A centralized collateral management operation system that includes a collateral management system (CMS) provider linked to a trading group—a plurality of users (e.g., individuals, corporations, financial institutions, and the like). The method allows the CMS provider to dynamically determine anticipatory collateral value and mark to market (MTM) collateral obligations for each of the users' sub-portfolios. The provider is then able to notify each of the users of their MTM and anticipatory collateral obligations for their respective sub-portfolios, and issue “Collateral Credits.” The Collateral Credits allow the CMS provider to efficiently allocate the amount of collateral posted by each member of the trading group to protect against present losses and potential future losses due to the inability of the user to meet its obligations. The system provides equivalent collateral protection as a fully collateralized bilateral system while decreasing individual collateral requirements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to financial management systems, and more particularly to collateral management systems for trading groups.
2. Related Art
In the financial industry, two parties typically engage in a transaction, for example, where one party A loans money to another party B. Parties A and B can be individuals, corporations, financial institutions, or the like. Upon lending money to party B, party A exposes itself to the risk of B's default—B's failure to promptly pay interest or principal on the loan when due. In order for A to protect itself against the risk of B defaulting on the loan, A will usually require B to post collateral. Generally speaking, collateral are certain assets belonging to a borrower (i.e., party B), that are set aside and pledged to a lender (i.e., party A) for the duration of a loan. If the borrower fails to meet its obligations to pay principal or interest, the lender has claim to the assets.
In another example, party A may wish to protect itself from B defaulting on a forward contract. Forward contracts, as is well known in the relevant art(s), are agreements to buy or sell a particular type and grade of commodity at a particular price for delivery at an agreed-upon place and time in the future. The subject commodity of the forward contract can be any commonly traded bulk good (e.g., a particular crop, livestock, oil, gas, metals, t-bills, foreign exchange rate, etc.). The failure to perform by a buyer or a seller on a forward contract as required by the terms of the contract is another form of default.
Collateral is a simple way for party A to protect against the risk of the default on an obligation by a counterparty (i.e., party B). If a counterparty has posted collateral, then the collateral can be taken to offset the loss due to the default. Collateral can be posted based on two types of obligations: actual and potential. When collateral is posted to cover an actual exposure (i.e., a loss that has already occurred on a position but has not yet been settled), it is called "mark to market" (MTM) collateral. If collateral is posted to cover potential losses that have not yet occurred, it is called "anticipatory" collateral.
A "position" refers to the amount of a security or commodity (e.g., note, stock, bond, commodity option contracts, etc.) either owned or owed by a party. If a security is owned by a party, it is referred to as a "long" position with respect to that party. In contrast, if a security is owed by a party, it is referred to as a "short" position with respect to that party.
A typical company (e.g., party A) that undertakes trades, can have existing trades in place with a large number of counterparties. Referring to FIG. 1A, a block diagram illustrating such a network of obligations 100 (e.g., a trading system) from the perspective of Company A is shown. Each line within FIG. 1A represents an active portfolio of obligations between Company A and a specific counterparty. Company A has existing trades with counterparties B, C, D, E, F, and G, as shown in FIG. 1A. Company A "sees" only the part of the network 100 in which it is directly involved. The complete network 100, however, is more complex and can be represented by FIG. 1B. FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating the complete network 100 and depicts all of the interactions among the participants throughout the entire network.
To protect itself from credit losses, Company A could obtain collateral from its counterparties (i.e., counterparties B, C, D, E, F, and G). Each collateral interaction follows the same lines as the trade interactions shown in FIG. 1A. Mark to market collateral is posted by the counterparty who has an MTM loss on its portfolio. Hence, for every trading pair, one of the two counterparties should be posting collateral. This simply protects against a loss that has already occurred. However, any risky position has the potential for future losses that could cause a default. To protect against these losses anticipatory collateral is posted.
Anticipatory collateral also follows the same lines as the trade interactions shown in FIG. 1A. However, unlike MTM collateral, both counterparties in a trading pair may be posting anticipatory collateral. For example, in a situation where A buys from B, A needs to provide B with anticipatory collateral to protect against the possibility of falling prices, while B needs to provide A with anticipatory collateral to protect against the possibility of rising prices. The exact level of anticipatory collateral is difficult to ascertain. The appropriate level of anticipatory collateral should protect against potential losses while not becoming so large that it is an oppressive burden. Anticipatory collateral levels are generally set at a point such that they will completely cover the potential loss 95% to 99% of the time. In the event of a default, the anticipatory collateral is used to lessen the total amount of the loss. For companies with positions having a very large positive value, no anticipatory collateral may be required as it would be unreasonable to expect to lose all of the accumulated profits over a short time period. However, in most cases both parties will be required to post anticipatory collateral, especially when both parties have future delivery or payment obligations, as in a long term futures contract.
In a situation where Company A and Company B are both posting collateral to cover the potential credit risk of their respective portfolios, a, collateralized default example can be illustrated. More specifically, if the following series of transactions occur:
(1) MTM collateral from Company B to Company A=$3 M;
(2) Anticipatory collateral from Company B to Company A=$4 M; and
(3) Anticipatory collateral from Company A to Company B=$2 M.
Currently, the position has moved in Company A's favor resulting in their receipt of mark to market collateral. In total, Company A has $7 M of protection and Company B has $2 M. If the next day, for example, the market moves in favor of Company B leading to a new MTM value of (−$2 M), Company B would be able to remove $1 M of their posted collateral. In addition, Company A may be required to increase the size of the anticipatory collateral that they are posting into the network 100 to cover their potential for larger losses now that the position is not as much in their favor. Alternatively, if the next day the market moves significantly against Company B leading to a new MTM value of (−$8 M), Company B would be required to post a total of $8 M of MTM collateral (i.e., $5 M of additional collateral). If Company B could not, it may be considered in default under the terms of party A and B's contract and any applicable trading system or exchange rules. Thus, this situation would be resolved by the following series of transactions:
(1) Company A receives the existing MTM collateral=$3 M;
(2) Company A receives the existing anticipatory collateral=$4 M; and
(3) Company B defaults on the remaining amount=1 M.
Note that in any transaction, the total of the three values of each step (1) to (3) must equal the total MTM value at the time of the default. Without anticipatory collateral in the event of a default, a counterparty is exposed to the entire size of the market move that has occurred since the last MTM collateral posting. Without MTM collateral, each company would be exposed to any change in value since entering the position.
To appropriately determine the size of the anticipatory collateral, the potential exposure of the position must first be identified. As is well known in the relevant art(s), the statistical measure of standard deviation, σ, is a common method of measuring the average distribution around a mean. By using a standard deviation of the value of an asset, the potential loss exposure can be calculated. This potential exposure can then be used to determine an appropriate level of anticipatory collateral.
The correct amount of anticipatory collateral should take into account the risk of an entire portfolio. Anticipatory collateral must therefore take into account the benefits of diversification. Diversification describes the principle of how risk tends to be reduced as an investment is spread across more assets. For example, an investment in a portfolio made up of two equally-risky assets will be less risky than the same sized investment in either asset alone. The size of the decrease in risk due to diversification will depend upon statistical relationships between the two assets.
Anticipatory collateral calculations that take into account portfolio diversification benefits are identical to those used to measure the "Value at Risk" of a portfolio. As such, any of the methods (e.g., variance-covariance, Monte Carlo simulation, historical) well known in the relevant arts that can be used to calculate Value at Risk can also be used to calculate anticipatory collateral. For this reason, Value at Risk measurements provide a good starting estimate of appropriate anticipatory collateral on an individual asset basis as well as on a portfolio basis. An in-depth discussion of calculating Value at Risk can be found in Jorion, Philippe, Value at Risk: The New Benchmark for Controlling Market Risk, Irwin Professional Pub. (Chicago, Ill.), 1997, ISBN 0786308486, and in J. P. Morgan, Riskmetrics Technical Document, available at URL: http://www.riskmetrics.com/rm/pubs/index.html, which are both incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
There are two basic types of forward markets—futures exchanges and the over the counter (OTC) markets. The OTC market has been described previously and is represented by network 100. The futures exchange system is significantly different. In this type of system an exchange becomes the counterparty to every transaction (i.e., the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer). This simplifies the network of trades to a simple hub and spoke model system 200 as shown in FIG. 2. However, this simplification of the complex OTC network comes at the cost of a significant loss of flexibility in contract specifications. In addition, clearing houses for exchanges generally share the credit risk associated with default between and among its members. This process is known as "mutualization of risk."
Collateral can be provided easily in futures markets as each company has only one counterparty—the exchange. However, many companies do at least some of their trading within the OTC market. In effect, the exchanges can be viewed as another counterparty in the OTC market. As previously discussed, the OTC market consists of many individual trading companies as represented in FIG. 1B. If each of these companies were to provide MTM and anticipatory collateral of sufficient size to each of its counterparties, it would lead to the necessity of posting very large amounts of collateral. These amounts of collateral would in fact be much larger than actually needed. The excess collateral arises because each pair of companies is only aware of trades directly between the pair and posts collateral based only on this knowledge. This leads to a complex network of bilateral collateral postings between counterparties (see FIG. 1B) and inefficient collateral usage. Referring to FIG. 3, an example of required MTM collateral postings for Company A is shown. In this example, Company A is receiving a total of $7 M in collateral (from B, E, and G), pays a total of $8 M in collateral (to C and F), and has no collateral transfer with Company D.
Only collateral postings for MTM positions are shown in FIG. 3. Company A, however, must also post anticipatory collateral to cover its potential exposures. This level is typically determined by each counterparty regardless of the MTM position of the trades with each company. Referring to FIG. 4, an example of required anticipatory collateral postings for Company A is shown. In this example, Company A must post a total of $11 M in anticipatory collateral (to companies A–G). Although not shown in FIG. 4, each of Company A's trading partners would also post anticipatory collateral to party A.
By providing collateral in this way, companies in a trading system are assuming the worst possible situation. That is, Company A is forced to: (1) post excess MTM collateral as it can not re-use the collateral posted to it; and (2) post excess anticipatory collateral because the diversification benefits of trades with different counterparties are ignored. Such inefficiencies and the resulting excessive collateral demands have been a factor in deterring some trading communities from requiring collateral. For example, consider a situation where Company A is short a certain position to F and long the same position to G. In such a case, the two trades should offset each other and thus require no collateral. However, as seen in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, Company A is providing a total of $4 M in collateral to F and G.
Therefore, what is needed is a system, method, and computer program product for collateral management that determines the efficient amount of collateral posted by each member of a trading group. This trading group may consists of individuals, independent companies, and/or exchanges. This amount of collateral must be sufficient to protect against present losses and/or potential future losses due to the inability of that member to meet its obligations. The overall system, method, and computer program product should provide equivalent collateral protection as a fully collateralized bilateral system while decreasing individual collateral requirements.

System, method, and computer program product for collateral management operations


A system has a plurality of machine-readable tags and includes a server system for synchronizing the display of interactive mobile content on a user device with a destination of a vehicle. Each machine-readable tag encodes an address and is mounted within the vehicle for access by users in the vehicle. The system receives a request from the user device, generated by scanning one of the machine-readable tags, and determines the destination of the vehicle. A coupon corresponding with the destination of the vehicle is selected and provided. The users that have selected the coupon for download are determined, each of the users who have downloaded the coupon are notified of the identities of the other users who downloaded the coupon, and transportation of all of the users is facilitated to the location of the restaurant so they may utilize the coupon which each of them downloaded.

It is estimated that approximately 1.9 billion communication devices will include close range communication functionality for communication with other devices. Close range communication functionality may be, for example, near-field communication (NFC) functionality, Bluetooth functionality, and the like. NFC is a set of standards for communication device vs to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few centimeters. NFC applications include, for example, contactless transactions, data exchange, and the like. Communications devices may also receive information via machine-readable code (QR, Snapcode, etc.), and other technologies known in the art, or technologies later developed or adopted.
The prior art teaches various systems and methods for providing content to persons attending an event at a venue, such as a sports event, concert, and other similar location-based events. Examples of these teachings include the following:
Marsico, WO/2015/035055, teaches a system for performing multiple marketing operations at a sports venue, arena, etc. The system discusses a list of options, such as surveying a user, providing coupons (13), and other related provision of marketing materials. It also teaches enabling a user to order products (e.g., food) at the venue, for delivery to the scanned seat. The system uses a scannable information encoded graphic image, such as a bar code or a quick response (QR) code, near-field communication (NFC) code tag, radio-frequency identification (RFID) code tag. A mobile communication device such as a smartphone, tablet computer or other mobile computer may include a scan client module for scanning and communicating QR code information (either an app or without). QR code scanning is accomplished by a camera module that is associated with the smartphone or other mobile computing device. The scan-enabled client module communicates the scanned QR code information to an associated server application for collecting, processing, and reporting scan data. Marisco, U.S. Pat. No. 9,223,885, teaches a similar system for gathering survey information via a QR code system.
Lim, U.S. Pat. No. 9,826,049, teaches the basic system wherein QR codes or the like are used in hardlink applications (linking a physical object or location with a Web link), by which different users may receive different information in response to a user's interaction with a touchpoint. The content delivered to a particular user in response to a hardlink code or a presented hyperlink may be dependent on the time of the scan, the geographic location of the user, a weather condition at the geographical location, personal information associated with the user, a number of previous scans of the code by prior individuals, and any combination of the these or other variables, which may be determined by an originator of the QR code or other party. User devices may be redirected to alternate content or network addresses based on one or more programmed conditions.
Beg, U.S. Pat. No. 9,451,389, teaches a system for communicating informational content using a near-field communication (NFC). Uniquely programmed NFC stickers can be used conjunction with NFC-enabled devices, such as a smartphone, to upload a personalized multimedia greeting on a central server. Once the stickers have been distributed, a recipient can tap on the same sticker and play the greeting message using the smartphone. Retail consumers can tap on NFC tags with a smartphone to view product informational content that has been hosted on the central server by retailers and manufactures.
Rodgers, U.S. Pat. No. 9,117,231, teaches an order taking system for ordering menu items for delivery to a station at a premises, such as a table at a restaurant. The system uses a downloaded application, which is used to scan a QR code or NFC tag on a table. The location is identified using the restaurant and table identifier(s) extracted from the QR code. This location is used to identify the correct restaurant menu from the central platform database. The order may be placed, payment made, and delivery is made to the location corresponding to the QR code. Meter, U.S. 2016-0189287 A1 teaches a similar food ordering system.
Horowitz, U.S. Pat. No. 9,002,727, teaches a system which uses a QR code (or NFC tag) to direct a client device to send a first request to a first server identified by the URL. In response to the first request, the client device receives from the first server data configured to cause the client device to display, to a user of the client device, at least one of: a video or an interactive Web page. Responsive to the data encoded in the QR code, the client device sends to a coupon server identification data associated with a user of the client device, and a request for the coupon server to distribute a digital coupon (13) for an offer associated with an identifier encoded within the QR code to an account associated with the user. The distribution of the coupon (13) may be predicated upon the user of the client device to perform a "predetermined activity" (e.g., watching an advertisement video, etc.) to qualify for the coupon (13).
Lewis, U.S. 2015-0081532 A1, teaches a system that uses a combination of QR codes and venue specific localized WiFi to provide mobile venue related services in a covered venue area. The system includes food ordering and similar services, as well as a variety of other services.
The prior art teaches various forms of systems that use QR codes and the like to disseminate multimedia content and to enable activities such as ordering food, etc. However, the prior art teaches only static systems. The prior art does not teach a system that disseminates interactive media content that is synchronized in real time based on the geolocation and/or destination of a vehicle. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further advantages as described in the following summary.

System and method for providing synchronized interactive multimedia content to mobile devices based on geolocation of a vehicle


A supervisory system and method including a voltage detection circuit, a status signal interface, a memory, and a supervisory processor configured to predict a pending low power condition, to save status parameters, and to take actions to manage a plurality of processors receiving power from a power source susceptible to low voltage conditions, to stabilize the processors prior to and during a low voltage condition, and to restart the processors based on the status parameters.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The continuous reductions in microprocessor size and cost and associated increases in processing speed have facilitated the proliferation of multiple processors within electronic systems, wherein each microprocessor is responsible for controlling and managing an operation of a specific electronic device and/or specific functions within an electronic device. Reduced processor power requirements further facilitates cost reductions in the power supplies that power multiple electronic systems, permitting multiple processors to share a single power supply.
With a shared/common power source, such as a DC battery power source, supplying power to multiple system components, power management can become an issue when one system component can place such a demand for power (e.g., such as starting or powering a compressor, a fan, a pump, or a motor), that the demand reduces the voltage of the power received by other system components. While such increased power demand from a single system component may be temporary, it can cause other system components that are managed by individual central processor units (CPUs) to malfunction when the voltage is temporarily reduced. The reduced voltage available to a processor controlling another electronic component can be below a minimum operating threshold voltage, causing the processor and the device/process it controls to malfunction.
Generally, power systems or processors are configured to reset a processor or to place the processor in a standby mode if the incoming voltage level falls below the minimum power threshold level. When a reset occurs, the processor loses the current status of its operation and the components it manages/controls must undergo a cold start-up process, similar to re-booting a computer after power failure. However, in the past, such system reboots have caused significant drain on the common power source when one or more processors, power loads or system attempt to reboot at the same time or in the wrong order. Additionally, often each of the components does not have prior knowledge of the low voltage condition. As such, each is forced to hard reboot when the power is insufficient to continue the normal operation of the system.

Multi-processor restart stabilization system and method


An apparatus and method for controlling starting of a motor are disclosed. An exciting coil of a motor is excited by using a controller of an electronic refrigerator without having an extra excitation control circuit, to thereby simplify a component construction for controlling exciting of the motor and thus reduce complexity. The present invention includes: a main coil and an auxiliary coil (sub-coil); an exciting coil that generates an excitation current; a refrigerator control unit that outputs a control signal for controlling an application time of the excitation current when started; and a switch unit electrically connected with the exciting coil and supplying power to the exciting coil according to the control signal outputted from the refrigerator control unit.

In general, in a motor used for a refrigerator, two exciter poles and an exciting coil are separately installed in a stator of a single-phase induction motor.
In the motor used for the refrigerator, two exciter polls and an exciting coil are separately installed at the stator in the single-phase induction motor including a core, a main winding (main coil) and an auxiliary winding (sub-coil).
A rotor of the motor used for the refrigerator includes a magnetic material that facilitates magnetizing and demagnetizing.
An excitation control circuit of the motor used for the refrigerator is a circuit that controls the exciting coil in order to magnetize the magnetic material.
The excitation control circuit includes a feedback coil, a capacitor, a speed response switch and an external controller.
FIG. 1 is schematic view showing the structure of the motor used for the refrigerator according to the related art, which includes a stator 20 and a rotor 40 having a magnetic material.
Here, the operation of the apparatus for controlling the motor of the refrigerator according to the related art will now described.
First, the control apparatus controls such that power is applied to the main winding and the auxiliary winding of the stator 20 of the motor, according to which the rotor 40 is rotated by the power applied to the main winding and the auxiliary winding.
Next, when the rotor 40 reaches a certain speed (synchronous speed 75% to 80%), the exciting coil is excited to magnetize the magnetic material 30 to the rotor 40 by on/off a switch using external control circuit.
The apparatus for controlling the motor used for the refrigerator as described above is discriminated from an electronic control apparatus that controls an operation of the refrigerator.
Thus, the motor control apparatus and the electronic control apparatus of the refrigerator, each including a complicated controller circuit, increase complexity in constructing a system of the refrigerator.

Starting control apparatus and method for motor


The present invention relates to a thin film circuit board device having passive elements in wiring layers. The thin film circuit board device includes a base board (2) and a circuit part (3) including insulating layers (11) and (16) and pattern wiring (14) and (17) formed on a build-up forming surface (2a). On the first insulating layer (11), a receiving electrode part (21) is formed and the passive elements electrically connected to the receiving electrode part (21) are formed. In the circuit part (3), a substrate titanium film and a substrate film are laminated so as to cover the receiving electrode part (21) and the passive elements respectively. The substrate film and the substrate titanium film in areas in which a metallic film is not formed are etched through the metallic film serving as the first pattern wiring (14) formed on the substrate film as a mask. Thus, a substrate layer (23) and a substrate titanium layer (22) are formed. Consequently, the substrate titanium film serving as the substrate titanium layer (22) prevents the corrosion of the receiving electrode part and the respective passive elements due to etching liquid to form the passive elements with high performance.

Various kinds of information such as music, audio data, images or the like can be readily treated by compact information processors such as personal computers or mobile computers with the digitization of data. The band of these information has been compressed by an audio codec technique or an image codec technique. Thus, an environment in which the information is easily and efficiently distributed to various kinds of communication terminal equipment by a digital communication or a digital broadcasting has been arranged. For instance, audio data and video data (refer them to as AV data, hereinafter) may be received outdoors by portable telephones.
The transmitting and receiving system of data or the like has been conveniently utilized in small areas as well as in homes in various ways by forming preferable network systems. As the network systems, for instance, a narrow band radio communication system of a band of 5 GHz which is proposed in IEEE 802.11a, a radio LAN system of a band of 2.45 GHz which is proposed in IEEE 802.11b or a short-range radio communication system called a Bluetooth has been paid attention to.
In the transmitting and receiving systems for data, such wireless network systems may be effectively utilized to easily deliver various kinds of data in different places such as homes or outdoors without using repeaters, access to various types of communication networks, or transmit and receive data.
It is essentially necessary for the transmitting and receiving systems to realize compact, light and portable communication terminal equipment having the above-described communication function. The communication terminal equipment needs to modulate and demodulate an analog high frequency signal in a transmitting and receiving part. Accordingly, the communication terminal equipment generally has a high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit based on a super-heterodyne system in which a transmitted and received signal is temporarily converted into an intermediate frequency signal.
A high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 100 comprises, as shown in FIG. 1, an antenna part 101 having an antenna or a change-over switch to receive or transmit an information signal, and a transmission and reception switching unit 102 for switching transmission and reception. The high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 100 is provided with a receiving circuit part 105 including a frequency converting circuit part 103, a demodulating circuit part 104 or the like. Further, the high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 100 is provided with a transmitting circuit part 109 including a power amplifier 106, a drive amplifier 107, a modulating circuit part 108 or the like. Further, the high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 100 includes a reference frequency generating circuit part for supplying a reference frequency to the receiving circuit part 105 or the transmitting circuit part 109.
The high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 100 having the above-described structure, the detail of which is omitted, includes large functional parts such as various filters respectively inserted between stages, VCO (voltage controlled oscillator), SAW filters (surface acoustic wave filter), etc. The high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 100 further includes many passive parts such as inductors, resistors, capacitors characteristic of high frequency analog circuits such as matching circuits or bias circuits. Therefore, the high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 100 becomes large as a whole, so that the communication terminal equipment using this circuit 100 hardly becomes compact and light.
In the communication terminal equipment, as shown in FIG. 2, a high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 110 based on a direct conversion system is used in which an information signal is transmitted and received without converting the information signal into an intermediate frequency. In the high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 110, the information signal received by an antenna part 111 is supplied to a demodulating circuit part 113 through a transmission and reception switching unit 112 and a base-band process is directly carried out. In the high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 110, the information signal generated in a source is not converted into an intermediate frequency in a modulating circuit part 114 and directly modulated into a prescribed frequency band. The modulated signal is transmitted from the antenna part 111 through an amplifier 115 and the transmission and reception switching unit 112.
The above-described high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 110 does not convert the information signal into the intermediate frequency and carries out a direct detection to transmit and receive the information signal. Therefore, the number of parts such as filters is reduced and an entire construction is simplified and a configuration substantially composed of one chip may be realized. However, the high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 110 needs a filter or a matching circuit disposed in a post-stage. Since the high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 110 carries out an amplifying operation once in a high frequency stage, the circuit 100 hardly obtains an adequate gain. A base-band part also needs to carry out an amplifying operation. Accordingly, the high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit 110 needs a cancellation circuit with DC offset or an excess low-pass filter, so that entirely consumed power is increased.
The conventional high frequency transmitting and receiving circuits of both the super-heterodyne system and the direct conversion system, as mentioned above, cannot obtain adequate characteristics as the transmitting and receiving circuits, in addition to the miniaturization and light-weight of the communication terminal equipment. Therefore, in the high frequency transmitting and receiving circuit, various attempts for modularizing, for instance, an Si-CMOS circuit as a base to be compact with a simple structure have been carried out. That is, as one of them, there exists a method for manufacturing what is called, a one-chip circuit board device. In this method, for instance, passive elements having good characteristics are formed on an Si substrate and a filter circuit or a resonator or the like are formed on an LSI, and further, the logic LSI of the base-band part is integrated.
It is important for the above-described one-chip circuit board device how to form the passive elements having good performance on the LSI. In an inductor 120 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a large recessed part 124 corresponding to an Si substrate 121 and an inductor forming part 123 of an SiO2 insulating layer 122 is formed. The inductor 120 is provided with a coil part 127 so as to close the opening part of the recessed part 124. The coil part 127 is connected to a first wiring layer 125 so as to protrude into the recessed part 124 and connected to a second wiring layer 126 extended on the insulating layer 122. In the inductor 120 constructed as described above, a forming step is complicated, so that the forming steps are increased to increase a manufacture cost.
In the conventional circuit board device, the electrical interference of the Si substrate provided between a circuit part of an analog circuit and a base-band circuit part of a digital circuit constitutes a serious problem.
As circuit board devices that overcome the above-described problems, for instance, a circuit board device 130 using an Si substrate as a base substrate as shown in FIG. 4 has been proposed. Further, a circuit board device 140 using a glass substrate as a base substrate as shown in FIG. 5 has been proposed.
In the circuit board device 130 shown in FIG. 4, after an SiO2 layer 132 is formed on an Si substrate 131, a circuit part 133 is formed by a lithography technique. In the circuit part 133, the detail of which is omitted, passive elements 136 such as, for instance, inductors, resistors, capacitors, etc. are formed on a lower electrode 135 together with a pattern wiring 134 in multi-layers by a thin film forming technique or a thick film forming technique. The lower electrode 135 functions as a contact terminal so that these passive elements 136 are electrically connected to the pattern wiring 134.
In the circuit board device 130, terminal parts connected to the inner pattern wiring 134 through vias as through holes for relay are formed on the circuit part 133. Circuit elements 137 such as a high frequency IC, an LSI, etc. are directly mounted on these terminal parts by a flip chip mounting method. The circuit board device 130 is mounted on, for instance, a mother board, so that a circuit part and a base-band circuit part can be divided to suppress the electrical interference of both the circuit parts.
In the circuit board device 130 shown in FIG. 4, the Si substrate 131 having an electric conductivity functions upon forming respectively the passive elements in the circuit part 133. However, this substrate undesirably constitutes a factor of interference upon realizing the good high frequency characteristics of the respective passive elements.
On the other hand, the circuit board device 140 shown in FIG. 5 uses a glass substrate 141 as a base substrate in order to solve the problems of the Si substrate 131 forming the circuit board device 130 shown in FIG. 4. In the circuit board device 140, a circuit part 142 is formed on the glass substrate 141 by the lithography technique. In the circuit part 142, the detail of which is omitted, a lower electrode 144, and passive elements 145, for instance, inductors, resistors, capacitors, etc. are formed together with a pattern wiring 143 in multi-layers by the thin film forming technique or the thick film forming technique.
In the circuit board device 140 shown in FIG. 5, terminal parts connected to the inner pattern wiring through vias or the like are formed on the circuit part 142. Circuit elements 146 such as a high frequency IC, LSI, etc. are directly mounted on these terminal parts by a flip chip mounting method. In this circuit board device 140, the glass substrate 141 having no electric conductivity is used to suppress a capacity coupling between the glass substrate 141 and the circuit part 142. Thus, the passive elements having good high frequency characteristics can be formed in the circuit part 142.
In the above-described circuit board devices 130 and 140, a pattern of a high frequency signal system is formed through a wiring layer formed on the above-described Si substrate 131 or the glass substrate 141. Further, a supply wiring for a power source or a ground, a signal wiring for a control system, etc. are formed through the wiring layer. Therefore, in these circuit board devices 130 and 140, an electrical interference is generated respectively between the wiring. Further, since the wiring layers are formed in multi-layers, a manufacture cost is increased. The wiring patterns are pulled around to cause the devices themselves to be enlarged.
In the circuit board device 130, a package 150 is formed to be mounted on an interposer board 151 as shown in FIG. 6. The package 150 serves to mount the circuit board device 130 on one surface of the interposer board 151 and is entirely encapsulated with an insulating resin 152. In the package 150, pattern wiring 153 or input and output terminal parts 154 are respectively formed on both the front and back surfaces of the interposer board 151. Further, many electrode parts 155 are formed in the periphery of an area on which the circuit board device 130 is mounted.
In the package 150, while the circuit board device 130 is mounted on the interposer board 151, the circuit board device 130 is electrically connected to the electrode parts 155 by wires 156 in accordance with a wire bonding method. Thus, power can be supplied from an external power source to transmit a signal to and receive a signal from an external circuit. Consequently, in the circuit board device 130 shown in FIG. 4, electrodes 138 to which the pattern wiring 134 or the wires 156 are connected are formed on a surface layer on which the circuit elements 137 such as the high frequency IC, LSI, etc. are mounted. The circuit board device 140 shown in FIG. 5 is packaged in the same manner as described above.
These circuit board devices 130 and 140 are mounted on the interposer board 151 and packaged as mentioned above, however, the thickness or the area of the package 150 is inconveniently increased. Both the circuit board devices 130 and 140 increase the cost of the package 150.
A shield cover 157 with which the circuit elements 137 such as the high frequency IC, LSI, etc. mounted on the circuit board devices 130 and 140 are covered to reduce the influence of electromagnetic wave noise is attached to the package 150. Therefore, in the package 150, heat generated from the circuit elements 137 or the like is stored in the shield cover 157 to deteriorate characteristics as the transmitting and receiving circuit, so that a heat radiating mechanism needs to be provided.
In such a package 150, since the Si substrate 131 or the glass substrate 141 is used in the circuit board devices 130 and 140, it is difficult to provide heat radiating mechanisms for radiating heat from the substrate sides to cause the devices themselves to be enlarged.
Since the relatively expensive Si substrate 131 or the glass substrate 141 is used as the base substrate to increase the cost of the circuit board devices 130 and 140, the circuit board devices 130 and 140 are hardly provided at low cost.
In the circuit board devices 130 and 140, the pattern wiring 134 and 143 are patterned and formed in the circuit parts 133 and 142. In this case, there is a fear that, for instance, etching liquid used in an etching process may possibly corrode the lower electrodes 135 and 144 or the passive elements 136 and 145 or the like. Accordingly, in the circuit board devices 130 and 140, there is also a fear that the passive elements 136 and 145 may be possibly deteriorated, or an inconvenience may be possibly generated in an electric contact between the passive elements 136 and 145 and the pattern wiring 134 and 143.

Thin film circuit board device and method for manufacturing the same


The invention pertains to methods for measuring different forms of human adiponectin that are present in human plasma/serum, and more specifically methods are based on an ELISA assay that utilizes different monoclonal antibodies directed against adiponectin, in combination with different polyclonal antibodies directed against different domains of human adiponectin. The invention also provides unique isoforms of adiponectin and antibodies thereto, including polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies.

Adiponectin is an adipocyte specific protein, that has recently been shown to possess a variety of activities including anti-inflammatory, antiatherogenic, preventive for metabolic syndrome, and insulin sensitizing activities. Adiponectin is encoded by a single gene, giving rise to a polypeptide chain of about 30 kilodaltons. In plasma/serum, adiponectin exists in various molecular forms that include monomers, trimer, hexamers, and various combinations thereof. No information is currently known in the art about which specific molecular forms of adiponectin possess which types of activities. While current ELISA methods exist to measure adiponectin levels in human plasma/serum, it is still not possible to accurately and rapidly measure the different adiponectin forms, nor are there useful adiponectin measures that predict the relationship of the levels of specific adiponectin forms to a specific physiologic state or disease. For example, current adiponectin measures include ELISA methods which measure total adiponectin, and do not provide a means of readily predicting the physiologic state based on the levels of adiponectin. Other measures such as velocity sedimentation or gel filtration, which can discriminate between high and low molecular weight adiponectin forms include complicated methods of fractionation on the basis of size, and are not readily amenable to high throughput screening procedures.

Characterization and identification of unique human adiponectin isoforms and antibodies


A substrate attaching device (3) includes a vacuum chamber (31), a first electrostatic chuck (32) at least partly set in the vacuum chamber, and further includes a chuck body (321) with a plurality of gas releasing holes (322), a working table (33) stationable below the first electrostatic chuck in the vacuum chamber, a gas supply (34) communicating with the gas releasing holes, a pump device (35) communicating with the vacuum chamber, and a sub-vacuum (37) chamber communicating with both the vacuum chamber and the pump device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate attaching device and a substrate attaching method, and especially to a device typically used for combining two substrates such as those that form a framework of a liquid crystal display (LCD) cell.
2. General Background
An LCD cell generally comprises two glass substrates, a peripheral sealant, and a plurality of liquid crystal molecules retained in a space defined between the substrates and the sealant. The sealant is first printed on one of the glass substrates, and is then adhered to the other glass substrate. The substrates and the sealant cooperatively form the space therebetween, and then the liquid crystal molecules are filled into the space.
There are generally two methods used for filling the liquid crystal molecules into the space. The first method is to fill the liquid crystal molecules through filling ports. This method comprises the following steps: firstly, printing a sealant on a first glass substrate, wherein the sealant is rectangular and has one or more gaps that function as filling ports; secondly, combining a second glass substrate with the first glass substrate and curing the sealant, wherein a space is enclosed by the sealant and the two glass substrates; thirdly, immersing the filling ports in a liquid crystal material in a vacuum chamber; and finally, introducing gas into the vacuum chamber to make the liquid crystal molecules fill up the space.
The second method is the so-called one-drop-fill (ODF) method. This method comprises the following steps: firstly, printing a sealant on a first glass substrate, wherein the sealant is rectangular and continuous, and a space is enclosed by the sealant and the first glass substrate; secondly, putting liquid crystal molecules into the space drop by drop using a dispenser; and finally, combining a second glass substrate with the first glass substrate and curing the sealant. The ODF process also needs to be performed in a vacuum, at least at the time when the substrates are combined. Thus, in both the first and second methods, a substrate attaching device that can provide a vacuum is necessary.
A typical substrate attaching device utilizes an electrostatic chuck (ESC) and a working table. A first substrate is attached to the ESC by way of electrostatic attraction produced by a voltage applied on the ESC. A second substrate is placed on the working table. The ESC and the working table are moved toward each other until the first substrate is attached to the second substrate. Then the applied voltage is stopped, so that the ESC no longer attracts the first substrate. However, electrostatic charges tend to accumulate on the ESC, and these charges do not immediately dissipate when the applied voltage is stopped. That is, the electrostatic attraction between the first substrate and the ESC does not immediately cease, and it may be difficult to disengage the first substrate from the ESC.
Referring to FIG. 4, this shows another typical substrate attaching device 1. The substrate attaching device 1 comprises a vacuum chamber 11, a first ESC 12, a working table 13, a gas supply 14, a vacuum pump 15, and a controller 16. The first ESC 12 is set substantially in the vacuum chamber 11, and the working table 13 can be set in the vacuum chamber 11. The first ESC 12 comprises a chuck body 121 with a plurality of gas releasing holes 122. The gas releasing holes 122 communicate with a gas pipe 141, so that nitrogen gas can be transferred from the gas supply 14 to a bottom surface of the chuck body 121. A valve 142 is set along the gas pipe 141, to open and close and thereby regulate the flow of nitrogen gas. The vacuum chamber 11 is connected with the vacuum pump 15 through a gas pipe 151. A valve 152 is set along the gas pipe 151, to open and close and thereby regulate the flow of gases. The controller 16 controls the gas supply 14 and the vacuum pump 15 to operate at different times, to feed nitrogen gas and evacuate the inside of the vacuum chamber 11 alternately.
In operation, a substrate attaching method using the substrate attaching device 1 comprises the following steps. Firstly, a second substrate 23 is placed on a working table 13. A sealant 231 is printed on the second substrate 23, and liquid crystal material 232 material is dropped onto the second substrate 23 in a space defined by the sealant 231. Secondly, a first substrate 22 is attached to the chuck body 121 by electrostatic attraction. Thirdly, the first substrate 22 and the second substrate 23 are aligned with each other, and the vacuum pump 15 is operated by the controller 16 to evacuate the vacuum chamber 11. The first ESC 12 is lowered toward the working table 13, so that the first substrate 22 is attached onto the second substrate 23. Finally, referring to FIG. 5, the vacuum pump 15 is stopped by the controller 16. Nitrogen gas is and supplied to the bottom surface of the chuck body 121 by the gas supply 14 under the control of the controller 16. The flowing nitrogen gas can help separate the first substrate 22 from the chuck body 121, so that the combined first and second substrates 22, 23 can be moved out from the vacuum chamber 11.
However, when the gas supply 14 supplies nitrogen gas to the chuck body 121, the vacuum pump of the vacuum chamber 11 stops operating. Thus, a pressure in an inside space of the combined substrates 22, 23 is lower than a pressure in the vacuum chamber 11. Under such conditions, the nitrogen gas may penetrate into the inside space of the combined substrates 22, 23. Bubbles of nitrogen gas may form in the liquid crystal material 232. These can result in impaired performance or even failure of the LCD cell.
What is needed, therefore, is a substrate attaching device that can improve a manufacturing yield of LCD cells. What is also needed is a substrate attaching method that can improve a manufacturing yield of LCD cells.

Apparatus and method for joining two substrates


A pneumatic pump is provided including a housing with an inlet aperture and an outlet aperture. A one way valve is mounted on the inlet aperture. A tube has a first end connected to outlet aperture and a second end positioned distant the housing. An air compressor resides in communication with the housing via a conduit. The air compressor serves to continuously elevate the pressure of air within the conduit. A solenoid valve allows the flow of the pressurized air to the housing only upon the actuation thereof. When the solenoid is actuated, the pressure within the interior of the housing is elevated above that of the exterior such that the valve is closed and the water within the housing is excreted through the outlet pipe. Finally, a timer is connected to the solenoid valve to actuate the same at user selected time intervals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical and mechanical pumps and more particularly pertains to a new timer controlled pneumatic water pump for safely pumping water via pneumatic means at predetermined time intervals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of electrical and mechanical pumps is known in the prior art. More specifically, electrical and mechanical pumps heretofore devised and utilized arc known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art electrical and mechanical pumps include U. S. Pat. No. 5,092,743; U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,758; U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,017; U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,144; U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,147; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 244,681.
In these respects, the timer controlled pneumatic water pump according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of safely pumping water via pneumatic means at predetermined time intervals.


System for conveying a stream of information. The system includes an encoding device employing a spatio-temporal coding scheme that omits light, including codes embedded therein that are invisible to a user. A receiver that might be a cell phone camera receives light from the encoding device and computer apparatus is programmed with software to decode the received light to generate the stream of information. The encoding device is preferably a video display.

Increasingly, digital data is embedded in the audio and visual material that we encounter every day. An example are UPC codes that appear as familiar stripes on supermarket products and elsewhere. These are read and decoded by a special scanner, for example, at the checkout counter of the supermarket, or by handheld readers, and the data encoded therein is interpreted and used for many purposes, "QR" code's are another example, these are two-dimensional, printed or displayed codes that are designed to be interpreted by a simple camera. QR codes have become popular for many applications and are widespread. However, they are demarcated codes and most applications require that the detector be correctly aimed and centered on the code.
As more and more public and public space displays become electronic, there is a need for a code that is optimized for these displays. In addition, because these displays can change dynamically, such a code would optimally be able to be changed almost instantly and can also display an ever-changing, or a streamed set of information.
This invention relates to the encoding and decoding of streamed data and more particularly to a system and method for the display of pictures that include codes invisible to a user but detectable by a machine such as a camera along with associated computing capability. In addition, the invention describes the systems and methods for detecting and decoding those embedded codes.
The codes, called "VR codes," are signals preferably but not necessarily invisibly hidden in and around pictures in a video display such as a television screen or computer monitor that convey a stream of information to a receiver. An example receiver is a camera in a cell phone. VR codes are similar to QR codes in that they are digital tags. VR codes are an improvement over QR codes in that VR codes are a dynamic stream and can be embedded in a picture in a way that is not visible to a user. Such codes are thus an example of using displays simultaneously to carry information useful to a person and to a machine. VR codes can be made visible if so desired.
There has been related prior art work in two areas. In a first area, data is embedded in a picture to mark the picture in some way. This technique is generally called steganography. This data is intended to be digitally decodable by processing a digital signal, not from the display of the picture itself. There is also well-known work called "digital watermarking" where a pattern is embedded in a sound or picture to identify it. In other prior art work, there are visible patterns on a screen at which one can aim a simple detector in order to detect the presence of a pattern. These techniques have been used for video games. For example, a detector can be a photodiode with a lens built into a toy gun, and when one aims at a visible target, the detector notes a hit. The VR codes disclosed herein are novel in that they are optimally invisible codes that are detectable by a normal camera.
What is needed is a code that can be optimized for dynamic displays detected by simple, existing cameras such as those people have in mobile and portable devices, and that can carry information that does not intrude on the enjoyment or message of the pictures, and is detectable by the cameras we already have in mobile phones, tablets, computers and portable cameras.
It is an intention of this invention to create a code that can be embedded in a display that is invisible or minimally noticeable by people but is readily detectable and decodable by the camera and processing in a mobile device.
It is a further goal of this invention to make a code that changes with time so that a large amount of data can be transferred to the mobile device and so that codes can be readily changed.
It is yet a further goal of this invention to allow the codes to be represented in the periphery of the region of the display that is occupied with the image as well as be embedded within the image itself. The codes can be made visible so that a user can know they are there, or they cart be made invisible so that they add no readily perceptible alteration to the displayed image or image sequence.
It is yet a further goal of this invention to make the codes use an area of the screen so that the user need not aim the camera or detector, at a specific region of the screen or center it deliberately in a particular area of the frame that the camera captures.
It is a further intention of this invention to make codes that occupy a large area in and surrounding the active area of a display so that the geometric distortion of the coded display on the image plane of the camera can be used to identify the position of the viewer. I.e., the manner by which the code is detected can also be used to identify whether the user is directly in front of the display or is off axis to the left, right, high or low. The ability to use a large screen area as opposed to a small, demarcated region allows this determination to be more accurate than with localize codes such as QR codes.

Video codes for encoding/decoding streaming data


A noise canceler of the present invention includes a signal-to-noise power ratio estimator to which a main signal and a reference signal are input. The estimator 10 estimates the sinal-to-noise power ratio of the main signal from the mean power of a desired signal contained in the main siganl and a mean power of a noise signal also contained in the main signal. In addition, the estimator estimates the signal-to-noise power ratio of the reference signal from the mean power of a desired signal contained in the reference signal and the mean power of a noise singal also contained in the reference signal. An adptive filter for estimating the noise signal of the main signal has its step size for coefficient updating controlled in accordance with the estimated signal-to-noise power ratio of the noise signal. On the other hand, an adptive filter for estimating the desired signal of the reference signal has its step size for coefficient updating controlled in accordance with the estimated signal-to-noise power ratio of the reference signal. Delay circuits are provided for compensating for a delay ascribable to a power averaging procedure which a signal-to-noise power ratio estimator executes to calculate the estimated siganl-to-noise power ratios.

The present invention relates to a noise canceler and, more particularly, to a noise canceler for canceling, by use of an adaptive filter, a background noise signal introduced into a speech signal input via a microphone, a handset or the like.
A background noise signal introduced into a speech signal input via, e g., a microphone or a handset is a critical problem when it comes to a narrow band speech coder, speech recognition device and so forth which compress information to a high degree. Noise cancelers for canceling such acoustically superposed noise components include a biinput noise canceler using an adaptive filter and taught in B. Widrow et al. "Adaptive Noise Cancelling: Principles and Applications", PROCEEDINGS OF IEEE, VOL. 63, NO. 12, DECEMBER 1975, pp. 1692-1716 (Document 1 hereinafter).
The noise canceler taught in Document 1 includes an adaptive filter for approximating the impulse response of a noise path along which a noise signal input to a microphone assigned to a reference signal (reference signal microphone hereinafter) to propagate toward a microphone assigned to a main signal (main signal microphone hereinafter). The adaptive filter is capable estimating noise introduced into the main signal microphone. The estimated noise signal is subtracted from a main signal (combination of a desired signal and a noise signal) input to the main signal microphone.
The filter coefficient of the above adaptive filter is corrected by determining a correlation between an error signal produced by subtracting the estimated noise signal from the main signal and a reference signal derived from the reference signal microphone. Typical of an algorithm for such coefficient correction, i.e., a convergence algorithm is "LMS algorithm" describe in Document 1 or "LIM (Learning Identification Method) algorithm" described in EEE TRANSACTIONS ON AUTOMATIC CONTROL, VOL. 12, NO. 3, 1967, pp. 282-287.
A conventional noise cancellation principle will be described with reference to FIG. 5. As shown, a noise canceler includes a main signal microphone 1, a reference signal microphone 2, an adaptive filter 3, a subtracter 4, and an output terminal 5. A desired signal S(z) spoken by a speaker (signal source) is input to the main signal microphone 1 adjoining the speaker's mouth by way of a path having an acoustic transfer characteristic HA(z); z is expressed as: EQU z=exp(2.alpha.j/FS) Eq. (1)
where FG denotes a sampling frequency.
On the other hand, noise N(z) issuing from a noise source is input to the main signal microphone 1 via a path having an acoustic transfer characteristic GA(z). At the same time, the noise N(z) is input to a reference signal microphone 2 remote from the speaker by way of a path having an acoustic transfer characteristic GB(z). The adaptive filter 3 estimates, based on the main signal XA(z) and reference signal XB(z), the acoustic transfer characteristic (noise path) P(z) of an acoustic path along which noise output from the noise source N(z) and then input to the reference signal microphone 2 will propagate to the main signal microphone 1 when the desired signal S(z) is not input.
The acoustic transfer characteristic P(z) to be estimated is produced by: EQU P(z)=GA(z)/GB(z) Eq. (2)
The adaptive filter 3 therefore constitutes a filter having a transfer characteristic W1(z) identical with the transfer function P(z) and operates to generate an estimated noise signal F1(z) identical with the noise signal contained in the main signal. The subtracter 4 subtracts the estimated noise signal F1(z) output from the filter 3 from the main signal XA(z), thereby producing an output E1(z). When the desired signal S(z) is not input, the output signal E1(z) is expressed as: ##EQU1##
In this manner, the adaptive filter 3 is capable of estimating the acoustic transfer characteristic P(z) by updating the coefficient such that the output signal E1(z) is zero when the desired signal S(z) is not contained. The output signal E1(z) is referred to as an error signal because it is representative of an error in the learning operation of the adaptive filter.
After the convergence of the adaptive filter 3 the output signal E1(z) is expressed as: ##EQU2##
As the Eq. (4) indicates, the output signal E1(z) does not contain any noise signal N(z), i.e., noise has been canceled. However, the problem is that when the reference signal microphone 2 contains the desired signal component S(z), i.e., when the acoustic transfer characteristic HB(z) from the desired signal S(z) to the reference signal microphone 2 is not zero, a signal distortion represented by [1-{HB(z)/HA(z)}W1(z)] occurs.
To solve the above problem, an adaptive filter for correcting the signal distortion contained in the output signal S1(z) may be added, as taught in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 8-56180. FIG. 6 shows a noise canceler including such an additional adaptive filter. As shown, the noise canceler has an adaptive filter 6 for the above correction and a subtracter 7 in addition to the structural elements shown in FIG. 5. When the main signal XA(z) contains the desired signal S(z) and if noise is absent is of less than certain level, the adaptive filter 6 performs learning such that the output E2(x) of the substracter 7 decreases. Assuming that the adaptive filter 6 has a transfer characteristic W2(z), then the filter 6 performs the above learning based on, e.g., the LIM scheme such that when N(z) is zero or negligible,
E2(z) has the following value: ##EQU3##
Therefore, the transfer characteristic W2(z) of the adaptive filter 6 is produced by: ##EQU4##
The output F2(z) of the adaptive filter 6 derived from the learning is expressed as: ##EQU5## As a result, a desired signal HA(z)S(z) free from signal distortion is output.
As stated above, the conventional noise canceler updates the coefficient of the adaptive filter 3 and learns the acoustic characteristic of noise in sections where the noise signal N(z) is present and the desired signal component S(z) is absent or negligibly small. Further, the noise canceler updates the coefficient of the adaptive filter 4 and learns a signal distortion correction filter in sections where the desired signal component S(z) is present and the noise component N(z) is absent or negligibly small. It is therefore necessary to detect the above sections where the desired signal component S(z) is absent (or little) and the sections where the noise signal component N(z) is absent (or little) and to command the adaptive filters to perform leaning in such sections from the outside.
However, it is, in many cases, difficult to command the adaptive filters to perform learning from the outside in accordance with the level of the desired signal and that of the noise signal, depending on the situation in which the noise canceler is located. With the conventional noise canceler, a sufficient noise canceling ability and a sufficient distortion correction characteristic are not achievable unless adequate learning sections are indicated to each adaptive filter for the learning purpose.


The invention relates to a cutting machine for cutting up, in particular, foodstuff products having an unstable outer contour. The product feeding unit of the cutting machine has a number of conveyor and shaping belts, which are distributed over the peripheral contour of the product to be cut, are driven in a revolving manner, and whose conveyor strands can be, in particular, individually placed with a pre-determinable pressure against the conveyed product to be cut.

Cutting machines of this type, which are also called slicers and operate at comparatively high cutting speeds, are generally known. With these known cutting machines or slicers, the product to be cut is usually supplied to the cutting plane lying on a transport belt, with a further transport belt being able to be provided for the improvement of the product guidance which acts on the product to be cut from above.
To take account of the particular problems in the cutting of products, in particular soft and yielding products, and to ensure a slicing of these products which is as perfect as possible, it is customary to slice the products in a very cooled or frozen state.
Products to be cut which are so sensitive should not be frozen where possible, since the quality of the products can be impaired by the process of freezing which is frequently carried out too slowly and not always in a perfect shock freezing manner.
To avoid these problems, attempts have already been made to supply sensitive products of this type through a tube and to effect the feed by pressure exerted from the rear. However, this procedure has not proven itself since the peripheral contours of the product to be cut can be very different, which can result in strong—and also uncontrolled—product deformations in the respective supply tube which can lead to product impairment.


A method is described. The method includes executing one or more JH_SBOX_L instructions to perform S-Box mappings and a linear (L) transformation on a JH state and executing one or more JH_P instructions to perform a permutation function on the JH state once the S-Box mappings and the L transformation have been performed.

Cryptology is a tool that relies on an algorithm and a key to protect information. The algorithm is a complex mathematical algorithm and the key is a string of bits. There are two basic types of cryptology systems: secret key systems and public key systems. A secret key system also referred to as a symmetric system has a single key ("secret key") that is shared by two or more parties. The single key is used to both encrypt and decrypt information.
The JH hash function (JH) is a cryptographic function that has been submitted for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hash function competition to develop a new SHA-3 function to replace the older SHA-1 and SHA-2. JH is based on an algorithm that includes four variants (JH-224, JH-256, JH-384 and JH-512), which produce different sized digests. However, each variant of JH implements the same compression function.
Currently, JH may be executed in a general purpose processor using instructions in either Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) or Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX). Nonetheless, such applications may require the execution of up to 30 instructions to perform the JH algorithm.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Instructions to perform JH cryptographic hashing in a 256 bit data path


There are provided:                (1) a process for producing an InSbO4-containing transparent electroconductive film, which comprises the step of sputtering simultaneously:                    (i) a target (A) for sputtering, which comprises In, Sb and O, and whose atomic ratio of Sb/In is from 0.9 to 1.1, and            (ii) a target (B) for sputtering, which comprises Sb,                        (2) a transparent eletroconductive film, which contains In, Sb and O, and whose atomic ratio of Sb/In is from 0.8 to 1.5, and        (3) a target for sputtering, which contains In, Sb and O, and whose atomic ratio of Sb/In is from 1.2 to 2.0.

Transparent electroconductive films are used for applications such as electrodes for inorganic EL panels, liquid crystal displays and solar batteries; hot wave reflection films for window glass; and antistatic films. Among the transparent conductive films, an indium-tin oxide film comprising an indium oxide containing 2 to 20% by weight of tin oxide has many applications because of its high electroconductivity (that is, low electric resistivity) and superior translucency. The "indium-tin oxide" is hereinafter referred to as ITO.
However, the ITO has problems that (1) it is expensive, because it contains an expensive indium oxide in an amount of from 80 to 98% by weight, and (2) its transparency is not good, because it absorbs light ranging from visible rays having short wave lengths to ultraviolet rays.
In the production of inorganic EL panels, it is required to use a transparent electroconductive film, which does not decrease its electroconductivity even when heat-treated in air at a temperature exceeding 800° C. However, a transparent electroconductive film comprising the ITO, which is usually used for the production of inorganic EL panels, has a problem that it decreases its electroconductivity when heat-treated under such conditions.
As one of transparent electroconductive materials substitutable for the ITO, InSbO4 is proposed. Said InSbO4 has characteristics that (1) it is cheaper than the ITO, because a content of the expensive indium oxide is only a half of that of the ITO on a weight basis, and (2) its transparency is superior to the ITO, because it absorbs little light ranging from visible rays having short wave lengths to ultraviolet rays. However, an InSbO4-containing transparent electroconductive film has never been obtained. For example, JP-A 9-71419 discloses a process for producing an InSbO4-containing sintered object comprising the steps of (i) shaping a mixed powder of an indium oxide powder and an antimony oxide powder to obtain a shaped product, and (ii) sintering the shaped product: however, it discloses no InSbO4-containing transparent electroconductive film.

Transparent electroconductive film and process for producing same


Data analysis of a food item based on one or more digital images of the food item is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises displaying, on a display unit of the smart device, first and second digital images of a meal, where the first digital image is captured before the second digital image. The method also comprises determining a volume of each food item in the first digital image and a volume of each food item in the second digital image by analyzing the first digital image and the second digital image using a digital image processing technique. The method further comprises generating, on the display unit, an amount of intake for the meal based on a difference between the volume of each food item in the first digital image and the volume of each food item in the second digital image.

Smart devices are devices that are digital, active, and computer networked. The smart devices are also user configurable and can operate to some extent autonomously. Some of the examples of the smart devices may include a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart TV, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, etc. Recently, the smart devices carry numerous features which enhance daily lives of those who use them.

Analysis of food items captured in digital images


A method of detecting a predetermined complex data sequence in a received signal, representing for example a broadcast burst preamble in a wireless LAN transmission, involves (a) performing an auto-correlation on the data extracted from the received signal to provide an auto-correlation output, (b) combining the auto-correlation output with a delayed version of the auto-correlation output to produce a combined output and (c) providing a signal representing the predetermined data sequence if the combined output meets a predetermined condition, preferably also taking into account the phases of the auto-correlation output.

HIPERLAN/2 (see for example "HIPERLAN/2—The Broadband Radio Transmission Technology Operating in the 5 GHz Frequency Band", by Martin Johnson, HIPERLAN/2 Global Forum 1999, v.1.0) is a centrally controlled time-division multiple access, time-division duplex (TDMA/TDD) system with the capability of sending data from a central access point (AP) to mobile terminals (MT's), receiving data from the MT's and synchronising the transmission of data directly between the MT's. The AP transmits bursts of data in the form of medium access control (MAC) frames, each of which comprises individual sections. The first individual section is a broadcast channel (BCH) section. It is important for the MT's to be able to recognise a BCH section quickly after the start of operation, so that they can synchronise their operation to the AP. For this purpose, the BCH section has, at the beginning, a preamble formed by a unique sequence of complex data. Other sections within the frame also include identifying preambles comprising different data sequences.
An individual preamble can be recognised by feeding the received data to a filter which is matched to the known complex data pattern.
However, it would be desirable to provide an improved technique for preamble detection which gives more reliable results even under extreme radio channel signal conditions exhibiting noise, multi-path interference and clipping. It would also be desirable to provide a technique which can readily be adapted for detecting different kinds of data sequences.

Method and apparatus for detecting data sequences


Certain embodiments provide a power distribution unit that may be used to distribute power to a plurality of electronic devices. The power distribution unit may have one or more outlet gangs, integral components having a plurality of individual power outlets. Each outlet gang may be associated with one or more power rails which deliver power to each power outlet. A connector may be located on each power rail. The power distribution unit may include a circuit link interconnection board for connection to one or more electronic components, such as outlet gangs. A circuit link is coupled to the circuit link interconnection board and fuseably protects at least one circuit of the interconnection board. Access windows may be provided to provide access to the circuit link.

Electronic equipment racks commonly consist of rectangular or box-shaped housings or rack structures. Electronic equipment is commonly mountable in such racks so that the various electronic components are aligned vertically one on top of the other in the rack. Often, multiple racks are oriented side-by-side, with each rack containing numerous electronic components and having substantial quantities of associated component wiring located both within and outside of the area occupied by the racks.
Power distribution units have long been utilized to supply power to the equipment in such racks. Power distribution units have also been designed to allow a user to remotely monitor and control the power distribution unit or devices attached to the power distribution unit. Examples of such power distribution units can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,506,573, 5,949,947, and 6,711,613.
One particularly common such power distribution unit consists of an elongated box housing that has one or more power inputs penetrating the housing and a number of power outputs extending along the longitudinal face of the unit. This power distribution unit is designed to mount vertically adjacent or secured to the external rear side of a rack. In this fashion, the power supplied to the unit is then distributed through horizontally extending power outputs to the, typically, horizontally co-aligned electronic components mounted in the rack. An example of such a prior power distribution unit is sold under the trademark POWER TOWER by Server Technology, Inc., of Reno, Nev.
As previously stated, each power distribution unit typically contains a number of power outputs and at least one power input. The power distribution units may also contain other electronic components, such as fuses and monitoring devices. Typically, all of these electronic components must be wired together, which can create numerous problems and inefficiencies.
One such problem is that the size of the electronic components and the associated wiring may limit the dimensions and shape of the housing. A housing having a certain minimum size usually is required merely to hold the electronic components and wiring of the power distribution unit. The size of the housing can limit the locations in which the power distribution unit can be mounted. For example, the power distribution unit may be too large for certain spaces. The size of the components and wiring may limit how many and what kind of components can be included in a power distribution unit. The housing typically must be sized such that the various electronic components do not make undesired contact with each other.
Another problem with such prior art power distribution units is that they often require substantial time and effort to assemble because each electronic component is typically individually mounted in the housing. Furthermore, each electronic component is typically individually wired with line, neutral, and ground connections. The cost to build such power distribution units may be influenced by material costs that are partially determined by factors such as the size of the housing, the amount of wiring in each power distribution unit, and the amount of other materials, such as solder, needed to assemble each power distribution unit. In addition to possibly requiring greater assembly time, the numerous parts and connections in typical prior art power distribution units may result in a greater number of errors during the manufacturing process or a greater chance of equipment failure once the power distribution units are in use.
Another problem with some prior art power distribution units stems from the fuses or other devices that are typically used to protect the power distribution unit and attached electronic devices against current fluctuations. Often, the fuses may only be checked and replaced by removing the power distribution unit from a rack and opening the power distribution unit. In addition to possibly being time consuming and labor intensive, opening up the unit may violate a warranty on the unit.
Many standards setting organizations, certifying bodies, and codes are requiring branched circuit protection. That is, power outlets may be arranged in groups or "branches," each of which must be separately fused. Branched circuit protection may result in an increased number of fuses in each power distribution unit, thus potentially increasing the size of, and the amount of wiring in, the power distribution unit.


A computer-based system and method for efficiently identifying a new index bit sequence, utilizing a single technique to rearrange any size table, generating new index bit sequences without utilizing a significant amount of memory resources, and rearranging table entries only once. A mask array defines the new index bit sequence for a new table. The mask array has N entries of N bits each where N is equal to the number of bits in the old table index. The table entries in the old table to form a new table by initializing an old table index (OI) and a new table index (NI) and setting the new table entry associated with the NI equal to the old table entry associated with the OI. Then the new index that is associated with the next old index value by using the mask array to sequentially mask bits in the NI corresponding to mask bits in the mask array is dynamically generated. Then the new table entry associated with the generated new table index value is assigned with the old table entry associated with the sequentially increased old table index. The process repeats for all values of the old index. The new table, once completed, is used in place of the old table. Accordingly, the system utilizes significantly less memory and operates more efficiently than conventional systems and methods.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of computer aided design/computer aided engineering (CAD/CAE), more particularly to the field of data array reordering in a CAD/CAE environment.
2. Description of Background Art
Computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided engineering (CAE) systems frequently increase computational speed by invoking a table (array) lookup technique. The table lookup technique is generally used to compute the results of a function having the following characteristics: (a) the function is repeated a large number of times; (b) for each computation the aggregate of the input to the function (domain) is a few bits, e.g., 4-16 bits; and (c) the output (range) can be represented by a few bytes, e.g., 1-8 bytes, for example. To implement the function, all possible results of the function (or a meaningful subset thereof) are calculated in advance and stored as a table (array) in a memory module of a computer. A methodology utilizing the table, as described below, is generated and stored in a computer readable format, e.g., as a computer program stored in a memory module of a computer, as firmware, or hardwired in computer hardware. For ease of discussion, the following description will presume the methodology is stored as a computer program. However, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that alternate techniques can be used to implement the computer based methodology of the present invention. The computer program catenates all of the bits that comprise the input to the function in a prescribed order, e.g., bits represented by w, x, y, z. These bits are treated as an integer in the range of zero to 2.sup.N -1, where N is equal to the number of input bits. This integer is used as an index (address) into the table (array) of pre-computed results. The results of the function are determined using a single memory reference to the table plus the time required to assemble the input bits. The time required to generate the results of the function using the table-lookup technique is typically significantly less than having the computer invoke the logic necessary to perform the function.
In complex CAD/CAE environments the success of the table-lookup technique frequently depends upon knowing the order of the address bits at the time the lookup-table is generated. In many computer-based disciplines the optimal order of the address bits is known when the table is generated because the address formation and the table contents are under the control of the programmer. However, in complex CAD/CAE environments, varying the sequence of the input bits can significantly alter the computational time of a CAD/CAE computer simulation, for example. Frequently, the optimal ordering of inputs is not determined until after the lookup-table and the simulation software have been generated. In this situation, it is not economically feasible to re-generate all of the, possibly thousands, of lookup-tables used in the computer program to match the new arrangement of input bits. Further complicating the problem is that the number of input bits for each lookup-table can vary significantly. What is needed is a system and method for rearranging the table entries after the table has been generated and after the computer program has been generated.
As indicated above, the rearrangement of input bits does not require the recalculation of a new lookup-table. Instead, rearranging the input bits requires merely the rearranging of the lookup-table entries. For example, an eight entry table can have an index having three address bits (x,y,z) that are catenated in order with "x" as the most significant bit. If the contents of the table can be identified as {A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H} in addresses 0-7 respectively, then x=0, y=0, z=0, yields "A", and x=1, y=1, z=1, yields "H". If it is determined that a CAD/CAE simulation will be more efficient if the three address bits are arranged as (y,x,z) when forming the address, the table entries must be rearranged into the order {A,B,E,F,C,D,G,H} in addresses 0-7 respectively.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a table (array) having a four bit index. Each bit in the four bit index can be represented as a variable, e.g., w, x, y, and z respectively with "w" as the most significant bit. The table entries are represented as {A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P} in addresses 0-15 respectively. For example when the index (w,x,y,z) is equal to (0000), the associated table entry is "A". Similarly when the index is (1111), the associated table entry is "P". As noted above, there are circumstances when it is more efficient to modify the bit sequence. For example, in some circumstances, it may be advantageous to modify the bit sequence from (w,x,y,z) to (z,w,x,y). As described above, if the index sequence is modified the table entries must be rearranged to match the new sequence.
One conventional technique for rearranging the table entries requires the swapping of two bits at a time and processing (rearranging) the table entries for each swap. FIGS. 2(a)-(c) are illustrations of an example of a table that is rearranged using a conventional two-bit swapping technique. In this example, the original table, (old table) is the table described above with reference to FIG. 1 having the index represented as (w,x,y,z). The modified index sequence is (z,w,x,y). FIG. 2(a) is an illustration of a first intermediate table representing the table after swapping the "z" bit and the "w" bit and re-processing the table to match the modified index. The table index illustrated in FIG. 2(a) is (z,x,y,w) and the table entries are {A,I,C,K,E,M,G,O,B,J,D,L,F,N,H,P} in addresses 0-15 respectively. Each table entry is copied and, if necessary, a new table entry is substituted for an old table entry. However, since only two index bits can be swapped at one time, the current index, i.e., (z,x,y,w), does not match the index of the new table and another bit swap is required.
FIG. 2(b) is an illustration of a second intermediate table representing the table after swapping the "w" bit and the "x" bit of the first intermediate table and re-processing of the table to match the modified index. The table index illustrated in FIG. 2(b) is (z,w,y,x) and the table entries are {A,E,C,G,I,M,K,O,B,F,D,H,J,N,L,P} for addresses 0-15 respectively. However the index for the second intermediate table still does not match the index for the new table, therefore, a third swapping operation is performed. FIG. 2(c) is an illustration of a new table representing the table after swapping the "x" bit and the "y" bit of the second intermediate table and re-processing of the table to match the modified index. The table index illustrated in FIG. 2(c) is (z,w,x,y) and the table entries are {A,C,E,G,I,K,M,O,B,D,F,H,J,L,N,P}. The bit-swapping technique frequently requires each table entry to be copied (modified) multiple times, e.g., three time in the above example. This process is time consuming and is not efficient.
Another conventional technique uses an indirect mapping system to accommodate variations in address bit sequences. In this technique an index map is generated and stored in memory that maps each new index value to an old index value. FIG. 3 is an illustration of an index map generated and stored in memory according to a conventional technique. In FIG. 3 a new index (NI) corresponding to (z,w,x,y) is stored in memory and is associated with the corresponding old index (OI) (w,x,y,z). For example, a new index of (1000) corresponds to the old index of (0001) since in both indices the "z" bit is equal to a binary one. The entire index map is generated and stored in memory. In order to access a table entry a new index is identified. Then the new index is mapped to an old index. Then the table entry associated with the old index is retrieved from memory. One problem with the indirect index mapping technique is that the new table index values must be stored in memory. It is not uncommon for the size of the index to exceed sixteen bits. Storing a new index map in the memory can quickly consume a large portion of the scarce memory resources since the number of indices in the index map is 2.sup.N where N is the size of the index in bits. A second problem with the indirect index mapping technique is that, as described above, it is difficult to efficiently receive the new bit sequence information. A third problem with the indirect index mapping technique is that, as described above, in order to identify a table entry, two table lookups are necessary, one map index lookup and one table entry lookup. This indirect mapping is inefficient and time consuming. A fourth problem with the indirect index mapping technique is that conventional systems predefine the index size in order to generate the index maps. For example, in the above example, the computer-based technique used to generate the index map will only operate with four bit index values. It is possible to have techniques for reordering table entries when the number of entries (and hence the number of indicies) will always have a specific length. However, a better solution reorders the table entries when the table size is only determined at run-time, i.e., after the old table and the computer program have been generated. Accordingly, the above technique for generating and storing an index map is not an effective solution in many design environments.
What is needed is a system and method for (1) efficiently identifying a new index bit sequence; (2) utilizing a single technique to rearrange any size table; (3) generating new index it sequences without utilizing a significant amount of memory resources; and (4) rearranging table entries only once.

System and method for reordering lookup table entries when table address bits are reordered


A method for drying an article with a radio frequency (RF) applicator having anode elements and cathode elements includes capacitively coupling the anode elements, capacitively coupling the cathode elements, capactively coupling an anode element to a cathode element, and energizing the RF applicator to generate an RF field between anode and cathode elements wherein liquid residing within the field will be dielectrically heated.

Dielectric heating is the process in which a high-frequency alternating electric field heats a dielectric material, such as water molecules. At higher frequencies, this heating is caused by molecular dipole rotation within the dielectric material, while at lower frequencies in conductive fluids, other mechanisms such as ion-drag are more important in generating thermal energy.
Microwave frequencies are typically applied for cooking food items and are considered undesirable for drying laundry articles because of the possible temporary runaway thermal effects random application of the waves in a traditional microwave. Radio frequencies and their corresponding controlled and contained e-field are typically used for drying of textile material.
When applying an RF electronic field (e-field) to a wet article, such as a clothing material, the e-field may cause the water molecules within the e-field to dielectrically heat, generating thermal energy which effects the rapid drying of the articles.