Provide are beneficial bacteria that can be beneficially applied across a wide range of age groups and a composition containing the same. Bifidobacterium longum subspecies longum NITE BP-02568 and/or Bifidobacterium longum subspecies longum NITE BP-02569; and Bifidobacterium longum subspecies longum, having utilization ability for 2′-fucosyllactose are also provided. More preferably, bacteria having utilization ability for carbohydrates arabinoxylan, arabinan, and pectic galactan; and a composition containing the bacteria are also provided. More preferably, a composition containing 2′-fucosyllactose are also provided. More preferably, a composition containing at least one carbohydrate selected from the group consisting of arabinoxylan, arabinan, pectic galactan, and oligosaccharides derived therefrom or containing at least a carbohydrate derived from a gramineous plant or a carbohydrate derived from a solanaceous plant are also provided.

In recent years, there has been a surge of research on probiotics, in which microorganisms with beneficial effects on animals (beneficial bacteria) are actively ingested to regulate the intestinal environment, thereby suppressing the onset of diseases and promoting the health. Probiotics can also be used in conjunction with prebiotics, which help the growth of beneficial bacteria. "Probiotics" refers to bacteria that beneficially work in the intestine, while "prebiotics" refers to substances that serve as selective nutrient sources for such beneficial bacteria and promote their growth. It is known that prebiotics have beneficial effects on human health, such as lactic acid bacteria/bifidobacteria growth promoting action, intestinal regulation action, and preventing/alleviating action against inflammatory bowel diseases.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a lactic acid bacteria growth promoter characterized by having an average molecular weight of 10,000 to 300,000 and containing an agar with the reducing sugar amount adjusted to 0.12 to 2.0.
Thus, intensive research has been conducted on probiotics and prebiotics.

Bifidobacterium bacteria and composition including novel bifidobacterium bacteria


A cooker includes a cooking chamber having a first end and a second opposite end. A firepot is located at the bottom of the cooking chamber near the first end. The firepot receives and burns fuel to heat the cooking chamber. An exhaust stack is mounted near the second end of the cooking chamber. A heat management plate divides the cooking chamber into a lower fire pit portion and an upper cooking portion. The heat plate has an array of hot gas convection openings that extend between a first location which is spaced away from the firewall and a second location that is adjacent to the stack wall. The open area presented by the openings increases between the first location and the second location. An optional adjustable gate may also be present in the heat management plate between the firewall and the first location.

It is advantageous to maintain generally uniform temperatures across a cooking chamber in a wood pellet fired outdoor cooker. Wood pellet fired outdoor cookers typically include a cooking chamber which extends between a fire wall and an opposite stack wall. Uniform temperatures may be difficult to maintain within a cooking chamber because, typically, the firepot, where wood pellets are received and burned to generate heat for the cooker, is located adjacent to the fire wall. Because of the firepot location, temperatures in the cooking chamber tend to be higher near the firepot and lower near the stack wall. Accordingly, what is needed is an improved outdoor cooker which tends to equalize the cooking chamber temperature between the fire wall and the stack wall.

Outdoor cooker with a heat management plate


Payload customers for the Space Shuttle have recently expressed concerns about the possibility of their payloads at an adjacent pad being contaminated by plume effluents from a shuttle at an active pad as they await launch on an inactive pad. As part of a study to satisfy such concerns a ring of inexpensive dosimeters was deployed around the active pad at the inter-pad distance. However, following a launch, dosimeters cannot be read for several hours after the exposure. As a consequence factors such as different substrates, solvent systems, and possible volatilization of HCl from the badges were studied. This observation led to the length of stain (LOS) dosimeters of this invention. Commercial passive LOS dosimeters are sensitive only to the extent of being capable of sensing 2 ppm to 20 ppm if the exposure is 8 hours. To map and quantitate the HCl generated by Shuttle launches, and in the atmosphere within a radius of 1.5 miles from the active pad, a sensitivity of 2 ppm HCl in the atmospheric gases on an exposure of 5 minutes is required. A passive length of stain dosimeter has been developed having a sensitivity rendering it capable of detecting a gas in a concentration as low as 2 ppm on an exposure of five minutes.

This invention, in one of its aspects, pertains to the detection or measurement of hydrogen chloride gas in areas around Space Shuttle launch pads. In another of its aspects the invention relates to a length of stain dosimeter sufficiently sensitive and accurate to measure such gases, even after several hours have elapsed.
Payload customers for the Space Shuttle have recently expressed concerns about the possibility of their payloads at an adjacent pad being contaminated by plume effluents from a shuttle at an active pad as they await launch on an inactive pad. As part of a study to satisfy such concerns a ring of inexpensive dosimeters was deployed around the active pad at the inter-pad distance. Coupled with active measurements of the HCl intrusion through the air handling system on the active pad, it would then be possible to model the expected HCl concentrations at the inactive pad inside the PCR should the plume pass directly over an inactive pad during a future launch.
Initial studies involved the use of paper badge type dosimeters based on modifications of hydrazine-vanillin and bromophenol blue indicators. It was found that rapid fading of the color developed by these systems made their use difficult if not impossible. Following a launch, dosimeters cannot be read for several hours after the exposure. With the date for deployment approaching it was decided to look at the factors affecting fading in such passive dosimeters.
Factors such as different substrates, solvent systems, and possible volatilization of HCl from the badges were studied. Since interaction of the substrate with the dye formulation could be most quickly seen by dropping 100 .mu.l of the dye (indicator reagent) test solution onto a horizontally suspended substrate and watching for color changes at the edge of the spreading drop, this method was employed. Many papers were found to be basic or acidic by using acid or base forms of bromophenol blue (BPB) dye. Even "Chromo 1" (a high purity paper used in paper chromatography) and silica gel thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates exhibited rapid fading of the developed color unless very heavy acid exposures were used. Only when Teflon and glass disks were used could light exposure colors be retained. This observation led to the length of stain (LOS) dosimeters of this invention.
Length of stain dosimeters are known in the art, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,348,358, 4,489,164, 4,904,449, 4,913,882 and 4,963,324. Of these U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,358 is of interest herein. That patent relates to a length of stain (LOS) dosimeter having a detecting strip disposed in a tube with at least one of its sides spaced from the tube along a substantial portion of the length of the strip. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,358 is generally directed to porous detecting strips, such as filter paper, blotting paper, felt, cloth and wicks, although incidentally mentioned are nonporous strips of glass rods, glass and plastics. The nonporous strips are thus equated with the porous strips with no obvious advantages. Tube sizes and strip sizes are also mentioned, but no characteristics or teachings are given leading to their application or implementation.
Commercial passive LOS dosimeters are sensitive only to the extent of being capable of sensing 2 ppm to 20 ppm if the exposure is 8 hours. U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,358, which shows 5 ppm to 25 ppm over an 8 hour period is within this commercial sensitivity range.
To map and quantitate the HCl generated by Shuttle launches, and in the atmosphere within a radius of 1.5 miles from the active pad, a sensitivity of 2 ppm HCl in the atmospheric gases on an exposure of 5 minutes is required. Translating these values into ppm minutes (ppm X minutes), the only dosimeters known are those having sensitivities in the range or 2 ppm to 20 ppm over an eight hour period (960 ppm min to 9600 ppm min), whereas the dosimeter required in launch areas must have a sensitivity of 10 ppm min. Such a dosimeter is provided herein.

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A screen cover temporarily protects the screen of flat panel monitors. The screen cover generally includes a planar screen shield, which may be positioned in front of the monitor screen, and a plurality of elongated retention arms that are moveable between releasing and secured positions, which engage a rear surface of the monitor. The retention arms may include one or more articulating joints that employ springs to bias the retention arms toward a secured position. Some of the retention arms may extend from corner covers that removably receive corner portions of the shield. Springs may be slidably coupled with the corner covers to removably secure the corner covers with the shield under tension.

Flat panel monitors have become ubiquitous, providing users with video displays that are lighter and much thinner than traditional monitors such as cathode ray tubes (CRTs). Oftentimes, flat panel monitors are less than 4 inches thick, which can be as much as six or more times as thin as traditional monitors of various sizes. Examples of flat panel monitors include, plasma displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light-emitting diode displays (OLEDs), light-emitting diode displays (LEDs), electroluminescent displays (ELDs), and the like. While some forms of flat panel monitors are found within various portable devices such as laptops, cellular phones, and digital cameras, larger flat panel monitors have become mainstream in home theaters, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens.
Flat panel monitors have traditionally been sold at prices that exceed alternative monitors, such as CRTs. Accordingly, great care is taken when shipping and storing flat panel monitors. Commonly, layers of bubble-wrap, paper, and/or polystyrene have been positioned around the flat panel monitors before they are placed in one or more cardboard boxes. However, once the flat panel monitor is placed in use, such packing materials are seldom if ever kept by the owner. Such materials may be difficult to obtain or effectively apply to the flat panel monitors when available. Moreover, such materials may be cumbersome to remove from the flat panel monitors and leave the user with a pile of excess waste materials for disposal. Therefore, moving the flat panel monitor to a new location, whether it is from one room to another or from one state to another, has presented a number of challenges in effectively protecting the monitor screen from unintentional scratches or impacts.
When flat panel monitors are placed in service, their flat screens tend to effectively reflect light being emitted from external sources. Such light manifests itself in the form of annoying glare and image reflections that make it difficult for users to clearly view images being displayed on the flat panel monitor. Effective, removable, anti-glare shields have not been heretofore provided for use with flat panel monitors, let alone an anti-glare shield that may be used to protect the screen from damage.

System and method for covering a monitor screen


An identity security system (10) that reduces the likelihood of identity theft and fraud includes a central system (12) and a portable wireless device (15). The central system (12) stores personal data of a party including information regarding one or more payment cards of the party, one or more bank accounts of the party, driver license data of the party, and/or other identification data of the party. The wireless device (15) electronically connects to the central system (12). With the present system, using the wireless device (15), the party can pay for a transaction using the one or more of the payment cards, cause funds to be transferred to or from the bank accounts and/or provide identifying data if necessary.

People usually carry with them a wallet containing a driver license. A typical driver license provides the name, the date of birth, the address, the signature, and the license number of the driver. Some states use the social security number as the driver license number. Additionally, the wallet can contain money, checks, and/or one or more types of payment cards. The payment cards may be charge cards, debit cards, check cards, and merchant cards specific to a merchant. Typically, these payment cards include the customer name, card number, expiration date and a magnetic strip with the same information. Most payment cards also require a specimen of the signature of the person on the back of the payment card. The wallet may also contain other items that contain personal data, such as sales receipts, telephone numbers of friends or other information.
If the wallet is lost, information of the person, including the name, address, driver license number, signature, payment card numbers and their expiration data may fall in the wrong hands and is subject to abuse such as misuse of the identity information, identity theft, fraudulent use of the payment cards and so on.
Alternately, when the person uses one of the payment cards for a payment transaction, the payment card is physically provided to the employee of the merchant to use the payment card to process a payment transaction and generate a paper transaction slip for the customer to sign. The paper transaction slip contains customer name, card number, expiration date and customer signature. If the customer copy of card transaction slip is carelessly discarded, it may fall in the wrong hand, raising the possibility of misuse of the data and identity theft.
Still alternately, when a person uses a check to make a payment to another, the check can disclose personal information of the person including the name, address, checking account number and the bank where the checking account is maintained.
Further, when a person pays a merchant for a purchase, via telephone, the person again must divulge to the employee of the merchant, their name, address and card number. Thus, the customer has to reveal personal information to the employee of the merchant in the course of the remote payment. Unfortunately, the employee of the merchant employee may be a dishonest person that misuses the information or an imposter.
There are many other ways where a person's personal information may be compromised. For example, the person can be careless in discarding transaction receipts and other personal data. Alternately, a sophisticated thief using guise and deception may be successful in stealing personal data information.
In light of the above, there is a need for an apparatus and method that enhances identity security and facilitates payment without providing information from payment cards, or other personal data. Further, there is a need for an apparatus and method for reducing the likelihood of theft of personal data and/or the misuse of personal data.

Method and apparatus for an integrated identity security and payment system


The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for encoding or decoding a video signal. The method for processing a video signal according to the present invention uses a merging mode in which prediction information on a neighbor unit is used instead of transmitting prediction information on the present unit, so as to improve coding efficiency. In this case, the number of available candidate units for merging among the units in a predetermined position is determined, and information for the merging mode is acquired on the basis of the number of the available candidate units for merging. The unit to be merged is determined using the information for the merging mode, and prediction information on the unit to be merged is acquired. The prediction value for the present unit is acquired using the prediction information on the unit to be merged, and the present unit is restored using the acquired prediction value.

Compression encoding refers to a signal processing technology for transmitting digitized information through a communication line or storing such information in a form which is appropriate for a storage medium. Voices, images, letters, etc. may be compression-encoded, and particularly a technology for performing compression encoding of images is called video image compression. Compression encoding of a video signal may be performed by removing surplus information in consideration of spatial correlation, temporal correlation, probabilistic correlation, etc. However, with recent development of various media and data transmission media, there is a need for a high efficiency video signal processing method and apparatus.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for processing a video signal


An unsealing structure for packing films that are difficult to rip to pack merchandise is disclosed, where the films can be easily ripped by stripping a tag label. A tearing line 2 is formed in the surface of the film 1 of the film package by hot shearing. A cutout 3 communicates with the tearing line 2 to assist in unsealing the film package. A tag label 4 is affixed to the film 1 and covers the tearing line 2 and the cutout 3.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an unsealing structure for shrink film sealed packages within which a piece of merchandise is enclosed by a film and a tag seal is affixed to the outer surface of the film.
2. Description of Prior Art
Measures for unsealing a shrink film sealed package within which a piece of merchandise is enclosed by a shrink film has been disclosed in the Japanese Publication Gazette JITSU KOU HEI No. 1-34215 entitled "STRUCTURE FOR PREVENTING RELABELING OF A TAG LABEL AFFIXED TO PACKAGES". In the above publication, a tearing line is formed beforehand in a certain portion of the film, and a tag label such as a bar code is affixed thereto. If the tag label is stripped off, then the portion of the film near the tearing line will remain adhered to the tag label and the film of the package will be easily ripped beginning along the tearing line. The above unsealing structure is well known and often used in packages of instant cup noodles, where polyvinyl resins are chosen as the material to comprise shrink films for ease of ripping.
However, some polyvinyl resins produce poisonous substances when they are burned. For the sake of protecting the clean environment, it is preferable to use polyethylene films.
However, polyethylene film possesses very good extendibility, even in the case having the above unsealing structure, the portion of the film near the tearing line extends only when it is desired to rip the film of the package along the tearing line. Thus, it is difficult to rip the film of the package along the tearing line occasionally.
Especially, in the case of packing semiconductor wafers by utilizing films which are thicker than those with very small thickness and used in the package of instant cup noodles, it is quite difficult to rip the polyethylene film of the package along the tearing line.

Unsealing structure with cut out for shrink film sealed packages


A syringe includes a plunger and a spring embedded in a viscoelastic material. Expansion of the spring and the viscoelastic material applies a force on the plunger to move the plunger distally in the syringe.

Syringes for dispensing medical materials, such as used with hypodermic needles and the like, typically have a plunger that slides in a cylindrical housing. The plunger may be pushed by hand to force material out through the needle tip.
In other applications, the syringe may form part of a pumping system. Conventional syringe pumps are typically employed with either a syringe or a vial and plunger system for administering a liquid to a patient. In such conventional systems, a syringe or vial of the liquid is oriented vertically in a fixed position on the syringe pump. The bottom of the syringe or vial defines a discharge port connected to a flexible, hollow tubing which extends to the patient. The plunger or piston of the apparatus is engaged with the moving pusher plate or drive member of the syringe pump and is driven downwardly into the syringe body or vial to force the liquid agent from the syringe body or vial through the tubing and into the patient.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,088,105 describes a syringe pump with a syringe including a plunger that slides in a body which has a discharge port. A driving mechanism is coupled to the syringe, including a cylinder in which a piston mounted on a shaft slides. A biasing device applies an urging force on the piston to drive the piston distally in the cylinder. A safety catch initially prevents the biasing device from moving the piston. The safety catch is removable to permit the biasing device to move the piston. The system uses a mechanical spring mechanism connected to a dashpot in order to produce the linear displacement of the syringe.


A micro-mechanical actuator is disclosed for actuating an object in a micro-electro-mechanical system. One end of the object is flexibly connected a substrate, and another end is flexibly connected to an auxiliary lever which is further connected to an actuating force generator. The auxiliary lever receives an actuating force generated from the actuating force generator to perform a levering operation about a fulcrum. The position of the fulcrum allows an portion of the auxiliary lever connected to the object has a shift larger than a shift of another portion of the auxiliary lever connected to the actuating force generator in response to the actuating force.

The present invention relates to a micro-mechanical actuator, and more particularly to a micro-mechanical actuator for moving a micro-element in a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS).
A micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) pertains to a technique analogous to a semiconductor manufacturing process to produce a tiny and actuated mechanical element. A micro-mechanical actuator utilizing an electrostatic force as the actuating power has various applications. A conventional micro-mechanical actuator is schematically shown in FIGS. 1Axcx9c1C wherein FIGS. 1B and 1C are cross sectional views taken along the line A-Axe2x80x2 of FIG. 1A. In the left portion of the figure, an object 11 supported by anchors 101 is to be actuated to move up and down, and in the right portion, another object 12 supported by anchors 102 is to be actuated to rotate with a shaft 121. For each of the objects 11 and 12, the object itself functions as an electrode which interacts with another electrode 131 or 132 formed on the substrate 14 to control the movement or the rotation of the object 11 or 12, as shown in FIG. 1B. The interaction between the object electrode 11 or 12 and the electrode 131 or 132 is generated due to the electrostatic force therebetween. Owing to the electrostatic attracting force, the top electrode 11 moves toward the bottom electrode 131 as indicated by the arrow B so as to reduce the size of the gap therebetween, as shown in the left portion of FIG. 1C. On the other hand, for the right portion of FIG. 1C, the top electrode 12 moves toward one of the bottom electrodes 132 so as to rotate in a direction indicated by the arrow C.
For the conventional micro-mechanical actuator mentioned as above, the rotation angle is confined within a small range if the gap d is made small. On the contrary, if the gap d is made large, the voltage for actuating the circuit will be required to be large correspondingly so as to load burden on the actuating circuit.
Using a supporting spring device of relatively low elasticity coefficient between each anchor and the object may lower the actuating voltage. The dynamic response of the micro-mechanical actuator, however, will become slow so as to adversely effect the properties of the device.
U.S. patent application No. 5,995,688 discloses a micro-mechanical actuator which enlarges the rotation angle of the object in a single direction without increasing the actuating voltage. Please refer to FIGS. 2Axcx9c2C wherein FIGS. 2B and 2C are cross sectional views taken along the line D-Dxe2x80x2 of FIG. 2A. A micro-mechanical actuator 20 consisting of a top electrode 201 and a bottom electrode 202 is used for actuating an object 21 connected to the top electrode 201. When the top electrode 201 is attracted by the bottom electrode 202 to move downwards, as indicated by an arrow E, the object 21 is levered up, as indicated by the arrow F, because of the presence of a fulcrum 22, as shown in FIG. 2C. Accordingly, the object 21 can be levered up by a relatively large travel. The levering down of the arm 21, however, is still confined by the substrate 24.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a micro-mechanical actuator for actuating an object in a micro-electro-mechanical system, which allows a relatively large travel range of the object.
The present invention relates to a micro-mechanical actuator for actuating an object in a micro-electro-mechanical system, which includes a substrate for being flexibly connected thereto the object; a first actuating force generator positioned on the substrate for generating a first actuating force; a first auxiliary lever having opposite first and second portions thereof flexibly connected to the first actuating force generator and a first end of the object, respectively, for performing a first levering operation to transmit the object in response to the first actuating force; and a first fulcrum element connected to the first auxiliary lever for allowing the first auxiliary lever to perform the first levering operation thereabout, and arranged at a first specific position for allowing the second portion of the first auxiliary lever has a first shift larger than a second shift of the first portion of the first auxiliary lever in response to the first actuating force.
In an embodiment, the first actuating force generator includes a bottom electrode secured on the substrate; and a top electrode flexibly connected to the first auxiliary lever and the substrate, and moved downwards by an attracting electrostatic force between the top and bottom electrodes to generate the first actuating force for the first auxiliary lever.
Preferably, the first auxiliary lever includes a bump structure for strengthening the first auxiliary lever.
Preferably, the first fulcrum is secured onto the substrate via an anchor.
The first specific position of the first fulcrum may lie between the first and second portions of the first auxiliary lever. Alternatively, the specific position of the first fulcrum may lie at the same side of the first and second portions.
The substrate may be directly connected thereto a second end of the object. Alternatively, the substrate may be connected thereto a second end of the object via a second actuating force generator and a second auxiliary lever. The second actuating force generator is positioned on the substrate for generating a second actuating force. The second auxiliary lever having opposite third and fourth portions thereof flexibly connected to the second actuating force generator and the second end of the object, respectively, for performing a second levering operation to transmit the object in response to the second actuating force. In this embodiment, the micro-mechanical actuator further includes a second fulcrum element connected to the second auxiliary lever for allowing the second auxiliary lever to perform the second levering operation thereabout, and arranged at a second specific position for allowing the fourth portion of the second auxiliary lever has a third shift larger than a fourth shift of the third portion of the second auxiliary lever in response to the second actuating force.
Preferably, the substrate includes a trench positioned right under the first actuating lever and the object for providing a space at least sufficient for the first and second shifts of the first actuating lever.
For example, the micro-mechanical actuator can be used for actuating an optical switch or a radio-frequency (RF) switch in a micro-electro-mechanical system.
In an embodiment, the first auxiliary lever and the first fulcrum are formed by steps of forming a trench and a mask on the substrate; forming a sacrificial layer over the trench; forming a structure layer on the sacrificial layer and the mask; and defining a pattern on the structure layer, and removing the sacrificial layer.
In an embodiment, the substrate is a silicon substrate. The mask is formed of silicon nitride. The sacrificial layer is formed of silicon dioxide. The structure layer is formed of a material selected from a group consisting of silicon nitride, polysilicon and metal.
Preferably, the first auxiliary lever includes a U-shaped cross section extending toward the trench for strengthening the first auxiliary lever.
Preferably, the trench is further enlarged by etching the substrate. For example, the etching of the substrate is performed by anisotropic wet etching after removing the sacrificial layer, or deep reactive ion etching from a side of the substrate opposite to the sacrificial layer before removing the sacrificial layer.
Preferably, the pattern on the structure layer further includes an anchor on the mask for securing the first fulcrum onto the substrate.

Micro-mechanical actuator including auxiliary lever to enlarge travel range of actuated object

No. 11, Ally 23, Lane 294, Sec. 4, Chenggung Rd.


A balance includes a weighing cell which is surrounded by an elastic tubular bellows or a soft-elastic hose without ribs and is protected against the penetration of dust and water, wherein one end of the bellows or hose is attached to the stationary end of the weighing cell and the other end of the bellows is attached to the load-receiving deflectable end of the weighing cell. At least one bending-stiff support pipe which surrounds the weighing cell in the area of the bellows or hose is placed in the interior of the bellows or hose.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a balance with a weighing cell which is surrounded by an elastic tubular bellows and is protected against the penetration of dust and water, wherein one end of the bellows is attached to the stationary end of the weighing cell and the other end of the bellows is attached to the load-receiving deflectable end of the weighing cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
Balances are not only used in dry rooms which contain a small amount of dust, but also in industrial plants and manufacturing plants, such as butcher stores, slaughter houses, chemical plants, etc. Particularly in plants of the food industry, regulations require frequent cleaning of all machines and devices and, consequently, also of the balances, with a certain liquid, such as water. This cleaning takes place in many cases with a high pressure cleaning apparatus at whose nozzle tip pressures of up to 150 bars may occur.
Accordingly, sealing units for balances have already been proposed which have the purpose of preventing the penetration of spray water into the measuring cell. In a balance disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,177, the weighing or measuring cell is placed in a bellow pipe of metal. The ends of the bellow pipe are attached to the stationary part of the weighing cell, on the one hand, and to the load-receiving, deflectable part, on the other hand. This known bellows protects the weighing cell without problems against the penetration of dust and liquids. However, the configuration of this known bellows requires that the wall thickness of the bellows is very thin, so that the bellows has a soft-elastic behavior and, thus, the influence on the weighing result, for example, due to hysteresis, is kept as low as possible.
Bellow pipes of steel having very thin walls can be manufactured economically only with small diameters. However, these types of bellows have additional disadvantages. Thus, further processing of the guide members is required after the assembly in order to avoid errors due to eccentric loads. This means that the weighing cell becomes more expensive or can only be used in balance constructions in which the eccentric load is compensated in another manner. Moreover, the manufacturing costs for a bellows of metal are very high, particularly when it is of a stainless material.
It is also known in the art to use a rubber bellows instead of a bellows of metal. Such a rubber bellows has the necessary soft elasticity and, in addition, can be manufactured inexpensively. However, the rubber bellows has the disadvantage that its resistance against the hard jet of a high pressure cleaning apparatus is very low and, therefore, the service life of the rubber bellows is short. Moreover, a bellows made of rubber very quickly buckles inwardly under the influence of the water jet and may be damaged by the edges of the measuring cell. In addition, the bellows may not return into its initial position by itself. The buckling of the bellows into bistable positions additionally changes the bypass force emanating from the bellows and influencing the weighing result.
DE-C2-42 20 810 discloses a load receiving means with a beam-shaped weighing cell which is provided with a wire strain gauge arrangement. For damping the vibrations of the balance, the stationary part and the deflectable part of the measuring cell are connected to a tubular metal bellows which surrounds a rod projecting from one end of the weighing cell and a tube which projects from other end of the measuring cell and concentrically surrounds the rod. This bellows is filled with oil as a damping medium. Together with the parts which protrude into each other, i.e., the rod and the tube, the desired damping is achieved by the volume-constant configuration of the metal bellows. The bellows does not surround the measuring cell, but is located within or between the two guide members which extend parallel to each other and connect the two ends of the weighing cell. Consequently, the weighing cell itself and the wire strain gauges mounted thereon are not protected against external influences.
DE-C3-17 74 653 discloses a support means for a bridge of an electromechanical weigh bridge in which the measuring cell is protected against the penetration of moisture and dirt by means of two elastic bellows and a metal pipe piece arranged between the two bellows. There are no measures taken against buckling of the bellows which are not identified in detail. Cleaning of the measuring cell by means of a high pressure cleaning apparatus is rarely carried out in a weighbridge.


A method of treating a formation containing crude oil with specific solubility groups and chemical families is described. The method includes (a) providing a hydrocarbon recovery composition to at least a portion of a formation containing crude oil with specific solubility groups and chemical families, wherein the composition comprises a C24-28 internal olefin sulfonate; and (b) allowing the composition to interact with hydrocarbons in the crude oil containing formation.

Hydrocarbons may be recovered from hydrocarbon-bearing formations by penetrating the formation with one or more wells through which the hydrocarbons may flow to the surface. Conditions (e.g., permeability, hydrocarbon concentration, porosity, temperature, pressure, water production rates, amongst others) of the formation may affect the economic viability of hydrocarbon production from the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. A hydrocarbon-bearing formation may have natural energy (e.g., gas, water) to aid in mobilizing hydrocarbons to the surface of the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. Natural energy may be in the form of water. Water may exert pressure to mobilize hydrocarbons to one or more production wells. Gas may be present in the hydrocarbon-bearing formation (reservoir) at sufficient pressures to mobilize hydrocarbons to one or more production wells. The natural energy source may become depleted over time.
Supplemental recovery processes may be used to continue recovery of hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon containing formation. Examples of supplemental processes include waterflooding, polymer flooding, alkali flooding, thermal processes, solution flooding or combinations thereof.
In chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) the mobilization of residual oil saturation is achieved through surfactants which generate a sufficiently (ultra) low crude oil/water interfacial tension (IFT) to give a capillary number large enough to overcome capillary forces and allow the oil to flow (I. Chatzis and N. R. Morrows, "Correlation of capillary number relationship for sandstone". SPE Journal, Vol 29, pp 555-562, 1989). However, reservoirs have different characteristics (crude oil type and composition, temperature and the water composition—salinity, cation distribution, hardness) and it is desirable that the structures of added surfactant(s) be matched to these conditions to achieve a low IFT. In addition, a promising surfactant must fulfill other important criteria including low rock retention, compatibility with polymer, thermal and hydrolytic stability and acceptable cost.
Compositions and methods for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery utilizing an alpha olefin sulfate-containing surfactant component are known. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,488,976 and 4,537,253 describe enhanced oil or recovery compositions containing such chemicals. Compositions and methods for enhanced hydrocarbons recovery utilizing internal olefin sulfonates are also known. Such a surfactant composition is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,879. The compositions described in the foregoing patents have the disadvantages that brine solubility and divalent ion tolerance are insufficient at certain reservoir conditions, which render the products unsuitable for said hydrocarbon-bearing formations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,564 describes the use of internal olefin sulfonates in a method for enhanced oil recovery using low tension viscous waterflood. An example of a commercially available material described as being useful was ENORDET Internal Olefin Sulfonate, IOS 1720, a product of Shell Oil Company identified as a sulfonated C17-20 internal olefin sodium salt. This material has a low degree of branching. U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,043 describes a petroleum acid soap-containing surfactant system for waterflooding wherein a cosurfactant comprising a C17-20 or a C20-24 internal olefin sulfonate was used. In "Field Test of Cosurfactant-enhanced Alkaline Flooding" by Falls et al., Society of Petroleum Engineers Reservoir Engineering, 1994, the authors describe the use of a C17-20 or a C20-24 internal olefin sulfonate in a waterflooding composition with an alcohol alkoxylate surfactant to keep the composition as a single phase at ambient temperature without significantly affecting performance at reservoir temperature. In the above-mentioned reference, the reservoir water had a salinity of about 0.4 wt % sodium chloride. There is also industry experience with the use of certain alcohol alkoxysulfate surfactants. These materials, used individually, also have disadvantages under very severe conditions of salinity, hardness and temperature, in part because certain alcohol alkoxysulfate surfactants are not stable at high temperature, i.e., above about 70° C.
A crude oil (including any generic low API heavy crude oils and/or high API light crude oils) may contain significant amounts of specific solubility groups and chemical families. The overall distribution of both solubility groups and chemical families is a direct result of geochemical processes. The recovery of crude oil containing such components using surfactant flooding presents some unique problems. Such specific solubility groups include saturates, aromatics, asphaltenes and resins. Some of these solubility groups are natural surfactants present in the crude oil. These are polar fractions which under particular conditions may be surface-active and may adversely affect crude oil phase behavior during production operations. Moreover, solubility groups may also contain paraffins, naphthenic acids and basic components. Some of these specific chemical families are known to contribute towards emulsion stabilization under production conditions of oilfield fluids. For naphthenic acids, surface-activity is also a function of pH value. Naphthenic acids and their particular phase behavior may therefore interfere with the desired performance of a surfactant EOR chemical. Crude oils are normally classified using API gravity but this number may mask many of the more detailed characteristics of fluid phase behavior. An understanding of phase behavior, and thus more detailed prediction of chemical EOR may only be achieved by investigating crude oil compositions in more detail (e.g. solubility groups as well as specific chemical families). It appears that conventional surfactants do not provide the desired benefits for certain crude oils. For instance, even internal olefin sulfonates containing up to 20-24 carbons are not sufficiently effective for this commercial use. This may be due to competing solubilization effects of the many components of crude oils in hydrocarbon-bearing formations.

Method and composition for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery from a formation containing a crude oil with specific solubility groups and chemical families


An apparatus, system and method of integrating performance monitor data with thermal event information are provided. A thermal event, in this case, is when the temperature of a chip within which is embedded a processor exceeds a user-configurable value while the processor is processing instructions and/or using storage devices that are being monitored. In any event, when the thermal event occurs, the temperature of the chip along with the performance monitor data is stored for future uses, which include performance and diagnostic analyses.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed generally to performance monitor units. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an apparatus, system, computer program product and method of seamlessly integrating performance monitor data with thermal event information.
2. Description of Related Art
A performance monitor is a program (software or firmware) that enables a processor to monitor selected system characteristics for performance enhancement and/or diagnostic purposes. Some of the characteristics that may be monitored include the utilization of a processor's instruction execution and storage control. Information relating to a processor's instruction execution may reveal elapsed time between events in a processing system while information relating to storage control may provide access times to a processing system's L1 cache, L2 cache and/or main memory.
Software engineers ordinarily use the information relating to a processor's instruction execution to optimize programs by relocating branch instructions and memory accesses. Information relating to storage control, on the other hand, may be used to identify performance bottlenecks specific to particular software or hardware environments.
Another characteristic that is sometimes monitored is power consumption or heat dissipation. Power consumption is particularly important because circuit density of integrated chips continues to increase. As circuit density increases so does power consumption. To avoid damage to a chip in general, and to a processor in particular, conditions that lead to the processor, or part of the processor, to be hotter than desired need to be detected. Once detected, the processor may take corrective actions to reduce power consumption. These corrective actions usually lead to a reduction in performance.
It is well known that proper system performance analyses include taking into consideration all conditions that impact performance. Thus, thermal events that lead to a system performance reduction have to be taken into consideration during a system performance analysis.
Generally, thermal events (that lead to a system performance reduction) may be obtained provided that power consumption is being monitored. Likewise, utilization of processor's instruction execution and storage control in general may be obtained if monitored. However, the information related to thermal events is not correlated to information related to a processor's instruction execution and storage control. Thus, a user has to manually and painstakingly do so.
Thus, what is needed is an apparatus, system, computer program product and method of seamlessly integrating thermal event information with hardware performance monitor data.

Apparatus, system and computer program product for seamlessly integrating thermal event information data with performance monitor data

International Business Machines Corporation


An appliance for electrically stimulating tissue contractions of a living organism has circuitry for applying a stimulation potential to the tissue region to be stimulated and for applying a reference potential circuitry for detecting to the body of the living organism, stimulated tissue contractions. Following stimulation the stimulated tissue contraction is measured by a bipolar electrode between two adjacent tissue regions, the stimulation potential applied being to at least one of these tissue regions for the purpose of stimulating a tissue contraction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical appliance which can be implanted in the body of a living organism, having means for electrically stimulating tissue contractions and a means for detecting stimulated tissue contractions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A medical appliance in the form of a cardiac pacemaker is disclosed in European Application 0 236 562 having a terminal which carries the stimulation potential and a terminal which carries a reference potential. The means for detecting stimulated tissue contracts has two terminals and forms therefore a signal corresponding to the potential difference between the two terminals. The pacemaker has means for applying the reference potential to the body of the living organism, and a bipolar electrode which has two contact parts which can be brought into contact with the tissue to be stimulated stimulating a tissue contraction the terminal of the means for stimulation which carries the stimulation potential is connected to at least one of the two contact parts of the electrode and the terminal of the means for stimulation which carries the reference potential is connected to the means for applying the reference potential, and following stimulation one of the terminals of the means for detecting stimulated tissue contractions is connected to one of the two contact parts of the electrode.
More specifically, the aforementioned known cardiac pacemaker has means for stimulating the cardiac tissue, connected on the output side via a terminal which carries the stimulation potential to a first contact part at the distal end of the electrode and via a terminal which carries a reference potential to the housing of the cardiac pacemaker. Corresponding means are connected on the input side to the reference potential, to a second, annular contact part of the bipolar electrode, on the other, in order to detect the reaction of the heart to the stimulation (stimulation response). Due to the fact that the first contact part, to which the stimulation potential is applied, and the second contact part, which detects the stimulation response, are preferably arranged at a distance from one other of at least 0.5 cm, there is a reduction in the superimposition of the detected stimulation response by means of the polarization phenomena produced around the first contact part during the preceding stimulation in the tissue region.

Medical appliance for stimulating tissue contractions


A serviceable seatbelt integrated airbag assembly that is removably attached to a vehicle seat includes an integrated deployable cushion, an inflation device, and a lap belt portion. A bracket may be provided that is removably attached to the seat. The lap belt portion is generally removably attached to the seat structure through connection with a bracket or structural member of the seat assembly and secured by a removable fastener. The airbag cushion is attached to, or contained within, a portion of the lap belt portion seatbelt webbing. An end of the lap belt portion fits through an interfacing joint element attached to one end of the primary seatbelt webbing. The airbag inflation device is connected to the electrical system of the vehicle. Removal of the serviceable seatbelt integrated airbag assembly is accomplished by disconnecting the electrical connector from the electrical system of the vehicle and seatbelt integrated airbag lap belt portion. The removable fastener is removed to disengage the lap belt portion from connection with the seat assembly and the lap belt portion is then released from connection with the primary seatbelt assembly by feeding an end of the lap belt portion through the interfacing joint element Attachment of the serviceable assembly is accomplished by reversing the described steps. Removal of the remaining portion of the seatbelt system, including the retractor and upper seatbelt guide may be achieved after decoupling the seatbelt integrated airbag lap belt portion from the seat structure and primary seatbelt system.

It is well known to provide occupant restraint systems for vehicles, such as passenger cars, to restrain the occupant during an impact event. Typically, an occupant restraint subsystem includes a seatbelt assembly, a seatbelt or buckle mounted pyrotechnic belt tensioning device, one or more airbag cushions (also known as a deployable cushion, inflatable chamber or a gas bag), one or more inflation devices (such as an inflator, a micro gas generator [MGG], and the like) for inflating the airbag cushion(s) and functional hardware components that enable attachment of the deployable device(s) to the seat structure or seatbelt assembly and/or to enhance functional performance. During an impact of predetermined severity, a restraint control module signals the pyrotechnic belt tensioning device (if so equipped), and/or the inflation device(s) used to inflate the airbag cushion(s) to protect the occupant.
The incorporation of side impact airbags in vehicle restraint systems has become increasingly common in recent years. Such airbags are typically mounted within the seat assembly, the vehicle's door, or to a side body support or similar structural member of the vehicle.
Side, frontal and angular impact protection may also be achieved or supplemented through inclusion of an airbag cushion configuration that is integrated with, or attached to, the seatbelt assembly. The deployable cushion can be configured to inflate to offer impact protection and/or seatbelt tensioning in a side, angular or frontal collision. Currently in the art, servicing a seatbelt integrated airbag assembly requires removal of the entire combined bag-in-belt system, including the full length of the seatbelt, the retractor assembly and upper belt retaining guide (or d-ring) assembly, seatbelt mounted pyrotechnic belt tensioning device (if equipped), attaching hardware and the deployable cushion and its inflation device, mounting hardware and other functional components. In the event that there is a need to remove or replace only the seatbelt integrated airbag assembly or only the primary seatbelt assembly to perform service to address a customer need, electrical or mechanical fault, etc., removal of the entire combined cushion, inflation device, seatbelt, retractor, d-ring assembly, seatbelt belt mounted pyrotechnic belt tensioning device (if equipped), mounting and functional performance hardware, is required in current designs. Removal of the entire combined deployable cushion, seatbelt and belt tensioning system is needed as the individual components of the assembly cannot be decoupled from one another currently in the art. It is additionally often necessary to remove interior trim behind which such seatbelt assembly content as the retractor is often mounted, whether mounted to a seat assembly or structural member of the vehicle. These steps are often cumbersome and require considerable material cost, service time and labor expense, and are likely to result in customer dissatisfaction related to the increased costs and increased likelihood of resultant degradation in interior appearance or interior quietness as byproducts of any service exercise.
Accordingly, a need exists today for a seatbelt integrated airbag assembly that allows for the deployable airbag portion of the assembly to be decoupled from the primary seatbelt, d-ring, retractor and as-equipped belt tensioning device portion of the system so each assembled portion may be readily and efficiently serviced or replaced, independent of one another.

Serviceable assembly for seatbelt integrated deployable cushion


The illustrative embodiments described herein provide an apparatus and method for changing a display mode. The apparatus includes a graphical user interface having one of a set of display modes. The set of display modes include a passive matrix display mode and an active matrix display mode. The apparatus also includes a switch capable of changing the display mode of the graphical user interface from one display mode to another display mode in the set of display modes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for changing a display mode. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for changing a display mode for a graphical user interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Graphical user interfaces are used in many different applications, including laptops, personal computers, kiosks, personal digital assistants, cell phones, and televisions. A graphical user interface is any device capable of emitting light that is viewable by a user.
Graphical user interface technology has evolved due to a number of factors, including spatial limitations, power consumption, weight, image quality, response time, color gamut, and viewing angle. In this regard, older cathode ray tube graphical user interface technology has given way to liquid crystal display and plasma display panel technologies.
Because the display of some current graphical user interfaces may be viewed from wide viewing angles, the privacy of the user utilizing the graphical user interface may be compromised. A viewing angle is the maximum angle at which a graphical user interface may be displayed without an unacceptable degradation in image quality. For example, when viewed at angles greater than the viewing angle, the image displayed by a graphical user interface may appear poorly saturated, darkened, garbled, faint, blurry, or have poor contrast.
The viewing angle may be measured from one side of the graphical user interface to the opposite. The bisector of the viewing angle may be a line that is perpendicular to the plane defined by the flat surface of the graphical user interface. The viewing angle may also be measured along a horizontal, vertical, or any other axis relative to the graphical user interface.
In determining a viewing angle, the criteria by which an unacceptable degradation in image quality, if measured, may vary. For example, the viewing angle may be determined to be the thresholds at which the luminance of a graphical user interface is one-half of the graphical user interface's maximum luminance. The contrast ratio may also be used to determine the viewing angle. For example, the viewing angle may be determined to be the thresholds at which the contrast ratio of a graphical user interface exceeds 5:1 or 10:1.
Wide viewing angles may compromise the privacy of a user utilizing a graphical user interface by allowing persons other than the user to view the graphical user interface. For example, strangers may be able to see the personal data related to a user who is using a laptop in a public setting. In another example, secure information may be compromised if unauthorized persons are allowed to view, from a large viewing angle, data emitted from a graphical user interface.
One current device for increasing the privacy of a user utilizing a graphical user interface having a wide viewing angle is a screen that is placed in front on the graphical user interface. For example, this screen may be placed in front of a laptop monitor. However, although such screen are designed to block viewing outside of a predetermined viewing angle, such screen also cause an unacceptable degradation in image quality inside of the viewing angle as well. For example, the brightness of the image inside of the viewing angle may be severely compromised.
Also, the currently used screens must be inconveniently transported and kept near the graphical user interface. These screens may also become blurry or scratched over time. Hence, frequent replacement of such screens may be necessary.

Changing a display mode for a graphical user interface


An anaglyph of an image, the anaglyph comprising a plurality of a anaglyph pixels, each of the anaglyph pixels having an intensity of a first hue and an intensity of an orthogonal second hue wherein when viewed with apparatus which admits the first hue only to a viewer""s right eye and admits the second hue only to the viewer""s left eye, the image is perceived to be three-dimensional with each pixel in the image projected from an associate vantage point unique to such pixel.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the fields of digital image processing and more particularly to the creation and presentation of three-dimensional (3-D) images on a two dimensional viewing surface.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Since the invention of the stereoscope in the mid 1800s, there have been many successful attempts to make full use of human binocular vision""s ability to combine two separate images, one each obtained by each eye viewing the same scene from slightly different angles, into one image which is perceived as having depth. The mechanics by which the human brain combines two flat images into one image producing the sensation of a three dimensional world is not fully understood. However, many techniques have been developed which deliver, by way of differing processes, slightly different two dimensional images to each eye so as to produce in the brain a perception indistinguishable from that obtained by actually viewing the three dimensional world. These techniques belong generally to two major classes, specifically the autostereoscopic imaging class which produces 3-D images viewable by the unaided eye, and the binocular stereoscopic imaging class which produces 3-D images requiring observers to wear spectacles or viewers. Techniques of the later class can be found in 3-D movies of the 1950s and in recent images returned from the surface of Mars.
Early stereoscopes commonly utilized a specialized device into which was inserted an image comprised of two nearly identical but separate images reproduced side-by-side. Each separate image was created by photographing a scene from one of two slightly different angles. When viewed through the stereoscope, each eye was constrained so as to see only one of the images and the perception of three dimensions was achieved. While this sort of stereoscope does allow for each separate image to be viewed in color and with minimal distortion of the original scene, it possesses the drawback of requiring apparatus to properly constrain each eye""s field of vision and, by so doing, the ability of the viewer to move closer or further, up or down, right or left about the image is severely restricted. Anaglyphs, while generally restricting the creation of 3-D images to those comprised of varying shades of gray, provide the advantage of requiring less obtrusive apparatus for viewing, consist of only one image to be viewed as opposed to two images placed side by side, and allow the viewer to move freely about the image.
An anaglyph is defined as a composite picture printed in two colors that produces a three-dimensional image when viewed through spectacles having lenses of corresponding colors. The best results are obtained when the colors (or, more precisely, hues) used to produce the anaglyph represent orthogonal hues. That is to say, a change in the intensity of one of the hues present at any point on the image does not affect the intensity of the other hue. One typical choice of hues used to produce anaglyphs is that of red and cyan. When a red image is combined with a slightly different cyan image and viewed through glasses having one lens filtering out all but the cyan light and the other lens filtering out all but the red light, the perception of 3-D is accomplished. Because the filters allow only light of one particular wavelength to pass through, the anaglyph is effectively split into two images with each eye seeing a scene depicting the original scene as viewed from one of two slightly different angles.
Barring occlusion, each picture element (hereinafter xe2x80x9cpixelxe2x80x9d) is represented twice in the anaglyph, once in cyan and once in red. The horizontal distance separating the two pixels of differing hue, each of which represents the same pixel in the original image, determines the extent to which the pixel appears in front of or behind the image plane. The xe2x80x9cimage planexe2x80x9d is defined as the plane containing the paper or other medium upon which the anaglyph is displayed. A pixel which rests in three dimensions upon the image plane is unique in that both its red and cyan representations occur at the exact same spot on the anaglyph and, hence, appear to rest in three dimensions upon the image plane. The greater the distance separating the red and cyan representations of a pixel in an anaglyph, the greater the distance the pixel appears to rest in 3-D either above or below the image plane.
Historically, the most common method of producing both stereograms and anaglyphs has been photographic in nature. In such instances, the separate images used to comprise the stereogram or anaglyph are captured photographically. Early 3-D stereograms of cityscapes and anaglyphic movies were created by utilizing two cameras separated by a distance, aimed in the same direction, and operated simultaneously. More recently, satellite images have been used to form stereograms. For instance, stereograms have been assembled from images in the overlap region of two geostationary satellites. With the proliferation of computer technology, it is now possible to describe mathematically, in a computer, objects which need not exist in the natural world, generate realistic two dimensional views from slightly different angles, and combine the views to form stereograms and anaglyphs.
While creation of 3-D images on a computer allows for complete control over the components of the final image, computer-generated 3-D images require considerably more expertise and information to create than do their photographic forbears. One need simply open one""s eyes or point two cameras in any direction to obtain two scenes from slightly different angles. It is not necessary for the perception of depth to acquire a detailed mathematical description of any one object""s relative distance let alone the exact positioning in three dimensions of every single point, comprising every single surface, of every single object which is visible to the observer. In contrast, the creation of a computer generated stereogram or anaglyph does require such detailed information.
While photographic and computer generated anaglyphs differ in the manner by which they are created, the results obtained by either method are quite similar in many important respects. Most importantly, both methods seek to provide each of the viewer""s eyes with a scene that is substantially similar to that which would be observed were the observer to look with unaided vision from a particular vantage point at his surroundings. Photographic anaglyphs produce the sensation of viewing a three dimensional landscape from the vantage point at which the cameras were situated. Computer generated anaglyphs, while able to choose any hypothetical vantage point from which to create the necessary images, must choose only one vantage point.
The restriction imposed by choosing one vantage point imposes both advantages and disadvantages. One primary advantage is that the perception of a three dimensional scene is virtually free of distortion. By mimicking that which the unaided eye would normally observe, the anaglyph produces a sensation quite similar to that produced by natural binocular vision. As discussed, early stereoscopes were comprised of apparatus which constrained the motion of the observer around the image. Early 3-D anaglyphic movies required all observers to be seated some distance from the screen and hence constrained all viewers to a viewing angle approximately perpendicular to the image plane. While producing a quite realistic three dimensional sensation, such applications of 3-D technology have remained interesting gimmicks with little wide spread application.
One primary reason for the limited application of anaglyph technology has been the general requirement that the 3-D image be viewed from a single point approximating the location from which the anaglyph was photographed or from which it was computed. The sensation of 3-D produced when viewing the real world is most pronounced when objects are viewed from a relatively small distance. When viewing far away hills, or even the far side of a room, the brain relies much more on visual cues such as shading, texture, and occlusion to interpret depth information. This reliance on visual cues, separate from that which is strictly binocular in nature, is the result of variations in viewing angles. For example, the amount that each eye must deflect from a parallel orientation fixed on infinity to view a spoon held mere inches from one""s face is quite severe. In addition, the difference between such an angle of deflection and one produced when viewing the same spoon held at arm""s length is likewise quite large. Contrast this with difference in angle existing when viewing a hill that is one mile away and a star which is several hundred million miles away. In the latter instance, the relative difference in viewing angles is quite slight.
Therefore, anaglyphs produced from a single vantage point enjoy their greatest utility when presenting objects that are relatively close to the observer. Unfortunately, such anaglyphs are constrained to a relatively small field of view. Were one to stare off center or at the periphery of an anaglyph, as opposed to a viewing angle perpendicular to the image plane, the image appears greatly distorted. Therefore, an unfortunate paradox arises. Anaglyphs of far away objects allow for a greater field of view and appear less distorted when viewed from slightly different angles but the 3-D effect is diminished from the outset owing to the large distance between the objects and the viewer. Conversely, objects close to the viewer appear in very realistic 3-D but the field of view is diminished greatly and even slight movements about the anaglyph result in large distortions.
One subset of three dimensional objects that in theory would benefit most from the advantages of traditional anaglyph technology while suffering most from its disadvantages is the set consisting of planetary surfaces. Traditionally, such surfaces have been portrayed in two dimensions in the familiar guise of maps. In addition, planetary surfaces have for some time been recreated in true three dimensional form as globes, but suffer from problems related to the inability to store, reproduce, transmit, and conveniently bundle a spherical object in the same manner as one can a flat image. Furthermore, as the Encyclopedia Americana observes, xe2x80x9cThe spherical surface of a globe cannot be flattened into a map without stretching or tearing; therefore, distortion occurs in the process.xe2x80x9d This simple premise, long considered to be an unavoidable fact, has given rise to myriad map projections over the millennia. Map projections such as the mercator, plate carxc3xa9e, and others all seek to derive maximum utility when displaying map data while minimizing the inevitable distortion.
While different projections address differently the problems of longitudinal and latitudinal distortion, they do not generally make any attempt to incorporate elevation data. Much as the human eye can gather depth information from visual cues, many maps incorporate colors, shaded relief, and contour lines of equal elevation to transmit course elevation data. Shaded relief illustrates the roughness of terrain and changes in elevation but cannot show actual elevation. Contour lines can show the horizontal shape of vertical features and the elevation values of the quantized contour lines, but do not show the actual vertical shape. However, to see the actual shape of a planetary surface, some method of displaying the surface in true 3-D is required.
The related art in anaglyph production allows one to overcome the problems of distortion associated with flattening a spherical globe onto a two dimensional map. It is quite possible to compute two slightly different views of a spherical surface as they would appear to an unaided observer. However, such an anaglyph, while accurately representing the three dimensional surface of a planet with little or no distortion, would be of relatively less use as a map. As discussed, one primary drawback of a traditional anaglyph is the necessity of viewing the final image from one and only one vantage point, the point in space from which the original images were photographed or computed. Maps are customarily viewed from a variety of vantage points. Large scale political maps may be viewed from a greater distance so as to observe relatively large land masses, boundaries, and the interplay of point, line, and area data. Before battle, Napoleon customarily placed his maps on the floor, alternatingly standing above them and crawling over them. Were a traditional anaglyph used to produce a map in accordance with the related art, such movement by the observer would be impossible. Because the map would be projected and computed as seen from a singular vantage point, movement by the viewer away from the intended viewing point in space would cause gross distortion.
A partial solution to these problems prevalent in the anaglyphic display of map data was revealed in an article by W. Pichel [Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 54, No. 7, July 1973, pp. 688-691]. Pichel created an algorithm for creating stereo pair images from satellite images one of which was comprised of the visible spectrum, the other containing infrared (IR) data. On a line-by-line basis, the IR data was used as a pseudo height indicator for each corresponding pixel in the visible image. As Pichel explained:
Thus a simple computer algorithm treats coincident scan lines of visual channel data and the equivalent IR data that have been transformed into a scan profile of height levels. The output is a visual channel stereo line pair in which the visual data are displayed with no change in position for elements at zero height level, but in which elements at other levels are shifted in position. A picture element with height level xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d is displaced from its original position by xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d spots to the right in the left stereo view and xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d spots to the left in the right stereo view . . .
A dilemma is encountered where two picture elements are competing for the same location. At present the higher element is retained and the lower element is discarded. In other instances gaps may exist after the displacement process is completed.
While producing pleasing images which, if georeferenced, could be considered as maps, this methodology suffers from four drawbacks. First, elevations appear relatively correct but absolutely incorrect. Clouds of lower temperature, and hence higher elevation, will appear more displaced than clouds of higher temperature and will thus appear to be at a higher elevation everywhere on the map. However, the apparent difference in elevation between a pixel at level five and a pixel at level ten will not appear to be the same difference in elevation as between a pixel at level ten and a pixel at level fifteen. In each case, the difference in elevation is five units but the simple algorithm of pixel displacement employed produces nonlinear viewing effects. This concern is minimized when one considers that the underlying elevation data is itself not considered to be absolutely correct as the relationship between elevation and temperature in the atmosphere is not perfectly linear. Therefore, the elevation levels computed were accepted as rough estimates from the outset.
Second, the creation of a stereogram produces two images side by side. As such, the same pixel appearing in each image is separated on average by the approximate width of either image. Therefore, either with special viewing apparatus or without, the ability of the observer to move around the image is curtailed. Third, this simple algorithm, by displacing all of the pixels in either computed image either all to the left or all to the right, features appear either uniformly in front of or behind the image plane. Thus, a map computed using this algorithm could not have both mountains rising from the image plane and canyons descending beneath it. The entire surface would have to appear either entirely below or entirely above the image plane.
The fourth and most difficult problem to overcome is the likely presence of gaps resulting from the displacement process. The simplest algorithms for reprojecting image data involve mapping each pixel on the original image to a location on the final image. A simple forward looking algorithm such as the one presented above possesses the attribute of being very simple and fast to implement. Unfortunately, because several pixels in the original image may map to the same location in the final image, there are likely to exist gaps in the final image consisting of pixel locations onto which no pixels were mapped. In such cases, smoothing algorithms can be employed which produce values for the missing pixels while masking the loss of data that produced the problem. The alternative, constructing a process hereby every pixel in the final image is assigned a value ascertained by working backwards t o determine which pixel at what elevation in the original image would ultimately appear to exist at the location being considered, can be prohibitively costly in terms of both complexity and computing speed.
Interestingly, in such a process, each pixel is projected in accordance with its own unique vantage point. Thus, instead of using a single vantage point for the entire image, there exist as many vantage points as there are pixel s in the original image. As mentioned, one advantage of having a single vantage point for viewing a stereoscopic or anaglyphic image is that, when viewed from that point, there is virtually no distortion present over the entire image. Following the method described above, displacement of each pixel is computed without any regard to a single vantage point governing the projection of the image as a whole. Such a method possesses unique properties when employed to render maps.
A single point represented by horizontally displaced red and cyan points computed and viewed from directly above will not produce either latitudinal or longitudinal distortion. Any distortion present must arise from the difference between the angle at which the observer views the red and cyan and pixels and nadir. Therefore, pixels appearing immediately horizontally or vertically adjacent to the point directly in front of the observer will appear slightly distorted. Distortion increases as the observer""s gaze extends radially from nadir. Because distortion is directly proportional to the radial aperture of the area being viewed by the observer, relatively small areas will appear to be virtually free of distortion. In order to view larger areas, the observer must move backwards to increase the field of view. In so doing, the maximum angular distortion present in the larger field of view is reduced to a threshold approximating that of the smaller area viewed from a closer vantage point. This results from the fact that viewing a larger area from the same distance as a smaller area requires a greater deflection of the viewing angle. However, the angle of deflection is proportional to the viewing distance and thus the viewer may move back, decreasing the deflection of the viewing angle to that experienced closer in.
The present invention seeks to maximize the utility derived from projecting map data using multiple vantage points while minimizing or eliminating the obstacles present in the related art. As mentioned, traditional anaglyphic techniques utilizing one vantage point permit viewing of the image from one point with virtually no distortion, but result in large amounts of distortion when the viewer moves even slightly around the image. The present invention projects each pixel individually. One notable difference between the present invention and the related art is that while each pixel is projected from a different vantage point, each pixel is projected as though viewed from directly above by an observer who is everywhere located the same distance above the image and whose eyes are separated everywhere by the same distance. The related art, by virtue of its simple, non-linear computation of displacement, and hence perceived elevation, computed each point a having either a different viewing distance, a different eye separation, or both with the result that the vertical scale is not everywhere constant.
The advantages of such a projection used to produce 3-D maps are many. The most evident advantage is the ability of the viewer to move up and down, backwards and forwards, and right and left about the map without the perception of overwhelming distortion. Because the map appears distortion free from no one place but, rather, contains very little distortion everywhere, when areas are viewed from a distance proportional to their size, the map may be scrutinized anywhere on its surface from up close or from a distance without the introduction of appreciable distortion. In addition, the vertical exaggeration appears as xe2x80x9cself scaling.xe2x80x9d For example, if the vertical exaggeration is computed to be three times that of actual when viewed at a distance of twelve inches, the vertical exaggeration appears to be six times that of the original when viewed at a distance of twenty-four inches. Therefore, vertical exaggeration is made more pronounced, and hence more noticeable, when the viewer moves further away. Likewise, vertical exaggeration is made less pronounced as the viewer moves in to scrutinize a small area. Such scaling is necessary in the later case to avoid eye strain.
The present invention used for determining the displacement distance of the red and cyan pixels, while computationally complex, produces an image in which perceived pixel elevations are both relatively and absolutely correct. By incorporating the image to be projected into 3-D with a digital elevation model (DEM) which contains or from which can be computed the actual elevation of each pixel in the image, the resulting image accurately represents each pixel at its correct elevation in 3-D. For example, the perception of a mountain rising 1000 meters from the image plane would appear to rise a height equal in elevation to the depth that a canyon cutting 1000 meters into the image plane would appear to descend. As is clear from this example, the present invention, by incorporating a more sophisticated projection algorithm than the prior art, allows for the rendering in the same 3-D image of features which both rise above the image plane, and which descend below it.
In addition, the present invention makes use of a computationally intensive algorithm for determining the location of each red and cyan pixel in the final anaglyph. As mentioned, forward looking algorithms, while simple to implement, often leave gaps in the final image representing losses of data which must be filled. The present invention computes both the red and cyan finished images by considering each pixel in the final images and working backwards to determine which pixel in the original image, draped over the corresponding DEM, and viewed from the appropriate vantage point, would appear as resting at the final location being considered. While considerably more difficult to implement than a forward looking algorithm, the results produced by the present method result in a finished image free from data loss and which do not require smoothing.
In addition, the related art gives no indication of a desire or an ability to produce a composite anaglyph consisting of different images each with a unique DEM. The current implementation allows finished anaglyphs to be combined with additional point, line, area, or image data plotted in varying intensities and constructed from DEMs differing from that of the main image. This ability allows one, for instance, to display mountains in 3-D while making visible, below a planet""s surface, the layout of subterranean coal mines. Similarly, flight paths can be displayed in 3-D overlaid atop the terrain over which the plane will travel. An additional benefit of computing anaglyphs from image and DEM data, as opposed to. the traditional photographic method, is the ability to digitally master the images used to create the anaglyph. For example, digital data such as the contours of geological rock strata may be overlaid on top of satellite data and presented in true 3-D. The resultant anaglyph allows the viewer to vividly perceive the different angles at which rock strata rest and interact with geologic forces.
The present invention is not limited to map data. Each data element of a map occupies a unique position in two dimensions as specified by its latitude and longitude attributes. In addition, the corresponding DEM is comprised of elevations representing deviations from a point of zero elevation (which on earth is usually chosen to be sea level). However, the present invention can be applied to any image each pixel of which possesses a unique position in two dimensions. For example, the x and y image pixel locations of each pixel comprising a CAT scan could be combined with elevation data corresponding to the y displacement of each pixel from a chosen baseline to produce a 3-D image of a body structure.
In addition, the present invention is not limited to an anaglyphic mode of presentation. Left and right views of a full color image may be computed using the algorithm of the present invention and displayed in alternating and near simultaneous fashion to opposing eyes so as to produce the sensation of binocular tree-dimensionality.
Accordingly, one aspect of the invention is directed to a method of combining digital image data with digital elevation data to produce two separate images said separate images, when viewed one with the left eye and the other with the right eye, producing the sensation of binocular three-dimensionality, comprising the steps of:
(a) combining said digital image data with said digital elevation data to create a right eye view image with each pixel in said right eye view image corresponding to the pixel in said digital image data which would appear in three dimensions to reside at the location of said right eye view image pixel were each of said digital image data pixels to reside upon the surface defined by said digital elevation data, observed individually directly from above, from a uniform height and eye separation, projected upon a plane of uniform height;
(b) combining said digital image data with said digital elevation data to create a left eye view image with each pixel in said left eye view image corresponding to the pixel in said digital image data which would appear in three dimensions to reside at the location of said left eye view image pixel were each of said digital image data pixels to reside upon the surface defined by said digital elevation data, observed individually directly from above, from said uniform height and eye separation, and projected upon said plane of uniform height; and
(c) displaying said left eye view image and said right eye view image so as to produce the sensation of binocular three-dimensionality.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to the aforementioned method wherein said left eye view image and said right eye view image are not each comprised of a representation of each individual pixel present in said digital image data arising from the effects of occlusion of said pixels when said digital image data is viewed in combination with said digital elevation data.
Yet another aspect of the invention is directed to the aforementioned method wherein the digital image data is preprocessed into a gray image each pixel of which contains equal amounts of red, blue and green, said gray image being subsequently combined with said digital elevation to create and display said left eye view image and said right eye view image.
Still another aspect of the invention is directed to the aforementioned method wherein an anaglyph is formed from said left eye view image and said right eye view image comprising the steps of:
(a) assigning each pixel in said left eye view image a single hue;
(b) assigning each pixel in said right eye view image a single hue which is orthogonal to said single hue assigned to each pixel in said left eye view image; and
(c) assigning each pixel in said anaglyph the sum of the red, blue, and green values present in each corresponding pixel from both the left eye view image and the right eye view image.
Yet another aspect of the invention is directed to the aforementioned method wherein said single orthogonal hues consist of the pairs red and cyan, green and blue, and red and blue..
Yet another aspect of the invention is directed to the aforementioned method wherein said left eye view images and said right eye view images are displayed on a surface in a manner comprising the steps of:
(a) displaying said left eye view image on the surface in a manner so as to be perceivable by only the viewer""s left eye;
(b) displaying said right eye view image on the surface in rapid succession with (a) in a manner so as to be perceivable by only the viewer""s right eye; and
(c) continuously repeating in an alternating fashion steps (a) and (b).
Another aspect of the invention is directed to the aforementioned method wherein each of said left eye view images is comprised of multiple separate left eye view images and each of said right eye view images is comprised of multiple separate right eye view images combined in a manner comprising the steps of:
(a) computing multiple separate said left and right eye view images each covering an area which intersects in whole or in part with that of at least one other separate said left or right view image;
(b) assigning a multiplier between 0 and 1 to each separate said left or right eye view image corresponding to the desired opacity of each separate said view image;
(c) applying the corresponding multiplier to each pixel of each of said separate view images; and
(d) adding each corresponding pixel value from each separate left or right view image to form one each of final said left and right eye view images.
Yet another aspect of the invention is directed to the immediately preceding aspect wherein each of said left and right view images are perceived as consisting of multiple layers of three-dimensional images, each of said layers being partially, fully, or not at all transparent with respect to other said layers of three-dimensional images.
Yet another aspect of the invention is directed to the aforementioned method wherein each row of the right eye view image is created by projecting a single row of said digital image data in conjunction with a single row of said digital elevation data while proceeding from left to right across said row of digital elevation data.
Yet another aspect of the invention is directed to the aforementioned method wherein each row of the left eye view image is created by projecting a single row of said digital image data in conjunction with a single row of said digital elevation data while proceeding from right to left across said row of digital elevation data.
Yet another aspect of the invention is directed to the aforementioned method wherein said digital elevation data is comprised of at least two values which differ in magnitude.
An additional aspect of the invention is directed to an image comprising a plurality of pixels each of said pixels having an intensity of a first hue and an intensity of an orthogonal second hue wherein when viewed with apparatus which admits the first hue to a viewer""s right eye and admits the second hue to the viewer""s left eye, the image is perceived to be three-dimensional with each of said pixels projected as though viewed from directly above, with a uniform eye separation, and a uniform height.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Analglyphic representations of image and elevation data


A package optimized for thinning of an attached semiconductor die. The package comprises an extension ring attached to a bottom surface of the package, and a die carrier plate attached to the extension ring for receiving a semiconductor die. The die carrier plate may be attached to the extension ring by an adhesive that permits removal of the carrier plate from the semiconductor die and extension ring by a small applied force after encapsulation of the semiconductor die. The encapsulant may include a filler material for modifying properties such as hardness, thermal coefficient of expansion, thermal conductivity. The materials used for the extension ring and encapsulant may be selected for compatibility with the die lapping operation.

The development of backside optical probing techniques for integrated circuits was initially driven by the adoption of flipchip packaging. Since flipchip devices are mounted with the top surface of die in contact with package, visual access is typically limited to the backside of the die.
Optical waveform probing for timing analysis, and failsite isolation techniques such as Photon Emission Microscopy (PEM), Optical Beam Induced Current (OBIC), Light Induced Voltage Alteration (LIVA), Thermally Induced Voltage Alteration (TIVA), Schlieren Thermal Mapping (STM), Fluorescence Microthermal Imaging (FMI), may be applied to the backside of an integrated circuit.
Although many optical probing techniques were initially developed with flipchip devices in mind, the increased complexity and density of interconnect layers of non-flipchip devices have made backside optical probing desirable for non-flipchip devices as well.
In contrast to flipchip devices in which the backside is generally accessible, packaged non-flipchip devices require partial removal of the package to obtain access to the backside of the die. It is also advantageous to reduce the thickness of the die.
Prior Art FIG. 1A shows a cross-section view 100 of a conventionally packaged integrated circuit die 125. The integrated circuit die 125 is mounted on a heat sink/base 105 that is attached to a frame 110. A trace 115 is embedded in the frame 110 and provides a signal path between a ball 120 and a wirebond 130. An encapsulant (e.g., epoxy) 145 covers the die 125.
With respect to the packaged integrated circuit 100, there are four principal surfaces (or planes) of concern: the die mounting surface 106, the package bottom surface 107, the package wirebonding surface 135 and the die top surface 140. The relationship between the four surfaces is generally determined by circuit performance and assembly requirements. Ease of modification for optical probing or other backside operations has not been a primary consideration.
Prior Art FIG. 1B shows a cross-section view 101 of the packaged integrated circuit of FIG. 1A after thinning. The thinned packaged integrated circuit has the heat sink removed (e.g., by lapping) to expose the die 125, with the encapsulant 145 providing mechanical support.
The conventional package of FIG. 1B has the disadvantage of an inherent minimum thickness Tmin for the thinned die 125. Tmin is approximately the difference in height between the die top surface 140 and the package wirebonding surface 135. Thinning below Tmin will result in the removal of trace 115 and an open circuit.
Another disadvantage is the effort required to remove heat sink 105, and thin frame 110. For mechanical thinning operations such as lapping or polishing the presence of the frame 110 may degrade the quality of the surface finish obtained on the die 110. Due to the difference in properties between the die 125 and the heat sink 105, two distinct lapping processes are typically required. The time required for lapping is also increased due to the additional material that must be removed.
Prior Art FIG. 1C shows a cross-section view 102 of a conventional pin grid array (PGA) package with a semiconductor die 125. The PGA package includes a base 150 that supports a trace 155 that connects a wirebond 160 to a pin 165. The base 150 has a mounting region 160 for supporting the semiconductor die 125.
Alternatively specialized tools are used to remove only the section of heat sink below the semiconductor die. While this reduces the minimum thickness Tmin, it has a number of limitations. The most significant of these is the cavity that is created. Optical probing typically requires a wide (e.g., 1 inch) lens to sit very near, or in contact with, the thinned substrate. This means that the lens must be used inside the cavity, which limits its lateral movement. In turn, the full die is no longer visible.

System and method for packaging a semiconductor device


A method is provided to generate a heat map to show traffic congestion based on transit points. The method includes generating, by a processing device, a trajectory database from time-stamped global positioning system (GPS) sample points, and computing transit points for each trajectory in the trajectory database. The method further includes constructing a temporal transit graph. The transit graph captures the shortest paths among the transit points. The method further includes indexing and storing the transit graph in a spatial-temporal database for online analytic processing.

The present invention relates generally to traffic management, and more specifically, to generating a trajectory heat map at an aggregated level using computed transit points.
Technological advances in contemporary remote sensors, sensor networks, and location sensing devices have resulted in a tremendous amount of data about moving objects and motivated research in mining trajectory databases. Typically, the study of mining trajectory databases aims to provide informative and comprehensive analytics from a large collection of time stamped global positioning system (GPS) points (i.e., trajectory points), which can be applied to various use cases, such as traffic management, practical navigation solutions, public safety, and tourism applications.

Mining trajectory for spatial temporal analytics