A method for performing buffer copy operations in a personal computer system utilizing paged memory mode architecture and having a cache memory. The contents of a first buffer are read into a microprocessor register and simultaneously written into a cache memory. The first buffer is then read again and written to a second buffer, with the actual data values being obtained from the cache memory. This method avoids excessive wait states associated with changing memory pages from the first buffer memory address to the second buffer memory address for each data value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of memory management for personal computers, in particular to a method for performing a fast buffer copy in a personal computer utilizing a paged mode memory architecture and having a cache memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Personal computer systems are becoming increasingly more powerful, now achieving processing performance levels previously only within the range of minicomputers. Device manufacturers have developed faster and more powerful microprocessors which are rapidly entering the personal computer market. Examples of such microprocessors include Intel Corporation's (Intel) 80386 and 80486 microprocessors. As microprocessors have become increasingly faster, the speed of memory devices is also a major factor in determining the speed that an application will run. While fast memory devices are available, their use in main memory in a computer system is not common due to their high cost.
An alternative to the general use of high speed memory as main memory is to utilize a cache memory system. In a cache memory system, a small amount of fast memory is used as a temporary storage area and slower, more cost effective, memory devices are used in the computer system's main memory. Data contained in portions of the main memory is duplicated in the fast cache memory. An operation requiring data which is stored in the cache memory will be performed at a higher speed than operations which access normal memory. A cache controller is used to determine if the desired information is contained within the cache memory and to control the data transfer from the cache memory. Techniques for the management of cache memory are generally known within the industry. For example, Intel used the cache memory concept when developing the 80386 microprocessor family of devices, including an 82385 cache controller. For detailed information on these devices, please refer to the 1989 Intel Microprocessor and Peripheral Handbook, Volume 1. The use of a cache system generally assures that a copy of the cacheable memory data last read or written by the main processor is maintained in the cache. The amount of information which may be stored in the cache is a function of cache size. There exist a number of algorithms for determining what information will remain in the cache memory. One algorithm is the Least Recently Used (LRU) technique wherein information LRU'd in cache memory is displaced by the next cache miss operation.
Another means of improving speed of memory devices is the use of paged mode dynamic random access memories (DRAM's). A page mode DRAM device may be used in any type of computer system architecture for speeding up main memory access using cheaper RAM. Memory is accessed in a paged memory device by the microprocessor issuing an address for a particular location in the memory array. The address is loaded into a memory controller. The memory controller handles the task of providing the row and column addresses used by a DRAM from the full address provided by the microprocessor. It will be appreciated that placing first the row and then the column address on the DRAM address bus and meeting the particular timing requirements of the DRAM requires a considerable amount of time. The paging technique is used to decrease the amount of time required to access a particular memory address. In a computer system using paged memory DRAM devices, the microprocessor issues a full address to access a specific memory address within a DRAM device as before. However, the memory controller now includes a previous address latch and a comparator to determine if the DRAM row address has changed between successive memory requests. If so, a full row and column address cycle must be issued. However, if the row address has not changed so that the desired memory address is on the same page as the previous access, only a new column address need be provided. It will be appreciated that the time required to access the subsequent memory address is significantly less than that required if the memory controller must issue both a row address and column address and perform a full addressing cycle. If the memory operation is located on the same page, this is known as a page hit. If the row address must be changed because a different page is being requested, this is known as a page miss.
A common operation in computer system applications calls for data stored in a first buffer to be copied to a second buffer. Usually, the two buffers are located on different memory pages. When this situation occurs, the system performance may suffer during the buffer copy operation. For example, if each element of data is to be read from a source buffer located on page P.sub.i and to be written to a target buffer on page P.sub.j on an element-by-element basis, no read or write page hits will occur. The computer system memory controller will read an element from page P.sub.i, write it to page P.sub.j and a page write miss will occur, requiring the issuance of a row and column address, as the memory controller will be required to change pages to perform the write. The memory controller will then read the next element from page P.sub.i and a page read miss will occur as the memory controller must index from page P.sub.j to page P.sub.i. It will be appreciated that each read or write operation will create an associated page miss. These page misses dramatically increase the buffer copy time as compared to a case where page hits occur. Thus, there exists a need for a method to maximize the number of memory page hits during a buffer copy operation.

Method of fast buffer copying by utilizing a cache memory to accept a page of source buffer contents and then supplying these contents to a target buffer without causing unnecessary wait states


A process for extending the cognizable range of two-digit fixed-point number fields by encoding and decoding within existing size constraints of such fields in records and database segments stored with ASCII, EBCDIC and/or packed decimal representations in digital data processing systems, particularly adapted to application and database management software in mature in large mainframe computer installations. Numeric values provided by a human or automated source are evaluated to ascertain whether they fit within the range previously established for such fields and, if within the range, left undisturbed; otherwise they are encoded or decoded by a method which is transparent to existing software utilizing the records or segments, and which will be indexed and presented to existing software in the logically anticipated ascending or descending numeric sequence notwithstanding that the previously defined range of said fields, preferably utilized to render older software Year-2000 cognizant without reprogramming or rewriting old segments or records, or historic or backup copies thereof.

Computers have become the lifeblood of modem commerce and are as indispensable today in the management of information as are electric power or telephone service. Few, if indeed any, business or governmental entities are not dependent upon some form of automated information and retrieval system. This reliance has expanded in inverse proportion to the ever-decreasing cost of computer equipment, driven continually downward by the synergistic effects of technological advances, competition and rapid obsolescence. The present explosion of Internet usage testifies to the automated future of global commerce.
There was, however, a mote clouding the vision of the programmers of the Information Revolution, which has now become a plank in the collective eye and imminently threatens to immobilize entire industries. There are a number of cures for this computer cancer, at least in theory, but the certainty of an immutable and rapidly approaching deadline curtails the time available to stem spread of the disease. Indeed, time itself is the problem--or at least, the post-Gregorian method of counting it.

Implementing extended numeric range within a two-digit software representation


A wire seal for a waterproof connector having a seal body with a mating end surface and a terminal end surface, a plurality of wire insertion passageways extending through the seal body from the mating end surface to the terminal end surface, inner seal projections disposed on an inner peripheral wall of each of the wire insertion passageways, and relief grooves disposed on the mating end surface and the terminal end surface between adjacent wire insertion passageways.

Waterproof connectors often use a wire seal or seal member, known as a family seal, disposed in a connector housing to prevent water and the like from penetrating from the outside. This wire seal comprises a plurality of wire insertion passageways at positions corresponding to a plurality of contacts (terminal fittings) held by the connector housing. When the contact is inserted into a cavity for holding the contact through the wire insertion passageway, an electric wire connected to the contact comes into tight contact with a seal projection provided around the wire insertion passageway, thereby ensuring the waterproofness of the connector.
However, in cases involving a waterproof connector having a wire seal with plurality of wire insertion passageways of the same specifications, contacts having electric wires with different wire diameters are often inserted. When a thick electric wire is inserted into the wire insertion passageway, the compressed seal material has no escape space in the surroundings of the wire insertion passageway, so the seal material runs off into the adjacent wire insertion passageway. In this case, if an attempt is made to insert a thick electric wire into the adjacent wire insertion passageway, the running-off seal material becomes a resistance, and the burden of contact-mounting work increases. If an attempt is made to insert the thick electric wire forcibly, a rubber break occurs in the seal material (seal projection). In this case, the desired waterproofing performance cannot be achieved.
To combat the above-described problems, some proposals have been made (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-317385 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-140876).
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-317385 proposes a technique in which relief grooves depressed in the thickness direction of a seal member are formed at positions adjacent to the wire insertion passageways near the outer edge of wire seal. However, since the relief grooves are provided near the outer edge of the wire seal, although the seal material located on the outer periphery side of the wire seal can run off into the relief grooves, the seal material located at positions distant from the outer periphery side cannot run off into the relief grooves.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-140876 proposes a technique in which one side in the axial direction of the wire insertion passageway provided in the wire seal is made a large-diameter section, and the other side thereof is made a small-diameter section, and the adjacent wire insertion passageways are arranged so that the orientations of the large-diameter section and the small-diameter section are different between the front surface and the back surface of the seal member. However, where the small-diameter section of the wire insertion passageway is arranged on the contact insertion side, the contact abuts with the seal material around the small-diameter section, so that contact insertion requires greater insertion force, and, a rubber break may occur if an attempt is made to insert the contact forcibly.
Accordingly, an object of the invention, among other objects is to provide a wire seal into which even an electric wire having a large wire diameter can be inserted without difficulty, and without depending on the position at which a wire insertion passageway is arranged.
Also, another object of the invention is to provide a waterproof connector comprising the above-described wire seal to achieve the desired waterproofing performance.


A drug storage and dispensing system including a container for containing the drug, a storage tray and a drug identification key. The storage tray includes a plurality of drug storage chambers each defined by a sidewall and configured to receive the container. The key member includes at least one projection and at least one opening configured to receive the at least one projection. The at least one projection is disposed on either the sidewall or the container. The at least one projection receiving member is formed in the other of the sidewall and the container. The at least one projection and at least one opening have configurations that corresponding to at least one feature of the drug. The at least one projection is received in the at least one opening when the container is received in the storage chamber.

The present invention relates to drug storage and dispensing systems.
In healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, drugs are administered to patients. Such drugs are typically stored in a cabinet or closet and are categorized by drug and dosage. Some, more advanced, facilities utilize an automated drug inventory system which uses a user interfaced processor to track the drugs being stocked in and taken from the drug cabinet. Some processors employ mechanisms to restrict access to certain drugs. Despite these drug inventory systems, such drug cabinets are still stocked by humans capable of error. Furthermore, the labels on many of the drug containers and vials are small and difficult to read.
There have been numerous documented cases of drug cabinets being improperly stocked and death or injury has resulted. This may be more prone to occurring in emergency settings when caregivers must act quickly. For instance, the healthcare provider may reach into the drug cabinet and remove a vial stored in the Heparin-child dose section believing that he/she is removing the proper dose of Heparin. Unfortunately, the vial may actually be the adult dose of Heparin which was improperly stocked. Administered to a child, the adult dose may result in death. In other cases, the wrong drug altogether is placed in the drug compartment.
A need remains for a system that helps to insure that the proper drug is stocked in the proper compartment and/or that the proper drug is dispensed and administered to the patient.

Drug storage, indexing and dispensing system


A nuclear propulsion reactor. A reactor vessel is provided with an annular first core and a cylindrical second core that is radially encompassed by the first core. Nuclear fuel elements in the first core provide first stage heating of propellant as they direct the propellant axially through the first core. The second core, which contains fissionable material in a highly refractory form, is in fluid communication with the first core for receiving the heated propellant. Fission reactions in the second core driven by leakage neutrons from the first core provide second stage heating of the propellant as it passes therethrough. The second core directs the coolant to a propellant nozzle for providing propulsive thrust.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to nuclear reactors and particularly to nuclear propulsion reactors.
2. General Background
Desirable features of nuclear propulsion reactors for vehicles to be used in outer space are a high thrust-to-weight ratio and high exhaust temperature. Unfortunately, these are conflicting requirements where nuclear reactors are concerned. A high thrust-to-weight ratio tends to require low density materials while a high exhaust temperature tends to require high density materials. When these two features are sought in a single reactor core, the result is invariably a compromise in the core design that leads to a lower thrust-to-weight ratio and/or exhaust temperature than might otherwise be possible. In previous space nuclear propulsion reactor concepts the propellant gas is heated from its cryogenic inlet temperature to its final exhaust temperature by a single core region. This is the case for the ROVER/NERVA type engines that have been built and tested and known conceptual designs. This leaves a need for a nuclear propulsion reactor that provides a thrust-to-weight ratio and exhaust temperature that is more favorable than that of current designs.


An imaging device comprising: a first optical system formed by combining an optical system from an imaging lens to an image pickup element where a subject image is formed and an optical system from a display device where an electronic image of a subject representing an image formed at the image pickup element is displayed to an ocular unit of a finder; a second optical system which guides an optical image of the subject to the ocular unit; and a correcting device which performs, based on distortion aberration information about the first optical system and distortion aberration about the second optical system, distortion aberration correction so that distortion aberration equal to distortion aberration of the second optical system occurs in an electronic image of the subject and causes the electronic image to be displayed on the display device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to imaging devices and electronic viewfinder display methods and, in particular, to an imaging device and electronic viewfinder display method capable of switching between an electronic viewfinder and an optical viewfinder.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the technical field of digital cameras (imaging devices) so far, it is general that an electronic image of a subject obtained from an imaging lens an imaging optical system such as an image pickup element is displayed on a liquid-crystal monitor to check composition and a focus state. However, in recent years, models provided with a finder for checking composition and a focus state separately from a liquid-crystal monitor on a rear surface have been widespread. As these finder types, there are an optical viewfinder (OVF: Optical View Finder, hereinafter OVF) and an electronic viewfinder (EVF: Electronic View Finder, hereinafter EVF), which each have advantages and disadvantages.
Specifically, the OVF has some superiority over the EVF, such as "no response delay in display", "clear display image", and "composition can be easily determined since the outside of an imaging range can be viewed (depending on the type)". On the other hand, the EVF has superiorities in use over the OVF, such as "replayed image and menu display (including superimposing display) are possible". Therefore, in a digital camera (imaging device) including both an OVF and an EVF, it is preferable to switch between the OVF and the EVF as appropriate according to the situation.
Imaging devices including an electronic viewfinder are described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-16610 (hereinafter referrred to as PTL 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-119029 (hereinafter referrred to as PTL 2). PTL 1 discloses an imaging device including a finder device allowing simultaneous observation of a first display region and a second display region from an ocular window through an optical system, the first display region in which a subject image is observed as an optical image and the second display region in which an electronic image obtained by photoelectric conversion by the image pickup element and displayed by a display device is observed; and the imaging device also including a display control device which distorts the electronic image in advance by image processing so that luminous distortion occurring due to passage through the optical system when observed from the ocular window is cancelled out for display on the display device.
With this, while observation of an optical image of a substance is kept possible without taking eyes off the finder, the state of an image taken, the state of settings of the camera, and imaging auxiliary information can be checked with the electronic image. Furthermore, since the electronic image is subjected to image processing in advance so that distortion occurring due to passage through the finder optical system is inconspicuous, the electronic image to be observed becomes a favorable image with distortion cancelled out.
Furthermore, PTL 2 discloses an imaging device including an imaging device which images a subject via an imaging optical system and outputs an image signal, an image processing device which generates image data based on the image signal, a first display device which displays an image based on the image data, and a visual recognition optical system allowing visual recognition of the image, wherein the image processing device generates image data so as to correct optical aberration of the visual recognition optical system.
With this, an imaging device can be provided capable of electrically correcting optical aberration such as magnification chromatic aberration and distortion aberration due to a loupe lens of an electronic-type viewfinder and allowing observation of a subject image without color bleeding, distortion and so on.

Imaging device and method for displaying electronic viewfinder


A method and apparatus for stripping housing from a cable. The apparatus includes a frame having an interior channel or passage for receiving a cable therethrough and an exterior. The frame has a guide coupled to the frame interior for supporting the cable when the cable is received through the frame and moved axially therethrough. Disposed in the frame is an adjustable shaft having a first end and a second end. The shaft is adjustably coupled to the frame so that the first end is disposed in the frame interior opposite the guide and can be quickly and safely adjusted relative to the guide depending on the size of cable disposed therein. The first end also has a blade attached thereto for splitting the housing of the cable when the cable is moved axially through the frame interior while supported by the guide. The guide supports the cable so that the housing on the cable is perforated by the blade when the adjustable shaft is adjusted to press the blade against the cable. The frame exterior has a separator mechanism adjustably coupled thereto for efficiently stripping split cable housing from the cable.

1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a wire stripper through which cables are passed to remove a housing from the cable. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus by which a housing can be quickly removed from an entire cable with relatively little cost or effort.
2. The Background Art
There is currently a significant demand for scrap copper and other metals which can be melted down for formation into desired products. One widely available source for scrap metal is wire segments which, for a variety of reasons, are not being used. For example, a large number of pieces of copper wire are typically left over after wiring a house. Likewise, many businesses have large roles of cable which are no longer useable for a variety of reasons.
If the metal conductor in the scrap cable is to be used, the insulative housing about the conductor must be removed. Thus, many salvage yards require the housing to be stripped from the conductor before it will be accepted as scrap. To strip the housing from the cables, a wire stripping tool is usually used. This procedure is often referred to as "stripping" the wire. Those skilled in the art have also been known to refer to this art as "peeling" the cable core. The wire stripping tools that are currently in use for accomplishing this task range from sophisticated machinery to simple hand tools.
A common element in most wire stripping tools is some sort of blade to split the housing on a cable. A split housing prepares the housing for removal from the cable. However, these tools are often undesirable for quick and easy removal of vast amounts of housing from large volumes of cable. For example, if sophisticated machinery is used to remove housing from cable, the procedure is expensive. Obtaining the machinery requires significant up-front costs and maintaining the machinery in working order requires continual observation and periodic repairs. A common problem for such machinery occurs when the machinery jams from the constant influx of cable being stripped. When cable is constantly input into the machinery, the machinery jams because the stripped housing is not efficiently disposed of and the stripped housing sometimes tangles within the machinery and interferes with new cable being input therein.
Another example of problems in the art is when hand tools are used. Existing hand tools for stripping wire do not allow for quick removal of housing from cable because precise adjustments that account for wire diameter or length must be made prior to removing housing from a particular cable. Thus, an undesirable amount of time may be required to remove cable housing.
Another disadvantage of using hand tools for removing cable housing from large amounts of cable is safety. Safety is compromised when the user must manipulate a bladed hand tool in one hand and an elongate cable in the other hand. This scenario requires significant coordination and thus may be unsafe even for highly skilled users.
When in use, the available hand tools also are known to jam when large volumes of cable or wire are fed through a cable guide. This jamming occurs when the housing that is being stripped gets caught between parts of the tool or when the cable itself lodges between the parts of the tool.
Of current interest is a wire stripping tool that is inexpensive, easy to operate, safe, and designed to quickly strip housing from large volumes of cable. In view of the foregoing, it would be an advance in the art to provide a wire stripping tool that is inexpensive to build, inexpensive to operate, conducive to quick removal of cable sheathing, and designed so as to provide a smooth flow of cable through the tool.


In a noise reduction communications system, where hands-free operations are utilized, a method and system are described for capturing the ambient noise immediately following speech, and using this sample as the basis for noise cancellation of the speech signal, either in a post-processing or real time processing mode.

Background noise during speech can degrade voice communications. The listener might not be able to understand what is being transmitted, and is aggravated by trying to identify and interpret speech while noise is present. Also, in speech recognition systems, errors occur more frequently as the level of background (or ambient) noise increases.
Substantial efforts have been made to reduce the level of ambient noise in communications systems on a real-time basis. One is to filter out the low and high bands at the extremes of the voice band. The problem with this is that much noise is located in the same frequencies as usable speech.
Another is to actively estimate the noise and filter it out of the associated speech. This is generally done by quantifying the signal when speech is not present (presumed to be representative of ambient noise), and subtracting out that signal during speech. If the ambient noise is consistent between periods of speech and periods of non-speech, then such cancellation techniques can be very effective.
A typical state-of-the-art noise cancellation (speech enhancement) system generally has three components:
Speech/Noise Detector PA1 Noise Estimator PA1 Noise Canceller
A standard speech enhancement system might typically operate as follows:
The input signal is sampled and converted to digital values, called "samples". These samples are grouped into "frames" whose duration is typically in the range of 10 to 30 milliseconds each. An energy value is then computed for each such frame of the input signal.
A typical state-of-the-art Speech/Noise Detector is often accomplished via a software implementation on a general purpose computer. The system can be implemented to operate on incoming frames of data by classifying each input frame as ambient noise if the frame energy is below an energy threshold, or as speech if the frame energy is above the threshold. An alternative would be to analyze the individual frequency components of the signal in relation to a template of noise components. Other variations of the above scheme are also known, and may be implemented.
The Speech/Noise Detector is initialized by setting the threshold to some pre-set value (usually based on a history of empirically observed energy levels of representative speech and ambient noise). During operation, as the frames are classified, the threshold can be adjusted to reflect the incoming frames, thereby creating a better discrimination between speech and noise.
A typical state-of-the-art Noise Estimator is then utilized to form a quantitative estimate of the signal characteristics of the frame (typically described by its frequency components). This noise estimate is also initialized at the beginning of the input signal and then updated continuously during operation, as more noise signals are received. If a frame is classified as noise by the Speech/Noise Detector, that frame is used to update the running estimate of noise. Typically, the more recent frames of noise received are given greater weight in the computation of the noise estimate.
The Noise Canceller component of the system takes the estimate of the noise from the Noise Estimator, and subtracts it from the signal. A state-of-the-art cancellation method is that of "spectral subtraction", where the subtraction is performed on the frequency components of the signal. This may be accomplished using both linear and non-linear means.
Effectiveness of the overall noise-cancellation system in enhancing the signal, i.e. enhancing the speech, is critically dependent on the noise estimate; a poor or inappropriate estimate will result in the benign error of negligible enhancement, or the malign error of degradation of the speech.
One of the problems with existing speech enhancement systems utilizing noise cancellation relates to the "hands-free" telephony environment.
Typically, in the case of hands-free telephony, such as speaker phones and "hands-free" mobile phones, squelch is incorporated into the telephone when no speech is being input into the microphone, for purposes of reducing echo. This is typically accomplished by attenuating the microphone signal until a pre-determined level of energy is detected at the microphone. The use of squelch results in a very low-level, uniform noise signal at the far end, generally representative of noise on the line, rather than ambient noise near the microphone. Consequently, the noise estimate obtained from a Noise Estimator prior to speech onset (when squelch is present) will not describe target noise, since squelch is not active during speech. A different ambient noise will be present during speech (target noise), and shortly thereafter, until the squelch is re-introduced.
Current noise-cancellation systems will therefore utilize the "squelch" noise sample to subtract from the first speech utterance, which will not be representative of the target noise (noise during speech). Further, the noise following speech, which is representative of the target noise, will be "averaged" with the noise prior to speech in order to arrive at the noise estimate used for cancellation purposes to be applied to subsequent speech utterances. This averaging will once again not be representative of the target noise.
This problem is exacerbated by the fact that "hands-free" operations have a great deal of ambient noise, since the microphone is not next to the speaking person's lips. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for hands-free environments is poor, and can even be less than one. Therefore, in an existing system, the noise estimate used for cancellation will be based on capturing a very low, uniform (squelched) noise signal, and applying that estimate to speech which has different frequency component characteristics and high energy-level (non-squelched) ambient noise, thereby rendering the system's cancellation process ineffective when it is needed most (in a noisy hands-free environment).
Also, if there is enough silence between speech utterances, the squelch will kick back in, rendering the subsequent series of noise samples likewise unrepresentative of target noise.
Additionally, in the case of isolated utterance speech recognition systems (where the input is typically a single utterance followed by silence), combined with a hands-free environment, a typical existing system would not reduce ambient noise (and might indeed introduce additional noise or degrade the speech). Where there is a single utterance, existing systems would use the pre-speech noise (squelched) and apply it to the utterance (where squelch would not be present). There would be no opportunity to measure and apply post-speech noise samples to the single utterance.
Another drawback to existing noise-reduction systems occurs in situations involving dynamically directional microphones and voice-activated microphones. In each case, the ambient noise during speech will more closely approximate the noise immediately following speech than the noise immediately preceding speech. This is due to the fact that the environment picked up by microphones for input into the system changes radically once speech begins, but does not return to the initial state until some period of time following speech. Therefore, current systems would use the unrepresentative noise prior to speech to enhance the speech, resulting in poor performance.

Automatic target noise cancellation for speech enhancement


The present disclosure relates to a method for predicting battery consumption of an electric vehicle and a device for the same. An electronic device includes an input unit which obtains destination information from a user, a memory, and at least one processor which is operatively connected to the input unit and the memory. The at least one processor may obtain a travel path of an electric vehicle, which is derived based on the destination information and may predict battery consumption when the electric vehicle travels along the travel path.

The present disclosure relates to a method for predicting a battery consumption of an electric vehicle and a device for the same.
Recently, with the development of battery technology, eco-friendly policies and active encouragement policy of government, the spread of electric vehicles is increasing. However, due to insufficient lifespan of the battery and problems related to infrastructure such as a charging station, convenience and applicability for users who use the electric vehicle are not improved.
The electric vehicle provides information on a distance that the vehicle can travel in accordance with a current battery charge state. However, the information has a low accuracy, which causes the user to feel inconvenient.
In particular, the actual battery consumption may vary according to the environment of a road to be traveled by the electric vehicle, particularly, the altitude difference. However, there is not presented an example of predicting the battery consumption or of predicting a travel distance with reference to environmental conditions of the road. Therefore, provided information on the distance that the vehicle can travel according to the charge status may be just a reference.

Method for predicting battery consumption of electric vehicle and device for the same


An amplifying circuit includes an n-type transistor having a source, a gate coupled to a first bias voltage, and a drain coupled to a first supply voltage through a first impedance circuit. A p-type transistor of the circuit has a source coupled to the source of the n-type transistor, a gate coupled to a second bias voltage, and a drain coupled to a second supply voltage through a second impedance circuit. A first differential input is coupled to the gate of the n-type transistor through a first capacitor and to the gate of the p-type transistor through a second capacitor. A second differential input is coupled to the sources of the n-type and the p-type transistors. A third capacitor has a first end coupled to the drain of the n-type transistor, and a fourth capacitor has a first end coupled to the drain of the p-type transistor and a second end coupled to a second end of the third capacitor. An output of the amplifier circuit is provided at the second ends of the third and the fourth capacitors. The n-type transistor and the first impedance circuit serve as a common-source amplifier for a signal at the first differential input and as a common-gate amplifier for the signal at the second differential input. Similarly, the p-type transistor and the second impedance circuit serve as a common-source amplifier for the signal at the first differential input and as a common-gate amplifier for the signal at the second differential input.

1. Field of the Technology
The present application relates generally to the fields of electronic circuits, microelectronics, and radio frequency (RF) integrated circuit (IC) design, and more particularly to a low noise amplifier (LNA) which provides high signal gain with low power consumption by sharing a bias current among active devices of the LNA.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fundamental challenge in the design of a low noise amplifier (LNA) in an integrated circuit (IC) with a relatively small current consumption is to achieve a sufficient transconductance of the active devices for determining its gain and noise performance. The trade-offs between the signal gain, the noise figure, and the bias current are especially difficult with Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) LNAs due to the inherent low transconductance of Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs). For a constant current draw, the performance of high frequency LNAs can be improved by resonant load peaking using on-chip or external inductors. This approach, however, is not the most cost-effective due to the silicon area penalty or increased bill-of-material. In highly-integrated radio frequency (RF) communication transceivers, fully differential circuit topologies and signals are generally advantageous with respect to noise immunity, suppression of troublesome second-order spurious responses, and the grounding reference of sensitive RF modules. The performance advantages of differential RF circuits are, in most cases, a trade-off with the resulting increase in power consumption and larger die size. In cost-effective RF transceivers, package pins and external coupling networks are often shared by the receiver LNA input and the transmitter power amplifier output ports. In such transceivers, another desirable characteristic for a robust, low voltage, and low power amplifier design is a reasonably low and well-controlled impedance from the standpoint of the LNA input(s). As apparent, compact and robust differential LNA designs with high performance at low power consumption are highly desirable.
An established technique to achieve lower power amplification is "current reuse," where a direct current (DC) bias current is recycled through several active devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,721,500 to Karanicolas describes a current reuse technique which effectively doubles the transconductance of a single stage of the amplifier without increasing the bias current. The transistors M1 and M2 of the '500 patent are utilized to essentially form a digital inverter which is biased for a large gain by the negative feedback loop. The key to the design in the '500 patent is that, given the same bias current, the effective transconductance of the amplifier is (gm1+gm2), as opposed to simply gm1 in the case that transistor M2 were omitted. This circuit has some drawbacks, such as high input and output impedances which require external matching networks in order to match to well-accepted impedance levels (e.g. 50 ohms). The high impedance nodes also make the circuit sensitive to capacitive parasitics. The circuit also requires a DC feedback network to define the operating points of the transistors. Finally, the design is inherently a single-ended circuit topology which is not always optimal from the standpoint of noise immunity in highly integrated designs.
Single-ended LNA topologies which provide current-reuse to achieve high transconductance are described in the prior art. One common drawback of these circuits is the large number of inductors required for impedance matching and signal transfer purposes. The use of such inductors results in either a prohibitively large silicon area for IC design or a large number of external components. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,556,085 to Ick Jin Kwon et al., several single-ended LNA topologies employ current-reuse to achieve high transconductance. The open literature also teaches designs which utilize current-reuse cascading techniques, such as "A 5.7 GHz 0.18 μm CMOS Gain-Controlled Differential LNA With Current Reuse for WLAN Receiver," Che-Hong Liao and Huey-Ru Chuang, IEEE Microwave and Wireless Component Letters, Vol. 13, No. 12, December 2003; "A 22-mW 435-MHz Differential CMOS High-Gain LNA For Subsampling Receivers," Te-Hsin D. Huang et al., IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAs) 2002; and "Design of a 5.7 GHz 0.18 μm CMOS Current-Reused LNA For An 802.11A WLAN Receiver," Liang-Hui Li and Huey-Ru Chuang, National Cheung Kung University, Taiwan, Microwave Journal, February 2004. The feedback, common-gate hybrid differential LNA circuit topology used by the Berkeley Wireless Research Center (USA) and presented by Stanley Wang in "RF Circuits & Antennas for <1 GHz UWB" on Jun. 12 2003, also employs a current-reuse technique and signal coupling scheme. In particular, the LNA presented by Stanley Wang combines shunt-series feedback and common-gate amplifier topologies by stacking a p-channel MOSFET (PMOS transistor) on top of an n-channel MOSFET (NMOS transistor). Still, however, better noise performance and higher design flexibility for an LNA may be achieved.

Integrated circuit having a low power, gain-enhanced, low noise amplifying circuit


Disclosed are methods, devices, apparatus, assemblies and systems for generating and directing acoustic energy (e.g. sound). According to some embodiments, there may be provided a cyclical acoustic apparatus or generator comprising a cyclical combustions chamber adapted to cyclically generate acoustic energy. There may be provided an acoustic energy collection and guiding assembly adapted to channel sounds energy generated by said cyclical combustion chamber to an aiming and release apparatus, which aiming and release apparatus directs the acoustic energy towards a target zone.

Non-lethal weapons, also called less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be less likely to kill a living target than are conventional weapons. It is often understood that accidental, incidental, and correlative casualties are risked wherever force is applied, but non-lethal weapons try to minimize the risk as much as possible. Non-lethal weapons are used in combat situations to limit the escalation of conflict or where employment of lethal force is prohibited or undesirable or where rules of engagement require minimum casualties or policy restricts the use of conventional force.
Non-lethal weapons may be used by conventional military in a range of missions across the force continuum. They may also be used by military police, by United Nations forces, and by occupation forces for peacekeeping and stability operations. Non-lethal weapons may also be used to channelize a battlefield or control the movement of civilian populations or limit civilian access to restricted areas (as they were utilized by the U.S.M.C.'s 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Somalia in 1995). When used by police forces domestically, similar weapons, tactics, techniques and procedures are often called "less lethal" or "less than lethal" and are employed in riot control, prisoner control, crowd control, refugee control, and self-defense.
In the past, military and police faced with undesirable escalation of conflict had few acceptable options. Military personnel guarding embassies often found themselves restricted to carrying unloaded weapons. National guards or policing forces charged with quelling riots were able to use only Batons or similar club-like weapons, or bayonet or saber charges, or fire live ammunition at crowds. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Non-lethality Policy Review Group at U.S. Global Strategy Council in Washington and other independent think tanks around the world called for a concerted effort to develop weapons that were more life-conserving, environmentally friendly, and fiscally responsible than weapons available at that time. The futurists Alvin Toffler and Heidi Toffler reported comprehensively on this phase of the history of non-lethal weapons in their 1993 book, War and Anti-War. The U.S. Congress and other governments agreed and began an organized development of non-lethal weapons to provide a range of options between talking and shooting.
One category of less than lethal weapons under development is sonic, acoustic psycho-acoustic weapons intended to inflict serious discomfort, pain or even light injury to persons within a target area of the weapon. These weapons are intended to generate and direct sound waves at the target area with an intensity and frequency composition known to achieve a desired discomfort/pain/damage level in persons within the area. To date, effective solutions for controllably generating and directing sufficient amounts of acoustic energy across a sufficient range of distances and spreads do not exist. There is a need for improved methods, devices apparatus, assemblies and systems for generating and directing sound pressure waves.

Methods devices apparatus assemblies and systems for generating and directing sound pressure waves


The epoxidation is carried out in a reaction system made of metal under conditions such that the inner surface area (S) of the reaction system exposed to the gaseous-phase part thereof and the amount of the reaction solution (V) in the reaction system satisfy the formula: 0<S/V.ltoreq.2 (m.sup.2 /m.sup.3). The epoxidation, otherwise, is carried out in a reaction vessel such that at least the inner surface thereof exposed to the gaseous-phase part thereof has been inactivated or in a reaction vessel such that at least the inner surface thereof exposed to the gaseous-phase part thereof has been inactivated. A hydroxy iminodisuccinic acid is produced by causing the epoxysuccinic acid which has been obtained as described above to react with L-aspartic acid. By this reaction, an epoxy compound can be produced with a high yield without inducing coloration by epoxidizing a corresponding ethylenic compound with hydrogen peroxide. By using the epoxysuccinic acid obtained as described above, hydroxy iminodisuccinic acid of high quality can be produced without inducing coloration.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for the production of an epoxy compound. More particularly, this invention relates to a method which comprises epoxidizing an ethylenic compound with hydrogen peroxide thereby producing a corresponding epoxy compound and hydroxy iminodisuccinic acid with a high yield without inducing coloration.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The method for producing an epoxy compound by epoxidizing a corresponding ethylenic compound with hydrogen peroxide has been known for a long time. The catalyst, reaction condition, etc. to be used for this reaction are being studied with great enthusiasm. Numerous patents and documents have already issued from the researches.
As one way of producing epoxysuccinic acid by epoxidizing maleic anhydride with hydrogen peroxide, the present inventors have proposed a method for obtaining epoxysuccinates with a high yield by using two different reaction temperatures and thereby economizing the epoxidizing catalyst (JP-A-04-290879).
No reports have been published concerning the study on the material for the reaction vessel to be used in the epoxidation of maleic anhydride with hydrogen peroxide. The fact that glass, stainless steel, aluminum, etc. are usable as materials for the vessels to be used in handling hydrogen peroxide has been barely known.
The present inventors, in order to produce epoxysuccinic acid on a commercial scale, have tried the epoxidation with a reaction vessel made of stainless steel which is popularly used as an industrial grade material. They have consequently found that this reaction vessel entails the problem of lowering the yield of epoxysuccinic acid relative to maleic anhydride and inducing the produced reaction solution to undergo coloration. After a further study on this problem, they have found that part of hydrogen peroxide gasifies during the course of the reaction, contacts with the surface of stainless steel in the gaseous phase part of the reaction vessel, and undergoes the decomposition caused by the action of stainless steel. Their study has boiled down to a conclusion that when hydrogen peroxide is supplied in an equimolar amount to maleic anhydride, the yield of epoxysuccinic acid relative to maleic anhydride is ultimately lowered because of the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Though the cause for the coloration of epoxysuccinic acid has not yet been elucidated, the coloration may be logically explained by a supposition that the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide entrains a secondary reaction of some form or other and the by-product arising from this secondary reaction persists in epoxysuccinic acid and imparts a color thereto.
The lowered yield induces a decrease in productivity and the coloration seriously impairs the salability of the product, both of which prove unfavorable.
This invention, concerning the production of an epoxy compound by the epoxidation of a corresponding ethylenic compound with hydrogen peroxide in a reaction vessel made of a metal, is aimed at solving such problems as the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide which occurs during the course of the reaction and the degradation of yield and the coloration of the epoxy compound which ensue from the decomposition and consequently enabling the epoxy compound to be produced with a high yield without inducing coloration.
Further, this invention is aimed at producing hydroxy iminodisuccinic acid of high quality without inducing coloration.

Method for production of epoxy compound and hydroxy iminodisuccinic acid


A drawing device for towel cloth for successively drawing out and cutting off a towel material of long size as long as a sheet of towel from the rest of the towel material at the plain woven portion thereof, the towel material of long size having plain woven portions and pile fabric portions alternately and continuously arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction thereof. The drawing device comprises a feed roller disposed perpendicular to the drawing direction of the towel cloth on the drawing side thereof relative to the cutting unit and capable of feeding back the cut end portion of the cut towel cloth on the drawing side to the side of the towel material relative to the cutting unit and a thickness detector disposed in the same way as the feed roller orthogonally to the drawing direction of the towel cloth having an aperture-adjustable slit for stopping the pile fabric portion of the fed back towel cloth thereby.. The length of the cut plain woven portion which is positioned adjacent to the cutting unit on the drawing side can be constant even if the dimensions of the plain woven portions of the towel material are varied. Moreover, it is simple in construction and can be manufactured with ease.

1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drawing device which is arranged so as to eliminate a variation in dimension of cut towel cloths which is liable to occur when the drawing device draws out and cuts off a towel material from the rest of the towel material at the plain woven portion thereof, the towel material having plain woven portions and pile fabric portions alternately and continuously arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of elongation thereof.
2. The Prior Art
A conventional drawing device, which draws out and cuts off a towel material from the rest of the towel material at the plain woven: portion thereof, is provided with a thickness detector disposed in a line across the towel cloth perpendicular to the drawing (longitudinal) direction thereof for discriminating between the pile fabric portions and the plain woven portions thereof by the difference of thickness thereof etc., so as to locate the borders between the two portions whereby the towel cloth can be cut as close as possible at the centres of the plain woven portions.
For example, a conventional towel cloth drawing device is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No.2-392. The towel cloth drawing device comprises a thickness detector for discriminating between pile fabric portions and plain woven portions of a towel cloth. The device includes a cutting unit arranged at the outer side of a first working table and a fixed metal plate and a clamping unit arranged on a second working table. Both tables are disposed oppositely while defining a space therebetween. The fixed metal plate projects from the inner end portion of a base plate movable toward the first working table. The clamping unit is equipped with a movable plate swingably pivotally supported thereby above the fixed metal plate. The device utilizes a towel cloth drawing unit which is vertically movable and extends across and above the cloth and over the space between the first and second working tables.
However, in this known towel cloth drawing device, the length of a plain woven portion of a cut towel cloth adjacent to the cutting unit on the drawn out side can vary, which can result in uneven rolled hems when rolled hemming is performed to the plain woven portion by an automatic towel sewing machine.
More particularly, when a towel cloth A is cut off from the towel material as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14, the length FL' of the cut plain woven portion A2 which is positioned adjacent to the cutting unit on the side of the towel material is equal to the space between the position of the thickness detector (X--X line) for discriminating between the pile fabric portion A1 and the plain woven portion A2 and the position of the cutter of the cutting unit (Y--Y line). The length CL', which is the length of the plain woven portion A2 positioned adjacent to the cutting unit on the drawing side of the towel cloth, is obtained by subtracting the length FL' from the entire length HL of the plain woven portion A2 thereof.
Consequently, the length CL' of the cut plain woven portion A2 on the drawn out side of the towel cloth is variable due to the inevitable variation of the entire lengths HL of the plain woven portions A2 of the towel material. As a result, hemming portions formed with the plain woven portions A2 can include the pile fabric portion A1 or the plain woven portions A2 can appear outside the rolled hemming portions (when the hemming is performed by an automatic towel sewing machine), which causes the quality of the sewn towel products to deteriorate. Consequently in order to produce comparatively high quality towel products wherein the pile fabric portion is close to the rolled hemming portion, the rolled hemming portion has to be manually sewn to maintain the quality of the products.


A method and apparatus to create two dimensional and three dimensional structures using a maskless photolithography system that is semi-automated, directly reconfigurable, and does not require masks, templates or stencils to create each of the planes or layers on a multi layer two-dimensional or three dimensional structure. In an embodiment, the pattern generator comprises a micromirror array wherein the positioning of the mirrors in the micromirror array and the time duration of exposure can be modulated to produce gray scale patterns to photoform layers of continuously variable thickness. The desired pattern can be designed and stored using conventional computer aided drawing techniques and can be used to control the positioning of the individual mirrors in the micromirror array to reflect the corresponding desired pattern. A fixture for mounting of the substrate can be incorporated and can allow the substrate to be moved three dimensions. The fixture can be rotated in one, two, or three directions.

Photolithography systems are known in the art that direct light beams onto a photosensitive surface covered by a mask, etching a desired pattern on the substrate corresponding to the void areas of the mask. Maskless photolithography systems are also known in the art as described in Singh-Gasson, Sangeet et al., Nature Biotechnology 17, 974–78, 1999. The system described in this article uses an off-axis light source coupled with a digital micromirror array to fabricate DNA chips containing probes for genes or other solid phase combinatorial chemistry to be performed in high-density microarrays.
A number of patents also exist which relate to maskless photolithography systems, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,870,176; 6,060,224; 6,177,980; and 6,251,550; all of which are incorporated herein by reference. While the previously described maskless photolithography systems address several of the problems associated with mask based photolithography systems, such as distortion and uniformity of images, problems still arise. Notably, in environments requiring rapid prototyping and limited production quantities, the advantages of maskless systems as a result of efficiencies derived from quantities of scale are not realized. Further, prior art references lack the ability to provide rapid prototyping.
In particular, alignment of patterns with respect to target substrates in maskless systems can be problematic. Various solutions have been proposed to mitigate the effect of alignment problems, including the digital shifting of the projected mask pattern to compensate for misalignment of a substrate. However, this technique requires that the substrate be closely aligned initially and is better suited for high volume production runs which incorporate automatic initial alignment systems. In a rapid prototyping, limited quantity environment, automated means of initial alignment are not cost effective.
In addition, conventional maskless alignment systems are normally limited to coplanar, two-dimensional alignment. However, there is a need in the art to create three-dimensional patterns on substrates. Creating three-dimensional patterns requires further alignment of the substrates in a third dimension perpendicular to the two coplanar dimensions. In the third dimension, computerized shifting of the mask pattern cannot compensate for misalignments in a direction parallel with an incident light beam. As a result, an ability to align a substrate in a third dimension in a rapid prototyping, reconfigurable environment is needed.
Another problem with maskless photolithography systems is that the mask pattern image projected is formed by pixels, instead of continuous lines. As a result, gaps may exist between adjacent pixels, which, when projected on a substrate, may allow the area between the pixels to be exposed, resulting in a break in the imaged pattern. For example, if the desired pattern is a circuit, gaps may be inadvertently exposed and formed in a trace, resulting in an electrical gap. The exposure gaps caused by the pixel nature of the micromirror arrays, or pixelation, may cause open circuits or unwanted capacitive effects where trace width or thickness is critical.
Another problem with current art systems is the phenomenon of "stiction," wherein the individual mirrors in a micromirror area tend to "stick" in a specific orientation if left in that position for an extended period. Consequently, a higher voltage needs to be applied to the mirror drive to point the mirror in another desired direction. Thus the micromirror array consumes more power than normal and affects the reliability of the mirror.
It is known in the art to use gray scale masks in photolithography to form continuously variable material profiles on substrates, such as microlens arrays (wherein each lens can have a different profile), refractive and diffractive micro-optics, precision tapered structures, sinusoidal transmittance gratings, arbitrary shaped micro-optics, and other 3D microstructures, including optical micro-electromechanical devices (MEMS). One type of gray scale mask is a halftone chrome mask that consists, for example, of mixtures of 0.5 micron×0.5 micron chrome spots which are totally opaque and 0.5 micron×0.5 micron clear spots which are totally transparent due to the absence of chrome film coating on the glass photomask substrate. The transmittance of a gray scale resolution element in a halftone chrome mask is determined by the ratio of the number of chrome spots to clear spots. Transmittance decreases as the ratio of chrome spots to clear spots is increased. For a gray scale chrome mask capable of 16 gray levels, a gray scale resolution element must consist of 16 binary spots. A binary spot of the chrome mask is either a chrome spot or a clear spot. When all 16 binary spots in a gray scale resolution element are chrome spots, the gray scale resolution element is totally opaque. However, the images produced using this method are halftone images, not true gray scale images.
Gray scale masks have also been implemented in a photo-emulsion film or a photographic emulsion glass plate and are halftone gray scale patterns, since each silver grain in a developed photographic emulsion is totally opaque. The gray scale is produced by varying the number density of the silver grains. The spacing between the grains are transparent. The size of silver grains is not uniform and may range from, for example, about 0.1 micron to about 1 micron in a high-resolution photoemulsion plate. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain consistent imaging results because of the nonuniformity of grain size.
Yet another type of gray scale is the High Energy Beam Sensitive (HEBS) glass, manufactured, for example by Canyon Material, Inc. In the HEBS glass, process glass photomasks having varying transmissive properties are created in photosensitive glass according to the energy density of a high energy beam impinging on the glass surface. The resulting varying transmissibility glass substrate is used as a gray scale photomask in standard photolithographic processes to create micro-optical elements such as refractive micro lens arrays, diffractive optical elements, prism couples, and three-dimensional micro structures.
Although the HEBS glass process allows true gray scale imaging, a photomask must still be used for photolithographic processing of substrates. While effective, the use of physical masks in photolithography has numerous drawbacks, including the cost of fabricating masks, the time required to produce the sets of masks needed to fabricate semiconductors, the diffraction effects resulting from light from a light source being diffracted from opaque portions of the mask, registration errors during mask alignment for multilevel patterns, color centers formed in the mask substrate, defects in the mask, the necessity for periodic cleaning and the deterioration of the mask as a consequence of continuous cleaning.
It also known in the art to use maskless gray scale x-ray lithography. Maskless gray-scale x-ray lithography has been disclosed (Frank Hartley, Maskless Gray-Scale X-ray Lithography, NASA Tech Brief # NPO-20445, July, 2000). In this reference, a photoresist coated substrate to be patterned is exposed to a parallel beam of hard x-rays. The photoresist is translated across the beam at a varying rate to effect one-dimensional spatial variations in the radiation dose received by the photoresist. The radiation dose delivered to the photoresist on a substrate is made to vary spatially, within a range in which the solubility of the exposed photoresist in a developer liquid varies with the dose.
In conventional gray-scale x-ray lithography, the required spatial variation in the dose is achieved by use of a mask. The mask and the photoresist-covered substrate are translated as a unit across an x-ray beam at a constant rate to obtain the required integrated dose to the mask. In the disclosed maskless technique, the photoresist is not masked. The gradients in the radiation dose needed to obtain gradients in the density of the developed photoresist are generated by controlled variations in the rate of translation of the x-ray beam across the photoresist. These controlled variations define the desired features (variations of the height of the subsequently developed photoresist) to within sub-micron dimensions, depending on the exposure time of the substrate.
After exposure to x-rays, the photoresist coated substrate is developed in the customary manner. After development, the photoresist is dried, giving rise to spatial consolidation of the photoresist into thickness gradients corresponding to the density gradients. The dosage gradients are chosen to achieve desired final thickness gradients, for example, to produce triangular- or saw tooth-cross-section blazes for diffraction gratings. However, the x-rays are inherently dangerous and their use is highly regulated, requiring sophisticated equipment to generate and direct the radiation. In addition, the disclosed techniques require complex translational stages to expose and generate patterns on substrates.
In addition, it is also known in the art to use lasers to create patterns on large photoresist coated substrates. In particular, as disclosed in R. Bawn, et al., "Micromachining System Accommodates Large Wafers," Laser Focus World, January 2001, pp. 189–192, and "Laser Microfabrication Process," Proceedings of ICALEO 2000, Paper A49, October 2000, laser lithography techniques can be used to create patterns on large substrates. In the disclosed systems, laser-micromachining systems for large area patterning require a laser source, optics for conditioning and focusing the beam, and a way to precisely control and point the beam. Patterns are produced on substrates by precisely positioning and focusing the laser beam over small area and ablating away the substrate material to form a desired pattern. The laser is then repositioned and another area of the substrate is ablated. The process is continued until the desired pattern on a substrate has been created. In this manner a large substrate can be sequential processed to create large patterned substrates. However, only small areas can be written at one time because of the small beamwidth of the laser, making large area patterning prohibitively time consuming.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method and system for maskless photolithography to provide a more effective way to fabricate custom devices in a low volume production environment. This system needs to combine ease of use, reconfigurability, and the ability to provide coarse manual alignment and automated fine alignment of mask patterns. In addition the system needs to address the exposure gaps inherent in the process due to the pixel nature of the projected mask and provide means for eliminating stiction. In summary, the system needs to provide all the advantages of a maskless photolithography system at a reasonable cost, and include capabilities tailored to direct writing in a rapid prototyping environment.
In addition, there is a need in the art for a method and system for maskless photolithography to provide gray scale capability and large area patterning of substrates. This system can combine ease of use, reconfigurability, and the ability to provide gray scale patterns to create variable thickness on exposed substrates. In addition the system can allow patterning large areas in a single exposure. The system can provide many of the advantages of a maskless photolithography system at a reasonable cost, and include capabilities tailored to gray scale imaging and large area pattern generation in a cost effective, easy to implement system.

Method and apparatus for maskless photolithography


A toggle release mechanism comprises a platform, a toggle element comprising one or more rolling or sliding elements configured to move along a track between a first, locking position and a second, release position, and a solenoid configured to move the one or more rolling or sliding elements along the track between the first, locking position and the second, release position.

Ram Air Turbines (RATs) are used in aircraft to provide electric and/or hydraulic power to components of the aircraft, for example in the event of failure of other electrical or hydraulic power generating equipment on board the aircraft. In normal operation of the aircraft, the RAT is housed within the aircraft, but when needed it is extended into the airflow around the aircraft such that it may turn and generate electrical and/or hydraulic power.
The RAT is typically pivoted into position by means of an actuator, for example a hydraulic actuator. The actuator typically includes a piston which extends to deploy the RAT. The actuator has a locking mechanism which prevents inadvertent movement of the piston and thus inadvertent deployment of the RAT.
The locking mechanism typically comprises a spring loaded locking piston which must be moved in an axial direction to release the actuator. Such a mechanism is disclosed for example in US 2013/0327207 A1.
A release mechanism is provided to permit this movement. Typically, the release mechanism comprises a toggle type linkage, one end of which is coupled to one end of the locking piston and the other end of which is axially fixed and rotatably coupled to a support.
A pair of linear solenoid actuators is coupled to the linkage and operable to move the linkage over centre between a locked and an unlocked position. The actuators are coupled to the linkage via an actuator rod which projects on both sides from the linkage. Two solenoids are provided for fail safe operation.
It is desirable to mount the actuating rod in such a manner that the actuating forces on both sides of the linkage so as to provide consistent operation of the mechanism.


A method to characterize the power transfer of a nuclear component is provided including the steps of obtaining a sample of a deposit layer on a side of a nuclear component, obtaining a scanning electron microscope image of an outside surface of the sample, obtaining a scanning electron microscope image of an inside surface of the sample, analyzing the scanning electron microscope images of the outside and inside surfaces of the sample for a presence of capillaries and steam chimneys, and calculating the power transfer of the component based on a number of steam chimneys in the deposit layer.

Measurement of power output of a nuclear fuel assembly is a critical task undertaken periodically at nuclear power plants throughout the world. Power output of fuel assemblies is measured on a spot and continual basis to ensure that the nuclear reactor core is behaving as expected and designed with various methods, usually in-core detectors monitoring specific characteristics of nuclear radiation. Furthermore, nuclear power operators are specifically required to operate the nuclear reactor within certain performance limits to guarantee reactor and component safety. If unexpected transients occur and regions of the nuclear reactor core are undergoing unanticipated levels of nuclear activity, the fuel assemblies (rods) in that specific region may become depleted too quickly rendering that area of the nuclear core less viable for continued operation. As a result of the depleted fuel assemblies, the fuel assemblies in this region will have to undergo remedial measures to minimize the unexpected depletion. The depleted fuel assemblies may be replaced with fresh fuel assemblies and the core reshuffled (i.e. the fuel assemblies moved to different positions in the core). In other instances, local power of fuel assemblies may be less than designed due to the depleted assemblies, thereby requiring control rods to be withdrawn or, alternatively, chemical shims removed from the coolant to increase reactivity in the core. Operating a nuclear reactor in an underpowered or overpowered mode negatively impacts the economics of the facility.
The locally overpowered fuel rod has small portions where the power evacuated exceeds the average power of the rod. If the deposited CRUD has the maturity conditions, (higher density for a given composition), the local temperature of the fuel rod, in such locations, can exceed the safe operating limits, leading to fuel failure.
This also negatively impacts the economics of the operation of the power plant.
Analysis of the deposit in such locations, usually also uncovers small regions where the CRUD deposition has reconfigured itself to evacuate more power than the design limits. This reconfiguration is identifiable during warranty post failure CRUD analysis. Facility operators, therefore, strive to identify underpowered core situations and quickly remedy these conditions.
In order to prevent infringement of operating safety and performance margins operators initiate safeguards, both physical and procedural, to ensure safe operation of the plant. Among the physical safeguards implemented, for example in a boiling water reactor, local power monitors are placed within the core to measure the amount of power being generated at specified positions in the core. These measurements provide operators with a snapshot of the core at these measurement locations. In-core monitors, however, are not placed in all locations of the core as it is impractical to install measuring equipment in all locations of a reactor core. Areas of the core, consequently, go unmonitored without sacrificing safety of operation. After core operation, assumptions are then made as to the amount of useful life remaining for each of these non-measured assemblies. Placement of these non-measured assemblies back into the core involves conservative assumptions for the remaining life of the assembly. Because conservative assumptions are made, nuclear fuel may be discharged from the core as supposedly "depleted", when, in fact, there is sufficient fuel left in the fuel assembly for further operation. Operating the core in an inefficient manner can negatively impact the economic aspects of the nuclear facility.
Fuel assemblies change nuclear reactivity during core exposure time, thereby complicating the identification of the remaining life of each fuel assembly. Unidentified materials, known as CRUD, can coat or be deposited on the outside of fuel rods and assemblies. All are affecting the heat transfer capability of the reactor components. Deposits can also form on other heat transfer surfaces, such as steam generator tubing. As the deposit layer thickness increases, an insulating effect occurs for the nuclear component, for example, hindering heat transfer and power output of the core.
CRUD can significantly affect the remaining life of each fuel assembly in the core. In reactor operation, however, CRUD deposits differ at each location in the reactor. The differing amounts/thicknesses of CRUD deposits, therefore, hinder reactor engineers in determining the amount of useful life left in a nuclear fuel assembly because some fuel assemblies have a significant amount of insulating CRUD while other fuel assemblies do not.
There is therefore a need to provide a method to determine the power transfer characteristics of a nuclear fuel assembly which has accumulated CRUD deposits on nuclear fuel rods.
There is furthermore a need to provide a method to determine the power transfer characteristics of fuel assemblies that have a core residence time, but however were not physically monitored during core exposure.
There is also a need to provide a method that will determine the power transfer characteristics of core components, such as steam generators, that have an accumulated deposits on their tubing surface.

Method of determining the power transfer of nuclear component with a layer of material placed upon a heating surface of the component


Memory objects may be allocated and re-allocated within a computer system to consolidate infrequently used memory objects to memory regions that may be operated at lower power. During initial allocation of memory objects, the objects may be placed into high power regions. During subsequent periodic analysis, memory objects in high power regions that are infrequently used may be relocated to lower power regions while memory objects in low power regions that are frequently used may be moved to the high power regions. Various heuristics or logic may be used to handle unmovable objects, shared objects, and other types of objects.

Computer memory is one of the hardware components that consume energy and generate heat. For large datacenters, energy consumption and heat are two large components to the total cost of operating a datacenter. In such datacenters, extensive cooling systems may consume over half of the cost of operating the datacenters.
Some computer systems may have the ability to operate memory components in different modes, where each mode may require a different amount of power. In such computer systems, the energy consumption of a memory component may be related to the response time, performance, or other metric of the memory device. For example, memory components operating in a high power mode may be readily available for access and therefore have very fast response times. Memory components in a reduced power mode may operate slower, or may operate by returning to a high power state to respond to an access request, which may adversely affect response time.

Dynamic memory allocation and relocation to create low power regions


A projection objective for microlithography serves for imaging a pattern of a mask arranged in its object surface into an image field arranged in its image surface with a demagnifying imaging scale. It has a multiplicity of optical elements arranged along the optical axis of the projection objective, the optical elements being designed and arranged in such a way that the projection objective has an imageside numerical aperture NA>0.85 and a demagnifying imaging scale where |b|<0.05, and the planar image field having a minimum image field diameter suitable for microlithography of more than 1 mm.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a projection objective for imaging a pattern arranged in an object surface of the projection objective into an image field arranged in the image surface of the projection objective with a demagnifying imaging scale, to a microlithography projection exposure apparatus having such a projection objective, and to a reflective mask suitable for use in such a projection exposure apparatus. A preferred field of application of the invention is so-called "maskless lithography".
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
Photolithographic projection objectives with a demagnifying imaging scale (reduction objectives) have been used for several decades for the photolithographic fabrication of semiconductor components and other finely patterned devices. They serve for projecting a pattern, usually provided on a mask (photomask or reticle) onto an article coated with a light-sensitive layer with very high resolution on a demagnifying scale. Most conventional masks carry a fixedly predefined pattern corresponding e.g. to a specific functional layer of a semiconductor component. Such masks with fixedly pre-defined patterns encompass various types of masks, for example binary masks, diverse phase shift masks or hybrid masks. They may be formed as a transmission mask or reflection mask. Masks are also referred to hereinafter as reticles. Demagnifying imaging scales β of 1:4 or 1:5 have become customary in the meantime in conventional projection systems.
Conventional projection systems are designed to image a planar mask onto a planar image field. Accordingly, measures for correcting the image field curvature (Petzval correction) are provided in the projection objectives. For projection lithography on curved substrates, the U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,908 B1 proposes using a curved mask having a form identical to the form of the curved substrate. The curved mask is fabricated in a contact method.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,139 discloses a purely reflective reduction objective for extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV), wherein the object surface and/or the image surface are curved concavely with respect to the projection objective.
In order to be able to produce ever finer structures, firstly attempts are being made to increase the image-side numerical aperture (NA) of the projection objectives further and further. Secondly, ever shorter wavelengths are being used, in particular UV light having wavelengths of less than 260 nm, for example 248 nm, 193 nm or 157 nm. Reducing the feature sizes of the patterns present on the mask can also contribute to reducing the size of the structures produced on the image side. However, the fabrication of defect-free masks with fixedly predefined, extremely fine structures is complicated and expensive. Maskless technologies, such as are described by way of example in the article "Lithography: The road ahead" by D. A. Markle in: Solid State Technology, February 1999, p. 84 et seq., are therefore being developed.
The term "maskless lithography", as is used in this application, relates generally to lithography techniques which do not use masks with fixedly predefined patterns, or do not exclusively use such masks.
One known, "maskless" lithography technique involves using reflective reticles (reflection masks) with individually drivable mirror regions. The pattern of the mask can thus be altered by suitable driving of the mask. The patterns to be imaged may be produced for example with the aid of deformable or movable micromirrors, as is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,852 B1. The publication "Digital Micromirror Array for Projection TV" by M. A. Mignard, Solid State Technology, July 1994, pp. 63-68 discloses drivable micromirror arrays. The use of such planar mirror arrangements with an array of individually drivable individual mirrors as object to be imaged in projection exposure apparatuses is the subject matter of the patent specifications U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,193, U.S. Pat. No. 5,691,541, U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,224, U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,134 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,176. The projection objectives shown in the exemplary embodiments described therein are only represented schematically.
The applicant's international patent application WO 03/016977 A2 shows various projection exposure apparatuses of purely reflective construction which are suitable for projection exposure in the extreme ultraviolet range (EUV) and which use reflective reticles in the form of drivable micromirror arrays. Both the illumination system, by means of which the drivable reflective mask is illuminated obliquely, and the projection objective, which produces a highly demagnified image of the pattern formed by the reflection mask on the substrate to be exposed, have a center obscuration on account of the use of centrally perforated concave mirrors. An abaxial object field is illuminated during the oblique illumination of the planar reticle. Image-side numerical apertures of up to NA=0.6 are achieved given demagnifying imaging scales of up to 1:100.
The applicant's German patent application DE 100 05 189 A1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,718 B1) discloses projection exposure apparatuses having purely refractive or catadioptric projection objectives which use a planar reflective reticle with a fixedly predefined pattern. A beam splitter cube is provided in the reduction objectives, for which typical reduction scales of 1:4 and typical NA values of up to NA>0.5 are specified, said beam splitter cube serving for superposing the illumination beam path of the illumination system and the imaging beam path of the projection objective. The illumination light radiated laterally into the projection objective impinges centrally on the reflective reticle after reflection at the beam splitter surface. Optical elements that are utilized both in the illumination beam path and in the imaging beam path are situated between the beam splitter cube and the reflective reticle.
Laterally coupling illumination radiation into the imaging beam path of an optical imaging system with the aid of a beam splitter is known from the area of ultraviolet microscopy. The patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,310 shows an example of a UV broadband microscope with object-side NA=0.9 and variable magnification up to 100:1.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,726 shows a projection objective—intended for video projection—with an integrated illumination system, when the optical axis of the illumination system is at a certain angle with respect to the optical axis of the projection objective. Inclined coupling of illumination light into a projection system is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,730.
The terms "refractive projection objective" and "purely refractive projection objective" are used in this application interchangeably and in accordance with their ordinary and accustomed meaning in the art, to describe projection objectives whose imaging elements are all lenses.

Projection objective, projection exposure apparatus and reflective reticle for microlithography


Infrared Ir Thermometer Calibration Systems and Methods are Disclosed in which the temperature of an IR thermometer calibration system is controlled such that radiation emitted by a target at a given input temperature is equal to the radiation emitted by a graybody heated to the input temperature and having an emissivity equal to an emissivity setting of an IR thermometer to be calibrated using the IR thermometer calibration system.

Infrared (IR) thermometers measure the IR radiation from bodies and output a temperature corresponding to the intensity of radiation measured within the frequency range of the IR thermometer. IR thermometers are calibrated by sensing the radiation from a thermal target heated to a precisely known temperature. The radiance measured by the IR thermometer may then be mapped to the set temperature of the target.
The accuracy of thermal targets is limited by changes in the emissivity of the target with temperature. The emissivity of the target also varies with the wavelength of radiation incident on and reflected from the target. However, the IR thermometer being calibrated may have an emissivity setting that is less than one, such that the IR thermometer may be used to measure the temperatures of bodies having low emissivities. However, the emissivity setting is typically constant and is therefore not equal to the emissivity of the target across a range of temperatures. Accordingly, the IR thermometer may not be accurately calibrated for all temperatures within a needed range.
In view of the foregoing, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a convenient system and method for accurately calibrating an IR thermometer having a constant emissivity setting using a thermal target having temperature-dependent emissivity.

Infrared target temperature correction system and method


A power generation device for a utility vehicle having a battery source capable of storing electrical energy and selectively outputting electrical energy and selectively receiving electrical energy, a logic/driver module operably coupled to the battery source and capable of outputting power to a drive system of the utility vehicle, an internal combustion engine capable of outputting a mechanical driving force in response to a control input from the logic/driver module, and an AC induction motor operably coupled to the internal combustion engine via a coupler and electrically coupled to the logic/driver module. The AC induction motor is capable of operating as a generator in response to the mechanical driving force of the internal combustion engine, thereby outputting electrical energy to the logic/driver module, and further is capable of operating as an electric motor in response to input of electrical energy from the logic/driver module.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Generally, it is known that conventional generators can be used to generate a power output. In some conventional systems, the generator uses a permanent magnet-type direct current (DC) motor, with full wave rectification, to generate the power output. During operation, in order to increase the power output, the revolutions per minute (RPM) of these permanent magnet-type DC motors must also be increased.
Unfortunately, when using such DC motors to generate power output in a utility vehicle application, the need for increased power output of the DC motor may result in a commensurate decrease in fuel efficiency of the utility vehicle. That is, utility vehicles, such as turf care vehicles, golf carts, and off-road vehicles other than automotive vehicles, often employ a drive system having an internal combustion engine that is mounted in series with a DC motor via a mechanical coupler to generate power output. The power output can then be used to provide motive force and to power other vehicle systems, such as controllers, navigation, power takeoffs, and the like. Consequently, in order to increase the available power output of the drive system when using a DC motor, the RPM of the internal combustion engine must be increased to increase the RPM of the DC motor to thereby increase the power output. Thus, it should be understood that any increase in power output of the DC motor is necessarily related to an increase in fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine.
Moreover, such conventional generator arrangements fail to compensate for regeneration power from braking. That is, as described herein, the power output of DC motors is dependent upon the RPM thereof, therefore, in order to obtain increased power output, the RPM must increase. However, during regeneration from braking, the RPM of the DC motor is increased as a result of the braking process of the utility vehicle. This increase in RPM of the DC motor will result in an increase in voltage if the load is not also increased simultaneously. A commensurate load increase is not necessarily associated with every braking situation and thus can result in a disadvantageous increase in voltage. Moreover, it is often important to maintain a stable voltage to ensure proper operation of coupled, on-board electronics. On the other hand, the cost of power generation can be significant and due to the ongoing demand for improved energy production efficiencies, it is often desirable to harness power sources where available, such as power regeneration via braking.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a power generation system for use in a utility vehicle whereby the power output of the power generation system can be varied without requiring a change in RPM of an associated internal combustion engine. Further, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a power generation system that is capable of maintaining a predetermined power output and/or voltage irrespective of an associated regeneration during braking. Still further, there exists a need in the relevant art to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

Using AC induction motor as a generator in a utility vehicle