An improved working electrode for use in display devices is disclosed. The working electrode comprises a transparent metal grid having a coating of metal oxide thereon. Suitable metal grids include Cu, Au, Ag, Al, Pt, Ni and Zn, while suitable metal oxide coatings include In.sub.2 O.sub.3, SnO.sub.2 and indium tin oxide (ITO). The display devices preferably include an electrochromic material comprising an aqueous solution of an electrochemically depositable metal. Display devices in which the present working electrode is used possess favorable characteristics such as rapid response times, wide dynamic range, high transmittance and improved uniformity. The devices are particularly suitable for large surface area applications.

Numerous processes are known for the modulation of visible light. Among these processes, electrochromic techniques use the reversible change of color and/or optical density obtained by an electrochemical redox reaction of an electrochromic material in which the oxidized form and reduced form are of different colors and/or different optical densities.
Electrochromic materials change their optical properties due to the action of an electric field and can be changed back to the original state by a field reversal. In most electrochromic materials, the mechanism underlying the optical change is the insertion of ions into the electrochromic material and the subsequent extraction of the same ions. The devices can show open circuit memory, i.e., voltage has to be applied only when the optical properties are to be altered. Most electrochromic devices require an ion-containing material (electrolyte) in proximity with the electrochromic layer as well as transparent layers for setting up a distributed electric field.
Recently it has become evident that electrochromism occurs in numerous transition metal oxides and organic materials [See C.M. Lampert and C.G. Granqvist, "Introduction to Chromogenics", Large-Area Chromogenics: Materials and Devices for Transmittance Control, SPIE Institute Series Vol. IS 4, pp 2-19 (1990)].
Many applications exist for electrochromic materials including display panels, variable transmittance windows and variable reflectance mirrors. Prior art electrochromic materials include metal oxides such as WO.sub.3, MO.sub.3, V.sub.2 O.sub.5, Ir.sub.2 O.sub.3 and Nb.sub.2 O.sub.5, polymers such as polyaniline, polyacetylene, polypyrrole and polythiophene, and aqueous solutions of metal ions such as Zn.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,936 issued Mar. 1, 1977 to Kasai discloses electrochromic display devices including a solid electrochromic material and a solid electrolyte. The electrochromic material is selected from tungsten oxide, molybdenum oxide, titanium oxide, vanadium oxide, cobalt tungstate, tin oxide, tellurium oxide, iron oxide, rare earth oxides, metal halides, strontium titanate, metal carbonyls, salicylidene aniline, and organic materials containing a hydrazone group, an osazone group, a semicarbazone group or a sydnone group. The electrolyte is selected from Ag.sub.7 I.sub.4 PO.sub.4, AgI, and AgI in combination with a member of the Ag.sub.4 P.sub.2 O.sub.7 series, the Ag.sub.2 WO.sub.4 series, the RbI series, the NH.sub.4 I series, the KCN series, or the C.sub.4 H.sub.8 SCH.sub.3 I series. The display devices also include a transparent electrode in contact with the electrochromic material comprising a conductive film of unspecified composition coated on a glass substrate. The devices are said to be useful for display purposes, e.g., timepieces and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,493 issued May 15, 1984 to Matsudaira et al discloses electrochromic display devices including an electrochromic layer and a solid proton conductive layer. The electrochromic layer consists of a transition metal oxide such as WO.sub.3, MoO.sub.3, TiO.sub.2, Ir.sub.2 O.sub.3, Rh.sub.2 O.sub.3, NiO or V.sub.2 O.sub.5. The proton conductive layer comprises a mixture of acids selected from titanic, stannic, antimonic, zirconic, niobic, tantalic and silicic acid. The display devices also include a transparent electrode contacting the electrochromic material and comprising a thin film of indium oxide (In.sub.2 O.sub.3) or tin oxide (SnO.sub.2) deposited on a transparent substrate such as glass or synthetic resin. The disclosed devices are said to possess shortened response times, with speeds on the order of 1 to 10 seconds being exemplary.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,035 issued Jul. 10, 1984 to Nanya et al discloses electrochromic display devices including a reduction electrochromic material and an oxidation electrochromic material separated by an ion permeable insulating layer. The reduction electrochromic material is WO.sub.3 or MoO.sub.3, while the oxidation electrochromic material is iridium hydroxide [Ir(OH).sub.n ], rhodium hydroxide [Rh(OH).sub.n ] or nickel hydroxide [Ni(OH).sub.n ]. As the ion permeable insulator, Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5, Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3 or SiO.sub.2 may be used. The display devices also include a transparent electrode contacting the reduction electrochromic material and a counter electrode contacting the oxidation electrochromic material. During operation of the device, the oxidation electrochromic material is said to function as an acceptor of protons, thereby preventing evolution of hydrogen gas on the surface of the counter electrode. The devices may be used as display panels for electronic timepieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,339 issued Nov. 11, 1980 to Leibowitz et al discloses electrochromic display devices including an electrochromic material and an electrolyte. The electrochromic material may comprise WO.sub.3 which has been partially converted from the amorphous to the crystalline form which is said to significantly increase the etch resistance of the material, thereby increasing the useful life of the device. The electrolyte may be liquid, gel, paste or solid. The display devices also include a transparent electrode in contact with the electrochromic material comprising a conductive layer, such as tin oxide, deposited on a transparent glass or plastic substrate.
Japanese Patent No. 56-109317 to Nagasawa et al, published Aug. 29, 1981, discloses electrochromic display devices having a layer of amorphous WO.sub.3 and a layer of crystalline WO.sub.3 separated from each other by an ion conductive layer such as SiO, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, ZrO.sub.2, MgF.sub.2 or CaF.sub.2. The devices also include a transparent electrode in contact with each of the WO.sub.3 layers comprising tin oxide, indium oxide or indium tin oxide (ITO). The crystalline WO.sub.3 is said to maintain a coulomb balance within the devices and to produce long life and high reliability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,790 issued Jan. 23, 1979 to Takahashi et al discloses electrochromic elements comprising a thin layer of electrochromic material and a thin layer of electron blocking material sandwiched between a pair of transparent electrodes to form a unit cell. Multiple unit cells are stacked together to form a multi-layer structure. The electrochromic material may be WO.sub.3 or MoO.sub.3. The use of multiple thin layers of electrochromic material is said to reduce the response times of the devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,865 issued Sep. 6, 1988 to Greenberg et al discloses transparent electrochromic windows using WO.sub.3 as the electrochromic material along with a layer of ion conductive material. A counter electrode in the form of a metal grid is placed in contact with the ion conductive material. The metal grid participates in a balancing half-cell reaction whereby the metal grid is oxidized or reduced in response to the electrochromic transition of the WO.sub.3. Use of the metal grid is said to allow operation of the device at lower potentials which prevents electrolysis of water and concurrent gas evolution. The devices have a response time on the order of two minutes. Similar devices are disclosed by Kuo-Chuan Ho, David E. Singleton and Charles B. Greenberg in an article: "Effect of Cell Size on the Performance of Electrochromic Windows," Proceedings of the Symposium on Electrochromic Materials, Proceedings--The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 90, No. 2 pp. 349-364 (1989).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,890 issued Dec. 19, 1989 to Scherber et al discloses transparent electrochromic panes or foils including an electrochromic polymer layer and an electrolyte layer sandwiched between two transparent electrodes. Suitable polymers include polyaniline, poly-O-phenyldiamine, polyaniline-3-sulfanic acid, polypyrol and polythiophene, while suitable electrolytes include polymeric sulfonic acid, polymeric carbonic acid, buffered H.sub.2 SO4, buffered HClO.sub.4 and HCl. Suitable transparent electrodes include In.sub.2 O.sub.3 /SnO.sub.2 (ITO), SnO.sub.2, In.sub.2 O.sub.3, Mo, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ti and ZnSe which may be coated on a glass pane or foil. The devices are said to have response times on the order of a few seconds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,260 issued Jun. 7, 1988 to Yang et al discloses transparent electrochromic display devices including a layer of polyaniline electrochromic material and a layer of electrolyte material disposed between two transparent electrodes. The electrodes comprise a transparent conductive coating such as SnO.sub.2, In.sub.2 O.sub.3, Pt or Au deposited on a glass or plastic sheet. The devices may employ multiple layers of electrochromic materials to produce tint and color changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,982 issued Nov. 5, 1985 to Hirai discloses electrochromic display devices including a layer of electrochromic material and a layer of electrolyte material disposed between two transparent electrodes. The electrochromic material consists of a polymer film comprising at least one organic electrochromic material and at least one ionic material wherein the ionic material is capable of exchanging ions with the organic electrochromic material to serve as an ion donor or acceptor. Suitable electrodes include SnO.sub.2 or ITO coated on a glass or plastic plate. The devices possess a response time on the order of 0.5 to 6 seconds.
In an article by Richard M. Bendert and Dennis A. Corrigan entitled: "Effect of Coprecipitated Metal Ions on the Electrochromic Properties of Nickel Hydroxide," J. Electrochem. Soc., Vol. 136, No. 5, May 1989, pp. 1369-1374, electrochromic films are disclosed comprising nickel hydroxide alone and in combination with minor amounts of other metal hydroxides. The films are said to possess lo high coloration efficiency throughout the visible region and to be useful in window applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,105 issued Apr. 21, 1981 to Robillard et al discloses electrosensitive recording materials having an electrosensitive layer comprising a bismuth or antimony salt and a semiconductor oxide pigment, such as TiO.sub.2, ZnO, SnO.sub.2 or Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, dispersed in a binder. The electrosensitive layer is deposited on a conductive layer, such as a metal foil, which in turn is laminated on a paper sheet or plastic film substrate. Permanent recordings may be formed by contacting the electrosensitive layer with a writing electrode.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,635 issued Jun. 24, 1986 to Warszawski discloses recording media comprising an electrosensitive layer coated on a substrate such as paper or plastic film. The electrosensitive layer comprises a homogeneous aqueous solution of a hydrosoluble salt of a cathodically depositable metal and a hydrosoluble polymer resin. Suitable electrodepositable metals are said to be Zn, Cd, Pb, Ag, Cu, Fe, Ni, Co, Sn, In, Pt, Pd, Au, Bi, Sb, Te, Se, Mn, Tl, Ga, As, Hg and Cr. Suitable polymer resins include hydroxyethylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose. Permanent recordings may be produced by contacting the electrosensitive layer with a writing electrode.
European Patent Application Publication No. 0300919 of Warszawski, published Jan. 25, 1989, which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses electrochromic display devices comprising an electrolytic material disposed between two electrodes. The electrolytic material comprises a water soluble salt of a cathodically depositable metal and a watersoluble polymer resin. Suitable cathodically depositable metals are said to include Zn, Cd, Pb, Ag, Cu, Fe, Co, Ni, Sn, In, Pt, Pd, Au, Bi, Sb, Te, Mn, Ti, Se, Ga, As, Hg, Cr, W and Mo, while suitable polymer resins include hydroxyethylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinylpyrrolidone. The electrodes comprise a first transparent working electrode and a second counter electrode which may, or may not, be transparent, depending on the desired application. The working electrode may comprise a thin layer of gold, tin oxide, indium oxide or ITO deposited on a glass or plastic substrate, while the counter electrode may comprise a flexible graphite sheet, a plastic material filled with particles of carbon or metal, or a glass or plastic sheet coated with a thin layer of semiconductor oxide. The disclosed devices are useful for the display of alphanumeric, graphic and other visual information.

Oxide coated metal grid electrode structure in display devices


Embodiments of voltage monitoring are disclosed.

Many types of electronic devices, such as image-formation devices like inkjet and laser printers, are intended to operate from alternating current (AC) provided by AC mains. For instance, such devices plug into wall outlets, which interconnect the devices to the AC mains providing the AC. AC mains provide nominal voltage, such as 120 volts, within a given tolerance level, such as +6% and −10%. In actuality, however, the voltage provided can be substantially greater or less than the nominal voltage. Deviation of the voltage provided by the AC mains outside of the tolerance level can result in operation of the electronic devices coupled to the AC mains in an undesired manner.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A universal input device for use with a surface, such as a whiteboard, is provided. The universal input device can be used to control various computing devices as well as capture handwritten electronic ink and have the electronic ink be associated with new or stored documents. The universal input device can be coupled to a whiteboard marker for use with a conventional whiteboard. The universal input device can track the movement of the whiteboard marker on the whiteboard for transmission to a host PC applying those movements to a document and/or other application. The universal input device can identify the width of the marker's tip as well as the marker color. A digital eraser tracks the movement of a conventional whiteboard eraser across the surface of the whiteboard. An encoded medium can be placed over a conventional whiteboard for tracking of the movements.

Computing systems have dramatically changed the way in which we live. The first wave of computers was prohibitively expensive, and was only cost effective for use in business settings. As computers became more affordable, the use of personal computers both in the workplace and at home have become so widespread that computers have become as common as desks in the office and kitchen tables in the home. Microprocessors have been incorporated in all aspects of our daily lives, from use in television and other entertainment systems to devices for regulating the operation of our automobile.
The evolution of computing devices, from data crunching devices that occupied entire floors of large office facilities, to laptop computers or other portable computing devices, has dramatically impacted the manner in which documents are generated and information is stored. Portable computing capabilities have enabled individuals to type letters, draft memorandum, take notes, create images, and perform numerous tasks in places other than the office using these computing devices. Professionals and nonprofessionals alike are empowered to perform tasks while on the move using devices that fulfill their computing needs in any location.
Typical computer systems, especially computer systems using graphical user interface (GUI) systems, such as Microsoft® Windows, are optimized for accepting user input from one or more discrete input devices such as a keyboard (for entering text), and a pointing device (such as a mouse) with one or more buttons for activating user selections.
One of the original goals of the computing world was to have a computer on every desk. To a large extent, this goal has been realized by the personal computer becoming ubiquitous in the office workspace. With the advent of laptop computers and high-capacity personal data assistants, the office workspace has been expanded to include a variety of non-traditional venues in which work is accomplished. To an increasing degree, computer users must become masters of the divergent user interfaces for each of their computing devices. From a mouse and keyboard interface for the standard personal computer to the simplified resistive stylus interface of personal data assistants and even to the minimalistic keys of a cellular telephone, a user is confronted with a variety of different user interfaces that one needs to master before he can use the underlying technology.
Despite the advances in technology, most users tend to use documents printed on paper as their primary editing tool. Some advantages of printed paper include its readability and portability. Others include the ability to share annotated paper documents and the ease at which one can archive printed paper. One user interface that is bridging the gap between advanced computing systems and the functionality of printed paper is a stylus-based user interface. One approach for the stylus-based user interface is to use resistive technology (common in today's PDAs). Another approach is to use active sensors in a laptop computer. One of the next goals of the computing world is to bring the user interface for operating the computer back to the user.
A drawback associated with the use of a stylus is that such devices are tied to the computing device containing the sensor board. In other words, the stylus may only be used to generate inputs when used in conjunction with the required sensor board. Moreover, detection of a stylus is affected by the proximity of the stylus to the sensing board.
The use of whiteboards during a conference or presentation can greatly increase the amount that a potential viewer remembers. The ability to draw a plan, prepare a diagram, illustrate a trend via a whiteboard can help to bring everyone on a team, or even opposing parties, to a common understanding. During brainstorming sessions, an individual can jot various ideas down on a whiteboard. Unfortunately, when the process is complete, someone has to make a physical copy of the whiteboard content to retain the ideas. For example, a member of the team would have to copy everything on the board to a sheet of paper. Such a process is time consuming and wastes resources.
Advancements in whiteboard technology have led to the ability to make physical copies of the content memorialized on the whiteboard. Some whiteboards have a built in printer that allows a user to make a copy on the spot. However, such systems still only provide a hardcopy format and do not allow a user to send the content of the whiteboard to another device. Further still, specific edits by different people cannot be tracked, identification of different colors of the markers cannot be tracked, and thicknesses of strokes cannot be tracked.

Universal computing device for surface applications


A software distribution processing device stores a common key for each ECU and a verification key for an electronic signature of software updating data, verifies an electronic signature of the updating data received from management server equipment by use of the verification key, attaches an electronic signature using the common key for each ECU to the updating data succeeded in verification of the electronic signature, and then transmits to each ECU the updating data attached with the electronic signature using the common key for each ECU.

Recently, automobiles have been equipped with on-board control systems and designed to control basic operations of automobiles such as running, stopping, and turning operations and other applied operations by use of on-board control systems.
In general, each on-board control system may be equipped with twenty to one-hundred on-board control microprocessors referred to as ECUs (Electronic Control Units). The ECU is one type of computer configured to achieve desired functions using computer programs. The ECUs are connected to a CAN (Controller Area Network) serving as a communication network, and therefore they may cooperate with each other.
In addition, automobiles have been equipped with interfaces for diagnostic ports referred to as OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) ports connected to ECUs. A diagnostic terminal exclusively designed for maintenance is connected to an OBD port, and therefore it is possible for the diagnostic terminal to install update programs and to change settings of data with respect to ECUs. Normally, workers of authorized dealerships (dealers) or automobile maintenance workshops may update computer programs with ECUs in vehicle inspection or regular inspection of vehicles.
For example, Non-Patent Literatures 1, 2 disclose security for on-board control systems of vehicles.

Software distribution processing device, software distribution processing method, and vehicle


Time deviation between event detection and gradation acquisition is reduced. A solid-state imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a pixel array unit (300) including a plurality of pixel blocks (310) arrayed in a matrix; and a drive circuit (211) that generates a pixel signal in a first pixel block in which firing of an address event has been detected among the plurality of pixel blocks, each of the plurality of pixel blocks including a first photoelectric conversion element (331) that generates an electric charge according to an amount of incident light, a detection unit (400) that detects the firing of the address event based on the electric charge generated in the first photoelectric conversion element, a second photoelectric conversion element (321) that generates an electric charge according to an amount of incident light, and a pixel circuit (322, 323, 324, 325, 326) that generates a pixel signal based on the electric charge generated in the second photoelectric conversion element.

A conventional synchronous solid-state imaging apparatus that images image data (frames) in synchronization with a synchronization signal such as a vertical synchronization signal has been used in an imaging apparatus or the like. In this general synchronous solid-state imaging apparatus, image data can be acquired only every synchronization signal cycle (for example, 1/60 seconds), so that the general synchronous solid-state imaging apparatus is difficult to correspond to a case where faster processing is required in fields related to transportation and robots. Therefore, an asynchronous solid-state imaging apparatus has been proposed in which a detection circuit for detecting in real time that an amount of received light exceeds a threshold as an address event is provided for each pixel. An asynchronous solid-state imaging apparatus that detects an address event for each pixel is also called a dynamic vision sensor (DVS).
In recent years, a DVS that acquires a gradation image together with detection of an address event has also been developed.

Solid-state imaging apparatus and imaging apparatus

SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION


Disclosed is a long-band (L-band) fiber amplifier using a feedback loop which includes a rare earth doped fiber as an amplification medium, forward and backward pump laser diodes, positioned on front and rear ends of the rare earth doped fiber, respectively, for generating pumping lights, first wavelength selective couplers for providing the pumping lights from the pump laser diodes to the rare earth doped fiber, optical isolators, inserted into front and rear ends of the first wavelength selective couplers, respectively, for intercepting backward propagation of signal lights reflected from input and output terminals of the fiber amplifier, a feedback loop for making a seed beam incident to the rare earth doped fiber or making an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) incident again to the rare earth doped fiber, second wavelength selective couplers, provided between the optical isolators and the first wavelength selective couplers, respectively, for making the seed beam incident to the feedback loop or extracting and providing the ASE to the feedback loop, and a filter, connected to the feedback loop, for filtering a specified wavelength of the seed beam or the ASE.

This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7 119 from an application entitled LONG BAND FIBER AMPLIFIER USING FEEDBACK LOOP earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on the day of Jul. 22nd 1999, and there duly assigned Serial No. 29827/1999, a copy of which is annexed hereto.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fiber amplifier of an optical communication system, and more particularly to a fiber amplifier of a long band (1575 nanometersxcx9c1605 nanometers) used for widening an amplification band of a fiber amplifier.
2. Related Art
Wavelength division multiplex (WDM) transmission is an information transmission scheme using optical fibers in which the wavelength area of an optical fiber is separated into a plurality of channels, the channels are multiplexed, and thus signals at different wavelengths are transmitted through the optical fiber at the same time, to thereby increase information transmission capacity.
A plurality of optical amplifiers are used between a transmitter and a receiver in a wavelength division multiplex transmission system to compensate for signal attenuation resulting from long distance transmission. The efficiency of optical amplifiers is important for transmission of optical signals.
I have found that it would be desirable to increase optical amplification efficiency. Efforts have been made in the area of optics and feedback loops.
Exemplars of recent efforts in the art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,607 for Optical Fiber Amplifier with Flattened Gain issued to da Silva et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,835 for Article Comprising an Optical Waveguide Laser issued to Atkins et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,933 for Apparatus for Generating a Comb of Optical Teeth of different Wavelengths issued to Smith et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,196 for Optical Amplifier Gain Control issued to Epworth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,095 for Gain Stabilized Fiber Amplifier issued to Zimgibl, U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,800 for Gain Switchable Optical Fiber Amplifier issued to Zirngibl, U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,660 for Analog/Digital Double Automatic Power Controlling Device in an Optical Fiber Amplifier issued to Park et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,690 for Optical Fiber Amplifier Including Rare Earth Doped Fiber And Feedback Pump Light Source Control issued to Aida et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,218 for Optical Fiber Amplifier issued to Jo et al.
While these recent efforts provide advantages, I note that they fail to adequately provide an L-band (long band) optical amplifier using a feedback loop increasing amplification efficiency.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the problems occurring in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide along-band (L-band) erbium doped fiber amplifier which can increase the amplification efficiency in the L-band, so that the communication capacity is increased in developing a fiber amplifier having a long amplification band.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an L-band erbium doped fiber amplifier which can reduce the manufacturing cost thereof.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an L-band erbium doped fiber amplifier which can improve the gain evenness according to the wavelength of the signal light.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there is provided an L-band fiber amplifier comprising a rare earth doped fiber as an amplification medium, forward and backward pump laser diodes, positioned on front and rear ends of the rare earth doped fiber, respectively, for generating pumping lights, first wavelength selective couplers for providing the pumping lights from the pump laser diodes to the rare earth doped fiber, optical isolators, inserted into front and rear ends of the first wavelength selective couplers, respectively, for intercepting backward propagation of signal lights reflected from input and output terminals of the fiber amplifier, a feedback loop for making a seed beam incident to the rare earth doped fiber or making an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) incident again to the rare earth doped fiber, second wavelength selective couplers, provided between the optical isolators and the first wavelength selective couplers, respectively, for making the seed beam incident to the feedback loop or extracting and providing the ASE to the feedback loop, and a filter, connected to the feedback loop, for filtering a specified wavelength of the seed beam or the ASE.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an L-band fiber amplifier comprising a rare earth doped fiber as an amplification medium, forward and backward pump laser diodes, positioned on front and rear ends of the rare earth doped fiber, respectively, for generating pumping lights, first wavelength selective couplers for providing the pumping lights from the pump laser diodes to the rare earth doped fiber, optical isolators, inserted into front and rear ends of the first wavelength selective couplers, respectively, for intercepting backward propagation of signal lights reflected from input and output terminals of the fiber amplifier, a feedback loop for making a seed beam incident to the rare earth doped fiber or making an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) incident again to the rare earth doped fiber, second wavelength selective couplers, provided between the optical isolators and the first wavelength selective couplers, respectively, for making the seed beam incident to the feedback loop or extracting and providing the ASE to the feedback loop, a filter, connected to the feedback loop, for filtering a specified wavelength of the seed beam or the ASE, and an optical attenuator, connected between the second wavelength selective coupler and the filter, for attenuating a strength of the seed beam or the ASE to adjust a gain evenness of a source output.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example. Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.

Long-band fiber amplifier using feedback loop


A device generating pulsed motions comprises: (A) two parallel shafts (3; 4) each having a longitudinal axis (5; 6), a rear end (7; 8) and a front end (9; 10), (B) a gear unit (2) comprising at least two gears (20; 21) where at least two gears (20) are oval gears and each gear (20; 21) is connected to a rear end (7; 8) of the two shafts (3; 4), (C) two arcuate drive levers (30; 31) each having a first end (32; 33) and at least one second end (34; 35), where each first end (32; 33) of the drive levers (30; 31) is connected to one front end (9; 10) of the two shafts (3; 4) in rotatable manner about a first axis of rotation (11; 12), and (E) a drive body (40) which is connected to the second ends (34; 35) of the drive levers (30; 31) in rotatable manner about two second axes of rotation (13; 14), where (F) the drive body (40) is a polysomic body.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a device having a polysomic drive body for generating pulsed motions in a gas, liquid and/or of a bulk good.
2. Description of Related Art
The patent document WO 99/05435 ABT discloses a gear unit transmitting torques in positive, i.e. geometrically locking manner between two shafts which are connected to the ends of a chain of at least two displaceable connecting links, where this chain is based on the principle of the everted, hereafter invertable links cube (Paul Schatz, "Rhythmusforschung und Technik", ["Rhythm Research and Engineering"] Freies Geistesleben Publisher, 1975/98, 2nd edition}. In one embodiment mode the two connecting links are circular panes or tori allowing converting the kinetic energy of a flow of gas, of liquid or of another viscous medium, into a torque applied to two shafts rotating in pulsed manner. Inversely, a torque applied to at least one rotating shaft may be converted also into a pulsed flow motion of a gas, of a liquid or another viscous medium, however the relative motion of the two circular panes do generate high power dissipation and thereby entail low efficiency.

Device having a polysomic drive body for generating pulsed motions in a gas, liquid and/or bulk good


The performance of an amplifying system is improved by achieving adequate matching. The amplifying system for amplifying signals includes distributing means 1 that distribute a signal, a carrier amplifier 2 that amplifies the distributed first signal in Class AB, a peak amplifier 4 that amplifies the distributed second signal in Class B or Class C, a first transmission line having a given electric length and being connected to an output of the carrier amplifier, a second transmission line having a given electric length and being connected to an output of the peak amplifier, and a combining end 18 for combining an output of the first transmission line and an output of the second transmission line. An impedance of the combining end is differentiated from a parallel impedance of load impedances of the carrier amplifier and the peak amplifier at the maximum power converted respectively by the first transmission line and the second transmission line, or is set as a parallel impedance in which the load impedances of the carrier amplifier and the peak amplifier at the maximum power are changed.

For example, in the case of power amplification of radio-frequency signals such as CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) signals or multi-carrier signals, reduction of power consumption is achieved by adding a distortion compensation function to a common amplifier and widening the operating range of the common amplifier to an area near a saturation range. The method of distortion compensation includes a feed forward distortion compensation approach or a pre-distortion distortion compensation approach. However, the reduction of power consumption only with the distortion compensation is already near the limit. Therefore, a Doherty amplifier nowadays attracts attention as a high-efficiency amplifier.
FIG. 8 illustrates an example of configuration of the Doherty amplifier.
A signal entering through an input terminal A21 is distributed by a distributor 41.
A part of the distributed signal is supplied to a carrier amplifier 42. The carrier amplifier 42 includes an amplifying element 52, an input matching circuit 51 adapted to achieve matching to an input side of the amplifying element 52 and an output matching circuit 53 adapted to achieve matching to an output side of the amplifying element 52. Impedance conversion is applied to an output from the carrier amplifier 42 by a λ/4 transformer 57.
The other part of the distributed signal is delayed in phase by 90° by a phase shifter 43 and is supplied to a peak amplifier 44. The peak amplifier 44 includes an input matching circuit 54, an amplifying element 55 and an output matching circuit 56 like the carrier amplifier 42.
An output from the λ/4 transformer 57 and an output from the peak amplifier 44 are combined at a node (combining point) 58. The combined signal is applied with the impedance conversion by a λ/4 transformer 46 for achieving matching to Z0, which is an output load 47.
An output from the λ/4 transformer 46 is connected to the output load 47 via an output terminal A22.
A combination of the λ/4 transformer 57 and the node 58 is referred to as Doherty composition 45.
The carrier amplifier 42 and the peak amplifier 44 are different such that the amplifying element 52 of the carrier amplifier 42 is biased to Class AB and the amplifying element 55 of the peak amplifier 44 is biased to Class B or Class C. Therefore, the amplifying element 52 of the carrier amplifier 42 operates independently to an input level at which the amplifying element 55 of the peak amplifier 44 operates and, when the amplifying element 52 of the carrier amplifier 42 reaches the saturation range, that is, when linearity of the amplifying element 52 starts to be turbulent, the amplifying element 55 of the peak amplifier 44 starts to operate to supply the output of the amplifying element 55 to a load so as to drive the load together with the amplifying element 52 of the carrier amplifier 42. Load resistance of the output matching circuit 53 of the carrier amplifier 42 at this moment moves from a high level to a low level. However, since the amplifying element 52 is in the saturation range, the high-efficiency is achieved.
When the input level from the input terminal A21 is further increased, the amplifying element 55 of the peak amplifier 44 also starts to be saturated. However, since both the amplifying elements 52 and 55 are saturated, high-efficiency is also achieved.
FIG. 9 shows an example of theoretical collector efficiency or drain efficiency relating to the Doherty amplifier shown in FIG. 8. In a graph in FIG. 9, the lateral axis represents the back-off (dB) and the vertical axis represents the efficiency (%).
Assuming that the minimum input level to the input terminal A21 at which both the amplifying elements 52 and 55 are saturated, that is, a compression point, to be 0 dB, the back-off here is a numerical value showing an excess of the input level with respect to the compression point.
In this example, the term "collector efficiency" means a ratio of radio-frequency output power which can be gained from a collector with respect to a product of a voltage (direct current) applied to the collector from a power source and an electric current (direct current) supplied from the power source. The drain efficiency has also a similar signification.
The graph in FIG. 9 shows an example of efficiency of a general Class B amplifier (broken line), and an example of efficiency of a simple model of the Doherty amplifier (solid line). A section in which the back-off is 6 dB or higher is designated as Section A, a section in which the back-off is in a range from 0 dB to 6 dB is designated as Section B, and a section in which the back-off is lower than 0 dB is designated as Section C.
Basically, when the input level is in Section A, only the carrier amplifier 42 operates. The carrier amplifier 42 starts to be saturated in the area where the back-off reaches 6 dB, and the efficiency reaches a point near the maximum efficiency of the Class B amplifier. The output of the carrier amplifier 42 at this moment is about (P0/4), where the maximum output of the Doherty amplifier is P0.
In Section B in which the back-off is 6 dB or lower, the output of the carrier amplifier 42 increases from about (P0/4) to (P0/2) as the input level increases, and the output of the peak amplifier 44 increases from about 0 to (P0/2). The sum of the output power from the carrier amplifier 42 and the output power from the peak amplifier 44 here is proportional to the input power to the input terminal A21 at the same constant of proportionality as in Section A. When the peak amplifier 44 starts to operate, the efficiency is lowered once. However, the efficiency reaches the peak again at the compression point at which the peak amplifier 44 also starts to be saturated. The output from the carrier amplifier 42 and the output from the peak amplifier 44 are equal at the compression point.
In general, the CDMA signals and the multi-carrier signals have a high peak factor, that is, a ratio between peak power and average power is high. However, the general amplifiers employ an operating point which is lowered from the compression point correspondingly so as to be able to cope with a peak factor of 7 to 12 dB.
Referring now to FIG. 8, an example of impedances at the respective components will be described.
Since the value Z0, which is the output load 47, is specified to a constant value, this is employed as a starting point. An impedance Z7 of the node 58 with respect to the λ/4 transformer 46 is expressed as in a formula (1).[Expression 1]Z7=(Z2)2/Z0  (1)where Z2 is a characteristic impedance of the λ/4 transformer 46.
An impedance Z4 of the output matching circuit 53 of the carrier amplifier 42 with respect to the λ/4 transformer 57 is obtained in the same manner as shown above since an output impedance of the output matching circuit 56 of the peak amplifier 44 is substantially infinity in Section A. Since the load is equally divided in Section C, a load impedance of the amplifying circuit of the carrier amplifier 42 (an amount of contribution of the amplifying circuit at the node 58) and a load impedance of the output matching circuit 56 of the peak amplifier 44 are 2(Z7), respectively. Therefore, a formula (2) and a formula (3) are established.
A value Z5 here is the load impedance of the output matching circuit 56 of the peak amplifier 44 with respect to the peak amplifier 44 of the node 58, and Z1 is a characteristic impedance of the λ/4 transformer 57.
In Section B, the impedance Z4 and the impedance Z5 transfer between a value in Section A and a value in Section C.
In particular, changing of the load of the carrier amplifier 42 is referred to as a load modulation.
                    [                  Expression                                                              2                ]                                                            (                  Section                                                              A                )                                                                      Z                                                              4                =                                                            (                                  Z                                                                                1                                )                            2                        Z7                    =                                                                      (                                      Z                                                                                1                                    )                                2                                            (                                                                            (                                              Z                                                                                2                                            )                                        2                                                                          /                                                      Z                                                                                0                                )                                      =                          Z                                                                                0                                                                                (                                          Z                                                                                1                                        )                                    2                                                                      (                                          Z                                                                                2                                        )                                    2                                                                                (                  Section                                                              C                )                                                                      Z                                                              4                =                                                            (                                  Z                                                                                1                                )                            2                                      2                                            (                                  Z                                                                                7                                )                                              =                                    (                              1                                                  /                                                2                            )                                    Z                                                                          0                                                                        (                                      Z                                                                                1                                    )                                2                                                              (                                      Z                                                                                2                                    )                                2                                                                        (        2        )                                [                  Expression                                                              3                ]                                                            (                  Section                                                              A                )                                                                      Z                                                              5                =        ∞                                                            (                  Section                                                              C                )                                                                      Z                                                              5                =                  2                                (                          Z                                                                                7                        )                                              (        3        )
A case in which the Doherty amplifier is applied to a high-frequency area will be described.
That is, when the input signal level is high (Section C), the impedance Z4 is half the impedance value demonstrated when the input signal level is low (Section A). In other words, the impedance Z4 changes double in load. For example, when Z7=25Ω (ohm) and Z1=50Ω, the value of Z4 varies in a range between 100 and 50Ω. Therefore, the load impedance of the amplifying element 52 of the carrier amplifier 42 also varies.
In addition to the Doherty amplifier as described above, a Doherty amplifier which compensates deterioration of the characteristic by controlling gate bias voltage according to drain current especially for the carrier amplifier is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2004-260232


A method is provided for making aromatic polycarbonates by the melt condensation of a diaryl carbonate and an aromatic bis hydroxy compound in the presence of a condensation catalyst, such as hexahydro-2H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidine or an alkyl substituted derivative.

The present invention is directed to a solventless method for making polycarbonates by a transesterification reaction between diaryl carbonate and aromatic bis hydroxy compound. More particularly, the present invention relates to the employment of a guanidine catalyst to facilitate the melt condensation between diphenyl carbonate and bisphenol A.
Methods for making polycarbonate by a solventless melt condensation reaction between diphenyl carbonate and bisphenol A are shown by Sakashita et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,817. In one procedure, Sakashita et al uses reactants having a particular range of hydrolyzable chlorine. In another method, a mixed catalyst is used, such as a nitrogen containing basic compound and an aromatic hydroxy salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal. Some of the preferred basic compounds are tetraalkylammonium hydroxides, such as tetramethylammonium hydroxide. It has been found, however, that during the polymerization reaction, the tetramethylammonium hydroxide decomposes to produce a variety of products which can contaminate the final polymer. A second catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide is often employed as a finishing catalyst.
A further method for making polycarbonates by melt transesterification of diphenyl carbonate with 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane is shown by Yangsoo Kim et al, Industrial Engineering Chemistry Research, 1992, 31, 2118-2127. Kim et al employ a lithium hydroxide catalyst. The effects of reaction temperature and catalyst concentration and conversion of oligomer are analyzed.
Although alkali metal hydroxides have been found effective either as a finishing catalyst or as a condensation catalyst, these materials are carried into the final resin which can be adversely affected.
Basic catalysts which are sufficiently volatile, such as organic nitrogen compounds, for example organic amines, also have been evaluated as condensation catalysts. Although such organic compounds can be readily removed from the polycarbonate resin at the termination of the condensation reaction, color bodies are often generated. It would be desirable therefore, to provide organic compounds useful as catalysts for effecting the condensation between a diaryl carbonate and an aromatic bis hydroxy compound under melt conditions which are readily removable and which do not adversely affect the resulting polycarbonate resin.


A MMIC power amplifier (100) uses MMIC FET cells (104, 112) and provides high gain at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies. The power amplifier includes an input matching network (102), a first plurality of unit FET cells (104) for amplifying in-phase signals provided by the input matching network, a second plurality of unit FET cells (112), an interstage matching network (106) for combining output signals provided by the first plurality of unit FET cells, and providing in-phase signals to the second plurality of unit FET cells; and a combiner (113) for combining output signals of the second plurality of unit FET cells to provide an output signal. The FET cells are designed to be unconditionally stable without the use of an external series gate resistance. The FET cells are combined to provide total device periphery suitable for output power levels exceeding 0.8 watt at frequencies ranging from 19 to 23.5 GHz. The FET cells are designed using device scaling and device modeling techniques. The power amplifier is suitable for applications where high efficiency and high gain are important, such as satellite communication systems.

High frequency stability is a problem in high gain monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifiers. One common type of high frequency stability problem in microwave amplifiers occurs when input or output impedances of an active device present a negative resistance. This type of stability problem may cause an amplifier to oscillate making the device useless for its intended function. One indicator that a negative resistance type of oscillation may be present is a mathematically derived quantity commonly known as the K-factor. When the K-factor is greater than one, and another mathematical parameter B1 is greater than zero, there is no possibility that the device will present a negative resistance no matter what type of passive source or load impedance the device is presented with. This condition (K>1 and B1>0) is therefore known as unconditional stability.
At higher microwave and millimeter wave frequencies where small parasitic impedances cause drastic changes in the overall load and source impedance, unconditional stability is important for successful MMIC design. Because unconditional stability is required at high frequencies, a traditional method of device stabilization is to use on-chip resistive loading. This will make the device unconditionally stable, but causes severe gain degradation and reduces the overall efficiency of the amplifier. For example, the performance of power amplifiers may be degraded so severely by resistive stabilization, that the devices are not useful as power amplifiers at K-band frequencies.
In addition, the use of higher microwave and millimeter wave frequencies in commercial satellite, mobile communication, and consumer products has fueled the need for high efficiency, low cost MMIC amplifiers. As the need for improved performance at these high frequencies increases, traditional methods of resistively loading the devices for unconditional stability becomes too costly in terms of performance.
Thus what is needed is an unconditionally stable high frequency MMIC amplifier. What is also needed is a high-gain MMIC amplifier where stability is achieved with minimal or no resistive loading. What is also needed is a high frequency MMIC amplifier that provides unconditional stability while improving gain and efficiency without impacting dynamic range of the devices.
What is also needed is a low cost, high gain, high efficiency microwave and millimeter wave frequency power amplifier suitable for use in commercial satellite, mobile communication and consumer products.

Method of designing unit FET cells with unconditional stability


An elastomeric puncture site patch for adhering to skin and antiseptically covering the skin at an area where a sharp object such as a syringe needle or intravenous is to be inserted. The patch is comprised of an elastomeric transparent self-sealing membrane and a spacer having an aperture. The spacer has an adhesive film on the surface opposite the membrane for adhering the patch to the skin. When the patch is applied to an area of the skin, a chamber is formed between the skin and the membrane and bounded by the spacer. In use, the skin is antiseptically cleaned and the patch applied. The syringe needle or similar device punctures the membrane and the skin. At the end of the procedure the needle is withdrawn and any blood remaining on the outside of the needle or oozing from the wound is trapped in the chamber, thus preventing contamination of the area beyond the chamber. A method of manufacturing the puncture site patch is also provided.

This invention relates to an adhesive patch for use on humans or animals which is adhered to a patient's skin allowing a health care practitioner to puncture the patient's skin while minimizing the risk of contact with the patient's blood.
It is widely recognized that blood-borne pathogens are an important and serious method of transmission of infectious diseases. Health care practitioners, in particular, are in danger from such exposure because of the need to perform functions that directly expose the practitioner to blood, such as puncturing a patient's skin with a needle to make an injection or to withdraw blood. Typically, when the skin is to be punctured, the target area of the skin is wiped with a disinfectant and the needle (which may be further attached to a syringe) is injected through the skin subcutaneously or intramuscularly. After the skin has been punctured, the needle is withdrawn and a pad of gauze or cotton is placed on the puncture wound to absorb any blood which may emanate therefrom. The practitioner may come into contact with the blood at several points during this procedure, such as when the needle first punctures the skin, when the needle is removed from the skin but before the pad is positioned over the puncture wound, or after the pad is applied over the puncture site because blood may ooze from or seep through the pad.
Attempts have been made to provide a protective patch that is applied to the skin prior to the skin being punctured. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,728,071 and 5,738,641, both issued to the present applicant and incorporated herein in their entirety by reference, describe patches that adhere to the patient's skin and minimize the risk of blood contact during injections and blood withdrawal procedures, respectively. The '071 patch is a three layer system comprising a generally annular absorbent pad having a first surface to be placed against the skin of a patient around an intended injection site, a second surface opposite said first surface and a central opening; an elastomeric, self-sealing membrane through which an injection needle can penetrate, said membrane lying against said second surface and closing said central opening, said membrane, in use, being spaced from the patient's skin and forming a cavity between said membrane and said skin surrounded by said absorbent pad; and a cover layer having a central opening substantially aligned with said central opening of said pad and exposing a central portion of said membrane to identify the injection site. The '641 patch is a three layer system comprising an absorbent pad having a first surface to be placed against the skin of a patient around an intended penetration site for injection or withdrawal and a central opening; a transparent, elastomeric, self-sealing membrane through which a needle can penetrate; and a transparent cover layer having an outer surface and an adhesive surface for holding said membrane in said central opening of said pad and for adhering said patch to skin of a patient, and having a central opening substantially aligned with the central opening of said pad to expose a central portion of the membrane allowing visual identification of a selected penetration site whereby a blood vessel can be located through the membrane and cover and a needle can be passed through said membrane and the patient's skin into a vessel for injection or blood withdrawal, and whereby, after injection or withdrawal, the needle is extracted, the membrane wipes the needle and forms a cavity with the pad and the patient's skin to contain blood from the penetration site until after hemostasis. While these patches have been effective for restricting the free flow of blood when the skin is punctured, they are difficult to manufacture because of the need to carefully align the openings in the various layers. Further, the top surface layer of these patches is susceptible to degradation when wiped with an antiseptic. Therefore, each patch must be individually wrapped and sterilized and then carefully maintained sterile by the clinician while using since wiping with alcohol to maintain sterility may degrade the pad. Finally, neither patch provides a means for the blood to coagulate so a nominal risk remains that a practitioner could be exposed to blood oozing from the absorbent pad upon removing the patch from the patient.
Thus, it would be beneficial to have a protective patch for use during injections and blood withdrawal procedures that does not require complex registering of the layers, that is relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, that has a top surface that can be wiped with an antiseptic such as alcohol while using, and that may include a means for coagulating blood collected within the patch, thereby essentially eliminating the risk of unintended blood contact.


A multi-hulled vessel for upward ice-breaking is disclosed. The vessel has side hulls that are at least partially submerged while the vessel is underway. The side hulls each have a ridge on their upper surface. To break through ice at sea, the side hulls are positioned under the ice and the trim is adjusted for an upward trim angle. As the vessel moves forward, the ice is lifted and force concentrates along the ridge on the side hulls. The ice breaks along this force concentration, aided by the weight of the ice itself.

Vessels that are required to navigate through ice-covered waters are typically mono-hull designs. These mono-hull vessels are usually designed to break the ice via a downward force that is applied by a wide spoon-shaped bow. The specially-designed bow presses down on the ice to break it as the vessel moves forward.
Very few multi-hull ships, such as catamarans and SWATH craft, are capable of operating in ice. Catamarans, for example, typically have narrow hulls that cannot apply sufficient downward force to break ice. SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) vessels, which usually have two pontoon-like lower hulls that are connected to a catamaran-like upper or center hull via struts, have, with limited success, been adapted for ice-breaking operation. The adaptation is to reinforce the struts, the upper portion of the lower hulls, and the lower portion of the upper hull.
The reinforced struts of known ice-breaking-enabled SWATH vessels break ice through a crushing, compressive force. This force must be large, which requires excessive power, since ice presents great resistance to breaking under compressive force (similar to concrete).
A need remains, therefore, for a ice-breaking-enabled multi-hull ship that breaks ice in a more power-efficient manner than those of the prior art.

Multi-hull vessel adapted for ice-breaking


An encoding device includes an encoding unit and an output register downstream of the encoding unit. During a second time period, encoded output data are formed from input data fed to the encoding unit and are written into the output register. After the second time period elapses, no further data are fed to the output register, but power consumption of the output register must not alter. The encoding unit continues to generate output data until a first time period elapses. The encoding device prevents an external observer from drawing any conclusions from the power consumption of the encoding device as to the actual generating period of the encoded output data in the output register.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an encoding device.
In data transmissions between two units of a system, for example between a mobile part, such as a chip card, and a stationary part, such as a reader, it is becoming increasingly important to encode the data to be transmitted, since knowledge of the transmitted data would give a defrauder the opportunity to manipulate an operation controlled by the data transmission. An encoding operation can take place in such a way that first of all a datum is sent from one of the units to the other unit and is encoded there through the use of an encoding device. The encoded datum is then sent back from the encoding unit to the sending unit. In the sending unit, the encoded datum is then either decoded, with it being possible in such a procedure to use both symmetrical algorithms and asymmetrical algorithms, or else it is encoded in the same way as in the mobile part and is compared with the encoded datum that is received.
Although the last-mentioned method cannot be used for the transmission of any desired information, since the ultimate receiver must already know the information, it can be used in a particularly advantageous way for authentication, since the mobile part, which encodes the received datum and sends it back to the stationary part, must thereby verify that it has the correct encoding algorithm, or the correct encoding device, and can thus identify itself. In the same way, of course, an authentication of the stationary part or reader can take place, since only if the two parts have the same encoding device, or the same encoding algorithm, does the datum encoded in the two parts produce a positive match when compared.
In the case of most encoding algorithms, in which the encoded datum is decoded again in the receiver, complicated computing units are necessary, are usually formed by a microprocessor and a special coprocessor, and require a considerable computing time. Pseudo-random generators are very much more simple, although only the second method mentioned above can be carried out therewith, since the encoding of an input datum of such a pseudo-random generator can no longer be reversed and consequently only the encoding operation can be carried out in the two parts of a system and the results of the two encoding operations compared with each other.
Usually a datum to be encoded and a secret code serve as input data for an encoding device. However, in order to increase security, further data may also be used, in particular time-variable data such as counter contents, for example of an error counter. All of those input data are processed into encoded output data through the use of an algorithm to be kept secret. In that case the algorithm may be realized by hardware, as in the example of a shift register, for example by a logical combination of a number of the states existing in the shift register.
Since in any event the data are in digital form, a clock signal which synchronizes the individual operations is necessary for their encoding. A defrauder could thus attempt to draw conclusions as to the type of encoding operation from the number of pulses of the clock signal occurring in an encoding operation.


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a wafer emissivity calculated from a wafer reflectivity to calculate a wafer temperature and to calculate target values for heat source optical intensities provided to a plurality of heat sources which heat the wafer and a substrate peripheral structure.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device by using lamps to heat a wafer having semiconductor devices thereon.
2. Background Art
In an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device by using lamps to heat a wafer having semiconductor devices thereon, the lamps are placed at the backside of the wafer where the semiconductor devices are not located. At the frontside of the wafer, radiation thermometers are placed for measuring radiation emitted from the wafer (see, e.g., JP2001-274109A). The radiation intensity of radiation emitted from the wafer is measured by the radiation thermometers, and the temperature of the wafer is determined from the radiation intensity. Electric power supplied to the lamps is adjusted on the basis of this wafer temperature.
However, despite using radiation thermometers, the emissivity may be nonuniform within the wafer, or within the region including the wafer where the heating temperature should be uniform. In these cases, the temperature within the wafer becomes nonuniform, and the resulting semiconductor devices may have nonuniform characteristics within the wafer, thereby becoming a cause of decreased semiconductor device yields.

Method and apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device


A CAM system is disclosed in which requests for address translation are provided as input search data to a dynamic compare bitline generator. The dynamic compare bitline generator also receives a compare mask and applies the compare mask to associated input search data bits on a per bit basis. The mask contains information that specifies a selected page size and a selected logic mode that can be applied to a compare array in which the specified search is conducted. The compare array is coupled to a data array to which the compare array indicates a result of the search.

A content addressable memory or CAM may be viewed conceptually as a search engine that is fabricated from hardware rather than software. Software search engines, which are algorithmically based, tend to be substantially slower than hardware-based CAMs. CAMs can be formed from arrays of conventional semiconductor memory, for example, static random access memory (SRAM), together with additional comparison circuitry that enables a search operation to finish in a single system clock cycle. One routine search-intensive task that benefits significantly from CAM is the address lookup task performed in routers such as Internet routers. Other typical uses of CAM include caches such as processor caches, translation look aside buffers (TLBs), segment lookaside buffers (SLBs) used in the industry for processor memory management, effective to real address translators (ERATs), database accelerators, and data compression applications.
A conventional CAM is configured as an array of individual CAM core cells. A typical binary CAM core cell supports the storage and searching of binary bits, namely zero or one (0, 1). A single CAM cell stores a binary bit in what is referred to as a "true and complement" data form, meaning a zero will be stored in both a zero state and a complemented one state within the core cell. In contrast, a one will be stored both as a one state and a complemented zero state. Horizontal and vertical rows of NOR-based architecture CAM core cells can be configured to form a large CAM array. In such an array, the CAM size is described first by the number of horizontal cells which is also called the word size. And second, the CAM size is described by the vertical cell count which corresponds to the number of words stored and available during a compare operation. In a compare operation, input data is simultaneously compared against each word stored in the CAM.
CAM core cells include both storage and comparison circuitry. Search lines runs vertically through the CAM cell and broadcast the search data to all CAM cells at the same time. Match lines run horizontally across the array and indicate whether or not the search data matches a particular row's word. In more detail, an activated match line (an active high logic state) indicates a match and a deactivated match line (a low logic state) indicates a mismatch for a particular word corresponding to that match line. These match lines which describe the output of the CAM array are typically coupled to memory devices such as SRAMs or dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) to provide the actual output match data.
A CAM search operation begins with precharging all match lines high, thus placing all match lines temporarily in the match state. Next, the search lines broadcast the search data in binary vertically simultaneously across all words of the array. Next, each CAM core cell compares its stored single binary data against the bit on its corresponding search lines. Cells with matching data do not affect the corresponding word's match line, but cells with a mismatch pull down the corresponding word's match line. The aggregate result is that the match line of any word having at least one bit mismatch is pulled low. All other match lines remain activated (precharged high). Usually almost all match lines are driven low thus indicating mismatches for the words corresponding to those match lines. Typically, one or a small number of match lines will remain high to indicate a matching word or words. Finally, the match lines that remain high, indicating a match, are used as the input to an address lookup memory that is coupled to the CAM. The data thus addressed in the address lookup memory is then read from the address lookup memory as output data to provide the ultimate result of the search.
CAM structures typically match a given input data pattern against all bits of all words or entries to determine a match. However, in some circumstances, it is desirable to match on different subsets of bits per word, instead of all bits of the word. In this situation a compare mask can be used to provide compares on subsets of bits per word or to provide bitwise compares. By masking against each individual bit of the input data, any specific bit or collection of bits of the word data may be compared or masked out and ignored as desired.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for selecting the operating characteristics of a CAM.

Method and apparatus for selecting operating characteristics of a content addressable memory by using a compare mask

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and a system for discovering knowledge from text documents are disclosed, which involve extracting from text documents semi-structured meta-data, wherein the semi-structured meta-data includes a plurality of entities and a plurality of relations between the entities; identifying from the semi-structured meta-data a plurality of key entities and a corresponding plurality of key relations; deriving from a domain knowledge base a plurality of attributes relating to each of the plurality of entities relating to one of the plurality of key entities for forming a plurality of pairs of key entity and a plurality of attributes related thereto; formulating a plurality of patterns, each of the plurality of patterns relating to one of the plurality of pairs of key entity and a plurality of attributes related thereto; analyzing the plurality of patterns using an associative discoverer; and interpreting the output of the associative discoverer for discovering knowledge.

Due to the recent advancement of information technology and the growing popularity of the Internet, a vast amount of information is now available in digital form in both the Internet and the Intranet environments. Such availability of information has provided many opportunities. In the commercial world for example, online information is an advantageous source of business intelligence that is crucial to a company's survival and adaptability in a highly competitive environment. Unfortunately, a user in this situation is usually faced with too much information and too little knowledge that is useful or actionable knowledge. The processes of extracting and discovering knowledge, or knowledge extraction and discovery, from text documents or the like textual data are thus very important tasks of considerable application potential and impact.
Conventional methods and systems of knowledge extraction and discovery from text documents typically focus on the extraction of information or meta-data from free-text documents. Meta-data, which are condensed and typically semi-structured representations of text content, can be considered as the raw form of knowledge and are essentially facts specified in the text documents. Meta-data do not include knowledge that is not mentioned explicitly in the text. In addition, there is usually too much information extracted by the conventional methods and systems and it is a painstaking process for a user to organize and discover wisdom from the extracted information.
Specifically, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,088 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,335, both entitled "Information Extraction System and Method using Concept-Relation-Concept (CRC) Triples" by Paik et al, systems are proposed for building subject knowledge bases in the form of Concept-Relation-Concept (CRC) triples from text documents. The systems can acquire new knowledge by automatically identifying new names, events, or concepts from text documents.
In International Patent Publication No. WO 01/01289 entitled "Semantic Processor and Method with Knowledge Analysis of And Extraction from Natural Language Documents" by Tsourikov et al, the use of natural language processing methods are proposed for the extraction of Subject-Action-Object (SAO) tuples from text documents upon a user request. The methods further include normalization and organization of SAO triplets into Problem Folders with Action-Object (AO) portions as the name of the folders containing a list of subjects. In International Patent Publication No. WO 01/82122 entitled "Expanded Search and Display of SAO Knowledge Based Information" by Tsourikov et al, the methods proposed by Tsourikov et al in WO 01/01289 are extended by proposing methods for normalizing SAO triplets through paraphrasing AOs.
A critical problem associated with the foregoing proposals lies in the common and attendant inability of the proposed systems and methods to derive new or hidden knowledge from text documents that is often the critical differentiating factor in gaining an edge over competitors.
There is therefore a need for a method and a system for knowledge extraction and discovery from text documents for addressing such a problem.

Method and system for discovering knowledge from text documents using associating between concepts and sub-concepts

Agency for Science, Technology and Research


An information generating apparatus by which selected code information is generated with a color that is different from that of other code information so as to highlight the selected code information. The apparatus includes a receiver which receives a group of code information, a selector which selects a desired piece of code information included in the code information group, and a detector which detects consumption amounts of coloring materials used when reproducing the code information group. The apparatus further includes a controller which controls operations so as to generate the selected code information by a color different from the color of the other code information when reproducing the code information group.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a printer having a dumping function to generate control codes which are sent from a host computer.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, when a control program for a print control is developed, there is a dumping function to print a control instruction which is sent from a host computer as a function which is used on the printer side in order to support the control program. By using the above function, not only it is easier to debug the print control program, also it is easier to detect an error of a communication system when data is transferred from the host computer to the printer side. An evaluation of the control program can also be easily obtained from a third party. By performing the evaluation, the reliability of a printer system is improved, and an unnecessary decrease in processing speed by the non-efficient print control process is avoided, thereby establishing an efficient print processing system.
In the recent printers, however, the number of different kinds of control commands exceeds 100 kinds, corresponding to an increase in printer functions. The contents of the control commands are also fairly complicated. Therefore, the program itself to control the printer is very complicated. Although the dumping function is a convenient function, a great amount of labor is required simply to analyze the enormous dump lists that are generated. For instance, when trying to determine where in data a print position designating instruction has been sent, it is difficult to search for such a position unless there is a mark.
When a great number of dump lists are generated, large quantities of print materials such as inks, toners, or the like are consumed, so that there is also a case where troubles occur when printing data.


A sealed case comprises a communication hole in an outer wall of the case for communicating the inside and outside of the case, and the communication hole is closed by a seal element comprising a highly restorable elastic element having airtightness.

This application is based on and claims priority from Japanese Application No. HEI 3-88873 filed Oct. 3, 1991, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a sealed case which protects an inside of the case from the outside environment, such as a waterproof case of an apparatus which needs a waterproof and dampproof structure.
One example of a sealed case is an exterior case of a camera which has a waterproof and dampproof structure. Such a sealed case has to be inspected for airtightness. For example, it has been known to measure a pressure change on the inside of the case as a method of inspection. That is, a communication hole is provided in advance through an outer wall between the inside and the outside of the case, and a change in the pressure of the inside is measured by a barometer after taking air from or sending compressed air into the inside of the case. At this time, if the air leaks from unexpected holes or spaces so that the case is incompletely sealed, the pressure of the inside of the case gradually approaches the pressure of the atmosphere. Thus, the airtightness is inspected by detecting the presence or absence of the pressure change.
With respect to the conventional sealed cases, one type uses as the communication hole an opening provided for other purposes which is opened or closed by a kind of cap such as a dry cell cover, and another type uses a communication hole provided exclusively for the airtightness inspection, which is opened or closed by a cap.
However, the conventional sealed cases have the following problems. The cap opening or closing the hole for the inspection cannot be inspected itself for airtightness. Also, the cap has to be taken off and put on before and after the inspection. Still further, connection means for connecting the hole and a tube are needed to take out or send the air, and the connection means must avoid leaking air from a connecting portion.


A touch probe comprises a stylus-supporting member kinematically supported with respect to a housing at six points of contact between the stylus-supporting member and the housing. At each of these points of contact a conducting surface on the stylus-supporting member abuts a conducting surface on the housing. Each of the contacts are included in an electrical circuit. The conducting material of each of the conducting surfaces comprises a material having a resistivity of less than 8 .mu..OMEGA.cm and a melting voltage of at least 0.7 volts. A material having these properties is less susceptible to physical degradation than prior art materials used in such a probe. In a preferred embodiment the conducting material of each of the conducting surfaces is made of pure tungsten.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a touch probe, used on a coordinate positioning machine to determine contact between a stylus and a surface. In particular, the invention relates to an electro-mechanical contact used in such a probe, and to materials used to form such a contact.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Existing known touch probes provide a fixed structure by which the probe is supported on the movable arm of the machine on which the probe is to be used, and a stylus supporting member supported on the fixed structure at a number of locations in a mechanically repeatable rest position, out of which the stylus-supporting member may be deflected when a deflecting force is applied thereto, and to which it may return when the force is removed. At each of these locations, a surface provided on the stylus-supporting member abuts a corresponding surface provided on the fixed structure. Contact between a stylus carried b the stylus-supporting member and a surface whose position is to be measured causes movement of the stylus-supporting member out of the rest position. Such contact may thus be determined by examining the electrical resistance of the contacts between corresponding surfaces on the fixed structure and stylus-supporting member. These contacts are known as electro-mechanical contacts. Probe which employ electro-mechanical contacts are known, and are described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,998.
The basic requirements for an electro-mechanical contact in such probes are best illustrated with reference to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, which shows a conducting sphere 10 resting on a conducting plane surface 12, and an electrical circuit 14 of which the sphere 10 and the plane surface 12 form a part. One requirement of an electro-mechanical contact is that the sphere 10 may be removed and replaced repeatedly upon the surface 12, and that both before and after a cycle of removing and replacing the sphere 10 on the surface 12, the center O of the sphere 10 should lie at a distance h above the surface 12. This requirement is known as mechanical repeatability i.e. that the mechanical relationship between the sphere 10 and the surface 12 is repeatable (in respect of the distance h) over a large number of cycles of breaking and re-seating of the mechanical contact. Another requirement of an electro-mechanical contact relates to the changes in electrical resistance which occur in the circuit 14 as a result of breaking and re-seating of the contact. More specifically, it is a requirement that the characteristic changes in resistance which occur during a breaking and re-seating cycle are the same over a large number of cycles, such that during breaking of the contact, a given value of resistance repeatedly corresponds to a given distance of the center O of the sphere 10 from the surface 12. This is known as electrical repeatability.
In the above described probe, electronic detection circuitry associated with the probe emits a trigger signal when the resistance of a pair of contacting surfaces reaches a pre-determined threshold (the probe is thus sometimes known as a touch-trigger probe). Emission of this trigger signal indicates contact between a stylus supported by the probe and a workpiece whose surface is to be measured. (N. B. the signal is sent to the control of the machine, and is used by the machine to determine the position of the movable arm and thus the position of the surface). Similarly, a reduction in the value of resistance of the contact to a resistance value below the pre-determined threshold indicates that the stylus supporting member has returned to its rest position with respect to the fixed structure (which is essential for a probe of this type).
The choice of a material for an electro-mechanical contact in a touch trigger probe has in the past been governed by the perceived requirements for the material to have the maximum possible hardness with a smooth surface finish, while simultaneously being a conducting material. The hardness and surface finish requirements were chosen to provide good mechanical repeatability of the stylus-supporting member (the smooth surface finish aiding this by reducing friction), and resistance to physical damage of the contacts, thus prolonging the useful life of the probe. Known such touch-trigger probes employ tungsten carbide having a cobalt binder. In order to prevent oxidation of the contacts during operation, the contacts are coated in oil.
A long standing problem with known touch-trigger probes, which occurs after a relatively large number of unseating and re-seating cycles of the stylus supporting member with respect to the fixed structure, is that the resistance of one or more of the contacts fails to drop below the predetermined threshold which signals re-seating of the stylus supporting member in the fixed structure. This phenomenon is known as "re-seat failure".
It has been postulated that this failure to re-seat is a mechanical phenomenon due to friction at one or more of the contacts, acting to prevent re-seating of one or more of the other contacts. In an effort to overcome this perceived problem, methods of operating the machine on which the probe in question was used have been proposed which effectively "tap" the stylus supporting member to attempt to cause it to return to its rest position (see e.g. GB 2070249 and U.S. 4815214). A further mechanical reason advanced for re-seat failure suggested that a small scale mechanical shift between the contact surfaces, from one cycle of unseating and re-seating to another, led to a change in the material providing the contact area between the contact surfaces. For example such a mechanical "shift" might result in the material of the contact area of one of the surfaces changing from being provided by the binder material of the tungsten carbide, to a "carbide particle", with a consequential change in resistance (see for example GB 2145523).
GB 2145523 also postulates that a re-seat failure is sometimes the result of oxidation layers forming over the tungsten carbide contacts during the operating life of the probe.
The disclosure of GB 2145523 proposes, as a solution to both perceived problems (i.e. mechanical shift of the contact surfaces and generation of an oxidation layer), the coating of the contact surfaces with a coating of titanium carbide or titanium nitride. Such coatings were thought to provide improved mechanical repeatability due to the higher hardness of the coating material, while the electrical resistance characteristics of the contacts were thought to be improved by an apparent homogeneity of the coating material.
None of the above prior art solutions have been found to be satisfactory. Methods providing mechanical disturbance to the contacts, while they overcome some individual instances of re-seat failure, have not provided a solution which prevents such a re-seat failure in the first place. Attempts to cure the perceived problem of oxidation by coating the contact surfaces with oil have also failed to solve the problem of the re-seat failure. We have found titanium nitride or titanium carbide coatings to be unsatisfactory because they provide poor mechanical repeatability, the resistivity of the coating is too high, and the coatings have a tendency to flake off during operation of the probe.


A pair of eyeglasses comprise a temple, and a connecting member; the connecting member is pivoted to a connecting end of the temple; the connecting end has notches on a lateral side; the connecting member is pivoted to a connecting end of the rim; the connecting member has inner and outer lateral wall portions, and a hollowness between the lateral wall portions; the outer lateral wall portion has toothed parts; the temple is fitted in the hollowness, and pivoted to the lateral wall portions of the connecting member with the toothed parts of the connecting member fitting on the notches for the temple to grip the connecting member after the rim is pivoted up and down relative to the temple together with the connecting member; the temple has a stopping part, and the connecting member has a stopping block in the hollowness to work with the stopping part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pair of liftable eyeglasses, more particularly one, which allows the wearer to pivot the rim upwards relative to the temple to a not-in-use position if he/she doesn't want to look through the eyeglasses temporarily.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a kind of currently existing eyeglasses comprise a connecting member 91, a temple 92, and a rim 93.
The connecting member 91 has an end portion 911, and a lateral arm portion 913 extending from the end portion 911. The end portion 911 has a connecting hole 912, and several notches 915 thereon. The lateral arm portion 913 has a protruding portion 914 on a lateral side thereof.
The rim 93 has a holding space 931 in one end, and through holes 932 above and under the holding space 931. The connecting member 91 is received in the hollowness 931 of the rim 93 at the end portion 911, and pivoted to rim 93 by means of a threaded element 4, which is passed through the through holes 932 as well as the connecting hole 912 of the connecting member 91.
The temple 92 has a front hollow fitting portion 921, a lateral through hole 922 communicating with the front hollow fitting portion 921, and a toothed part 923 on a front end. The connecting member 91 is passed into the front hollow fitting portion 921 of the temple 92 at the lateral arm portion 913, with the protruding portion 914 being fitted in the lateral through hole 922, and with the toothed part 923 fitting on the notches 915. Therefore, the rim 93 together with the connecting member 91 can be pivoted relative to the temple 92 to adjust position.
Although the wearer is allowed to pivot the rim up and down relative to the temple to adjust the rim to a desirable position, he will have to take off the eyeglasses, and hold them or put them in a proper place if he doesn't want to look through the eyeglasses temporarily. Therefore, the eyeglasses aren't convenient to use.


Embodiments relate to systems and methods for generating generating a rapidly rotatable dimensional view of data objects. A modeling client can host modeling logic and an application programming interface (API) to create, access, manipulate, and import/export modeling objects used in modeling applications, such as engineering, medical, financial, and other modeling platforms. The source data accepted into the modeling client can include consumer or business-level applications, whose spreadsheet, database or other content can be extracted and encapsulated in object-oriented format, such as extensible markup language (XML) format. A set of dimensions of each model object can be associated via a set of linkages. A rotator widget or other interface object can be presented to allow a user to traverse the linkages and rapidly rotate through dimensions in a view, without having to manually switch or configure planes or other database dimensions, enhancing viewing efficiency of large layers.

A spectrum of modeling platforms and options exist today for engineers, managers, developers and other professionals. In the case of engineering, medical, technical, financial, and other advanced modeling resources, a range of platforms are available for users interested in setting up, running and maintaining financial modeling systems. For example, organizations interested in relatively sophisticated modeling applications, such as geophysical models for detecting oil reserves or other geologic features or equity market analysis based on Black-Sholes option pricing models, a company or other organization may choose to install advanced modeling software on mainframe-class computers to run those classes of models and obtain various projections, reports, and other results. Such mainframe platform, data center and related installations, however, can involve costs on the order of millions of dollars or more, and may require the full time attention of highly skilled professionals, including programmers and managers with advanced training. As a consequence, putting a mainframe-based modeling operation into place may not be practical or possible for many organizations or users.
On the other end of the spectrum, managers, engineers and others may employ widely available entry-level applications to capture operational data and attempt to develop predictive models for engineering, financial, medical, and other applications. That class of applications can include, for example, consumer or business-level spreadsheet, database, or data visualization programs for technical, financial, and other purposes. For instance, a manager of a manufacturing facility may use a commercially available spreadsheet application to enter production numbers, schedules, and other details of that site. However, attempting to extract useful modeling outputs from those classes of applications can be difficult or impossible. For one, spreadsheet, database, and other widely available applications are typically built to produce reports based on already existing data, but not to generate modeling outputs or objects that represent predictive outputs or scenarios. For another, existing spreadsheet, database, and other applications typically involve limitations on cell size, number of dimensions, overall storage capacity, and other program parameters which, in the case of large-scale modeling operations, may be insufficient to operate on the data sets necessary to produce and run meaningful models. For another, the data structures and outputs of existing spreadsheet, database and other entry-level or commonly available applications are typically arranged in proprietary format, rather than a widely interoperable object-based or other universal format. As still another drawback, the cells, rows, columns, and other data elements within commonly available spreadsheets, databases, and other entry-level programs cannot be extracted as separate units and exported to other modeling or analytic tools.
In further regards, conventional tools fail to permit a user to easily manipulate views of multi-dimensional data objects, such as data cubes arranged in rows, columns, and depth planes. In three-dimensional cubes or higher-order hypercubes, different the data object can be stored in a fixed or predetermined format, with defined rows, columns, and/or other dimensions in a prescribed order. A user who wishes to change the order of various dimension, pivot those dimensions from one line to another, or perform other manipulations on the source data may only be able to do so, by manually re-defining the attributes of different dimensions. Rotating or otherwise manipulating the dimensions of a large-scale data object, such as a data object representing a large-scale and/or long-running modeling operating, may therefore become cumbersome and prone to error.
In short, the use of conventional spreadsheet, database, and other consumer or business-level applications to conduct modeling operations involves significant shortcomings, due in part to the fact that those classes of platforms are not designed to reliable handle modeling functionality. At present, therefore, a manager, developer, engineer, or other professional or user with modeling requirements is faced with a choice between installing a large and expensive mainframe-based solution with its attendant infrastructure, a spreadsheet or database-based entry level solution with its attendant limitations on power and data handling, or a combination of those two types of platforms. It may be desirable to provide object-based or object-compatible modeling platforms capable of generating a rapidly rotatable dimensional view of data objects, permitting rapid pivoting, rotation, and transition of the dimensions of a model object.

Generating rapidly rotatable dimensional view of data objects