A programmable memory controller generates address and control signal information associated with a word of data which is desired to be transferred first from dynamic random access memory (DRAM) modules. The generated information specifically assists memory support circuitry interfacing with page mode DRAMs. This information is normally provided to the memory support circuitry just before selection of the staring word from a fetch line data buffer. Memory latency, gaps in data transfer, can be reduced when this information is available to the support circuitry as it drives column address and/or column address strobe (CAS) signals to the DRAMs.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to data processing systems, and more specifically to improved mechanisms for controlling the access of data from page mode addressed dynamic random access modules (DRAMS). These DRAMs are memories organized into rows and columns for page mode access of the memories as sets, banks or modules.
2. Description of Prior Art
FIG. 1 except for dashed line 103 shows a prior art processing system whereby dynamic random access memories in each of the modules are accessed via page mode to obtain a line of data. The system includes one or more independent central processors (CP) 11a through 11n, a system interconnection network (SC) 12 containing one or more memory controllers (MC) 13a through 13i, and one or more memories 14a through 14i. Each memory contains an address latch with incrementer 15, one or more banks of DRAMs 16, a speed matching fetch data buffer 17, and a data transfer selector 18. The memory logic which interfaces directly with the DRAMs, i.e. everything within the memory 14 with the exception of the DRAMs 16, is termed the memory support circuitry.
A cache within each CP holds lines of data which it has most recently used. When a word of data required by a processor is not found in its cache the CP requests this data from the SC. The SC obtains the most recent copy of the line containing this word (whether it is in memory or in another processor's cache) and transfers it to the requesting CP. In the cycles which immediately follow the transfer of the requested word the SC transfers the remaining words which comprise the line.
DRAMs are accessed via page mode to obtain a line of data in prior art memory designs. Page mode is a mode by which a single row address and a plurality of column addresses access a plurality of data bits from each DRAM data I/0 (input/output). In such designs only a portion of a data line is accessed with each column address. The benefits of such designs have been well documented. When page mode is invoked to access a line of data less DRAMs are activated and therefore less power is consumed on a line access. Also page mode reduces the data I/0 requirements between the DRAMs and speed matching buffer. The reduced 1/0 requirements allow for improved memory integration (memory designs with fewer cards) or increased data line sizes.
Unfortunately page mode designs have disadvantages also. One, the memory cycle time is increased because each memory access requires multiple column addresses and multiple column address strobe pulses. Also memory line data is loaded piecemeal into the speed matching fetch buffer. Generally the word required by the processor is the first to be loaded into the fetch buffer. However, the next sequential words within the line are not always available to be transferred in subsequent cycles. The subject invention addresses this problem.

System for providing gapless data transfer from page-mode dynamic random access memories

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of fabricating a vertical two-bits per cell STT MRAM for high density storage includes forming a bottom electrode within an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer, forming an anti-ferromagnetic (AF) layer over the bottom electrode, and forming a fixed layer along sidewalls of the AF layer. The method further includes forming a tunnel layer along the fixed layer, forming a free layer along the tunnel layer, and forming a top electrode along the free layer and over an upper surface of the AF layer.

Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) is a non-volatile computer memory technology based on magnetoresistance. MRAM differs from volatile Random Access Memory (RAM) in several respects. Because MRAM is non-volatile, MRAM can maintain memory content when the memory device is not powered. Though non-volatile RAM is typically slower than volatile RAM, MRAM has read and write response times that are comparable to that of volatile RAM. Unlike typical RAM technologies that store data as electric charges, MRAM data is stored by magnetoresistive elements. Generally, the magnetoresistive elements are made from two magnetic layers, each of which holds a magnetization. The magnetization of one layer (the "pinned layer") is fixed in its magnetic orientation, and the magnetization of the other layer (the "free layer") can be changed by an external magnetic field generated by a programming current. Thus, the magnetic field of the programming current can cause the magnetic orientations of the two magnetic layers to be either parallel, giving a lower electrical resistance across the layers ("0" state), or antiparallel, giving a higher electrical resistance across the layers ("1" state). The switching of the magnetic orientation of the free layer and the resulting high or low resistance states across the magnetic layers provide for the write and read operations of the typical MRAM cell.
Though MRAM technology offers non-volatility and faster response times, the MRAM cell is limited in scalability and susceptible to write disturbances. The programming current employed to switch between higher and lower electrical resistance states across the MRAM magnetic layers is typically high. Thus, when multiple cells are arranged in an MRAM array, the programming current directed to one memory cell may induce a field change in the free layer of an adjacent cell. This potential for write disturbances, also known as the "half-select problem," can be addressed using a spin torque transfer technique.
A conventional spin torque transfer MRAM (STT-MRAM) cell may include a magnetic cell stack, which may be a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) or a spin valve structure. An MTJ is a magnetoresistive data storing element including two magnetic layers (one pinned and one free) and an insulating layer in between the two magnetic layers; a bit line, a word line; a source line; and an access transistor. A spin valve structure has a structure similar to the MTJ, except a spin valve structure has a conductive layer in between the two magnetic layers. A programming current typically flows through the access transistor and the magnetic cell stack. The pinned layer polarizes the electron spin of the programming current, and torque is created as the spin-polarized current passes through the stack. The spin-polarized electron current interacts with the free layer by exerting a torque on the free layer. When the torque of the spin-polarized electron current passing through the stack is greater than the critical switching current density (JO, the torque exerted by the spin-polarized electron current is sufficient to switch the magnetization of the free layer. Thus, the magnetization of the free layer can be aligned to be either parallel or antiparallel to the pinned layer, and the resistance state across the stack is changed.
The STT-MRAM has advantageous characteristics over the MRAM, because the spin-polarized electron current eliminates the need for an external magnetic field to switch the free layer in the magnetoresistive elements. Further, scalability is improved as the programming current decreases with decreasing cell sizes, and the writing disturbance and half-select problem is addressed. Additionally, STT-MRAM technology allows for a higher tunnel magnetic resistance ratio, meaning there is a larger ratio between higher and lower electrical resistance states, thereby improving read operations in the magnetic domain.
Presently-known STT-MRAM structures and methods for fabricating such structures all suffer from several drawbacks. Structure of a standard 1T-1R STT-MRAM bit-cell could not achieve high density memory for stand-alone market; as such multi-bit per cells is preferred. For example, in some known structures, it has proven difficult to achieve compact design layouts, such as two bit per cell layouts, to afford higher density memory availability while maintaining a small footprint on the semiconductor device. These compact designs have heretofore required the use of complicated three-dimensional structures and a relatively high-operating current, which both adds to fabrication process complexity and power consumption.
Accordingly, with the increasing use of STT-MRAM in stand-alone memory application, it is desirable to provide robust and reliable STT-MRAM structures. Additionally, it is desirable to provide methods for the fabrication of such structures that are easily integrated into existing process flow schemes used in semiconductor fabrication facilities. Still further, it is desirable to provide such structures and methods that allow for the relatively compact two bit per cell architecture without the need for three-dimensional layouts or excessive power consumption. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Two-bits per cell structure with spin torque transfer magnetic random access memory and methods for fabricating the same


Disclosed are an oxide thin film transistor (oxide-TFT) which can prevent H+ ions from invading into an active layer to maintain a stable characteristics of the TFT, a method for fabricating the oxide-TFT, an array substrate, and a display apparatus. The oxide-TFT comprises a substrate (200), and a gate electrode (201) and a gate insulating layer (202) sequentially disposed on the substrate. An active layer (203) is disposed on the gate insulating layer and is coated with a blocking layer, which at least comprises a first blocking layer (204) and a second blocking layer (205).

At present, the main component of an active layer of a TFT in a liquid crystal display comprises silicon, such as, amorphous silicon or polysilicon. A TFT employing amorphous silicon as the active layer is hardly used in the situations requiring a large current and a rapid response, such as, an organic light emitting display, a display having a large size, a high resolution, and a high scanning frequency, or the like, due to its characteristic limitations (e.g., mobility, On-state current, etc.). A TFT employing polysilicon as the active layer can be used in an organic light emitting display due to its better characteristics than amorphous silicon; but the TFT has poor uniformity, so it is hard to be used for preparing a large size panel. Therefore, there is an increasing attraction to oxide semiconductor.
A TFT employing an oxide semiconductor as the active layer has better characteristics, such as, mobility, On-state current, switching characteristics, etc., than that employing amorphous silicon. Although certain characteristics of an oxide semiconductor are not as good as polysilicon, it still can satisfy the requirements of applications requiring a rapid response and a large current, such as, a display having a high frequency, a high resolution, and a large size, an organic light emitting display, etc. In general, an oxide has better uniformity than polysilicon, so it can be prepared by a sputtering method or the like without additional equipments, and thus costs can be low.
FIG. 1 is a structure view of an oxide-TFT in the prior art. In the process for fabricating an existing oxide-TFT, source/drain electrodes 105a, 105b are patterned by wet etching. Since an active layer 103 below the source/drain electrodes also can be etched by etchant, an etching blocking layer 104 is typically formed to protect the active layer 103 from being etched during etching of the source/drain metal layer.
The existing etch blocking layer is a single layer of SiOx. Since chemical bonds containing H, such as Si—H bond and N—H bond, may be generated during forming of SiOx, the etching blocking layer usually contains high concentration of H+. Further, the active layer is made of an oxide semiconductor, such as, IGZO, IZO, or the like, and the H+ ions inside both the etch blocking layer and an upper passivation layer may invade into the active layer, so oxygen holes may be changed in the active layer such as IGZO, the threshold voltage (Vth) may shift, and On/Off current (Ion/Ioff) may be reduced, etc. Thus, the property of the TFT is deteriorated, and the usage life of the TFT is shortened.

Oxide thin film transistor and method for manufacturing the same, array substrate, and display apparatus


A modulating gas burner control system using closed loop feedback from a flame rod which provides a signal that varies with gas pressure and which provides combustion air fan control to accurately control the heat from the system without use of expensive control valves.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gas burner control and more particularly to feedback control for modulating gas burners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gas burners employ a source of gas which passes through a regulator to control the flow emitted through an orifice. A source of air is mixed with the gas and the gas/air mixture is transmitted to a burner where an igniter causes combustion. The resulting flames are thrown past a flame sensor into a heat exchanger that transfers heat to a supply of air directed to the space to be heated. The flow of burning gas/air mixture in the heat exchanger is controlled by a combustion fan at one end. The gas/air flow is proportional to the RPM of the fan which is typically supervised by an air pressure switch. Changes in fan speed cause changes in the amount of heat exchanged and the heat that is directed to the space to be heated may be controlled. However, as the speed of the fan is changed, the ratio of gas to air in the gas/air mixture must also be changed to maintain good combustion and keep efficiency within an acceptable range
It is known that the ratio of gas to air in the gas/air mixture needs to be within certain limits in order to provide good combustion and efficiency. The gas flow may be controlled by an electric modulating gas valve with a gas pressure regulator. Modulating gas burners have been constructed to attempt to obtain the desired gas/air mixture under various conditions but existing modulating gas burners normally rely on open loop control of the gas and air relationship. This leads to two problems: the first is the production tolerance of the modulating gas valve and the second is the tolerance of the combustion air control system.
In FIG. 1, the modulating signal to two hypothetical production valves is shown plotted against the percent of maximum output pressure. The variation of a high limit valve in a typical production batch may be shown by line 2 and the variation of a low limit valve from the batch may be shown by line 4. The values for the modulating signals are arbitrary values representing desired output pressures. For example, if an output is desired to be 40% of the maximum, the modulating signal request may be set at 40. However, because of the variations in the valves of a batch, it is seen that the valves representing the high and low members of the batch may produce outputs between about 30% and about 43% of the maximum when the modulating signal is set at an output request of level 40. For optimal efficiency, this range should be lower and while the range can be lowered by achieving tighter tolerances for the modulating valves in a batch, this is quite impractical for a low cost gas valve.

Feedback control for modulating gas burner


A diaphragm valve having a diaphragm functioning as a valve body. Unlike the conventional valve of this type, the retainer for pressing the sealing section of the diaphragm against the valve seat is provided with a predetermined number of rectangular apertures or concave portions at specified positions thereon so that when the valve is operated in a low temperature atmosphere or a high temperature atmosphere, the diaphragm is prevented from sticking firmly to the valve sheet due to freezing or heating thereby allowing the valve to perform an accurate valve opening operation without changing its pressure and flow rate characteristics.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a valve and, more particularly, to a diaphragm valve having a diaphragm which functions as a valve body.
2. Prior Art
Diaphragm valves have conventionally been known and one of these valves will be described in detail hereinafter in relation to the preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, this known conventional diaphragm valve has had the disadvantage that due to the structural relationship between the diaphragm and the plate portion of the retainer for pressing the diaphragm, when the diaphragm valve is operated in a low temperature atmosphere around -30.degree. C., the sealing section of the diaphragm sticks to the valve seat due to freezing while at the same time, when it is operated in a high temperature atmosphere, the like sticking phenomenon also takes place between the diaphragm and the valve seat due to heating of the diaphragm so that the pressure and flow rate characteristics of the valve changes greatly to thereby prevent the valve from performing an accurate valve opening operation.


An embodiment of the invention includes a method of authenticating a second device connected to a first device. The method includes transmitting a first data string from the first device to the second device and receiving a second data string at the first device from the second device. The method also includes generating a third data string using an alteration key at the first device and comparing the third data string and either the first data string or the second data string. The method further includes authenticating the second device if the compared data strings match.

One challenge that is increasingly encountered with electronic devices involves the authenticity of peripheral devices used in connection with the device. For instance, manufacturers and users of optical networking devices that employ optical transceivers—such as routers, switches, and the like—often desire that only authentic transceivers originating from a reliable manufacturer be used in their devices. Unfortunately, knock-off transceivers of unknown or spurious origin can infiltrate the transceiver market such that they are employed in optical networking devices. Such optical transceivers can be of inferior quality or be configured contrary to what is needed or desired. As a result, operation of the optical networking device itself and/or the network can be compromised. In some instances, the data being transmitted can be subject to security risks. More specifically, counterfeit devices can compromise security and operation of networks in part because the user has no assurance or understanding of the operating parameters of the counterfeit devices.
In light of the above, a need exists in the art for a means by which the identity of optical transceivers and other communications modules can be authenticated so as to prevent unknown or counterfeit devices from being employed in critical optical networking applications.

Protecting against counterfeit electronic devices


A system and method for correlating health related data for display. The system includes a medical device recording data and a display producing device which correlates the data and simultaneously displays different types of data or displays two sets of the same type of data along with the circumstances at which the two sets of data were recorded. Such displays aid a physician in prescribing and ascertaining the efficacy of cardiac therapies.

Implantable cardiac rhythm management devices ("CRM devices") are well established therapeutic devices for treating patients who have experienced one or more documented episodes of hemodynamically significant ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, bradycardia, or heart failure. Since their clinical inception more than two decades ago, CRM devices have evolved from basic to sophisticated electronic devices that provide physicians with a variety of clinically useful functions with which to treat patients.
Presently, even the most basic of CRM device typically has more than one tachycardia detection criterion, tiered therapy which combines bradycardia support pacing with various antitachycardia pacing modes, low-energy cardioversion, defibrillation, and data logging capabilities. The data logging capabilities within CRM devices have become increasingly important, since the amount of data required for the CRM device operation increases proportionally with the increase in CRM functions. Efficiently processing this large amount of data has become possible with the incorporation of microprocessors and memory within the CRM device.
Once a CRM device has been implanted, the physician interacts with the CRM device through a clinical programmer. The clinical programmer establishes a communication link with the implanted CRM device. The communication link allows instructions to be sent to the electronic circuitry of the CRM device and clinical data regarding the occurrence and treatment of a patient's cardiac arrhythmias and the CRM device's operation to be sent from the electronic circuitry of the CRM device to the clinical programmer. The typical programmer is a microprocessor-based unit that creates a communication link between the implanted CRM device and the programmer, and a graphics display screen that presents a patient's recorded cardiac data and CRM system information to the physician.
As the number of differing health data recorded by CRM device increases with each new generation of CRM device and the number of general patient health data increases, manufacturers and clinicians alike are becoming more sensitive to the role that time-efficient data interpretation plays in the physician's diagnosis of the patient. As CRM devices become increasingly complex, the interpretation of recorded arrhythmic episodes, operation of the CRM device, and the effect of changing a patient's therapy can be a challenging and time-consuming task.
Therefore, a need exists for improved CRM system and programmer technology that facilitates and correlates the identification of relevant information regarding the patient's clinical status. There is a need in the art for a system that correlates multiple data sets and displays same to the physician.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for correlation of patient health information and implant device data


The use of IL-22 for the treatment of metabolic disorders including hyperlipidemia, obesity, hyperinsulinemia and diabetes. IL-22 may also be used in combination with insulin for diabetes.

Metabolic disorders including obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia are complicated syndromes affecting a large population world wide. It is believed that genetic and environmental factors and living habits contributed to the metabolic disorders. These metabolic disorders contribute significantly to the development of coronary heart disease. There is no effective treatment for metabolic disorders such as for obesity and diabetes. Recombinant insulin is widely used to effectively control type I diabetes. But for type II diabetes, treatment with recombinant insulin was not effective since patients developed insulin resistance. Insulin sensitizers are developed for type II diabetes. For hyperlipidemia, current treatments are mainly focused on reducing cholesterol levels in patients by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis or on inhibiting lipid absorption.

Use of IL-22 for the treatment of conditions of metabolic disorders


The present invention is directed generally to a power supply. According to various embodiments, the power supply includes at least one DC/DC converter. The converter includes a primary switch controlled by a pulse width modulated control signal such that the primary switch is on for a D time period of each switching cycle of the converter and is off for a 1-D time period of each switching cycle. Also, the power supply includes a current sensing element connected in series with the primary switch. In addition, the power supply includes a current limit circuit connected to the current sensing element. The current limit circuit includes a functional circuit having a first input responsive to a first signal whose voltage is proportional to the output current of the converter during the D time period of the switching cycle of the converter. A second input of the functional circuit is responsive to a second signal whose voltage is proportional to the output current of the converter during the 1-D time period of the switching cycle of the converter. In that way, the voltage of the output signal of the functional circuit is proportional to the output inductor current of the converter over both the energy storage phase (the D interval) and the energy deliver phase (the 1-D) interval of the converter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to DC-DC power conversion.
2. Background of the Invention
DC-to-DC power converters are power-processing circuits that convert an unregulated input DC voltage to a regulated DC output voltage. Switched-mode DC-to-DC power converters typically include an inverter, a transformer having a primary winding coupled to the inverter, a rectifying circuit coupled to a secondary winding of the transformer, and a filter connected between the rectifying circuit and the load. The inverter typically includes a pulse width modulated (PWM) switching device (i.e., the primary switch), such as a MOSFET, that converts the DC input voltage to an alternating voltage, which is magnetically coupled from the primary winding of the transformer to the secondary winding. A PWM control circuit regulates conduction of the PWM switching device. The rectifying circuit rectifies the alternating voltage on the secondary winding.
In some applications it is desirable measure the output current of the converter such that the delivered output current can be controlled. For example, if an overcurrent condition exists at the output, the duty cycle of the primary switch may be reduced. In DC-DC converters that are of an isolated type, direct information related to the input current can be easily derived. This is typically done using current sensing resistors or current sensing transformers located in the primary switch current path. Sensors of this type provide information related to the input current or current in the power inductor during the D or energy storage state of the power converter. Since the slope of the output current of the converter (e.g., the current through an inductor of the output filter circuit) is related to the operating point of the converter, attempting to control the output current of a power converter with only the D state information can result in considerable errors.
The use of a resistor as the current sensing element has several advantages, including cost and size. It is therefore desirable to deploy a current sensing resistor as the sensing element. Unfortunately, to manage the power dissipation in the sensing element the developed voltage must be minimized. In an optimized sensor circuit the developed voltage is well below the forward conduction drop of silicon diodes and in general makes direct signal processing difficult and replete with parasitic error terms.
Therefore, there exists a need for a current sensor processing means that develops the average current output of a DC-DC converter using the D state signal information. Additionally, there exists a need for such a processing means that directly interfaces with resistive sensing elements.

Current limit circuit and power supply including same


A high nitrogen flux cored wire for welding of Cr--Ni type stainless steel is formed by filling a flux into a sheath of stainless steel. The flux is composed of N and nitrogen compound (total converted value of N): 0.05 to 0.30 wt % with respect to total weight of wire, in the sheath and the flux; and TiO.sub.2 : 4.0 to 8.0 wt %, SiO.sub.2 : 0.3 to 3.0 wt %, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 : 0.05 to 1.5 wt %, metal fluoride (converted value of F): 0.05 to 0.7 wt %, ZrO.sub.2 : less 0.5 wt %, and metal carbonate: less than or equal to 1.0 wt % with respect to total weight of the wire, in said flux.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high nitrogen flux cored welding wire to be used for welding of a Cr--Ni type stainless steel, which has superior pitting corrosion resistance, crevice corrosion resistance and so forth and can provide enhanced workability in welding, such as arc stability, slag removing characteristics and so forth.
2. Description of the Related Art
In welding of stainless steel, associating with demand for higher efficiency and for automating, application of flux cored wire is abruptly spreading. In the recent years, study has been made for application of stainless steel as strength member of building, and high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel, such as SUS 304N2 and so forth is in the limelight. High nitrogen austenitic stainless steel has high strength and superior characteristics in pitting corrosion resistance, crevice corrosion resistance and so forth. Accordingly, by realization of weight saving of strength member and improvement of corrosion resistance, high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel has been used in a wide range of application, such as water gate, chemical tanker and so forth. Also, ferrite-austenitic duplex stainless steel has similar characteristics and thus has spreading application in place of 304L type or so forth.
Even in welding of these strength member, high nitrogen flux cored wire for welding of Cr--Ni type stainless steel with improved corrosion resistance of welded metal has already been developed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. Heisei 3 (1991)-264194.
When nitrogen content in the wire gets higher, problems are encountered with its increasing tendency to splatter, and in the significant degradation of its slag removing characteristics. Therefore, there is a demand for high nitrogen flux cored wire which can further improve workability in welding. Particularly, among various joints, in one side welded joint which has been widely used in actual construction, poor slag removing characteristics of front surface and back surface of initial welded metal is not desirable for hindering welding operation. Furthermore, residual slag should increase slag inclusion.
On the other hand, high nitrogen flux cored wire for welding of Cr type stainless steel with improved workability in welding and mechanical performance of the welded metal, and so forth have been disclosed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Heisei 5 (1993)-138394). However, since Cr type stainless steel and Cr--Ni type stainless steel are different in characteristics, such as linear expansion coefficient, melting point and so forth, it is not possible to restrict lowering of workability on welding due to increasing of nitrogen content by assimilating the flux composition of the wire for Cr--Ni type to the flux composition of the disclosed Cr type.
A flux cored wire for Cr--Ni type stainless steel with low nitrogen content has been known (Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) NO. Heisei 5 (1993)-18679. This flux cored wire may provide superior workability. However, since it is low nitrogen type, it becomes difficult to obtain sufficient corrosion resistance and strength of the welded metal.
As set forth above, in the prior art, there has not been developed a high nitrogen flux cored wire for welding of Cr--Ni type stainless steel, which can satisfy both improvement of strength and corrosion resistance by increased the content of nitrogen and good workability in welding, primarily slag removing characteristics.

High nitrogen flux cored welding wire for Cr-Ni type stainless steel


A microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus of the present invention has a translucent blow guide 6 arranged around a microwave-excited discharge lamp 4. Thereby, even when the microwave-excited discharge lamp 4 is reduced in size, the microwave-excited discharge lamp 4 can be cooled efficiently without complicating or increasing the size of the apparatus.

The present invention relates to a microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus which emits light by discharge under a microwave electromagnetic field.
In recent years, in accordance with demands of energy saving etc., high intensity discharge lamps have been attracting attention. The reason why is that the high intensity discharge lamps can easily provide large light output compared with fluorescent lamps which give light output through phosphors. The high intensity discharge lamps are divided into two types: an electrode type discharge lamp having electrodes, such as a metal halide lamp and a mercury lamp; and an electrodeless type discharge lamp such as a microwave-excited lamp.
In the microwave-excited lamp, a predetermined microwave electromagnetic field is formed by a magnetron or the like microwave generator, and plasma discharge caused by a microwave electromagnetic field is used as a light source. The microwave-excited lamp has a long life compared with the electrode type discharge lamp limited by deterioration of the electrodes. Furthermore, in the microwave-excited lamp, an emission spectrum of the light output does not almost deteriorate after a long period of service because of electrodeless configuration.
Moreover, since change of impedance between operating condition and extinguished condition is small, the microwave-excited discharge lamp provides far greater advantages than the electrode type discharge lamp with regard to characteristics of flashing operation, starting, and restarting. The microwave-excited discharge lamp also has a remarkable advantage over the electrode type discharge lamp in view of environmental protection. The reason why is that, as has been described in the above, the microwave-excited discharge lamp has the long life, and thereby components of the microwave-excited discharge lamp need not be exchanged for a long time. Furthermore, the microwave-excited discharge lamp gives light output having the brightness and efficacy comparable to those of the electrode type discharge lamp without use of environment-harmful mercury.
A conventional microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus disclosed in unexamined and published Japanese patent application TOKKAI Hei 3-49102 will be described with reference to FIG. 11 specifically.
As shown in FIG. 11, the conventional microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus comprises a microwave generator 51 for generating a microwave, a waveguide 52 for propagating the microwave generated in the microwave generator 51, a cavity 53 connected to the waveguide 52, and a microwave-excited discharge lamp (hereinafter referred to as "a lamp") 54 arranged in the cavity 53.
The microwave generator 51 includes a magnetron 51a for generating a microwave of, for example, 2450 MHz with an output of several kW, an antenna 51b for radiating the microwave generated, and a fan 51c for cooling the magnetron 51a. A high voltage power supply 55 for driving is connected to the magnetron 51a.
The waveguide 52 is configured of a metal box member having a rectangular section, for example. The antenna 51b is housed at one end of the waveguide 52, and a power feeding window 52a and an aperture 52b in the opposite relation to the power feeding window 52a are formed in the other end of the waveguide 52.
The cavity 53 is formed of a metal material such as copper and includes a substantially cylindrical member 53a with open ends and a mesh plate 53b arranged on one of the open ends of the cylindrical member 53a. The other open end of the cylindrical member 53a is mounted on the surface of the waveguide 52 in such a manner as to surround the power feeding window 52a of the waveguide 52.
The internal space of the cavity 53 forms a cavity resonator for accumulating microwave energy. In the case that the microwave is radiated from the power feeding window 52a, a predetermined microwave electromagnetic field is formed in the internal space of the cavity 53. Also, the light generated in the lamp 54 by the plasma discharge is emitted outside as a light output through the mesh plate 53b. A reflector (not shown) for reflecting visible light is arranged on the inner wall of the cavity 53 in order to retrieve the light output efficiently in a single direction.
The lamp 54 is formed of translucent quartz glass or the like in a substantially spherical or elongate cylindrical form, and is arranged in the internal space of the cavity 53 by a supporting rod 56 of quartz glass. The lamp 54 hermetically contains therein a rare gas such as argon, a small amount of mercury and a metal halide such as thallium iodide providing a luminous material. The internal pressure of the lamp 54 in an extinguished condition is regulated at about 100 to 200 Torr in order to easily perform a starting operation, i.e. a starting of the below-mentioned plasma discharge of the rare gas. The supporting rod 56 is connected to a motor 57 for rotating the lamp 54 through the power feeding window 52a and the aperture 52b of the waveguide 52 and further through a connecting jig 57a. The rotation of the motor 57 stabilizes the plasma discharge in the lamp 54 while at the same time cooling the lamp 54.
A pair of nozzles 58 are arranged in the vicinity of the lamp 54 for injecting a cool air flow supplied from a compressor not shown. As a result, the lamp 54 is sufficiently cooled, thereby to prevent thermal degeneration of the lamp 54 caused by the plasma discharge. It is known that the pair of the nozzles 58 are provided corresponding to the size of the lamp 54 and the output of the magnetron 51a, and are included in the conventional microwave discharge apparatus. Specifically, in the case that the output of the magnetron 51a is not less than several kW and the spherical lamp 54 is not more than 8 mm in diameter, for example, the pair of the nozzles 58 is arranged in the vicinity of the lamp 54.
In the case that the output of the magnetron 51a is small and the lamp 54 is large in size, in contrast, the lamp 54 is sufficiently cooled by the rotation of the motor 57, so that the thermal degeneration of the lamp 54 by the plasma discharge is suppressed to some degree. In such a case, therefore, the nozzles 58 are not generally included in the conventional microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus. Furthermore, another conventional microwave-excited discharge apparatus with a small output of the magnetron 51a and a large lamp 54 has been proposed, in which the cooling air (cooled air) from the fan 51c, after being used for cooling the magnetron 51a, is blown to the lamp 54 instead of using the motor 57. Specifically, the cooling air is supplied from the power feeding window 52a through the interior of the waveguide 52 and blown to the lamp 54. As another alternative, the cooling air is guided using a guide plate or the like and blown to the lamp 54 from outside the mesh plate 53b.
Operation of the conventional microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus will be described.
Upon application of a high voltage to the microwave generator 51 from the high voltage power supply 55, the microwave is radiated from the antenna 51a of the microwave generator 51 into the waveguide 52. This microwave is propagated through the waveguide 52 and radiated to the cavity 53 from the power feeding window 52a formed in the waveguide 52. As a result, the predetermined microwave electromagnetic field is formed in the internal space of the cavity 53. The microwave electromagnetic field causes a dielectric breakdown of the rare gas and thus starts the plasma discharge. The plasma discharge increases the temperature of the inner wall of the lamp 54, whereby the mercury and the metal halide are vaporized, thereby increasing the internal pressure of the lamp 54. As long as the temperature at the coldest point of the inner wall and the internal pressure are stabilized at a predetermined value, respectively, i.e. in steady state operating condition, light having a predetermined emission spectrum is generated in the lamp 54 by the plasma discharge of the metal vapor. This light is radiated out through the mesh plate 53b from the cavity 53 as the light output. In the above-mentioned steady state operating condition, the pressure of the metal vapor represents a larger proportion of the internal pressure of the lamp 54 than that of the rare gas.
The above-mentioned conventional microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus is required to comprise component members such as the pair of the nozzles and the air compressor used exclusively for cooling the lamp in accordance with the size of the lamp and the output of the magnetron. As a result, the configuration of the microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus is complicated and becomes bulky. These problems present themselves conspicuously especially when the lamp is reduced in size for reducing the size of the light source. The reason is that in the case that the lamp is reduced in size, the plasma discharge occurs in the vicinity of the inner wall of the lamp, resulting in an increased tube wall temperature of the lamp. Thereby, the thermal degeneration of the lamp is accelerated, so that the lamp breaks or devitrifies, often shortening the life of the lamp. Further, with the increase in the temperature of the inner wall, the steady state operating condition of the lamp becomes unstable, thereby deteriorating the lighting characteristic. As a result, with the conventional microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus having a smaller lamp, it is always necessary to provide the above-mentioned component members dedicated to cooling the lamp, thereby complicating and making bulky the configuration of the apparatus.
Furthermore, in the case that the light output from the light source is used by means of converging the light through a lens or a reflecting mirror, reducing the size of the light source is strongly demanded in order to efficiently extract the light output. As described in "Small Long-Lived Stable Light Source for Projection-Display Applications," International Symposium Digest, Technical Report, Vol. 24, pp. 716-719, for example, when the lamp is used as a backlight source for a projection display, it is strongly required that the lamp attains to the small size in order to efficiently extract the light output from the backlight source.
However, in the conventional microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus, when the lamp attains to the small size, there are problems that the configuration of the apparatus complicates and makes bulky as described above. As a result, it has been difficult to use the conventional microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus as the backlight source of the projection display or the like.
Further, with the conventional configuration in which the cooling air, after cooling the magnetron, is blown to the lamp from a power feeding window, the internal space of the cavity is suddenly expanded from the power feeding window. Therefore, the cooling air is excessively diffused when blowing into the internal space of the cavity from the power feeding window. Thereby, it was impossible to cool the lamp efficiently. Also, even with the conventional configuration in which the cooling air is blown from a mesh plate side, the mesh plate blocks the flow of the cooling air, and therefore the lamp cannot be cooled efficiently.

Microwave-excited discharge lamp apparatus


A bearing retainer subassembly for use between inner and outer bearing races of a rolling element bearing comprises rolling elements, a bearing retainer, and biasing elements within the bearing retainer for biasing the rolling elements toward one of the inner and outer bearing races to extend a zone of contact between the rolling elements and said one bearing race. The biasing elements may be compression springs, finger springs or similar devices and spacers for applying force on the rolling elements or on aligning pins penetrating the rolling elements to move the rolling elements.

This invention relates generally to large bearings with rolling elements and, more particularly, to bearing retainers for rolling element bearings operated at very low rotational speeds.
A bearing retainer in a rolling element bearing serves to separate and align the rolling elements and may also restrict radial movement of the rolling elements. If the bearing retainer restricts the rolling elements both radial directions, the bearing retainer is also known as a bearing "cage." In large bearings with rolling elements, i.e., bearings having a diameter greater than 0.5 meters, the bearing retainer is made very rugged for reliable service and to sustain loads during lifting that is required for installation and removal of the bearing retainer and rolling elements.
Surface damage commonly occurs in large bearings with spherical, tapered and cylindrical rolling elements that are operated at very low rotational speeds. Due to lack of sufficient centrifugal loading to maintain spin velocity of rolling elements, rolling elements slide or skid against the outer raceway of the bearing during part of their orbit of the bearing. Specifically, centrifugal loading is not adequate to assist in the separation of the surfaces with hydrodynamic or elastrohydrodynamic films. Such surface damage may act as points of initiation of fatigue cracks and may severely limit the service life of bearing components.
Another problem occurs because these large bearings are typically mounted with loose or transition fits when installed in large equipment. In addition, radial internal clearance within the bearings is often desired in such applications to provide ease of installation of bearing elements and to accommodate expected thermal differentials. As a result of these clearances, the rolling elements of the bearings are loaded for only a portion of their orbit of the bearing. Frictional forces within the bearing and lack of traction of the rolling elements due to normal load at the raceway contact cause the rolling elements to lose spin velocity, resulting in surface damage when raceway contact is reestablished.
Previous proposals to reduce such surface damage have focused primarily on improved lubrication. For example, various coatings for the retaining pins have been proposed to reduce drag between the retaining pins and the rolling elements. Other proposals have attempted to improve lubricant entry to the rolling elements, have suggested special treatment of bearing raceways and rolling elements to reduce wear, or have considered use of small clearances and traction fluids. However, none of these proposals has been successful in solving the underlying problem.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present bearing retainers for large bearings with rolling elements. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.


The present invention is directed to signal processing means for detecting and discriminating between geological layers encountered by kinetic energy subterranean vehicles in flight (terra-craft), using a raw signal representing deceleration of the terra-craft. The signal processing means uses autocorrelation and filtering to amplify the rate of deceleration, allowing the same to be compared to extensive data compiled for the US government regarding rates of deceleration in known materials, using various craft geometry. In this way, the unknown material encountered by the terra-craft can be identified by comparing the deceleration of the craft through a layer of material to the known data for the craft geometry. The signal processing means may further include a plurality of circuits to detect and annunciate varying layers in a media, and to track in real time the location of the projectile.

The present invention relates to a method and signal processing means for detecting and discriminating between natural and structural layers encountered during the terra-flight of kinetic energy vehicles. Kinetic energy vehicles in terra-flight (terra-craft) utilize their kinetic energy to traverse the layers of a structure or geologic media. The present invention is based on the very creative but non-intuitive postulate that peak g-s (that is the peak rate of velocity removal from a terra-dynamic system) is totally dependent on the material encountered during flight and the geometry of the terra-craft. Therefore, each material for a given craft geometry has a unique deceleration value, independent of the velocity of the craft. In practice, this unique value for each material is a very narrow band of values.
The present invention takes advantage of this postulate by generating the deceleration value for each layer of material through which a terra-craft travels, which value can then be compared to government acceleration data of various kinetic energy projectiles taken for geological penetration technology. This government data has been gathered for over five decades, and velocity-specific information therefrom is used for purposes of understanding what loading a penetrating projectile undergoes at very high deceleration, to ensure that the projectile design is appropriate for purposes of traversing known layers of geological media. The present invention allows a new usage of this data (free from velocity values) derived from this multi-million dollar governmental test effort, to the benefit of extraterrestrial exploration or remote monitoring of hazardous locations such as volcanoes and sea beds. Furthermore, it is a novel method of detecting and identifying unknown layers of a geological media or concealed structure.
The signal processing means of the present invention utilizes a pseudo auto-correlation of the deceleration signal to separate different types of layers encountered by the terra-craft, leading to excellent sensitivity to distinguish between a wide range of material densities (and, with greater sensitivity, more information regarding the material make-up of each layer can be identified).
Therefore, the signal processing means of the present invention is especially beneficial in the exploration of geological formations (such as mountains, volcanoes etc.) or extraterrestrial bodies, to determine the layer structure thereof (identity hardness and, in some embodiments, depth of each layer), thereby providing critical information to determine the makeup and origin of the formation or body, and if desirable enable the accurate placement of sensors in particular layers there-within.
A terra-craft system traverses manmade protective and/or geologic media via its kinetic energy, in similar fashion to an aircraft traversing the atmospheric medium of terrestrial or extra-terrestrial bodies. The phrase "terra-dynamics" has been coined to imply the system's direct association to the field of aerodynamics. The principle difference being that a terra-dynamic system encounters many and varied media during its flight. Aero-dynamic media is restricted to the atmospheric make up of a celestial body.
Current sensor placement and munitions systems in geological exploration and military applications typically function via an electronic timer circuit installed on a terra-craft. The setting of this timer is determined by a specialist's educated guess, which in turn is based on the system geometry and available intelligence gathered on the structural characteristics of the target. Where no good intelligence is available, the timer setting becomes imprecise. The imprecision produces on-board functions at undesirable spatial locations, severely or totally diminishing the system effectiveness, requiring target re-strike with associated additional human and material exposure. Some devices will actuate with a proximity or acceleration sensor, or a timer coupled with a sensor. These devices are similarly limited to an educated guess as to how hard a target layer is or when (at what time) the terra-craft will reach a certain station.
However, even when a layer structure is known or suspected, this educated guess as to when a fuze or sensor should be actuated is fraught with problems; for example, concrete increases in hardness over time. This increase is non-linear so that a terra-craft will reach a different station at different times depending on the date at which the structure is approached. When a structure's geometry or layer structure is unknown, "educated guesses" frequently result in the inaccurate placement of sensors (or detonation of munitions), requiring the use of additional resources to repeat the placement.
In U.S. Application Publication No. 2006/0090663 ("Biggs"), a layer detection system is generally disclosed for purposes of categorizing and counting layers, and detonating explosives upon reaching a pre-determined location. The method/system includes detecting a deceleration threshold, and enabling a delayed detonation program that may include hard layer counting, void counting, or both. Once the pre-programmed number and/or sequence of layers and voids is detected by the Biggs' system, the weapon is detonated. Biggs, however, fails to transmit to a remote location a signal representing the deceleration encountered by the weapon, and further fails to analyze information regarding the deceleration to identify the material make-up of the structural layers encountered by his weapon. The present invention, on the other hand, returns valuable information regarding layer structure to a remote location so that the material make-up of unknown layers can be identified and, as your inventor has discovered, does not need to measure velocity to make such identifications.
Other than the present invention, none of the foregoing technologies generate a signal or value useful in the identification of the specific materials that make up layers of a target or geological media. Furthermore, there is a need for this technology so that terra-craft can travel to remote locations to determine geological makeup. This would be particularly helpful in space exploration, where present sampling of geological layers near a landing site provides inaccurate data, as the landing contaminates the site and spoofs the investigation of planetary makeup. Thus, the present invention provides signal processing means that can generate and process a deceleration signal to identify specific geological materials, and reliably act on this information by, for example, placing a sensor or detonating explosives at a particular location. The present invention further provides for a more sensitive layer detection system than one designed based upon the minimal disclosure in Biggs.

Method and signal processing means for detecting and discriminating between structural configurations and geological gradients encountered by kinetic energy subterranean terra-dynamic crafts


A system for managing email failure notification. The system comprises a data store to store message identifiers for sent emails and a local server computer. The local server computer comprises an analyzer application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, analyzes an email return notification comprising information about a failed email, wherein the analyzer application obtains the email return notification via the return path address defined in the return path attribute, reads an entry from the data store based on a message identifier in the email return notification, and updates the entry based on the message identifier. The local server computer further comprises a resolution application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, reads entries from the data store associated with failed emails, builds a table on a website with failed email information, and maintains statistics for failed emails.

Computers are applied in almost all fields. Wired and wireless computer networks are also becoming increasingly prevalent in our daily lives. Connections to the Internet for a business enterprise may be managed services by a third party, for example by a wireless communications service provider. The managed services provider may choose to communicate with the client, the business enterprise, via email for updates on the managed services, for example when an issue happens.

Universal email failure notification system


A LED backlight driving circuit is disclosed. The LED backlight driving circuit includes a boost circuit for converting an input voltage to an output voltage for a LED unit, a driving IC for controlling the boost circuit such that the boost circuit converts the input voltage to the output voltage for the LED unit, a discharging module for releasing charges stored within the boost circuit after the driving circuit is turned off, and a detecting module for detecting a voltage at an output end of the boost circuit and then for generating enable signals for controlling the operations of the driving IC. The LED backlight driving circuit is capable of detecting a discharging state of the boost circuit after being quickly rebooted. The driving circuit can be rebooted only if the output voltage is smaller than a reference voltage as the charges stored within the boost circuit is released. As such, the flashing issue is avoided. In addition, the liquid crystal device including the above LED backlight driving circuit is also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to LED backlight driving circuit technology, and more particularly to a LED backlight driving circuit capable of quick rebooting without resulting in flashing, and the liquid crystal device (LCD) with the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
With the technology revolution, backlight technology of LCDs has been developed. Typical LCDs adopt cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) as the backlight sources. However, as the CCFL backlight is characterized by attributes including low color reduction ability, low lighting efficiency, high discharging voltage, bad discharging characteristics in low temperature, and also, the CCFL needs a long time to achieve a stable gray scale, LED backlight source is a newly developed technology. For LCDs, the LED backlight source is arranged opposite to the liquid crystal panel so as to provide the light source to the liquid crystal panel. The LED backlight source includes at least one LED string, and each LED string includes a plurality of LEDs serially connected.
Generally, an output capacitor is arranged within the power supplying module of the driving circuit of the LED backlight source. During a quick reboot process, as charges are stored on the capacitor, the driving circuit may flash upon rebooting. FIG. 1 is a connecting module diagram of a typical LED backlight driving circuit having a discharging module.
As shown in FIG. 1, the LED backlight source driving circuit includes a boost circuit 110, a LED unit 120, and a driving IC 130. The boost circuit 110 is controlled by the driving IC 130 to convert the input voltage (Vin) to a needed output voltage (Vout) for the LED unit 120. In order to solve the flashing issue during the quick reboot process, the output end of the boost circuit 110 connects to one discharging module 140 for releasing the charges stored within the boost circuit 110 after the driving circuit is turned off. For this kind of circuit, when the time gap between the quick reboot process is small, the charges stored within the boost circuit 110 may have not been totally released, which may result in flashing after the driving circuit is rebooted.

LED backlight driving circuit and liquid crystal device

Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technoogy Co., Ltd


The present invention is a reliable and simple to install device for protecting of passages for utilities in roof structures from the entry of adverse effect outdoor weather elements. The device is composed of: a flexible tube component (FTC), a surface insertion tube component (SITC), a surface connection plate component (SCPC) and a SCPC-connecting paste component. FTC is composed of a hollow semi-flexible tube having one side unconnected and the other side firmly connected to the SITC, forming a continuous tube. The SITC is composed of a rigid hollow tube divided into two portions by the SCPC. The SCPS is composed of a perforated, rigid material, perpendicularly fixated to and around the SITC, In installing the device of the present invention, the SCPC-connecting paste component is smeared on the external surface of a roof structure surrounding the passage for utilities. The unconnected side of SITC is inserted into the passage for utilities till the SCPC is tightly pressed into the SCPC-connecting paste component. The SCP is pressed until the SCPC-connecting paste component oozes through the perforated plate of the SCPC. Upon drying and hardening of the SCPS connecting paste component, the SCPS is fixated and the device is stabilized. After the device is fixed and stabilized the FTC is stretched and bent in an approximately 180 degree angle so as to have the unconnected opening of the FTC approximately aligned in parallel with, and facing the external surface of, a roof structure surrounding of the passage for utilities. Either after the bending of FTC or prior to starting the installation of the device, utilities can be inserted through the FTC and SCPS.

The term "utilities" is defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary (website: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utilities) as: "something useful or designed for use". The term "surface" is defined by the same dictionary as: "the exterior or upper boundary of an object or body". In reference to the present invention, the term "utilities" refers to elongated household service-providing objects such as but not limited to: electrical wires, communication cables, water tubes, gas tubes and vent channels, that typically run through roof structures. The mentioned elongated household service-providing objects typically have flexible or semi-flexible characteristics, thus, the elongated objects can be inserted into pre-curved-structured tubes in which they obtain the curvature of the tubes. Alternatively, the elongated household service-providing objects, can be inserted into upright (straight, un-curved) flexible tubes and the flexible tubes together with the inserted elongated objects can be bended to a desired bent configuration. The curvature of the flexible tubes of the present invention, as explained later in the text, is typically to an inverted U configuration.
The term "roof structure" reference to in the present text to a cover of a building constructed of a rigid-material or materials such as, but not limited to: concreate casts, metallic material sheets, plastic-material sheets, ceramic roof-tiles, wooden plates and asbestos plates, having a substantially flat and smooth external, outdoors-exposed, surface side.
A "passage for utilities" is defined in the present text to be a free-passage opening in a roof structure, typically a drilled hole-opening or casted-through opening, that runs from the external surface to its internal surface and serves for the passage of the utilities.
The term "outdoor weather elements" refers in the present text to mean outdoor environmental factors such as, but not limited to: rain-water, snow-melt, hail-melt, win blown dust particles, sand particles and dry leaves, that a roof structure is typically meant to prevent from entering the roof-structure covered space, due to their potential to cause damages. If the roof structure fails in the prevention of entry, uncomfortable conditions and/or damages may result to persons and/or property beneath the roof structure, thus, the use of the term "adverse effects" that could be caused by exposure to "outdoor weather elements" if entry through passage for utilities is made possible.
The term "bitumen" is defined by the Free Dictionary (website: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bitumen) as" "any of various flammable mixtures of relatively nonvolatile hydrocarbons that occur naturally or are obtained by fractional distillation of petroleum. Bitumens are used for paving, roofing, and waterproofing. Also called asphalt."
The terms "fixated" and "firmly connected" and the terms "Fig." and "figures", respectively, are used interchangeably in the text.
A passage for utilities in roof structures is an opening through which outdoor weather elements causing adverse effects may enter a building, thus, the desire for devices that will enable the insertion of utilities through utility passages while preventing the entry to the passages and from the passages to buildings of outdoor weather elements of adverse effects. The term "protecting" refers to preventing the entry of the outdoor weather elements from the external roof structure surfaces into utility passages.
Various devices for the protecting of passages of utilities from entry of outdoor weather elements of adverse effects as well as how to connect such devices to the outer surface of roof structures have previously been disclosed. Some prior art publications of devices and roof-connection methods of such devices are quoted below:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,776 (Skoff) presents a flexible roof vent sealing system which includes a base section having a base plate and a tubular connecting member extending from the base plate and a plurality of separable sealing sections which couple to the tubular connecting member of the base section. Each sealing section includes a flexible, corrugated tubular body with a sealing portion at one end to seal against a roof vent pipe and a coupling portion at the other end of the tubular body which couples to the tubular connecting member of the base section.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,682,675 (Boge et al.) presents the use of a self-adhesive flexible sealing tape, especially on a butyl or acrylic base, possibly a butyl rubber base, intended for sealing purposes and so designed that both the sealing tape and the carrier foil applied to the sealing tape are capable of being stretched, thus enabling the carrier tape to follow the stretching state of the sealing tape.
EP0893552 (Favero) presents an invention that relates to a fastening system for various accessories or couplings used in waterproof coverings. The flanges of the various accessories such as unions, ventilation openings, angular elements etc. are provided with through holes ensuring the adhesion between the sheathing positioned under the flange and the upper sheathing/s. In this way the coupling is incorporated between the two sheathings and cannot come off.
EP2492411 (Hilpert et al.) presents a ventilation device that has a roofing plate to which a mandrel is connected. The mandrel is swingable with respect to a roof pitch hood. An air outlet opening is provided at upper tube section of ventilation pipe that is mounted in roof pitch hood. An air inlet opening is provided at lower tube section of pipe. A flexible section is provided between upper tube section and lower tube section. A connection element is arranged at lower tube section of pipe and is arranged perpendicular with respect to a rafter provided on a roof substructure.
The present invention is a device for protecting of passages for utilities in roof structures from the entry of outdoor weather elements of adverse effects, that is reliable yet substantially easier and quick to install, then the disclosed devices disclosed.

Device for protecting of passages for utilities from entry of outdoor weather elements of adverse effects


A method for fabricating a laser diode comprising providing a laser diode epitaxial structure and depositing a metal layer stack on the epitaxial structure, the stack comprising a contact and sacrificial layer. A ridge is formed in the laser diode epitaxial structure, the stack being the mask forming the ridge. An insulating layer is deposited over the ridge and at least a portion of the sacrificial layer is removed. At least a portion of the insulating thin film at the top of the stack is also removed. A pad metal is deposited in electrical contact with the contact and is insulated from the ridge and laser diode epitaxial structures by the insulating layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to laser diodes, and more particularly to nitride based semiconductor laser diodes and methods for fabricating same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A laser is a device that produces a beam of coherent light as a result of stimulated emission. Light beams produced by lasers can have high energy because of their single wavelength, frequency, and coherence. A number of materials are capable of producing a lasing effect and include certain high-purity crystals (such as ruby), semiconductors, certain types of glass, certain gasses including carbon dioxide, helium, argon and neon, and certain plasmas.
More recently there has been increased interest in lasers made of semiconductor materials because they typically have a smaller size, lower cost, and have other related advantages typically associated with semiconductor devices. Semiconductor lasers are similar to other lasers in that the emitted radiation has special and temporal coherence. Like other lasers, semiconductor lasers produce a beam of light that is highly monochromatic (i.e. of narrow bandwidth) and is highly directional. Overall, semiconductor lasers provide very efficient systems that are easily modulated by modulating the current directed across the devices. Additionally, because semiconductor lasers have very short photon lifetimes, they can be used to produce high-frequency modulation.
A known characteristic of laser diodes (and light emitting diodes (LEDs)) is that the frequency of radiation that can be produced by the particular laser diode is related to the bandgap of the particular semiconductor material. Smaller bandgaps produce lower energy, shorter wavelength photons, while wider bandgaps produce higher energy, shorter wavelength photons. One semiconductor material commonly used for lasers is indium gallium aluminum phosphide (InGaAlP), which has a bandgap that is generally dependant upon the mole of atomic fraction of each element present. This material, regardless of the different element atomic fraction, produces only light in red portion of the visible spectrum, i.e., about 600 to 700 nanometers (nm).
Laser diodes that produce shorter wavelengths not only produce different colors of radiation, but offer other advantages. For example, laser diodes, and in particular edge emitting laser diodes, can be used with optical storage and memory devices (e.g. compact disks (CD) digital video disks (DVD), high definition (HD) DVDs, and Blue Ray DVDs). Their shorter wavelength enables the storage and memory devices to hold proportionally more information. For example, an optical storage device storing information using wavelengths of light in the blue spectrum can hold approximately 32 times the amount of information as one using wavelengths of light in the red spectrum, using the same storage space. This has generated interest in Group-III nitride material for use in laser diodes, and in particular gallium nitride for producing light in the blue and ultra violet (UV) frequency spectrums because of its relatively high bandgap (3.36 eV at room temperature). This interest has resulted in developments related to the structure and fabrication of Group-III nitride based laser diodes [For example see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,592,501 and 5,838,706 to Edmond et al].
Some edge emitting laser diodes are fabricated with a ridge etched formed in the laser diode's top surface, and in some embodiments, the ridge is etched from the top surfaces of the laser diode, down approximately to the laser diode's active region. The ridge provides electrical and optical confinement, as well as index-guiding for the particular wavelength of light generated by the laser diode. This in turn allows for laser diode operation at lower threshold currents and voltages. These ridges, can be relatively thin, with some ridges being 2 μm or less wide.
The improved operating characteristics achieved by formation of these thin ridges come at the cost of more complex fabrication processes, and in particular more difficult and complex ridge contact deposition. The ridge is typically formed through at least some of the laser diode's p-type layers, which can include the p-type cap layer, waveguide cladding layers, and separate confinement heterostructure. The ridge can be etched through all or some of these layers and can be narrow relative to the overall size of the laser diode and can run down most of the length of the laser diode.
Once the fabrication processes are completed to form the ridge, a p-contact layer must be formed on the top of the ridge with typical p-contact layers made from different combination of nickel, gold and platinum (Ni/Au/Pt). The p-contact layer should electrically contact primarily the top of the ridge to avoid shorting to the layers below. One conventional contacting process is known in the art as the "via process" and involves photolithograph and alignment processes that are designed to align with the ridge for p-contact deposition. These processes, however, are complex and difficult to repeat reliably. This is particularly true for narrow ridges such as those with a width of 2 μm or less. Devices where the alignment is not accurate during fabrication can fail, decreasing the overall yield for the manufacturing process.
Another conventional contacting process is known in the industry as "SiO2 liftoff" and involves using a thick SiO2 layer as the etch mask layer. This process also requires photolithography and alignment steps that can be difficult for narrow ridges. This process also involves depositing and etching a number of different layers, with the result being that the process can be costly, time consuming and unreliable.
Another consideration in contacting the ridge is that the top layer of the ridge is typically formed of a p-type material. This material can be unstable and different environment conditions can damage the surface of the layer. It can be desirable to protect this surface from environmental conditions during processing. The "via process" and "SiO2 liftoff" process described above can expose the p-type material to environmental conditions that can result in damage to the material.

Self aligned diode fabrication method and self aligned laser diode


An adjustable socket having a housing with a longitudinal axis. A collar is couplable to and movable along the housing. The collar's lower end is bevelled. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures extend through the housing. A jaw is mounted in each aperture for slidable, radial movement through the aperture. Each jaw has a flat inward face and a bevelled outward face. The jaws are biased radially outwardly away from the axis. Rotation of the collar around the housing in a first direction forces the collar's bevelled end against the jaws' bevelled faces, forcing the jaws radially inwardly and forcing their inward faces against a fastener located between the inward faces. Rotation of the collar in the opposite direction allows the jaws to be biased radially outwardly to release the fastener.

An adjustable socket can be a convenient alternative to a set of individual fixed-size non-adjustable sockets. A single adjustable socket can be adjusted to fit fasteners (e.g. nuts, bolts, etc) of different sizes, whereas individual fixed-size sockets must be selected from a socket set to fit fasteners of different sizes. Some adjustable sockets can also grip a worn fastener more firmly than a fixed-size socket selected from a socket set. Conversely, an adjustable socket having worn jaws can grip a fastener more firmly than a worn fixed-size socket selected from a socket set.
Desirable attributes of an adjustable socket include compact, simple, inexpensive construction; and the ability to apply and maintain significant force to a fastener without slippage. These attributes are addressed by the adjustable socket disclosed below.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related thereto are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.


In a method for moistening a material web, particularly a moving web, particularly a paper or cardboard web, the moisture is applied onto the material web via at least two medium flows of different temperatures, particularly two vapor flows, or one vapor flow and one gas flow.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a process and a device to moisten a layer of material (which can be referred to as a web of material), in particular, a moving layer of paper or cardboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is already well known that the qualitative properties of paper, in particular the shine, the smoothness and the dampness, can be influenced by adding steam through blower chests or steam moistening applicators to the calender, either along the machine running direction or transverse to it. The increase in moisture content that can be achieved by using pure steam is, however, limited.
A spray device, known from pamphlet WO 2007/003059 A1, utilizes a special nozzle at the calender, in order to add condensation to the steam, thus adding to the total moisture content of the steam that is applied onto a layer of material. Such a spray device can be used for cross profiling. The device does however tend to form droplets and lead to obstructions in the pipe which supplies the condensate, since the pipes need to be very thin in order to avoid the formation of drops. So called overhead compartments are in this context especially critical.
A method to moisten a layer of material, presented in pamphlet DE 29 25 026 A1, shows how water is added to the steam as it exits the nozzles.
According to pamphlet WO 2004/063463 A1 the layer of material is treated by a steam blower chest with additional water. In this instance, there is again the risk of developing droplets.
What is needed in the art is to provide an improved method and an improved device of the initially described type, while avoiding any of the previously mentioned negative side effects. This method is intended to apply moisture in a controlled fashion over different discrete zones onto a moving web of material, in particular a web of paper or cardboard, before and/or at a calender to influence the dampness, the shine and/or the smoothness, either transversely to or along the direction of movement of the machine (which can also be referred to as the direction of movement of the web or the machine direction).

Process and device to moisten a web of material


Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to filtering technical documentation and provide a method, system and computer program product for rapid filtering technical documentation. In one embodiment, a data processing system for dynamically filtering technical documentation can include a rapid filter coupled to a viewer configured for rendering technical documentation in a window. The rapid filter can include program code enabled to concurrently render a summarized form of the technical documentation in a separate window.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of technical support for a software product and more particularly to filtering technical documentation.
Description of the Related Art
Modern technology can be complex in nature and technical documentation is often used to describe modern technology. Originally in paper form, technical documentation can range from a paper description of the specifications for a technology, to a detailed instruction manual for configuring and deploying a technology. Recently, technical documentation has migrated to electronic form due to the ease in which a viewer can scan and search specific portions of an electronic document without requiring reference to a paper index. Initially associated with software products as online help, electronic documentation now subsists as an independent product, which can relate to any number of technologies including, but not limited to software technologies.
Generally, technical documentation is a one-size-fits-all proposition. Technical writers produce technical documentation with an intended, model reader in mind. Oftentimes, technical writers fail to account for varying degrees of technical expertise in drafting technical documentation. Notwithstanding, some effort has been expended in producing technical documents that address various levels of expertise. In the latter circumstance, unique notational structure can be applied to technical documentation to indicate portions of material from the technical documentation which are suitable for understanding by one demographic of user, while the remaining portions of material from the technical documentation can be suitable for a different demographic.
In many circumstances, technical documentation describes a sequence of steps to be performed to achieve a particular goal such as the configuration of a software system. For the technical writer, it can be challenging to determine how much detail to provide in describing the necessary sequence of steps. For the uninitiated, complexity can be confusing. Likewise, for the experienced reader, simplicity can neglect subtle nuances of interest. Conversely, for the experienced reader, simplicity may be all that is required, while for the uninitiated, complexity and detail can be required to understand the sequence of required steps.
To address the difficulty in crafting technical documentation suitable for a wide ranging audience, several methodologies have been proposed and implemented. For instance, summary outlines have been provided where each entry in the outline can be an active hyperlink to a more detailed explanation of the entry. In this way, simplicity is the default position, while complexity is an optional position. As another example, search engines have been coupled to documentation to allow the reader to specify keywords for filtering technical documentation to a select number of topics. In the former circumstance, the reader is forced to choose between simplicity and complexity. In the latter circumstance, the successful filtering of the technical documentation remains subject to the effective selection of search terms by the reader.

Dynamic filtering of a navigation path to a set of minimums

International Business Machines Corporation


A sheet material with a cellular structure wherein the sheet material is produced by preparing a composition including PVC, a filler material and a plasticiser and providing a cellular structure within the composition prior to curing to form the sheet material. The composition may further include a cellular structure promoting agent. The sheet material with a cellular structure may be used in building applications and has advantageous sound attenuation, thermal conductivity, resilience and impact resistance properties.

Sound dampening (or acoustic attenuation) properties are found in materials with a high sound transmission loss. The sound transmission loss of a material is determined by various physical factors.
An example of a sheet material with sound dampening properties is what is termed a loaded vinyl. Such a material is produced by formulating a composition with a high density which is then combined with vinyl at formulation stage. The resulting product, or sheet material has a high density whilst still maintaining high flexibility and thereby providing good sound dampening properties.
However, whilst loaded vinyl provides a sheet material that may be used effectively within wall assemblies for its sound dampening properties, it is less suitable when used as part of a flooring assembly or as a pipe lagging due to the physical constraints of the material.
The present invention seeks to provide a composition for producing sheet material with sound dampening properties which is better suited to various applications within buildings and building assemblies that loaded vinyl. The present invention also seeks to provide a process for producing such a sheet material.

Sheet material with a cellular structure and/or a process for producing same


The invention relates to a sealing device for repair of cardiac and vascular defects or tissue opening such as a patent foramen ovale (PFO) or shunt in the heart, the vascular system, etc. and particularly provides an occluder device and trans-catheter occluder delivery system. The sealing device would have improved conformity to heart anatomy and be easily deployed, repositioned, and retrieved at the opening site.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sealing device for repair of cardiac and vascular defects or tissue opening such as a patent foramen ovale (PFO) or shunt in the heart, the vascular system, etc. and particularly provides an occluder device and trans-catheter occluder delivery system.
Discussion of the Related Art
Sealing devices may be utilized for the occlusion of many types of tissue openings, such as septal defects, PFO, and the like.
Tissue openings have traditionally been corrected by open heart surgery. In order to avoid the trauma and complications associated with open-heart surgery, a variety of trans-catheter closure techniques have been implemented. In such techniques, an occluding device is delivered through a catheter to the site of the opening or defect. A device is placed into the defect and permanently deployed.
A variety of trans-catheter delivered devices are known. These include devices that require assembly at the site of the tissue opening or require threading or "buttoning" of the discrete device elements. Other devices include self-expanding devices. These self-expanding devices tend to be difficult to visualize, cumbersome to load, difficult to position at the site of a tissue opening, and reposition. Most self-expanding devices do not conform to heart anatomy leading to tissue erosion.
An example of a self-expanding device includes an occlusion bag, a third tube, a guide catheter, a super elastic wire, a release mechanism and a delivery sheath. The super elastic wire is attached to the release mechanism and the wire, release mechanism, occlusion bag, guide catheter and third tube are inserted into a delivery sheath for transport to the aperture. After delivery, the occlusion bag is placed within the aperture and the wire is deployed within the bag. The bag and wire are repositioned if necessary, and the release mechanism is activated to release the wire.
Another example of a self-expanding device includes a shape set tubular metal fabric device and optionally, an occluding fiber included in the hollow portions of the device. The metal fabric defines a medical device shaped like a bell, which can be collapsed for passage through a catheter for deployment in a channel of a patient's body.
While these and other self-expanding devices are designed for trans-catheter delivery, they require assembly either prior to use or during use. They are also difficult to reposition or retrieve once deployed and provide poor conformity to heart anatomy. For these reasons, it would be desirable to provide an improved sealing device for use in trans-catheter techniques. Such sealing devices would preferably have improved conformity to heart anatomy and be easily deployed, repositioned, and retrieved at the opening site.
Trans-catheter self-expanding sealing devices may be delivered and deployed by a variety of means. Most trans-catheter delivery devices choose one of two basic systems for deploying the device: pulling back an outer catheter to release the device or pushing the device free of the catheter with a push rod. Each of these systems utilizes a handle to actuate the mechanism used to deploy the device. An example of such a system includes a flexible urging member for urging the sealing device through a catheter and a remotely located control means for advancing the urging member. In this example, the control means includes a threaded, tubular shaft connected to the urging member and a manually rotatable threaded rotor mounted on the shaft. The threads on the rotor mate with the threads on the shaft so that the rotation of the rotor through a known angle will advance the shaft and the urging member a known distance.
An example of a system that utilizes a pull back outer shaft or catheter includes a handle that may selectively hold the delivery system components at any configuration during deployment and positioning of the device. The outer catheter of such a system would be pulled back to release the device by actuating a sliding lever and a rotating finger ring on the delivery system handle.
While these and other device delivery systems are designed for trans-catheter device deployment, they require the use of a threaded rotor, which can become difficult to rotate or they require large forces to pull back the outer catheter to expose the entire length of the constrained device. Most deployment systems are either not reversible or very difficult to reverse once the deployment procedure has taken place. For these reasons, it would be desirable to provide an improved delivery system for a sealing device. Such delivery system would preferably have a handle able to be operated simply with a single hand and would be able to execute multiple manipulations with minimal force or hand movement.


A wireless patient monitor is adapted to communicate with any one of plural medical telemetry networks, each having one or more central stations, where each network is configured to communicate via wireless communications using one of multiple different communications settings. The monitor includes one or more sensor inputs for receiving vital signs data from a patient, a wireless transceiver, and a controller coupled to receive the vital signs data via the one or more sensor inputs and to communicate with a network via the transceiver. The monitor also includes a display device and is controllable by the controller to automatically display a notification to a user of the monitor upon establishing communications with the at least one central station. There is also a method of monitoring a patient and a wireless medical telemetry system.

Devices for measuring various physiological parameters, or "vital signs," of a patient such as temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, heart activity, etc., have been a standard part of medical care for many years. Indeed, the vital signs of some patients (e.g., those undergoing relatively moderate to high levels of care) typically are measured on a substantially continuous basis to enable physicians, nurses and other health care providers to detect sudden changes in a patient's condition and evaluate a patient's condition over an extended period of time. However, since most hospitals and other medical facilities care for numerous patients assigned to numerous different rooms, it can be difficult for a finite number of clinicians to monitor multiple patients on a continuous basis. In an effort to alleviate this problem, some medical monitoring systems have been developed to enable the vital signs data collected from patients to be conveyed to a central location, thereby allowing one or a few clinicians to simultaneously monitor multiple patients in different locations. However, many of such prior systems have not allowed the monitored patients to move about the hospital. Although a few "mobile" monitoring systems have been attempted, such systems are difficult to use and prone to failure resulting in the loss of a patient's vital signs data.


A system, method and non-transitory computer readable media for optimizing input data for an ML model associated with a communications network. In one implementation, example ML model(s) may be trained using a modified dataset obtained for a plurality of cellular aggregation units (CAUs) of the RAN infrastructure(s), wherein the modified dataset is derived from data collected for individual CAUs over a data collection period with respect to a plurality of KPI variables. The modified data set is optimized by replacement of null values of variables with corresponding modal values of the variables. The trained ML model may be used for predicting one or more KPIs based on a set of test data associated with the RAN infrastructure(s).

Mobile networks are rapidly evolving while the industry is struggling to keep up with the rising demand of connectivity, data rates, capacity, and bandwidth. Next Generation mobile networks (e.g., 5th generation or 5G) are particularly faced with the challenge of providing a quantum-change in capability due to the explosion of mobile device usage, expansion to new use-cases not traditionally associated with cellular networks, and the ever-increasing capabilities of the end-user devices. The requirements for 5G are also manifold, as it is envisaged that it will cater for high-bandwidth high-definition streaming and conferencing, to machine interconnectivity and data collection for the Internet-of-Things (IoT), and to ultra-low latency applications such as autonomous vehicles as well as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) or mixed reality (MR) applications, and the like. The evolution toward 5G mobile networks is also driven by the diverse requirements of a multitude of new use cases in the areas of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) and massive machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, among others. Along with a demand for lower costs, these drivers have led to the development of various radio access network (RAN) architectures to support multiple deployment models.
In view of the volume, scale, and velocity of data gathered with respect to the management of current network implementations, all of which will inevitably grow in the future when Next Generation Networks are deployed, there is a resurgence of interest in techniques such as machine learning (ML), especially in the context of predictive modeling related to network performance. Although advances in ML techniques continue to take place, there is a still a tendency for ML-based models to fail when applied in the field of telecommunications, thereby requiring further innovation as will be set forth hereinbelow.

System and method for improving machine learning model performance in a communications network


A transparent electrode includes: a substrate; an electrically conductive layer disposed on the substrate and including a plurality of nano-sized conductors; and an organic/inorganic composite layer directly disposed on the electrically conductive layer and including a cross-linked polymer and nano-sized inorganic oxide particles, wherein the nano-sized inorganic oxide particles are included in an amount of greater than or equal to about 1 part by weight and less than about 35 parts by weight, relative to 100 parts by weight of the cross-linked polymer. Also an electronic device including the same.

1. Field
Transparent electrodes and electronic devices including the same are disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic device, such as a flat panel display such as an LCD or LED, a touch screen panel, a solar cell, a transparent transistor, and the like may include a transparent electrode. The transparent electrode is desirably made of a material having high light transmittance (e.g., greater than or equal to about 70%) for 380 to 780 nm wavelength light, and having a low sheet resistance of, for example, less than or equal to 100 ohm/sq, or less than or equal to 50 ohm/sq, even if made in a thin film.
A currently used material for a transparent electrode is indium tin oxide (ITO). ITO has sufficient transmittance in a full visible light range, but has sheet resistance of greater than or equal to 100 ohm/sq at room temperature. In addition, the ITO will inevitably cost more due to limited reserves of indium, and it is not appropriate for an electrode for a flexible display due to its brittleness. Accordingly, development of a material for a flexible transparent electrode having high transmittance and low sheet resistance is desired.