An feeding tube and a kit for installation of a feeding tube includes a balloon anchored gastric tube. A protective sleeve on a dilator protects the toroidal balloon from damage during surgical insertion of the feeding tube. An integrated gastro jejunal feeding tube unit may include a jejunal tube outlet port at one end, a jejunal balloon port, a gastric sleeve outlet port, one or more gastric balloon ports, one or more gastric balloons, gastric drainage holes, a jejunal balloon positioned at end of the jejunal tube and sleeve. Drainage holes may be provided in the jejunal tube and/or the gastric sleeve. Drainage holes in the gastric sleeve may be used to deflate the stomach, while nutrition is provided by a jejunal tube inserted in the jejunum, simultaneously.

Conventional nasogastric tubes have been in use for many years. Complications include trauma related to tube insertion and effects from use of the tube for prolonged periods of time. Occasionally, severe complications such as tracheo-esophageal fistula and perforation of various organs have been reported. Gastrointestinal bleeding of various magnitudes also can occur but less frequently. In addition, feeding tubes inserted through the nose or mouth are acceptable for short period, but such tubes must be replaced by other means for extended delivery of nutrition.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,700, patients for which normal ingestion of food becomes difficult or impossible, may require placement of a feeding tube to assist in providing their nutritional needs. For some individuals, such as comatose patients, stroke victims, or those with a compromised gastrointestinal tract, this may require placement of a tube that is introduced percutaneously into the stomach for delivery of nutritional products and medication.
In percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), the procedure involves introduction of a gastroscope into the stomach, while the desired site where a stoma is to be created, occurs by depressing the abdomen. A sheathed needle punctures the abdominal wall and enters the stomach, creating a stoma. The needle is removed and a looped insertion wire is introduced through the sheath where it is grasped by a snare deployed from a working channel of the gastroscope. Once it is captured, the insertion wire is pulled into the channel of the gastroscope. The gastroscope is then withdrawn from the patient via the oral cavity, pulling the wire with it.
In the standard Ponsky method (or "pull" method), the distal loop of a percutaneous gastrostomy feeding tube is coupled to the insertion wire loop exiting the patient's mouth. With the insertion wire now tethered to the gastrostomy feeding tube, the endoscopist then retracts the insertion wire exiting the stoma, thereby pulling the gastrostomy feeding tube into the patient's mouth and on toward the stomach. The tapered dilator portion aids in allowing the gastrostomy feeding tube to pass through the stoma. Once the tube has been properly positioned with the end cap snug against the internal wall of the stomach, the dilator portion of the gastrostomy feeding tube is cut away. Finally, the internal position of the gastrostomy feeding tube is checked by reintroducing the gastroscope.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,166, the pull procedure has several disadvantages, one of which is the fact that, for both emplacement and removal, an endoscope must be inserted into the patient's esophagus, requiring anesthesia and causing discomfort to the patient. Also, the catheter itself must pass through the patient's esophagus, once for emplacement and once for removal. This becomes even more problematic when secondary or replacement catheters are put in place, since each time the catheter is changed, the "pull" procedure must again be followed, with increased likelihood of trauma, infections, and other complications.
Furthermore, the pull procedure is particularly difficult to carry out when a patient has an obstruction in the esophagus, which is a problem compounded by the fact that it is just such people who are likely to need the procedure. When there is an obstructive lesion in the esophagus, one may need to dilate the narrowed area to perform the procedure. This may expose the patient to a higher risk of bleeding or perforation as the tethered tube is pulled blindly during the procedure. Another disadvantage arises from the fact that infectious or cancerous matter may be drawn from a diseased area in, for example, the throat, down into the stomach, with the possibility of spreading the disease further, especially to the area around the freshly formed opening in the stomach.
In the variation of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy procedure known as the "push" method or the Russell procedure, the gastrostomy feeding tube is a pull wire, but is pushed down the esophagus by the physician and into positioned in the stomach. As with the "pull" method, the gastroscope is usually reintroduced to verify that the end cap is properly positioned against the stomach wall. In the Russell procedure, a needle is first inserted into the stomach (at a site located by endoscopy, as with the pull procedure), and then a guide wire is inserted through a lumen in the needle. A small incision is then made in the fascia next to the guide wire, after which an interiorly lubricated sheath having a splittable seam is guided, along with a tapered dilator, over the guide wire and into the stomach. Once the sheath is in place, the dilator and guide wire are removed, and a balloon catheter is inserted through the lubricated central lumen of the sheath. A distal balloon of the catheter is then inflated, and the sheath is peeled or split away along its seam or seams, thus leaving the catheter emplaced in the stomach. Sutures are provided to maintain tension of the balloon against the peritoneum. However, the splittable sheath is necessarily larger in diameter than the catheter which is inserted through it for emplacement within the stomach. Therefore, the opening into the stomach is made overly large, making sealing difficult and increasing the likelihood of infection. The sheath may not be made too narrow, or the physician will not be able to insert the catheter through it, and thus there is a trade-off between insertability of the catheter and the quality of the seal once the catheter is in place; the dilator must closely follow the line of the guidewire, so as not to buckle the wire into the peritoneal cavity. Occasionally, during placement of the feeding tube, the dilator is removed and the peelable sheath is left behind in the stomach, allowing air in the distended stomach to escape, causing the stomach to collapse. Then a patient must be taken to the operation theater for an open placement feeding tube insertion.
A procedure known as Sacks-Vine involves passing an endoscope down the throat until its terminus is in the interior of the stomach. A Seldinger needle is then externally inserted through the various tissue layers until it enters the stomach at a predetermined point. The needle is retracted leaving only the Seldinger cannula in place and a guidewire is then inserted through the stoma. The terminal end of the guidewire is grabbed by the endoscope and retracted up the throat. A tapered dilating catheter attached to the gastrostomy port is passed over the guidewire then inserted down the throat, through the esophagus and into the stomach so as to form, upon removal of the catheter through the abdominal skin, an opening wide enough to accommodate a trailing gastric port. At the proximal end of the gastrostomy port is a retention device that keeps the proximal end of the catheter from passing through the gastrocutaneous stoma. A feeding set adapter is then hooked up to the portion of the catheter external of the body that allows the gastrostomy port to be used for the actual feeding of the patient. Like the pull method, the Sacks-Vine procedure requires another endoscopic procedure for removal of the tube upon cessation of enteral feeding or upon the necessity of changing the tube. This additional procedure results in additional trauma associated with any endoscopic procedure, as well as cost, to the patient. In addition, if blind placement of the G tube (i.e., without endoscopic visualization) occurs, re-endoscopy is necessary to exclude trauma in the path of the Q-tube. The procedure may cause trauma and bleeding as the G tube is pushed or pulled. Also, the insertion of the G-tube can be more traumatic if the esophagus has been dilated due to esophageal stricture. If there is a malignant stricture present, there is a risk that the peritoneal space may be seeded with cancerous matter. This procedure is subject to infections from the inside out displacement of the feeding tube.
In yet another technique of feeding described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,495, an introducer technique is used. The introducer technique differs from the push and pull techniques in that the feeding tube is inserted through the abdominal wall and not through the mouth. After an endoscope is advanced into the stomach, a T-fastener is placed to move the stomach close to the abdominal wall. A needle is inserted through the abdominal wall into the stomach to create an opening. A guide wire is advanced through the opening, and an introducer with a peel-away sheath is passed over the guide wire. The introducer is then removed, and a gastrostomy tube is inserted into the stomach through the peel-away sheath. The feeding tube is a catheter with a Foley balloon at its distal end. The balloon is inflated to retain the feeding tube inside the stomach. The sheath is then peeled away, leaving behind the feeding tube. In addition, this feeding technique is cumbersome to utilize and requires multiple steps in addition to the step of direct insertion of a T fastener. Also, the number of punctures, are increased, resulting in higher probabilities of infections and failures. As the introducer is peeled off, there is a risk of air leaking.
Many attempts have been made to make percutaneous gastrostomy simpler. Iwatschenko, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,725, describes a catheter for introduction through the abdominal wall into the gastric lumen where it is secured against slipping out of the stomach of its end by a portion of a catheter assuming a spiral configuration in the interior of the stomach and resting on the stomach wall upon withdrawal of a trocar. With this method, the inner portion of the catheter can be easily pulled out by the patient because any upward pulling would uncoil the inner part of the G tube. This method also runs the risk of trauma to the stomach wall and increased G tube clogging, due to the long, spiral shape of the intra-gastric part of the tube.
As described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0016172, a tapered dilator feeding tube portion aids in allowing the gastrostomy feeding tube to pass through the stoma and once the tube has been properly positioned with the end cap snug against an internal wall of the stomach, after the dilator portion of the feeding tube is cut away, a rubber bumper, also known as an external retention member, is prepared and positioned on the feeding tube as it emerges from the abdominal wall, and once the feeding tube is secured in place, a Y-port adapter is connected to it. These additional steps add complexity. Furthermore, the dilator needs to be cut away in this method. This procedure runs the risk of requiring re-scoping the stomach to confirm successful placement and enhances the risk of infection and carrying malignant cells from the mouth and esophagus to the peritoneal space, as with other inside out procedure.
Ross in U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,400, describes a method for placing a feeding tube unit, which involves placement of a dilating device having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion and positioning a feeding tube unit defining a channel such that a distal end portion of the feeding tube is positioned within the channel defined through the dilating device and the feeding tube is urged into a gastrointestinal tract of a patient followed by removal of the dilating device. However, there is a possibility of leaks occurring through this method.
Also, Gastrostomy tube percutaneous insertion kits are known, such as the Kimberly-Clark™ Introducer Kits, a class II medical device. Such kits include a gastropexy, a dialtor with a peel-away sheath, a syringe, a hemostat, an introducer needle, a seeking catheter, a scapel, a guidewire and a stoma measuring device, for example. In one example, a kit is intended to facilitate the primary placement of a gastrostomy feeding tube. In another example, a different kit is intended to facilitate primary placement of a transgastric jejunal feeding tube using endoscopic/radiologic placement. A transgastric jejunal feeding tube is known that uses a balloon on a stylet with a diameter of 22 centimeters and a length of 45 centimeters and a volume of 7-10 milliliters, which is used for pulling or pushing the transgastric jejunal feeding tube to a jejunal location. Both the gastrostomy tube and the jejunal tube may be fixed in place using a bolster.
In one known example, a combination of transgastric jejunal feeding tube and a gastrostomy feeding tube is provided. The jejunal feeding tube may be inserted through the lumen of the gastrostomy feeding tube. A Y-port connector end of the jejunal feeding tube may be pressed into the lumen of the gastrostomy tube to complete placement and to allow for gastric drainage through the gastrostomy tube. A combined gastrostomy tube and jejunal feeding tube is an improvement over separate gastrostomy tubes and jejunal tubes, which require removal of the gastrostomy tube prior to inserting a jejunal tube, but the combined gastrostomy tube has complications and requires a multi-part Y-port connector end to be positioned and retained in the lumen of the gastrostomy tube. A Bard™ Tri-Funnel Replacement Gastrostomy Tube has a concentric balloon collar a the end inserted into the stomach that minimizes the potential for accidental removal of the clear silicone feeding tube and an adjustable bolster is used externally opposite of the concentric balloon to fix the gastrostomy tube in the patient's stomach. It is a simple device that provides a balloon collar at one end of the gastrostomy feeding tube and is designed to be a replacement tube.
All materials of such devices that come into direct contact with the patient have a history of use in medical devices and are biocompatible, sterile and functionally safe and effective for use in humans. However, insertion and removal may cause infection and complications, nonetheless, due to contamination during insertion, positioning or use of prior art gastrostomy tubes, jejunal tubes or combination gastro-jejunal tubes.


A sterile connector is provided including a coupler, a protective cap, and a puncturable membrane film. The coupler has a tubular top with an upper edge defining an inwardly facing continuous shoulder, a mounting piece connected to the inwardly facing continuous shoulder adapted to sealably receive a plunge pin, a bottom insertable into a container having wall and sealable to the container wall, and a channel-like passage extending between the top and the bottom. The protective cap is attached to the tubular top of the coupler to seal the top, and has a lower edge connected to the inwardly facing continuous shoulder to define an annular rupture zone. The puncturable membrane film is sealed to the bottom of the coupler to close the channel-like passage. The sterile connector may be combined with a container, attached to the bottom of the coupler, to define an assembly.

1. Field of The Invention
The invention is directed to a sterile connector used to connect a line to a container filled with a medicinal liquid, and, in particular, a sterile connector with a removable protective cap used to connect a line to a container filled with a medicinal liquid.
2. Description of Related Technology
A film bag for medicinal liquids with a sterile connector for connection to a hose line is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,406. The connector has a tube-like coupler which is sealed with a puncturable membrane. The membrane of the known connector is a plastic sheet, which is a one-piece component of the coupler. The hose line to be connected to the connector has a plunge pin, also referred to as a spike. The spike is surrounded concentrically by a tubular element that can be slid onto the coupler. The plunge pin is pushed into the coupler for connection of the hose line, so that the membrane is punctured and fluid connection is produced between the bag interior and the hose line connected to the spike.
The film bag can be sealed in sterile fashion with the known connector, but it has proven a drawback that the part of the coupler lying in front of the membrane is unprotected. A hazard therefore exists that germs will be introduced to the bag during puncturing of the membrane.
Connectors with releasable plastic closures, for example, screw caps, are also known. However, it has been shown in practice that during sterilization of connectors closed with screw caps in autoclaves, the hazard of leakage exists. O-rings made of silicone have therefore often been used, which seal any gap which may occur during sterilization. A disadvantage of this structure is that silicone rings are relatively expensive to produce in terms of the required purity of the material. Moreover, assembly of the connector is complicated because of the additional sealing elements required.
German Laid-Open Application 2458220 describes a sterile connector, comprising a tubular bottom and a tubular top, which encloses a puncturable membrane that is a one-piece component of the top. The bottom of the coupler is sealed to the bag, and the bag is filled through the opening of the bottom. After filling of the bag, the top is inserted into the bottom, the top and bottom mating via flanges that are sealed to each other. A tear-off closure cover is provided on the top of the coupler to cover the puncture opening.
European Patent Publication No. 732 114 describes a film bag for a liquid for intravenous feeding which has a connector applied to the film bag from the outside. The essentially tubular connector has a flange on its end on the bag side, which lies flatly on the outside of the bag film. In the known connector, the puncturable membrane is formed by the film of the bag itself. During insertion of the plunge pin into the connector, the bag film is punctured so that the fluid connection to the bag interior is produced. A sleeve nut that is screwed onto the tubular connector is provided to secure the plunge pin.
Film bags with a connector whose membrane consists of the bag film itself are generally filled aseptically, i.e., the bags are no longer sterilized in autoclaves after filling. An advantage of this film bag lies in the improved gas impermeability of the entire container, since the bag contents are fully closed by the gas-tight film. However, a shortcoming is that the connector, generally consisting of polyethylene, cannot be sealed to the outer layer of the bag film that generally consists of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), but only glued. This type of glue connection, however, generally leads to poorer production safety than a sealed joint.
A coupler for a flexible film bag that is sealed by a membrane is known from European Patent Publication No. 493 723. The membrane can be punctured with a plunge pin integrated in the protective cap. It is proposed for improvement of the gas barrier that the membrane be a film, which is sealed to the bottom of the coupler.
It is an object of the present invention is to devise a connector suitable for sterilization in autoclaves that offers high safety against contamination of the container, is easily handled and can be produced in large numbers cost-effectively.
According to an aspect of the invention, a sterile connector is provided including a coupler, a protective cap, and a puncturable membrane film. The coupler has a tubular top with an upper edge defining an inwardly facing continuous shoulder, and a mounting piece connected to the inwardly facing continuous shoulder and adapted to sealably receive a plunge pin. The coupler also has a bottom insertable into a container having wall and sealable to the container wall. The coupler further includes a channel-like passage extending between the top and the bottom. The protective cap is attached to the tubular top of the coupler to seal the top, and has a lower edge connected to the continuous shoulder to define an annular rupture zone. The puncturable membrane film is sealed to the bottom of the coupler to close the channel-like passage.
According to another aspect of the invention, a container may be attached to the bottom of the coupler of the connector to define an assembly.


Provided is an image source unit for improving use efficiency of the image light, including: a light source; and an optical sheet, the optical sheet including: a base material layer; an optical functional layer; and an adhesive layer, the optical functional layer including: light-transmissive portions arranged in parallel; and light-absorbing portions arranged between the light-transmissive portions, whose refractive index is set smaller than that of the light-transmissive portions, the light source side face of the light-transmissive portions includes unit light input control elements so that the elements project towards the light source side, the light-absorbing portions not being arranged between the unit light input control elements, the light source side face of the light-absorbing portions having a recess so that the bottom of the recess faces the opposite side from the light source, the adhesive layer is laminated on a light source side face of the optical functional layer.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image source unit and an image display unit comprising the image source unit.
Description of the Related Art
An image display unit which projects an image to the observer side is provided with an image source unit comprising: an image light source; and an optical sheet comprising a layer having various functions for raising the quality of image light emitted from the image light source and projecting the image to the observer side.
For example, in a case of a plasma display as one of the image display units, when the observer side is bright, the contrast of the display is insufficient and thereby the quality of the image is deteriorated. In such a plasma display, an optical functional layer is sometimes provided to the optical sheet of the image source unit so as to improve the contrast. The optical functional layer has light-transmissive portions and light-absorbing portions and can adequately shield the external light. The term "contrast" means the ratio between the brightness of the white portion showing maximum brightness (it is called "white brightness") and the brightness of the black portion showing minimum brightness (it is called "black brightness") when displaying black-and-white image.
Such an optical functional layer is disclosed in, for example, Patent document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (JP-A) No. 2006-189867) as an external light shielding layer which comprises: a filter base; and an external light shielding layer being formed on one surface of the filter base, and comprising: a transparent resin-made base, and wedge-shaped black stripes arranged parallel on one surface of the transparent resin-made base.
Patent document 2 (JP-A No. 02-097904) discloses a light-control film which is a transparent film and comprises a first and a second main surfaces, wherein the first main surface has a plurality of grooves and the grooves are filled with a light-absorbing material.
Patent document 3 (JP-A No. 2009-058658) discloses an optical sheet comprising a light-transmissive layer having prism lines arranged parallel, wherein each of the width of the prism lines is narrower toward a top end and the intersectant portion of the upper face and the oblique face of the prism lines has roundness having a radius of curvature of 3-30 μm.
Patent document 4 (JP-A No. 2009-080198) discloses an optical sheet which is arranged at an observer side from an image light source and which comprises a plurality of layers controlling the light emitted from the image light source and transmitting the light to the observer side. In the optical sheet, at least one layer of the plurality of the layers is an optical functional layer comprising light-transmissive prism portions arranged parallel along the sheet face and light-absorbing portions arranged between the light-transmissive prism portions; and at least one base of the light-absorbing portion in cross section in the sheet-thickness direction has a recess having a curved or polygonal line so that the at least one side of the light-absorbing portion in cross section in the sheet-thickness direction projects towards the sheet thickness direction.
Patent document 5 (JP-A No. 2008-046644) discloses a plasma display device comprising: a plasma display panel; and a filter formed on the entire surface of the panel, wherein the filter comprises a base unit; and an external light shielding sheet including a plurality of pattern units formed on the base unit, wherein the bottom stage of the pattern unit which is wider than the upper stage of the pattern unit is formed in a recessed shape.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Image source unit and image display unit


An outdoor display sign has a display enclosure. The display enclosure has a number shades that reduce the solar loading on the display enclosure. The outdoor display sign has shades covering the top, back, sides and parts of the front of the sign. The shades are offset from the display enclosure to allow natural airflow between the shade and the display enclosure.

Outdoor variable message signs are used to provide information to motorists. One example of these signs are the variable message signs used by highway departments to tell motorists, what lanes are open and short messages such as accident ahead. It is the goal of highway departments to provide motorist with more information on the state of the highway ahead. Variable message signs require controllers, drivers, and a number of environmental control systems. These environmental control systems include filters that have to be replaced, fans to blow air through the sign and in some cases air conditioners. This increases the cost of variable message signs and limits the number of places that these signs are utilized.
Thus there exists a need for a simpler, less expensive outdoor variable message sign.


A portable storage apparatus capable of freely changing a data bus width and a method of setting the data bus width of the apparatus are provided, where the portable storage apparatus has at least one command line and a plurality of data lines, and includes a non-volatile memory, a command packet decoder, and a control unit, such that the non-volatile memory stores data, the command packet decoder receives command packets through a command line and outputs command information by decoding the received command packets, the command packet decoder receives a data transmit command packet or a data request command packet and outputs a write command or a read command, address information, and data bus width information, the control unit performs a control operation in response to the command information and selects all or some of the plurality of data lines in response to the data bus width information and receives or transmits the data through the selected data line, and controls data writing or reading of the non-volatile memory in response to the write command or the read command and the address information, thereby not requiring the data bus width to be set in advance and enabling free adjustment of the data bus width, if necessary.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a portable storage apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a portable storage apparatus and method for changing a data bus width.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a portable storage apparatus is used in a digital apparatus, such as in a camcorder, a digital camera, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) player, and the like. A portable storage apparatus typically includes a MultiMediaCard (MMC), secure digital (SD) memory card, CompactFlash (CF) Card, memory stick, or other storage media. An example of a conventional memory card is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,163.
A portable storage apparatus has multiple data bus widths. The data bus width in the portable storage apparatus is changed in accordance with a current host to which the apparatus is connected in order to accommodate data communications for hosts having different data bus widths. Thus, a conventional portable storage apparatus includes a predetermined register in which data bus width information is stored. The data bus width in the portable storage apparatus is preset by the host when the portable storage apparatus is connected to the host. Such a conventional portable storage apparatus will be explained with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional portable storage apparatus in signal communication with a host. As shown in FIG. 1, a portable storage apparatus 2 includes a command pin P1 for receiving a command packet, electric power source pins P2 and P3, a clock signaling pin P4, and a plurality of data pins D1 through DN. The command pin P1, the electric power source pins P2 and P3, the clock signaling path P4, and the plurality of data pins D1 through DN are respectively connected to a host 1. In addition, the portable storage apparatus 2 further includes a command packet decoder 30, a control unit 40, a first register 50, a flash memory 60, a data buffer 70, and a second register 80. The command packet decoder 30 includes a packet receiving unit 31, a command field decoder 32, and an argument field decoder 33. The packet receiving unit 31 is connected to the command pin P1 through a command line 10, and the control unit 40 is connected to the data buffer 70 through a plurality of data lines 20.
A process of setting a data bus width in the portable storage apparatus 2 having the above structure will be explained. If the portable storage apparatus 2 is connected to the host 1, the host 1 transmits a command packet CMD_PK for setting the data bus width. The packet receiving unit 31 of the command packet decoder 30 receives a command packet CMD_PK through the command line 10 and divides the received command packet CMD_PK into a command field CMD_FD and an argument field ARG_FD. The command field decoder 32 outputs command information CMD_IF by decoding the command field CMD_FD. The argument field decoder 33 outputs data bus width information BUS_IF by decoding the argument field ARG_FD. The control unit 40 receives the command information CMD_IF and recognizes this information as a command for setting the data bus width. Furthermore, the control unit 40 receives the data bus width information BUS_IF and stores it at a first register 50. Thereafter, the control unit 40 transmits and receives data by selecting all or some of the plurality of data lines 20, based on the data bus width information BUS_IF. Moreover, the command field decoder 32 outputs a write or a read command by decoding the command field CMD_FD when transmitting and receiving general data. The argument field decoder 33 outputs an address signal by decoding the argument field ARG_FD when transmitting and receiving the general data.
Therefore, the data bus width is set before any data bus communication with the host in the conventional portable storage apparatus. This conventional method is only useful for a case where there is no need to change the data bus width for a long period of time, that is, when the portable storage apparatus is connected to only one host. However, if the data bus width is required to change frequently, such as when the portable storage apparatus is connected to several hosts, the data bus width is reset in advance whenever the host is changed. Accordingly, the host must separately transmit the command packet for setting the data bus width in advance, and furthermore, the data bus width is reset whenever the host is changed in the conventional portable storage apparatus.

Portable storage apparatus and method for freely changing data bus width


Provided are a scan driving circuit and driving method thereof, array substrate and a display device. The scan driving circuit includes output ends at m stages, input circuits at m stages, and q shift register circuits. A first end of the input circuit at the i-th stage is connected to the output end at the (i−1)-th stage, and i is any integer greater than 1 and less than m+1. Any shift register circuits is respectively connected to k output ends, and second ends of k input circuits, and the k input circuits have a same combination of stage numbers as k output ends, all stage numbers in same combination of stage numbers have the same parity, and k is greater than 1 and less than m. The shift register circuit is configured to output a scanning signal to one output ends, and outputting the scanning signal to which output ends is indicated by an external control signal.

The Gate driver On Array (GOA) technology, compared with conventional processes, may not only omit a circuit board carrying a gate driver and achieve a symmetrical design on both sides of a display panel, but also omit a chip bonding area at an edge of the display panel and a routing area such as a fan-out area, which facilitates implementation of a narrow frame design. Also, since the GOA technology may omit a chip bonding process in a row direction, this is greatly helpful for the overall throughput and the yield improvement. In a related GOA design, several stages of GOA units having the same structure are each connected to one row scan line, and based on a cascade relationship among the GOA units, a scanning signal may be outputted line by line on several row scan lines at the drive of an external signal.
With the rapid development of display technology, the market sets higher requirements on the aesthetic appearance of display products, which makes further narrowing of the frame become an important requirement for numerous display products. And with the continual simplification of a circuit structure inside the GOA unit, the number of Thin Film Transistors (TFTs) in each GOA unit is difficult to be further reduced under the premise of satisfying application requirements.

Scan driving circuit and driving method thereof, array substrate and display device

HEFEI XINSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD


Disclosed is a cylindrical grinding machine of the type that a workpiece support device composed of a work head and a foot stock is mounted on a forward upper portion of a bed while a wheel head unit composed of a slide base and a wheel head is mounted on a rear upper portion of the bed. A coolant collecting vent which takes a rectangular shape as viewed from above vertically extends in the bed and opens to the upper surface of the bed to cover an area that extends from under the workpiece on the workpiece support device to under the forward portion of the wheel head unit. A horizontal vent is provided in the bed to open to the rear surface of the bed and to communicate with the collecting vent. A coolant supply device is inserted at a part thereof into the horizontal vent from the rear surface of the bed to extend an inlet opening into the collecting vent. In one embodiment, the slide base is mounted to straddle over the collecting vent and is guided at both ends thereof on the bed to be movable back and forth, and the wheel head is guided to be movable on the slide base in a right-left direction. In another embodiment, the part of the coolant supply device inserted into the horizontal vent is constituted as a discharge duct, from which a mist discharge duct branches upwardly to be connected to a mist collecting device. Airflow blocking means is provided for permitting the coolant to flow through but for blocking airflow from an outlet port of the discharge duct toward the mist discharge duct.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cylindrical grinding machine for grinding a workpiece supported rotatably about an axis, with a grinding wheel which is movable in a lengthwise direction of the workpiece as well as in a direction across thereto. More particularly, it relates to a cylindrical grinding machine particularly designed for efficient discharge of coolant from a machining area to the outside of the grinding machine.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Cylindrical grinding machines of this kind are of the type that a grinding wheel is movable in a lengthwise direction of a workpiece as well as in a direction across thereto and are known as so called "wheel head traverse type grinding machine". The Japanese unexamined, published patent application No. 2002-292546 discloses one example of the wheel head traverse type grinding machine. In this known grinding machine, a work head and a foot stock collectively referred to as work support device on a bed sustains opposite ends of the workpiece to enable the same to rotate about one axis. Further, on the bed, traverse guide ways parallel to the axis are provided directly on the bed or on a fixed base secured on the bed and a movable base is movably guided along the guide ways. A wheel head rotatably carrying a grinding wheel is mounted on the movable base to be movable back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the traverse guide ways. The wheel head is moved bodily with the movable base in the longitudinal or lengthwise direction and is moved to and from the workpiece on the movable base.
The portion on the bed which is under a machining area including a grinding point where the grind wheel comes into contact with the workpiece is formed as a coolant collecting portion, toward which grinding fluid or coolant ejected to the machining area falls down. The coolant collected by the coolant collecting portion flows along a slanted path on the bed and is returned to a coolant supply device from an outlet opening to the upper surface of the bed. Conventionally, the coolant supply device is arranged separated from the body of the grinding machine to be placed by the lateral portion of the bed. A reservoir section of the coolant supply device is connected through a plastic or vinyl pipe to the outlet to receive the coolant which is discharged from the upper surface of the bed through the outlet to the outside of the machine.
Further, since grinding chips are liable to be deposited on the coolant collecting portion on the bed which is under the machining area, measures are usually taken that coolant is flown all the time on the upper surface of the bed thereby to actively feed the grinding chips toward the outlet. Especially, in a grinding method wherein coolant used therein is restrained in volume to ten percents or less of that used in a traditional grinding method, coolant hardly rushes on the bed and hence, grinding chips are apt to be deposited on the portion of the bed under the machining area. To remove the deposited grinding chips, the measures are taken to make the flow of coolant all the time on the upper surface on the bed.
However, in the aforementioned known cylindrical grinding machine of the wheel head traverse type, most of the coolant supplied to the machining area falls down directly on the coolant collecting portion under the machining area on the upper surface of the bed, which gives rise to a drawback that a thermally adverse influence is exerted on the bed. In particular, where coolant flow is made for discharging grinding chips, thermally adverse influence comes into existence notably as the thermal deformation of the bed and hence, as a dispersion in size of machined workpieces.
In addition, the coolant having fallen down on the coolant collecting portion remains on the bed in a substantial volume until it is flown together with the grinding chip discharge coolant back to the reservoir of the coolant supply device. This makes it unavoidable to use a coolant supply device needing a large volume of coolant, in which case the volume of coolant remaining on the bed for a time lag in collection has to be taken into consideration. As a result, a large burden is imposed not only on the maintenance of the coolant in use but also on the disposal of a large volume dirty coolant having expired its life in use.
Furthermore, most of the coolant having supplied to around the grinding point is collected to the coolant supply device through a predetermined discharge path arranged on the grinding machine, whereas a part of the coolant scatters to make mist staying in the machining area. To this end, in prior art grinding machines, it has been customary that a cover device is provided to surround the machining area and that a mist collection device is arranged to collect mist from the space surrounded by the cover device. On the other hand, most of the coolant falls down onto a portion of the bed under the machining area and is then collected to the coolant supply device through the discharge path formed on the upper surface of the bed. For this reason, there have been needed two systems: a discharge path for collecting the coolant in the form of fluid and a mist collecting path for collecting mist. This disadvantageously results in making the collecting mechanisms for coolant and mist complicated in construction as well as in needing separate maintenance works therefor.
In order to solve the aforementioned problem, in a coolant collecting apparatus for a grinding machine disclosed in Japanese unexamined, published patent application No. 5-16072, a collecting path for the coolant which falls down right under a machining area where a grinding wheel acts on a workpiece is constituted in the form of a duct passing through a bed, and the inside of the duct is exhausted by a mist collecting apparatus. Thus, through the duct, coolant and mist are discharged outside the grinding machine, and the coolant is directly collected by the coolant collecting apparatus, while the mist is sucked by the mist collecting device.
However, in the foregoing coolant collecting apparatus, the mist collecting device not only has a suction inlet which opens to the duct formed in the bed of the grinding machine but also has another suction inlet which opens to a coolant reservoir constituting the coolant collecting device to be spaced apart from the upper surface of the coolant contained in the reservoir. That is, the mist collecting device collects not only the mist passing through the duct but also the mist which is filled up in the reservoir by being atomized when collected into the reservoir. Thus, the capability of the mist collecting device for collecting the mist from the duct, namely from the machining area is reduced by collecting the mist from the reservoir, whereby there occurs a problem that the mist suspended in the machining area cannot be collected effectively or efficiently.


The present disclosure provides a cold-rolled steel sheet having excellent high-temperature properties and room-temperature workability, including, by weight: carbon (C): 0.0005 to 0.003%, manganese (Mn): 0.20 to 0.50%, aluminum (Al): 0.01 to 0.10%, phosphorus (P): 0.003 to 0.020%, nitrogen (N): 0.0005 to 0.004%, sulfur (S): 0.015% or less, niobium (Nb): 0.005 to 0.040%, chromium (Cr): 0.10 to 0.50%, tungsten (W): 0.02 to 0.07%, and a balance of iron (Fe) and other inevitable impurities, wherein C, Nb, and W satisfy the following relationship 1, a microstructure comprises 95 area % or more of polygonal ferrite and 5 area % or less of acicular ferrite, and

A round steel can used in a battery case for a primary battery may be subjected to a nickel (Ni) or copper (Cu) plating operation, or the like, on a steel sheet, as corrosion resistance is required in order to withstand properties of an alkali material added as the contents of the battery. Recently, a material for a battery case may be widely used not only as a material for the battery case for the primary battery, but also as a material for the battery case for the secondary battery that may be charged/discharged, such as in an electric vehicle field, and the like, including in a mobile field such as mobile phones, a power tool field, and an energy storage device field.
As a usage environment of the material for the battery case, using the steel sheet, is diversified, as described above, demands for improving properties and service life of the battery case are increasing. In addition, in order to increase capacity of a charging body to improve performance of the battery, development of technologies to decrease a thickness of a case body portion and secure safety at the same time may be also actively promoted.
Recently, as an application of the battery case, using steel, has been extended from the mobile field to the vehicle field, there is an increasing demand for improved properties to secure safety of the case, especially for high-temperature properties. As a material for a battery case cell that has used a conventional material such as stainless steel, aluminum, or the like, in the electric vehicle field or the hybrid vehicle field, activities for applying round battery case cells, using steel, in terms of a decrease in costs and an improvement in productivity, have been actively and continuously reviewed. In the case of a vehicle battery, which may be emerging as a new application for the battery case, since the battery may be exposed to a high-temperature environment of several hundred degrees (° C.) instantaneously in an environment of use, it is necessary to secure heat resistance that may be applied to a high-temperature environment even in terms of operating safety.
The heat resistance may be evaluated in a variety of ways. For example, manufacturers that are leading in the electric vehicle field may evaluate battery stability by filling batteries in battery case cells and rapidly heating them to temperatures around 600° C. to investigate breakage properties of the batteries. The evaluation methods, such as applying the above method may be different, depending on manufacturers, but efforts of manufacturers of the material to satisfy the above battery stability have been concentrated.
In addition, driving of an electric vehicle may be affected even in a case in which a battery case is deteriorated and deformed due to an increase in local temperature during the driving of the vehicle. Therefore, in order to prevent this, strain properties at a high-temperature may be also strictly managed. From this perspective, sag resistance may also be considered an important management factor. Sag property refers to a phenomenon in which a component or material exposed to a high-temperature environment may be deteriorated due to repeated heat hysteresis, resulting in sagging of the component or material. When the sagging of the component occurs in the high-temperature environment, it may be difficult to maintain a shape of a molded portion. When thermal stress is concentrated in a specific portion, high-temperature resistance may be lowered to deform a shape of the case. When a degree of sagging is relatively severe, it may lead to a partial breakage of the case, to cause continuous breakages of the case. Therefore, in order to secure stability of the component by securing shape identity of the processed product, in a case of a temperature of managing the component, e.g., in a case of a battery case, high-temperature strength at 600° C. may usually be 110 MPa or more, and sagging of the material should satisfy 3 mm or less. In addition, in order to suppress processing defects, it has been necessary to prevent a dynamic strain aging phenomenon due to solid solution elements in steel and the like, when maintaining high-temperature.
In the past, a stainless steel sheet has been mainly used for heat-resistance applications. However, there was a problem in that such a stainless steel sheet has relatively high production cost due to a relatively large amount of expensive alloying elements such as chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni), and in that corrosion resistance was lowered due to intergranular corrosion occurring in a Cr depleted zone, as chromium is combined with carbon (C) to precipitate in the form of chromium-carbide at the grain boundary, when maintaining high-temperature.
In the meantime, the battery case used in the electric vehicle may be a structure in which the same cell-processed products are mounted in layered form, in thousands, in a limited space. In addition, since each of the round cases requires multi-step processing operations such as drawing and stretch processing during molding, workability at room-temperature may be also an important management factor, in addition to the high-temperature properties. That is, a steel sheet used as a material for an alkaline manganese battery, a lithium battery case, or the like, may be manufactured as a two-piece round can, in which a lower portion and a body portion of the can, which are cylindrically processed by press molding, may be integrally processed. In this case, a process of simultaneously punching a raw sheet material of 0.4 mm or less with a circular blank and deep drawing the raw sheet material into a cylindrical shape, and an ironing process of passing these drawing materials through a plurality of ironing molds to reduce a thickness of the can and increase a height of the can, may be carried out. As described above, a material for the two-piece battery case may be made thinner than the raw sheet material, as the body portion of the case is subjected to the ironing process in the manufacturing process of the case, and, it is thus known in that a thickness of the body portion of the case is made about 20 to 40% thinner than a thickness of the raw sheet. As a conventional technique for manufacturing such a cylindrical battery case, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like may be exemplified.
In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for improving sealing property of a battery by increasing material strength through a secondary rolling operation, utilizing medium and low carbon steel. However, even in this case, it was not possible to solve the fundamental problems of securing sufficient strength at a high-temperature, e.g., 600° C., and dynamic strain aging required by the battery case for electric vehicles, and the like. As a secondary rolling operation was separately added, there was a problem acting as a factor to increase the manufacturing cost in view of a manufacturing of the raw sheet.

Cold-rolled steel sheet having excellent high-temperature properties and room-temperature workability

Abstract: the cold-rolled steel sheet comprises (Nb,W)C-based precipitates having an average size of 0.005 to 0.10 μm and a method for manufacturing the same:0.00025≤(2×Nb/93)×(W/184)/(C/12)≤0.0015  [Relationship 1]where, C, Nb, and W are in weight %.


In a direct current electric motor, segment pieces of a commutator are generally planar and are arranged one after another in a circumferential direction about a rotational axis of the commutator. A slidably engaging surface of each segment piece, which is slidably engageable with a plurality of brushes of the motor, extends in a plane that is generally perpendicular to the rotational axis, and each segment piece includes a radially inner engaging portion at a radially inner end part of the segment piece. Each conductive line extends along a corresponding straight line and electrically interconnects between the radially inner engaging portions of corresponding two of the plurality of segment pieces to implement the same electric potential in the corresponding two of the plurality of segment pieces.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a planar commutator, a rotor and a direct current electric motor.
2. Description of Related Art
An axial-gap motor, which includes a planar rotor (having a planar commutator) and a planer stator assembled together to oppose each other in a direction of a rotational axis of the planar rotor, is known (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-274971 or PCT Publication No. WO 03/047069 corresponding to US Patent Publication No. 2005/0017596A1).
In a case of a brush electric motor, which has two or more pole pairs (multiple poles), a spark may possibly be generated at a commutator due to voltage unbalance between brushes, which are supposed to have the same electric potential. In order to limit wearing of the brushes caused by the spark or to reduce the number of the brushes, it is known to use equalizing lines, i.e., short-circuit lines (equalizing devices), such as copper wires or copper pieces, to interconnect between corresponding segment pieces of the commutator, which have the same electric potential.
Furthermore, at the time of interconnecting the segment pieces with the equalizing lines, the equalizing lines may possibly contact with each other to cause short-circuiting therebetween or may contact with an armature to cause short-circuiting therewith. Also, at the time of interconnecting the segment pieces with the equalizing lines, the winding operation (fusing operation) may possibly become tedious. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H11-187622 discloses a technique that addresses the above potential disadvantages. According to this technique, each pair of segment pieces is interconnected by an arcuate short-circuit element on a rear side thereof (a rotational axis side). Then, all of the pairs of segment pieces are placed along a circle, and a dielectric resin material is filled radially inward of the segment pieces to form the commutator.
When the short-circuit elements are placed radially inward of the commutator, the short-circuiting between the equalizing lines or between the equalizing lines and the armature can be limited, and it is not required to perform the tedious winding operation for winding the equalizing lines in the slot of the commutator.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-60073 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,623) discloses another technique. According to this technique, an equalizing device (equalizer) is installed to a rotatable shaft at a location adjacent to the commutator. In the equalizing device, a plurality of annular terminals is stacked over a base member such that a dielectric insulator is interposed between each adjacent two annular terminals. Two equalizing lines, which project radially outward from each terminal, are electrically connected to corresponding two segment pieces by fusing. In this way, the segment pieces, which need to have the same electric potential, are electrically short-circuited. However, in the above technique of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H11-187622 for integrally forming the commutator and the short-circuit elements by placing the short-circuit elements in the interior of the commutator, the placement of the short-circuit elements in the interior of the commutator may become difficult when the diameter of the commutator becomes small. Also, in the above technique of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-60073 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,623) for placing the equalizing device coaxially with the commutator, the segment pieces need to be interconnected by the equalizing lines of the equalizing device by, for example, fusing, thereby requiring the tedious work that causes a reduced work efficiency.
In order to address the above disadvantages, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-222364 discloses another technique. According to this technique, an end surface dielectric insulator covers an axial end surface of an armature. A plurality of pairs of terminals is provided in the dielectric insulator. Each pair of terminals, which are electrically interconnected with each other, is connected to a corresponding pair of segments pieces through connecting parts of the commutator. With this technique, the connecting operation for connecting the commutator with the short-circuit elements is eased and thereby improving the work efficiency while not being limited by the diameter of the tubular commutator.
However, in a case where the above tubular commutator is applied to the planar motor, there are disadvantages in terms of the axial size, the current density and the slide loss between the brushes and the commutator. Therefore, in the axial-gap electric motor, a planar commutator is often used. In such a case, brushes are engaged with the planar commutator in the axial direction of the axial-gap electric motor and slide over the planar commutator along a plane. In the case of the planar commutator, the equalizing elements are placed below the commutator. Thus, in the case of the motor, which includes the commutator, the short-circuit elements and the planar armature, the thinning of the motor is limited.

Planar commutator, rotor and direct current electric motor


A region of a second conductivity type is selectively formed in a portion of a semiconductive layer of a first conductivity type to form a pn junction area which serves as a photo-sensing region. A metal film is formed on a surface of the semiconductive layer of the first conductivity type to surround the photo-sensing region. When light to be directed to the photo-sensing region spreads outside the photo-sensing region, the light is reflected by the metal film provided on the surface of the semiconductive crystal layer around the photo-sensing region. Accordingly, the light does not reach the photo-sensing layer of the semiconductive crystal layer and the generation of undesired carriers is prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photo-sensing device used for monitoring an output of a semiconductor laser or as a photo-sensor of a light communication system.
2. Related Background Art
FIGS. 1A and 1B respectively show a top view and an X--X' sectional view of a structure of a prior art photo-sensing device. As shown, in the prior art photo-sensing device, a semiconductive crystal layer 2 of a lightly doped first conductivity type is formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate 1 of a heavily doped first conductivity type, having an electrode of the first conductivity type formed on an underside thereof. The semiconductive crystal layer 2 is lamination of a buffer layer 2a, a photo-sensing layer 2b and a window layer 2c, in sequence. Impurities are selectively diffused into the semiconductive crystal layer 2 to form a first region 3 of a second conductivity type. This is a pin photo-diode structure where the semiconductor layer 1 is an n layer (or a p layer), the semiconductive crystal layer 2 is an i layer and the first region 3 is a p layer (or an n layer), and a photo-sensing region 9 is formed therein. An electrode 5 of a second conductivity type is formed on the region 3 on the surface of the semiconductive crystal layer 2, and the region 3 inside the electrode 5 is covered with an anti-reflection film 4 while the semiconductive crystal layer 2 outside the electrode 5 is covered with a device protection film (i.e. passivation film) 8.
When a reverse bias is applied to the semiconductor device thus constructed, a depletion layer is created in a pn junction area in the semiconductive crystal 2. Thus, an electric field is developed in the depletion layer and electrons and holes generated by a light applied to the photo-sensing region 9 are directed to the first conductivity type semiconductor substrate 1 and the second conductivity type region 3 of different conductivity types, respectively, and accelerated thereby. In this manner, a photo-current is taken out and a light signal is detected.
However, in the structure shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, when the light is directed to the outside of the region 9, the generated carriers reach the pn junction while they are diffused by a density gradient and are taken out as a photo-current. Since the movement of the carriers by the diffusion is slow, a response waveform to a light pulse includes a tail at the end as shown in FIG. 2A. When such a photo-sensing device is used for the light communication, a light emitted from an optical fiber is condensed so that it is directed to the photo-sensing region 9. However, when a portion of light leaks out of the photo-sensing region 9, it leads to the reduction of the response speed of the photo-sensing device by the reason described above. In a high speed photo-sensing device, the area of the photo-sensing region 9 is reduced to reduce a junction capacitance. As a result, a ratio of light directed to the outside of the photo-sensing region 9 increases and a diffused component which has a low response speed increases. This leads to the degradation of the response speed.
When the light emitted from a rear end plane of the semiconductor laser is sensed by the photo-sensing device to feedback-control a drive current for the semiconductor laser in order to keep the light output of the semiconductor laser at a constant level, if the light emitted from the semiconductor laser spreads to the outside of the photo-sensing region 9 of the photo-sensing device, a low response speed component is generated by the diffusion as described above. This adversely affects to the feedback control.


A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named xe2x80x98Shepherdxe2x80x99, characterized by its upright, mounded and rounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plants; uniform and freely flowering habit; daisy-type inflorescences; white-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering in early October in the Northern Hemisphere.

Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Shepherd.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum, known under the trade name Kristen, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Shepherdxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Fareham, United Kingdom. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made in March, 1998, in Fareham, United Kingdom, of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Pidoul, disclosed in a U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,218, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Chrysanthemum selection identified as code number G137A1, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Fareham, United Kingdom in September, 1998. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since December, 1998, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Shepherd has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Shepherdxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Shepherdxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright, mounded and rounded plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.
3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
4. Daisy-type inflorescences.
5. White-colored ray florets.
6. Natural season flowering in early October in the Northern Hemisphere.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are most similar to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Pidoul. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Pidoul, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Pidoul.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one week earlier than plants of the cultivar Pidoul when grown under artificial photoperiodic conditions.
3. Ray florets of inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum maintained white coloration longer than ray florets of inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Pidoul.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the male parent, the selection G137A1, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more compact than plants of the selection G137A1.
2. Ray florets of inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum maintained white coloration longer than ray florets of inflorescences of plants of the selection G137A1.


A microstructured multicore optical fibre (MMOF) includes a cladding in which a plurality of basic cells are formed that run along the MMOF. Each of the basic cells includes a core, and at least one of the basic cells is surrounded by a plurality of longitudinal areas that run parallel to the core along the MMOF and are arranged in a hexagonal arrangement around the core. The longitudinal areas are spaced by a lattice constant Λ. Sides of the hexagon can be shared with adjacent basic cells.

The introduction of optical fibres to telecommunication systems has brought about a considerable increase in the effectiveness of information transfer. Because of the rapid growth of demand for ultra-high capacity level of transmission channels, amounting to 10 Tbit/s per one optical fibre, a kind of breakthrough seems necessary to replace traditional, currently used single mode optical fibres. The to-date's techniques of multiplexing e.g. in the domains of time, wavelength, polarisation and other are simply unsatisfactory to meet the expotential increase of the needs for transmission band. A solution is brought by the space-division multiplexing (SDM) technique, using multicore optical fibres. SDM has been implemented in multicore optical fibres with separated cores, used as separate transmission channels. One of SDM types is mode-division multiplexing (MDM), i.e., the application of optical fibre structure with coupled cores, in which multimode propagation occurs and where each mode represents a separate transmission channel. Nevertheless, unknown remain effective techniques of addressing modes in case of mode-division multiplexing.
The space-division multiplexing techniques may be used together with 20 other techniques of multiplexing, e.g., Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM), the Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) and other techniques, what leads to still further capacity increase. The basic requirement for transmission with the use of multicore optical fibres and SDM is a limitation of crosstalks between cores—the users of one transmission channel must not feel the presence of other users, sharing the transmission medium. Other requirements towards commercially costs effective transmission with the use of SDM is a design of such optical fibre, the parameters of which are in conformity with the actual transmission systems. Such parameters include: geometrical dimensions of optical fibre (a possibility to achieve the same core diameter and/or optical multicore fibre diameter as that of standard, single-mode optical fibre), dispersion (including dispersion zero 10 wavelength (ZDW) and dispersion slope in ZDW), transmission losses, bending losses, polarisation dependent losses, cut-off wavelength and nonlinearity. It is also necessary to ensure an acceptable level of crosstalks at bending and dispersion at bending.
In order to reduce crosstalks, the cores in multicore optical fibre have to be properly insulated. A few approaches to core insulation and, in effect, to crosstalk reduction have already been known, including: decreased the overlap of the adjacent modes by increasing the space between cores, the fabrication of heterogeneous cores with modified refraction indices or diameters and the use of structure with a changed refraction index profile around cores. Combinations of the three above-mentioned approaches are also possible. The increase of space between cores necessitates wide spreading of the cores to achieve the acceptable crosstalk level; thus, it precludes high density of channels in such a fibre. The concept of heterogeneous cores has originated from the observation that if cores of a multicore optical fibre have not very different indices of refraction or diameters, then the crosstalk levels between such cores considerably diminish. The designs of such optical fibres require then a thorough analysis of the minimal number of various cores which will ensure the satisfactory crosstalk level and channel density. In case of the two above-mentioned methods—spreading of cores and the use of heterogeneous cores— there is a problem of high bending losses, as well as higher crosstalk levels at bendings. The application of structure with modified refraction index around the core (trenchassisted fibres) provides partial reduction of the problems with bending losses, crosstalks at bendings and, in general, reduces crosstalk levels.
Another aspect in designing; transmission systems with the use of SDM is the necessity to develop a method of connecting the cores of multicore optical fibre with standard, single-mode optical fibre in order to integrate the multicore optical fibre with the actual systems, including the possibility of signal input/output to/from particular cores. Further on, it should be attempted to make use of as many as possible of the already existing elements and technologies in the planned transmission system, making the process of implementation of these new transmission systems as cost-effective and not spread over time as possible.
The structures with trench-assisted fibres have been known from the literature—among others, from the article "Reduction of Crosstalk by TrenchAssisted Multi-Core Fiber" OSA/OFC/NFOEC 2011. Core insulation was achieved by the application of a layer with reduced refraction index around the cores, while additionally, in order to reduce crosstalk levels, heterogeneous cores are also used.
In turn, in the article "Multi-Core Hole-Assisted Fibers for High Core Density Space Division Multiplexing" from the Conference on Optoelectronics and telecommunications—OECC 2010, an optical fibre is presented, in which the cores are insulated by means of six air holes around each core. However, the insulation is not satisfactory in this case to reduce crosstalks without considerable spreading of cores. In order to achieve the beat length at the level above 1 km in the proposed solution, it is not possible to obtain a single-mode operation of the optical fibre at the network constant (the distances between the centres of adjacent holes) below 10 μm, while the cores have then to be spread to a distance equal to the quadruple of the lattice constant. Optical fibres of this type are called "hole-assisted fibres". In the classical, micro structured optical fibres, air holes actively participate in light propagation, and the effect of propagation 1s guaranteed just because of their presence which causes light entrapment within the core. In optical fibres of the "hole-assisted" type, the applied microstructure has mainly to insulate the cores from one another in such a way a to prevent crosstalks among them. As a rule, in the "hole-assisted" fibres, a doped core is applied at the centre of the microstructure, allowing for light propagation by the same principle as in standard, single-mode optical fibres, however, with one advantage that the holes reduce crosstalks between cores but do not significantly participate in the mechanism of propagation.
From the description of US 2013/0209106 patent, a system of optical transmission is known, multicore optical fibre and the fabrication method of this fibre. In the system of transmission, according to the application for the invention, a series of wavelengths is simultaneously introduced into the adjacent cores of multicore optical fibre, thus a system of spatial multiplexing is used, simultaneously with the wavelength division multiplexing system. Cores in the optical fibre are surrounded by two rings of holes. In case of an optical fibre in version with fixed core (classical microstructured optical fibre), light propagation within the core is guaranteed by the presence of air holes. In another variant, presented in the description of this solution, in which, at the central are, there is also a hole, a propagation mechanism occurs, associated with the existence of a photonic band gap. In the optical fibre, according to that description, it is not planned to give up the ring of holes, closest to the core.
In turn, the description of invention No. US2013064543 discloses a design of the optical fibre in which the cladding has got many holes, fabricated in the nodes of the hexagonal lattice. The optical fibre according to the invention is characterised by bending losses below 5 dB/m with the bending radius of 20 mm. The optical fibre according to the invention is a microstructured optical fibre, in which the structure of holes ensures light propagation. In order to achieve high coupling value, it is necessary to apply a significant number of air layers between cores, what reduces the achieved number of channels. A configuration of optical fibre orientation has also been disclosed in the description; in that configuration, a shift of one core was applied. Such a configuration precludes the participation of this (shifted) core in propagation. In the transmission system, according the discusses description, it is necessary to apply an additional element, generating stress, resulting from bending, transverse stress or both types of stress together in order to suppress the interferences between the cores.
In turn, the US 20110279888 patent description discloses also the method of pumping with the use of a tapered optical fibre coupler, in which frontal pumping is used and in such a way that one of the optical fibres from the fibre bundle, connected with the multicore optical fibre, is replaced by an optical fibre which delivers signal from the pump. A system of data transmission, according to EP 2336813, has also been disclosed, in which the coupling among the cores of a multicore optical fibre is used for data transmission supported by modes' coupling, while the cores are not insulated.
A multicore optical fibre and the layout of cores, according to EP 2610656, has also been disclosed, in which configuration, a multicore fibre contains many single cores, located pointwise at nodes of the hexagonal lattice. Whereby, there are, at least, two types of cores with different profiles of the refraction index.
Among the most pressing problems with the SMD using systems, there is the problem with crosstalk reduction between adjacent transmission channels and the issue of achieving as small as possible bending losses, the reduction which would facilitate the installation of optical fibre cables.

Microstructured multicore optical fibre (MMOF), a device and the fabrication method of a device for independent addressing of the cores of microstructured multicore optical fibre


An antenna disposed on a substrate includes a radiating portion, a first coupling and feeding portion, and a second coupling and feeding portion. A length of the radiating portion is substantially equal to a half wavelength of electromagnetic signals radiated by the radiating portion. Each coupling and feeding portion includes a feeding part and a coupling part. The feeding part feeds the electromagnetic signals to the radiating portion via the coupling part so as to achieve effects of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna. A gap is defined between the coupling part and the radiating portion to improve an isolation of the MIMO antenna.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to an antenna for achieving effects of an MIMO antenna.
2. Description of Related Art
Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas are widely used to improve communication quality of electronic devices in a printed circuit board (PCB) because an MIMO antenna offers significant increases in data throughput and link range without additional bandwidth or increased transmission power. Usually, an MIMO antenna is collectively formed by two normal antennas or by an antenna array, which needs large dimensions in the PCB in an electronic device. Accordingly, it is important to provide an antenna that will achieve effects of the MIMO antenna and fit in a smaller PCB with enhanced isolation and improved radiating performance.

Antenna for achieving effects of MIMO antenna


A solution for mounting decoupling capacitors on a printed wiring board (PWB) used for mounting a high performance ball grid array (BGA) device is described. The via array that connects the BGA device is modified, the modification being that at least a portion of one row of said vias array is missing at least two adjacent vias. The missing vias are replaced by respective shared vias in an adjacent row, and the shared vias are connected to either a power supply or a power return. The shared vias are also provided with via pads on the other side of said PWB, and a decoupling capacitor can be electrically connected across the pair of via pads to decouple the power supply and the power return at the two adjacent vias.

The demand for high density, highly integrated, multi-functional and high performance electronic circuits resulted in dramatic evolution of electronic device packaging, substrate design and mounting technologies.
The packaging technologies have evolved to produce finer pitch and higher pin count integrated circuits. For example, the number of leads (I/O pins) on an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) evolved over the last few years from 800 to 1800. The leads form a pattern that occupies the entire area on the "back" of the IC; a 1.00 mm pitch is common today.
To meet the demand for packages having higher lead counts and smaller footprints, grid array packaging, such as ball grid arrays (BGAs), plastic BGAs (PBGAs), organic LAN grid arrays (OLGAs), etc, were developed. A BGA package typically has leads (or pins or I/O terminals) arranged in an array of solder balls, protruding from the bottom of the package. These terminals are soldered to a plurality of pads/balls located on the surface of the electronic substrate. Specific arrangements of power and ground leads are selected with a view to improving signal quality on signal contacts.
Printed wiring boards (PWBs), such as printed circuit boards, chip carriers or multichip modules, are well known examples of electronic substrates. PWBs usually comprise layers of conductive and dielectric materials laminated together. Some of the layers include traces or signal lines, prepared by methods well known in the art on a dielectric layer, some ground and some power planes comprised of a sheet of metal placed on a dielectric layer. The design of the PWBs evolved in parallel with the design of the ICs and electronic components. Thus, in order to accommodate the routing of ICs and components designed with a given pitch (1.27 mm, 1.00 mm, 0.8 mm or less), the distance permitted between the traces, and between the traces and the mounting pads for the ICs and components, as well as the width of the traces must decrease accordingly. Of relevance is also the design and placement of the vias and mounting pads for the ICs and the components.
Vias are formed in the PWBs to permit routing on inner layers as well as to make electrical connection between the ICs and the components mounted on the opposite side of the board. When used for mounting a component, the respective vias are provided with a pad, that ensures the electrical connection. Alternatively, a via may be connected to an adjacent ball contact pad over a short "dogbone" connection, for enabling connection to a corresponding ball on an IC or a component.
There are various types of vias. For example, the plated through hole (PTH) vias go all the way through the board. Blind vias generally go from a board surface layer through a few layers only, while the buried vias connect traces on two internal layers of the board.
It is also known that the decoupling capacitors required for high-performance operation of the electrical circuits need to be mounted as close as possible to an IC. The number of capacitors needed for proper operation of an IC increases not only with the number of circuits in the IC package, but also with the number of power and ground connections provided on the respective IC package. This is not easy, since the area under the IC is occupied by the via array used to connect the IC to the board. As many of the power and ground vias are in the middle of the array, the number of the routes within the array is limited, since the distance between the vias (pitch) of the array is very small. This problem is compounded by the increase in the number of the IC ground and power connections, as larger IC integration is achieved. Still further, the layout of the IC ground and power pins is different for different ICs, so that specific mounting solutions need to be provided for the decoupling capacitors.
As a result, various solutions are available today for mounting the BGA devices and the respective decoupling capacitors. These solutions depend on the position of the power and ground leads, pitch, the size of the area occupied by the IC device, the size of the pads on the board, the type and technology used for the vias, etc. Preferably, the decoupling capacitors are placed on the back side of the board from the IC when mounted. However, the space within the vias array on back of the board is not normally available because the vias are very close.
One solution currently being used consists of PTH (plated through hole) vias used for "Via in Pad (ViP)" solution. In this case, the vias go straight from the front to the back of the board and the capacitors are placed on the "back side" of the board. The assumption in this case is that vias cannot be depopulated and that the capacitors must be connected as close as possible to the power and ground balls. The drawbacks of this solution are that the IC is required to have the power and ground pins configured in a very specific fashion. In addition, the power and ground pins that require decoupling need to be separated by either a signal or unused pin to accommodate the size of the capacitors. This pin is covered by the body of the decoupling capacitor, so it cannot be accessed for testing. Also, the power and ground PTHs in the array must be provided with pads, leaving little space for routes; connections may not be traced between a capacitor and the adjacent unused vias. Still further, the number of decoupling capacitors that can be mounted in this way is limited since the solution requires a via row/column free between a row/column of capacitors.
Another solution currently employed in recent designs uses advanced PWB technology. This solution consists of using HDI on the PWB with the combination of blind and buried vias to allow access on the backside of the BGA component. This option provides the highest degree of freedom for the design. In this case, component pitch, pin arrangement and capacitor size do not need to be specified, since the front-to-back connection enables use of many combinations. It is also possible to maximize the number of decoupling capacitors that can fit into the available space. However, this may increase cost of the product due to potentially higher board costs.
There it is also known to provide a routing channel in the array of vias on the "back side" of the board from where the IC is mounted, as for example described in the US Patent Application Publication 2003/0183419A1 (Miller et al.), published on Oct. 2, 2003. This Patent Application discloses a pattern of columns and rows of vias, each via being associated with a pad over a short connection. The pads are arranged between the columns and the rows of vias, so that the connections form a certain angle. A routing channel is obtained between two columns (or two rows) of vias, by changing the angle of the pad in two of the two adjacent rows. For example, if the connections associated with the vias in the right column form a 45° angle with the horizontal, the connections associated with the vias in the left column will form a complementary angle of 135° angle. The channel is used, as the name indicates, for routing traces from the vias in the core of the array.
Finding new and acceptable solutions for mounting the decoupling capacitors for high performance chip package is always a struggle. As discussed, this is because of the changes in new packages using tighter pitches as well as different power and ground configurations than previous designs. Still further, the location available for mounting a decoupling capacitor is dictated by the overall configuration of the circuit layout and via configurations on a respective printed circuit board. As a result, new solutions need to be introduced as new packages are introduced.
There is a need to provide improved decoupling solutions for 1.27 mm, 1.00 mm and 0.8 mm pitch and below BGA components, which allow grid array mounting and packaging technologies to be more successfully implemented and further improved.

Shared via decoupling for area arrays components


A food transfer platform incorporating a stove unit elevates to different heights, by an extendible column, and can move along a floor.

Commercial food preparation is, in effect, a manufacturing operation in which a team of skilled workers operates together to produce meals from component ingredients. Such preparation involves several major activity areas centered on appliances such as a stove, an oven, a refrigerator, a sink, and one or more preparation tables where food ingredients may be chopped or peeled or mixed or set for cooling or staging.
Unlike conventional manufacturing operations, much of the work in kitchens is performed manually using equipment and methods that differ only in slight degrees from those used hundreds of years ago. The work preparing food can be difficult, especially in commercial quantities, which may involve moving of large and bulky food containers that may be hot, in an environment where spills and moisture are inevitable. Mixing and cutting large quantities of food can involve repetitive manual activities that may promote repetitive motion injuries.
The variety and range of tasks undertaken in a commercial kitchen nevertheless require great flexibility in the equipment. Space is normally at a premium and specialized equipment that may be appropriate in a manufacturing environment may be commercially impractical in a commercial kitchen operating in a highly competitive environment.

Height-adjustable food transfer platform


The present disclosure provides a secure booting method, apparatus, device for an embedded program and a storage medium. The method includes: when a boot program is running, acquiring data of an application program, including signature information, public key information, parameter information, encrypted data, and a digital check code; performing signature check according to the signature information; performing integrity check according to the digital check code if the signature check passes; and performing data decryption according to the public key information and the parameter information if the integrity check passes. The present disclosure may improve information security.

With continuous development of internet technologies (IT), more and more embedded programs are developed based on an embedded chip, so that a consideration of information security becomes more and more important. From the perspective of information security, various security devices on one hand provide guarantee for security services, and on the other hand protect their core secrets from being stolen.
Attackers generally may take advantage of information leaked during usage of embedded devices, and use techniques such as signal processing and statistical analysis to obtain private data; or may trigger running faults of the programs to obtain sensitive data by changing an operating environment of the devices.
Therefore, for the embedded devices, it is particularly important to improve information security during program running.

Secure booting method, apparatus, device for embedded program, and storage medium


A method is described that includes illuminating a patterning device pattern with a radiation beam having a symmetric illumination mode, the patterning device pattern comprising a first pattern feature that substantially diffracts radiation of the radiation beam, and a second pattern feature that does not substantially diffract radiation of the radiation beam, introducing an asymmetry, relative to an optical axis, in the substantially diffracted radiation using a phase modulation element, illuminating a radiation beam receiving element with radiation emanating from the phase modulation element to form a receiving element pattern that is related to the patterning device pattern, the receiving element pattern having first and second receiving element pattern features related to the first and second pattern features respectively, and determining information at least indicative of a focal property from positional information regarding the relative positions of the first and second receiving element pattern features.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a target portion of a substrate. Lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that circumstance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC, and this pattern can be imaged onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer) that has a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist). In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively exposed. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion in one go, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through the beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction.
In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, there is an increasing demand for ever-smaller features and increased density of features. Critical dimensions (CDs) of pattern features are therefore rapidly decreasing, and are becoming very close to the theoretical resolution limit of state-of-the-art lithographic apparatus such as the steppers and scanners as described above. Conventional techniques for enhancing resolution and minimizing patternable critical dimension include: reducing the wavelength of the exposure radiation; increasing the numerical aperture of the projection system of the lithographic apparatus; and including features smaller than the resolution limit of the lithographic apparatus so that they will not be patterned onto the substrate, but so that they will produce diffraction effects which can improve contrast and sharpen fine features of patterns applied to the substrate. However, application of such conventional resolution enhancement techniques may lead to a reduction of depth of focus within which, for example, imaging of desired patterns at or near the limit of the resolution capability can be achieved. A reduced depth of focus may lead to pattern defects (for example, the blurring of lines or edges of pattern features) beyond tolerance when, for example, a residual substrate unflatness cannot be compensated for during exposure of the substrate. Alternatively or additionally, it is often desirable to be able to determine and/or set to a high degree of accuracy the focal point of the lithographic apparatus in order to help ensure that patterns applied to the substrate are sufficiently sharp.
In order to obtain information at least indicative of (e.g. measure or monitor) a focal property of a lithographic apparatus, such as the focal point or depth of focus, various techniques have been suggested. Some techniques involve the use of two overlaid exposure patterns. Changes in the relative position of the overlaid patterns, in conjunction with appropriate configuration of the lithographic apparatus used for each overlaid exposure, can be used to determine a change in a focal property of the lithographic apparatus. However, since this method involves two overlaid exposures, the exposures themselves have to be aligned with a very high degree of accuracy in order to ensure that any changes in position of the pattern resulting from the exposures are attributable to a change in focal property of the apparatus, and not a change in a pattern alignment property. Furthermore, two exposures are required to undertake this method. It is desirable to minimize the number of exposures required in order to reduce the time that is needed to obtain the necessary information, and to reduce the possibility of any changes arising in the lithographic apparatus between exposures which may affect the shape, or orientation or position of patterns created in an exposure.
Another method which may be used to monitor a focal property of a lithographic apparatus involves using, for example, an uncommon illumination mode, for example, an off-optical-axis single pole illumination mode. It is desirable to use an illumination mode which is commonly used in a lithographic apparatus and method so that as few changes as possible need to be made to the lithographic apparatus in order to obtain information at least indicative of one or more focal properties of the lithographic apparatus.
It is desirable to provide, for example, one or more methods that obviate or mitigate one or more of the problems identified above, or one or more of the problems of the prior art in general, whether identified herein or elsewhere.


An image forming apparatus in which connection of an external device and a wireless network is controlled, the image forming apparatus including: a wireless network interface unit to connect the image forming apparatus to a first wireless network or a second wireless network; a user interface unit in which setting a connection configuration to connect the image forming apparatus to the second wireless network according to a request to connect to the second wireless network is performed while the image forming apparatus is connected to the first wireless network; a determining unit to determine whether connection of the second wireless network is terminated after connection of the first wireless network is terminated and the image forming apparatus is connected to the second wireless network according to the set connection configuration; and a controller, as a result of the determining, if connection of the second wireless network is terminated, to control so that the image forming apparatus is connected to a different wireless network from the second wireless network according to the set connection configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an image forming apparatus and a method of controlling a wireless network connection in the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses include office automation (OA) devices such as multifunctional devices that perform office functions of a printer, a copying machine, a scanner, and a fax in one device. Recently, devices that do not use a wired means, but use an ultra-high-speed wireless network, have been gradually widely used in daily life. Image forming apparatuses such as multifunctional devices can scan a document, generate scan data, and transmit the generated scan data to a wireless network. Also, these image forming apparatuses can transmit a document that is edited using a computer to a multifunctional device via the wireless network and print the document. In other words, the image forming apparatuses that support a document transmission via the wireless network have been widely used.

Image forming apparatus and method of controlling wireless network connection in the apparatus


It is an object of the present invention to provide a foam molding resin containing LDPE capable of enhancing foaming magnification. According to the present invention, there is provided a foam molding resin containing low-density polyethylene, wherein the low-density polyethylene has a melt tension of 100 to 250 mN and a shear viscosity of 350 to 450 Pa·s.

For example, in an air conditioner such as an automobile, a tubular air conditioning duct for ventilating air is used.
As an air conditioning duct, a foam molded article using a foam resin obtained by foaming a thermoplastic resin with a foaming agent is known. The foam molded article is expanding demand because it can realize high heat insulation and light weight at the same time.
As a method of manufacturing such a foam molded article, a blow molding method is widely known in which a molten foam resin is clamped with split molds and air is blown into the inside to expand the foam resin.
Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of increasing the melt tension (MT) to a predetermined value or more and increasing the MT×melt flow rate (MFR) to a predetermined value or more in order to increase the foaming magnification of a foam molded article in foam molding

Foam molding resin and method for manufacturing foam molded article