A method of encoding video wherein multiple threads of GOPs are encoding in parallel from a buffer in a single pass. In the buffer GOPs having fewer frames than a low frame threshold at the end of a scene are merged with a preceding GOP. Hypothetical reference decoder (HRD) information is stored in the buffer for each GOP and HRD information for neighboring GOPs are merged in the buffer.

HRD conformance is a necessary requirement for an encoded video bitstream to be successfully delivered in a practical video streaming system, where the coded bitstream needs to be transmitted to a remote client decoder over networks, and successfully decoded by the decoder for smooth video playout. A decoder has a decoding buffer of a limited size that will incessantly receive the delivered video bitstream from the network. Meanwhile, the decoding module will take out buffered bitstream of each coding unit (e.g. a frame) from the buffer, and decode and playout the reconstructed video signals. In a practical video streaming system, a decoder buffer is necessary so as to absorb the inevitable jittering of channel transmission rate of nowadays networks, and thus, render incessant and smooth decoded video playout.
Therefore, HRD conformance is essentially the same problem as to satisfy the decoder buffer constraint for a coded video bitstream.
By assuming a set of HRD parameters at the encoder and conforming to the assumed HRD parameters in encoding each frame (or generally slice as in H.264), the resultant coded bitstreams are then able to be successfully decoded by any decoder that conforms to the same set of HRD parameters as well. This facilitates the cooperation among encoders and decoders from different manufactures in video codec related industry. The importance of HRD conformance has been widely recognized and standardized in Annex C of the latest H.264/AVC video coding standard.
In general, the concerned HRD or decoder buffer parameters include: the buffer size, the initial buffer level, and the channel rate, which define a commonly known model of leaky bucket. HRD conformance means when filling the coded bitstream data into the buffer and taking out the bitstream for each coding unit decoding, there will be no buffer overflow or underflow. Therefore, to support HRD conformance, a video encoder has to: (i) keep an exact track of the current buffer level after coding each unit (e.g. frame or field); (ii) based on that, derive the upper and/or lower bounds on next unit's coding bits; (ii) make sure that the coded bits of the unit does not go beyond the bounds. In practice, the buffer constraint problem is addressed by the rate control scheme of a video encoder.
Supporting HRD conformance in a GOP-parallel single-pass video encoder with multiple threads presents a challenging problem to address. In this commonly used architecture in real-time video coding systems, multiple GOPs may be encoded at the same time by multiple encoding threads respectively, and each GOP can only be coded once. Although GOP parallel and single pass encoding easily accelerates the encoding process significantly, a side-effect is that supporting HRD conformance becomes a highly more difficult task than that in the conventional case of GOP-sequential single-thread coding. In GOP-sequential video coding, when coding a GOP, all the preceding frames have already been coded, whose coded bits can, thus, be readily used to exactly track the current buffer level and derive correct bounds for HRD conformance coding. However, in the case of GOP-parallel coding, when a thread is going to code the current GOP, some of its preceding GOPs may still be under coding by some other threads. This is illustrated in FIG. 1, where the shadowed areas represent coded part in a GOP. For those GOPs, the exact coded bits are not known when coding the current GOP, which renders HRD conformance coding impossible.
Generally, in a multi pass system, one has to let each GOP exactly consume all the budget bits that is allocated to it prior to its actual coding. In that way, for those partially coded GOPs, one can just assume their allocated bits to be their final coded bits, and use them to keep track of the buffer status. However, in single-pass real-time video coding scenarios, exactly achieving the pre-allocated bits for any GOP is a highly challenging task for rate control. Note exact GOP bits achievement is much easier and more straightforward if multi-pass coding is allowed. In that case, even though the pre-allocated bit of a GOP may not be exactly achieved by a coded GOP, one can conduct a HRD conformance check given all the GOPs are coded once. If HRD violations (i.e. buffer overflows or underflows) are found, the encoder can re-encode the trouble GOPs with newly allocated bits to prevent violations. After the 2nd pass coding, the encoder can do the HRD check again, and so on till no HRD violation is resulted. However, this HRD adjustment is impossible in single-pass video encoding, where to support HRD conformance, exactly achieving GOP allocated bits is the only way to go.
The decoder buffer constraint or HRD conformance problem has long been considered an important issue in developing practical rate control schemes for video encoders in video streaming applications. However, so far, most of the existing efforts are focused on the scenarios of GOP-sequential single-thread coding, where satisfying the buffer constraint is generally not a challenging problem in practice.

Multiple thread video encoding using HRD information sharing and bit allocation waiting


A mechanically operating debris removal device for an open-end spinning machine 1 comprises a guide conduit arranged below the spinning units and enclosing a debris conveyor belt. The guide conduit comprises a base and a cover, which may be pivotable or detachable relative to the base. During spinning operation, the base and the cover form an essentially closed belt guide conduit. Debris passage openings are formed in the cover with associated air and debris guide deflectors to communicate with debris exit openings in the sliver opening devices. The upper run of debris conveyor belt creates a slight suction flow in guide conduit and at the debris passage openings to prevent fine debris from settling in the area of the debris passage openings and in the area of debris exit openings of the sliver opening devices.

In open-end spinning machines, such as are described, e.g., in the handbook "Autocoro" of W. Schlafhorst & Co., a sliver is supplied between a drawing-in roller and a feeding trough to be separated into its individual constituent fibers by an opening cylinder. Debris particles and waste fibers are also separated to a great extent in this process. The opening cylinder transports all such components over a fiber guide surface into the area of a debris exit opening. During this transport, the fibers as well as the debris particles and other waste are accelerated by the opening cylinder and by a current of air circulating with the opening cylinder in very short time period to approximately the circumferential speed of the opening cylinder. The particles having a minimal mass, that is, fibers and debris particles, thereby have the tendency to leave the circular path tangentially as a consequence of the centrifugal force acting on them as soon as the mechanical guidance is interrupted in the area of the debris exit opening of the opening-cylinder housing.
A debris removal device, e.g., in the form of an endless circulating debris conveyor belt, is arranged immediately below the debris exit opening. In order to prevent spinnable fibers from separating from the opening cylinder in the area of the debris exit opening along with the debris particles the debris exit opening is also designed to serve as a intake opening for air to enter into the opening-cylinder housing under the suction or negative pressure conditions created by the rotating opening cylinder. The fibers have a relatively large specific surface area in relation to their relatively low mass. Thus, this air current is directed onto the opening cylinder and thereby pneumatically holds the fibers against and guides them along the opening cylinder. On the other hand, the debris particles, which have a distinctly higher kinetic energy on account of their larger mass, overcome this air current and are cast away tangentially through the debris exit opening onto the debris conveyor belt running therebelow. The debris conveyor belt subsequently transports the separated debris particles to a suction apparatus located at an end of the machine, where they are discarded.
Such mechanical debris removal devices of open-end rotor spinning machines usually consist, as already indicated above, of a guide conduit which runs below the spinning units, is open at the top and in which a debris conveyor belt is guided. The guide conduit is covered in the area of the spinning positions by a cover member of the spinning units. Disadvantageously, however, the debris particles passing through the debris exit openings of the spinning units, especially the lighter weight debris particles, often collect behind these cover elements, which can not be recognized from the outside and also can not be eliminated during the spinning operation.
It has therefore already been suggested that the spinning units be modified in such a manner that the usual cover elements be entirely eliminated or shortened to a sufficient extent that the area of the debris exit openings of the sliver opening devices of the spinning units are readily visible to an operator and can be cleaned from the outside of the machine.
Such spinning units with a readily accessible debris exit area as well as with an associated cleaning device arranged on an automatic service traveler are described in subsequently published German Patent Application P 195 29 654.0. However, in actual practice, even spinning units designed in this manner have a relatively strong tendency to become contaminated. In particular, the open guide conduit of these debris removal devices has proved to be problematic.
Swiss Patent CH 547,873 teaches an open-end spinning machine whose pneumatic debris removal device comprises an essentially closed outlet conduit running the length of the machine. The outlet conduit comprises upper air intake bores in the area of the spinning positions which are closed by a traveling sealing belt into which regulating bores are formed. Thus, in this apparatus the sliver opening devices of the individual spinning positions are successively loaded with suction air via the regulating bores of the sealing belt. Such an apparatus results in a discontinuous removal of debris, which on the whole is not very satisfactory.
A combination of mechanical and pneumatic debris removal is described in German Patent Publication DE-AS 26 34 770. This known device utilizes a rotating debris conveyor belt guided in an open guide conduit for removing coarse debris components and a suction conduit arranged below the debris conveyor belt for receiving the finer debris components. The suction conduit comprises a through slot on its surface which is sealed by the debris conveyor belt. Regulating bores are also arranged in the debris conveyor belt in this device so that, as in the device according to Swiss Patent CH 547,873, the sliver opening devices of the individual spinning positions are successively loaded with suction air. In particular, the discontinuous loading with suction air is supposed to remove the lighter debris components and therewith avoid damaging flocculations. However, the described device has not become accepted in practice.

Debris removal device for an open-end spinning machine with a plurality of spinning units


A multi-tiered server management architecture is employed including an application development tier, an application operations tier, and a cluster operations tier. In the application development tier, applications are developed for execution on one or more server computers. In the application operations tier, execution of the applications is managed and sub-boundaries within a cluster of servers can be established. In the cluster operations tier, operation of the server computers is managed without concern for what applications are executing on the one or more server computers and boundaries between clusters of servers can be established. The multi-tiered server management architecture can also be employed in co-location facilities where clusters of servers are leased to tenants, with the tenants implementing the application operations tier and the facility owner (or operator) implementing the cluster operations tier.

The Internet and its use have expanded greatly in recent years, and this expansion is expected to continue. One significant way in which the Internet is used is the World Wide Web (also referred to as the "web"), which is a collection of documents (referred to as "web pages") that users can view or otherwise render and which typically include links to one or more other pages that the user can access. Many businesses and individuals have created a presence on the web, typically consisting of one or more web pages describing themselves, describing their products or services, identifying other information of interest, allowing goods or services to be purchased, etc.
Web pages are typically made available on the web via one or more web servers, a process referred to as "hosting" the web pages. Sometimes these web pages are freely available to anyone that requests to view them (e.g., a company's advertisements) and other times access to the web pages is restricted (e.g., a password may be necessary to access the web pages). Given the large number of people that may be requesting to view the web pages (especially in light of the global accessibility to the web), a large number of servers may be necessary to adequately host the web pages (e.g., the same web page can be hosted on multiple servers to increase the number of people that can access the web page concurrently). Additionally, because the web is geographically distributed and has non-uniformity of access, it is often desirable to distribute servers to diverse remote locations in order to minimize access times for people in diverse locations of the world. Furthermore, people tend to view web pages around the clock (again, especially in light of the global accessibility to the web), so servers hosting web pages should be kept functional 24 hours per day.
Managing a large number of servers, however, can be difficult. A reliable power supply is necessary to ensure the servers can run. Physical security is necessary to ensure that a thief or other mischievous person does not attempt to damage or steal the servers. A reliable Internet connection is required to ensure s that the access requests will reach the servers. A proper operating environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.) is required to ensure that the servers operate properly. Thus, "co-location facilities" have evolved which assist companies in handling these difficulties.
A co-location facility refers to a complex that can house multiple servers. The co-location facility typically provides a reliable Internet connection, a reliable power supply, and proper operating environment. The co-location facility also typically includes multiple secure areas (e.g., cages) into which different companies can situate their servers. The collection of servers that a particular company situates at the co-location facility is referred to as a "server cluster", even though in fact there may only be a single server at any individual co-location facility. The particular company is then responsible for managing the operation of the servers in their server cluster.
Such co-location facilities, however, also present problems. One problem is data security. Different companies (even competitors) can have server clusters at the same co-location facility. Care is required, in such circumstances, to ensure that data received from the Internet (or sent by a server in the server cluster) that is intended for one company is not routed to a server of another company situated at the co-location facility.
An additional problem is the management of the servers once they are placed in the co-location facility. Currently, a system administrator from a company is able to contact a co-location facility administrator (typically by telephone) and ask him or her to reset a particular server (typically by pressing a hardware reset button on the server, or powering off then powering on the server) in the event of a failure of (or other problem with) the server. This limited reset-only ability provides very little management functionality to the company. Alternatively, the system administrator from the company can physically travel to the co-location facility him/her-self and attend to the faulty server. Unfortunately, a significant amount of time can be wasted by the system administrator in traveling to the co-location facility to attend to a server. Thus, it would be beneficial to have an improved way to manage remote server computers at a co-location facility.
Another problem concerns the enforcement of the rights of both the operators of the servers in the co-location facility and the operators of the web service hosted on those servers. The operators of the servers need to be able to maintain their rights (e.g., re-possessing areas of the facility where servers are stored), even though the servers are owned by the operators of the web service. Additionally, the operators of the web service need to be assured that their data remains secure.
The invention described below addresses these disadvantages, improving the distributed management of shared computers in co-location facilities.

System and method for distributed management of shared computers


An object of the present invention is to provide a photosensitive material processing apparatus which is inexpensive, which automatically withdraws a photosensitive material from a cartridge, and which carries out efficient developing processing by carrying out developing processing of photosensitive materials in parallel. To achieve the above object, the photosensitive material processing apparatus which processes photosensitive materials which have been photographed includes: a photosensitive material withdrawing device for withdrawing a photosensitive material from a cartridge which accommodates the photosensitive material; a developing processing section having a plurality of photosensitive material conveying/processing lines which are disposed parallel to one another at a conveying direction downstream side of the photosensitive material withdrawing device; and a photosensitive material distributing device, provided between the photosensitive material withdrawing device and the developing processing section, for distributing a photosensitive material which has been withdrawn from a cartridge to any one of the plurality of photosensitive material conveying/processing lines.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus and a photosensitive material processing method which withdraw photosensitive materials, such as films, from cartridges and process the withdrawn photosensitive materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
A film is loaded into a conventional film processor by adhering a leader film to the leading end of a film withdrawn from a cartridge in advance, and setting the leader film at a predetermined place.
The operation for removing the leading end of the film from the cartridge is complex, and mechanisms for automatically carrying out this operation have been proposed. However, these mechanisms are complicated and therefore expensive.
In an attempt to obtain a film processor which is both compact and exhibits good processing capabilities, usually two, or three, processing lines are provided in the film processor, and films pass through these plural processing lines. The processing capabilities can be improved even more by increasing the number of processing lines.
However, if mechanisms for automatically withdrawing the film leading ends are provided so as to correspond to the plural rows, the apparatus becomes extremely expensive. Therefore, mechanisms for automatically withdrawing film leading ends have not been able to be used at film processors equipped with a plurality of processing lines.

Photosensitive material processing apparatus and photosensitive material processing method


A pulse wave detection device that includes a piezoelectric transducer acquiring the velocity pulse wave of a test subject and an information processing unit that processes the acquired velocity pulse wave and selectively detects regular velocity pulse wave data. The information processing unit acquires a differential waveform, extracts the extreme value of the velocity pulse wave, calculates the area value of a domain surrounded by the differential waveform and a reference line, compares the previous value and the current value of the extreme value with each other with respect to the velocity pulse waves chronologically adjacent to each other when the area value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and determines that the two velocity pulse waves are regular velocity pulse wave data when a difference between the two extreme values is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

A pulse wave, which is a time-dependent vascular conduction wave generated on the basis of changes in intra-arterial pressure in a living body, includes a lot of information relating to vascular dynamics ranging from a center (heart) to a periphery. Therefore, by understanding the feature of the waveform of the pulse wave of a test subject (living body), it is possible to diagnose how the heart of the test subject pumps, the behavior of a blood vessel, the state of a vascular wall, and the like, for example, and the feature of the pulse wave is used for the diagnosis of a heart disease and a peripheral arterial disease. For example, there has been known a technique in which the pulse wave of a test subject is acquired and subjected to second order differential and the vascular age of the test subject is estimated from an acquired acceleration pulse wave.
In addition, in PTL 1 described below, there has been disclosed a technique where, in a pulse wave data analysis system in which a pulse wave p-p interval is extracted from the pulse wave data of a test subject, a notch portion included in the pulse wave data is appropriately removed and a peak and a bottom are correctly detected. In this technique, first, from pulse wave data obtained by continuously measuring a pulse wave during a predetermined time, a bottom value and a peak value are sequentially detected along a temporal axis, and a bottom value and a peak value, adjacent to each other on the temporal axis, are regarded as a pair. In addition, a bottom-to-peak amplitude value, which is a difference between the bottom value and the peak value of each pair, is obtained. Next, as for the obtained bottom-to-peak amplitude value, a first amplitude value and a second amplitude value, which occur in succession on the temporal axis, are compared with each other, and when the relative value of the second amplitude value with respect to the first amplitude value is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, a bottom value and a peak value relating to the second amplitude value are temporarily deleted. In addition, furthermore, a third amplitude value existing posterior to the second amplitude value is compared with the second amplitude value, and when a relative value between the two is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the bottom value and the peak value relating to the second amplitude value are regarded as noises and finally deleted. According to this technique, even if a respiratory amplitude fluctuation or an amplitude or the like derived from a body motion or the like exists in a pulse wave waveform, it is possible to adequately remove only a noise without deleting an intrinsic bottom value and an intrinsic peak value of the pulse wave.
PTL 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-253579

Pulse wave detection device and pulse wave detection method


An impact extrusion molded article that is molded while the metal-flow from a bottom of a slug set in a dice toward the side of the molded product article is suppressed; an impact extrusion molding method for manufacturing the impact extrusion molded article, and an impact extrusion molding apparatus used for the impact extrusion molding method, are provided.

A conventional impact extrusion molding method will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16(a) to 16(c). It should be noted that the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings. FIG. 15 is a partially sectional explanatory view of a conventional impact extrusion molding apparatus. FIG. 16(a) is a front view of a slug, which is a material; FIG. 16(b) is a cross-sectional view of a semifinished product (intermediate molded article); and FIG. 16(c) is a perspective view of a molded article (product).
In FIG. 15, a dice 1 is attached to a dice holder 10, and a punch 2 is attached to a punch holder 20. The dice 1 and the punch 2 are provided at a slide and a bolster of a press (not shown), respectively.
In the conventional impact extrusion molding method, a slug 30, made of such as aluminum alloy or the like, as shown in FIG. 16(a), is set in the dice 1, and the punch 2 is caused to slide, forcibly, from above the slug 30, into the dice 1, by a predetermined distance, whereby a bottomed cylindrical product 3, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16(c), is molded through a semifinished product (intermediate molded article) 31, as shown in FIG. 16(b).
The product 3 thus molded is discharged from the dice 1 by a rod 4, for example, which goes through the bottom of the dice 1, and the dice holder 10. When the product 3 is raised together with the punch 2 while being attached to the punch 2, the product 3 is stripped away by a stripper plate or the like, not shown. The rod 4 is fixed so as to contact the slug 30 during molding operation. After finishing the molding operation, the rod 4 is forced into the dice 1, making it possible to discharge the product 3 from the dice 1.
In the molding process stated above, when the punch 2 is forced into the dice 1 by a certain depth or more, metal flows from the center to the side directions, as indicated by arrows r shown in FIG. 16(b), on the bottom of the semifinished product 31, which is being molded as shown in FIG. 16(b), and the metal thus flowing to the bottom side surfaces of the semifinished product is caused to flow, as indicated by arrows r′, upward along the side surfaces of the semifinished product 31, toward the extrusion direction (opposite to the punch pressing direction) (which will be referred to as "metal-flow" in this specification).
The slug 30 may be a slug produced by cutting an extrusion molded rod material into slices, or a slug produced by blanking or cutting out a rolled plate material. Therefore, the metallographic structure of the outer surface portion of the slug 30, shown in FIG. 16(a), often differs in conditions from that of the bottom portion of the slug 30. If so, on the lower outer surfaces of the side of the molded product 3, metallographic structures having different conditions exist in a mixed state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 16(c), because of different working histories, a side surface region 3a, which differs in conditions, including surface glossiness and metallographic structure, from the other regions of the side surfaces, is formed.
Since such a region 3a, having different conditions, is concealed after the product 3 is subjected to a surface treatment, to coat the surface of the product 3 by coating or the like, it does not hamper the appearance of the product 3. However, when the surface treatment for coating the surface of the product 3 is not carried out, or when an anodizing, in particular, is conducted on the product 3, the region 3a having different conditions remains, with the result that the appearance of the product 3 is disadvantageously hampered.

Impact extrusion molded article, and impact extrusion molding method, and an impact extrusion molding apparatus


An automated technique is discussed for processing audio data and generating one or more actions in response thereto. In particular embodiments, the audio data can be obtained during a phone conversation and post-call actions can be provided to the user with contextually relevant entry points for completion by an associated application. Audio transcription services available on a remote server can be leveraged. The entry points can be generated based on keyword recognition in the transcription and passed to the application in the form of parameters.

Mobile computing devices, such as smart phones, have become highly capable communication devices in recent years. In addition to the wide array of processing capabilities, such as word processing, mobile computing devices also typically include wireless communications capabilities to provide features, such as mobile telephony, mobile email access, web browsing, and content reception (e.g., video and radio). An increased number and type of services and information associated with mobile phones can be overwhelming and needs proper management. Sometimes a user of a telephone is not able to quickly or efficiently understand or retain the large volume of information received while using a mobile phone. For example, a person that is driving during a phone call might find it difficult to remember or take notes of follow-up action items, like adding an event to a calendar. When the opportunity arises, the person must manually enter the information into the mobile phone or computing device for later use or reference. Such inefficiencies can often lead to errors as remembering details of times and locations can be difficult.
Accordingly, there is a need to more efficiently assist the user with processing of information.


An illumination device includes a conversion unit that controls an emission direction of light emitted from a light-emitting unit included in the illumination device. The conversion unit includes a ball-shaped main body, and may be formed between an upper body, which includes the light-emitting unit, and a lower body. An assembly unit may be formed in the upper body to couple the conversion unit, and the light emission direction may be appropriately controlled by controlling the shape of the ball-shaped main body.

1. Field
One or more embodiments relate to an illumination device, and more particularly, to an illumination device that switches a light emission direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an illumination device is used for ensuring the ability to see in a dark place or for displaying a visual effect for advertisement or aesthetic purposes. A light source for the illumination device may be an incandescent lamp, a fluorescent lamp, or a halogen lamp. Recently, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been used as an illumination device.
LEDs are a kind of light-emitting device that produces light of various colors through changing of a compound semiconductor material, such as GaAs, AlGaAs, GaN, or InGaInP. LEDs have a long lifetime, may be miniaturized and manufactured to have a light weight, and may be driven at a low voltage due to high directionality. Also, LEDs have an excellent monochromatic peak wavelength, an excellent optical efficiency, low power consumption, and are eco-friendly. Therefore, LEDs are widely used in various fields, such as TVs, computers, lighting, and automobiles, and its application fields are gradually expanded.
An illumination device may need a function that the direction of light emitted from a light source is changed to a desired direction after the illumination device is installed. In this case, the light emission direction may be changed by using a direction changing member formed on the same structure on which the illumination device is installed or by changing the direction of a whole structure.

Illumination device that switches light emission direction


A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is described. This PIC includes a semiconductor-barrier layer-semiconductor diode in an optical waveguide that conveys an optical signal, where the barrier layer is an oxide or a high-k material. Moreover, semiconductor layers in the semiconductor-barrier layer-semiconductor diode may include geometric features (such as a periodic pattern of holes or trenches) that create a lattice-shifted photonic crystal optical waveguide having a group velocity of light that is lower than the group velocity of light in the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer without the geometric features. The optical waveguide is included in an optical modulator, such as a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI).

Field
The present disclosure generally relates to the design of photonic integrated circuits (PICs). More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a PIC that includes an optical modulator based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) that uses light slowed by a lattice-shifted photonic crystal optical waveguide to enhance a semiconductor-oxide-semiconductor diode.
Related Art
Optical interconnects or links based on silicon photonics have the potential to alleviate inter-chip communication bottlenecks in high-performance computing systems that include a large number of processor chips and memory chips. This is because, relative to electrical interconnects, optical interconnects offer significantly improved: bandwidth, density, power consumption, latency, and range.
A high-speed optical modulator is an important component in a silicon photonic link. The function of an optical modulator is to convert a high-speed electrical data signal into optical form. The basic requirements of such an optical modulator are: high speed, low power consumption, low optical loss, a high on/off extinction ratio (ER), and compact size. To date, most of the reported high-speed optical modulators implemented using silicon are based on the free-carrier plasma dispersion effect, i.e., the index of refraction of silicon decreases as densities of electrons and holes (i.e., free carriers) increase. In order to use the free-carrier plasma dispersion effect for data modulation, the carrier densities in an optical waveguide need to be modulated. Thus, the index of refraction is modulated, and the optical phase of propagating laser light is modulated. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the phase modulation can then be converted into optical intensity modulation (i.e., on/off switching) by building the phase-modulation optical waveguide into a ring-resonator modulator or a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI).
Ring-resonator modulators typically use strong resonances for modulation. Consequently, they can achieve a large ER even with weak phase modulation. However, ring-resonator modulators usually require precise and dynamic tuning to align the resonance with the laser wavelength. This tuning can consume a large amount of electrical power and may require a large area for control circuits, which can significantly increase the cost of the ring-resonator modulators. Alternatively, MZIs usually do not require precise and dynamic tuning. However, they usually need much stronger phase modulation in order to achieve a large ER. An ideal modulator would be an MZI having a short length with strong phase modulation in the optical waveguide.
A variety of techniques are currently used to electrically modulate the carrier densities in the phase-modulation optical waveguides, including: carrier injection, carrier depletion and carrier accumulation. In carrier-injection phase modulation, high densities of free carriers are injected into the intrinsic region of a forward-biased PIN diode using a relatively small voltage (approximately, 1V). While this modulation technique is very efficient, its speed is typically limited to around 1 Gb/s by minority-carrier diffusion.
In carrier-depletion phase modulation, the carrier-depletion region of a reverse-biased PN diode is modulated. Because this modulation technique does not involve minority-carrier diffusion, it can be very fast. However, carrier-depletion modulation is often inefficient because it is hard to deplete a lot of charge. Consequently, for efficient modulation, carrier-depletion modulation is typically implemented in a ring-resonator modulator or an MZI having a long length. Therefore, phase modulation based on carrier injection or carrier depletion usually cannot simultaneously produce a high-speed (greater than 10 Gb/s), very short MZI (less than 0.3 mm) with a reasonably large ER (greater than 5 dB) under small voltage modulation (less than 2V).
Carrier-accumulation phase modulation attempts to combine the advantages of carrier-injection phase modulation and carrier-depletion phase modulation. In this technique, a diode with a forward-biased PN junction having a very thin (less than 10 nm) oxide barrier layer (which prevents minority-carrier diffusion) is used. Under forward-biased voltage, the diode operates in an accumulation mode, in which large densities of carriers accumulate at the two sides of the oxide layer. This approach is usually much more efficient than carrier-depletion phase modulation, but is typically less efficient than carrier-injection phase modulation. Using carrier-accumulation phase modulation, it is possible to build a short MZI (around 0.5 mm) with high carrier-mobility and low voltage operation. However, the diode typically has much higher optical loss (greater than 100 dB/cm) than the PN diodes (less than 10 dB/cm) because of polycrystalline-silicon scattering and absorption. Consequently, the resulting modulator may have higher optical loss even though its length is much shorter (approximately 6×). In addition, the diode typically has a very high unit capacitance, which prohibits traveling-wave design and limits modulation speed (because of RC limits associated with the MZI and driver). In order to achieve greater than 10 Gb/s with a lumped-element design, it is important to lower the capacitance of the MZI to less than 0.5 pF, while maintaining high efficiency.
Hence, what is needed is an optical modulator without the problems described above.

Enhanced optical modulation using slow light


The present invention reduces moving image blurring while suppressing the lowering of brightness, lowering of contrast and the increase of electricity necessary for light emission. A display device includes a first gradation voltage generation circuit which generates a first gradation voltage based on gradations of display data amounting to 1 screen displayed during 1 frame period, and a second gradation voltage generation circuit which generates a second gradation voltage based on the gradations of display data amounting of 1 screen displayed in 1 frame period, wherein the gradations of the respective pixels on the display data are displayed by performing a display based on the first gradation voltage and a display based on the second gradation voltage during 1 frame period.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hold-response-type display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (electro-luminescence) display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in classifying a display device such as a display for a television receiver set or a personal computer (PC) from a viewpoint of moving image display, the display device is roughly classified into an impulse-response-type display device and a hold-response-type display device. The impulse-response-type display device is a display device of a type in which a brightness response is lowered immediately after scanning as in the case of afterglow characteristic of a cathode ray tube, for example. Further, the hold-response-type display device is of a type in which the brightness based on display data is continuously held until next scanning as in the case of a liquid crystal display, for example.
The above-mentioned hold-response-type display device can obtain favorable display quality with no flickers when a still image is displayed, for example. However, in displaying a moving image, there arises so-called moving image blurring in which a periphery of a moving object is blurred thus giving rise to a drawback that display quality is remarkably lowered. The occurrence of the moving image blurring is attributed to so-called retina image retention in which when a viewer moves his/her sight line along with the movement of the displayed object, the viewer interpolates display images before and after the movement with respect to the displayed image with fixed brightness. Accordingly, in the hold-response-type display device, even when a response speed is enhanced as fast as possible, it is impossible to completely eliminate the moving image blurring. Accordingly, with respect to the hold-response-type display device, for example, there has been proposed a method which approximates a visual effect to a viewer to a corresponding visual effect of the impulse-response-type display device by canceling the retina image retention with updating of a display image at a shorter cycle or with the insertion of a black screen thus reducing a moving image blurring.
A typical example of the display device which is required to perform a moving image display is a television receiver set, wherein scanning frequency of the television receiver set is standardized to 60 Hz in a NTSC method and 50 Hz in a PAL method, for example. Accordingly, when frame frequency of a display image which is formed based on these scanning frequencies is set to 60 Hz or 50 Hz, the frequency is not so high that moving image blurring occurs.
As a technique which updates the display image at a shorter cycle as described above for overcoming the moving image blurring in the television receiver set, there has been proposed a technique which elevates scanning frequency and increases an updating speed of an image by generating display data of an interpolation frame based on display data between frames (hereinafter, abbreviated as an interpolation frame generation method) (for example, see patent document 1).
Further, as a technique which inserts the above-mentioned black screen (black frame), for example, there has been proposed a technique which inserts black display data between display data (hereinafter, abbreviated as black display data insertion method) (for example, see patent document 2).
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2005-6275 (corresponding US patent application: US2004/0101058A1)
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2003-280599 (corresponding US patent application: US2004/0001054A1)
Although the moving image blurring can be overcome by applying the above-mentioned techniques to the hold-response-type display, there has been known that the following drawbacks arise due to the application of such techniques.
In the above-mentioned interpolation frame generation method, the display data of the interpolation frame which originally does not exist is generated. Accordingly, to generate more accurate display data, a circuit scale is increased. On the other hand, when the circuit scale is suppressed, generation errors occur in the display data of the interpolation frame thus giving rise to a possibility that display quality is remarkably deteriorated.
On the other hand, in the method which inserts the black frame, in principle, there arise no generation errors of display data of the interpolation frame. Further, also in view of the circuit scale, the black frame insertion method is advantageous compared to the interpolation frame generation method. However, with respect to the technique which is referred to as the black display data insertion method or a blink backlight method, either method lowers the display brightness in all gradations by an amount corresponding to the black frame. When the brightness of a backlight is increased in the black display data insertion method for compensating for the lowered amount of brightness, for example, the power consumption is increased correspondingly and, at the same time, considerable time and efforts become necessary to cope with the generation of heat. Further, due to the increase of an absolute value of leaking of light in a black display, contrast is lowered. On the other hand, in the blink backlight method, a large current becomes necessary for bringing a light turn-off state to a light turn-on state or a response speed of a visible light differs from each other for every wave lengths due to the difference in fluorescent material thus generating a coloring phenomenon.


Certain novel piperidine derivatives are agonists of the human melanocortin receptor(s) and, in particular, are selective agonists of the human melanocortin-4 receptor (MC-4R). They are therefore useful for the treatment, control, or prevention of diseases and disorders responsive to the activation of MC-4R, such as obesity, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction.

Obesity, which can be defined as a body weight more than 20% above the ideal body weight, is a major health concern in Western societies. It is estimated that about 97 million adults in the United States are overweight or obese. Obesity is the result of a positive energy balance, as a consequence of increased ratio of caloric intake to energy expenditure. Epidemiological studies have shown that increasing degrees of overweight and obesity are important predictors of decreased life expectancy. Obesity causes or exacerbates many health problems, both independently and in association with other diseases. The medical problems associated with obesity, which can be serious and life-threatening, include hypertension; type 2 diabetes mellitus; elevated plasma insulin concentrations; insulin resistance; dyslipidemias; hyperlipidemia; endometrial, breast, prostate and colon cancer; osteoarthritis; respiratory complications, such as obstructive sleep apnea; cholelithiasis; gallstones; arterioscelerosis; heart disease; abnormal heart rhythms; and heart arrythmias (Kopelman, P. G., Nature 404, 635-643 (2000)). Obesity is further associated with premature death and with a significant increase in mortality and morbidity from stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, and sudden death.
In the vast majority of obese individuals, the cause of the excess adiposity is not immediately apparent. A currently accepted working hypothesis is that obesity is the result of a maladaptation of the innate metabolic response to environmental challenges such as unlimited availability of low cost/energy dense foods and sedentariness (Hill et al., Science 1998; 280:1371). The study of energy intake in free living humans has met with only limited success and definitive experimental evidence that hyperphagia causes most forms of human obesity is lacking. Following the discovery of leptin, the interest in the neurohormonal regulation of food intake has regained momentum. However, while much knowledge has been gained on the regulation of food intake in rodents and other animal species, the understanding of the neurophysiology of feeding behavior in humans remains extremely limited.
Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) derived peptides are known to affect food intake. Several lines of evidence support the notion that the G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) of the melanocortin receptor (MC-R) family, several of which are expressed in the brain, are the targets of POMC derived peptides involved in the control of food intake and metabolism. A specific single MC-R that may be targeted for the control of obesity has not yet been identified, although evidence has been presented that MC-4R signalling is important in mediating feed behavior (S. Q. Giraudo et al., "Feeding effects of hypothalamic injection of melanocortin4 receptor ligands," Brain Research, 80: 302-306 (1998)).
Evidence for the involvement of MC-R's in obesity includes: i) the agouti (Avy) mouse which ectopically expresses an antagonist of the MC-1R, MC-3R and -4R is obese, indicating that blocking the action of these three MC-R's can lead to hyperphagia and metabolic disorders; ii) MC-4R knockout mice (D. Huszar et al., Cell, 88: 131-141 (1997)) recapitulate the phenotype of the agouti mouse and these mice are obese; iii) the cyclic heptapeptide MT-1 (a non-selective MC-1R, -3R, -4R, and -5R agonist) injected intracerebroventricularly (ICV) in rodents, reduces food intake in several animal feeding models (NPY, ob/ob, agouti, fasted) while ICV injected SHU-9119 (MC-3R and 4R antagonist; MC-1R and -5R agonist) reverses this effect and can induce hyperphagia; iv) chronic intraperitoneal treatment of Zucker fatty rats with an α-NDP-MSH derivative (HP228) has been reported to activate MC-1R, -3R, 4R, and -5R and to attenuate food intake and body weight gain over a 12-week period (I. Corcos et al., "228 is a potent agonist of melanocortin receptor 4 and significantly attenuates obesity and diabetes in Zucker fatty rats," Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 23: 673 (1997)).
Five distinct MC-R's have thus far been identified, and these are expressed in different tissues. MC-1R was initially characterized by dominant gain of function mutations at the Extension locus, affecting coat color by controlling phaeomelanin to eumelanin conversion through control of tyrosinase. MC-1R is mainly expressed in melanocytes. MC-2R is expressed in the adrenal gland and represents the ACTH receptor. MC-3R is expressed in the brain, gut, and placenta and may be involved in the control of food intake and thermogenesis. MC-4R is uniquely expressed in the brain, and its inactivation was shown to cause obesity (A. Kask, et al., "Selective antagonist for the melanocortin 4 receptor (HS014) increases food intake in free-feeding rats," Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 245: 90-93 (1998)). MC-5R is expressed in many tissues, including white fat, placenta and exocrine glands. A low level of expression is also observed in the brain. MC-5R knockout mice reveal reduced sebaceous gland lipid production (Chen et al., Cell, 91: 789-798 (1997)).
Weight loss drugs that are currently used to treat obesity have limited efficacy and significant side effects. Studies of the weight loss medications orlistat (Davidson, M. H. et al. (1999) JAMA 281:235-42), dexfenfluramine (Guy Grand, B. et al. (1989) Lancet 2:1142-5), sibutramine (Bray, G. A. et al. (1999) Obes. Res. &:189-98) and phentermine (Douglas, A. et al. (1983) Int. J. Obes. 7:591-5) have demonstrated a limited weight loss of about 5%-10% of body weight for drug compared to placebo. The side effects of these drugs and anti-obesity agents further limit their use. Dexfenfluramine was withdrawn from the market because of suspected heart valvulopathy; orlistat is limited by gastrointestinal side effects; the use of topiramate is limited by central nervous system effects; and the use of sibutramine is limited by its cardiovascular side effects which have led to reports of deaths and its withdrawal from the market in Italy.
There is a need for a weight loss treatment with enhanced efficacy and fewer undesirable side effects. The instant invention addresses this problem by providing melanocortin receptor (MC-R) agonists, and in particular selective agonists of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC-4R), useful in the treatment and prevention of obesity and obesity-related disorders, including diabetes.
Melanocortin receptor involvement in male and female sexual dysfunction has also been reported.
Erectile dysfunction denotes the medical condition of inability to achieve penile erection sufficient for successful sexual intercourse. The term "impotence" is oftentimes employed to describe this prevalent condition. Approximately 140 million men worldwide, and, according to a National Institutes of Health study, about 30 million American men suffer from impotency or erectile dysfunction. It has been estimated that the latter number could rise to 47 million men by the year 2000. Erectile dysfunction can arise from either organic or psychogenic causes, with about 20% of such cases being purely psychogenic in origin. Erectile dysfunction increases from 40% at age 40, to 67% at age 75. In spite of the frequent occurrence of this condition, only a small number of patients have received treatment because existing treatment alternatives, such as injection therapies, penile prosthesis implantation, and vacuum pumps, have been uniformly disagreeable [for a discussion, see "ABC of sexual health—erectile dysfunction," Brit. Med. J. 318: 387-390 (1999)]. Only more recently have more viable treatment modalities become available, in particular orally active agents, such as sildenafil citrate, marketed by Pfizer under the brand name of Viagra®. (See "Emerging pharmacological therapies for erectile dysfunction," Exp. Opin. Ther. Patents 9: 1689-1696 (1999)). Sildenafil is a selective inhibitor of type V phosphodiesterase (PDE-V), a cyclic-GMP-specific phosphodiesterase isozyme [see R. B. Moreland et al., "Sildenafil: A Novel Inhibitor of Phosphodiesterase Type 5 in Human Corpus Cavernosum Smooth Muscle Cells," Life Sci., 62: 309-318 (1998)]. Prior to the introduction of Viagra® on the market, less than 10% of patients suffering from erectile dysfunction received treatment. Sildenafil is also being evaluated in the clinic for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction.
The regulatory approval of Viagra® for the oral treatment of erectile dysfunction has invigorated efforts to discover even more effective methods to treat erectile dysfunction. Several additional selective PDE-V inhibitors are in clinical trials. UK-114542 is a sildenafil backup from Pfizer with supposedly improved properties. Tadalafil or IC-351 (ICOS Corp.) is claimed to have greater selectivity for PDE-V over PDE-VI than sildenafil. Other PDE-V inhibitors include vardenafil from Bayer, M-54033 and M-54018 from Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., and E-4010 from Eisai Co., Ltd.
Other pharmacological approaches to the treatment of erectile dysfunction have been described [see, e.g., "Latest Findings on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction," Drug News & Perspectives, 9: 572-575 (1996); "Oral Pharmacotherapy in Erectile Dysfunction," Current Opinion in Urology, 7: 349-353 (1997)]. A product under clinical development by Zonagen is an oral formulation of the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine mesylate under the brand name of Vasomax®. Vasomax® is also being evaluated for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction.
Drugs to treat erectile dysfunction act either peripherally or centrally. They are also classified according to whether they "initiate" a sexual response or "facilitate" a sexual response to prior stimulation [for a discussion, see "A Therapeutic Taxonomy of Treatments for Erectile Dysfunction: An Evolutionary Imperative," Int. J. Impotence Res., 9: 115-121 (1997)]. While sildenafil and phentolamine act peripherally and are considered to be "enhancers" or "facilitators" of the sexual response to erotic stimulation, sildenafil appears to be efficacious in both mild organic and psychogenic erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil has an onset of action of 30-60 minutes after an oral dose with the effect lasting about 4 hours, whereas phentolamine requires 5-30 minutes for onset with a duration of 2 hours. Although sildenafil is effective in a majority of patients, it takes a relatively long time for the compound to show the desired effects. The faster-acting phentolamine appears to be less effective and to have a shorter duration of action than sildenafil. Oral sildenafil is effective in about 70% of men who take it, whereas an adequate response with phentolamine is observed in only 35-40% of patients. Both compounds require erotic stimulation for efficacy. Since sildenafil indirectly increases blood flow in the systemic circulation by enhancing the smooth muscle relaxation effects of nitric oxide, it is contraindicated for patients with unstable heart conditions or cardiovascular disease, in particular patients taking nitrates, such as nitroglycerin, to treat angina. Other adverse effects associated with the clinical use of sildenafil include headache, flushing, dyspepsia, and "abnormal vision," the latter the result of inhibition of the type VI phosphodiesterase isozyme (PDE-VI), a cyclic-GMP-specific phosphodiesterase that is concentrated in the retina. "Abnormal vision" is defined as a mild and transient "bluish" tinge to vision, but also an increased sensitivity to light or blurred vision.
Synthetic melanocortin receptor agonists (melanotropic peptides) have been found to initiate erections in men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction [See H. Wessells et al., "Synthetic Melanotropic Peptide Initiates Erections in Men With Psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction: Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Crossover Study," J. Urol., 160: 389-393 (1998); Fifteenth American Peptide Symposium, Jun. 14-19, 1997 (Nashville Tenn.)]. Activation of melanocortin receptors of the brain appears to cause normal stimulation of sexual arousal. In the above study, the centrally acting α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analog, melanotan-II (MT-II), exhibited a 75% response rate, similar to results obtained with apomorphine, when injected intramuscularly or subcutaneously to males with psychogenic erectile dysfunction. MT-II is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide, Ac-Nle-c[Asp-His-DPhe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2, which contains the 4-10 melanocortin receptor binding region common to α-MSH and adrenocorticotropin, but with a lactam bridge. It is a non-selective MC-1R, -3R, -4R, and -5R agonist (Dorr et al., Life Sciences, Vol. 58, 1777-1784, 1996). MT-II (also referred to as PT-14) (Erectide®) is presently in clinical development by Palatin Technologies, Inc. and TheraTech, Inc. as a non-penile subcutaneous injection formulation. It is considered to be an "initiator" of the sexual response. The time to onset of erection with this drug is relatively short (10-20 minutes) with a duration of action approximately 2.5 hours. Adverse reactions observed with MT-II include nausea, flushing, loss of appetite, stretching, and yawning and may be the result of activation of MC-1R, MC-2R, MC-3R, and/or MC-5R. MT-II must be administered parenterally, such as by subcutaneous, intravenous, or intramuscular route, since it is not absorbed into the systemic circulation when given by the oral route.
MT-II's erectogenic properties apparently are not limited to cases of psychogenic erectile dysfunction in that men with a variety of organic risk factors developed penile erections upon subcutaneous injection of the compound; moreover, the level of sexual desire was significantly higher after MT-II administration than after placebo [see H. Wessells, "Effect of an Alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone Analog on Penile Erection and Sexual Desire in Men with Organic Erectile Dysfunction," Urology, 56: 641-646 (2000)].
Compositions of melanotropic peptides and methods for the treatment of psychogenic erectile dysfunction are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,290, assigned to Competitive Technologies. Methods of stimulating sexual response in females using melanotropic peptides have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,555.
Spiropiperidine, piperidine and piperazine derivatives have been disclosed in WO 99/64002 (16 Dec. 1999); WO 00/74679 (14 Dec. 2000); WO 01/70708 (27 Sep. 2001); WO 01/70337 (27 Sep. 2001); WO 01/91752 (6 Dec. 2001); WO 02/059095 (1 Aug. 2002) WO 02/059107(1 Aug. 2002); WO 02/059108(1 Aug. 2002); WO 02/059117(1 Aug. 2002); WO 02/068387 (6 Sep. 2002); WO 02/068388 (6 Sep. 2002); WO 03/007949 (30 Jan. 2003 WO 03/009847 (6 Feb. 2003); and WO 03/31410, as agonists of the melanocortin receptor(s) and particularly as selective agonists of the MC-4R receptor and thereby useful for the treatment of diseases and disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, and sexual dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction.
Because of the unresolved deficiencies of the various pharmacological agents discussed above, there is a continuing need in the medical arts for improved methods and compositions to treat individuals suffering from psychogenic and/or organic sexual dysfunction. Such methods should have wider applicability, enhanced convenience and ease of compliance, short onset of action, reasonably long duration of action, and minimal side effects with few contraindications, as compared to agents now available.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide acylated piperidine derivatives which are melanocortin receptor agonists and thereby useful to treat obesity, diabetes, male sexual dysfunction, and female sexual dysfunction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide acylated piperidine derivatives which are selective agonists of the melanocortin-4 (MC-4R) receptor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide pharmaceutical compositions comprising the melanocortin receptor agonists of the present invention with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods for the treatment or prevention of disorders, diseases, or conditions responsive to the activation of the melanocortin-4 receptor in a mammal in need thereof by administering the compounds and pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods for the treatment or prevention of obesity, diabetes mellitus, male sexual dysfunction, and female sexual dysfunction by administering the compounds and pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention to a mammal in need thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods for the treatment of erectile dysfunction by administering the compounds and pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention to a mammal in need thereof.
These and other objects will become readily apparent from the detailed description that follows.

Piperidine derivatives as melanocortin-4 receptor agonists


A light emitting device includes a light emitting diode (LED), a concentrator element, such as a compound parabolic concentrator, and a wavelength converting material, such as a phosphor. The concentrator element receives light from the LED and emits the light from an exit surface, which is smaller than the entrance surface. The wavelength converting material is, e.g., disposed over the exit surface. The radiance of the light emitting diode is preserved or increased despite the isotropic re-emitted light by the wavelength converting material. In one embodiment, the polarized light from a polarized LED is provided to a polarized optical system, such as a microdisplay. In another embodiment, the orthogonally polarized light from two polarized LEDs is combined, e.g., via a polarizing beamsplitter, and is provided to non-polarized optical system, such as a microdisplay. If desired, a concentrator element may be disposed between the beamsplitter and the microdisplay.

Certain optical systems, such as projection systems and automobile headlights, require light sources with high radiance or luminance. Until recently, the luminance of conventional light emitting diodes (LEDs) was inadequate to fulfill the needs for such applications. However, even with current high performance LEDs, the radiance requirement for some optical systems is difficult to fulfill. By way of example, optical systems that require polarized light and use conventional (randomly polarized) LEDs typically suffer a loss in radiance making such system unacceptable for high brightness applications. Additionally, systems that convert the wavelengths of light emitted from a high radiance LED, e.g., using a phosphor, lose radiance and are therefore similarly unacceptable for high brightness applications.
Thus, what is needed is an optical system that uses LEDs and that provides sufficient radiance to be used in high brightness applications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Polarized semiconductor light emitting device


A semiconductor package. The semiconductor package of the invention comprises: a substrate comprising at least one exposed area with photosensitive devices; a cover for isolating the exposed area from the external atmosphere, wherein one of either the substrate or the cover is a base, and the other is a top structure; and a dam formed on the base to form a cavity, wherein the top of the dam has a recess, the dam is attached the top structure by an adhesive, and the cavity corresponds to the exposed area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor packages, and in particular relates to a photosensitive semiconductor package.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional semiconductor packaging, a semiconductor chip is encapsulated with an opaque encapsulant for preventing the chip from being damaged by external contaminants and moisture, as well as protection against damage from external impact. However, in respect to a photosensitive semiconductor chip for use in an electronic device such as a CMOS image sensor, the chip requires a photosensitive side to receive external light. Therefore, a different method for packaging such a photosensitive semiconductor chip is adopted, as compared to the foregoing conventional semiconductor packaging method.
In conventional semiconductor packaging manufacturing methods, there have been several patents regarding the packaging of photosensitive semiconductor chips. A common semiconductor package for accommodating a photosensitive semiconductor chip is illustrated in FIG. 1, comprising: a wafer 100 defined having a photosensitive device 102; an dam 104 formed on the wafer 100 with a cavity for exposing an expose area 110; and a transparent cover 106 attached to a top of the dam 104, wherein the transparent cover 106 is positioned right above the photosensitive chip 102.
Generally, a commercially available transparent cover (e.g. a glass slice) is applied with an epoxy resin adhesive at positions attached to the top of the packing layer. After heating and applying pressure, the adhesive melts and solidifies to firmly attach the lid onto the top of the dam.
However, compression between the transparent cover 106 and the top of dam 104 easily results in leakage or loss of the adhesive 108, because the top of the dam 104 is flat. Additionally, if the adhesive flows over the dam to the expose area 110, the leaked adhesive will lead to contamination of the photosensitive chip and thus, manufacturing yield lost. Thus, to obtain an excellent semiconductor package, a novel packaging method and package structure are required for photosensitive semiconductor devices.


A light-receiving member, and an electrophotographic apparatus comprising it, which the member comprises a conductive support, a first layer capable of exhibiting a photoconductivity which comprises at least a material of a non-single-crystal silicon type, a second layer comprising silicon atoms and one kind selected from the group consisting of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms and oxygen atoms, and a third layer comprising silicon atoms and one kind selected from the group consisting of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms and oxygen atoms, the conductivity type of which has been adjusted to be of the same polarity as charging polarity by incorporating at least one element belonging to the Group III elements of the periodic table, the first, second and third layers being superposingly provided in this order, wherein the light-receiving member is used for positive charging and requires no drum heater, thereby achieving a very good image quality in any environment.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a light-receiving member used for an electrophotographic apparatus or the like, and an electrophotographic apparatus making use of the same. More particularly, it relates to a non-single-crystal silicon type light-receiving member that can faithfully reproduce fine lines and minute dots and also can obtain images with a good contrast and a very high image quality in image formation by an electrophotographic apparatus, a copying machine, an LBP, a printer, a display etc. utilizing electrophotographic technology, and an electrophotographic apparatus making use of the light-receiving member.
2. Related Background Art
Non-single-crystal silicon type light-receiving members have a high surface hardness, exhibit a high sensitivity to long-wavelength light of semiconductor lasers (770 to 800 nm) or the like and also are almost free from deterioration due to repeated use. Hence, they are highly valued and put into use especially as light-receiving members for electrophotographic apparatus such as high-speed copying machines and LBPs (laser beam printers) employing the above semiconductor lasers. Such non-single-crystal silicon type light-receiving members, and copying machines and image forming processes making use of them can be generally exemplified as follows:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic cross section of a typical light-receiving member. Reference numeral 101 denotes a conductive support made of Al or the like; 102, a charge injection blocking layer for blocking the injection of charges from the conductive support 101; 103, a photoconductive layer comprised of at least a material of a non-single-crystal silicon type and capable of exhibiting photoconductivity; and 104, a surface protective layer for protecting the photoconductive layer 103.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an example of an image forming process in a copying machine. Around a light-receiving member 401 that rotates in the direction of an arrow, a primary charging unit 402, an electrostatic latent image forming zone 403, a developing unit 404, a transfer medium feed system 405, a transfer/separation charging unit 406, a cleaner 407, a convey system 408, a charge elimination light source 409 and so forth are provided as occasion calls.
The light-receiving member 401, having been heated by a heater 423, is uniformly charged by the primary charging unit 402. Then, light which has been emitted from a light source 410 such as a halogen lamp or a fluorescent lamp, is irradiated on an original 412 put on a platen glass 411 and light reflected therefrom is led onto the surface of the light-receiving member through mirrors 413 to 416, a lens system 417 and a filter 418 and projected thereon to form an electrostatic latent image, and a toner is fed to this latent image from the developing unit 404 to form a toner image.
Meanwhile, a transfer medium P such as a sheet of paper or plastic is fed in the direction of the light-receiving member through the transfer medium feed system 405 having a transfer medium path 419 and a resist roller 422. Then, an electric field with a polarity opposite to that of the toner is imparted on its rear side and at the gap between the transfer/separation charging unit 406 and the light-receiving member 401. As the result, the toner image on the surface of the light-receiving member is transferred to the transfer medium P and at the same time the transfer medium P is separated from the light-receiving member 401.
The transfer medium P thus separated is passed through the conveying system 408 to a fixing unit (not shown), where the toner image is fixed, and then discharged from the apparatus.
In the transfer zone, the residual toner remaining on the surface of the light-receiving member without contributing to the transfer is conveyed to the cleaner 407 and is removed by a cleaning blade 421, so that the surface of the light-receiving member is cleaned.
The surface of the light-receiving member refreshed as a result of the cleaning is subjected to charge elimination exposure applied from the charge elimination light source 409 and is again subjected to the image forming process cycle.
Now, the non-single-crystal silicon type light-receiving member used in the image forming process as described above has not only the advantage that it has a high sensitivity to long-wavelength light as stated above (sensitivity peak: around 680 nm; sensitivity region: 400 to 800 nm), but also a satisfactory standard in practical use since it does not cause a lowering of image quality such as crushed characters or slim lines, in an instance where it is used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and copies of documents are taken in an office having normal temperature and humidity. However, it does not necessarily meet the recent requirements for an image quality comparable to that in printing or even higher than that.
More specifically, when the non-single-crystal silicon type light-receiving member is used in an electrophotographic process and very fine lines of about 100 .mu.m or less are reproduced in an environment of high temperature and humidity, e.g., 30.degree. C./80% RH, a sufficient density cannot be obtained and also line breadth may become larger in some cases. For example, in an attempt where a Chinese character "", having complicated strokes and a four-cornered boxy component ".quadrature.", is printed in a region of 2 mm square, its four-cornered boxy component may crush to make the character illegible. Similarly, in an attempt where a Chinese character "", having many strokes in the horizontal direction, is printed in a region of 2 mm square, the horizontal lines composing this character may blur to make the character illegible. Such a level of blurred outputs can not be said to be satisfactory for good resolution, and it follows that no high level of satisfaction can be achieved in some cases with respect to not only the level of image quality required in the field of printing industry, but, also the level of image quality required in offices. Such unsatisfactory results may lead to the conclusion that the image quality is substantially "unacceptable" for commercial copying. Conventionally, to avoid such problems, for example, heater (in FIG. 2, a heater 423) is provided inside the substrate of the light-receiving member and the heater 423 is electrified to raise the surface temperature of the light-receiving member to lower the relative humidity so that good reproducibility can be ensured. This method causes an increase in power consumption of the whole copying machine to bring about an economical disadvantage, but the power to the heater must be kept on even at night during which the copying machine is not used at all, in order to ensure satisfactory image reproducibility when first used in the morning and to ensure good image quality when used in an environment of high humidity. Accordingly, to save energy and natural resources, it has been deemed desirable to develop a light-receiving member requiring no heater.

Light-receiving member and electrophotographic apparatus making use of the same


A system for reducing the manual force required to move a lowerable shell of a luggage compartment in a passenger aircraft includes a load determination device for determining a load acting on the lowerable shell of the luggage compartment, and a state detection device for detecting whether the lowerable shell is in a closed position or an open position. The system also includes a force assisting device for applying a constant assisting force which opposes the load acting on the lowerable shell. The system further includes an actuating device adapted to move the force assisting device from a first inactive operating state to a second active operating state when the lowerable shell is in the open position and the load acting on the lowerable shell exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

Luggage compartments with a lowerable shell are currently used in passenger aircraft in particular, as they advantageously enable space to be utilised in an optimum manner and at the same time a high level of operating convenience to be attained. The lowerable shell can be pivoted out of an upper closed position, in which the passengers seated under the luggage compartments are guaranteed optimum headroom, into a lower open loading and unloading position. Even relatively short people can easily deposit items of luggage in the shell and remove them from the shell in the loading and unloading position. In order to reduce a manual force which is required to pivot the lowerable shell between its lower open loading and unloading position and its upper closed position, luggage compartments which are used in passenger aircraft are frequently equipped with a force assisting device for providing an assisting force when opening and/or closing the luggage compartments.
A luggage compartment with a lowerable shell comprising a force assisting device disposed at the back of the luggage compartment is known from DE 102 22 124 A1. The force assisting device is connected to the lowerable shell of the luggage compartment by means of a cable guided over return pulleys and is equipped with a gas pressure spring for producing a required assisting force. The force assisting device is capable to adapt the provided assisting force to the loading state of the lowerable shell, so that a user has to apply an at least substantially invariable closing force, which is independent of the loading state of the lowerable shell, in order to push the lowerable shell upwards and to close the luggage compartment.
DE 10 2004 049 700 A1 describes a force assisting device which is intended to be used in conjunction with a luggage compartment with a lowerable shell and which enables an assisting force provided by the force assisting device to be controlled purely mechanically. The force assisting device comprises a gas pressure spring, which is articulated in a pivotable manner to a rocking lever, and an adjustment device, which enables the rocking lever to be pivoted and therefore the assisting force which is provided by the force assisting device to be adapted in dependence on a load which is determined by a load determination device.
The known force assisting devices have the disadvantage of a relatively high weight and a relatively high installation space requirement. Moreover, they consist of a relatively large number of individual components and are relatively complex in terms of their technical function.

Force assisting system for luggage system


A propane gas delivery system having a large storage tank, a supply conduit to deliver propane gas, a first regulator and a second regulator to reduce pressure, where a secondary containment tank is provided to receive and retain any liquid propane which enters the supply conduit, whether due to overfilling of the main tank or condensation within the supply conduit, and which allows the liquid propane to reconvert into the gas phase. A float valve is provided in the outflow conduit of the secondary tank to prevent flow of liquid propane from the secondary tank in the event the amount of liquid trapped by the secondary tank exceeds its retention capacity.

This invention relates generally to the field of propane delivery systems, where liquid propane is stored under pressure in a tank and the propane is delivered as a gas through supply conduits to devices which utilize the propane gas as a fuel. More particularly, the invention relates to such systems where a pair of regulators are provided in the gas supply conduits, the first regulator reducing the pressure in the supply conduit to approximately 10 psi and the second reducing the pressure to less than 0.5 ounces per square inch for use by household appliances and the like. Even more particularly, the invention relates to such systems where a secondary containment tank, of relatively small volume, is provided in the supply conduit between the two regulators, the secondary tank retaining any liquid propane which has condensed in the supply conduit and having a float valve to prevent liquid propane from flowing through the second regulator and to the household devices.
The use of propane gas to provide fuel for various devices or household appliances is well known. In the typical systems, a large tank capable of holding hundreds of gallons of liquid propane is provided at an external location. The tank is filled with liquid propane under pressure ranging from about 10 to 125 psi, the actual pressure being dependent on the ambient temperature, the low value occurring when the outside temperature is below zero degrees and the upper value occurring when the temperature is in the eighties or higher. A portion of the liquid propane changes to propane gas and is passed through a first regulator which reduces the pressure to about 10 psi. The propane gas is then conducted through a supply conduit or pipeline to a second regulator, which reduces the pressure of the gas in the supply conduit to less than about 0.5 ounces per square inch, which is a desirable pressure for use in most appliances and devices.
The tank is kept external to and separated a distance from the building for safety reasons. This means that the supply conduit must be relatively lengthy and is exposed to the elements to some degree. When the ambient temperature drops, the propane gas in the supply conduit may condense into liquid propane. Likewise, if the main tank is overfilled, liquid propane may be forced into the supply conduit. In either case, it is possible for liquid propane to pass through the supply conduit and into the household appliances or other devices. This is very dangerous, as the liquid propane may blow out the seals and a fire or explosion may result.
It is an object of this invention to provide a system for the delivery of propane gas, or any other similar gas where condensation back into the liquid phase in the supply conduit is detrimental, which incorporates a secondary containment tank to receive and retain any liquid propane which has condensed or been inadvertently drawn into the supply conduit, where the liquid propane is allowed to vaporize in the tank for passage through the second regulator. It is a further object to provide such secondary tank with a valve means which shuts off all flow from the secondary tank in the event the liquid propane level nears the point where it would be drawn into the second regulator.

Propane supply system with secondary containment tank


A method of pointillist painting includes receiving a dot list including a specification of color, position, size, texture, and exclusion zone of a plurality of dots, wherein the exclusion zone of a dot represents an area that does not overlap with an exclusion zone of any other of the plurality of dots and selecting a first set of dots of a first color. A colorant dispenser may be moved to a first position of a first dot in the first set. A pre-determined amount of colorant may be applied to the first position. A measured blast of air may modify coverage and profile of the applied colorant. The dispenser may then move to the remaining positions until all dots of the first color and subsequent sets of dots of subsequent colors are dispensed.

Pointillism is a technique of applying paint of different colors in specific patterns to form an image. The painting entitled "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by George Seurat is a famous example of a pointillist painting. The artist Christian Seidler developed a pointillist painting technique called Matricism. Matricism is a technique that reduces the number of paint colors in an image by merging a distinct color design with a grayscale design. The color design has an arbitrarily small number of principle colors and the gray scale design has a limited number of values. In Matricism the number of paint colors is the product of the number of principle colors and the number of gray levels.
As referenced above, the '378 patent describes a system for designing and processing a pointillist painting using the Matricism technique, and the '292 patent describes a system for applying or depositing dots of pigmentation or paint to a surface.

System and method of pointillist painting


An electrical connector includes an insulating body which has base boards aligned at intervals along a transverse direction, propping portions each connected between adjacent two base boards to divide an interval between the adjacent two base boards into two parts designated as a receiving cavity and a receiving passage, and a connecting body traversed on rear ends of top edges of the base boards, and terminals each having a connecting strip, a soldering slice and an elastic arm oppositely extending from two ends of the connecting strip. The connecting strip and the soldering slice are disposed in the receiving passage with the soldering slice abutting against a bottom of the connecting body, the connecting strip propped up by the propping portion, and two opposite side edges of the connecting strip and the soldering slice abutting against insides of the receiving passage. The elastic arm stretches into the receiving cavity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector capable of stopping solder flowing forwards to damage a contact portion of a terminal thereof.
2. The Related Art
Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a traditional electrical connector 2 includes an insulating body 30 and a plurality of terminals 35. The insulating body 30 has a base portion 33 and a tongue portion 31 extending forward from a middle of the base portion 33. The base portion 33 defines a plurality of fastening passages 34 arranged at regular intervals along a transverse direction thereof and each extending longitudinally to penetrate through the base portion 33. A top of the tongue portion 31 defines a plurality of receiving cavities 32 corresponding to the fastening passages 34 respectively and each extending longitudinally to be connected with a bottom of a front end of the corresponding fastening passage 34. The terminal 35 has a fastening slice 351, a soldering tail 352 and a contact portion 353 connected with two opposite ends of the fastening slice 351. The fastening slice 351 is fastened in the respective fastening passage 34, the contact portion 353 projects upward out of the corresponding receiving cavity 32, and the soldering tail 352 stretches rearward beyond the base portion 33 for being soldered with an external cable (not shown).
However, the fastening passage 34 is connected with the corresponding receiving cavity 32 without any preventing structures therebetween. As a result, when the soldering tail 352 is soldered with the cable, the solder is apt to flow into the receiving cavity 32 along the fastening passage 34 to damage the contact portion 353. In order to prevent the solder from flowing into the receiving cavity 32, the connector 2 further includes a rear lid 36 mounted behind the base portion 33 to seal up the fastening passages 34. The soldering tail 352 further passes through the rear lid 36 and then is soldered with the cable. However, it need take extra manpower and material resources to manufacture the rear lid 36 so that results in the increase of manufacture cost of the connector 2.


A system and method for dynamic traffic load balancing with a multiple physical layer modes of an air interface protocol architecture, the protocol architecture residing in a base station and/or an access network that includes a base station and access gateway that include distributed and centralized components of the air interface protocol architecture. The traffic load balancing supports various multiplexing scenarios for scheduling communication data under time division multiple access and frequency division multiple access techniques for use in the multi-carrier wireless network.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to cellular wireless networks, and more particularly to the loading of multiple physical layer modes to service a cellular wireless network.
2. Related Art
Wireless networks re known. Cellular wireless networks support wireless communication services in many populated areas of the world. While wireless networks were initially constructed to service voice circuit-switched voice communications, they are now called upon to support packet-switched data communications as well.
The transmission of packetized data communications within a wireless network places different demands on networks than does the transmission of voice communications. Voice communications require a sustained bandwidth with minimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and continuity requirements. Data communications, on the other hand, typically are latency tolerant but have higher total throughput requirements. Conventional circuit-switched wireless networks were designed to support the well-known voice communication requirements. Thus, wireless networks (as well as conventional circuit switched telephone networks) have been adapted to service data communications, with such adaptation providing mixed results.
As the variety of devices that support wireless communications both on a circuit-switched basis and on a packet-switched basis are increasing, as well as devices having multiple modes of operation to support voice and multimedia communications. With respect to the infrastructure to support these devices, the ability to service all manners of circuit and packet communications exist while sustaining the Quality of Service, and complying with the Service Level Agreements despite the load placed upon components of the network infrastructure.
Thus, there exists a need for traffic load balancing of multiple physical layer modes of an air interface protocol architecture to accommodate the varying single-mode and multi-mode mobile terminals that may be present within a wireless communications system.

Load balancing for an air interface protocol architecture with a plurality of heterogenous physical layer modes


An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image bearing members bearing latent images, image forming units for forming the latent images on the image bearing members, developing units for developing the latent images on the image bearing members, a transport belt for transporting a transfer member on which images of different colors developed by the developing units are successively transferred as the transfer member is transported, and image pickup elements, arranged obliquely to a main scan direction of the image forming units and located on a downstream of a most downstream one of the image bearing members along a direction in which the transport belt transports the transfer member. The image pickup elements detect as image information transmitted or reflected light quantity distributions of regions which include marks transferred on the transport belt from the image bearing members. The image forming apparatus further includes a correction unit for detecting correction quantities from error quantities of marks transferred from the image bearing members other than a reference image bearing member with respect to a reference mark transferred from the reference image bearing member based on the image information detected by the image pickup elements, and correcting positions of the latent images formed on the image bearing members other than the reference image bearing member depending on the correction quantities.

The present invention generally relates to image forming apparatuses, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus including a plurality of latent image bearing members on which latent images are formed and successively transferring images of different colors formed on the latent image bearing members onto the same transfer member such as a sheet of paper.
Conventionally, in a laser scan type recording apparatus which uses an optical scan system, a laser beam detector detects a scan start position of a laser beam, and reading of pixel information is started after receiving an output of the laser beam detector. The laser beam is modulated using the pixel information and a pixel clock, and the modulated laser beam is irradiated on a photoconductive body so as to form a toner latent image on the photoconductive body. The toner latent image is developed, and an image formation is made by transferring the developed image onto a recording medium.
The output of the laser beam detector and the pixel clock are physically not synchronized. For this reason, a deviation amounting to a maximum of 1 pixel clock may occur in the modulation start timing of the laser beam, thereby causing a pixel shear (or shift). Hence, there was a conventional image forming apparatus which detects the output of the laser beam detector using a clock having N times the frequency of the pixel clock, and then obtaining the pixel clock by frequency-dividing the detected output by 1/N. On the other hand, there was another conventional image forming apparatus which provides pixel clocks having N phases and detection circuits amounting to the number of phases, and obtaining the pixel clock based on the first clock phase detected from the output of the laser beam detector.
However, the conventional image forming apparatuses had the following problems to be solved.
First, in the laser scan system using a rotary polygonal mirror, an image scan width differed for each face of the polygonal mirror due to the different characteristics of the faces, such as the face irregularities or inclinations, the f.THETA. characteristics, the focal distances and the uniformness of velocities. As a result, with respect to an image on the scan ending side, a periodic image shear occurred in a sub scan direction which is perpendicular to a main scan direction depending on the number of faces of the polygonal mirror.
Second, in the image forming apparatus which arranges a plurality of recording units for the different colors and forms a multi-color image on the recording medium such as paper by overlapping transfers of different color pixel data onto the recording medium, the position of the laser beam detector and the characteristics of the polygonal mirror differ for each recording unit, and the causes for the image shear further increased.


A motion simulation chair incorporates a base providing elevated attachment points for a number of support cables. A seat support is carried within the base and engages a seat for an occupant at a top end. The seat support has companion attachment points for the support cables at a bottom end. A control system incorporates a forward vertical control element constrained for three axis motion about a control point. A horizontal control element displaced upward from the control point and extending rearward from the forward vertical control element, engages the seat support. A control stick operated by the user imparts motion to the forward vertical control element about the control point. Moving the horizontal control element alters the suspension angles of the cables providing a corresponding tilt of the seat support and seat for realistic simulation of motion resulting from inputs to a computer game by the control stick.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of motion simulators and more particularly to a chair and mechanical support system providing motion capability in response to physical control inputs by a user associated with inputs to a videogame or other simulation with associated motion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer video games provide numerous simulations which involve aircraft, spacecraft or other moving vehicles. The realistic video presentations provide an exciting game playing environment for the user. The ability to have actual motion of a chair in which the user sits significantly enhances the virtual reality provided by the game. Motion base simulators for aircraft pilot training and other similar devices have been available for some time; however, such devices are very complicated and expensive.
Arcade games and amusement park games which employ video have been developed which include some movement of the user's seat. However, such games are typically unavailable for purchase by individual users and like commercially available flight simulation systems are extremely expensive. Further, the arcade game systems are typically single game units without capability for variation of games.
It is therefore desirable to provide a system to create motion simulating the environment created in a video game for a user in an inexpensive and simple mechanical device.