A system (11) and method determine a vehicle occupant characteristic. A plurality of sensors (50) sense a parameter and output a parameter indicative signal. The sensors (50) are arranged in a plurality of groups (e.g., A-F), with each sensor of a group sensing a similar parameter value. A controller (16) utilizing only a portion of the sensors within each group to make a determination regarding the occupant characteristic.

The present invention is directed to a system and method for sensing an occupant characteristic, and particularly for sensing occupant position for use in an occupant protection system.
Vehicle occupant protection systems are generally well known in the art. Occupant protection systems help protect vehicle occupants during vehicle crash events. An occupant protection system typically includes one or more actuatable components, such as an air bag, a seat belt pretensioner, a side curtain, etc. During a crash event, these components are actuatable to provide a cushioning/restraining force to the occupant.
Often these protection system components are selectively actuatable based upon a number of factors that may include, among other things, sensed occupant characteristics and/or crash conditions. An air bag, for instance, may be controlled to be actuated or deployed based upon a determination of whether a crash metric, such as crash acceleration, exceeds a threshold value. Likewise, the air bag may also be controlled depending upon a value of a sensed weight of the occupant and/or a sensed position of the occupant.
An air bag is typically inflated by a source of inflation fluid. The source of inflation fluid is operatively connected to the air bag so that it can fill and thereby deploy the air bag. The inflation fluid often includes a gas that is generated from the combustion of a pyrotechnic material. The pyrotechnic material is typically ignited by an electric squib, which receives an ignition signal from a controller. The controller is often a microprocessor or microcomputer, which is programmed to generate the ignition signal based upon input signals it receives from external sensors. The external sensors sense one or more of the above-mentioned factors. The input signals are therefore representative of one or more of the above-mentioned factors. As such, actuation or deployment of the air bag is based upon one or more of the above-mentioned factors.
In addition to using the above-mentioned factors to control the actuation of the air bag, the controller of an occupant protection system may use one or more of the foregoing factors to control the rate at which the air bag is deployed as well as the degree to which the air bag is inflated. For instance, if more than one inflation fluid source is simultaneously connected to the air bag, the rate at which the air bag is deployed and the degree to which the air bag is inflated are controlled by controlling how and when these multiple Inflation fluid sources are ignited. Partial deployment of the air bag is effected, for instance, where the controller sends an affirmative ignition signal to only one of the squibs, thereby igniting only one of the inflation fluid sources. Alternatively, full and rapid deployment of the air bag is effected when the controller simultaneously sends an affirmative ignition signal to all of the squibs, thereby igniting all of the inflation fluid sources simultaneously.
The rate and degree of air bag inflation is also controlled in many ways other than utilizing multiple inflation fluid sources. For instance, vent valves are also used to control the rate and degree of air bag inflation. Vent valves are operatively connected to one or more inflation fluid sources. When fully opened, a vent valve vents a portion of the inflation gas away from the air bag. Accordingly, when a vent valve is fully opened a fair amount of inflation gas is vented away from the air bag and inflation pressure within the air bag is lessened. Conversely, when the vent valve is not opened or is only opened slightly, very little of the inflation gas is vented away from the air bag and the air bag is deployed at a relatively rapid rate. As with the multiple inflation fluid sources, the operation of vent valves is typically controlled by a controller.
The occupant""s position and weight are used to control the manner in which the air bag is deployed. The occupant""s position affects how and to what extend an air bag should be deployed. For instance, if the occupant is displaced in a direction toward the air bag during a crash event, it may be desirable to only partially inflate the air bag as the occupant""s motion expedites the engagement of the air bag and the occupant. Alternatively, if the occupant is moved completely out of position during a crash event, such that deployment of the air bag would offer little or no protection to the occupant, it may be desirable to not deploy the air bag at all. In such a case, the controller simply does not send an affirmative ignition signal to any of the squibs.
Also, an occupant""s weight may be a factor that affects how and to what extent an air bag should be deployed. For example, a larger occupant may require full deployment to afford the desired protection to the occupant, whereas a smaller occupant may only require partial deployment to restrain the occupant in a desired fashion.
For purposes of designing and evaluating occupant protection systems, industrial standards have been established to model, on a theoretical basis, the population as a whole. These standards define theoretical individuals in terms of overall weight, height, torso length, and various other anatomical characteristics. Based on actual measurements of one of these characteristics, such as weight, other characteristics of a vehicle occupant can be assumed, with a predetermined statistical probability of correctness, from the industrial standards.
In accordance with these standards, deployment commands are often programmed into the controller and/or stored within the memory of an occupant protection system. Therefore, if the occupant""s weight falls within an upper weight range, the occupant may be profiled as an adult passenger. The controller then uses the associated deployment command to fully deploy the air bag. As such, the controller sends command signals to the inflation fluid sources and/or vent valves to effect full deployment of the air bag so that the adult passenger is restrained by the air bag in a desired fashion.
Moreover, depending upon the weight of the occupant and his or her related theoretical anatomical dimensions, the air bag is deployed in a crash condition at a time after the onset of a crash which is derived from, typically, a look-up table. Data stored in the look-up table is derived from historical data and/or empirical testing.
Several arrangements exist to deploy an air bag based upon an occupant""s weight and/or position. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,243 discloses an occupant sensing apparatus. The apparatus includes an array of sensors located in the seat that is used to determine the occupant""s position and weight and to control deployment of the occupant protection system via determined position and weight.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,375 discloses a method of inhibitIng or allowing air bag deployment. The patent discloses an array of pressure sensors on a vehicle seat and a microprocessor that is programmed to sample each sensor. The microprocessor also determines the pattern of pressure distribution by evaluating local groups of sensors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,633 discloses a sensor system for use in a vehicle air bag deployment sensor. The sensor system is embedded in a vehicle seat and comprises six sensors. Once the location of the center of force is known from the sensors, appropriate controls are implemented to determine whether and how an air bag is to be deployed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,327 discloses a vehicle occupant protection system. The protection system includes eight pressure sensors located within a seat cushion. The response of each sensor to occupant pressure is monitored by a microprocessor. The microprocessor calculates total weight and weight distribution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,757 discloses a vehicle passenger weight sensor. A vehicle safety system includes crash detection circuitry and a system for determining the weight of a passenger on the vehicle seat. The air bag may be disabled depending upon the detected weight of the passenger. The weight system includes a forward sensor that measures weight on a forward portion of the seat and a rearward sensor that measures weight on a rearward portion of the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,876 discloses a device for detecting seat occupancy in a motor vehicle. The device is especially for inhibiting air bag release when a seat is unoccupied. A seat occupancy sensor includes a front sensing region and a rear sensing region to determine whether the front seat passenger is in a sitting position close to the front seat edge of the seat cushion.
It is desirable to track and update the position of the occupant because the position of the occupant may change during a crash event and/or pre-crash braking situation. Also, the position of the occupant may change rather rapidly because crash events and/or pre-crash braking situations often occur in a relatively short period of time.
In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a system for determining a vehicle occupant characteristic. The system includes a plurality of sensors for sensing a parameter and outputting a parameter indicative signal. The sensors are arranged in a plurality of groups, with each sensor of a group sensing a similar parameter value. The system includes determination means for utilizing only a portion of the sensors within each group to make a determination regarding the occupant characteristic.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a system for determining a vehicle occupant weight-related characteristic. The system includes a plurality of weight sensors. Each weight sensor senses an applied force and outputting a signal indicative of the sensed force. The plurality of sensors are located to sense applied force at a plurality of areas of a vehicle seat. The system includes means for utilizing the force indicative signals from only a portion of the sensors to derive an indication of the occupant weight-related characteristic.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a system for determining an occupant weight-related characteristic. The system includes a plurality of weight sensors located within a vehicle seat. Each of the sensors senses an applied force and outputs a signal indicative of the sensed force. A controller of the system groups the plurality of sensors into a plurality of sensor sets.
In accordance with yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method for determining a vehicle occupant characteristic. A plurality of sensors that sense a parameter are arranged into a plurality of groups. Each sensor of a group senses a similar parameter value and outputs a parameter indicative signal. Only a portion of the sensors within each group is utilizing to make a determination regarding the occupant characteristic.
In accordance with still another aspect, the present invention provides a method for determining an occupant weight-related characteristic. A plurality of sensors located within a vehicle seat is grouped into a plurality of sensor sets. Each of the sensors senses an occupant characteristic and outputs a signal indicative of the sensed occupant characteristic. The output of an Nth sensor in each set is sampled prior to sampling the output of an Nth+1 sensor in another set.


A magnetic processing unit (“MPU”) includes a magnetic element with one or more input channels and one or more output channels. The magnetic element can acquire magnetic arrangement configured to perform a predetermined operation on the received input signal and provide a resulting output signal.

In optical computing, some operations are performed by interference between optical waves. The set of available operations includes, for example, simple summation, vector by matrix multiplication, Fourier transformation as well as a combination of both linear vector by matrix multiplication and non-linear transmittance of waves, a combination which can be potentially employed as part of a Neural Network.
Yet optical computing suffers from a number of intrinsic issues. There is a relatively large size of a typical operational wavelength (500-1100 nm), limiting the size of any optical system utilizing it. Further, the optical properties (for example, refraction index) of materials can be adjusted, for example by applying external electrical or magnetic field, but only within a very narrow range of values. As a result, optical computing systems are suitable for applications for which size is not a limiting factor, and minimal to no adjustment of operational parameters is required, except for what can be accomplished by changing the amplitudes of the optical beams.
As a viable alternative, numerous devices were proposed that can perform such basic functions as summation, and/or logical operations (AND, OR, XOR) on the input signals which exist in a form of collective magnetic oscillations (spin waves). However, so far none of these proposals provided an efficient method by which the parameters related to such operations can be adjusted. For example, while summation of two signals is possible, the existing proposals do not identify an apparatus that could perform the weighted summation of such signals with adjustable weights' values. Also the existing proposals offer very limited functionality when it comes to extending the set of available operations to more complex variants, for example, going from summation to a more general and complex matrix-vector multiplication.
There have been proposals for systems which include two or more spin transfer torque oscillators ("STO"), whose mutual resonant coupling enables the system to switch between linear and saturated regimes of operation, i.e. adjust the nature of dependence between the input and output signals. However, in such devices the operational parameters associated with these regimes are difficult to adjust without physically replacing the STOs, and only an extremely limited set of operations can be performed. For example, while there are numerous proposals regarding using such devices as part of Neural Network, they do not include the apparatus to perform weighted summation over the input signals. When such is required, the signals are typically converted from magnetic oscillations to electric currents and then summed by a separate electrical circuit.


In a known magnetic field detector, an electrical coil (8) is secured to a motion-sensitive, for example piezoelectric sensor (3); this electrical coil is charged with an electrical current for detecting the magnetic field with the sensor (3) and an evaluation means (14) which follows thereupon. In order to also be able to employ the magnetic field detector given arrangement thereof in an implantable medical device as activity sensor for the physical activity of a patient, the current charging of the coil (8) can be switched on and off with a control signal (21), whereby the control signal (21) is utilized for characterizing the sensor signal as an activity signal corresponding to the physical activity or as a detection signal that detects a magnetic field.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a magnetic field detector for a medical device implantable in the body of a patient, having a motion-sensitive sensor to which an evaluation unit for the sensor signal is connected, an electrical coil that is secured to the sensor, and a current source that is connected to the coil and charges the coil with an electrical current for detecting a magnetic field in combination with the sensor and the evaluation unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A magnetic field detector disclosed in German OS 2 217 400 is composed of a magnetic switch or reed relay that is arranged in a heart pacemaker. The magnetic switch is closed by applying a magnet to the skin of the patient in whom the heart pacemaker is implanted, as a result of which a circuit in the heart pacemaker for defining the stimulation threshold of the heart is activated.
As long as only test functions of the implanted device such as, for example, identifying the stimulation threshold or a battery test, are to be triggered with the assistance of the external magnet, magnetic switches in the form of a reed relays have proven adequately reliable. Far higher demands are made on the reliability and response precision of the magnetic field detector if used to trigger (initiate) a treatment process, for example a stimulation pulse, defibrillation shock or the output of a medication dose, administered by the implanted device, or if it is used to inhibit such a treatment process that is automatically started on the basis of measured parameters of the device.
A general purpose magnetic field detector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,032 wherein an electrical coil that is charged with alternating current by a current source is secured on a motion-sensitive piezoelectrical sensor. The frequency of the alternating current is matched to the resonant frequency of the sensor, so that the sensor is placed in a resonant oscillation given the presence of a magnetic field, whereby the output signal of the sensor is utilized in an evaluation unit for detecting the magnetic field.
It is an object of the present invention to optimize a known magnetic field detector of the type described immediately above for employment thereof in a medical device implantable in the body of a patient.
This object is achieved in accordance with the principles of the present invention in a magnetic field detector having the basic components of the detector of U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,032, but specially designed for implanted medical use. To this end, the current source in the magnetic field detector is connected to a novel control unit that generates a control signal for switching the current source on and off at prescribed points in time. The control signal is supplied to an evaluation unit which includes means for modifying the sensor signal with the control signal in such a way that the control signal defines the sensor signal as a detection signal for a magnetic field when the current source is switched on and defines the sensor signal as an activity signal corresponding to the physical activity of the patient when the current source is switched off.
A motion-sensitive (i.e., force-sensitive) activity sensor having evaluation circuitry for controlling the activity of a heart pacemaker is known from, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,378; however, a magnetic field detector and an activity sensor united in a single component have heretofore been unknown so that the space required in an implantable medical device employing the invention for realizing these two different sensor functions is minimized. When the current source for charging the coil with current is switched off, the sensor signal is defined by the control signal of the control unit as the activity signal corresponding to the physical activity of the patient. When the current source is switched on, by contrast, the sensor signal is indicated as the detection signal for a magnetic field.
The motion-sensitive (i.e., force-sensitive) sensor in the magnetic field detector of the invention is preferably a piezocrystal that is distinguished by a small structural size and by a high output signal.
It is necessary to be able to reliably distinguish the signal part of the sensor signal dependent on a magnetic field, that is generated by the magnetic field detector of the invention given the presence of an external magnetic field with the current charging the coil switched on, from the activity-dependent signal parts. For this purpose, it is possible to provide a defined curve or course for the current through the coil which is then embodied in the sensor signal. An individual electrical current pulse has thereby proven advantageous because the sensor signal thereby generated in the presence of an external magnetic field characteristically differs from the signals produced by mechanical impact stresses. The control signal of the control arrangement thereby defines the sensor signal as a detection signal for a magnetic field during a prescribed time interval that proceeds beyond the end of the current pulse, so that reverberations, caused by ringing of the sensor, that immediately follow the current pulse are not misinterpreted as activity of the patient. Moreover, the power consumption is especially low given the use of a single current pulse.
In this context, the evaluation unit of the magnetic field detector of the invention preferably contains a frequency discriminator and a threshold detector for monitoring the sensor signal for upward transgression of a prescribed signal threshold at a frequency corresponding to the natural frequency of the sensor. As a consequence of the individual current pulse which is supplied to the sensor given the presence of a magnetic field the motion-sensitive sensor behaves as if mechanically excited by an individual, brief mechanical impulse and then seeks to settle unimpeded with its natural frequency. The sensor signal corresponding thereto is a decaying oscillation with the natural frequency of the sensor, and thus clearly differs from other noise signals.
The reliability of the magnetic field detection can also be increased in an advantageous way by activating the frequency discriminator during the prescribed time interval when the coil is charged with the electrical current, so that the detection of a magnetic field is chronologically limited to the duration of the time interval.
For evaluating the activity signal, a signal processing circuit for the activity signal is preferably connected to the sensor, this signal processing circuit being inhibited when the coil is charged with the electrical current during the prescribed chronological duration.

Magnetic field detector for a medical device implantable in the body of a patient


The present disclosure is drawn to coalescent inks and material sets, such as for 3D printing. In one example, the coalescent ink can include a conjugated polymer, a colorant imparting a visible color to the coalescent ink, and an ink vehicle comprising a high boiling point co-solvent having a boiling point of 250° C. or greater. The high boiling point co-solvent can be present in an amount from about 1 wt % to about 4 wt % with respect to the coalescent ink.

Methods of 3-dimensional (3D) digital printing, a type of additive manufacturing, have continued to be developed over the last few decades. However, systems for 3D printing have historically been very expensive, though those expenses have been coming down to more affordable levels recently. In general, 3D printing technology improves the product development cycle by allowing rapid creation of prototype models for reviewing and testing. Unfortunately, the concept has been somewhat limited with respect to commercial production capabilities because the range of materials used in 3D printing is likewise limited. Nevertheless, several commercial sectors such as aviation and the medical industry have benefited from the ability to rapidly prototype and customize parts for customers.
Various methods for 3D printing have been developed, including heat-assisted extrusion, selective laser sintering, photolithography, as well as others. In selective laser sintering, a powder bed is exposed to point heat from a laser to melt the powder wherever the object is to be formed. This method can be slow, e.g., may take more than eight hours to produce a simple part. The resulting part also lacks edge accuracy and smoothness. Additionally, this method does not produce colored objects very easily. It has also been an expensive method, with the system cost typically exceeding $200,000. Accordingly, development of new 3D printing technologies continues.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method for editing an image on a display unit, an apparatus for executing the method and a computer program product for the method, wherein a predetermined CG object is designated in an image on the display unit, and in order to edit the image, a first command list for speech, motion, moving image reproduction or audio reproduction is displayed on the display unit, a command for editing the designated CG object is selected from the first command list and executed for the designated CG object. In the method of editing the image on the display screen and the apparatus for executing the method, the position information of the CG object located in the CG studio on the display unit and the information on the position and orientation of the camera for imaging the CG studio are read from a memory, it is determined whether the CG object selected by the pointing device is a CG character or a property, the information on the position to which the pointing icon has moved on the display unit by manipulating the pointing device is acquired, and the selected CG object is moved to the position to which the pointing icon has moved. Based on the information on the position to which the CG object has moved, the data on the character set-up window is updated in the case where the CG object is a CG character, and the data on the studio set-up window is updated in the case where the CG object is a property. The selected CG object can be dragged to the desired position by the pointing device.

The present invention relates to the production and editing of image data, or in particular to an image data editing method, an editing apparatus and a computer program product for carrying out the method used to produce a television broadcast program or a video program.
In recent years, an image data editing system has been developed for producing image data using the computer from GG animation, moving image data, still image data, text data, audio data, sound synthesis data by combining the techniques of animation, sound synthesis and moving image reproduction.
Further, an image data editing method has been conceived in which a TV program is described as a script in time series in the same way as writing a scenario, and the script is interpreted by the computer to create a TV program. According to this method, image data can be interactively edited easily even by a person who has thus far been engaged in the preparation of a program schedule table. In this image data editing method, the editing state is displayed on the display screen and the GUI (graphical user interface) operation can be performed for automatically producing the script.
Examples of the image data editing system for creating a TV program interactively between the user and the computer are disclosed in "Desk-top TV Program Creation—TVML (TV Program Making Language) Editor—", Ueda et al., Association for Computing Machinery, September 1998; "Program Creation/interactive Editing System Based on TV Program Making Language TVML", by Toshiaki Yokoyama, et al., 3rd Intelligence Information Media Symposium, December 1997; "Development of Man-Machine Interface of TV Program Making Language TVML", by Toshiaki Yokoyama, et al., September 1997 Society Convention of The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers; and "Program Making Language TVML Making Possible Desk Top Creation of Personal TV Program", by Masaki Hayashi, Broadcast Technologies, January 1999, pp. 139-144.
In the TVML editor disclosed in these references, a program for a virtual studio, i.e. a CG (computer graphics) studio can be created with a computer and a screen connected thereto using the animation characters (CG characters) stored in a large-capacity random access memory such as a hard disk drive, a CG studio set image data library, a voice synthesis tool and an animation production tool without using a real studio or actors/actresses.
An image of a program being edited or created can be displayed on the editing screen of the TVML editor. The image displayed is the one viewed from a preset direction of projection, i.e. the eye of the camera in a virtual studio. During the creation or editing of a program image, the processing is required for moving CG characters and other CG objects on stage and setting the speech and the motion of each CG character accurately in conformance with each other. For changing the set data of the CG characters in the virtual studio, it is necessary to open the setting input screen and input data from the keyboard or the like. This work for changing the setting, which requires the operations of opening different windows and inputting data of information from the keyboard a number of times, is complicated and low in efficiency.
The editing screen used in the conventional image data editing method will be explained with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows an example of the screen of the conventional TV program editing device displayed on the monitor. Numeral 201 designates an editing window, numerals 202, 202′ studio blocks for setting the speech and motion of CG characters and the camera to image the interior of the CG studio, numeral 203 a movie block, numeral 204 a title block, numeral 205 a superimposition block, numeral 206 a sound block, numeral 207 a narration block, numeral 208 a block for miscellaneous setting, numeral 209 event marks, numeral 210 a monitor window, numerals 211, 212 representative screens, numerals 213, 214 slider sections, numeral 215 a start block and numeral 220 a menu bar.
On the left side of the editing window 201 shown in FIG. 6, the image output on the display screen is indicated by a vertical column having the studio block 202, the movie block 203, the title block 204, the studio block 202′, etc. In the editing window 201, the ordinate represents the time and the work of TV program creation is conducted downward on the display screen.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the studio block 202 shown in FIG. 6. Numeral 202 designates the studio block, numeral 301 a speech setting section for setting the speech, voice type, etc. of the CG characters speaking in the CG studio, numeral 302 a motion setting section for arranging and setting the motion of the CG characters walking or otherwise behaving, numeral 303 a camera work setting section for designating the camera work, and numeral 304 a studio set-up button for setting the initial values of the positions of the CG characters and the camera in the studio, the background of the CG studio, properties and scenery and the combination thereof. The set information of the CG studio, the speech and motion of the CG characters and the camera work information are displayed in the studio block 202.
Returning to FIG. 6, the movie block 203 is a section to set the operation for controlling the reproduction of the moving image already edited and prepared in advance, and displays the file name of the moving image and other information. By clicking the representative screen 211 on the left side of the movie block 203 by mouse, for example, a movie setting window (not shown) pops up on the display screen. At the same time as the reproduction, rapid feed and rewinding of the moving image by the operation of editing and setting the movie setting window, in-points and out-points, and timing of superimposition, narration and speech, etc. are designated. The title block 204 is a section in which the display of the text information and a still image on the TV receiver screen or the movie screen, for example, is controlled. When the representative screen 212 on the left side of the title block 204 is clicked, for example, a title window (not shown) pops up on the display screen and the editing of the title screen is made possible.
A superimposition block 205 is a section where the superimposition of text combined with the image output on the TV receiver or the movie screen is controlled, and a sound block 206 is a section in which the background music (BGM) or the like music combined with the image is controlled. A narration block 207, on the other hand, is a section in which a narration is combined with the moving image or the like being reproduced, and a miscellaneous setting block 208 is a section in which the waiting time or the like is set. These blocks can be edited in a similar way to the studio block 202, the movie block 203 and the title block 205 described above.
A TV program creator (hereinafter referred to as the user) creates a TV program by the GUI operation on the edit window 201 shown in FIG. 6. First, in accordance with the scene of the program to be created, the user generates the studio block 202, the movie block 203, the title block 204, etc. in the edit window 201 and arrange them vertically. After miscellaneous detailed setting in each block, the work for creating the program is conducted. The setting in the studio block 202 will be explained as an example.
Basically, the speech and motion of a CG character each can be set only at one corresponding point (cell) of an event.
Specifically, once the studio block 202 is generated and arranged on the edit window 201, one event is created in the studio block 202. The "event" here is defined as one horizontal line on the screen displayed as the event marks 209. The events thus created are recorded in the order of the progress of the program. Upon designation of event addition by the operator, an event is newly added to the studio block 202, which extends vertically, so that the blocks lower than the studio block 202 in the screen (the movie blocks 203 and subsequent blocks, for example) are displaced by one line downward. In this way, after adding an event to each block, the miscellaneous setting of the particular event is carried out. For example, the speech of characters is input to the speech column (cell) in the studio block 202. A TV program is created by this operation.
FIG. 8 is a diagram in which a speech window is displayed above the edit window displayed on the display screen. The same component element as those described above are designated by the same reference numerals, respectively. Numeral 201-1 designates an edit window, numeral 210-1 a monitor window, numeral 401 a speech window, numeral 402 a character setting menu for designating a CG character who speaks in the speech window 401, numeral 403 a speech type setting menu for selecting the use of a text or an audio file, numeral 404 a text box for inputting the words in the case where the text is selected in the speech type setting menu 403, numeral 405 a wait check button for awaiting a start of execution of the next command until the end of the ongoing speech by a CG character, numeral 406 a rate scale for regulating the speed of the speech, numeral 407 a volume scale for regulating the sound volume of the speech, numeral 408 an intonation scale for regulating the intonation of the speech, numeral 409 a pitch scale for regulating the pitch of the speech, numeral 410 a closed caption setting menu for changing the caption, numeral 411 a motion change menu for changing the motion of a CG character, numeral 412 a lip sensitivity scale for regulating the lip sensitivity of a CG character, numeral 413 a pause text box for inputting the number of seconds for which the preceding pause (the period from the start of an event to the time when the character begins to speak) and the tail pause (the period from the time when the character stops speaking to the end of the event), numeral 414 a wait menu for selecting the waiting or not waiting for a speech command, numeral 415 a preview button for previewing the speech of the CG character, numeral 416 a default button for changing the value set in the window to a default value, numeral 417 a cancel button for restoring the window setting to the state prevailing when the window is opened, and numeral 418 a close button for closing the window by use of the setting in the window. The lip sensitivity is a command factor determined by the TVML language specification, which is a coefficient for determining the size of the mouth opening according to the sound level. In the case where it is desired to set the speech of a CG character in the CG studio, the mouse is double clicked at the cell of the speech setting section 301 in FIG. 7. The speech window 401 is displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. 8. The creator desiring that the CG character B speaks a text, for example, first double clicks the mouse at the cell of the desired position in the self setting section 301 to open the speech window 401. The character setting menu 402 is set to the CG character B, and the character string which the producer desires the CG character B speaks is input in the text box 404. After setting the other parameters, the close button 418 is clicked. Thus the creator can cause the CG character to speak the words of the speech.
Not only to set the speech of the CG character, it is also possible to edit a desired event by double clicking the block of the event or the cell of the setting section and thus opening the related window.
The GUI used in this invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a pop-up menu of the OSF/Motif widget which is one of the GUI parts. Numeral 800 designates a menu window for displaying a pop-up menu, numeral 801 a parent widget such as "form", "row/column" or "bulletin board" for displaying the pop-up menu, numeral 802 pop-up menu frame, numeral 803 a label widget for menu title, numeral 804 a separator widget for defining menu items, and numeral 805 a push□button widget constituting a menu item. The pop-up menu is of such a type that the menu is displayed when the mouse is clicked. The OSF/Motif (open software foundation) is an organization engaged in standardization of the operating system and is composed of DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation), HP (Hewlett Packard) and IBM (International Business Machine Corporation). The widget is defined as a high-level GUI in the X window proposed by OSF/Motif and includes a library call for supplying various "parts" considered necessary for the user interface. Among these parts, the availability and quantity of the labels, separators and buttons of the menu can be determined freely.
Generally, the pop-up menu is of such a type that the menu is displayed in response to clicking of the mouse. Normally, a pop-up menu appears on the display screen when the right button of the mouse is clicked within an area where the pop-up menu is registered. The desired menu item is selected by moving the mouse vertically on the pop-up menu display screen while keeping the mouse depressed.
In the case where it is desired for a CG character B to speak a speech in a program already edited, for example, a line of an event is inserted (added) at an event position where it is desired for the CG character to speak the speech. The speech window is opened by double clicking the cell of the event speech setting section 301. It is also necessary to set the character setting menu 402 and input the desired character string to the text box. The setting is impossible unless a plurality of operations similar to those described above are carried out also for editing other events. This repetitive operations are complicated and have an adverse effect on the creation efficiency. Especially in the case where the program to be created is so long, the events are required to be checked by manipulating the scroll bar 213 of the edit window 201 by mouse and thus scrolling the contents of the display in the window. This makes it very difficult to grasp the contents.
Each event includes eight command types including "speech", "motion", "camera", "superimposition", "sound", "mixer", "narration" and "miscellaneous setting". One event can be edited or set for each command type. If all the command types are set, therefore, a maximum of eight commands can be set for each event. The commands including "speech", "motion", "camera", "superimposition", "sound", "mixer", "narration" and "miscellaneous setting" set in each event are executed in that order.
In the conventional method of editing image data, the text information of the script of the video program displayed in the edit window is scrolled while searching for a point of a command to be edited, and the relation between the particular command and the preceding and following commands is checked based on the information on the screen. Then, the edit work such as insertion, modification and deletion of a command is carried out by inputting the text information. This poses the problem that the editing requires a plurality of operating and input sessions.
Especially in the case where the program created is so long, the program contents are very difficult to grasp when scrolling the contents of display in the edit window and thus checking the commands executed.
Also in editing each command of an event separately, assuming that a new command is to be added or one of a plurality of commands is to be changed, the user is required to conduct the edit work carefully considering the order of execution of the commands.
This repetitive operation is so complicated as to increase the inclination to be more dependent on the memory and skill of the user, and forms one of the causes of a suppressed production efficiency.
Further, the cooperation between the work of checking the monitor window after the edit operation and an additional edit work is not sufficient, and requires a similar complicated operation.
Also in the conventional edit screen described in the references cited above, a each change in the set data of a CG object in the virtual studio requires that the set input screen is opened and the data is input from the keyboard or the like. In this work of changing the setting, the repetitive sessions of operation of opening different windows and inputting data through the keyboard are necessary, thus complicating the work and reducing the editing efficiency.

Method and apparatus for editing image data, and computer program product of editing image data


A quick release clamp for inflatables or the like having a clamp fixed to a patch adapted to be secured to an inflatable. The clamp has a base portion having a cavity therein and a pair of integral spaced upstanding side walls on opposite sides of the cavity, a latch pivotally mounted to the clamp between the spaced side walls, the latch having a handle end and a protrusion fixed to the handle. The patch may be secured to an inflatable. A similar clamp, having a strap portion secured thereto, may be quickly and easily connected to the clamp mounted to a patch. The strap portion locks to the clamp secured to the patch and the other protrusion thereon locking into an opening in the patch, clamping the strap portion therebetween.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to inflatables; and, more particularly, to a quick release clamp secured to a patch for use with inflatables.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Inflatables, much as boats, are well known in the art. Generally, such inflatables have a patch or the like with a ring or loop for securing a mooring line thereto.
However, it is not easy to secure such lines, particularly in wet conditions, such as on a boat or the like.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,591, issued Apr. 21, 1998, I disclose a strap having a fastener or clamp particularly useful on boats or the like. Such a clamp could be used on inflatables such as boats or float tubes.


A hammock without spreader bars comprises a plurality of fabric panels. The fabric panels consist of cutout sections of a micromesh fabric of substantially biconvex form, which are attached to one another at their edges to form a bed. The biconvex fabric panels are joined, preferably sewn, to one another in a pretensioning position along the line at which the individual sections of fabric are joined, whereby in its suspended state the bed of the hammock is substantially open, i.e. laterally extended.

Hammocks without spreader bars are commonly known. They are usually made of woven cotton panels, or knotted from cotton in the form of a net, and attached to suspension points at both ends by means of woven cotton loops or an interwoven cord.
Hammocks without spreader bars are normally very soft, unstable, and therefore collapse narrowly in upon themselves when not in use. The fabric also tends to envelop the reclining occupant when in use, thus a slightly diagonal position is usually chosen in order to manually spread apart the hammock. As hammocks without spreader bars do not have stable forms, the reclining occupant's body assumes a curved position.
A further drawback of known hammocks relates to the cotton material used, which is highly sensitive to rain, salt, water, and sun, and which promotes the formation of mildew spots, material wear, and the transfer of dye from the fabric to objects with which it comes into contact.


An interactive pointing device capable of switching capture ranges includes an image capturing element and a processing unit. The image capturing element is used for capturing an optical signal, and outputting an image signal. The processing unit is used for determining a switching signal, and responsible for processing and analyzing the image signal. Through the determination about the switching signal and the coordinate conversion of the image signal by an arithmetic unit, the interactive pointing device capable of switching capture ranges is enabled to be operable in hosts with different resolutions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interactive pointing device and a corresponding method, and more particularly to an interactive pointing device capable of switching capture ranges and a method for switching capture ranges.
2. Related Art
In recent years, with the rapid development of technologies, interactive multimedia devices become more and more popular. The interactive multimedia devices allow users to interact with sounds and images, so as to experience entertainment.
A control device is required to be used in combination with the interactive multimedia device. In addition to control devices for control through buttons, more advanced control devices are further equipped with technologies of pointing and motion sensing. Pointing is used to control a cursor on a screen as a mouse, and motion sensing is used to detect movement and rotation in three-dimensional space.
The pointing technology needs to use an image sensing element to detect a direction pointed by the control device. However, the image sensing element of the control device in the prior art can only output a fixed coordinate format. That is to say, the conventional control device can only be used in combination with a special host. If it is intended to use the control device on hosts of different specifications, for example, hosts with different resolutions, the cursor may be displayed at different positions due to the different coordinate formats. For example, in a host with a resolution of 720×480, if the cursor is in a corner of a frame, the corresponding coordinates are (720,480). However, if the same coordinates (720,480) are mapped to a host with a resolution of 1280×720, the displayed coordinates fall at a central position of the frame. That is to say, the conventional control device can only be corresponding to a host with a single resolution, and cannot support hosts with different resolutions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Interactive pointing device capable of switching capture ranges and method for switching capture ranges


An insert for an electromagnetic flow meter is disclosed. The insert is arranged to be positioned within a flow conduit having a flow conduit cross-section to define a flow path for fluid, wherein the insert comprises an inlet, a measuring section with a measuring cross-section different from the flow conduit cross-section and having at least two substantially parallel sides over at least part of its length, and an outlet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of electromagnetic flow meters, in particular, to the field of insert to define a fluid flow path within an electromagnetic flow meter.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Electromagnetic flow meters may be used to determine the rate of flow of fluid in a conduit. The conduit itself may be used to define the fluid path within the flow meter or an insert, placed within the conduit, may define the fluid path within the flow measurement zone.
Prior art flow meters, or flow meter inserts, generally have a substantially circular cross-section, which may be designed to match the cross-section of the fluid conduit. Circular cross-section inserts may be manufactured easily and may provide an effective way to contain the fluid, which may be under pressure. The walls of the circular fluid conduit may further be used to support the flow meter insert and, since it is not required to be self-supporting, the flow meter insert may be manufactured economically as a lightweight insert.
A disadvantage of such flow meters or flow meter inserts, however, is that, due to their generally circular cross-sections, approximations must be made in determining the flow rate of the fluid, they require typically 5–10 diameters of upstream pipe work to ensure an accurate measurement or they are susceptible to the pipe work conditions in surrounding the installation.
Flow meters or flow meter inserts with substantially square or rectangular cross-sections have been designed for specialist purposes for which a measurement with immunity to flow conditions is required. Such flow meters may provide improved performance when compared to the standard circular cross-section flow meters, but they tend to be bulky to provide the strength required to form a flow conduit and hence are not suitable as general-purpose flow meters.


Multiple report stun grenades have an elongated body defining a body axis and having a sidewall and opposed top and bottom end faces, the body including a plurality of delay chambers each containing a different delay feature, the body having a plurality of flash charge chambers each containing a quantity of flash charge material, the body defining a plurality of ignition passages, each ignition passage communicating from a respective flash charge chamber to an associated delay chamber, each flash charge chamber having at least one exhaust aperture, and each of the exhaust apertures penetrating at least one of the top and bottom end faces. Each of the flash charge chambers may have a first exhaust aperture penetrating the top end face, and a second exhaust aperture penetrating the bottom end face. Each of the flash charge chambers may be an elongated bore parallel to the body axis.

Stun grenades, or "flash-bang" devices are used by military and law enforcement as non-lethal devices intended to distract or stun dangerous suspects or adversaries. Such devices are deployed to minimize hostile responses, and to generate compliance.
A typical existing device employs a "single bang" provided by a quantity of flash-charge material (such as a mixture of aluminum powder and potassium perchlorate) that is detonated after a brief delay. A fuse is activated by release of a handle as in a typical grenade, and the fuse ignites a column of delay material (such as black powder or Zirconium Nickel). The column provides a delay (typically ½ second) until the flame front in the delay material reaches an aperture that communicates with the flash-charge material, igniting it to provide a bright flash and loud report.
One such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,523 to Brunn, titled "Stun Grenade."This "single-bang" device has an advantageous configuration. Like many others, it is a cylindrical body sized to readily be gripped by an adult hand, so that the device is secure in the user's fist, with the ends of the cylinder protruding beyond each end of the user's fist. The disclosed device has the advantage that all the vent holes for releasing the energy of the flash charge material come out the ends of the grenade body. While a device normally discharges only after a delay following release by the user, there is a remote possibility that the grenade may discharge while still in the user's hand, such as if the user is distracted, or the device snags on the user's glove. The disclosed device minimizes the risk of serious injury in such an event by discharging the combustion gases out the ends of the device, with no apertures in the cylindrical sidewall of the device.
Other devices have sought to provide added tactical effectiveness by employing a device with multiple reports in a single grenade. Such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,963,227 to Brunn, titled "Multiple Report Stun Grenade." This device provides a timed sequence of activating flash charges by positioning passages at different locations along a central column. Upon discharge, gases and materials escape from openings at both ends of sleeves so the motive forces generated by expelled gases will be balanced. The Brunn '227 device has the disadvantages of being complex and expensive to manufacture. The Brunn '227 device is also potentially vulnerable to having cross-contamination of pressure gradients causing sympathetic communication between explosion events. Unexpected charge initiation events can also be caused by issues with flame communication from the center delay column to the charge tubes. The center delay column is wide and the burn front is uncontrolled as it progresses. Because the tubes that communicate the flame to the charge tubes are closer together than the possible flame front irregularities, it is possible that the charges can go off out of order. The communication tubes are also small, so it is also possible the flame communication may be delayed to one or more charges, again causing the charges to go off out of order.
Therefore, a need exists for a new multiple report stun grenade that provides reduced likelihood of cross-contamination of pressure gradients causing sympathetic communication between explosion events. In this regard, the various embodiments of the present invention substantially fulfill at least some of these needs. In this respect, the multiple-report stun grenade according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of reducing the likelihood of cross-contamination of pressure gradients causing sympathetic communication between explosion events.


A flux-cored wire for laser welding or MIG welding different materials, wherein the different materials are aluminum or an aluminum alloy material and a galvanized steel material. The flux-cored wire contains a cylindrical aluminum alloy sheath containing: aluminum, 0.8-1.9 mass % Si, at most 0.1 mass % Mn, 0.1 mass % Mg, and 0.1 mass % Fe; and a flux filled in a space within the sheath and containing 20-60 mass % cesium fluoride, wherein the percentage filling of the flux is 5-20 mass % with respect to the total mass of the flux-core wire.

Conventionally, steel materials are used as materials for vehicle bodies and the like in transport machinery such as automobiles. Steel materials used as components of transport machinery and the like are exposed to rain water and the like when used. Therefore, their surfaces are treated with antirust galvanizing. This provides waterproof effect by an oxide film formed on the galvanized surface, and also allows zinc to be preferentially corroded over iron (sacrificial protection) even when there are flaws or pin holes on the surface of the steel material.
Recently, hybrid automobiles, electric vehicles and the like have been rapidly studied and developed from the perspective of environmental protection, and weight reduction of vehicle bodies and other components of these automobiles has been required to improve fuel efficiency and for other purposes. Moreover, in order to achieve weight reduction of vehicle bodies and other components, constituting a portion of a steel material used as a material of such components by aluminum or an aluminum alloy material (hereinafter, aluminum materials and aluminum alloy materials are collectively referred to as aluminum alloy materials) has been examined.
Therefore, to produce vehicle bodies and other components, a steel material and an aluminum alloy material need to be welded by different-material bonding. Examples of techniques of different-material bonding of a steel material and an aluminum alloy material include a method of bonding base materials by MIG welding or laser arc welding while feeding a flux-cored wire (patent document 1).
MIG (Metal Inert gas) welding includes feeding an inert gas such as argon or helium as a shielding gas to the vicinity of a site to be bonded, generating an arc between the welding wire and the site, and fuse-bonding the steel material and the aluminum alloy material. This MIG welding is characterized in that the welding operation is performed in a state that the atmospheric air is displaced by the shielding gas, and therefore welding proceeds without any influence of oxygen in the air. In laser welding, in contrast, a joint portion and a welding wire which is being fed to the joint portion are irradiated with laser light to thermally fuse the welding wire and joint portion by the laser light.    [Patent document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-211270    [Patent document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-68290

Flux-cored wire for welding different materials, method for laser welding of different materials, and method for MIG welding of different materials


An on-chip failure analysis circuit for analyzing a memory has a memory in which data is stored, a built-in self test unit which tests the memory, a failure detection unit which detects a failure of the output of the memory, a fail data storage unit in which fail data is stored, the fail data including a location of the failure, a failure analysis unit which performs failure analysis using the number of failures detected by the failure detection unit and the location of the failure, the failure analysis unit writing fail data including the analysis result in the fail data storage unit, and an analysis result output unit which outputs the analysis result of the failure analysis unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an on-chip failure analysis circuit and an on-chip failure analysis method, particularly to an on-chip failure analysis circuit of a semiconductor integrated circuit in which a self test circuit for a memory is built and an on-chip failure analysis method.
2. Related Art
There is well known a method for detecting failures in a production test, in which a built-in self test (hereinafter referred to as "BIST (Built-In Self Test)") circuit is built in a semiconductor integrated circuit for embedded memories. Examples of the BIST circuit includes a comparator type BIST circuit which compares written data and read data to make a determination of the existence of a defect and a compressor type BIST circuit which compresses the read result in the BIST circuit to make the determination of the existence of the defect according to the compressed result.
There is also well known a repair technique of utilizing a memory cell having a redundant structure to repair the embedded memory determined as a defective memory. The memory cell having the redundant structure includes a spare row or a spare column. In the simplest case, the memory cell includes a set of spare rows or spare columns in each repair unit. In the more complicated case, the memory cell includes both the spare row and the spare column, the memory cell includes plural spare rows or spare columns, or one memory array is divided into plural segments each of which includes the memory cells having the repair structures.
In order to utilize the repair technique in the production of the semiconductor integrated circuit and the memory test, it is necessary to perform an analysis using the result of the memory test, to obtain a memory defect location and a spare used in repair (hereinafter referred to as "repair solution"), and to perform the redundancy allocation according to the obtained repair solution. Generally, the repair technique is realized as follows. That is, the memory test is performed using a memory tester and a direct access circuit which directly accesses the memory, a memory output map is written in a storage unit of the memory tester, and a program on the memory tester is started up to perform the analysis.
However, in the conventional repair technique, because the memory tester having a sufficiently large capacity of a storage unit is required to store pieces of fail data on all bits of the memory, it is necessary to use both the memory tester and a logic tester in the test for a system LSI (Large Scale Integration) including a logic circuit and the memory.
Because many embedded memories are provided on the usual large-scale system LSI, the direct access circuit is hardly prepared in each of all memories which become a repair object.
A built-in redundancy allocation (hereinafter referred to as "BIRA (Built-In Redundancy Allocation)" circuit which performs the analysis and redundancy allocation is well known as the technique of solving the problems (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No.2003-505814). The BIRA circuit is used along with the BIST circuit and obtains the repair solution by analyzing the fail data of the memory according to the failure detection result of the BIST circuit to output the obtained repair solution as the analysis result. In a production process of the semiconductor integrated circuit, a chip is repaired by programming a fuse device in which the analysis result is stored using a laser blow apparatus. In the case where the repair solution cannot be obtained, the BIRA circuit outputs the analysis result indicating that the repair solution cannot be obtained. In such cases, the analyzed chip is dealt with as a defective chip. The BIRA circuit can be realized by a relatively small-scale logic circuit for the minimum redundant structure having only one set of spare columns.
A document 1, "A Built-In Self-Repair Analyzer (CRESTA) for embedded DRAMs", International Test Conference, 2000, discloses a BIRA circuit. In the document 1, the BIRA circuit is used to repair the memory including plural spare rows and spare columns. In the document 1, the redundancy allocation is performed to all the possible repair solutions when the failure is detected in running the memory test, then a combination which successfully repairs the memory is adopted as an analysis result. Accordingly, in the document 1, a Content Addressable Memory (CAM), in which all the repair solutions are stored, is provided on the same integrated circuit.
However, in the BIRA circuit, because the number of repair solutions is increased as the numbers of spare columns and spare rows are increased, sometimes all the repair solutions cannot be stored in CAM. In the case where a new memory is provided for the purpose of the memory test, a hardware scale is enlarged, and disadvantageously the memory test needs to be run for the newly-provided memory.
On the other hand, a method for producing a complete fail bitmap of the memory is well known as the conventional memory analysis method.
However, in the conventional memory analysis method, it takes a long time to produce the complete fail bitmap in the case where information is collected in units of wafer or lot online during volume production. Particularly, the complete fail bitmap of the memory is not realistic when a logic tester and the BIST circuit are utilized.
On the other hand, in addition to the analysis for enhancing a production yield, there is well known a built-in self diagnosis (hereinafter referred to as "BISD (Built-In Self Diagnosis)" circuit which diagnoses the data used in the analysis. The BISD circuit makes a determination of a type of the memory failure such as a bit failure, row failure, column failure, or a combination thereof. A location of the defect is not always necessary for the BISD purpose.
A document 2, "Test Response Compression and Bitmap Encoding for Embedded Memories in Manufacturing Process Monitoring", International Test Conference, 2001, discloses a BISD circuit. In the document 2, fail data is compressed on the chip to produce a signature, the signature is output to the outside to be expanded and is reconstructed outside to make a determination of the type of the failure. In the document 2, because the data collection result is compressed, a data transfer time between the memory and the memory tester can be shortened to realize a type determination function for determining a type of the memory failure.
However, BISD circuit disclosed in the document 2, the type determination function depends on an external program, disadvantageously not only it takes a long time to analyze the memory like the conventional memory analysis, but also an information loss is generated due to the compression.

On-chip failure analysis circuit and on-chip failure analysis method


The present invention provides a built-in self-repairable memory. The invention repairs a faulty IC through hard fuses, as well as through available redundancy in memories on chip. As the faults are not present in all the memories, the invention uses a lesser number of fuses to actually make a repair and thus results in a yield enhancement. The fuse data is stored in a compressed form and then decompressed as a restore happens at the power on. The fuse data interface with the memory to be repaired is serial. The serial links decreases the routing congestion and hence gain in area as well as gain in yield (due to lesser defects and reduced area).

The memories are becoming a major part of any Application Specific Integrated Chip ("ASIC") today. In fact, it is predicted that in coming years the memories will occupy ninety percent (90%) of the total chip area. Therefore, the performance of any ASIC will mostly be dependent upon performance of memories. Since memories cannot test themselves, they are tested either using Built In Self Test (BIST) or any other external circuitry. Redundancy is provided in the memories in the form of extra rows or columns so that the memories can be repaired if they are faulty.
In the present scenario, fuses are implemented on a chip with small/medium size memories, and the same number of fuses is allocated as the number of redundant bits required for all memories. The BIST runs to first calculate the faulty locations and makes a decision whether the faults can be repaired depending upon the available redundancy in the memory or on the chip. In case the memory is not repairable, the BIST declares the memory as dead. After the first BIST run on memory the following configurations can arise.
CONFIGURATIONSBBADREPAIRABLERepair StatusMemory is DEAD'1''0'"0"Memory is GOOD'0''0'"0"Memory is BAD but'1''1'"1"repairableMemory is'0''1'"0"repaired
Faulty Memory Repairable Bitmap (FMRB) consists of the faulty address (to be replaced by a available redundancy) and repair status. The repair status is '1' when the memory is to be repaired and 0 if the memory is good. The calculated FMRB present in the BIST is shifted out to the fuse through a shift register. The FMRB shift register of all the BISTs are connected in big single chain, which is further connected to the fuse box as well as to the chip output port. The above shifted data is stored in the fuse and after the memory is repaired the BIST is run again to approve that.
But since only a very small number of the cuts are faulty on the same die, it is not an economical solution to have the fuse bits for all memories on chip, as it leads to an increase in area as a greater number of fuse macros are required on the chip. In order to overcome the above drawback, the concept of fuse sharing is used. In this methodology, the data is stored in the fuse with very few fuses actually present on the chip. The concept of fuse sharing has been shown in FIG. 1. The number of fuses used are "k" while "M" cuts with redundancy are present on the chip, which as total FMRB length of "N" bits. The "k" bit fuse data is converted into the data form the "M" cuts present on memory or N bits. In reality only "M" memories are failing with the total FMRB length less than "k" bits. The k bit fuse data can be divided into the following main parts:
1. Header: single bit data giving the repair status, the number "m".
2. Address data (Kad): the address information relating to m faulty memories out of M memories.
3. Repair data (Krd): the repair data bit stream of "m" repairable and faulty memories.
But to store the data in k fuses the FMRB length of each memory should be known to the central controller, which will store the information in the "k" fuses. This information can be stored in the chip in a hard Read Only Memory (ROM), or a soft ROM. This information can also be sent along with the repair data, but then it will take more time to shift in the data. The die will be repairable if the value of k is greater than or equal to the summation of the value of header data, address data and repair data.
The advantages the above approach offers are reduced fuse area, reduced yield loss due to increased area, less time required for programming the fuse and reduced efforts at the user end. Yet it has a lot of drawbacks, as the problem of routing congestion is not addressed. Yield loss due to metal routing for M cuts is still present and the k to N converter requires a lot of area. An extra ROM is used which increases the overhead in terms of area and testing time.
To reduce routing congestion the fuse data can be serially shifted out as shown in the FIG. 2. The serial shifting improves the yield as a lot of parallel bus routing is reduced. Also yield loss due to parallel bus routing is reduced. But serial loading of fuse data for M cuts takes a lot of clock cycles at power on. The ROM utilized to store the repair data length increases overhead in terms of area and bits to be tested through dedicated BIST. Further extra area overhead in Test Manager Design (not yet included) is required with complex finite state machines (FSM) for encoding and decoding.
The present invention aims at solving problems created due to the above mentioned disadvantages. The ROM is completely eliminated in the present invention due to which extra overhead in terms of area is reduced as well as state machines for fuse encoding and decoding have become simpler. The repair data compression before storing it in the fuse had also been proposed so that more memories can be repaired with the same number of fuses in case die yield goes down.


A container closure includes a shell attachable to a container around a container opening thereof. The shell has a shell opening in fluid communication with the container opening when the shell is attached to the container. A tip is received on the shell movable between a closed position sealing the shell opening and an open position. A cover is releasably attached to the shell in a manner indicative of the tip being positioned in the closed position when the cover is attached to the shell. Both the shell and the cover may be provided with tamper-evident bands. The present invention is particularly well adapted to be formed as a push-pull container closure for sports bottles and the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to container closures, more specifically the present invention relates to push-pull type container closures for sports water bottles and the like.
2. Prior Art
The prior art discloses a wide variety of push-pull type container closures. Representative samples are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,104,008; 5,265,777; 5,096,077; and 5,429,255. Additionally, the prior art discloses a wide variety of closures incorporating tamper-evident bands. Examples of appropriate tamper-evident bands can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,259,522; 4,418,828; and 4,497,765. However, the prior art does not provide a push-pull type container closure with an effective tamper-evident band in meaningful locations on the push-pull type container. Furthermore, many of the push-pull type container closures of the prior art are difficult to manufacture and do not effectively guarantee complete resealing of the closure during operation. For example, one common type of push-pull closure is referred to as a sports top. Many existing sports tops use a "shrink" or "cello" sleeve to additionally be applied for the purpose of tamper evidence. This causes additional cost, added capital, and decreasing operating efficiencies.

Resealable pushable container closure and cover therefor


A method and apparatus for transferring data from one device interface to another device interface via elements of a staging memory and a direct memory access (DMA) channel.

The present invention relates to packet-oriented transfers of data and other information in a computer network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for staging data in elements of a staging memory and for transferring data between a device interface and the elements of a staging memory via a direct memory access (DMA) channel.
Packet switching is a known system for transmitting information such as data, commands and responses over a shared bus of a computer system or network by placing the information in packets having a specified format and transmitting each packet as a composite whole. Long transmissions, such as transfers of large amounts of data, are broken up into separate packets to reduce the amount of time that the shared bus is continuously occupied by a single transmission. Each packet typically includes a header of control elements, such as address bits and packet identification bits arranged in predetermined fields, and may further include error control information.
One known packet-switching method, described in Strecker et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,595, requires that all packet transmissions occur between a named buffer in a transmitting node and a named buffer in a receiving node. The named buffers are in actual memory at each node. To write data from one node to another, the data is placed in packets each labeled in designated fields with the name of the destination buffer in the receiving node and an offset value. The offset value of the packet specifies the location in the receiving buffer, relative to the starting address of the buffer, where the first byte of data in that particular packet is to be stored. A transaction identifier unique to the group of packets also is transmitted in a separate field of each packet. The transaction identifier is used in the process of confirming transmission of the packets.
This packet-switching method has considerable drawbacks in that it requires a node to have a named destination buffer in actual memory for receiving packet transmissions, and further requires that the receiving node identify its named destination buffer to the transmitting node prior to a data transfer. It also has the drawback of requiring that the receiving node be responsive to the contents of the destination buffer name field of a transmitted data packet for directing the contents of the packet to the named buffer. These drawbacks are particularly evident if one attempts to impose them on a receiving node which comprises a resource shared by multiple computers in a network.
For example, consider a mass storage system acting as a shared resource for several computers in a computer network. The mass storage system must often process data transfer requests from more than one computer concurrently, and the data involved in each of these transfers is often sufficiently large to require that it be divided among several packets for transmission over the network communication bus. Depending on the protocol of the communication bus and the relative priorities of the transfers, the mass storage system may receive packets associated with one data transfer between packets associated with another transfer.
Typically, the mass storage system has a memory through which data passes in transit between a network communication bus device interface and a mass storage device interface. This memory may also handle packets having control messages directed between a system processor of the mass storage system and other processors (e.g., remote processors on the network bus or other processors in the mass storage system). The packets containing data or control messages are transferred between the memory and the device interface by one or more DMA channels. Such a DMA channel comprises a high-speed communications interface, including a data bus and control circuitry, for transferring data directly into or out of memory without requiring the attention of a system processor after initial set-up.
If the mass storage system, prior to receiving a data transmission from any one of the computers in the network, were required to allocate a named buffer space in memory to accept the entire data transfer (which may be many packets long), the concurrent processing of several such data transfer requests would require that the mass storage system concurrently allocate a number of separate named buffer spaces equal to the number of concurrent transfers being processed. This preallocation of separate named buffers in the memory of the mass storage system ties up the memory, resulting in inefficient use of available memory and possibly limiting the data throughput of the mass storage system by restricting the number of data requests that can be processed concurrently.
Greater efficiency (in terms of memory use) can be achieved by a more dynamic allocation of memory on a packet-by-packet basis, such that memory space for a particular incoming expected packet is not allocated until the packet is received by the mass storage system. Moreover, efficiency is improved by allowing packets to be stored at any available location in the memory. Such arbitrary, packet-by-packet allocation of memory is particularly suited to the memory of a mass storage system. Unlike transfers of data between actual memory of one computer and actual memory of another computer, transfers of data involving a mass storage system do not use the memory of the mass storage system as a final destination for the data. Rather, as described above, packets containing data are only passed through the memory in transit between the communication bus of the network and the mass storage device or devices of the system. Data comes and goes through the memory in two directions (i.e., into and out of mass storage) arbitrarily, depending on the demands of the computers in the network and the conditions (e.g., busy or idle) of the communication bus, the mass storage devices and the data channels leading to the mass storage devices. As a consequence, the amount and specific locations of memory space used at any particular time, and conversely the amount and specific locations available to receive packets, continually varies. Particular memory locations arbitrarily cycle between available and unavailable states. In such circumstances, preallocation of named buffer spaces in memory is clearly and unnecessarily inefficient.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable instead to permit packets to be placed arbitrarily in available memory locations without regard to their source, contents or relationship to other packets--thus allowing the mass storage system to allocate memory locations based on immediate need and immediate availability (i.e., the memory is free to place an incoming packet in whatever memory location happens to be available when the packet is received by the system). Likewise it would be desirable to permit data from the mass storage devices to be transferred to arbitrary locations in the memory in preparation for transmission over the network communication bus--again allowing the mass storage system to allocate memory locations based on immediate need and immediate availability. Of course, it would further be desirable to be able to retrieve data from arbitrary places in memory and to assemble the data in logical order either for transfer to mass storage or for transmission over the network communication bus.
Packet-switching networks are known in the art that do not require a receiving node to identify a named destination buffer prior to transferring a packet from memory to memory. These networks use various methods for directing the contents of packets into the receiving memory such as, for example, by maintaining a software-controlled address table in the memory of the receiving node, the entries of which are used to point to allocated memory locations unknown to the transmitting node. The present invention adopts the principle of such networks in that it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for transferring packets between a network communication bus and memory, without allocating or identifying named buffers.
However, known computer systems typically transfer data into and out of contiguous locations in memory to minimize processor interrupts and simplify the transfer process. In known computer systems in which data is stored in disjoint memory locations, a separate processor interrupt is usually required to transfer each non-contiguous segment of data into and out of memory. The present invention is an improvement over such systems in that with respect to the writing of data from memory to a device interface, non-contiguous segments of data stored in the memory are joined by DMA control logic to form a contiguous DMA data transfer to the device interface, and in that, with respect to the reading of data into memory from the device interface, a contiguous DMA data transfer from the device interface is routed by DMA control logic into selected not necessarily contiguous segments of memory in the staging memory. After initial set-up processor attention is not required in either case to transfer the individual data segments until the entire transfer is completed.

Method and apparatus for transferring data through a staging memory


An integrated helmet and omnidirectional microstrip antenna system comprising a ballistic helmet constructed of rigid non-metallic material with a sheet of dielectric material as the top layer thereof and an omnidirectional microstrip antenna system having one or more antenna radiator elements affixed to the top surface of the dielectric sheet. The antenna radiator elements are circularly polarized by a microstrip feed network designed to provide circular polarization of a desired sense. A conductive layer of metallic material bonded to the underside of said dielectric sheet and integrated in the helmet structure serves as the electrical ground for the antenna.

In battlefield communications there is a clear and important need to have individual soldiers in combat in constant, reliable and secure wireless communication with the field command center. Realization of such communication systems requires that an omnidirectional antenna system be conveniently located and accessible to the soldier at all times, particularly when in a rapidly mobile environment. There is also a need for a system capable of receiving the Global Positioning System (GPS) signal whereby the soldier is able to determine his precise location.
Although a pocket sized VHF radio transceiver could satisfy many of the communication requirements, the need for secure communication, and transmission of video data and high data rate communications requires a system which operates with larger bandwidth. Furthermore, for unobstructed communication for all physical positions of the soldier in the battle field it is a virtual necessity that the antenna be so placed on the person of the soldier that the antenna receives continuous coverage from the operating transmitter.
While omnidirectional or wide angle coverage can be provided by monopole rod antennas, helical antennas, and quadrafiller helix or conical helix antennas, such antennas, which are not conformed to the surface of the supporting structure on which the antenna resides, are easily identifiable and are more likely to be damaged or rendered inoperative.
Rapid advances in microwave, integrated circuit technology, communication technology, display technology and several other related areas have made it possible to provide sophisticated communication capabilities to the individual soldiers in combat in the battlefields and elsewhere. Heretofore, however, omnidirectional microstrip antenna systems have not been devised for incorporation and mounting on a helmet such as a soldier's helmet, nor for application to any spherical or near spherical surface. Helmet antennas which do not involve microstrip patch antenna elements are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,582,951; 3,977,003; and 5,438,702.
Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,163 there is described an omnidirectional microstrip antenna system on a vertical cylindrical surface which is designed to broadcast 360.degree. in azimuth and a certain angular sector in elevation for satisfying a specific system performance requirement. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,259 there is described a microstrip antenna system placed inside the nose cone of an airplane that is required when in flight to maintain constant communication with a ground station. However, other than the fact that these two patents deal with microstrip antennas for providing omnidirectional or wide-angle coverages, they are not directly related to the integration of a microstrip antenna system in a soldier's helmet as does the present invention.

Integrated microstrip helmet antenna system


A computer device comprising a display member rotatably coupled to a base member to enable variable positioning of the display member relative to the base member about an axis. The computer device further comprises an anti-tip mechanism extending rearwardly from at least a portion of a bottom wall of the base member beyond the axis to resist movement of the base member away from a support surface.

Computer devices such as notebook and/or laptop computers generally comprise a base member coupled to a display member by a hinge. The hinge generally comprises a friction clutch so that when opening the display member, frictional torque can be used to maintain the display at a user-selected viewing angle. However, if the computer device is new or during instances when the display member has not been moved for a period of time, a static "break-away" torque generally makes it difficult to open or move the display member. In some instances the "break-away" torque can cause the base member to tip/lift from a support surface. Further, computer devices having less weight generally have less mass to counter the tipping/lifting effect.


An apparatus for networking computer games in a centrally located game storage accessed by remote game key pads comprising a keypad interface for receiving game control data from the key pad, the game control data being frequency modulated with a center frequency above the audible frequency range to obtain a modulated data format and means for connecting the keypad interface in parallel across a telephone pair for communicating the modulated data format to a switched telephone network and a method for using such apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for networking computer games in a centrally located game storage accessed by a remote game pad.
2. Background
There is a need for providing users such as hotel guests with improved access to computer games such as that known under the trademark Nintendo that are in a centrally located game storage. What is required is a system which permits a hotel guest to request connection by calling the front desk or by using a computerized order entering system. If a Gateway is available the guests game controller is connected to that Gateway through an analog switch and the guest's television is tuned to the channel that the Gateway modulator is tuned to. The guest's game controller is now connected to the Gateway and the guest is prompted by the Gateway to select a particular game to play. Games are stored in a game storage personal computer and selected using the game controller.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for interfacing a computer game keypad with a remote game storage over a telephone network using a data-over-voice system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for networking computer games by accessing a central game storage with a plurality of remote keypads so as to enable players to communicate game control data to a game storage over an existing local telephone network, and to receive the requested game images on a television set.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a system for networking computer games which administers and allocates a plurality of gateways according to their state of occupancy, establishes an access path and supervises the communication of game control data from a remote game keypad to a central game storage along the access path, and supervises the transfer of the corresponding game images from the game storage to a television set associated with the keypad which has requested the images.

Apparatus and method for playing computer games via a telecommunication network


A process has been developed to effectively separate and recover essentially pure amounts of both C.sub.60 and C.sub.70 from carbon soot and higher molecular weight fullerenes. This process first extracts the fullerenes from carbon soot and then sequentially separates the C.sub.60 and C.sub.70 molecules using high performance or low pressure adsorption chromatography packed column containing a gel polymer having aromaticity and a pore size ranging from 10 to 500 .ANG... In this process, a first stage of fractionation of the fullerenes is preferably accomplished by selective supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of C.sub.60. Unrecovered C.sub.60 and C.sub.70 molecules are then extracted by supercritical fluid extraction at a higher pressure and/or higher temperature.

Although the existence of a round, hollow, geodesic-sphere shaped molecule consisting of 60 carbon atoms was first proposed in 1985 by Kroto et al. (Nature, Vol. 318, p. 162, 1985), it was not until 1990 that measurable amounts of this substance were prepared by Kratschmer et al. (Nature, Vol. 347, p. 354, 1990). This molecule was later named buckminsterfullerene or fullerene in honor of Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the geodesic dome.
This form of carbon was obtained by resistive heating of graphite rods in an inert helium atmosphere. It is now known that fullerenes may be produced even from coal (Dance et al. J. Phys. Chem., 95, p. 8425, 1991), a cheaper alternative to the graphite process. It has also been determined that, besides the normally occurring carbon soot contaminants such as benzene, anthracene and other polynuclear aromatics, a variety of other different carbon complexes exist, including less round, yet hollow, molecules such as C.sub.32, C.sub.50, C.sub.70, C.sub.84, and other fullerenes even larger than C.sub.960. This new form of carbon complements the well known pyramidal shape of diamond carbon, and the hexagonal shape of graphite sheets.
The reported stability and reactivity of these complexes opens broad avenues for new applications and products such as superconductors, high-temperature lubricants and catalysts. C.sub.60 is reported to be stable to pressures up to 2.5.times.10.sup.6 psi (Yoo and Nellis, Science, 254, p. 1489, 1991) and, like carbon graphite is stable in many organic solvents for several weeks. High resonance energy of C.sub.60 and C.sub.70 brought about by their conjugated double bonds is responsible for their enhanced molecular stability and strength.
Simple resistive heating yields less fullerenes than vaporization by plasma arc or Nd:YAG laser vaporization. In the plasma arc method, the two rods are brought to touch each other to strike an arc and then are separated to a distance where maximum plasma brightness occurs. Using this method, yields of soluble material, mainly fullerenes C.sub.60 -C.sub.266, of up to 44% are obtainable.
Mixtures of fullerene complexes in carbon soot as prepared by a contact arc method are available from MER Corporation of Tucson, Arizona. By far the most abundant of all fullerenes in the raw soot are C.sub.60 and C.sub.70, with a ratio C.sub.60 /C.sub.70 of about 7/1. However, fractional content of these compounds in the carbon soot obtained by this method can vary widely, between approximately three (3) and 33 percent by weight. It is thus highly desirable to find a separation technique that provides substantially pure fractions of C.sub.60 and C.sub.70 in order to expand the use of such compounds.
Conventionally, solutes in solid matrices are recovered by either liquid extraction or sublimation. Liquid extraction generally consists of exposing a quantity of the solid matrix to a liquid solvent for a period long enough to transfer most soluble material into the liquid phase. Solvents such as hexane, benzene, and toluene are currently used for extraction. Selective extraction of C.sub.60 and C.sub.70 from the soot is typically obtained by extraction with hexane.
Extraction of fullerenes by sublimation essentially involves evaporation of the volatile material under vacuum and/or in an inert atmosphere into a gas phase maintained at a temperature above the sublimation temperature of the desired fullerenes (400.degree.-600.degree. C. for C.sub.60). The fullerenes are then recovered in nearly pure form on separate regions of a cooled collector.
While liquid extraction is most efficient at recovering the bulk of the extract, it is non-selective, time consuming, and generally requires further cleanup and fractionation of the extract.
Another extraction method known in the art is supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). SFE makes use of supercritical fluids (SCFs) as extraction solvents, i.e. fluids at temperatures and pressures above their critical temperature and critical pressure. SCFs are neither gaseous nor liquid, but rather exhibit intermediate properties between gas and liquid properties. However, while SCF densities, i.e. solvent power, are comparable to liquid densities, SCF transport properties such as viscosity and diffusivity are essentially halfway between gas and liquid properties. As a consequence of the combined high solvent power and high diffusivity of SCFs, SFE is relatively rapid, selective, and efficient, and its operating conditions of temperature, pressure, and nature of extraction solvent can be adjusted to quantitatively extract a variety of analytes from solid or liquid matrices. Furthermore, when appropriate, SFE can be conducted with CO.sub.2 as a SCF. Besides its mild critical temperature and pressure (T.sub.c =31.degree. C., P.sub.c =1070 psi), CO.sub.2 is non-toxic, inexpensive and easily removed from the extract by pressure reduction. However, while CO.sub.2 is the most widely used SFE solvent, its lack of polarity and aromaticity limit its utility as SFE solvent to small or relatively non-polar and hydrophobic molecules, and is thereby not expected to recover quantitative amounts of fullerenes.
Following extraction by either method, pure C.sub.60 and C.sub.70 are obtained by separation from other extracted material. Separation of C.sub.60 from low molecular weight compounds and higher fullerene extracts on an alumina column was reported by Diedrich et al. (Science, in print). In this method, the extract is first adsorbed on neutral alumina, and then chromatographed on the same alumina column with a mixture of 5% hexane in toluene to elute C.sub.60, and 10-50% hexane in toluene to elute C.sub.70. In the same manner, C.sub.60 can be separated from a fullerene mixture on a graphite column (Vassalo et al., J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., p. 60, 1992), but recovery of C.sub.70 and higher fullerenes is done by soxhlet.

Recovery of C.sub.60 and C.sub.70 buckminsterfullerenes from carbon soot by supercritical fluid extraction and their separation by adsorption chromatography

Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories, Inc.