An improved process for the reaction of acetonitrile and hydrogen sulfide to produce thioacetamide, wherein a polymer-supported amine catalyst is used. Examples of the polymer-supported amine catalyst are polymeric dimethylaminopyridine resins, poly(4-vinylpyridine) cross-linked with divinylbenzene, and cross-linked polymer-supported 4-(N-benzyl-N-methylamino)pyridine.

Thioacetamide is a commercially available chemical having many industrial uses and is a versatile reagent for further chemical synthesis. The reaction of hydrogen sulfide and acetonitrile to produce thioacetamide is well known. U.S. Pat. No. 2,421,031 discloses the use of a catalyst, 8-14 mesh SiO.sub.2 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 gel, at a temperature of about 500.degree. F. to obtain yields of 85% based on hydrogen sulfide. The reaction is also catalyzed by various bases. Jaworski, et al., disclosed the use of triethylamine in a 220-hour reaction carried out in benzene or toluene (Polish J. Chem., 52 (10): 2067-8, 1978). Girgis disclosed the use of amine catalysts, including secondary amines (Canadian Pat. No. 946,392, 1974; U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,287, 1974; U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,664, 1972). More recently, alkyl metal sulfides and hydrosulfides have been disclosed as catalysts for the reaction of aminonitriles with hydrogen sulfide for the production of aminothioacetamides (Moder et al., EP 0 272 909). Moder et al. prefer these catalysts because the amine base catalysts previously used are difficult to remove after completion of the reaction.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-yielding, cost-effective process to prepare thioacetamide with minimal post-reaction processing and reusable catalysts.

Process for the preparation of thioacetamide


A discharge lamp includes a housing including a dielectric portion having a light transmission area formed of a dielectric material and transmitting light, and a main body portion forming a discharge-gas-filled space together with the dielectric portion, the discharge-gas-filled space being filled with a discharge gas; an electron emission source disposed in the discharge-gas-filled space to face the light transmission area; a discharge path limiting member separating the electron emission source and the light transmission area, in the discharge-gas-filled space, and including an electron passage hole that transmits electrons emitted from the electron emission source; and an external electrode disposed at an outer side of the housing to face the electron emission source across the dielectric portion, and including an opening that passes the light transmitted through the light transmission area.

Conventionally, a discharge lamp in which discharge emission occurs in a discharge gas such as heavy hydrogen and light is emitted is known (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 to 4). For example, an electrodeless discharge lamp including a discharge container of which an internal space is filled with heavy hydrogen, a pair of electrodes attached to an outer surface of the discharge container to face each other across the internal space, and a diaphragm member that limits a portion through which electrons pass in the internal space is described in Patent Literature 1. An opening through which light passes is provided in the electrode that is an anode. In this electrodeless discharge lamp, induction discharge occurs in the internal space when a high-frequency current is supplied between the pair of electrodes. When the discharge converges in the diaphragm body, point-shaped light is generated and emitted from the opening of the anode.


An information display device includes a display, a detector for detecting an environmental variation around a place at which the device is mounted, and a detector for detecting date and time information, in which an image to be displayed on the display is varied on the basis of the detected environment variation information and/or the date and time information.

The present invention relates to a display control device which is usable in various fields such as a computer information processing system, a multimedia information communication device, a broadcasting or reproducing video output device, etc., that is, in various systems having an image display function.
In general, a monitor display is provided as a constituent element of a system to display data to an user in each of various fields such as an information processing equipment, an information communication equipment, an information recording and reproducing equipment, an amusement equipment, etc. On the monitor, various display frames are displayed such as a menu frame using characters and icons, a control frame, etc., searched data, images, etc. The control frame is frequently displayed in a window mode.
In such a system, in some cases, a picture which is completely irrelevant to an actual work is displayed in addition to a display portion required for the actual work. Further, a display picture which is irrelevant to works is also displayed as a screen saver. However, an environmental picture that varies in connection with a real time has not been hitherto proposed as a display which is not directly associated with an actual work.
For example, if it is possible to display on the screen pictures representing an environmental variation of the surroundings or the outdoors on real-time basis when a user is immersed into a work while watching a screen of the monitor, it could be expected to make the user comfortable on even such an inorganic hardware and make the user feel the environmental variation. Therefore, an information display device which is capable of performing such a display operation has been required.

Information display device for displaying variation of environment


An apparatus for determining the bending characteristics of a curved surgical needle having a butt end portion and a tip portion including a base support, a clamp for releasably gripping the butt end portion of the needle. A system of stepper motors and related plates is provided for moving the gripped needle along a predetermined path. A load cell is positioned within the predetermined path for engagement by the tip of the needle and for sensing the forces generated by the moving needle tip, and a minimal friction support plate is provided for the load cell to maintain the needle tip at a predetermined location on the load cell while moving the gripped needle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining the bending characteristics of an elongated member and more particularly to a method and apparatus for testing the bending characteristics of a curved surgical needle subjected to linear or rotational forces or any combination thereof. In particular, such bending moment deformation facilitates obtaining the bending characteristics of the needle, including bending yield moment, ultimate bending moment, and bending stiffness.
2. Description of the Related Art
While using a curved surgical needle a surgeon must know approximately how much the needle can bend or deform and still retain its original shape. It is well known that at some point the deformation may become permanent. As a force is exerted on an area of a needle, the needle begins to bend and undergo deformation. As with many metals, initially the deformation is elastic, that is, the needle will return to its original shape when the force is removed and no hysteresis will be evident. In the needle art this elastic range is often regarded as a measure of stiffness of the needle.
A needle may be tested for this elastic range by loading and unloading the needle at a particular point and recording the differences in the load data. During elastic deformation the results will be plotted as a straight line on a graph of load vs. angular deformation. At some point the deformation may become permanent, i.e., inelastic. The level of loading which causes permanent deformation is called the yield load, which has been empirically determined to occur at a point where the straight line plot of load vs. strain crosses a line 2.degree. parallel to, and offset from the straight portion of the curve.
There are various devices available to test the bending strengths and yield loads of surgical needles. One known device, the Tinius-Olson Stiffness Tester, is designed to test the bending strength of straight needles by forcing a tip of the needle against a weighted plate and observing the deflection of the plate. Other known devices used to measure the bending strength of curved needles typically employ a projection, such as a peg or knife edge, to intercept a rotating needle somewhere along its length.
One known device is described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,273 to Evans, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The Evans Patent relates to a needle tester which includes a clamp mounted on a rotary table driven by a stepper motor. Horizontal and vertical manual vernier positioning means are provided to aid in setting an initial position. A knife edge is mounted on a load cell to intercept a rotating needle while undergoing test loads while the load vs. angular deformation of the needle is being recorded. The Evans device is structured to maintain the contact edge equidistant from the center of rotation of the needle during the rotation. This method assumes that the load forces are purely vertical. However, any knife edge, no matter how sharp, has a finite radius of curvature causing a horizontal force component to be introduced and therefore the reaction of a knife edge is a radial force component rather than a true vertical component.
While the recent devices measure the bending strength of a curved surgical needle loaded along its length they provide little information about the behavior of such curved surgical needle when loaded at or near the tip of the needle. For example, the greatest amount of the deformation of the needles will normally occur when loaded at or near the tip. Since the loads on the tip of a needle are generally substantial during penetration of tissue, the bend strength of a needle so loaded is of great interest to surgeons. Furthermore, during such use curved surgical needles are subjected to linear as well as rotational forces and it would therefore be advantageous to test a needle under these compound force conditions.

Method and apparatus for testing the bending characteristics of surgical needles


Improved PLL frequency synthesizer circuits, including a novel swallow counter, may be operated at high speeds without experiencing internal delays or malfunctions. The swallow counter supplies a modulus signal to a prescaler which is capable of selectively changing a frequency-dividing ratio of a frequency signal. The swallow counter includes a shift register, a counter, a count-up detector, a modulus signal generator, and a control circuit. The swallow counter is connected to the prescaler and the program counter, and is capable of counting a frequency-divided signal based on a set value data and producing the modulus signal in response to a load signal after counting is completed. The swallow counter supplies the modulus signal to the prescaler and determines whether the set value data is data prepared to fix the frequency-dividing ratio. If the set value data is data for fixing the frequency-dividing ratio, the swallow counter operates in such a manner so as to restrict supply of the modulus signal, originated from the set value data, to the prescaler. The swallow counter may be included in a comparison frequency divider for supplying a comparison signal to a phase comparator in a PLL frequency synthesizer circuit that includes a voltage controlled oscillator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a PLL frequency synthesizer circuit incorporating a comparison frequency divider having a swallow counter, and, more particularly, to a swallow counter having modulus signal output control.
2. Description of the Related Art
PLL frequency synthesizer circuits, which are operable at a high speeds, are typically used in digital mobile communication devices, such as portable telephones and the like. However, when operating at a high-speed, the internal operations of the logic gates within the PLL frequency synthesizer circuit may experience delays.
A conventional PLL frequency synthesizer circuit usually includes a comparison frequency divider which has a prescaler, a swallow counter and a program counter. A conventional prescaler selectively frequency-divides a frequency signal from a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) by either a frequency-dividing ratio P or a frequency-dividing ratio (P+X) and supplies complementary frequency-divided signals to the program counter and the swallow counter. As used above, "X" may be a positive or negative integer and "P" may be a positive integer.
The conventional program counter frequency-divides the complementary frequency-divided signals from the prescaler by a predetermined frequency-dividing ratio (e.g., 16) and supplies a comparison signal to a phase comparator. The program counter further counts a predetermined number of (e.g., 16) pulses of the complementary frequency-divided signals CK and XCK, and produces an H-level load signal LOAD during counting or produces an L-level load signal LOAD every time count-up is performed.
The conventional swallow counter counts the pulses of the complementary frequency-divided signals CK and XCK based on a set value supplied from an external unit, and provides the prescaler with an L-level modulus signal MDC which causes the prescaler to change the frequency-dividing ratio. In response to the L-level load signal LOAD supplied from the program counter, the swallow counter further executes a preset operation to restart the counting operation, and supplies an H level modulus signal MDC to the prescaler. In response to the H-level modulus signal MDC, the prescaler sets the changed frequency-dividing ratio back to the one before the alteration. As apparent from the above, the swallow counter controls the switching of the modulus operation (alteration of the frequency-dividing ratio) of the prescaler.
As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional swallow counter has an up-counter section 50, a NAND gate section 58, an RS flip-flop 59, inverters 60 and 63, a NAND gate 61 and a D flip-flop 62. The up-counter section 50 includes seven flip-flops (FFs) 51 to 57. The first to seventh FFs 51-57, respectively, receive seven set value data A1 to A7 supplied from a shift register (not shown). The set value data A1-A7 are binary code data whose set values can be set within a range of 0 to 127 as needed. The first to seventh FFs 51-57 count the pulses of the complementary frequency-divided signals CK and XCK supplied from the prescaler based on the respective set value data A1-A7, and output H-level output signals from complementary output terminals when performing a count-up operation.
The NAND gate section 58, which is connected to the up-counter section 50, includes three NAND gates 58a to 58c and one NOR gate 58d. When the first to seventh FFs 51-57 output H-level output signals from their complementary output terminals, the NAND gate section 58 supplies a L level first output signal SA to the RS flip-flop 59. The RS flip-flop 59, comprised of two NAND gates, has a set input terminal for receiving the first output signal SA and a reset input terminal for receiving the load signal LOAD supplied from the program counter (not shown). The first to seventh FFs 51-57 execute a preset operation of the respective set value data in response to the L-level load signal LOAD.
The RS flip-flop 59 supplies the H-level output signal to the inverter 60 in response to the L-level first output signal SA. In response to the H-level output signal, the inverter 60 supplies a second output signal SB of an L level to the NAND gate 61. Further, the RS flip-flop 59 supplies the L-level output signal to the inverter 60 in response to the L-level load signal LOAD. In response to the L-level output signal, the inverter 60 supplies the second output signal SB of an H level to the NAND gate 61.
The NAND gate 61 has a first input terminal for receiving the second output signal SB, a second input terminal for receiving the load signal LOAD, and an output terminal which is connected to the data input terminal of the D flip-flop 62, and from which a third output signal SC is output. In response to the complementary frequency-divided signals CK and XCK, the D flip-flop 62 sends its output signal which is the third output signal SC (whose level has been inverted), to the inverter 63. The inverter 63 supplies an output signal which is the output signal of the D flip-flop 62 (whose level has also been inverted), to the inverter 63 which is connected to the prescaler (not shown) as the modulus signal MDC. The prescaler changes the frequency-dividing ratio when the modulus signal MDC falls to the L level from the H level. When the RS flip-flop 59 outputs the L-level output signal in response to the L-level load signal LOAD, the modulus signal MDC rises to the H level from the L level. In accordance with this change, the prescaler sets the changed frequency-dividing ratio back to the one before the alteration.
To fix the frequency-dividing ratio of the prescaler, typically, all of the set value data A1-A7 in this swallow counter are set to "0"(i.e., "0" in the decimal notation). FIG. 2 presents a time-line chart illustrating the operation of the swallow counter, as in FIG. 1, when all of the set value data A1-A7 are "0" and the complementary frequency-divided signals CK and XCK have relatively low frequencies.
First, the RS flip-flop 59 supplies the L-level output signal to the inverter 60 in response to the L-level load signal LOAD. In response to the L-level output signal, the inverter 60 supplies an H level second output signal SB to the NAND gate 61. The NAND gate 61 supplies the H-level third output signal SC to the D flip-flop 62 in response to the L-level load signal LOAD and the H-level second output signal SB.
When all of the set value data A1-A7 are "0," the first to seventh FFs 51-57 sequentially perform the "preset operation" in response to the L-level load signal LOAD, and output the H-level output signals from their complementary output terminals. The NAND gate section 58 supplies an L-level first output signal SA to the RS flip-flop 59 in response to each H-level output signal. Next, the RS flip-flop 59 supplies the H-level output signal to the inverter 60 in response to the L-level first output signal SA. In response to the H-level output signal, the inverter 60 supplies an L level second output signal SB to the NAND gate 61. The second output signal SB falls to the L level from the H level in this manner. The NAND gate 61 continuously outputs the H-level third output signal SC in response to the L-level load signal LOAD and the L-level second output signal SB.
The up-counter section 50 starts counting the complementary frequency-divided signals CK and XCK after the "presetting", and the NAND gate section 58 outputs the H-level first output signal SA again in response to the up-count action.
When the load signal LOAD rises to the H level from the L level after the second output signal SB has fallen to the L level, the NAND gate 61 continuously outputs the H-level third output signal SC. As a result, the D flip-flop 62 always supplies the H-level modulus signal MDC to the prescaler, such that the frequency-dividing ratio of the prescaler is fixed.
FIG. 3 presents a time-line chart illustrating the operation of the swallow counter, as depicted in FIG. 1, when all of the set value data A1-A7 are "0" and the complementary frequency-divided signals CK and XCK have relatively high frequencies. The period in which the load signal LOAD maintains an L level in accordance with the high-frequency complementary frequency-divided signals CK and XCK becomes shorter than that in the case where the complementary frequency-divided signals CK and XCK have low frequencies (e.g., see discussion regarding FIG. 2). Therefore, the load signal LOAD rises to the H level from the L level while the second output signal SB is at the H level. Consequently, the NAND gate 61 outputs the L-level third output signal SC until the second output signal SB falls to the L level. As the D flip-flop 62 responds to the L-level third output signal SC and the inverter 63 responds to the H-level output signal, the L-level modulus signal MDC is supplied to the prescaler. As a result, the prescaler operates to change the frequency-dividing ratio. In other words, the frequency-dividing ratio is altered even though the prescaler is under the modulus control in which the frequency-dividing ratio should be fixed.
As such, malfunction of the circuit or device may result from the operational delays of the up-counter section 50 and the NAND gate section 58. When the frequencies of the complementary frequency-divided signals CK and XCK become high, the L-level duration of the load signal LOAD becomes shorter than the time from the point when all of the first to seventh FFs 51-57 perform the preset operation in response to the L-level load signal LOAD to the point when the NAND gate section 58 outputs the L-level first output signal SA. In other words, after the L-level duration of the load signal LOAD passes, the NAND gate section 58 outputs the L-level first output signal SA. Particularly, the preset operation of the first to seventh FFs 57--57 takes time, thus delaying the output of the L-level first output signal SA from the NAND gate section 58. As a result, the load signal LOAD rises to the H level from the L level before the second output signal SB falls to the L level from the H level. When the set value data A1-A7 are all set to "0", it takes time for the preset operation in which the first to seventh FFs 51-57 all respond to the L-level load signal LOAD to invert the output levels of the complementary output terminals to H from L. That is, the outputting of the H-level output signals from all the complementary output terminals is delayed.

Swallow counter with modulus signal output control


Articles are provided that have fluorescent properties and that are suitable for use in making retroreflective articles such as safety and informational signage. The articles have at least one fluorescent film layer that exhibits excellent overall color durability while also providing chromaticity properties dictated by industry standards for a particular coloration. In a particular application, the articles embody retroreflective properties and are fluorescent yellow-green signs.

Articles incorporating fluorescent dyes into polymeric matrices are extensively known in the art for various applications including signage, vehicle markings, roadway markings, and other applications where high visibility is desired and beneficial for any number of reasons, including safety, information dissemination, visibility, visual signaling, and quick detection. The extraordinarily bright appearance of fluorescent materials is what provides this enhanced visibility, which is especially pronounced at dawn and dusk. In some applications, it is important to meet and maintain certain color standards and/or certain durability standards.
Often these polymer systems containing fluorescent colorants are structured in the form of a sheeting that exhibits fluorescing properties. Particularly suitable applications for these types of films loaded with fluorescent colorants are in connection with uses where signaling is a primary function of the article. Traffic safety and informational signs have been known to incorporate films having fluorescent colorants, which enhance visibility of the signs. Certain types of signage need to have long-term outdoor durability.
It is well-known that ultraviolet radiation causes colorants, and in particular, fluorescent colorants, to degrade. When exposed to sunlight or other sources of ultraviolet (UV) light, fluorescent colorants can fade very quickly. This especially creates problems for traffic and roadway signing applications because the rapid fading of the fluorescent color can dramatically shorten the life of the sign. Past efforts to enhance the UV light durability of fluorescent articles, such as retroreflective sheeting, include the use of an UV light screening layer over or in front of a fluorescent layer. Typically, such a UV light screening layer is made by dissolving UV light absorbing compounds into a transparent polymeric matrix and then depositing the screening layer in front of a fluorescent color layer. However, approaches such as these often fail to consider and/or address potential negative interaction between the UV absorber in the screening layer and the fluorescent dye within the underlying colored layer. While UV screening is intended to address the outdoor durability problem, several difficulties can arise. One concern is that the UV light absorbing compounds of these screening layers can leach out with time or can diffuse or migrate into the underlying fluorescent layer. This diffusion can actually accelerate fading of the fluorescent colorant in certain instances. Other methods of enhancing the durability of fluorescent colorants involve using stabilizers of the hindered amine light stabilizer type (HALS type) in combination with the fluorescent colorants in a polymer matrix.
While these methods address the problem of color degradation due to UV light, they do not address the problem of color degradation caused by visible light. Often visible light is more harmful than UV light to fluorescent colorants. Where fluorescent colorants are susceptible to visible light, the use of UV stabilizers and/or UV screening layers will not be effective against color degradation due to visible light.
Other factors that may cause degradation of the fluorescent properties of a fluorescent article include the leaching out of the fluorescent colorant, the light instability of the fluorescent colorant itself and/or negative interactions among the fluorescent colorants, the polymer matrix, additives and/or impurities in the polymer.


An array of unit oscillators interconnected with one another in that the transistors of the oscillators are connected to common lines. Separate lines in proximity provide coupling capacitance for feedback to sustain the oscillation of the unit oscillators. The separate lines also form a grid which results in an antenna for emanation of the oscillators, radiation The array can effectively function at extremely high frequencies (i.e., greater than 30 GHz). The array is specially designed to accommodate monolithic implementation.

Related art pertaining to a power combining oscillator array at lower frequencies has involved individual gate, source and drain grid lines to separate the direct current (DC) bias feeds for the field effect transistors (FETs) in the oscillator array. In the array, a high power output is provided by coupling together and synchronizing all of the individual oscillators in the array. The coupling for providing the feedback needed for sustaining oscillation is constituted of and controlled by the width of the lines and the spacing between each pair of lines in the grid of the array. The grid spacing is determined and, in turn, restricted by antenna requirements of the array. Problems that arise with such an array at higher frequencies (i.e., >30 GHz) include decreased FET gains which provide insufficient feedback to sustain oscillation.


An optical device fabrication method capable of fabricating optical devices with high precision and reliability in a simple process and at a low cost. The method of splicing a first optical device and a second optical device to fabricate a third optical device includes the steps of: (a) starting heating of an end surface of the first optical device to soften the end surface; (b) pushing the second optical device into the softened end surface to splice the first optical device and a joint surface of the second optical device to each other; (c) pulling back the second optical device to arrange the joint surface of the second optical device onto or outside of the end surface of the first optical device; and (d) terminating heating of the end surface to fix the first and second optical device spliced to each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical device to be used for transmitting light and a fabrication method and an apparatus for such an optical device.
2. Description of a Related Art
FIGS. 17A-17C are diagrams for explaining a conventional fabrication method for fiber collimators. An end surface 901a of an aspheric lens 901 shown in FIG. 17A is flat-polished and coated with an anti-reflective film (AR coat) in order to reduce a reflection loss at a wavelength of light to be transmitted. On the other hand, an optical fiber 902 is inserted into a sleeve called as a capillary 903, which is precisely drilled, and fixed by an adhesive 904 such as resin. An end portion of the optical fiber 902 is cut together with the capillary 903, and an end surface 902a thereof is flat-polished and AR-coated.
When splicing these two devices 901 and 902, as shown in FIG. 17B, an adhesive 905 such as resin is arranged between the end surface 901a of the lens and the end surface 902a of the optical fiber, and optical axis alignment is performed by using a highly reflective mirror 906. That is, the position of the optical fiber 902 on the X-Y plane relative to the lens 901 is adjusted such that light, which is caused to enter the optical fiber 902 and reflected by the highly reflective mirror 906 via the lens 901, returns again to the optical fiber 902 via the lens 901 most efficiently. In such an arrangement, by curing the adhesive 905, a fiber collimator shown in FIG. 17C is completed.
As described above, in the conventional fabrication method for fiber collimators, the number of devices to be used is large and processes required for fabrication are also complicated. Further, since it takes such a long time as several minutes to 30 minutes to cure the adhesive, time for assembly is lengthened and the cost is increased. Furthermore, since a resin adhesive is interposed between the lens and the optical fiber, an optical problem of distortion etc. of a plane of polarization, a problem of deviation of an optical axis that might be caused until the adhesive is cured, and a long-term problem of deterioration of the adhesive and so on arise. Still further, in a lens used in such a fabrication method, a focus F thereof is normally set on the end surface 901a of the lens, and therefore, when light having high power is caused to enter an optical fiber, the light from the lens converges on a minute region at which the adhesive 905 is arranged, resulting in a problem that the spliced portion is easily damaged.
As an optical device not using a resin adhesive, Japanese Patent No. 2876857 (p. 1, FIG. 1) discloses an optical waveguide device in which a fused material, which has a softening temperature lower than that of the material of both the end surface of the optical waveguide and the end surface of the optical fiber, is interposed in the connection plane only within a range of the plane shared by the connection portions of the both end surfaces, and the fused material and the both end surfaces are connected integrally by fusing within the range of the above-mentioned shared plane. In such an optical waveguide device, although the problem caused by interposing a resin adhesive can be avoided, a third member (fused material) is used in addition to the optical waveguide and the optical fiber, and therefore, the fabrication process thereof is also complicated.
Therefore, a technology capable of fabricating an optical device without interposing an adhesive or a fused material is proposed. Ide et al., "A Novel Fabrication Method for Fibre Collimators Using "Shrink-Fit" Splice by Arc Discharge Heating", European Conference on Optical Communication (Proc. ECOC2004), We4.P.020 (2004), discloses a novel fabrication method for fiber collimators, which is capable of directly splicing a single mode fiber and a multi-component glass base lens. Further, Takahara, "Assembly Technology for Ultra Microlens Array", the 92nd microoptics and the 6th system photonics joint meeting (July, 2004), discloses a future prospect of microoptical devices using such a novel fabrication method.
The fabrication method for fiber collimators disclosed in the above-mentioned documents by Ide and Takahara will be explained with reference to FIGS. 18A-18C. In the fabrication method for fiber collimators, a low melting point glass lens and a quartz optical fiber are used as devices.
First, as shown in FIG. 18A, optical axis alignment of a core 912b of an optical fiber 912 is performed with respect to a lens 911. To this end, a highly reflective mirror 913 is arranged ahead of the lens 911 (on the left-hand side in the drawing) and perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens 911, and at the same time, an end surface 912a of the optical fiber 912 is brought about 5 μm close to a rear end surface (on the right-hand side in the drawing) 911a of the lens 911. Then, light is caused to enter the optical fiber 912 and the intensity of the returned light is detected, which light has been reflected by the highly reflective mirror 913 via the lens 911 and has again entered the optical fiber 912 via the lens 911. While monitoring the intensity of the returned light, the end surface 912a of the optical fiber 912 is moved in the X-Y plane and the position of the end surface 912a of the optical fiber 912 is determined such that the returned light is strongest.
Next, as shown in FIG. 18B, an arc electrode 914 is arranged in the vicinity of the end surface 911a of the lens 911 and by causing an arc discharge to occur to generate a thermal plasma, the end portion of the lens 911 including the rear end surface 911a is softened. Then, as shown in FIG. 18C, the optical fiber 912 is pushed in to a focus F present at a depth of about 5 μm to 20 μm from the end surface 911a of the softened lens 911. The optical fiber 912 is fixed by keeping this arrangement and terminating the arc discharge to allow the lens 911 to cool down spontaneously.
According to such a fabrication method for fiber collimators, no capillary is necessary and processes such as polishing of the surface to be spliced and formation of an AR coat are not necessary, and therefore, the cost can be reduced. Further, there is an advantage that the assembly time can be reduced to about a few seconds because fused-splicing is performed by using arc discharges. Furthermore, since an adhesive such as resin is not used, it is possible to avoid problems such as distortion of a plane of polarization caused by adhesive, deviation in position between a lens and an optical fiber, and deterioration of adhesive and damages to adhesive when light having high power enters in a long term.
However, there arises another problem as follows in a fabrication method for fiber collimators by using the fused-splicing.
Firstly, as shown in FIG. 19, if spontaneously cooling down is allowed in the arrangement in which the optical fiber 912 is pushed into the softened lens 911, a compression stress is applied to the portion into which the optical fiber 912 is pushed due to the contraction of the glass. Accordingly, crack is introduced in the optical fiber 912 and the optical fiber breaks at its root.
Secondly, in a lens to be used in such a fabrication method, the focus F is normally positioned inside the lens 911 in which the end surface 912a of the optical fiber 912 is arranged. In other words, as shown in FIG. 18A, on the X-Y plane on which the end surface 912a of the optical fiber 912 is arranged at the time of optical axis alignment, the focus of the lens 911 does not exist. Because of this, optical axis alignment is performed based on the returned light in a blurred state (that is, an arrangement in which the center peak of the intensity is broadened), and therefore, the precision in detecting the center of the X-axis and Y-axis is deteriorated. Further, since it is not possible to confirm the position of the focus F existing inside the lens before fused-splicing, it is difficult to precisely match the end surface 912a to the focus F when pushing the optical fiber 912 into the lens 911. Therefore, the precision about Z-axis is also deteriorated.
Thirdly, as shown in FIG. 20A, in the case of fabricating a fiber collimator by employing an optical fiber having a front end which is cut obliquely, when an optical fiber 922 is pushed into a lens 921, an inclined end surface 922a of the optical fiber 922 receives a reaction force in the direction perpendicular to the end surface 922a from the softened glass. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20B, the front end portion of the fiber 922 is fixed at a deferent position deviated from the position at which optical axis alignment is performed. Therefore, there also arises a problem that optical devices having high precision cannot be fabricated.

Optical device and fabrication method and apparatus for the same


A fault-tolerant unit and a fault-tolerant method for through-silicon via (TSV) are provided. The fault-tolerant unit includes TSV structures TSV1˜TSVn, nodes N11˜N1n, nodes N21˜N2n and a switching module. The TSV structure TSVi is connected between the node N1i of the first chip and the node N2i of the second chip, wherein 1≦i≦n. The switching module is connected between the nodes N21˜N2n of the second chip and a test path of the second chip. In normal operation state, the switching module disconnects the test path and the nodes N21˜N2n when the TSV structures TSV1˜TSVn are valid. The switching module connects the node N2i to at least another one of the nodes N21˜N2n when the TSV structure TSVi is faulty in the normal operation state. In test status, the switching module connects the test path to the nodes N21˜N2n.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a chip stacking structure having through-silicon vias (TSVs). Particularly, the disclosure relates to a fault-tolerant unit and a fault-tolerant method for TSV.
2. Related Art
A three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) is a chip stacking structure formed by stacking a plurality of chips. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional chip stacking structure. The chip stacking structure 100 includes a chip 110 and a chip 120, and a plurality of through-silicon via (TSV) structures is disposed between the chip 110 and the chip 120. Based on considerations of circuit layout and winding, a same signal or power can be transmitted between the two adjacent chips 110 and 120 through the TSV structures. The TSV structure includes a TSV, a pad and a micro bump, wherein the TSV is disposed in the chip 110 of the upper layer, and the pad and the micro bump are disposed between the chip 110 and the chip 120.
For example, the TSV structures TSV1, TSV2 and TSV3 shown in FIG. 1 transmit a clock signal CLK of the chip 110 to different clock trees in the chip 120. The appearances of the TSV structures TSV1, TSV2 and TSV3 shown FIG. 1 are only drawn as an example. However, once the TSV structure is faulty, the 3D IC cannot normally work due to failure of signal transmission. Therefore, performance of the TSV structures is one of important factors influencing a yield of the 3D ICs.

Fault-tolerant unit and method for through-silicon via

Industrial Technology Research Institute


Oral compositions containing a carrier, a cationic antimicrobial compound, and a silica and/or silicate material are disclosed. These compositions can provide a controlled release of the antimicrobial compound.

The present invention is directed to oral compositions containing cationic antimicrobial compounds and silica and/or silicate materials.
It is well known that several antimicrobial quaternary ammonium salts are acceptable for use in the oral environment, for example cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), benzalkonium chloride (BAC), domiphen chloride, and chlorohexidine. However, in order for these agents to be therapeutically effective, they need to be accessible in the saliva at levels above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Typically, silica and/or silicate materials have been known to be highly incompatible, resulting in ineffective salivary levels to provide a sufficient antimicrobial benefit. This is due primarily to the well-established interactions between surface silanol groups and quaternary amine moieties. For this reason, previous attempts at improving the antibacterial efficacy of these agents with silica/silicate systems involved making the silica/silicate more compatible through reducing the accessible surface area and/or silanol moieties (i.e., lower surface area), thus decreasing the overall adsorptive capacity for the selected antimicrobial agent. Some drawbacks to these approaches were that the achievable level of compatibility was limited and the resultant silica was very dense and abrasive. Moreover, when certain antimicrobial agents are available at high concentrations, they can have a noticeable off taste, adverse reactions with soft tissues, and can cause enamel staining.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide an improved silica/silicate system for the controlled release of antimicrobial agents into an oral cavity. Accordingly, it is to these ends that the present invention is principally directed.

Silica-based antimicrobial oral compositions


A substrate processing apparatus includes: a disk including a plurality of electrostatic chucks periodically disposed at a constant radius from a central axis; a disk support supporting the disk; a DC line electrically connected to the plurality of electrostatic chucks through the disk support; and a power supply configured to supply power to the DC line. The DC line includes: a first DC line penetrating through the disk support from the power supply; a power distribution unit configured to distribute the first DC line to connect the first DC line to each of the plurality of electrostatic chucks; and a plurality of second DC lines respectively connected to the plurality of electrostatic chucks in the power distribution unit.

[Substrate Processing Apparatus]
In general, a semiconductor memory device, a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting device, and the like, are manufactured by a manufacturing process in which a semiconductor process is performed twice or more times on a substrate to deposit and stack a structure having a desired shape.
A semiconductor manufacturing process includes a deposition process in which a predetermined thin film is deposited on a substrate, a photolithography process in which a selected region of the thin film is exposed, an etching process in which the thin film of the selected region is removed, and the like. Such a semiconductor process is performed in a process chamber in which an optimal environment is established for a corresponding process.
In general, an apparatus for processing a circular substrate such as a wafer is disposed inside a process chamber, and has a structure in which a plurality of second disks (sub-disks), each having a size smaller than a circular first disk (a main disk), are mounted on the first disk.
In a substrate processing apparatus, substrate process is performed by seating a substrate on the second disk, rotating the first disk and rotating and revolving the second disk, and injecting a source material onto the substrate to deposit and stack a structure having a desired shape on the substrate.
At this point, an additional apparatus for injecting air or another gas is used to rotate the second disk about an axis thereof. In this case, foreign substances contained in the air or gas may be adsorbed to the substrate to cause product defects.
Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0073281 discloses that a metal disk is rotated when s magnet is relatively moved to only a neighboring portion of the metal disk based on Arago's principle. However, the rotation of the metal disc based on the Arago's principle is difficult to control precise rotation speed and to precisely stop the metal disk in a desired location.
Accordingly, there is a need for a rotation method of stably rotating the second disk mounted on the first disk while revolving the first disk. In addition, there is a need for a fixing method of stably fixing the substrate mounted on the second disk against centrifugal force.
[Rotating Electrical Connector]
A slipring is an electrical/mechanical component, also called a rotary connector, and is a type of rotation connector, capable of supplying power or a signal line to a rotating device without twisting of electric wires.
In general, an apparatus for processing a circular substrate such as a wafer is disposed inside a process chamber, and has a structure in which a plurality of second disks (sub-disks), each having a size smaller than a circular first disk (a main disk), are mounted on the first disk.
In a substrate processing apparatus, substrate process is performed by seating a substrate on the second disk, rotating the first disk and rotating and revolving the second disk, and injecting a source material onto the substrate to deposit and stack a structure having a desired shape on the substrate.
At this point, an additional apparatus for injecting air or another gas is used to rotate the second disk about an axis thereof. In this case, foreign substances contained in the air or gas may be adsorbed to the substrate to cause product defects.
When mounting an electrostatic chuck rotating while revolving in a substrate processing apparatus, there is demand for a method of stably transmitting a high voltage in a vacuum state to the electrostatic chuck. In the case in which the electrostatic chuck is a bipolar electrostatic chuck, a conventional slipring cannot be used because parasitic discharge occurs.

Substrate processing apparatus and rotating electrical connector for vacuum


A novel method of producing high-purity hydroxy-L-pipecolic acids in an efficient and inexpensive manner while suppressing the production of hydroxy-L-proline is provided. The method includes allowing an L-pipecolic acid hydroxylase, a microorganism or cell having the ability to produce the enzyme, a processed product of the microorganism or cell, and/or a culture liquid comprising the enzyme and obtained by culturing the microorganism or cell, to act on L-pipecolic acid as a substrate in the presence of 2-oxoglutaric acid and ferrous ion, wherein the L-pipecolic acid hydroxylase has the properties:                (1) the enzyme can act on L-pipecolic acid in the presence of 2-oxoglutaric acid and ferrous ion to add a hydroxy group to the carbon atom at positions 3, 4, and/or 5 of L-pipecolic acid; and        (2) the enzyme has a catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) with L-proline that is equal to or less than 7 times the catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) with L-pipecolic acid.

Hydroxy-L-pipecolic acids are compounds useful as intermediates to produce pharmaceuticals, and the like. It is known that, for example, (4S)-hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid and (4R)-hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid can be used as precursors of a Rho kinase inhibitor (Patent Document 1) and the HIV protease inhibitor palinavir (Non-Patent Document 1), respectively, while (5S)-hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid and (5R)-hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid can be used as precursors of antimicrobials (Patent Document 2).
It has been known that hydroxy-L-pipecolic acids can be produced from L-pipecolic acid by biological approaches. Examples of proteins having the ability to convert L-pipecolic acid to (5S)-hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid reportedly include the BAB52605 protein derived from the root nodule bacterium Mesorhizobium loti strain MAFF303099 isolated from Lotus japonicus, the CAC47686 protein derived from the root nodule bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021 isolated from Medicago sativa (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "SmPH"), and a protein encoded in a polynucleotide (cistronic gene), the expression of which is initiated 48 nucleotides (corresponding to 16 amino acids) upstream of the translation start site described in the annotation of the EFV12517 protein derived from the Segniliparus rugosus strain ATCC BAA-974 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "SruPH"), and the like (Patent Document 3). These hydroxylases can be used to convert L-pipecolic acid to hydroxy-L-pipecolic acids.
However, any of these hydroxylases also has the ability to produce hydroxy-L-proline through the hydroxylation of L-proline.
An L-pipecolic acid biologically produced by using an enzyme, microbial bodies, or the like may be contaminated with a trace amount of L-proline, for example, as a carry-over component from a medium used for the preparation of the enzyme or the microbial bodies.
Moreover, in cases where hydroxy-L-pipecolic acids are produced from pure L-pipecolic acid as a base material by using the hydroxylases, the hydroxylases to be used may be contaminated with L-proline.
Furthermore, even if neither L-pipecolic acid as a base material nor the hydroxylases are contaminated with L-proline, in cases where the hydroxylation reaction is achieved by culturing microbial bodies capable of expressing the hydroxylases, L-proline may potentially be produced as a by-product by those microbial bodies during the course of their growth.
Since the physicochemical properties of L-proline are close to those of L-pipecolic acid, it is difficult to obtain pure L-pipecolic acid with complete removal of L-proline.
Moreover, when L-pipecolic acid contaminated with L-proline is used as a base material along with any of the aforementioned enzymes in the conversion of L-pipecolic acid to a hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid, L-proline is converted to hydroxy-L-proline and, therefore, the resulting product will be a mixture of the hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid and hydroxy-L-proline, which makes it difficult to obtain the hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid of high purity. Also, since the physicochemical properties of hydroxy-L-proline are close to those of hydroxy-L-pipecolic acids, it is difficult to separate them from each other.
Accordingly, disadvantageously, a heavy burden in purification process and a huge expense of time and money have been required for the preparation of high-purity hydroxy-L-pipecolic acids with removal of hydroxy-L-proline because multiply repeated purification and use of expensive purification measures are required.

Method for producing hydroxy-L-pipecolic acid


A beverage container for use in a holder having an outer wall and an inner wall which form a space therebetween for receiving the base of the beverage container. The base of the beverage container includes a substantially vertical surface disposed inwardly from the container outer surface and extending upwardly from the container lower surface. When the beverage container is within the holder it is easily removed therefrom in a vertical direction without frictional resistance. When the beverage container is tipped within the holder, however, it is wedged between the inner and outer walls of the holder and thus prevents the contents from spilling.

The present invention generally relates to the construction of containers and a holder for supporting the containers and, in particular, to the construction of beverage containers and a holder adapted to hold the containers in an upright position so as to prevent spillage. The beverage containers, such as mugs, paper cups, plastic cups, plastic beverage bottles and the like, have a base which is specifically adapted for use in the holder. The holder is a relatively small, unobtrusive device capable of holding a variety of beverage containers, as well as a standard 12 ounce aluminum can, and is particularly well suited for use in an automotive vehicle.
The habit of eating or drinking while driving or riding in an automobile has been present in society for many years, but never has it been a more common part of everyday life than in today's fast paced world. To meet this increased demand, a majority of fast food restaurants have added "drive-thru" windows enabling customers to receive their food and drinks without even leaving their vehicles. Convenience stores have also catered to this demand by providing commuters with a "come-back" deal that adds incentive for the commuter to return. Now, rather than leisurely drinking a cup of coffee at home, commuters are able to buy an insulated mug of coffee at the convenience store and then have it repeatedly refilled--and at a price which is probably less than what it would cost at home. A dilemma arises, however, from both such situations. Specifically, once the consumer is in the automobile and has the purchased beverage, there is no convenient location to place the beverage to prevent it from spilling while he is attempting to drive.
Heretofore, solutions to this problem have included holding the beverage between one's legs, propping the beverage against the back of the seat, setting the beverage in a drink well provided on the glove compartment door, or using prior art devices designed to hang over the automobile door, such as those depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,425 to Wallace et al. or U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,523 to Statz et al. Both of these patents disclose plastic racks which encircle a beverage can and a hook which engages a window frame slot. However, these types of racks are generally not very secure, are limited to holding a standard 12-ounce can, and, with the improved technology in window seal arrangements, it is not always possible to force the plastic hook between the window pane and the sealing gasket. Additionally, most prior art devices have required a substantial portion of the beverage container's overall height to be encircled in order for the beverage container to be adequately held. This requires a predetermined amount of space, makes the holder more obvious, and is less appealing to the consumer's aesthetic point of view. Thus, with few available alternatives for holding their beverages, consumers have come to accept a spilled drink, when making a sharp turn or accelerating into traffic, as an associated risk of consuming their coffee or soda while driving or riding in an automotive vehicle.
With literally hundreds of different beverage container shapes and sizes with which to contend, it would be near impossible to design a single holder which could accommodate such diversity. Therefore, what is needed is a holder adapted to secure a standardized aluminum can, which is also appealing to the consumer and which can be secured to virtually any planar surface. Then, once having designed a standardized holder, what is needed is a new approach to the manufacturing of various beverage containers such that they will also fit within the standardized holder and thereby be prevented from spilling.


A customizable theme calendar includes a set of date cells corresponding to an arbitrarily designated time period (e.g., a starting date and a target date), and a theme applied to the calendar. The theme corresponds to an event associated with the arbitrarily designated time period. The time periods and themes may correspond to recognized holidays such Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter and so on, or to arbitrarily designated events having personal or familial significance, such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Such customized calendars may be designed and generated in connection with a computer system and calendar generation software.

This invention relates to theme calendars.
An "Advent Calendar" is a familiar type of theme calendar. In general parlance, "advent" refers to a coming or arrival, especially of something awaited or momentous. "Advent" in its proper form is defined as the penitential period beginning four Sundays before Christmas. Advent calendars were originated in the 1920s by a German businessman, Gerhard Lang, as a means for marking the passage of days while counting down to Christmas.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical implementation of a Christmas Advent calendar 10. A substantially flat (two-dimensional or 2D) member 11 has twenty-five individual cells 13, one for each of the days from December 1st to December 25 (i.e., Christmas Day) along with a Christmas-related motif or theme 12 (e.g., Santa Claus) imprinted thereon. Each of the cells 13 has a closure (e.g., door or flap) 14 which is to be opened when the day corresponding to the cell under consideration arrives. Underneath each flap 14 is a textual message, religious saying or an image that relates to the Christmas theme. Starting on December 1st, an owner of a Christmas Advent calendar 10 opens one flap 14 each day, reads the message for that day, and then continues in this manner, counting down one day at a time until Christmas day arrives.
Various different physical configurations can be used for Christmas advent calendars. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a three-dimensional (3D) Christmas advent calendar 20 can be constructed in which each date cell has a depth, D, sufficient to hold a 3D object 22 such as a charm, toy, ornament, piece of candy or another token representative of the Christmas theme.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Customized calendar and calendar generation software and method


A new distinct cultivar of Bidens plant named ‘DANYEL9’, characterized by its compact, ball-shaped (mounded) growth habit; freely branching habit with lateral flowering branches forming at every node; green in color, tripinnated leaves; high floriferous rate with large, eight petalled yellow flowers; and good resistance to pest and diseases.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Bidens plant, botanically known as Bidens ferulifolia, of the (Compositae) Asteracea family, commonly referred to as the Bur Marigold, and hereinafter referred to by the variety denomination 'DANYEL9'.
Bidens, of the Daisy family, (Compositae) Asteraceae, consists of hardy perennials and annuals, which are natively grown in southern climate zones in the U.S., Mexico and Guatemala.
The new Bidens 'DANYEL9' is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor, Gabriel Danziger, in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel. The objective of the breeding program was to develop a new Bidens cultivar with a compact growth habit and single, large in diameter flowers with a unique color combination.
The new Bidens 'DANYEL9' originated from a cross made in a controlled breeding program by the inventor, Gabriel Danziger, in 2007, in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel, from open pollination of the seed parent, Bidens ferulifolia 'CV-06-244' (unpatented), by an unknown Bidens cultivar. The new Bidens 'DANYEL9' was discovered and selected by the inventor, Gabriel Danziger, as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel.
Asexual reproduction of the new Bidens 'DANYEL9' by vegetative cuttings was first performed in June of 2007 in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel, and has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. The new cultivar reproduces true-to-type.


A power control circuit controls a voltage supplied to a load circuit, such as a memory write driver circuit, that exhibits a current demand responsive to a load control signal applied thereto. The power control circuit includes a power supply input terminal configured to receive a supply voltage and an output terminal configured to connect to the load circuit. A voltage regulator circuit is connected between the power supply input terminal and the output terminal and operative to regulate a voltage at the output terminal. A bypass circuit is operative to couple the power supply input terminal to the output terminal responsive to the load control signal and thereby bypass the voltage regulator circuit. The bypass circuit preferably includes a bypass control circuit configured to receive the load control signal and operative to generate a bypass control signal responsive to the load control signal, and a switching circuit, e.g., a transistor, operative to couple and decouple the power supply input terminal and the output terminal responsive to the bypass control signal. Related methods are also discussed.

From the point of view of reliability and power consumption, it is desirable to operate integrated circuit memory devices using lower supply voltages. Accordingly, many memory devices employ down converters for producing reduced supply voltages from a higher voltage source. A typical down converter generates an internal supply voltage by stepping down an external supply voltage of 5 V to a lower level. Such a down converter typically also regulates the reduced supply voltage to increase immunity to variation in the external supply voltage.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a memory device incorporating a conventional voltage down converter 3. The conventional voltage down converter 3 includes a PMOS transistor 5 that receives an external supply voltage Vext at a first terminal, and produces a regulated voltage Vint responsive to a control signal generated by a comparator 7 that compares the regulated voltage Vint with a reference voltage Vref.
The regulated voltage Vint generated by the voltage down converter 3 is typically supplied to various circuits of the memory device, including circuits that exhibit current demand that varies responsive to control signals thereto. A write driver circuit, for example, may exhibit increased current demand responsive to a transition write enable signal. This increased demand may momentarily reduce the regulated voltage Vint. However, the reduction in the regulated voltage Vint is fed back to the comparator 7, which responsively lowers the gate voltage applied to the PMOS transistor 5 and drives the regulated voltage Vint up to the reference voltage Vref. Similarly, if the regulated supply voltage Vint goes higher than the reference voltage Vref, the output voltage of the comparator 7 increases and the gate voltage of the PMOS transistor 5 is increased to drive the regulated voltage Vint down to the reference voltage Vref.
However, the down converter 3 typically exhibits a delay in response to fluctuations of the regulated voltage Vint, due to parasitic resistance and parasitic capacitance. This delay can result in significant excursions in the regulated voltage Vint, particularly when a lot of data is read out or written during a high speed memory operation, when multiple write drivers operate simultaneously. If a write operation occurs before the regulated voltage Vint returns to its desired level, the operation of the memory device may be degraded.

Demand-anticipating power control circuits for integrated circuit devices and methods of operation thereof


An apparatus and related process for immersing a moving wire within a both of molten metal is applicable to wire forming processes. A flat-bottomed tray has at one end a nozzle for dispersing molten metal across the floor of the tray, from a first end to a second end, in a sheetlike flow. The nozzle preferably includes a slot-like opening, and is associated with a chamber for receiving a supply of pressurized molten metal for discharge through the slot. The metal is discharged with sufficient velocity to create a hydraulic jump or standing wave, whereby the crest of the wave is elevated above the tray end walls. Within the wave, molten metal experiences a turbulent flow in a direction against the travel of the wire array. The wire array passes through the wave, thereby experiencing immersion while being drawn through the apparatus in a straight path without substantial declination. An arrangement of pumps, heaters and a reservoir for the metal permit the metal to be re-circulated through the device and maintained in a molten state.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of metal wire, rod, and the like, and in particular to apparatuses and processes for immersing a moving wire within a bath of molten metal such as zinc or lead, for the purpose of coating or quenching the wire.
Within the production of wire or metal rod (which will be referred to herein generically as xe2x80x9cwirexe2x80x9d), immersion of the wire within a bath of molten metal is required at one or more stages of production. For example, upon exiting the austinizing furnace the wire is quenched within a quench furnace. Conventionally, the quench furnace comprises a bath of molten lead or other metal, for rapidly cooling the hot wire from the furnace temperature of about 950xc2x0 C. to about 535xc2x0 C. Conventionally, a continuous length of wire is drawn from the furnace at a rapid rate, passes through the quench furnace and subsequently through various downstream processing means. These latter optionally include a coating station, in which the wire is coated by immersion into a bath of liquid metal such as zinc. Conventionally wire is drawn through the various stations in a generally horizontal direction.
Within conventional manufacturing processes, a molten metal immersion bath comprises a chamber or housing, in which the wire enters the housing at a level somewhat above the surface of the liquid metal, and is deflected downwardly into the liquid by means of an arrangement of sinkers or the like. The wire is subsequently directed back to a higher level to exit the chamber. The downward deflection is required in light of the difficulty in achieving a sealable opening within the chamber at a level below the surface of the liquid. To prevent leakage of the metal, the chamber must be fully sealed below the liquid surface level, thus necessitating within the prior art a tortuous path for the wire. The wire is drawn downwardly into the bath by the application of a relatively considerable downward force, in light of the high tension applied to the wire and the relatively high speed at which the wire is drawn through the fabrication stations. As a result considerable wear is typically experienced by the various sinker arrangements, as well as the wire handling equipment associated with drawing the moving wire through the tortuous path associated with immersion of the wire within a bath. Further, the wire itself experiences stress, leading to cracks, weaknesses and the like.
In order to prevent strain on the wire, leading to cracks, fractures, or weakened portions, it is desirable that the wire follow a generally straight linear path and any deflection from the horizontal be minimized.
It has been proposed to provide a wire coating station wherein the wire travels through the station without deflection from the horizontal. In particular, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,956,537 (Raymond), 5,527,563 (Unger et al.) and 5,718,765 (Unger et al.) propose generally trough-like arrangements, with the wire passing through the trough in each case in a substantial horizontal direction without downward deflection. A coating layer is sprayed onto the wire as it passes through the trough, with a trough serving to contain the coating material in the regions surrounding the wire. However, this arrangement is not suitable for quenching hot wire exiting an austinizing furnace, as it does not fully immerse the wire within a bath, nor for a hot metal coating station requiring complete immersion within a molten metal bath.
There has not been prior to the present invention proposed any suitable arrangement for immersing wire within a bath of molten metal or the like, wherein the wire is conveyed through a bath in a substantially straight, horizontal, non-tortuous path.
The benefits that may be achieved by providing such an arrangement include:
improved metallurgical structures resulting from the lack of stress on the metal from the minimal distortion of the wire;
maintenance savings throughout the production line, as a result of avoiding the need for ceramic or metal sinkers, pulleys or the like for displacing wire downwardly into a bath;
reduction of strain on feeding and tensioning equipment, as a result of a more efficient passage of the wire through the molten metal baths, without the necessity of drawing a wire through displacement means;
reduction in manpower, production costs and scrap product, and increased speed of production and productivity as a result of the above.
As well, the overall length of the quench or coating stations may be reduced by application of the present invention, thereby further reducing costs associated with wire production.
In a further aspect, the molten metal within a conventional bath typically substantially circulates relatively slowly or not at all. As a result, a layer of laminar flow is created at the wire surface as the wire is drawn through the liquid at a high speed. This can result in localized fluctuations in temperature, wherein the liquid within the zone of laminar flow is elevated in temperature, resulting in a less efficient quenching or coating operation. More efficient coating and quenching processes may be achieved by imparting a velocity, and in particular a turbulent flow, to the molten metal within the bath, thereby minimizing the laminar flow effects. Further, improved processes may be achieved by directing a turbulent, relatively rapid flow in a direction countercurrent to the direction of travel of the wire within the bath. If the flow is imparted with sufficient velocity and turbulence, the laminar flow layer which normally surrounds wire drawn through a liquid bath is disrupted.
The present invention operates on the principle of providing within a molten metal bath a volume of molten metal that is elevated at a central region of the bath relative to the ends, thereby permitting the wire to pass through this elevated region in a straight path without downward deflection. The present invention also relies on a means for imparting a velocity to the molten metal within the bath, which conveniently is in a direction against the wire travel direction, and providing a degree of turbulence within the molten metal. The turbulence and the counterflow effectively disturb the laminar flow layer which normally surrounds wire traveling through a liquid bath, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the molten metal properties within a quenching operation or other stage requiring full immersion of the moving wire.
An object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus and method for immersing wire within a liquid metal bath, for the purpose of annealing or coating the wire or other like purpose within a wire forming process. More particularly, the object is to immerse a moving wire within a bath, without downward deflection of the wire. In order to achieve these objects, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for immersing a moving wire within a molten metal bath wherein the liquid forms a hydraulic jump that effectively elevates a volume of the liquid within a standing wave configuration whereby a wire may be drawn in a substantially straight path through the standing wave.
It is a further object to provide an immersion bath characterized by a turbulent flow of molten metal in a direction against the wire travel direction, in order to effectively disrupt the layer of laminar flow adjacent to the wire, thereby improving the efficiency and efficacy of the immersion.
According to one aspect, the present invention comprises an apparatus for use in association with a wire forming arrangement, for immersing within a liquid metal bath a wire travelling in generally straight linear horizontal path, comprising;
an elongate tray having opposed ends and elongate sides, a flat floor, a dam at a second end of said tray and sidewalls along the side edges of the tray for maintaining a volume of liquid metal within said tray;
support means for supporting a wire at a height above said floor along a substantially horizontal plane;
a source of pressurized liquid metal, preferably comprising at least one pump means suitable for delivering a relatively high pressure and high volume stream of molten metal; and
a nozzle at a first end of said tray for directing the liquid from said source in a sheetlike flow along said floor towards said second end of said tray and over said dam, with sufficient velocity to generate by means of a hydraulic jump a standing wave of said liquid within said tray wherein the crest of said wave is at a level above said height thereby immersing a portion of said wire within said liquid at said standing wave.
In a preferred embodiment, the liquid is recirculated within the system. Further, the liquid cascades over the dam after contact with the wire into a reservoir pan, and is recirculated to the nozzle by a pump means or the like.
Preferably, the nozzle means comprises an elongate chamber communicating with the liquid source, having a slot-like outlet defined by spaced apart parallel plate means defining an inner space communicating with said chamber and opening onto the floor of the tray in a direction parallel to the tray floor. The slot-like opening has a height defined by the spacing of the parallel plate means and a width which in one aspect generally corresponds to the length of the chamber.
The relative dimensions and flow rate of the respective components and in particular the dimensions of the slot-like nozzle are an important aspect of providing a suitable hydraulic jump within the tray. The spaced apart parallel plates in the nozzle means of the preferred version have a spacing therebetween of about 6 mm , and a width of about three feet and said source of liquid metal is adapted to provide said metal at a pressure of between 22 psi and 30 psi at a flow rate of about 110 kg/sec. of molten lead. Within these parameters, the resulting velocity of the lead exiting the nozzle is between about 10 and 15 ft/sec. In general terms in one aspect of the invention, the slot dimensions and the liquid flow rate that achieve a suitable hydraulic jump conforms to the following formula:   D  =            d      2                  [                                    1            +                                          8                g                                          x                                            xe2x80x83                                                                            Q                  2                                                                      L                    2                                                                          d                    3                                                                                -        1            ]
where D=wave height
d=slot height (distance xe2x80x9cxxe2x80x9d)
g=gravitational constant
Q=flow rate
L=slot width (distance xe2x80x9czxe2x80x9d)
It is understood that depending on the selected speed at which the wire array is drawn through the apparatus and the desired immersion time, the slot dimension and flow rate parameters will be selected according to the above formula to achieve a suitable height D of the standing wave. Preferably, D is selected to achieve a minimum six second immersion of a wire array drawn through the apparatus.
The invention comprises in a further aspect:
a pressurized source of molten metal;
a tray having a substantially flat floor, first and second opposed ends, elongate
opposed sides and sidewalls along the side edges;
a nozzle at a first end of said tray communicating with said pressurized source, for directing a stream of said liquid onto the floor of said tray, in a sheet like flow towards an opposed second end of said tray;
wire entry and exit means within said tray permitting wire to be drawn through said tray in a straight, linear generally horizontal path from said second end to said first end thereof, substantially parallel to said floor and at a height elevated above the floor;
molten metal recirculating means for removing said liquid from said second end of said tray and recirculating said liquid to said pump means;
whereby said pump means are adapted to pump the molten metal through said nozzle with sufficient velocity to create a hydraulic jump whereby a standing wave is created of said liquid of sufficient height to fully immerse a portion of the wire within the molten metal, with the liquid within the standing wave characterized by a relatively turbulent flow of said liquid in a direction against the direction of travel said wire passing through said tray.
In a further aspect, the invention comprises a method for immersing a wire within a bath of molten metal, comprising the steps of:
providing an elongate tray having opposed ends and elongate sides, a flat floor, a dam at a second end of said tray and sidewalls for maintaining a liquid metal within said tray;
providing a volume of liquid coating metal within said tray having a surface at a first height;
support means for supporting the wire at a second height above said first height along a substantially horizontal plane;
a source of pressurized liquid metal such as a pump means; and a nozzle at a first end of said tray;
drawing the wire above the floor of the tray in a generally horizontal, straight path at the second height;
directing said liquid from said source in a sheetlike flow along said floor towards said second end of said tray and over said dam, with sufficient velocity to generate a hydraulic jump consisting of a standing wave of said liquid within said tray wherein the crest of said wave is at a level above said height to substantially immerse said wire within said liquid at said standing wave; and
receiving said liquid flowing over said dam and recirculating said liquid into said source.
Although within the preferred embodiments of the invention the wire is drawn axially relative to the elongate axis of the wire, it is contemplated that with suitable modifications the invention may operate in connection with a transverse movement of the wire.
Having briefly characterized the salient features of the present invention, a detailed description of a preferred embodiment will now be described. Further aspects of the invention will become apparent within the following detailed description.

Molten metal immersion bath of wire fabrication


When image information for the purpose of being printed out has been entered, whether or not the image information contains a mark image such as a watermark is determined to such an extent that will not lower the throughput of a printer. To accomplish this, the image is input and elapsed time starts being measured from the start of detection processing that is for detecting whether a specific image is contained in the input image. If time runs out during the course of detection processing, a decision is rendered to the effect that the image does not contain the specific image.

Research for multiplexing image information with other image-related information is being conducted extensively. There is continuing standardization of a technique referred to as an electronic-watermark technique through which image information representing a photograph or picture, etc., is multiplexed with additional information, such as the name of a copyright holder and an indication of whether or not the image is allowed to be used, in such a manner that the additional information is difficult to distinguish visually, and the multiplexed images are distributed over a network such as the Internet. Such a watermark often is used primarily for the purpose of copyright protection.
Another field of application is the prevention of counterfeiting of banknotes, stamps and securities necessitated by improvements in the image quality afforded by image input/output devices such as copiers, scanners and printers. For example, a special mark or watermark is multiplexed with a banknote, stamp or security in advance. When the mark is sensed by an image input/output device, it is assumed that the image information is that of a banknote, stamp or security. In response, printing is halted, a warning is issued or the entire surface of the printout is intentionally covered with blank ink or the like to thereby output a degraded image that makes it impossible to use a printed copy unlawfully.
An example of embedding of a watermark will be described with reference to FIG. 5. This illustrates an example of an electronic watermarking technique through which image information is combined with a high-frequency region, etc., rather than with a region in actual space, after being converted to a frequency region using a Fourier transform.
As shown in FIG. 5, image information is first converted to a frequency region by orthogonal transform processing 501. Examples of orthogonal transforms are a Fourier transform, direct cosine transform (DCT) and wavelet transform. Next, an adder 402 adds additional information to a specific high frequency that is difficult to distinguish visually. Often the addition is to a high-frequency region because the characteristic of human vision is such that the higher the frequency region, the lower the degree of sensitivity. The signal resulting from the addition operation is returned to a region in actual space by inverse orthogonal transform processing 503. Image information in which the watermark has been embedded is thus obtained. In a case where the watermark is used in a banknote, stamp or security, a transition is made to print processing 504, at which the banknote, stamp or security having the embedded mark, which is difficult to sense visually, is completed.
FIG. 6 illustrates a procedure through which a mark is detected from the paper of the printout. As shown in FIG. 6, printed matter is read by an image reader 601 such as a scanner to input information representing the printed matter. Since the input information represents a gray-scale image obtained by print screening processing, the information is subjected to reconstruction processing 602, which is reverse screening. In general, restoration processing uses an LPF (low-pass filter). At this time the dots constituting the printed matter and scanner aliasing distortion (moiré) caused by sampling must be eliminated. Next, an orthogonal transform 603 is applied to the reconstructed information and then the embedded additional information is detected from the data of the specific frequency components by detection processing 604.
The orthogonal transformation processing and detection processing can be executed within an image reader such as a scanner, within an image output device such as a printer, within the device drivers of these peripherals, within the operating system of a host computer or within application software.
The foregoing is an example of watermarking in which a mark is embedded in a frequency region. However, there is also a method through which a mark is embedded in a region of actual space rather than in a frequency region.
Further, the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 7-36325 is an example of a technique for embedding a visible mark. This application proposes means for adding a mark, which is composed of a plurality of concentric circles having different diameters, to a document and detecting the mark with a high degree of precision.
The techniques mentioned above, however, have a number of problems.
Specifically, with the above-described method of detecting a watermark, processing such as orthogonal transformation requires a great deal of image memory and processing time. The same holds true with the method of embedding a mark using a region in actual space, in which differences in tonality over a wide area must be evaluated.
In the detection of a mark such as visible concentric circles or the detection of a banknote, stamp or security, matching with a pre-registered pattern is evaluated. As with the watermark, a great deal of image memory and processing time are required.
A major factor in these methods is that the purpose is to detect whether or not an embedded mark or watermark exists. That is, since these methods are premised on the fact that a mark or watermark has already been embedded in all image information, not that much processing time is required if only the type of mark is to be identified.
However, in the detection of a banknote, stamp or security or the like, information representing a large number of items of information to undergo detection processing does not contain an embedded mark or watermark. In other words, an enormous amount of time is needed to prove reliably that image information that is entirely free of an embedded mark or watermark has no embedded watermark. Further, in order to prove reliably that no mark or watermark has been embedded, it is necessary to execute detection processing a plurality of times and judge the results while changing the detection conditions.
Nevertheless, devices such as copiers solve the aforementioned problem by using a large memory and implementing detection processing by hardware.
However, when one considers an arrangement in which the above-described detection processing is executed within the printer driver of an ink-jet printer or laser printer, it is found that execution of this detection processing is not realistic owing to the limited memory available and software processing speed that is slightly slower than that of processing by hardware. If processing time of a printer driver is too long, the print processing speed of the printer engine will exceed the speed of the printer driver, resulting in a major decline in performance. For example, the printer engine may cease operating.

Image processing apparatus, method and storage medium therefor


A television receiver includes a mode setting device for selectively setting either a factory check mode of operation or a normal mode of operation. Speeds of variation of adjustment sections of the television receivers are set at predetermined high speeds in the factory check mode, and are set at predetermined normal speeds in the normal mode. The television receiver also includes an input device for inputting a control signal, and a control device for controlling the mode setting device in response to the control signal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a television receiver.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, television receivers with various additional functions have been developed. A final stage of the production of such multi-function television receivers requires many steps for adjustment and check. It is good to reduce the number of these steps for an efficient production of multi-function television receivers.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A system and method for automated and/or semi-automated analysis of video for discerning patterns of interest in video streams. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is directed to identifying patterns of interest in indoor settings. In one aspect, the present invention deals with the change detection problem using a Markov Random Field approach where information from different sources are naturally combined with additional constraints to provide the final detection map. A slight modification is made of the regularity term within the MRF model that accounts for real-discontinuities in the observed data. The defined objective function is implemented in a multi-scale framework that decreases the computational cost and the risk of convergence to local minima. To achieve real-time performance, fast deterministic relaxation algorithms are used to perform the minimization. The crowdedness measure used is a geometric measure of occupancy that is quasi-invariant to objects translating on the platform.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to video analysis and, more specifically, to a system and method for video analysis techniques so as to automatically screen video streams to identify events of interest.
2. Description of Related Art
With the increasing use of video surveillance and monitoring in public areas to improve safety and security, techniques for analyzing such videos are becoming increasingly important. There are various techniques that are utilized or have been proposed for video analysis. The current generation of (closed-circuit television) CCTV systems are primarily visual aids for a control operator who then analyzes the video for unusual patterns of activity and takes specific control actions. However, as the number of deployed cameras increase, monitoring all the video streams simultaneously becomes increasingly difficult and the likelihood of missing significant events of interest is quite high. Therefore, automated video analysis using Computer Vision techniques is of interest.
There has been significant research in modules and systems for video surveillance and monitoring in recent years. These surveillance systems generally involve several fundamental steps: change detection and segmentation (to identify objects different from background in the scene), tracking (using motion analysis to identify and track people/objects), illumination adaptation (for adaptation to change in illumination if the system is to be deployed in outdoor settings, handling of shadows in both indoor/outdoor settings), event detection (action detection), and reasoning.
Analyzing video for use in surveillance situations requires real-time processing on compressed video streams, low cost, camera viewpoint, etc. Many surveillance scenes which involve intermittent high traffic, for example, a subway platform, have illumination conditions characterized by near static situations mixed with occasional sudden changes due to changes in the platform state (e.g., extreme ambient illumination changes, shadowing, etc. due to train arrivals/departures in the scene). In addition, the information space is physically corrupted due to factors such as low quality cameras, noise during signal transmission, and quantization due to compression.
We now provide a survey of related art in the field. The 2-D motion detection problem has been widely investigated from the very beginning of Computer Vision since it provides a good basis to deal with high level tasks of computer vision such as motion estimation, tracking, robotics, depth recovery, etc. Prior literature on object detection using motion cues can be classified from two viewpoints: 1) In cases where a reference frame of the background scene is available, the task of motion detection is equivalent to the task of background subtraction that aims at locating the areas of the image domain that are different from the background reference frame. 2) In cases where the background scene is dynamically changing such that an image of the background is not available, then the problem is equivalent to change detection where the proposed solutions are based on the inter-frame difference (or those that use update methods that statistically model and update the changing scene).
Simple approaches for change detection use thresholding techniques. The motion detection map is obtained by applying pixel-wise (or block-wise) thresholding criteria to the observed difference image. However, such approaches do not have a robust behavior with respect to noise. In addition, the automatic determination of the threshold is an issue.
This issue was resolved by performing statistical analysis on the observed distribution of the difference frame. The statistical analysis involved approximating the frame difference value distribution by using a mixture model. Gaussian or Laplacian distributions were assumed for the component distributions for pixels whose difference values are from different hypotheses: e.g. pixels corresponding to static objects or mobile objects. A motion detection map can then be automatically determined using Bayes rule by using the observed difference frame (i.e. data) and the aposteriori probabilities of the different hypotheses given the data. While these methods are improvements over ad-hoc pixel based classification schemes, they suffer from locality since higher-order interactions across pixels are not modeled and the decisions are taken locally at a pixel-wise level.
This constraint can be dealt with by the use of more complex models where local interaction between neighboring pixels can be introduced. For example, the use of Markov chains was proposed where the motion detection problem was viewed as a statistical estimation problem. However, these methods were constrained to interactions among lines or columns and hence they had limited applicability. In addition, the use of spatial filters was proposed for situations where some a priori knowledge is available. Although these approaches demonstrate very good performance in controlled environments, they lack generality and are not able to deal with deformations as well as global illumination changes.
A further attempt to solve the motion detection and tracking problem involved the formulation with spatial (local) interaction constraints in the form of Markov Random Field model. In this framework, the motion detection map is obtained by maximizing the a posteriori segmentation probability of a joint probability density function (that incorporates the local Markov property) for the likelihood of label assignments given observations. The main advantage of this approach is that it is less affected from the presence of noise, and provides a global segmentation criterion. The optimization problem turns to be equivalent to the minimization of a global objective function and is usually performed using stochastic (Mean-field, Simulated Annealing) or deterministic relaxation algorithms (Iterated Conditional Modes, Highest Confidence First). However, although the Markov Random Field-based objective function is a very powerful model, usually it is computationally expensive, and this may be perceived as a handicap.
Accordingly, an efficient and accurate real-time video analysis technique for identifying events of interest, and particularly, events of interest in high-traffic video streams, which does not suffer from locality and which can handle deformations and global illumination changes, is highly desirable.

Real-time crowd density estimation from video


The present disclosure relates to an ablation device, which relates to the technical field of cryoablation treatments, and is used for solving the technical problem of an excessive burden on an operator caused by the volume of a delivery device being too large. The ablation device of the disclosure comprises an ablation needle and a working medium transmission device connected to the ablation needle. The working medium transmission device comprises a first delivery tube and a second delivery tube. The first delivery tube and the second delivery tube are configured to be of split structures that are independent of each other, such that the structure of the working medium delivery device at the rear end of the ablation needle is smaller and lighter, and thus the burden on the operator's operation can be reduced, making the operation to be more flexible and convenient.

Ablation is the surgical medical technology where a target tissue is eliminated by using a freezing and a thermal medium. During a surgical operation, it is necessary to convey a freezing medium to a lesion region of a patient in order to take away the heat of a lesion tissue via evaporation and heat absorption of the freezing medium, so that the temperature of a target ablation position is decreased, thereby destroying pathological cells and tissues and achieving a treatment purpose. After the cryotherapy is completed, a thermal medium is controlled for delivery to the lesion region of a patient, which instantaneously releases a large amount of heat, such that the temperature of a treatment region is rapidly recovered. The treatment media (a freezing and a thermal medium) are conveyed by a delivery device, which has an input line and a backflow line. An input line and a backflow line of an existing delivery device are integrated into the same tube, which causes the delivery device to be relatively heavy, increasing an additional burden on a user's operation.


A sensor is an optical resonator constituted by: a first reflecting body that exhibits semi transmissivity/semi reflectivity; a transparent body; and a second reflecting body that exhibits one of reflectivity and semi transmissivity/semi reflectivity, provided in this order from the light incident side. The sensor is configured such that the absorption peak of the measuring light beam by resonance in the optical resonator matches the absorption peak of the measuring light beam by local plasmon resonance generated at the surface and/or within the optical resonator. The sensor has absorption properties such that light of specific wavelengths are absorbed depending the mean complex refractive indices of the first and second reflecting bodies and the thickness of the transparent body. An emitted light beam is output from the first reflecting body. The physical properties of the emitted light beam that change according to the absorption properties are detected.

As a sensor for use in analysis of an organic molecule, there has been proposed a sensor utilizing a phenomenon where reflected light of a particular wavelength is attenuated in intensity by a local plasmon resonance. It is said that though being simple in structure and less expensive and smaller in structural limitation, the local plasmon sensor is not excellent in detecting sensitivity and it is difficult to carry out a precision analysis by the use of the local plasmon sensor. Since the detecting sensitivity is influenced by the in-plane uniformity of recessed/projected structure (sometimes referred to as "an irregularity") of the metal fine structure in the sensor surface, there has been proposed a method in which the recessed/projected structure of the metal fine structure is precisely controlled to produce a metal fine structure which is high in the regularity of the recessed/projected structure. See, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 2004-279364 and 2004-232027.

Sensor, sensing system and sensing method