An image sensor having an array including a plurality of linearly arranged blocks each consisting of an n number of photodetecting elements, switching elements respectively connected in series to the photodetecting elements, control wires, provided respectively in connection with the blocks, for turning on the switching elements for each block, and signal transfer wires connected to a drive IC for signal detection, whereby charges generated by the photodetecting elements are transferred, every block, to wiring capacitances of the signal transfer wires for signal detection. In the image sensor, the control wires are laid out crossing the signal transfer wires with an interlayer insulating film layered therebetween, and at least one dummy control wire is laid out crossing the signal transfer wires through the interlayer insulating film. A pulse is applied to the dummy control wire before gate pulses are applied to the control wires.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image sensor used for a facsimile, scanner, and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a structure and a drive method for reducing a variation in the output signals among blocks each consisting of a plurality of photodetecting elements in an image sensor of the type in which signals of photodetecting elements are detected every block by a matrix drive system using switching elements connected to the photodetecting elements.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Conventionally, a facsimile, for example, employs a close-contact type image sensor for converting the image information on a document original that is projected in one-to-one correspondence manner, into electrical signals. There has been proposed an image sensor of a TFT drive type. In the image sensor, the projected image is divided into a great number of picture elements (pixels), which respectively correspond to photodetecting elements. The charges generated by the respective photodetecting elements are temporarily stored into wire capacitors in every block by using switching elements such as thin film transistors (TFTs). The stored charges are time-sequentially read out in the form of electrical signals at a speed in the range of several hundred kHz to several MHz, by a drive IC. In this type of image sensor, the image read operation can be performed by using a single drive IC, through a matrix operation using the switching elements. Therefore, the number of drive ICs for driving the image sensor may be reduced.
The TFT drive image sensor, as shown in FIG. 5 showing an equivalent circuit of the image sensor, includes a linear photodetecting-element array 101 consisting of a plurality of photodetecting elements P.sub.k,n linearly arrayed and having a length substantially equal to the width of a document, a charge transfer section 102 consisting of a plurality of thin film transistors T.sub.k,n provided in association with the photodetecting elements P.sub.k,n in one-to-one correspondence, and matrix-arrayed signal transfer wires 103 constructed with a thin film structure.
The photodetecting element array 101 is divided into photodetecting element groups as "k" number of blocks. The "n" number of photodetecting elements P.sub.k,n forming one group may be each equivalently expressed by a photo diode PD and a parasitic capacitance Cp. The photodetecting elements P.sub.k,n are respectively connected to the drain electrodes of the switching elements T.sub.k,n. The source electrodes of the switching elements T.sub.k,n are respectively connected, every group of photodetecting elements, to the "n" number of common signal lines 104 through the signal transfer wires 103. The common signal lines 104 are connected to a drive IC 105. The gate electrodes of the switching elements T.sub.k,n are connected to a TFT controller 106 through control wires Gk so that the elements are rendered conductive every block. The control wires Gk are formed on an interlayer insulating film (not shown) that is formed on the signal transfer wires 103.
The optical charges generated in the photodetecting elements P.sub.k,n are stored, for a predetermined period of time, in the parasitic capacitance of each photodetecting element P.sub.k,n and the overlap capacitance CGD between the drain and gate of each switching element T.sub.k,n. Then, the charges are redistributed, every block, to the wiring capacitance CL of the signal transfer wires 103 and the overlap capacitance CGS between the source and gate of each switching element T.sub.k,n, by using the switching elements T.sub.k,n as charge transfer switches.
A gate pulse .PHI.G1 is transferred from the TFT controller 106, through the control wire G1 to the switching elements T.sub.1,1 to T.sub.1,n in the first block, so as to turn them on. The charges generated in the photodetecting elements P.sub.k,n of the first block are transferred to and stored in the wiring capacitances CL. By the charges stored in the wiring capacitances CL, the potential in the common signal lines 104 is varied. The varied voltages are time-sequentially introduced onto an output line 107 by successively turning on analog switches SWn in the drive IC 105. Further, in response to gate pulses .PHI.G2 to .PHI.Gk, the switching elements T.sub.2,1 -T.sub.2,n to T.sub.k,1 -T.sub.k,n in the second to k-th blocks are turned on, so that the charges of the photodetecting elements are transferred for every block. Thus, by simultaneously controlling the "n" number of switching elements every block, the signals of the "n" number of photodetecting elements are introduced in parallel to the drive IC 105. Then, by successively reading, every block, the potentials of the common signal lines 104 that are caused by the transferred charges produce an image signal for one line in the main scan direction on an original document. The original is moved by means of a document feed means (not shown), such as rollers, and the sequence of the operations as stated above is repeated. Finally, image signals of the whole document are obtained (Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 63-9358). In addition, a switch RS is provided for removing the residual charge from the wiring capacitance CL, thereby to reset the capacitance CL.
In the operation of the image sensor for obtaining dark and halftone image signals, when the switching elements T.sub.k,n are turned on and off every block by the gate pulses .PHI.Gk from the TFT controller 106, the output signals of the photodetecting elements P.sub.k,n in several blocks after starting the gating operation tend to increase to be larger (in absolute value) than the output signals of the photodetecting elements in the subsequent blocks, as shown in FIG. 6. The tendency is marked when the operation is repeated under high temperature and high humidity conditions. This fact has been confirmed by a lot of experiments for reliability. In an experiment, the control wires G1 to G4 corresponding to the 1st to 4th blocks were disconnected, and the gating operation was started from the 5th block. An output signal increase tendency, which resembles that for the 1st to 4th blocks, was observed in the output signals of the photodetecting elements in the 5th block and the subsequent ones, as shown in FIG. 7.
The phenomenon of the signal output increase arises from the fact that in the initial several blocks after starting the gating operation, when gate pulses are applied to the control wires Gk, part of charges traveling through the signal transfer wires are stored in the interlayer insulating film (not shown) where the control wires Gk and the signal transfer wires 103 intersect, and apparently increased charges are transferred. Particularly, in the long-time operation under high temperature and high humidity conditions, the above phenomenon markedly appears because the dielectric constant of the interlayer insulating film is increased.
Thereafter, as the switching elements T.sub.k,n in the subsequent blocks become conductive in turn, the charge in the interlayer insulating film becomes saturated, while the amount of charge stored anew becomes reduced. The signal output read at the drive IC 105 approaches the amount of charge generated by the photodetecting elements P.sub.k,n.
In FIGS. 6 and 7, the characteristics were measured in the operation of reading dark output by the image sensor as stated above for about 100 hours and at a temperature of 85.degree. C. and a humidity of 85%. The curves show that the increase of the signal output is observed in the initial stage. The figures are exclusive of noise levels.
As seen from the foregoing description, in the TFT drive image sensor, the signal output apparently increases in the initial several blocks after the gating operation starts. The image signal read does not exactly represent the amount of charge generated by the photodetecting elements P.sub.k,n. Further, the increase of the signal output would reduce the prescribed lifetime of the sensor, leading to poor reliability of the sensor.

Image sensor and method of driving the same


A system and method for late-dropping packets in a network switch. A network switch may include multiple input ports, multiple output ports, and a shared random access memory coupled to the input ports and output ports by data transport logic. Packets entering the switch may be subject to input thresholding, and may be assigned to a flow within a group. A portion of a packet subject to input thresholding may be accepted into the switch and assigned to a group and flow even if, at the time of arrival of the portion, there are not enough resources available to receive the remainder of the packet. This partial receipt of the packet is allowed because of the possibility of additional resources becoming available between the time of receipt of and resource allocation for the portion of the packet and receipt of subsequent portions of the packet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of network switches. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for accepting a portion of a packet in a network switch when not enough resources are available to receive the remainder of the packet at the time of arrival of the portion of the packet.
2. Description of the Related Art
In enterprise computing environments, it is desirable and beneficial to have multiple servers able to directly access multiple storage devices to support high-bandwidth data transfers, system expansion, modularity, configuration flexibility, and optimization of resources. In conventional computing environments, such access is typically provided via file system level Local Area Network (LAN) connections, which operate at a fraction of the speed of direct storage connections. As such, access to storage systems is highly susceptible to bottlenecks.
Storage Area Networks (SANs) have been proposed as one method of solving this storage access bottleneck problem. By applying the networking paradigm to storage devices, SANs enable increased connectivity and bandwidth, sharing of resources, and configuration flexibility. The current SAN paradigm assumes that the entire network is constructed using Fibre Channel switches. Therefore, most solutions involving SANs require implementation of separate networks: one to support the normal LAN and another to support the SAN. The installation of new equipment and technology, such as new equipment at the storage device level (Fibre Channel interfaces), the host/server level (Fibre Channel adapter cards) and the transport level (Fibre Channel hubs, switches and routers), into a mission-critical enterprise computing environment could be described as less than desirable for data center managers, as it involves replication of network infrastructure, new technologies (i.e., Fibre Channel), and new training for personnel. Most companies have already invested significant amounts of money constructing and maintaining their network (e.g., based on Ethernet and/or ATM). Construction of a second high-speed network based on a different technology is a significant impediment to the proliferation of SANs. Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus that can alleviate problems with access to storage devices by multiple hosts, while retaining current equipment and network infrastructures, and minimizing the need for additional training for data center personnel.
In general, a majority of storage devices currently use "parallel" SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) or Fibre Channel data transfer protocols whereas most LANs use an Ethernet protocol, such as Gigabit Ethernet. SCSI, Fibre Channel and Ethernet are protocols for data transfer, each of which uses a different individual format for data transfer. For example, SCSI commands were designed to be implemented over a parallel bus architecture and therefore are not packetized. Fibre Channel, like Ethernet, uses a serial interface with data transferred in packets. However, the physical interface and packet formats between Fibre Channel and Ethernet are not compatible. Gigabit Ethernet was designed to be compatible with existing Ethernet infrastructures and is therefore based on an Ethernet packet architecture. Because of these differences there is a need for a new system and method to allow efficient communication between the three protocols.
One such system and method is described in the United States patent application titled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING DATA BETWEEN IP NETWORK DEVICES AND SCSI AND FIBRE CHANNEL DEVICES OVER AN IP NETWORK" by Latif, et al., filed on Feb. 8, 2000 (Ser. No. 09/500,119). This application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This application describes a network switch that implements a protocol referred to herein as Storage over Internet Protocol (SoIP).
Flow Control Methods
Fibre Channel and Ethernet protocols (e.g. Gigabit Ethernet) use different methods of flow control to ensure that data frames (e.g. packets) are not lost. Ethernet uses special control frames to implement flow control while Fibre Channel uses a credit-based method.
In full duplex Gigabit Ethernet using flow control, when an input port no longer wishes to receive data, a special control frame known as a pause frame is transmitted on the output port. The pause frame includes the amount of time (pause-time parameter) that the transmitter at the other end of the link should delay before continuing to transmit packets (i.e. the amount of time to "pause"). The link can be re-enabled by sending a pause frame with a time of 0.
Ethernet ports in a network switch may be coupled to partners that do not use flow control, and thus do not generate or respond to pause frames. Thus, network switches may provide Ethernet ports in a network switch that are configurable to not generate or respond to pause frames, and thus to support partners that are not using flow control. In the network switch, there may be limited resources to be shared among incoming packets in the switch. If the limited resources are exhausted, packets may be dropped. Prior art network switches typically only track memory (e.g. cell) usage for packets. These prior art switches typically use a static method of resource allocation that determine the amount of required resources at the time of arrival of a packet and, if there are not enough resources available, reject the entire packet up front. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method for accepting a portion of a packet in the network switch when not enough resources are available to receive the entire packet at the initial time of arrival of the packet, and to thus increase bandwidth utilization.

System and method for late-dropping packets in a network switch


A wireless networking system is provided. The wireless networking system includes a base station device including processing circuitry configured to detect a transmission rate from a portion of a preamble of an incoming packet transmission signal and adapt a radio configuration to receive a remainder of the incoming packet transmission signal at the transmission rate.

Low power long-range wireless networks like LoRa (Long Range) have become increasingly mainstream for Internet-of-Things deployments. Given the versatility of applications that these protocols enable, they have support for many data rates and bandwidths. Yet, for a given network deployment that can span miles, a network operator is required to specify a same configuration or a small subset of configurations for all devices in the network to communicate with each other. This one-size-fits-all approach is highly inefficient in large networks that can span miles and have hundreds of devices, because it will often result in a slower than optimum data transmission rate for many, if not most, of the wireless devices connected to base stations (gateways) on the lower power long-range network.

Adaptive radio configuration in wireless networks


A multifunctional universal serial bus (USB) wireless keyboard for operating a control function of a personal computer (PC) is presented. A main body of the keyboard includes a plurality of keys, a signal sending module, and a coding circuit. When the key is pressed, the coding circuit generates a corresponding character signal, and the signal sending module converts the character signal into a radio signal and sends the radio signal. A receiving module receives the radio signal, and transmits the radio signal to the PC. The receiving module further includes a clock control pin and a USB module electrically connected to the PC. An embedded controller is disposed in the PC and electrically connected to the receiving module through the clock control pin, and sends a corresponding function trigger signal to a south bridge chip set according to a pressing time of the received radio signal.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless keyboard, and more particularly to a multifunctional universal serial bus (USB) wireless keyboard.
2. Related Art
As computer industry develops, various peripheral devices also change rapidly. Especially, an input device (such as a keyboard, a mouse or a touch pad) begins to change from previous wired connection into radio transmission. Due to the radio transmission, a user may easily move and adjust a most comfortable typing environment.
Though a user can conveniently performs various processes such as typing and network surfing, as limited by a signal sending manner of the wireless keyboard, the user cannot directly, for example, power on/off a personal computer (PC) and restore a basic input-output system through a wireless keyboard. The user needs to additionally mount a wired keyboard to achieve the functions above. Therefore, the convenience of the wireless keyboard is lost.

Multifunctional universal serial bus wireless keyboard


An ingredient freezing system which provides accident information about ingredients stored in a refrigerator, the system including, a reading unit which obtains identification information of IC tags attached to the ingredients stored in a refrigerator, an identification information sending unit which sends the identification information obtained by the reading unit, an accident information providing unit which saves the accident information about the ingredients, relating to the identification information and outputs accident information related to the identification information when receiving the identification information from the identification information sending unit, an accident information obtaining unit which receives the accident information sent from the accident information providing unit, and a notification unit which notifies the accident information received by the accident information obtaining unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a goods management system which obtains information on goods by reading IC tags attached to goods such as ingredients, an ingredient freezing system, an ingredient managing method, and a program recording medium.
2. Description of Related Art
A refrigerator which reads information on names or numbers of ingredients to be stored therein by reading IC tags attached to the ingredients and obtains recipes corresponding to the ingredients via network is conventionally known (referring to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2004-80355). A refrigerator which manages the freshness date or the like by reading information on ingredients recorded in IC tags is also known (referring to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-263543).
In addition, a refrigerator which reads information about contents, expiration date, and freshness date of the ingredients, and notifies that the expiration date or the freshness date of the ingredient is imminent is known (referring to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2002-295960). Furthermore, a system which consumers can browse traceability information of the ingredient, which shows a history of the ingredient, by first and second process manufacturers' recording the traceability information in a database via the Internet, is known (referring to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2004-78743).
These above-referred documents teach technologies about a refrigerator which obtains information about ingredients by reading IC tags attached to the ingredients and obtains other information about the ingredients via network. The information which the refrigerator obtains is on name, number, freshness date, stock, where the ingredient is bought, or recipe and the like. This information is mainly related to a stock management or cooking.
Recently, consumers' attention on safety of ingredients is increasing and systems which disclose the traceability information are being developed. However it is impossible for consumers to obtain information about an accident such as food poisoning or plague immediately after it occurs. Even though such information is obtained, consumers sometimes do not remember whether there are any ingredients related to the accident. Therefore, consumers can not utilize the safety information on ingredients in such case.

Goods management system, ingredient freezing system, ingredient managing method and program recording medium


An integrated circuit structure is provided. The integrated circuit structure includes a dielectric layer, a conductive structure, a low-k dielectric layer and a plug. The conductive structure is disposed in the dielectric layer, having a recess portion. The low-k dielectric layer is disposed on the dielectric layer. The plug is disposed in the low-k dielectric layer and has a protruding bonding portion on the bottom of the plug. The bonding portion is extended into the dielectric layer and connected to the recess portion of the conductive structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an integrated circuit structure and a manufacturing method thereof, more particularly, to an interconnect-related integrated circuit structure and manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
In deep sub-micro integrated circuit technology, high-speed, multi-function, highly integrated, low power consumption and low cost ultra large scale integrated circuit chips are mass-produced as a result of the continuous reduction of device line width. Because of the miniaturization and the increase in the integration of devices, the density of interconnects also increases and leads to a jump in the resistance/capacitance (RC) of the devices. As a result, signal transmission or RC delay is increasingly important and the operating efficiency of the devices is lowered correspondingly.
To limit the effect caused by RC delay, low-k inter-layer dielectric layers are formed between the layers of multi-layer interconnects so as to reduce the parasitic capacitance between conductive wires, and the conductive wires are made of copper instead of aluminum so as to reduce electrical resistance. Therefore, the operating speed and performance of the device is enhanced.
However, the adhesion of a low-k dielectric layer and a silicon oxide dielectric layer is poor and the serious effect caused by dielectric peeling leads to the drop of particles and the bridging between metals from the subsequently copper interconnect process. Therefore, the probability of resulting in a short circuit between some of the copper wires is increased and the process yield can be adversely affected. In particular, when a larger stress is applied to a thermal stress test of a flip-chip package, dielectric peeling is easily induced so that the reliability of the device can be substantially reduced.

Integrated circuit structure and manufacturing method thereof


An in-line pressure sealer processes folded sheets with pressure sensitive adhesive into finished business forms. The in-line pressure sealer has pairs of infeed and outfeed rollers, each with a predetermined clearance therebetween. The clearances are adjustably set by means of screws coacting with a frame and with bearing blocks that rotatably mount the rollers. The infeed and outfeed clearances are adjustable independently of each other. The rollers of each pair are biased away from each other to maintain the clearances when no form is present between the rollers. The folded sheets are guided to the infeed rollers by a first cross-piece and to the outfeed rollers by a second cross-piece. A motor, acting through suitable pulleys and belts, drives the infeed and outfeed rollers.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to handling sheets of paper, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for sealing a folded sheet of paper to itself.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous types of business forms have been developed over the years. Many kinds of business forms are used as mailers. An example of a multi-page mailer type business form may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,739.
Business forms are usually constructed as sheets of paper having patterns of pressure sensitive adhesive applied to one surface. The sheets are folded in a desired manner by a folding machine such that certain portions of the sheet come into facing contact with the adhesive. The folded sheets are then pressed together, which causes them to adhere to each other along the patterns of adhesive.
Prior equipment for pressing folded sheets together include the reversing machines of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,133,828; 5,290,385; and 5,300,177. In those machines, a force biases one or more rollers into contact with mating rollers. A folded sheet is fed in a first direction into a roller nip until the sheet has almost completely passed through the nip. Then the rollers are reversed to drive the sheet through the nip again in the opposite direction. The biasing force is strong enough to activate the adhesive and thus create a finished business form.
A primary disadvantage of the machines of the foregoing patents is the noise produced by the contacting rollers when no folded sheets are in the nips. Another disadvantage is that the finished forms leave the machines at the same locations that they entered the machines. Consequently, second folded sheets cannot be fed to the nips until the previous forms have been discharged and removed from the nips.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,489 shows a pressure sealer system having four nips, two at one level and two at a higher level. The rollers of each nip are pressed together by spring biasing devices. Folded sheets are fed in a first direction between the two lower nips. Thereafter, the folded sheets pass to a higher elevation and reverse direction to pass through the two higher nips. Because of the four nip and reversing construction, the machine of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,489 patent is quite complicated as well as undesirably noisy. In addition, the reversing direction of the folded sheets complicates both the feeding of the folded sheets into the machine and the removal of the completed business forms from the machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,527 describes a seal module in which one roller of a nip is spring biased to be non-parallel to another roller when no form is present. When a form is a-fed to the nip, the form forces the rollers against the force of the spring into a parallel relationship. The forms travel in one direction in the downstream direction through the seal module. There is no adjustment for the linear distance between the rollers, thus limiting the versatility of the seal module. In addition, initial setup of the seal module can be rather tricky.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,427 discloses a pressure seal system in which two rollers of a nip are pressed into contact with each other by a biasing force. Forms passing through the nip are acted on by the biasing force but spread the rollers apart as they pass through the nip. The forms pass in one direction through the pressure sealer. The amount of noise as well as the wear on the rollers are important disadvantages of the seal system of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,427 patent.
Thus, a need exists for improvements in machines that seal folded business forms.


An acousto-optic device may include an acousto-optic component carried by a chassis, and a fastener assembly for removably securing a cover to the chassis. The fastener assembly may include a base sleeve having an enlarged head, and a tubular body and extending through a cover passageway. The fastener assembly may include a retainer sleeve having a threaded interior secured to the threaded exterior of the base sleeve to define an anchor member, the anchor member having a threaded interior. The fastener assembly may further include a fastener, a shaft having a threaded exterior opposite the enlarged head and to be threaded through the threaded interior of the anchor member to capture the fastener to the cover and movable through the chassis passageway for removably securing the cover to the chassis.

Electronic components are often installed on mobile platforms, such as land vehicles, ships, and aircraft. The electronic components may include communications equipment, for example. In addition to significant forces generated by the movement of these platforms, these electronic components may also be exposed to heavy vibrations. To maintain a clean environment, as well as to provide sufficient structural support, these electronic components and devices are mounted onto racks. Captive fasteners are typically used to couple the electronic components to racks.
To further protect the electronic components, a panel cover is attached over the electronic components. The captive fasteners are typically sequentially installed through openings in the panel cover, aligned openings in the electronic components themselves, and aligned openings in the rack, which couples them together.
Some captive fasteners may be installed by pressing the fastener into a pre-drilled or punched opening in the panel cover. In this case, a squeezing force is applied to embed the fastener in the panel cover. The squeezing process causes displaced panel material to flow into the shank of the fastener (through a cold flow process) locking the fastener to the panel.

Acousto-optic device with captive fastener and related assemblies and methods


An optical fiber temperature sensor employs a holey fiber. The holey fiber has an optical fiber concentrated part that a predetermined length of the holey fiber is concentrated in a spot region that is included in a space to be measured in temperature distribution. The optical fiber concentrated part has a bend formed by looping or winding the holey fiber.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to temperature measurement using an optical fiber and, particularly, to an optical fiber temperature sensor and a temperature measuring method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical fiber temperature sensor is known in which a temperature distribution along the longitudinal direction of an optical fiber is measured based on a change in transmitted light when light is inputted to an optical fiber. By placing such an optical fiber in a space such as a surface or inside of a temperature measuring object, a temperature distribution of the space can be measured. An optical fiber thermometer is also known which converts a change in transmitted light into a temperature distribution along the longitudinal direction. When the optical fiber (or optical fiber temperature sensor) is connected to the optical fiber thermometer, the temperature distribution can be measured in known method. Herein, the explanation of a principle for the temperature measurement is omitted.
However, there is a restriction as to distance resolution in the measurement results by the optical fiber thermometer. The measurement result of a point on an optical fiber is obtained as an average value of temperatures in a range of a predetermined length lying before and after the point. Namely, the length range corresponds to the distance resolution. It is impossible to measure in accurate resolution the difference of temperatures on multiple points in a region narrower than the distance resolution. Thus, the accuracy of optical fiber thermometer depends on a data sampling interval (i.e., interval in distance) in addition to the distance resolution.
FIG. 1 is a plain view showing a conventional optical fiber temperature sensor.
An optical fiber 121 is linearly placed in a space of 5 m in length. When the data sampling interval of the optical fiber thermometer is 1 m, a temperature at five points can be measured at intervals of 1 m.
JP-A-9-210809 discloses an example of an optical fiber temperature sensor.
JP-A-2002-249335 discloses an example of a holey fiber.
In order to measure a temperature (called spot temperature) in a spot region narrower than a distance resolution in a space where an optical fiber is placed by using the optical fiber with the distance resolution and an optical fiber thermometer, a method may be employed in which a predetermined length portion of an optical fiber which corresponds to the data sampling interval is concentrated in the spot region. In this case, since the predetermined length portion of the optical fiber falls within the spot region, the spot temperature can be accurately measured.
Thus, if an optical fiber concentrated part is formed to allow the predetermined length portion of the optical fiber to be concentrated in the narrow spot region, the optical fiber must have a bend. The narrower the spot region becomes, the greater the bend is (i.e., the bend radius becomes smaller). For example, when it is desired that a temperature distribution in the space as shown in FIG. 1 is measured at points as many as possible, the bend radius becomes smaller since the spot region becomes narrower as the number of the points increases.
However, in general, an optical fiber is subjected to optical transmission loss caused by the bend. As the bend radius decreases, the optical transmission loss generated at the bend portion increases. Further, when there are multiple bend portions on the entire length of an optical fiber, optical transmission losses at the respective bend portions are superposed to increase the entire length of the optical fiber. Thus, if the number of bend portions increases, the optical transmission loss increases in total.
As such, if the optical transmission loss is increased by reducing the bend radius or increasing the number of the bend portion, the temperature measurement of the optical fiber thermometer is disturbed.
For example, when a loop portion with a bend radius less than 100 mm is made, a large optical transmission loss is generated and therefore it is impossible to increase the number of the loop portion. Further, since the large optical transmission loss is generated at the loop portion, the entire length of the optical fiber needs to be reduced to suppress the total optical transmission loss. Further, due to the large optical transmission loss generated at the loop portion, temperature measurement will be disturbed and the accuracy of measurement will lower.
As such, even though it is desired to wholly and accurately measure the temperature distribution of a space, a small number of measurement points must be located in the space.

Optical fiber temperature sensor and temperature measuring method


The automatic adjustment of audio alert characteristics of an alert device using ambient noise levels is described. In one aspect of the invention, a machine-readable medium has executable instructions to cause a machine to perform a method to receive an audio sample of ambient noise and adjust a characteristic of the audio alert, such as, the volume level of the audio alert, based on the ambient noise level.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of notification computing. More specifically, the invention relates to the automatic adjustment of an audio alert characteristic of an alert device using ambient noise levels.
2. Background of the Invention
Portable consumer electronic devices allow users to receive information while in remote locations. Many of these devices have the capability to emit an audible alert notifying the user of a happening of an event. For example, a mobile telephone may broadcast a portion of the National Anthem upon receiving an incoming call.
However, the audible alert on most consumer electronic devices may, at times, become an annoyance to others when the volume level of the device is set too loud for particular environments. For example, the incoming call ringer of a mobile phone may annoy third parties and cause embarrassment to the user of the phone in a library, if the volume of the ringer is set to high. The various sounds emulated from many of these portable consumer electronic devices, have infuriated many to a point where patrons are required to turn off or remove these devices before entering particular environments, thereby increasing the likelihood of the user of the device to miss an important message.
In addition, the user of the portable consumer electronic device is frustrated when the volume level of the device is set too low. For example, the user of the mobile phone may forget to increase the volume level of the device after leaving the library thereby increasing the likelihood of missing an important phone call. In this situation, the user is unable to hear the ringing phone because the ambient noise level is louder than the volume level of the ringer of the device.

Automatic adjustments of audio alert characteristics of an alert device using ambient noise levels


A feedback architecture for ionizers that allows simultaneous adjustment of positive and negative ionizer power supplies. Balance and swing data are fed back to the ionizer through an intermediate module, which permits an extra level of signal processing. Swing information is returned to both power supplies in negative feedback mode. If swing is too high, both power supplies lower output. Balance is fed back in both negative and positive feedback mode. This architecture is compatible with multiple sensors and multiple ionizers.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ionizers, which are designed to remove or minimize static charge accumulation. Ionizers remove static charge by generating air ions and delivering those air ions to a charged target.
One type of ionizer uses corona electrodes to produce air ions. During operation, debris can build up on the corona electrodes and change the ionizer performance. Performance parameters include balance, swing, and discharge time.
Sensor feedback to the ionizer is desirable for two reasons. The first reason is maintaining the ionizer's balance, swing, and discharge time within predetermined limits. The second reason is notifying the user when balance and discharge time breach the predetermined limits.
In a conventional closed loop feedback system, one sensor is connected to one ionizer. The one-to-one correspondence is a simple case, and feedback signals can be generated within the sensor itself.
The current invention uses novel feedback architecture and signal processing to allow individual or multiple sensors to control individual or multiple ionizers. An intermediate module receives raw signals from one or more sensors, and creates the best feedback instruction. In turn, the best feedback signal is forwarded to one or more ionizers.
The position of each sensor is considered when the intermediate module creates the best feedback signal.
2. Description Of Related Art
Ionizers remove static charge by ionizing air molecules, and delivering those generated air ions to a charged target. The air ions are most commonly created by high voltage applied to corona electrodes. Positive air ions neutralize negative static charges, and negative air ions neutralize positive static charges.
From a performance view, ionizers are defined by balance, discharge time, and swing.
Balance is a measure of closeness to zero volts. After the initial charge is removed from a target, that target would ideally equilibrate at zero volts from ground. In practice, the target equilibrates near zero volts from ground, but seldom exactly at zero volts.
Balance is normally specified as a range around zero. For example, ionizer balance may be specified as −5 volts to +5 volts. If voltages between −5 and +5 volts do not affect products handled within the workstation, the products can be handled safely. But if voltages between −2 and +2 volts affect products handled within the workstation, an ionizer with a tighter balance specification is appropriate.
Discharge time is a measure of how fast a given level of charge can be removed from a charged target. Low discharge times are better than high discharge times. For example, an ionizer with a discharge time of 3 seconds could be applied to a moving charged target that only remains under the ionizer for 3 seconds.
Swing is the peak-to-peak voltage that an AC or pulsed DC ionizer produces at the target. Static sensitive products can be damaged by high swing, even though the average balance is near zero.
Historically, ionizer feedback has consisted of one sensor connected directly to one ionizer. Although this is useful, positional errors are inherent. The single sensor does not represent the ionizer's performance everywhere within the work zone. Balance may be positive in one location, and negative in a second location. Discharge time and swing also vary with location.
A single sensor also reflects grounded objects in the vicinity. For example, a grounded metal object close to a sensor could skew the sensor's measurements. If the metal object preferentially absorbs positive air ions, the sensor will report a negative balance. In addition, the negative discharge time will increase.
Swing is reduced when the metal object reduces the density of both positive and negative air ions.
Prior art sensors that are connected directly to an ionizer also miss the opportunity to filter out irregular perturbations. The reason is that the prior art sensors are based on average analog responses, and the perturbation is lost in the averaging. Consider a grounded robot arm that travels between the ionizer and the sensor. When the robot arm is directly under the ionizer, the number of air ions that reach the sensor is reduced. Simultaneously, the balance of air ions may shift.
With an intermediate digital module, the opportunity would exist to correct for positional biases, correct for positional variances, and correct for temporal disturbances. Although no prior art systems have pursued this architecture, there is a need.

Multiple sensor feedback for controlling multiple ionizers


The present disclosure is directed to a robotic surgical system and a corresponding method. The system includes at least one robot arm and a radiation source coupled to the robot arm. The system also includes a surgical table having a digital imaging receiver configured to output an electrical signal based on radiation received from the radiation source. A controller having a processor and a memory is configured to receive the electrical signal and generate an initial image of a patient on the surgical table based on the electrical signal. The controller transforms the initial image to a transformed image based on an orientation of the radiation source.

Robotic surgical systems such as teleoperative systems are used to perform minimally invasive surgical procedures that offer many benefits over traditional open surgery techniques, including less pain, shorter hospital stays, quicker return to normal activities, minimal scarring, reduced recovery time, and less injury to tissue.
Robotic surgical systems can have a number of robotic arms that move attached instruments or tools, such as an image capturing device, a grasper, a stapler, an electrosurgical instrument, etc., in response to movement of input devices by a surgeon viewing images captured by the image capturing device of a surgical site. During a surgical procedure, each of the tools may be inserted through an opening, e.g., a laparoscopic port, into the patient and positioned to manipulate tissue at a surgical site. The openings are placed about the patient's body so that the surgical instruments may be used to cooperatively perform the surgical procedure and the image capturing device may view the surgical site.
During the surgical procedure, radiographic imaging may be required to see the status of a patient's internal anatomical structure as well as the location of any surgical tools located therein. The radiographic imaging is performed by a c-arm style fluoroscope that is brought into the operating room or is a dedicated fluoroscope installed within the operating room. The robotic surgical system may have to be disconnected from the patient and moved out of the way in order to position the fluoroscope around the patient to obtain the radiographic images. The disconnecting, movement, and reconnecting of the robotic surgical system will delay the surgical procedure. As a result of this delay, radiographic images may not be fully utilized as a safety monitoring step or to monitor progress of the surgical procedure.
Accordingly, there is a need for obtaining radiographic images without moving the surgical robotic surgical system.

Robotic surgical system with an embedded imager


An apparatus for preparing a nucleic acid component of a sample for amplification includes a porous support having an agent that deactivates a nucleic acid amplification inhibitor component of the sample. The apparatus further includes a housing with an opening and defining an interior. The interior of the housing is in fluid communication with the porous support, and at least a portion of a fluid directed through the opening is directed through at least a portion of the porous support. The apparatus also includes a magnetic substrate for separating nucleic acid from a sample.

Nucleic acids generally are analyzed by polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) procedures. The presence of PCR inhibitors, such as often encountered in samples collected for medical diagnosis, during forensic investigations or in defense-related applications, hinders PCR-amplification.
It is difficult, for example, to extract amplifiable DNA from soil or slurry raw samples, in particular, from samples that include clays or other soils that have high organic content.
Conventional techniques for extracting amplifiable nucleic acids from samples generally are complicated, labor-intensive, and require laboratory facilities and equipment. Many existing protocols also require toxic reagents, such as phenol and chloroform.
One material developed for DNA isolation, in particular in conjunction with handling blood samples, is a chemically treated cotton matrix available from Schleicher and Schuell, Inc., of Keene, N.H., under the tradename of IsoCode®. IsoCode® based protocols adapted to handle raw samples, such as described above, still require laboratory equipment, external reagents and entail numerous steps (including two oven drying cycles). Moreover, as with other approaches, the samples are susceptible to sample contamination.
Therefore, a need exists for a method for preparing a nucleic acid component of a sample for amplification that is faster, less complicated and less labor-intensive than existing protocols. A need also, exists for an apparatus for conducting such a method. In particular, there exists a need for a portable, self-contained device, suitable for field use, that can be employed for preparing a nucleic acid component of a sample for amplification and can be used for analyzing, storing or archiving the resulting nucleic acid component.

Apparatus for isolating a nucleic acid from a sample


High frequency components of input digital speech samples are emphasized by a preemphasis filter (11). From the preemphasized samples a spectral parameter (a.sub.i) is derived at frame intervals. The input digital samples are weighted by a weighting filter (13) according to a characteristic that is inverse to the characteristic of the preemphasis filter (11) and is a function of the spectral parameter (a.sub.i). A codebook (18, 19) is searched for an optimum fricative value in response to a pitch parameter that is derived by an adaptive codebook (16) from a previous fricative value (v(n)) and a difference between the weighted speech samples and synthesized speech samples which are, in turn, derived from past pitch parameters and optimum fricative values, whereby the difference is reduced to a minimum. Index signals representing the spectral parameter, pitch parameter and optimum fricative value are multiplexed into a single data stream.

The present invention relates generally to speech coding techniques, and more specifically to a speech conversion system using a low-rate linear prediction speech coding/decoding technique.
As described in a paper by M. Schroeder and B. Atal, "Code-excited linear prediction: High quality speech at very low bit rates", M. Schroeder and B. Atal (ICASSP Vol. 3, pages 937-940, March 1985), speech samples digitized at 8-kHz sampling rate are converted to digital samples of 4.8 to 8 kbps rates by extracting spectral parameters representing the spectral envelope of the speech samples from frames at 20-ms intervals and deriving pitch parameters representing the long-term correlations of pitch intervals from subframes at 50-ms intervals. Fricative components of speech are stored in a codebook. Using the pitch parameter a search is made through the codebook for an optimum value that minimizes the difference between the input speech samples and speech samples which are synthesized from a sum of the optimum codebook values and the pitch parameters. Signals indicating the spectral parameter, pitch parameter, and codebook value are transmitted or stored as index signals at bit rates in the range between 4.8 and 8 kbps.
However, one disadvantage of linear prediction coding is that it requires a large amount of computations for analyzing voiced sounds, an amount that exceeds the capability of the state-of-the-art hardware implementation such as 16-bit fixed point DSP (digital signal processing) LSI packages. With the current technology, LPC analysis is not satisfactory for high-pitched voiced sounds.

Linear prediction speech coding with high-frequency preemphasis


An improved motion-actuated switch comprising a housing, a normally open snap action switch mounted within the housing actuable by a lever arm having a triangular member formed of sheet material extending substantially vertically upward from the arm, and a ball member suspended pendulously within the housing and normally engaging the tip of the triangular member to maintain the lever arm in its open circuit position and having space within the housing to permit movement of the ball member out of contact with the triangular member to allow closing of the switch.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to electrical switches and is particularly directed to motion-actuated switches for controlling electrical circuits.
2. Prior Art
Motion-activated switches are widely used to control electrical circuits in response to motion resulting from acceleration, vibration, seismic activity or numerous other causes. Such switches may trigger alarms, or may control the activation or deactivation of various types of equipment. Thus, for example, in the event of an earthquake, motion-activated switches can automatically sound an alarm, actuate solenoid valves to shut off gas lines, etc. Numerous types of motion-activated switches have been proposed heretofore. However, many of the prior art motion-activated switches have been limited in response to a particular type of motion, such as tilting but not longitudinal motion or vice versa. Other prior art motion-activated switches have been responsive only to relatively cross motion and cannot be triggered by subtle movements. Still other prior art motion-activated switches have been complex and expensive, have required considerable maintenance or have been bulky in size and weight. A search in the United States Patent Office has revealed the following references:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 5,136,126 C. D. Blair Aug. 4, 1992 5,027,105 T. A. Dailet et al Jun. 25, 1991 4,789,922 T. Cheshire Dec. 6, 1988 4,628,160 R. D. Canevari Dec. 9, 1986 ______________________________________
Each of these references is subject to the disadvantages discussed above. Thus, none of the prior art motion-activated switches has been entirely satisfactory.


A phase change ink including a colorant and a carrier including a tri-ester of the formula

Disclosed herein are low viscosity tri-esters, ink carriers, phase change ink compositions including the tri-esters, and methods for making same. More specifically, disclosed herein are ink carriers and phase change inks including low viscosity functionalized waxes, which can be used in direct and indirect printing processes. In embodiments, the ink carriers comprise a low viscosity tri-ester derived from a renewable resource.
Another embodiment is directed to a method which comprises (a) incorporating into an ink jet printing apparatus the above-described phase change ink composition; (b) melting the ink; (c) causing droplets of the melted ink to be ejected in an imagewise pattern onto the surface of the recording substrate, either directly or via an intermediate heated transfer belt or drum, where the droplets quickly solidify to form a predetermined pattern of solidified ink drops.
In general, phase change inks (sometimes referred to as "hot melt inks") are in the solid phase at ambient temperature, but exist in the liquid phase at the elevated operating temperature of an ink jet printing device. At the jet operating temperature, droplets of liquid ink are ejected from the printing device and, when the ink droplets contact the surface of the recording substrate, either directly or via an intermediate heated transfer belt or drum, they quickly solidify to form a predetermined pattern of solidified ink drops. Phase change inks have also been used in other printing technologies, such as gravure printing.
Phase change inks for color printing typically comprise a phase change ink carrier composition which is combined with a phase change ink compatible colorant. In a specific embodiment, a series of colored phase change inks can be formed by combining ink carrier compositions with compatible subtractive primary colorants. The subtractive primary colored phase change inks can comprise four component dyes, namely, cyan, magenta, yellow and black, although the inks are not limited to these four colors. These subtractive primary colored inks can be formed by using a single dye or a mixture of dyes. For example, magenta can be obtained by using a mixture of Solvent Red Dyes or a composite black can be obtained by mixing several dyes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,560, U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,761, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,852, the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference, teach that the subtractive primary colorants employed can comprise dyes from the classes of Color Index (C.I.) Solvent Dyes, Disperse Dyes, modified Acid and Direct Dyes, and Basic Dyes.
The colorants can also include pigments, as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,335, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference.
Phase change inks have also been used for applications such as postal marking, industrial marking, and labeling.
Phase change inks are desirable for ink jet printers because they remain in a solid phase at room temperature during shipping, long term storage, and the like. In addition, the problems associated with nozzle clogging as a result of ink evaporation with liquid ink jet inks are largely eliminated, thereby improving the reliability of the ink jet printing. Further, in phase change ink jet printers wherein the ink droplets are applied directly onto the final recording substrate (for example, paper, transparency material, and the like), the droplets solidify immediately upon contact with the substrate, so that migration of ink along the printing medium is prevented and dot quality is improved.
Compositions suitable for use as phase change ink carrier compositions are known. Some representative examples of references disclosing such materials include U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,932, U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,369, U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,948, U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,956, U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,045, U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,560, U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,170, U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,120, U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,852, U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,879, European Patent Publication 0187352, European Patent Publication 0206286, German Patent Publication DE 4205636AL, German Patent Publication DE 4205713AL, and PCT Patent Application WO 94/04619, the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference. Suitable carrier materials can include paraffins, microcrystalline waxes, polyethylene waxes, ester waxes, fatty acids and other waxy materials, fatty amide containing materials, sulfonamide materials, resinous materials made from different natural sources (tall oil rosins and rosin esters, for example), and many synthetic resins, oligomers, polymers, and copolymers.
Ink jetting devices are known in the art, and thus extensive description of such devices is not required herein. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,380, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, ink jet printing systems generally are of two types: continuous stream and drop-on-demand. In continuous stream ink jet systems, ink is emitted in a continuous stream under pressure through at least one orifice or nozzle. The stream is perturbed, causing it to break up into droplets at a fixed distance from the orifice. At the break-up point, the droplets are charged in accordance with digital data signals and passed through an electrostatic field that adjusts the trajectory of each droplet in order to direct it to a gutter for recirculation or a specific location on a recording medium. In drop-on-demand systems, a droplet is expelled from an orifice directly to a position on a recording medium in accordance with digital data signals. A droplet is not formed or expelled unless it is to be placed on the recording medium.
There are at least three types of drop-on-demand ink jet systems. One type of drop-on-demand system is a piezoelectric device that has as its major components an ink filled channel or passageway having a nozzle on one end and a piezoelectric transducer near the other end to produce pressure pulses. Another type of drop-on-demand system is known as acoustic ink printing. As is known, an acoustic beam exerts a radiation pressure against objects upon which it impinges. Thus, when an acoustic beam impinges on a free surface (i.e., liquid/air interface) of a pool of liquid from beneath, the radiation pressure which it exerts against the surface of the pool may reach a sufficiently high level to release individual droplets of liquid from the pool, despite the restraining force of surface tension. Focusing the beam on or near the surface of the pool intensifies the radiation pressure it exerts for a given amount of input power. Still another type of drop-on-demand system is known as thermal ink jet, or bubble jet, and produces high velocity droplets. The major components of this type of drop-on-demand system are an ink filled channel having a nozzle on one end and a heat generating resistor near the nozzle. Printing signals representing digital information originate an electric current pulse in a resistive layer within each ink passageway near the orifice or nozzle, causing the ink vehicle (usually water) in the immediate vicinity to vaporize almost instantaneously and create a bubble. The ink at the orifice is forced out as a propelled droplet as the bubble expands.
In a typical design of a piezoelectric ink jet device utilizing phase change inks printing directly on a substrate or on an intermediate transfer member, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,852, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, the image is applied by jetting appropriately colored inks during four to eighteen rotations (incremental movements) of a substrate (an image receiving member or intermediate transfer member) with respect to the ink jetting head, i.e., there is a small translation of the printhead with respect to the substrate in between each rotation. This approach simplifies the printhead design, and the small movements ensure good droplet registration. At the jet operating temperature, droplets of liquid ink are ejected from the printing device and, when the ink droplets contact the surface of the recording substrate, either directly or via an intermediate heated transfer belt or drum, they quickly solidify to form a predetermined pattern of solidified ink drops.
Thermal ink jet processes are well known and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,601,777, 4,251,824, 4,410,899, 4,412,224 and 4,532,530, the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entireties.
Ink jet printing processes may employ inks that are solid at room temperature and liquid at elevated temperatures. Such inks may be referred to as hot melt inks or phase change inks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,731, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses an apparatus for dispensing solid ink for printing on a substrate such as paper. In thermal ink jet printing processes employing hot melt inks, the solid ink is melted by the heater in the printing apparatus and utilized (i.e., jetted) as a liquid in a manner similar to that of conventional thermal ink jet printing. Upon contact with the printing substrate, the molten ink solidifies rapidly, enabling the colorant to substantially remain on the surface of the substrate instead of being carried into the substrate (for example, paper) by capillary action, thereby enabling higher print density than is generally obtained with liquid inks. Advantages of a phase change ink in ink jet printing are thus elimination of potential spillage of the ink during handling, a wide range of print density and quality, minimal paper cockle or distortion, and enablement of indefinite periods of nonprinting without the danger of nozzle clogging, even without capping the nozzles.
Examples of the phase change inks herein are inks that include an ink vehicle that is solid at temperatures of about 23° C. to about 27° C., for example room temperature, and specifically are solid at temperatures below about 60° C. However, the inks change phase upon heating, and are in a molten state at jetting temperatures. Thus, the inks have a viscosity of from about 1 to about 20 centipoise (cp), for example from about 5 to about 15 cp or from about 8 to about 12 cp, at an elevated temperature suitable for ink jet printing, for example temperatures of from about 60° C. to about 150° C.
In embodiments, the inks herein may be low energy inks. Low energy inks are solid at a temperature below about 40° C. and have a viscosity of from about 1 to about 20 centipoise such as from about 5 to about 15 centipoise, for example from about 8 to about 12 cp, at a jetting temperature of from about 60° C. to about 100° C. such as about 80° C. to about 100° C., for example from about 90° C. to about 120° C.
U.S. Patent Publication 20070120927 of Trevor J. Snyder, et al., U.S. Ser. No. 11/290,265, published May 31, 2007, entitled "Phase Change Inks," which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes a phase change ink composition comprising an ink carrier and a colorant, said ink being suitable for use in an indirect printing process wherein the ink is jetted from a printhead onto a heated intermediate transfer member and subsequently transferred from the intermediate transfer member to a final recording substrate, wherein: (a) the ink can be jetted from the printhead onto the intermediate transfer member when the ink is maintained at a temperature of about 125° C. or lower; (b) the ink can be jetted without purging from a printer maintained at a standby temperature of about 100° C. or lower; and (c) the ink has a cohesive failure temperature of at least about 56° C.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,254 of Bo Wu, et al., entitled "Phase Change Inks," which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes a phase change ink comprising (a) a colorant and (b) a phase change ink carrier, said carrier comprising (i) a branched triamides and (ii) a polyethylene wax having an average peak molecular weight of from about 350 to about 730 and a polydispersity of from about 1.0001 to about 1.500.
A need remains for improved phase change inks, and more specifically, phase change inks suitable for production, transactions printing, and packaging which have improved print quality characteristics and are therefore more robust inks. A need remains for a phase change ink having improved abrasion resistance and improved adhesion to paper. There is also a need to decrease the cost of solid ink while enhancing performance.
U.S. Patent Publication Number 20080098927 of C. Geoffrey Allen et al., U.S. Ser. No. 11/553,294, Published May 1, 2008, entitled "Pigmented Phase Change Inks," which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes in embodiments inks that include an ink vehicle, pigment particles, and a dispersant that stabilizes the pigment particles, for example by comprising first functional groups that anchor the dispersant to the pigment particles and second functional groups that are compatible with the ink vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,453 to Jeffrey H. Banning et al. entitled "Colorless Compounds, Solid Inks, and Printing Methods," which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes synthesis of urethanes from glycerol propoxylate and discloses colorless compounds having a central core and at least two arms extending from the core. The core can comprises one or more atoms. The at least two arms have the formula as described therein. In other aspects, U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,453 encompasses phase change inks incorporating the described colorless compound as a toughening agent, and methods of printing with such phase change inks. U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,453 further discloses a solid ink comprising a colorant and a colorless compound of the formula as described therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,998 to Bernard Charles Sekula et al. entitled "Freezable Low-Calorie spoonable Dressing and Method for Their Production," which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes esters made from C10-C24 fatty acids and their use in making spoonable dressings. U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,998 discloses, in embodiments, a reduced calorie spoonable dressing that exhibits freeze-thaw stability. The dressing is made by replacing some or all of the blending salad oil with a fatty acid-esterified propoxylated glycerin composition having from about 3 to about 16 oxypropylene units per unit of glycerin.
European Patent Number EP 0 759 422 B1 entitled "Direct Esterification of Propoxylated Glycerin," Inventor "Michael R. Coatesville, Proprietor, ARCO Chemical Technology, L. P., which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes a method for making C10 to C23 esters for the food industry. EP 0 759 422 discloses in embodiments therein a process for producing a fatty acid-esterified propoxylated glycerin comprising: (a) introducing a propoxylated glycerin and a molar excess of fatty acid into a reaction zone to form a reaction mixture; (b) beginning at an initial temperature of from 20° C. to 80° C. and an initial pressure of from 89.6 to 1103 Kpa (13 to 16 psia), simultaneously reducing the pressure in an incremental manner to a final pressure of 27.6 KPA (4 psia) or less and increasing the temperature of the reaction mixture in an incremental manner to a final temperature not in excess of 275 C while agitating the reaction mixture and removing the water generated by esterification of the propoxylated glycerin with the fatty acid from the reaction zone as an overhead stream, wherein the pressure and temperature are adjusted so as to avoid distillative removal of components of the reaction mixture other than water from the reaction zone, for a time effective to accomplish at least 90% esterification of the propoxylated glycerin.
The appropriate components and process aspects of each of the foregoing may be selected for the present disclosure in embodiments thereof.

Ink carriers containing low viscosity functionalized waxes, phase change inks including same, and methods for making same

Abstract: wherein R1, R2 and R3, and n are as defined herein.


A laser 3D printer includes a printer stand, a resin tank, a loading plate, a lifting module, and a rapid prototyping module. A front cover and a back cover are connected to the front end and back end of the printer stand, respectively. A work surface of the printer stand includes a resin tank installation opening. The resin tank is installed in the resin tank installation opening. The lifting module is provided at the top edge of the printer stand. The front of the lifting module is connected to the loading plate. The loading plate is located on top of the center of the resin tank.

3D printing is a technology based on mathematical model files, using adhesive materials, such as special wax, powdered metal or plastic materials, applying a layer-by-layer printing method to construct an object. It is different from a traditional material construction method, and is a new three dimensional layer-by-layer printing method via gradually adding materials. With the rapid development of 3D printing technology, laser technology, due to its speed and accuracy, has been widely applied to 3D printing as the source of energy. Specifically, photosensitive resin stereolithography apparatus (SLA) has dominated the market. SLA uses the principle of three dimensional sculpture, a resin tank is filled with liquid photosensitive resin, and the photosensitive resin is cured after a fast UV laser irradiation to directly obtain a cured resin or similar plastic product.
The design and optimization of the optical system of a laser 3D printer directly affects the printing precision, speed, and stability. In existing optical systems, the laser often reaches the resin tank after multiple reflections. When the laser is reflected, a part of the laser is lost, resulting in reduced laser intensity. Further, multiple reflections raised the requirements for precisely placing the printer parts inside a 3D printer. For example, CN104228068A discloses a rapid SLA 3D printer and a printing method using thereof.
In order to achieve the best focus, a reflection mirror is placed directly underneath the resin tank. 3D printing can be carried out by reflecting the laser via the reflection mirror. In addition, to achieve the best optical path, operators will manually adjust the location of printer parts. It not only is time consuming, but also affects printing quality, not meeting printing precision, speed, and, and product stability requirements. Especially for high-end applications, such as modeling jewelry, dental tooth mold, prototype models, the printing needs cannot be met.


A system and method for achieving crest factor (CF) reduction for multi-carrier modulation in a wireless communication network (100), such as an ad-hoc peer-to-peer multi-hopping mobile wireless communication network (100). The system and method use the properties of the Inverse Fourier Transform (TFT) for achieving crest-factor reduction. Specifically, the system and method map original signal input frequencies to a new set of frequencies by mapping every input frequency to some other input frequency, and then using the IFT to create multiple versions of the transmitted signal and then computing the transform with the lowest CF and selecting that signal for transmission.

In recent years, a type of mobile communications network known as an "ad-hoc" network has been developed. In this type of network, each mobile node is capable of operating as a base station or router for the other mobile nodes, thus eliminating the need for a fixed infrastructure of base stations. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, network nodes transmit and receive data packet communications in a multiplexed format, such as time-division multiple access (TDMA) format, code-division multiple access (CDMA) format, or frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) format, which enables a single transceiver at a first node to communicate simultaneously with several other nodes in its coverage area.
More sophisticated ad-hoc networks are also being developed which, in addition to enabling mobile nodes to communicate with each other as in a conventional ad-hoc network, further enable the mobile nodes to access a fixed network and thus communicate with other mobile nodes, such as those on the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and on other networks such as the Internet. Details of these advanced types of ad-hoc networks are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,072,650 entitled "Ad Hoc Peer-to-Peer Mobile Radio Access System Interfaced to the PSTN and Cellular Networks," issued on Jul. 4, 2006, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,165 entitled "Time Division Protocol for an Ad-Hoc, Peer-to-Peer Radio Network Having Coordinating Channel Access to Shared Parallel Data Channels with Separate Reservation Channel," issued on Oct. 19, 2004, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,873,839 entitled "Prioritized-Routing for an Ad-Hoc, Peer-to-Peer, Mobile Radio Access System," the entire content of each being incorporated herein by reference.
As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers are used in wireless communication networks for the transmission of signals. Solid state RF power amplifiers can be modeled by amplitude-modulation/amplitude-modulation (AM/AM) characteristics, because the amplitude-modulation/phase-modulation (AM/PM) characteristics are negligible. As the input signal amplitude to amplifier is increased, the output signal will begin to saturate at some level in the RF amplifier. The amplitude where the output signal moves from the linear region to the saturation region is usually referred to as the one decibel (1 dB) compression point of the amplifier.
Different models for RF power amplifiers have been developed, and an important feature of each of these models is the manner in which the output signal moves from the linear region to the saturation region. At the extreme end of the model amplifiers are the completely linear model and limiter model. To maintain linear operation, power amplifiers are usually backed off by some number of dBs from the one decibel (1 dB) compression point. The required back-off depends on the crest factor (CF) of the input signal. For orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation, back-offs higher than 5 dB are generally used. Typical back-off numbers are in the region of 9-12 dB for 64 OFDM.
As understood in the art, the crest factor (CF) of a signal can be defined as the peak to average amplitude ratio. The peak to average power ratio (PAPR) can be computed from the CF. High CF multi-carrier modulation, such as OFDM, can pose problems for RF power amplifiers because they require high linearity. To maintain linearity, power amplifiers are usually backed-off from their 1 dB compression point so that they can reproduce the high peak powers of the signal without distortion.
The high CF of OFDM results from the individual carrier components being added together at different phases in the Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT). The CF is relatively independent of the modulation method of the individual carriers when there are many sub carriers. The CF is also relatively independent of the number of sub carriers for practical 32-256 sub carrier OFDM modulations.
If the CF of the signal can be reduced prior to the RF power amplifier, the back-off can be reduced and mean output power can be increased. Numerous CF reduction methods have been developed. Generally, these include selective mapping where multiple information equivalent signals are created and the lowest CF signal is then selected for transmission. Partial transmit signal is a similar approach where multiple partial signals are generated and the most beneficial linear combination is transmitted. In addition, hard and soft clipping methods limit CF by removing or reducing peaks.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

System and method for achieving crest factor reduction for multi-carrier modulation in a wireless communication network


Cis ruthenium complexes that can be used as catalysts are described. The complexes are generally square pyramidal in nature, having two anionic ligands X adjacent to each other. The complexes can be used as catalysts, for example in olefin metathesis reactions. Corresponding trans ruthenium complexes are also described, together with cationic complexes where one or both of the anionic ligands X are replaced by a non-co-ordinating anionic ligand.

Olefin metathesis is considered as one of the most useful tools in organic chemistry. Since Grubbs reported the first generation ruthenium-catalyst (ref 1), numerous studies have been aimed at developing long life and more active catalysts and precatalysts. A breakthrough was the replacement of a phosphine ligand by a N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC), increasing the reactivity and stability of the corresponding complex (ref 2). See G-II in Scheme 1 below where PCy3 is tricyclohexylphosphine. Additional modifications afforded so-called boomerang-type catalysts, the most well-known being Hoveyda's catalyst (Hov-II in scheme 1 below) (refs 3, 4). In such catalysts the benzylidene bears a donor atom that binds to Ru and decoordinates during catalysis to recoordinate after. More recently, replacing the benzylidene group of Grubbs original catalysts by an indenylidene moiety resulted in highly stable catalysts (for example M2 in scheme 1 where PCy3 is tricyclohexylphosphine) (ref 5).

This family of catalysts has proved its efficiency in various metathesis transformations, and studies on the variation of the NHC group have already been reported (ref 6).
Other examples of Ruthenium catalysts for use in metathesis transformations are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,622,590.
Some cationic ruthenium complexes are known for use as catalysts and are shown in Scheme 1a below. For example Fürstner and Dixneuf (ref 7) have described 18-electron cationic allenylidene Ru complexes such as (a) below that were found to be catalyst precursors for ring closing metathesis (RCM), Hofmann (ref 8) describes dinuclear 16-electron cationic ruthenium complexes with chelating bisphosphane ligands (b), displaying activity in ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Kurosawa et al (ref 9) describe 18-electron cationic ruthenium complexes (c) made by chloride abstraction using sliver salts. A latent cationic ruthenium NHC-based precatalyst (d) with excellent ROMP properties activated by UV irradiation has also been reported (ref 10). Complexes (e) are described by Romero et al (ref 11).

In view of the importance of olefin metathesis chemistry there remains the need to provide yet further metathesis catalysts.

Ruthenium complexes for use in olefin metathesis

UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS


A punch for forming opposite ends of a copper tube into a T includes a tapered or shovel-nose such that the spacing between the ends of the opposed punches is reduced, thereby reducing the excess copper remaining in the T once formed. A method of forming the fitting employs the shovel-nose punches in a hydro-forming process to accommodate such results.

The present invention relates to the manufacturing of copper T-fittings.
FIG. 1 shows a diagram of prior art T-fittings manufactured by a hydro-forming process utilizing generally cylindrical end punches, as seen in the prior art manufacturing equipment of FIG. 12. The punches move toward one another and engage a copper tube to compress the copper tube to form the orthogonal T-extension. The process includes the subsequent steps of cutting the end of the extending orthogonal section and sizing all three openings of the T for final dimensioning. With prior art processes and tooling, however, a relatively large amount of copper remains in the T at a position opposite the opening of the orthogonal T, as shown by arrow C in FIG. 1. In view of the increasing cost of copper, this material, which does not provide a useful function to the T itself, is an unnecessary cost to the final product.
There exists a need, therefore, for a T-fitting design and manufacturing process in which the unnecessary material is eliminated while still employing the hydro-forming process.


A method for fabricating a thin-film transistor is described. A structure is provided, including a substrate transmitting an excimer laser light, a diffusion prevention film on the substrate, a gate electrode and a gate insulating film on the diffusion prevention film, and an oxide semiconductor layer on the gate insulating film. The structure is irradiated with an excimer laser light from the side of the substrate, so that two outer regions of the oxide semiconductor layer beside the region corresponding to the gate electrode are irradiated by the excimer laser light, with the gate electrode as a mask, to be reduced in resistance and thereby one of the two outer regions forms a source region and the other one forms a drain region. The diffusion prevention film includes a SiN:F film containing fluorine in a SiN film.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for fabricating a thin-film transistor (TFT), and specifically relates to a method for fabricating a self-aligned TFT (more specifically, oxide semiconductor TFT) using a so-called self-alignment process that is performed by irradiating, with an excimer laser light and with the gate electrode as a mask, two outer regions of the oxide semiconductor layer beside a region corresponding to the gate so that the two outer regions are reduced in resistance to form source/drain regions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Non-patent Document 1 discloses an exemplary method for fabricating a self-aligned oxide semiconductor TFT using the self-alignment process as described above. The fabricating method is explained in brief with reference to FIG. 1.
A structure is provided, including a (glass) substrate 62, a gate electrode 64 having a predetermined pattern and a gate insulating film (SiO2) 66 covering the gate electrode 64 on the substrate 62, and an oxide semiconductor layer (In—Ga—Zn—O) 68 formed on the gate insulating film 66. The structure is irradiated with an excimer laser light (XeCl, wavelength: 308 nm) 70 from the side of the substrate 62, so that two outsides (left and right sides) of the region of the oxide semiconductor layer 68 corresponding to the gate electrode 64 (see FIG. 1(A)) are irradiated by the excimer laser light 70, with the gate electrode 64 as a mask, to be reduced in resistance and thereby one of the two outside regions forms a source region 72 and the other one forms a drain region 73 (see FIG. 1(B)). That is, without being irradiated by the excimer laser light 70 the region of the oxide semiconductor layer 68 corresponding to the gate electrode 64 remains unchanged to become a channel region 74. The channel region 74 has the source region 72 and the drain region 73 formed at its two sides. In this way, a self-aligned oxide semiconductor TFT may be fabricated using the self-alignment process. In addition, on top of the source region 72 and the drain region 73, a source electrode 76 and a drain electrode 78 are respectively formed.
In the method for fabricating a TFT by this self-alignment process, as overlap between the source region 72, the drain region 73 and the gate electrode 64 is absent, the parasitic capacitance therebetween may be reduced. Also, since a stable structure may be produced, a TFT with good properties may be obtained, which is an advantage.
Patent Document 1 and Non-patent Document 2 below will be described later.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-69030 (paragraph 0022 and FIG. 1)
Non-Patent Document 1: Mitsuru Nakata, et al., IDW/AD '12 AMD4-4L (Late-News Paper), p. 431-432
Non-Patent Document 2: Hiroki Ohara, et al., AM-FPD '09 Digest, p. 227-230, 2009
Although not mentioned in Non-patent Document 1, as mentioned in Patent Document 1, between the substrate composed of glass or resin, etc. and the gate electrode, the gate insulating film and so on over the substrate for constituting the thin-film transistor, a diffusion prevention film for preventing diffusion of impurities (e.g., alkali metal such as sodium, etc.) from the substrate is usually disposed.
Compared with a silicon oxide (SiO2) film, a silicon nitride (SiN) film is more often used as the diffusion prevention film, for having a higher film density (atomic density) and a finer structure to have a great effect of preventing diffusion of impurities. For example, the atomic density of the SiO2 film is about 2.1 to 2.2 g/cm3, and that of a later-described hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiN:H) film is about 2.4 to 2.8 g/cm3.
A plasma CVD method using SiH4 and NH3 as source gas is commonly used for formation of the above SiN film. The SiN film formed by this method contains a large amount of hydrogen for burying the dangling bonds in the film, and is thus referred to as a hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiN:H) film.
However, a problem is known that when such hydrogenated SiN film is used as the diffusion prevention film in the method for fabricating a TFT by the aforementioned self-alignment process, the excimer laser light cannot be transmitted through the diffusion prevention film and is almost absorbed by the film.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a result of measuring light transmittance of various films formed on a glass substrate using a spectrophotometer. A film D is a hydrogenated SiN (SiN:H) film formed by the aforementioned plasma CVD method, and has a very small transmittance (but a very large absorptivity) in the wavelength range of ultraviolet rays. For example, the transmittance is about 2% in the wavelength of 308 nm of the XeCl excimer laser light.
Accordingly, even if intending to fabricate a TFT through the self-alignment process by using an excimer laser light to irradiate a structure having such hydrogenated SiN film as a diffusion prevention film, the emitted laser light may almost be absorbed by the diffusion prevention film and may hardly reach the oxide semiconductor layer. Consequently, not only the source/drain regions cannot be formed, but also problems such as damage to the diffusion prevention film, peeling-off of the film from the substrate, and even breakdown of transistor devices, etc. are caused due to an excessive temperature rise in the diffusion prevention film.

Method for fabricating thin-film transistor


There is provided a method of producing 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobutane capable of stably and economically producing 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobutane. A reactant solution (1) containing 3,4-dichloro-1-butene is charged in a reaction vessel (11) having an inner surface, to be brought into contact with the reactant solution (1), made of a metal and a chlorine gas is introduced into the reactant solution (1) to perform a reaction between 3,4-dichloro-1-butene and the chlorine gas to produce 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobutane. The reaction is performed while carrying out an operation of taking out at least a portion of the reactant solution (1) from the reaction vessel (11), filtering the reactant solution (1) thus taken out to remove a solid matter, and returning the filtered reactant solution (1) into the reaction vessel (11).

1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobutane (which may hereinafter be called "TCB") is produced by chlorination of 3,4-dichloro-1-butene. TCB thus produced however solidifies in a reactant solution, depending on reaction conditions and this may prevent stable and economical production of TCB. Described specifically, TCB has optical isomers, that is, d-form, 1-form, and meso-form and the dl-form has a melting temperature of 0° C. or less and is liquid at room temperature, while the meso-form has a melting temperature of about 73° C. and is solid at room temperature. The solidification temperature of TCB therefore varies with the proportion between the meso-form and the dl-form. For example, TCB having a larger proportion of the meso-form partially solidifies at room temperature.
For example, PTL 1 describes that solidification of TCB causes a disadvantage for the industrial production of the compound and it discloses that in the reaction between TCB and fluorine, the proportion of the meso-form of TCB is desirably 60 mass % or less. When the proportion of the meso-form is 60 mass % or less, solidification of TCB can be prevented and therefore, a temperature at which TCB is dissolved in a reaction solvent and a reaction temperature can be set low.
One of the reasons for an increase in the proportion of the meso-form, depending on reaction conditions is presumed to be mixing of iron chloride and the like in the reactant solution. PTL 2 discloses that a production proportion of TCB in meso-form increases by placing, in a reaction site, a catalyst having from 0.1 to 20 mass % of iron chloride supported on a silica gel in a reaction between 3,4-dichloro-1-butene and chlorine. For suppressing an increase in the proportion of the meso-form and not causing solidification of TCB in the reaction between 3,4-dichloro-1-butene and chlorine, it has been considered to be necessary to avoid using a metal such as iron as a material of a reaction vessel in which the reaction is performed.

Process for producing 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobutane


In a method and device for processing a slaughtered animal or part thereof, which, in a conveyer, is passed along a slaughter line, the following steps are carried out: an identification is assigned to the slaughtered animal or part thereof; one or more observations are performed on the slaughtered animal or part thereof; a test result is determined for the slaughtered animal or part thereof, which test result comprises an approval or rejection, on the basis of the observation data; the test result is stored in conjunction with the corresponding identification. On the basis of the stored test result, the identified slaughtered animal or part thereof can be removed from the slaughter line by an automatic discharging device or a separating device, which each have a first and a second discharge for removing a slaughtered animal or part thereof which has been approved or rejected, respectively.

This invention relates to a method and a device for processing a slaughtered animal or part thereof in a slaughter line of a slaughterhouse. In the following text, a slaughter line is understood to mean an assembly of one or more conveyors and processing stations, in which an animal for slaughtering, such as cattle, small livestock and poultry can be slaughtered. For the sake of simplicity, in the following text a slaughtered animal or part thereof will be referred to by the words "slaughtering object".

Method and device for processing a slaughtered animal or part thereof in a slaughterhouse


A detector includes a light detecting layer and a grating structure. The light detecting layer, which can be a photodiode, has an optical mode that resonates in the light detecting layer, and the grating structure is positioned to interact with the optical mode. The grating structure further couples incident light having a resonant frequency into the optical mode, and causes destructive interference to prevent light having the resonant frequency from escaping the detecting layer. The light detecting layer can be made transparent to light having other frequencies, so that a stack of such detectors, each having a different resonant frequency, can be integrated into a WDM detector that is compact and efficient.

Systems for detecting and demodulating wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical signals have conventionally deployed one of two approaches. One approach spatially separates the frequency components of the optical signal using an optical element such as a diffraction grating so that the frequency components traverse physically different paths to separate detectors. The separate detectors can then decode, demodulate, or otherwise convert the separated frequency components into respective electrical signals. A disadvantage of this approach is that the system must be relatively large to provide space for the separate optical paths and detectors. Another approach employs an array of detectors that are individually much smaller than the cross-section of the WDM signal. A different filter is positioned adjacent to each detector, so that each detector demodulates or converts only a single frequency component that the adjacent filter passes. A disadvantage of this approach is waste of optical power. In particular, the WDM signal must have a cross-section that is large enough to cover the area of multiple detectors, and each detector uses only a small fraction of the light incident on the area of the detector.
Resonant grating waveguide structures have been of interest for light separation and filtering. These structures employ gratings to couple specific wavelengths of incident light into waveguides. A simple configuration for a resonant grating waveguide includes a waveguide layer and a grating layer. The grating layer transmits a part of an incident light beam and diffracts a part of the incident light beam. The diffracted part enters the waveguide layer but through interaction with the grating layer can diffract out of the waveguide layer and interfere with the directly transmitted light. A resonant grating waveguide structure is designed to have a "resonance" such that incident light having a resonant frequency is coupled into the waveguide structure with high efficiently, while incident light at a non-resonant frequency passes through waveguide structure unaltered. The resonant frequency and the bandwidth of the resonance generally depend on the features of the grating and the waveguide layer. However, the bandwidth can be made sufficiently narrow for use in optical filters or separators.
A detector for WDM signals is desired that is compact and efficient in the use of optical power.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.