobility are varied according to deviation of beam energy density generated per laser irradiation time points. Accordingly, characteristics of the poly-silicon thin film become non-uniform along a column direction perpendicular to a laser scan direction. Thus, when the poly-silicon thin film is used as the semiconductor layer of the driving transistor MD, transistor characteristics such as threshold voltage and mobility are non-uniform in a column direction. These transistor non-uniformities may result in luminance deviation in a column direction relative to the same luminance. As a result, a line mura 42 is generated perpendicular to a laser scan direction, as illustrated in FIG. 4, due to non-uniform characteristics of the driving transistors MD of the display pixels. The line mura 42 reduces image quality due to high visibility, and reduces yield of an organic electroluminescence display.


The invention relates to a signalling device (1) for an aerial transmission line (2) comprising two signalling elements (3, 4) which are configured to be mounted one against the other around a conductor portion (2) of the transmission line, in which at least one of the two signalling elements (3, 4) comprises at least partially an outer signalling coating in the context of air safety, which device is characterized in that the two signalling elements (3, 4) are at least partially electrically conductive and at least one of the two signalling elements (3, 4) comprises a clamping means (5) which is configured to clamp the conductor portion (2) of the transmission line. The invention also relates to a method for assembling such a device on a high-voltage aerial transmission line.

The invention relates to the signalling of a high-voltage aerial line or more generally an aerial transmission line by a signalling device in the context of air safety. The invention may be used in the field of the prevention of accidents during the day and/or at night of birds owing to impacts with transmission lines.
Without being limited to these materials or these values, standard transmission cables of high-voltage aerial lines most often comprise an aluminium alloy and most often have diameters of from 15 to 32 mm, sometimes up to 44 mm. Those cables are relayed over long distances by pylons which are generally spaced apart by approximately one hundred meters from each other. The voltages used vary according to the countries and needs, for example, between 63 and 90 kV for urban distribution or regional distribution and between 110 and 220 kV for regional exchanges. Values approaching 400 kV and more may be reached in some connections with very high voltage. Modern so-called "ultra-high-voltage" lines have been tested up to at least 1200 kV.
Unlike the low-voltage lines which are relatively close to the ground, at a height of approximately ten meters, high-voltage lines are installed at several tens of meters from the ground, often at a height between 30 and 50 meters from the ground as, for example, in France, but may be positioned at greater heights in accordance with their geographical location and their voltage level, reaching up to approximately 350 m for the tallest pylons. Therefore, those lines are at heights which may interfere not only with low trajectories of aircraft or gliders but also, for example, with the flight of migrating birds or the very rapid descending or ascending movements carried out by hunting raptors. Very-high-voltage lines of 225 or 400 kV and more have problems connected with health impacts, impacts on the landscape, tourism, habitat but also particularly ecological problems connected with collisions and electrocution of large numbers of birds which are regularly seriously injured, or killed, each year if they do not avoid those obstacles. In some regions with a high density of migratory birds, the number of victims may be as high as several thousands of victims/km/year, most often large birds.
This problem is known to electricity transport companies and various associations, in particular associations for the protection of birds. The most effective solution would be to bury the electrical lines but this solution has the disadvantage not only of being difficult but also of having to modify a very large proportion of the existing national and international electrical networks, and may therefore possibly be envisaged only over the very long term. Therefore, different types of signalling systems have been developed and are known in the prior art for signalling the high-voltage lines to aircraft and/or to birds. Each known system addresses similar obstacles but without succeeding in simultaneously overcoming them.
For example, document U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,835 discloses a spherical signalling device which comprises two hollow hemispheres of plastics material which surround a section of an aerial line in the context of signalling intended for aircraft pilots. The hemispheres are screwed together on the ground over approximately half of their perimeter, then the non-screwed portion is moved apart by an operator so as to place the hemispheres around a section of high-voltage line. The hemispheres of plastics material are subsequently screwed over the remainder of their perimeter. The disclosed device further comprises an attachment system using cabling which is intended to be wound around the high-voltage line. This type of system is not particularly well suited to very-high-voltage lines of 400 kV or more, whose cables can become heated to temperatures of up to from 80 to 250° C. That system is also not suitable for visibility at night, winter conditions or foggy conditions.
Other solutions are known in the prior art for signalling aircraft but are still at the experimental stage such as, for example, red-coloured counterweights which are bolted to the cables, or systems of wires twisted around the high-voltage cable. Even if some systems operate on cables of 400 kV and more, the visibility for birds remains ineffective, some systems are far too heavy to be deployed over the whole of a line, or they need tools which are too heavy and impractical for their assembly from a helicopter. The materials used further have problems of ageing, in particular involving the changing of colour, so that those devices are not identifiable by birds, in particular under conditions of fog, snow and/or darkness, and deteriorate over time.
Some solutions are known specifically for signalling intended for birds such as, for example, a helical system in which the devices of helical form and variable diameter are wound around the transmission line. Those helical systems weigh approximately 700 g each and are composed of plastics material, typically a thermoplastic polymer such as PVC, and are red and white in colour. In the prior art, such a helical system comprises two helixes which have a wider diameter than the others and which are visible to birds. The projected surface-area per unit is approximately 16800 mm2 for a total exposed surface of 0.12 m2 when 7 helical devices are arranged on cables between two successive pylons which are spaced apart by approximately 120 m, each device being spaced apart from the following or preceding device by approximately 15 m. This system is currently one of the most deployed on medium-voltage lines (up to 90 kV). Another system which is known from the prior art and which is used, for example, in Sweden, involves suspending a device resembling a bi-coloured card. In both cases, use on high-voltage lines cannot be envisaged owing to the temperatures reached, but in particular owing to the need for insulation products to be set to potential. This is because an insulation material positioned on a high-voltage line generates potentials known as "floating" potentials which result in the production of partial electrical discharges, generally referred to as the "corona effect", between the insulation components and the air. Those discharges destroy the insulation members, to the extent that they may be totally burnt, without taking into account the drops in voltage following that phenomenon, which may therefore go so far as to bring about a reduction in the voltage at the end of production and therefore potentially a reduction in the transit capacity. Extended use for signalling lines to birds also cannot be envisaged owing to the deterioration, in particular the loss of colour, owing to exposure to UV radiation. Those systems further have disadvantages involving durability owing to embrittlement of the materials used. The systems known in the prior art also have the disadvantage of not being suitable for use at night or during atmospheric influences and are particularly unsuitable for fog, snowy or icy conditions.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a signalling device which can be readily installed on a high-voltage aerial line. Given the dimensions, in particular the height, of the pylons supporting the lines and therefore the lines themselves, the installation of the signalling devices is generally carried out by an operator who is suspended from a helicopter, and each operation for installing a signalling device is therefore difficult and involves risks for the operator.
The signalling devices known from the prior art are distributed over the cables of high-voltage lines between each pylon so as to be visible to birds and/or aircraft pilots. Given the length of each cable, therefore, it is necessary to use a plurality of devices per cable in order to allow the identification of the entire length of a cable between two successive pylons. The weight of the signalling devices is therefore also important in order not to increase the mechanical stresses in the cables and therefore there is also a need to provide signalling devices which are quite light in order to be able to be installed in large numbers along a cable between two successive pylons of an aerial transmission line.
As mentioned above, it is also necessary to provide a device capable of operating equally well on low-voltage, medium-voltage, high-voltage or very-high-voltage lines, or even ultra-high-voltage lines.
In the context of preventing accidents involving birds but also of air safety in regions around airports, it is also necessary to provide a signalling device which is effective both during the day and at night, and for all meteorological conditions, in particular during hazy weather and under conditions of snow and/or frost.

Signalling device for a transmission line


According to one embodiment, a graphene interconnection includes an insulating film, a catalyst film, and a graphene layer. An insulating film includes an interconnection trench. A catalyst film is formed in the interconnection trench and filling at least a portion of the interconnection trench. A graphene layer is formed on the catalyst film in the interconnection trench, and including graphene sheets stacked in a direction perpendicularly to a bottom surface of the interconnection trench.

Recently, a method of applying a carbon-based material as a low-resistance material to an interconnection is extensively studied worldwide. A typical carbon-based material expected to have a low resistance is a carbon nanotube (CNT). The CNT achieves various quantum effects in accordance with the differences between various nanostructures, and can be formed into an insulator, semiconductor, or conductor. Especially when the CNT is formed as a conductor, quantum conduction (ballistic conduction) is expected. This makes the CNT usable as an ultra-low-resistance material replacing the existing metallic material (for example, a Cu interconnection). Also, the CNT can be expected to be advantageous for electrical conduction of a long-distance interconnection because the ballistic length is large.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to uniformly grow the CNT in the lateral direction (in-plane direction). Therefore, the CNT cannot simply be used as an interconnection material in the in-plane direction. In addition, the CNT is difficult to bend. This makes it impossible to form, for example, an interconnection bending structure by using the CNT, and imposes a large limitation on the layout of patterns.
On the other hand, a method of applying graphene, as a material having a quantum conduction characteristic similar to that of the CNT, to an interconnection material is extensively studied. Graphene is a novel carbon material obtained by extremely thinning graphite. Accordingly, similar to the CNT, graphene is expected to be used as an LSI low-resistance interconnection replacing a metal interconnection due to quantum conduction. Also, graphene has a very large ballistic length, and hence is advantageous for electrical conduction of a long-distance interconnection. Furthermore, since a graphene structure itself is a very thin film (single-layered film), the film can be deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). That is, graphene well matches the formation process of lateral interconnections of devices.
The resistance of a graphene interconnection is determined by the quantum resistance per graphene sheet, and the number of stacked graphene sheets. That is, the resistance increases when the number of stacked graphene sheets is small, and decreases when the number of stacked graphene sheets is large. However, low-resistance conduction is difficult for the conventional graphene interconnection because the number of stacked graphene sheets is limited.
As described above, demands have arisen for a further decrease in resistance of the graphene interconnection.

Graphene interconnection and method of manufacturing the same


The invention is to provide a wavelength dispersion measuring method for an optical fiber capable of measuring a wavelength dispersion in a section extending from an incident end of the optical fiber to an arbitrary point along the way by using a scattering phenomenon in which a scattering coefficient at a local point on the optical fiber is independent of time. Incident light having a known spectral density function S(ω) is caused to be incident on the optical waveguide, and a wavelength dispersion of the section extending from the incident end of the optical waveguide to the arbitrary point along the way by a correlational function between a signal being proportional to a scattered light amplitude generated at a first halfway point and a signal being proportional to a scattered light amplitude generated at a second halfway point.

Since an optical communication system using an optical fiber serving as one of optical waveguides, wavelength dispersion of the optical fiber considerably affects the characteristics of the optical communication system to distort a signal waveform in propagation of an optical signal, it is indispensable in design of the communication system that wavelength dispersion of the optical fiber or the like is known by measurement. In particular, in an actual operation or a test of a system, when an optical cable is installed, distribution of optical fibers in a direction of length of wavelength dispersion must be often measured. In this manner, as a method of non-destructively measuring a distribution of optical fibers in the direction of length of wavelength dispersion, a conventional method of using optical four-wave mixing in optical fibers is given (for example, see Non-patent Document 1).
Non-patent Document 1: L. F. Mollenauer et al. "Method for facile and accurate measurement of optical fiber dispersion maps, "OPTICS LETTERS, VOL. 21, NO. 21, Nov. 1, 1996, pp. 1724-1726
Non-patent Document 2: E. Brinkmeyer and R. Ulrich, "High-resolution OCDR in dispersive waveguides, "Electronics Letters, vol. 26, No. 6, pp. 413-414 (15 Mar. 1990)

Method, apparatus, and program for measuring wavelength dispersion of optical waveguide

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


A lock assembly for attachment to an enclosure door. The enclosure door has a lock assembly receiving opening specifically created to receive the lock assembly. The preferred lock assembly includes a lock case assembly having a bolt that can be moved between at least two positions; a lock actuating assembly interconnected with the lock case assembly such that the lock actuating assembly can actuate a change in the position of the bolt from one position to another; and a mounting plate having an interior side and an exterior side. The lock actuating assembly is preferably secured to the mounting plate on the exterior side and the lock case assembly is preferably secured to the mounting plate on the interior side. In alternate embodiments, the present invention provides a mounting plate, an enclosure door including a lock assembly and a method of securing a lock assembly to an enclosure door. A method of securing a preassembled electronic lock assembly to an enclosure door is provided.

Locks to limit access to enclosures are well known in the art as are locks which monitor access to enclosures. Such locks are manufactured by a number of companies, most prominently Sargent & Greenleaf Lock Manufacturer's, Inc., Nicholasville, Ky.; LaGard, Inc., Torrance, Calif. and Kaba Mas, Inc. of Lexington, Ky. These locks can limit access to the inside of an enclosure to individuals who have a specific entry code which they are required to enter when seeking access to the enclosure. The locks can also monitor and keep a record of which codes are used to obtain access to the enclosure and when such access is obtained. These types of locks are well known in the art.
Unfortunately, from time to time the lock may need to be serviced or the owner of an enclosure may wish to upgrade from one lock to another. The installation of such a lock is time consuming and often requires an owner to request service from an outside service provider. In addition, original equipment manufacturers (OEM's) are also generally looking to simplify installation so that costs for labor can be reduced, thereby reducing the overall cost to the consumer of using the OEM's lock.
In the Detailed Description of this application, a description is provided of an AUDITCON™ lock made by Kaba Mas, Inc., Lexington, Ky. The present invention includes such a lock or such other lock that would provide similar security features.
In the past, Mas-Hamilton and other lock manufacturers have provided their locks to manufacturers of enclosures, preferably enclosures used to enclose banking equipment, computer servers and other sensitive electronic equipment, to which owners of such equipment wish to limit access and document all such access. The Mas-Hamilton locks of this type limit access by providing an electronic lock or latch mechanism and document access that is granted. It will be appreciated that installation requires a fair amount of skilled labor and care. In addition to the difficulty associated with securing the locks, a further concern is the security provided by the locks when they are attached to an enclosure door. It may be possible to strike such a lock from the outside of the enclosure, that the outer portion and the inner portion of the lock assembly are disengaged from the enclosure door, allowing the enclosure to fall open.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing, therefore, that prior art devices and methods of installing these devices present problems which are in need of solutions. It also will be appreciated that further enhancements of the security provided by such locks are needed. The present invention provides solutions for these and other problems.

Lock assembly having securing engagement plate


In an active matrix substrate for a liquid-crystal display, a plurality of individual transparent electrodes are arranged in the form of an array, and an array of thin-film transistors is connected to the transparent electrodes for driving the same. Each of the thin-film transistors includes a source region and a drain region which are formed such that impurities are doped at high concentration, an active layer composed of a silicon thin film which is in contact with the source and drain regions and in which at least a part of the silicon thin film covers the source and drain regions, an insulating film which covers the source and drain regions and the active layer, and a gate electrode on the insulating film. Each of the individual transparent electrodes is composed of a silicon thin film contiguous to the active layer of the thin-film transistor and a metal silicide on the silicon thin film. In the active matrix substrate, metal silicide is formed, in the form of an island, onto the silicon thin film on the entire surface of which the individual transparent electrodes are formed. The active matrix substrate of the invention does not use a transparent conductive film made of indium as indium tin oxide and oxide of tin. A pair of drain regions may be so formed as to electrically shield the source region. A method of fabricating the active matrix substrate is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to an active matrix substrate for a liquid-crystal display, which has a thin-film transistor serving as an active element, and a method of fabricating the active matrix substrate.
In recent years, development in an active-matrix type liquid-crystal display has been remarkable with the object being to make a display flat or plane. The active matrix type is such that a thin-film transistor or a thin-film diode of an active element is incorporated as a switching element in each picture element or pixel. The active matrix type is so characterized as to obtain high picture quality, as compared with a so-called simple matrix type in which transparent electrodes are simply intersected with each other.
As a conventional example, an active matrix substrate will be described here in which a thin-film transistor of poly-crystalline silicon is used. FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) show the conventional example which is disclosed in "SID '88 Digest", H. Ohshima et al., Lecture No. 21.4, pp 408-411. FIG. 6(a) is a top plan view showing one of a plurality of picture elements, while FIG. 6(b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line VI(b)-VI(b) in FIG. 6(a).
The conventional active matrix substrate comprises a glass substrate 1 and a pair of source and drain regions 3 and 2 on the glass substrate 1. The source and drain regions 3 and 2 are composed of poly-crystalline silicon in which phosphorus is doped at high concentration. An active layer 4 composed of an undoped poly-crystalline silicon thin film is provided on the source and drain regions 3 and 2 in contact therewith. The active layer 4 is covered with a gate insulating film 5 made of silicon dioxide. On the gate insulating film 5 there is provided a gate electrode and gate line 6 made of chromium. The gate electrode 6 is covered with an interlayer insulating film 7 made of silicon dioxide. The interlayer insulating film 7 is partly covered with a picture-element electrode 8 which is composed of a transparent conductive element made of indium tin oxide. A drain signal line 9 is provided which is made of aluminum.
An example of a method of fabricating the active matrix substrate is illustrated in FIGS. 7(a) through 7(d) and will next be described in due order.
(1) A poly-crystalline silicon containing a high concentration of phosphorus is formed on a glass substrate by a low-pressure CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process which uses phosphine (PH.sub.3) and silane (SiH.sub.4) as raw-material gas. The poly-crystalline silicon is patterned to form the source region 3 and the drain region 2. Subsequently, silane is decomposed similarly by the low-pressure CVD process to form a poly-crystalline silicon thin film on the source and drain regions 3 and 2. The poly-crystalline silicon thin film is patterned in the form of an island to form the active layer 4. PA1 (2) The gate insulating film 5 consisting of a silicon dioxide film is formed on the active layer 4 by a CVD process which uses silane and oxygen as raw-material gas. Chromium is formed on the gate insulating film 5 by means of sputtering and is subsequently patterned to form the gate electrode 6. PA1 (3) The interlayer insulating film 7 consisting of silicon dioxide is formed on the gate electrode 6 again by means of the CVD process. A pair of contact holes to the respective source and drain regions 3 and 2 are formed in the silicon dioxide films 5 and 7. PA1 (4) Lastly, the drain line 9 made of aluminum and the picture-element electrode 8 made of indium tin oxide are formed into their respective films by means of a sputtering process or a vacuum deposition process and, subsequently, are patterned into their respective desired configurations. Thus, the fabricating method is completed.
The above-described construction and fabricating method have various problems caused by the use of the indium tin oxide. First, inferiority in etching of the indium tin oxide can be given. That is, the indium tin oxide has the following problems. Although superior in nature as a transparent conductive film, the indium tin oxide involves difficulties in dry etching, is not so good in processing accuracy at wet etching, and so on. For this reason, it is necessary to take a sufficient space more than 5 .mu.m between the line and the individual transparent electrode made of indium tin oxide. This space becomes one of causes which reduce the area of the transmitting section of a light. Secondly, there is such a problem that etchant for the wet etching etches also aluminum. Accordingly, in the case where the indium tin oxide and the aluminum line are on the same or identical plane as in this example, a very high etching technique is required. Thirdly, there is such a problem that the indium tin oxide is apt to be damaged by hydrogen plasma. Although it is necessary to decrease the trap density in grain boundary as a necessity peculiar to the poly-crystalline silicon, the hydrogen plasma treatment is a technique which is often used. In this construction, however, since the indium tin oxide forms the uppermost layer, it is difficult to improve the transistor characteristic by use of the hydrogen plasma treatment at the last step. As another problem, the involvement of a number of the fabricating steps can be given. In this example, six (6) masks are used. The large number of the steps causes reduction of the yield.

Active matrix substrate for liquid-crystal display and method of fabricating the active matrix substrate


A technique is provided which enables users to add, with ease, annotation information to an electronic document on a network and to share the annotation information within a disclosure range set to the annotation information. An electronic information is provided in a state that allows the electronic information to have annotation in formation attached, annotation information to be attached to the electronic information is stored, attribute information indicating the disclosure range of the annotation information is stored and, when a user requests to provide annotation information, annotation information available to the user is provided to a terminal of the user by consulting the attribute information.

The present invention relates to a technique of managing annotation data for electronic documents on a network. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique that enables teachers and students to share and annotate a learning material in the form of electronic document.
Several Japanese patent applications have been laid open which deal with methods of making annotations on electronic documents, and there are also a few commercially available services for annotating electronic documents. See Patent Document 1, Non-patent Document 1, for example.
Such prior art techniques are designed to either share or monopolize information annotated and does not have a function to simultaneously display an electronic sticky note to be shared and one not to be shared, making them lacking in features for e-learning which involves communications with others.
Meanwhile, attempts have been made in e-learning and review uses, where the present invention can be utilized, to improve learning effects and brush up learning materials by annotating electronic documents. For instance, a document managing device with which review members comment (annotate) on an electronic document in reviewing the document (see Patent Document 2) and a method and system for compiling a group learning material which have a function of enabling learners to make simple annotations on learning materials (see Patent Document 3) have been proposed.
The techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 through 4 below are examples of prior art related to the invention of this application.
[Patent document 1] JP 2002-108897 A
[Patent document 2] JP 6-274493 A
[Patent document 3] JP 10-214022 A
[Patent document 4] JP 2001-228789 A
[Patent document 5] JP 2002-132129 A
[Patent document 6] JP 2002-132131 A
[Patent document 7] JP 2002-132965 A
[Patent document 8] JP 8-235231 A
[Patent document 9] JP 9-231040 A
[Non-Patent document 1] Internet Sticky Note Papers Research Institute for System Science, NTT Data Corporation, search date Mar. 1, 2004.    http://www.riss-net.jp/edemo/yachiyo.html

Information sharing device and information sharing method


A Q-switch laser apparatus includes a laser cavity formed with a pair of reflective surfaces having a laser medium mounted therebetween and a power supply operatively connected to the laser cavity to pump the laser medium. An electro-optic Q-switch is mounted in the laser cavity in a saturable absorber of less than 100% saturable transmittance is located in the laser cavity between the laser medium and the electro-optic Q-switch for suppressing prelasing in the laser. The saturable absorber may be a Cr4+:YAG used with an electro-optic Q-switch of LiNbO.sub.3. The method includes selecting the laser apparatus and selecting a saturable absorber of less than 100% saturable transmittance and attaching the selected saturable absorber in the laser cavity between the laser medium and the electro-optic Q-switch for suppressing prelasing therein.

The present application relates to the suppression of prelasing in an electro-optic Q-switch laser and especially to the use of a saturable absorber placed in the laser cavity to prevent prelasing.
In a passive Q-switch, a material of non-linear absorption characteristics is inserted into a laser cavity. At low power levels, the material has high absorption blocking one of the mirrors from the laser medium. When the pump energy source is pulsed, the amount of light in the laser cavity builds up, eventually reaching a level where the cavity Q increases and a Q-switched pulse is produced.
Prelasing is an undesirable condition in Q-switch lasers in which an output pulse is emitted prematurely. It is frequently caused by the degradation of the laser system contrast ratio due to optical stress, low quality polarizers, misalignment, or charge build-up on the Q-switch crystal. A variety of techniques have been used to reduce or eliminate prelasing including maintaining the high contrast level of the laser system with delicate bonding techniques used to minimize optical stress and using stringent requirements in connection with polarizing components and alignment procedures. Radioactive ionizing sources have also been employed to prevent static charged build-up on a LiNbO.sub.3 Q-switch crystal in low humidity and in changing temperature environments.
In one prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,383 to Lockard, a method and apparatus for the detection and control of prelasing in a Q-switch laser detects prelasing in the Q-switch laser and terminates the laser operation upon the detection. A detector senses the presence of light beyond a Q-switch and generates an appropriate electrical signal. A comparison stage circuit compares the detected signal with an established threshold value indicative of prelasing and generates a trigger signal if the detector signal exceeds the threshold value. In another prior U.S. patent to Lam et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,176, a method and apparatus for Q-switching a laser uses a multiple quantum well or MQW integrated into a laser cavity to implement an active Q-switch device. The MQW initially absorbs and stores energy to prevent the device from lasing. In response to an applied electrical field, the MQW experiences a sudden charged carrier population inversion and emits a strong short duration pulse having a directionality coincident with that of the beam within the lasing cavity.
The present invention is directed towards preventing an electro-optic Q-switch laser from prelasing and the premature output of the laser energy and positions a saturable absorber in the laser cavity and aligned with a laser beam by reducing the system sensitivity to stress, alignment and polarizing component quality. The low transmittance in the absorber prevents prelasing and, after the Q-switch turn on of the laser, the absorber saturates into a high transmittance component allowing proper lasing with low loss.


A medical device for causing the hemostasis of a blood vessel located along the gastrointestinal tract. The medical device comprises a tissue-penetrating device having a pair of hollow jaws, and a clip that is insertable into the tissue-penetrating device. Methods for causing the hemostasis of a blood vessel located along the gastrointestinal tract by using the medical device of the present invention are also provided.

Gastrointestinal bleeding is a somewhat common and serious condition that is often fatal if left untreated. This problem has prompted the development of a number of endoscopic therapeutic approaches to achieve hemostasis, such as the injection of sclerosing agents and contact thermo-coagulation techniques. Although such approaches are often effective, bleeding continues for many patients and corrective surgery therefore becomes necessary. Because surgery is an invasive technique that is associated with a high mortality rate and many other undesirable side effects, there exists the need for highly effective, less invasive procedures.
Mechanical hemostatic devices have been used in various parts of the body, including gastrointestinal applications. Such devices are typically in the form of clamps, clips, staples, sutures, etc. which are able to apply sufficient constrictive forces to blood vessels so as to limit or interrupt blood flow. One of the problems associated with conventional hemostatic devices, however, is that they can only be delivered using rigid-shafted instruments via incision or trocar cannula. Moreover, none of the conventional endoscopic hemostatic devices are strong enough to cause permanent hemostasis.


A sealing lid for the fixed nozzle of a container, particularly a motor vehicle radiator, comprising an outer part and an inner part. The outer part of the lid is provided with a sealing element for the container nozzle and a grip element which is rotatable in relation thereto. A torsional stop acts between the grip element and the sealing element of the outer part of the lid. The inner part of the lid is provided with a flow connection between the inside and outside of the container and a valve system opening and closing the flow connection. The torsional stop which can be disengaged by applying prestress to a spring or is disengaged, can be engaged by a pressure-controlled drive in the form of a membrane. The drive is positioned in the outer part of the lid and is provided with an elongate pressure-transmitting element which penetrates the pressure relief valve body in the lid axis and extends into the area of the inner part of the lid, which is connected to the container nozzle so as to interact therewith. The suction relief valve body is arranged concentrically to the lid axis.

In such a closure cap known from DE 197 53 597 A1, the twist-prevention device between the closure element and the grip element is constituted by an axial coupling bolt, which is acted upon by a spring arrangement which operates as a function of temperature.
In connection with a further closure cap known from DE 199 23 775 A1, the twist-prevention device is constituted by a strap, which is axially movable and is arranged inside the grip element and can be operated by a thermal drive in the form of an expandable material. In both these known cases it is difficult to transmit the actual heat in the container to the twist-prevention device, which can be affected by heat, without considerable temperature losses. This is difficult to obtain, not least because of the valve arrangement in the form of an overpressure or underpressure valve arranged in the path between the container interior and the twist-prevention device. This correspondingly also applies to those closure caps which, as already suggested, operate by means of a pressure-controlled twist-prevention device.


The present application is directed towards policy based routing for intelligent traffic management via multiple next hops. In some embodiments, the systems and methods disclosed herein may provide management of inbound and outbound traffic across multiple network links, and may further provide reliability in case of link failure, and provide balancing of traffic, responsive to the latency and bandwidth requirements of various applications. Accordingly, these systems and methods may provide intelligent policy-based routing and network and port address translation, sensitive to application traffic types, protocols, source IP addresses and ports, destination IP addresses and ports, or any combination thereof, and can balance traffic loads among multiple available paths based on multiple traffic characteristics. The routing may performed on a packet-by-packet basis, a transaction-by-transaction basis, or a session-by-session basis, and the systems and methods may include capabilities for application-aware health monitoring of available network paths.

In order to improve reliability of their networks, many organizations add redundancy through the use of multiple network links. For example, an organization may have a link to a first internet service provider, and a backup link to a second internet service provider. If one of the providers fails, the other link can be used as a backup to provide full service to the organization. Furthermore, while both links are active, they may be used to balance traffic, improving network throughput for the organization.
Traditional solutions for routing traffic over multiple network links are primarily simple destination address-based forwarding. For example, destination internet protocol (IP) addresses between 10.0.0.0 and 22.214.171.124 may go to a first link, while destination IP addresses between 126.96.36.199 and 184.108.40.206 may go to a second link. These solutions usually require manual setup and frequent tweaking to manage balancing between the links. Furthermore, because they focus only on the destination IP address, they may result in unbalanced loads where one IP receives more traffic than another. For example, a first server at a first destination IP address of 10.0.0.0 may be an email server and process only intermittent, non-time sensitive, short bursts of data. A second server at a second destination IP address of 18.104.22.168 may be a video conferencing server, and require low-latency, high-bandwidth network throughput. With only destination address-based forwarding, usage of multiple links from an organization to these servers may be unbalanced. Additionally, return or incoming traffic cannot be managed with only destination address-based forwarding.

Systems and methods for policy based routing for multiple next hops


An undergarment is disclosed having a front fabric panel and a back fabric panel fixed together to form an undergarment having a hollow tubular shape. The undergarment is open at a top end to define an open waist opening and open at a bottom end to define an open hip opening. The front fabric panel has a width longer than a width of the back fabric panel. An elastic waist band having a width of at least one and one-half inches is disposed around the circumference of the waist opening. The elastic waist band has an elasticity effective to constrain and shape the waistline of a wearer. A pair of elastic leg straps are disposed at the hip opening. Each elastic leg strap has a first end fixed to the front fabric panel and a second end fixed to the back fabric panel. The pair of elastic leg straps are disposable during use between legs and around a crotch area of a user, so that each elastic leg strap extends from the front fabric panel, between the legs of the user, around the crotch area of the user and to the back fabric panel to retain the undergarment at a position against a waist and a mid-section of the user. An elastic hip band is disposed around a circumference of the hip opening for co-acting with the front fabric panel, the back fabric panel and the elastic waist band to shape the waist and mid-section of the user.

A conventional undergarment, such as a panty or brief, is comprised of a number of fabric panels sewn together to form an undergarment having two leg openings and a waist opening. The undergarment is worn by slipping each of the legs of the wearer through the waist opening and through a respective leg opening. The undergarment is then pulled up the legs and disposed so as to cover the waist, hips, buttocks and thighs of the wearer. Traditionally, elastic material may be sewn to the undergarment at the circumference of the waist opening and/or leg openings to provide a snug, flexible fit of the garment on the body of the wearer.
Generally, the elastic material consists of a light, thin elastic band sewn to the undergarment at the circumference of the waist opening and/or leg openings, and is very easily stretched to conform to the body of the wearer and to allow for comfort and ease of movement. The elastic material provides very little support, and is usually ineffective for shaping and firming the body of the wearer. Also, the material used for the fabric panels is usually relatively light weight and non-supportive of the body of the wearer.
Body-shaping undergarments have been designed to satisfy the desire of a wearer to present a firm and shapely figure. A conventional body-shaping undergarment is exemplified by a corset. A corset is a shaped, close-fitting, usually reinforced undergarment worn to shape and support the body of the wearer. A conventional body-shaping undergarment typically utilizes stiff and overly-constraining reinforcing components and straps, making the garment clumsy, uncomfortable and severely restrictive of the movement of the wearer.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show a prior attempt at providing a body-shaping undergarment that is comfortable to wear and not overly restrictive. This body-shaping undergarment comprises a plurality of fabric panels sewn together to define waist opening 1 and leg openings 2. The circumference of the waist opening 1 is bordered by an elastic waist band 3, which is designed to support and firm the midsection of the wearer. The circumference of each leg opening 2 is bordered by a thin elastic leg band 4 for drawing the leg openings 2 of the garment close around the thighs of the wearer. A pair of straps 5 are fixed to the front and back of each leg opening 2, and each strap 5 terminates in a fitting for attachment to hosiery worn by the wearer. As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of buttock support panels 6 are disposed at the back-side of the undergarment. Each buttock support panel 6 supports and shapes a respective buttocks of the wearer, and a large gap 7 is present between the buttock support panels 6 with no fabric panel existing to cover the buttock of the wearer.
The undergarment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 suffers from a number of drawbacks that makes it less than effective to adequately shape and firm the body of the wearer. For example, the thin elastic leg bands 4 provide very little support to the thighs of the wearer. Also, the large gap 7 between the buttock support panels 6 reduces the comfort of the wearer, requiring the use of an additional undergarment, such as a panty, to adequately cover the buttocks of the wearer. Also, due to the large gap 7, and the inability of the thin elastic leg bands 4 to adequately support the thighs of the user, the undergarment lacks the co-action between the leg bands 4, buttock support panels 6 and waist band 3 that is necessary to effectively shape and support the mid-section of the wearer.
There have been a variety of attempts to provide a body-shaping undergarment capable of shaping and supporting the body of the wearer. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,393, issued to Brady, discloses a form fitting undergarment to be worn by pregnant women or women with large abdomens. To accommodate a large abdomen, this reference teaches the use of a front panel made of a stretchable material that is more stretchable than to other fabric panels making up the undergarment. This prior attempt fails to adequately constrain and support the mid-section of the wearer, and is thus ineffective at providing a firmer, more shapely figure.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,999, issued to Lawson et al., discloses a panty hose type garment having a body bulge controlling portion. The body bulge controlling portion is provided so that a compressive force exerted by the garment against the body is varied in a stepped manner. This prior attempt does also fails to adequately constrain and support the waist and mid-section of the wearer, and thus fails to provide a body-shaping undergarment that is comfortable to wear and effective at firming and shaping the mid-section of the wearer.