A flat display comprising an address current detecting means 3 for detecting a value of address current consumed for each frame to be displayed on the flat display, a comparator 4 for comparing the address current value detected by the address current detecting means 3 with a given reference value, and an address frequency control means 5 for controlling address frequencies related to a display frame in response to the output of the comparator 4.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flat display such as a plasma display or an electroluminescent (EL) display. More particularly, this invention is concerned with an address current suppressing units for use in a brightness drive performed in a flat display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flat displays including a plasma display and an electroluminescent (EL) display have small depths. Moreover, the flat displays permit the construction of large display screens. The application range and production scale of the flat displays are therefore rapidly expanding.
In general, a flat display utilizes a charge accumulated between electrodes and causes a discharge to emit light for display. For better understanding of the general principle of display, the structure and operation of, for example, a plasma display will be described briefly.
Well-known conventional plasma displays (AC type PDP) fall into one of a dual-electrode type that uses two electrodes for selective discharge (addressing discharge) and sustaining discharge and a triple-electrode type that uses three electrodes for addressing discharge.
In a plasma panel display (PDP) for a color display, infrared rays resulting from discharge are used to excite phosphors disposed in the discharge cells. The phosphors are susceptible to the impact of ions or positive charges induced by the discharge. The above dual-electrode type has a structure such that the phosphors are directly hit by the ions. This structure may reduce the service lives of phosphors.
To avoid the deterioration, the color plasma display usually employs the triple-electrode structure based on surface discharge.
The triple-electrode type falls into an arrangement in which the third electrode is formed on the substrate on which first and second electrodes thereof, used for sustaining discharge, are arranged and an arrangement in which a third electrode is formed on another substrate opposed to the one on which the first and second electrodes are arranged.
In the arrangement in which three electrodes are formed on the same substrate, the third electrode may be placed on, or under, the two electrodes for sustaining discharge.
Furthermore, visible light emitted from phosphors may be transmitted or reflected by the phosphors for observation.
The foregoing plasma displays of different types have the same operating principle. Mention will therefore be made of a flat display in which first and second electrodes for sustaining discharges are formed on a first substrate and a third electrode is formed on a second substrate opposed to the first substrate, by presenting embodiments thereof.
FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of the aforesaid triple-electrode type plasma display panel (PDP). FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of one of discharge cells 10 formed in the plasma display shown in FIG. 6.
As apparent from FIGS. 6 and 7, the plasma display comprises two glass substrates 12 and 13. The first substrate 13 has first electrodes (X electrodes) 14 and second electrodes (Y electrodes) 15. The first electrodes 14 and second electrodes 15 serve as sustaining electrodes, lie in parallel with one another, and are shielded with a dielectric layer 18.
A coat 21 (i.e., a coating or layer) made of magnesium oxide (MgO) is formed as a protective coat over the discharge surface that is the dielectric layer 18.
On the surface of the second substrate 12, opposed to the first glass substrate 13, electrodes 16 acting as third electrodes or address electrodes are formed to intersect the sustaining electrodes 14 and 15.
On the address electrodes 16, phosphors 19 each having one of red, green, and blue light-emitting characteristics are placed in discharge spaces 20 each defined by walls 17 formed on the surface of the second substrate 12 on which the address electrodes are arranged.
Discharge cells 10 in the plasma display are separated from one another by partitions.
In the plasma display of the aforesaid example, the first electrodes (X electrodes) 14 and second electrodes (Y electrodes) 15 are lying in parallel with one another and paired. The second electrodes (Y electrodes) 15 are driven independently, while the first electrodes (X electrodes) 14 act as a common electrode and are driven by a single driver.
FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram showing peripheral circuits for driving the plasma display shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The address electrodes 16 are connected one by one to an address driver 31. During addressing discharge, the address driver 31 applies an address pulse to each address electrode.
The Y electrodes 15 are connected one by one to a Y-electrode scan driver 34.
The scan driver 34 is connected to a Y-electrode common driver 33. For addressing discharge, pulses are generated by the scan driver 34. For sustaining discharge, pulses are generated by the Y-electrode common driver 33, and then applied to the Y electrodes 15 via the Y-electrode scan driver 34.
The X electrodes 14 are connected in common with respect to all display lines on a panel of the flat display.
An X-electrode common driver 32 generates a write pulse and a sustaining pulse, and applies these pulses to the X electrodes 14 concurrently. These drivers are controlled by a control circuit 35. The control circuit is controlled with a synchronizing signal and a display data signal which are supplied by an external unit.
As is apparent from FIG. 8, the address driver 31 is connected to a display data control unit 36 incorporated in the control circuit 35. The display data control unit 36 inputs a dot clock signal CLOCK and a display data signal DATA, which are display data and are supplied from an external unit, and outputs data via, for example, a frame memory 37 incorporated in the display data control unit 36 according to the timing of addressing address electrodes which are to be selected for one frame.
The Y-electrode scan driver 34 is connected to a scan driver control unit 39 in a panel drive control unit 38 incorporated in the control circuit 35. In response to a vertical synchronizing signal V.sub.sync, a signal instructing the start of scanning one frame (or field) and supplied by an external unit, and a horizontal signal H.sub.SYNC that is a signal instructing the start of one horizontal scanning period, the Y-electrode scan driver 34 is driven to select a plurality of Y electrodes 15 in the flat display 30, one by one. Thus, an image of one frame is displayed.
In FIG. 8, Y-DATA denotes scan data that is supplied by the scan driver control unit 39 and used to turn on the Y-electrode scan driver 34 bit by bit. Y-CLOCK denotes a transfer clock pulse for use in turning on the Y-electrode scan driver 34 bit by bit.
Y-STB1 denotes a timing signal for use in turning on the Y-electrode scan driver 34. Y-STB2 denotes a timing signal for use in turning off the Y-electrode scan driver 34.
The X-electrode common driver 32 and Y-electrode common driver 33 in this example are connected to a common driver control unit 40 incorporated in the control circuit 35. The X electrodes 14 and Y electrodes 15 are driven all together (i.e., in common) by reversing polarities of applied voltages alternately. Thus, the aforesaid sustaining discharge is executed.
In FIG. 8, an X-UD signal, supplied by the common driver control unit 40, is used to control the on and off states of the X common driver 32, and the X-UD signal includes voltage signals Vs and Vw. An X-DD signal, supplied by the common driver control unit 40, is used to control the on and off states of the X-electrode common driver and the X-DD signal includes a GND level signal.
Likewise, a Y-UD signal supplied by the common driver control unit 40 is used to control the on and off states of the Y-electrode common driver, and the Y-UD signal includes voltage signals Vs and Vw. A Y-DD signal supplied by the common driver control unit 40 is used to control the on and off states of the Y-electrode common driver and the Y-DD signal includes a GND level signal.
FIG. 9 shows waveforms in a first example of a conventional method of driving the plasma display PDP shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 9 shows one drive cycle in a line-sequential drive and self-erasure addressing mode.
In this example, at a time instant (1) during one drive cycle, the voltages of the X electrodes are held at 0V, and a voltage -Vs is applied simultaneously to the Y electrodes associated with all sub-frames constituting one frame. Thus, the voltage wave forms of all the display lines corresponding to the sub-frames are re-shaped in terms of phase.
Since it is unknown which phase was set last for display lines corresponding to sub-frames in a previous frame, the respective of phase all display lines should preferably be synchronized to each other to form a new frame. That is why the operation at the time instant (1) is necessary.
Next, at a time instant (2) in FIG. 9, voltage -Vs is applied to the Y electrodes associated with a display line (C) which is selected by the Y-electrode scan driver and common driver to write display data, while 0V is applied to the Y electrodes associated with the other display lines (D) except the selected display line. (A voltage Vs is a sustaining voltage.)
In this embodiment, a write voltage Vw is applied as a write pulse to the X electrodes at the same time. At this instant, a voltage exceeding a discharge start voltage Vf is applied to the discharge spaces 20. This causes a discharge to start. The selected display line has a voltage Vs+Vw, while the unselected display lines have the voltage Vw.
When Vs+Vw>Vf (discharge start voltage)>Vw is established, a selected display line alone can be discharged.
At the time instant (2), all the cells 10 associated with the selected line are written.
A positive surface charge accumulated between the walls (referred to as "wall charge") is therefore accumulated in the protective coat (MgO coat) over the X electrodes 14 associated with the selected line (C), while a negative wall charge is accumulated in the protective coat (MgO coat) over the Y electrodes associated with the selected line.
As discharge progresses, the wall charges have a polarity causing the electric fields in the discharge spaces 20 to shrink. The discharge therefore dies down and lasts only for one to several microseconds.
Next, at a time instant (4) in FIG. 9, the sustaining pulse of the voltage -Vs is applied alternately to the X electrodes 14 and the Y electrodes 15 associated with the selected display line. The wall charge accumulated is added to the applied voltages. Thus, sustaining discharge is repeated in all the cells except those not to be lit (illuminated).
In this embodiment, at a time instant (3) in FIG. 9, a sustaining pulse is applied to the X electrodes in the cells 10 not to be lit. After a negative wall charge is accumulated in the MgO coat over the Y electrodes associated with the selected line, synchronously with the sustaining pulse applied first to the Y electrodes associated with the selected line, an address pulse ADP of a positive voltage Va is applied selectively to the address electrodes in the cells 10 not to be lit.
Sustaining discharge occurs in all the cells associated with the selected display line. In the cells whose address electrodes are supplied with the address pulse ADP, especially, the sustaining discharges triggers discharge between the address electrodes and Y electrodes. Consequently, positive wall charge is accumulated excessively in the MgO coat over the Y electrodes.
When the voltage Va is set to such a value that allows the produced wall charge itself to exceed the discharge start voltage, after an external voltage is removed, that is, after the X and Y electrodes are set to 0V and the address electrodes are set to ground, the voltage of the wall charge itself starts discharging.
As for this discharge, since the potential difference between the X and Y electrodes is 0V, the space charge or wall charge resulting from the discharge will not accumulate in the MgO coat over the X and Y electrodes. The space charge is recombined and neutralized in the discharge spaces. This action is referred to as self-erasure discharge.
Thereafter, even if the sustaining pulse -Vs is applied alternately to the X and Y electrodes, sustaining discharge will not occur but erasure is effected. As for the cells to be lit, the address pulse ADP is not applied to the address electrodes of the cells. Sustaining discharge alone occurs but self-erasure discharge does not. With a sustaining pulse applied thereafter, sustaining discharge is repeated.
As mentioned above, display data is written for a selected display line during one drive cycle. In this embodiment, the writing is executed for each display line.
FIG. 10 is a timing chart for the writing. In FIG. 10, w denotes a drive cycle for writing. S denotes a drive cycle for sustaining discharge alone and s denotes a drive cycle for sustaining discharge for a previous frame (or field).
FIG. 11 shows waveforms in the second example of a conventional method of driving the plasma display panel (PDP) shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 11 shows one sub-frame (or sub-field) period SF in a write addressing mode of an addressing/sustaining discharge separated style.
In this example, one sub-frame period SF consists of at least a reset period 61, an addressing period 62, and a sustaining discharge period 63. The reset period 61 is provided to erase data, concerning the sub-frames of a previous frame, immediately before displaying a new image of one frame. During the reset period 61, all the Y electrodes are de-energized, to be at 0V, and a write pulse of a voltage Vw is applied to the X electrodes at the same time.
Thereafter, the Y electrodes are supplied with a voltage Vs and the X electrodes are de-energized, to be at 0V. Sustaining discharge then occurs in all the cells. This leads to execution of whole-screen write, whereby an erasure pulse EP is applied to the X electrodes 14 so that information recorded in all the cells 10 are erased temporarily. This is the reset period 61.
In this example, during the reset period 61, first, all the Y electrodes are de-energized to 0V. At the same time, all the cells associated with all display lines are discharged; that is, the write pulse of the voltage Vw is applied to the X electrodes. The Y electrodes are then supplied the voltage Vs, and the X electrodes are de-energized to have 0V at the same time. Thus, a sustaining discharge is effected in all the cells. Erasure discharge occurs between the X electrodes and Y electrodes, whereby each wall charge disappears (part of the wall charge is neutralized).
The reset period 61 is useful, for placing all the cells in the same state irrespective of whether or not they are lit for a previous sub-frame, and is intended to hold the wall charge, which triggers an address discharge, at a voltage that does not start a discharge as a result of the next pulse.
In this example, the reset period 61 is succeeded by the addressing period 62. During the addressing period 62, addressing discharge is effected line-sequentially so that the cells are turned on or off depending on the display data to be placed in the cells. First, a scan pulse SCP of 0V is applied to the Y electrodes. The address pulse ADP of the voltage Va is applied to the address electrodes in the cells to be subjected to sustaining discharge or to be lit. Thus, the cells to be lit are discharged for writing. This brings about minor discharge, which will not be discerned directly, between the address electrodes and selected Y electrodes. A given amount of charge is then accumulated in the cells 10. Thus, (address) writing for one display line terminates.
The foregoing operation is performed for the other display lines sequentially. New display data are thus written for all the display lines.
Thereafter, during the sustaining discharge period 63, the sustaining pulse of the voltage Vs is applied alternately to the Y electrodes and X electrodes. Thus, sustaining discharge is effected. An image is displayed in units of controlled sub-frames together constituting a complete frame, for each primary color.
In the aforesaid write addressing mode of an addressing/sustaining discharge separated style, a brightness level of a display screen is determined depending on the length of the sustaining discharge period or the number of sustaining pulses.
A brightness level of a pixel in the display screen depends on the number of sustaining discharge cycles performed during the sustaining discharge period 63 for each sub-frame, under the setting conditions for each sub-frame. In short, a brightness level is dependent on the length of the sustaining discharge period.
In principle, the greater the number of sustaining discharge cycles performed during the sustaining discharge period 63, the higher the brightness becomes. Otherwise, the brightness becomes lower.
For determining a brightness level, an optimal one of multiple predetermined sub-frame patterns, of which the numbers of sustaining discharge cycles are different from one another due to different given weights, is selected for each sub-frame, and then a sustaining discharge is executed for the sub-frame. After this operation is executed for all sub-frames of one frame, a brightness level for the frame is determined.
In this example, as shown in FIG. 12, one frame is divided into eight sub-frames SF1 to SF8. The length of the sustaining discharge period 63 is different from sub-frame to sub-frame.
The reset period 61 and addressing period 62 are the same in length among the sub-frames SF1 to SF8. However, the length of the sustaining discharge period 63 differs from sub-frame to sub-frame. For example, the numbers of sustaining discharge cycles for the sub-frames SF1 to SF8 are set to have a relationship of 1:2:4:8:16:32:64:128. By selecting any one or ones of the patterns shown as the sub-frames SF1 to SF8 in FIG. 12 using addresses, the numbers of sustaining discharge cycles for sub-frames in one frame can be changed appropriately.
In this example, brightness can be set to any one of 256 levels.
This example, based on the addressing mode of an addressing/sustaining discharge separated style, is utilized for the display with a large number of scanning lines (corresponding to display lines) or the full-color display with multiple brightness levels. The configuration and operation for this addressing mode are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-195188.
An example of actual time allocation in the aforesaid example will be described below. Assuming that screen rewriting is performed at 60 Hz, it takes 16.6 ms (1/60 Hz) to rewrite one frame. Assuming that the number of sustaining discharge cycles for one frame is 510, the number of sustaining discharge cycles for the sub-frame SF1 is 2, that for the sub-frame SF2 is 4, that for the sub-frame SF3 is 8, that for the sub-frame SF4 is 16, that for the sub-frame SF5 is 32, that for the sub-frame SF6 is 64, that for the sub-frame SF7 is 128, and that for the sub-frame SF8 is 256. Assuming that it takes 8 microseconds to complete a sustaining discharge cycle, 4.08 ms is required to complete all the sustaining discharge cycles for one frame. The remaining 12 milliseconds or so is allocated to eight addressing periods. It takes about 1.5 milliseconds to complete the addressing period for each sub-frame. Assuming that about 50 microseconds is required for the reset period preceding each addressing period, it takes 3 microseconds to complete each addressing cycle for driving a panel having 500 scanning lines.
The addressing mode of an addressing/sustaining discharge separated style is currently the most effective mode for displaying images at different brightness levels, wherein a memory in an AC plasma display PDP or an electroluminescent (EL) display is utilized for effective use of time.
Address current flowing through an AC plasma display PDP or electroluminescent (EL) display having the aforesaid configuration is broadly divided into address electrode-to-address electrode capacitance discharge current (hereinafter, A-A current), address write current, and address driver loss current.
It is the A-A current that is most dominant in a maximum address current. The A-A current is used to charge or discharge a space having a floating capacitance between address electrodes in a panel.
Referring to FIG. 6, two address electrodes A1 and A2 are adjacent to each other and can therefore be modeled as a capacitance.
A square wave having a voltage expressed below is regarded as a signal to be fed to the address electrode A1: EQU V(t)=VmF(wt)
where, F(wt) denotes a frequency factor of 0 or 1. Assume that the address electrode A2 has a voltage 0 and the capacitance between the address electrodes A1 and A2 is C12, the equation below is established. EQU I(t)=C12Vm F'(wt)
The A-A current is therefore determined by the A-A capacitance, A-A potential difference, and address frequency. The C12 and Vm values are usually unchanged. The peak address current therefore depends directly on the address frequency.
When cells are arranged in a zigzag pattern, the A-A current becomes maximum. To ensure this A-A current, a large power supply is required. The is disadvantageous in terms of cost and installation.
However, since the zigzag pattern is seldom used, a large power supply is not always required.
In a conventional plasma display PDP which cannot control address current actively, a large power circuit is a must.


A camera is provided which includes an image capturing element; a memory for recording images obtained from the image capturing element; and a controller for changing the number of recorded pixels of the images stored in the memory based on information about a lens apparatus that can be operatively connected to the camera.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a camera, camera system and lens apparatus and more particularly, although not exclusively, cameras having an image capturing element and a memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a lens-interchangeable camera system, there have been mounting-mechanism types independently different for every image size cameras and lens apparatuses, and these types of lens apparatus are less versatile.
Beam shading (vignetting) arises in the combination of a lens apparatus having a small image size and a camera having a large image size. A conventional method of avoiding beam shading is to construct a lens apparatus, having a small image size, in a way so it can not be mounted on a camera, having a large image size.
Another camera system proposed (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2521816, for example), where a lens apparatus is electrically connected to a camera, inhibits the shooting of the camera when the image size of the camera is determined not to coincide with that of the lens apparatus based on the information about the image size of the lens apparatus stored in the lens (when the image size of the lens apparatus is smaller). Another conventional camera system (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 04-91480, for example) only enlarges and records an image, with an electronic circuit, in the image range where the shading is not generated.

Camera, camera system, and lens apparatus


Systems and methods may be associated with a cyber-physical system, and a blueprint repository data store may contain electronic files that represent behavior-based asset monitoring parameters for different cyber-physical system asset types. A behavior-based asset monitoring creation computer platform may receive an indication of an asset type of the cyber-physical system. The behavior-based asset monitoring creation computer platform may then search the blueprint repository data store and retrieve an electronic file representing behavior-based asset monitoring parameters for the asset type of the cyber-physical system to be monitored. The behavior-based asset monitoring creation computer platform may also receive, from the remote operator device, adjustments to the retrieved behavior-based asset monitoring parameters and automatically configure, based on the adjusted behavior-based asset monitoring parameters, at least a portion of settings for an abnormal detection model. The abnormal detection model may then be created about output to be executed by an abnormal detection platform.

Industrial control systems that operate physical systems (e.g., associated with power turbines, jet engines, locomotives, autonomous vehicles, etc.) are increasingly connected to the Internet. As a result, these control systems have been increasingly vulnerable to threats, such as cyber-attacks (e.g., associated with a computer virus, malicious software, etc.) that could disrupt electric power generation and distribution, damage engines, inflict vehicle malfunctions, etc. Current methods primarily consider attack detection in Information Technology ("IT," such as, computers that store, retrieve, transmit, manipulate data) and Operation Technology ("OT," such as direct monitoring devices and communication bus interfaces). Cyber-attacks can still penetrate through these protection layers and reach the physical "domain" as seen in 2010 with the Stuxnet attack. Such attacks can diminish the performance of a control system and may cause total shut down or even catastrophic damage to a plant. Currently, no methods are available to automatically detect, during a cyber-incident, attacks at the domain layer where sensors, controllers, and actuators are located. In some cases, multiple attacks may occur simultaneously (e.g., more than one actuator, sensor, or parameter inside control system devices might be altered maliciously by an unauthorized party at the same time). Note that some subtle consequences of cyber-attacks, such as stealthy attacks occurring at the domain layer, might not be readily detectable (e.g., when only one monitoring node, such as a sensor node, is used in a detection algorithm). It may also be important to determine when a monitoring node is experiencing a fault (as opposed to a malicious attack) and, in some cases, exactly what type of fault is occurring. Existing approaches to protect an industrial control system, such as failure and diagnostics technologies, may not adequately address these problems—especially when multiple, simultaneous attacks and/faults occur since such multiple faults/failure diagnostic technologies are not designed for detecting stealthy attacks in an automatic manner.
In some cases, behavior or feature based monitoring might be deployed to monitor a cyber-physical system (e.g., to detect faults, cyber-attacks, etc.). Implementing such an approach for a new asset, however, might involve manually identifying operation variables and operation space for normal operation of the asset, manually reviewing and identifying important physical measurements, manually defining attack scenarios, manually setting up Design Of Experiments parameters ("DOE"), etc. As a result, this approach can be a time-consuming, error-prone, and expensive process.
It would therefore be desirable to framework that helps develop cyber-physical system behavior-based monitoring, such as cyber-attack detection, in a quick, automatic, and accurate manner.

Framework to develop cyber-physical system behavior-based monitoring


A holder for a replaceable container of product includes a wall mountable support member having a longitudinal dimension. A holding sleeve extends transversely to the longitudinal dimension a first distance from a first region of the support member. The holding sleeve defines a bulbous recess. A foot extends transversely to the longitudinal dimension a second distance from a second region of the support member. The second distance is less than the first distance. The foot is spaced from the holding sleeve.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to holding apparatus, and more particularly to a device that holds a container.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Various holders for containers, such as aerosol containers, have been developed. Brand et al. U.S. 2003/0136800 discloses an inhaler housing for an aerosol canister that contains an asthma medicine. A collar is fitted around the canister. The canister is placed within a sleeve of the housing in an inverted position, and the sleeve is joined to the collar 40 to prevent lateral movement of the canister within the sleeve.
Ciavarella et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,804 discloses a wall mounted container housing. A support plate of the housing is mounted to a wall. A container is placed in the housing in an inverted position and is maintained in the housing in a position slightly canted or tilted from vertical in a direction toward the wall. Pushing on a surface of the housing presses part of the housing against a valve stem of the container, thereby tilting the valve stem and allowing product to flow out of the container into a user's hand.
Winnett et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,600 discloses a wall mounted dispenser that accommodates shaving cream cans of differing height and diameter. A can is placed within the dispenser in an upright position, and a handle of the dispenser is depressed by a user's finger, thereby discharging shaving cream into the hand of the user.
Fukada U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,812 discloses a wall mounted housing having a hinged cover. Upon placement of an aerosol container in an inverted position within the housing, the hinged cover is closed, thereby enclosing the container entirely. A valve stem is disposed at an outlet end of the container, and the container is supported by a U-shaped support arm or ledge. Pushing a pushbutton on a lower part of the cover tilts the valve stem to dispense a disinfectant.
Burd U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,755 discloses a container of liquid soap disposed in an inverted position within a dispenser. A lower portion of the dispenser holds part of the container and includes a pump and a pump handle. The pump utilizes check valves that convert reciprocations of the pump and the pump handle into a pressure stroke and a return stroke.
Banks U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,288 discloses a foaming device. A collapsible and gusseted container of liquid is placed within the device in an inverted position. A foam producing pump causes foaming of the liquid as the liquid is dispensed.
FIG. 4 of Loesel et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,873 shows a bracket mounted to a wall and a protruding means on a lower part thereof. A flexible soap bladder is fitted within an upper portion of the bracket, and the bladder is pivoted about the bracket in a direction toward the protruding means, thereby pressing the bladder against the protruding means to dispense soap.


Systems, methods, and apparatus for controlling power semiconductor devices are described. According to one embodiment of the disclosure, there is disclosed a system. The system may include at least one power source for selectively providing power to one or more power semiconductor devices controlled by a gate driver. The gate driver may include at least one controller coupled to at least one power semiconductor device interface via a first channel and a second channel configured to provide galvanic isolation of information communicated between the controller and the at least one power semiconductor device interface.

Control systems are utilized in a wide variety of different applications. For example, control systems are utilized in conjunction with one or more power generating devices in power plants and/or in process plants. Control systems typically include a controller in communication with one or more components of the control system via one or more communications channels. However, conventional control systems are not designed to handle voluminous amounts of data communications. As such, only limited data may be communicated and/or processed.


A package configured for storing and dispensing a tubular section of a urinary catheter includes a wall forming a spiral pattern on an interior surface of the package, a cavity, an outlet, a channel connecting the outlet and the cavity, and a by-pass flow path connected with the outlet. The spiral pattern extends from a central region of the package to an outer periphery of the package, with the spiral pattern of the wall forming a spiral space located between the wall and an adjacent section of the wall. The cavity is formed in the outer periphery of the package. The outlet is formed in the outer periphery of the package separate from the cavity.

Urinary catheters are used as a tool assisting in the draining of the urinary bladder of persons that have reduced or non-existing bladder control. The reduced or non-existing bladder control may either be temporary or permanent, where a temporary loss of bladder control may be caused by for example trauma, loss of consciousness or illness. An example of a permanent loss of bladder control may be where a loss of a neural connection between the brain or spinal cord and the urinary bladder occurs due to a trauma to the spinal cord, as is often the case with para- and tetraplegics.
One example of a urinary catheter which is widely used for draining urine from the urinary bladder, is where a catheter tube is inserted into the urethra of a user and where the tip of the catheter tube is manoeuvred into the urinary bladder, forcing the urethral sphincter open and thus providing a drainage channel from the urinary bladder and out of the body, via the catheter tube. There are two types of catheters which are commonly used, the permanent catheter and the intermittent catheter. The permanent catheter is a highly flexible catheter which is inserted by medical professionals into the body for a long period of time, up to 12 weeks, and where the catheter is anchored inside the bladder. The intermittent catheter is usually a single use catheter or a multiple use catheter, which is inserted by the user into the urethra/bladder for the immediate drainage of their urinary bladder and is removed from the urethra/bladder following the drainage. The following disclosure will primarily be concentrated on the intermittent urinary catheter.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Package with a spiral space configured for storing and dispensing a urinary catheter


The innovation disclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof, comprises systems and methods of managing regulatory questions. The systems and methods receive a question having words and phrases. The systems and methods identify keywords in the question using a knowledgebase. The systems and methods determine closely related questions based on the identification, the closely related questions having answers associated with each question of the closely related questions. The systems and methods perform machine learning on the answers of the determined closely related questions.

Financial institutions use models to create forecasts and make business decisions. Models have come under a high level of scrutiny. Models are subject to review by internal audit entities and external regulators such as the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The audit and external regulators examine many aspects of the financial institution models, such as development, use, validation, and/or the like. Examinations typically include rounds of questions where the financial institution provides written responses to the regulator and/or auditor. The questions may include almost any aspect of models. The questions can originate from different regulators regarding the same model. The regulators typically request a short term to receive answers. It is important with communications with audit, regulators and other stakeholders that responses to regulator questions are correct, consistent, and are based on the most up-to-date information in order to ensure credibility.
The questions are directed to and answered on a question by question basis by a representative such as a developer, a validator, a CFMO, a CMoR, and/or the like. The questions can be directed to many different entities such as developers and validators. Questions and question sets are oftentimes tailored to the specific entity being questioned such that different questions may be asked depending on the answering entity.

Identification and management of frequently asked questions


In one aspect, a device may include at least one processor and storage accessible to the at least one processor. The storage may include instructions executable by the at least one processor to facilitate a video conference and to determine different volume levels at which audio for different conference participants should be set. Each different volume level may be greater than zero. The instructions may also be executable to, based on the determination, control audio for the video conference according to the different volume levels. The determination may be based on something other than one of the conference participants specifying one or more of the different volume levels.

As recognized herein, electronic video conferences can present a different set issues than in-person conferences. For instance, because video conference participants are located remotely from each other, each participant might not pick up on cues as they otherwise would, and this can lead to two or more people unintentionally speaking over each other at an unmanageable level. This in turn can make the conversation difficult to follow and lead to other conference participants missing some of what was said. As also recognized herein, current video conference systems do not have the technical capability to handle these types of issues on their own. Thus, there are currently no adequate solutions to the foregoing computer-related, technological problems.

Dynamic control of volume levels for participants of a video conference


An electronic notice-board system for allowing information to be contributed to an electronic notice board. A first short-distance communication device carries out communication with the mobile terminal located in a predetermined communication range and a second communication device exchanges data with the mobile terminal after the user of the mobile terminal has been authenticated. Similarly, the mobile terminal also has a short-distance communication device for carrying out communication with the electronic notice board located in a predetermined communication range and a second communication device for exchanging data with the electronic notice board after the user of the mobile terminal has been authenticated. Since users of the electronic notice board must be close by, it is possible to avoid improper use of the electronic notice board by any user located a long distance away from the electronic notice board.

In general, the present invention relates to an information-processing terminal having a communication function and relates to a system for displaying information on a notice board at a request made by the information-processing terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic notice-board system having an information-processing terminal in addition to a display apparatus.
Notice boards in the Internet include an electronic notice board capable of showing contributed news articles and auctions. These news articles and auctions are originated from an information-processing terminal and/or a mobile terminal, which are connected to the Internet. The electronic notice board is disclosed in documents including Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-123466. Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-123466 discloses a notice-board system capable of newly putting an item originated from an external network on a notice board and referencing as well as renewing an item already put on the notice board.
In the conventional electronic notice-board system, from an information-processing terminal and/or a mobile terminal, which are connected to the Internet, it is possible to select a specific notice board provided for a desired theme among notice boards cataloged on a notice-board list without regard to the physical location of a contributor authoring an article of the specific theme. In such an electronic notice-board system, however, it is impossible to specify an electronic board targeted at specific users in accordance with the location of a specific user. Even in the case of specifying a nearby notice board such as a notice board-installed at a train station or a school, the notice board must be specified from a menu displayed on a terminal. In addition, since it is possible to contribute a notice to the notice board from a terminal connectable to the Internet without regard to the physical location of the notice-contributing user, an improper notice is contributed to the notice board sometimes.


A method for manufacturing a bump of a probe card is disclosed. In accordance with the present invention, the bump has a high aspect ratio, a high elasticity, a high durability suitable for testing a high speed device. The bump is formed using a sacrificial substrate as a mold to have a shape of Π or II for elasticity and durability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a bump of a probe card, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a bump of a probe card having a high aspect ratio, a high elasticity, a high durability suitable for testing a high speed device by using a sacrificial substrate as a mold.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a probe card is used for a wafer-level test. A plurality of cantilever structures having a bump, a cantilever beam and a probe tip are formed on the probe card. The cantilever beam which is a main body of the cantilever structure provides an elasticity and the probe tip contacts a pad on a wafer. The bump provides a support for the cantilever beam to allow the probe tip to contact the pad elastically.
An integration density of a semiconductor device increases, a density of the cantilever structure is also increased. In order to test various devices, bumps having various heights are required. While the bump having a high aspect ratio allows attaching a chip capacitor close to the bump, it is difficult to form the bump having the high aspect ratio.
In order to overcome this problem, the applicant filed Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0079873 titled "METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING BUMP OF PROBE CARD" disclosing a method for forming a bump having the high aspect ratio using a silicon substrate a mold.
One factor for deciding a durability of the probe card is the elasticity of the cantilever structure. The elasticity of the cantilever structure is determined by the elasticity of the probe beam and the bump. Increasing the elasticity of the bump is very difficult, and particularly, forming a bump that satisfies the elasticity and a stiffness is more difficult.

Method for manufacturing bump of probe card


A system and method for generating custom geospatial information maps and precision corrected images allows realtime interactive production of a desired output image by incorporating user selectable parameters that define various image synthesizing operations. A graphical user interface allows a user to specify parameters that define the desired output image. The parameters define image synthesizing operations such as area, projection, datum, fusion, masking, blending, mosaiking, resampling, and others. The desired output image is processed by an image assembly server, and electronically delivered to a user via a public access network. A user may therefore receive a desired output image that conforms to a variety of user-specified parameters interactively via the image assembly server, and interactively update and refine the desired output image via the graphical user interface, thereby providing an active archive of a set of images that can be revised dynamically.

Geospatial image data is often used to generate a map of a geographical area to denote a variety of geographic features. Such geospatial image data is gathered by a variety of techniques, such as via satellites and aircraft, and encompasses data gathered by a variety of sensor mediums, such as optical, radar, infrared, laser, and others. Often, the geospatial image data must be processed through mathematical synthesizing operations to obtain a desired output image. The synthesizing operations typically require significant manual efforts, and require substantial time and computational resources to compute. Accordingly, the desired output images may only be gathered periodically, must anticipate a substantial time delay, and require manual intervention in order to modify or apply a new synthesizing operation to the geospatial data to obtain the desired output image.
Raw geospatial data has been and continues to be gathered by a variety of governmental and private entities. The National Image and Mapping Agency (NIMA), The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) are among the various entities that catalog raw geospatial data. The raw geospatial data is typically used in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) according to protocols such as the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), promulgated by the FGDC, and embodied in the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, a public domain collection of geospatial data organized to promote cooperative production and sharing of geospatial data among federal, state, academic, corporate, and private entities having an interest in geospatial data. While initially developed to support intelligence operations for military purposes, geospatial data is now being used for a variety of research and consumer purposes, including oil and gas mining, agricultural conditions, outdoor expeditions such as camping, hunting and fishing, and recreation such as golf and flight simulation.
Traditionally, geospatial images produced from raw geospatial data have been produced through time intensive manual computations. The raw geospatial data is gathered from various sensors focused on a particular geographic area. These computations typically gather the raw geospatial data from a variety of geographic areas, and synthesize the desired output image. The synthesizing operations typically include polynomial warping techniques to distort one image to match one of an adjacent geographic area, and resampling techniques to project, filter, combine, fuse, and mask the images represented by the raw geospatial data. Other synthesizing operations are known to those skilled in the art. Since the synthesizing operations are performed by a time intensive manual sequence, the results typically represent a static archive because the resultant output images are used in static form with infrequent modification.
For example, a desired output image might represent a fusion of an optical satellite image with an infrared aircraft scanning of a land mass having fossil fuel reserves to facilitate mining or oil production. Similarly, an agricultural application might involve a combining of a high resolution monochrome image with a lower resolution color image to ascertain or predict vegetation patterns. A PC application might employ images of a variety of golf courses to provide a realistic simulation. Many other uses and applications can be contemplated.
As illustrated above, generation of geospatial images corresponding to a desired output image can be time and computationally intensive. Manual manipulation of the various parameters that define each instantiation of the desired output image is required. It would be beneficial, therefore, to provide a system and method for allowing user selectable parameters to specify the image synthesizing operations which define a desired output image, to allow interactive realtime generation of the desired output image from a remote computing device based upon the user selectable parameters, and to provide delivery of the desired output image to the user via an electronic medium such as the Internet.
A system and method for generating custom geospatial information maps and precision corrected images allows realtime interactive production of a desired output image by incorporating user selectable parameters that define various image synthesizing operations. A graphical user interface allows a user to specify parameters that define the desired output image via a remote computing device over a public access network such as the Internet. The parameters define image synthesizing operations such as area, projection, datum, fusion, masking, blending, mosaicking, resampling, and others. The desired output image is processed by an image assembly server according to the parameters and a variety of geospatial image data sources, and electronically delivered to a user via a public access network. A user may therefore receive a desired output image that conforms to a variety of user-specified parameters interactively via an image assembly server, and interactively update and refine the desired output image via the graphical user interface, thereby providing an active archive of a set of images that can be revised dynamically.

3-dimensional interactive image modeling system


This videoconference system includes plural user's user PCs, a digital camera that is connected to each user PC through a cradle and can take a moving image, a server for a videoconference, and the Internet that connects these user PCs and the server for a videoconference. Each user PC has a program for videoconference for performing a videoconference, and when detecting that the digital camera is mounted on the cradle and is connected to the user PC duplex-communicably, the user PC makes a videoconference possible by automatically booting the above-described program for videoconference, and making moving images, taken with digital cameras of both users who are mutually communication, displayed on display devices of both user PCs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a videoconference system, and in particular, to a videoconference system by which a plurality of users holds a videoconference with each other via a communication network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 59-154840 discloses a teleconference system which can mutually connect a plurality of stations so that broadcasting type communication may be possible, can make each station being equipped with an input unit and a display device, can connect stations, which participate in a conference by the transmission of a conference request, including a conference participating station list, from a station, logically as a group, and can perform exclusive control of excluding an access to the display device and input unit from a station other than the group during group formation.
However, although the teleconference system performs the exclusive control of excluding an access from stations other than a group, there arises a malfunction that it is not possible to easily select a partner who can hold a teleconference or to easily perform initial registration work relating to a teleconference.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 60-178784 discloses an image receiving apparatus which has an image display device displaying a user's own image under transmission in a mirror image or a normal image on a half or a part of a screen at the same time of displaying an image from a partner.
However, although the image receiving apparatus displays an image under transmission from a user's own side with a communication partner's pickup image during operation of a videophone on an image display device, there arises a malfunction that it is impossible to easily select a partner who can perform a videophone or to easily select an image, which has been taken and recorded beforehand, and to transmit the image to a partner.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-71275 discloses a teleconference system that has a plurality of image pickup devices which take moving images of a plurality of conference attendants and a plurality of audible sound input devices of inputting audible sound, and in which a plurality of conference unit systems, transmitting moving image data and audible sound data from each device, is connected through a line. The teleconference system comprises an identification device of determining a speaker out of the plurality of conference attendants, a transmitter of generating identification information showing the speaker who is determined by this identification device and transmitting this identification information via the line, a receiver of receiving the identification information from the line, and a display device of dividing a screen into a plurality of areas, displaying the moving image of the speaker on a predetermined area of the divided screen on the basis of moving image data of the speaker corresponding to the identification information received by the receiver while displaying a still image of other conference attendants on the basis of moving image data of the attendants other than the speaker on another area of the divided screen.
However, although the teleconference system displays an image of a plurality of conference attendants on a screen, specifies a speaker, and performs moving image display in a predetermined area, there arises a malfunction that it is impossible to easily select a partner who can perform a videophone or to easily select an image, which has been taken and recorded beforehand, and to transmit the image to a partner.
In recent years, it becomes possible to hold a videoconference with other users through the Internet. Another known system is a system that a user's personal computer acquires and displays a list of plural users that are registered in a predetermined server on a network and ready for communication, and that the user can select a partner, whom the user expects, from the list and can perform a videophone type network meeting.
Generally, when a user logs in to a communication network such as the Internet to enable actual use, personal information such as a name, an address, a payment method of a charge, and an e-mail address which the user inputs is recorded in a predetermined server of a provider or the like, or a user's own communication terminal (communication equipment such as a personal computer, an electronic camera, or a cellular phone). However, up to now, when first starting software for a videoconference for communication via a network, it was necessary to input the personal information and the like anew. Hence, in spite of maintenance of an environment where a videoconference can be held, there arises a situation that users who do not like troublesome operation pass the time away without registering and using a videoconference system. Although a user tries the registration of personal information, there arises a malfunction that it is not possible to set the videoconference system in a state that the videoconference system can be used since the user fails the input of the personal information to be set in many items.
In the above-described network meeting system, there arises a malfunction that a user cannot look for a desired communications partner as a matter of fact since the number of users who can communicate and are registered into a server has reached a huge amount, that is, thousands of people with the spread of the Internet.
Moreover, in the above-described network meeting system, it is possible to acquire other users' names and addresses that are registered into a specific server, and the information of rough communication availability of whether other users have started application software for a specific network meeting, and to display them on a user's personal computer. However, since the information is displayed in characters with which the user can seldom recognize a communication partner easily, it is difficult to specify and select a desired communication partner in fact.
Furthermore, since a user cannot easily know information on whether a desired communication partner is ready for performing a network meeting and a plurality of status information about communication availability of the desired communication partner, there arises a malfunction that it is difficult to predict inconvenience which will be generated after actually performing a network meeting.
Up to now, during a network meeting with another user, when transmitting one or more images, which were taken by an electronic camera etc. and are currently recorded, to the partner, the user boots a file management program other than application software for a network meeting simultaneously, and commands transmission after selecting an image file that the user wishes to transmit. Nevertheless, even if the file management program displays a list of a file name including a drive name of a recording device or a directory name where the desired image is recorded, it is not possible to grasp the contents of an image only from a file name. Hence, the user performs such complicated image transmission operation that the user specifies the file name of the image to be sent, views and checks the image, and commands transmission thereafter.
Furthermore, when a plurality of images are sent, it is necessary to perform troublesome processing so as to send the plurality of images since it is necessary to perform the above-described processing for the plurality of images.


A microphone includes a microphone unit having a diaphragm vibrating in response to sound. The microphone unit converts the sound into an electrical signal. A cylindrical casing contains the microphone unit. A metal mesh strip rounded along the inner surface of the casing is attached to the inner surface of the main wall of the casing so as to cover openings. The rounded metal mesh strip has a spring portion generating spring force to expand the metal mesh strip against the inner surface of the casing to provide electrostatic shielding.

For example, a typical unidirectional condenser microphone picks up sound from two directions, i.e., from the front and back of its diaphragm. Accordingly, the casing containing a microphone unit should have openings in its front and main walls.
In the vicinity of the openings in the main wall of the casing, a pathway is provided to send audio signals from the microphone unit to an impedance converter. In such a configuration, the vicinity of the openings in the main wall of the casing is susceptible to noise due to the electrostatic coupling in this pathway. To reduce the effect of the noise due to electrostatic coupling in the vicinity of the openings in the main wall of the casing, the microphone has an electrostatic shield, such as a metal mesh, at the openings.
The openings in the casing of the microphone require high electrostatic-shielding performance while effectively picking up sound. For this reason, the metal mesh strip is attached to the casing so as to entirely cover the openings while sufficient aperture is ensured. The metal mesh strip is composed of a cylindrical metal strip rounded along the main wall of the casing and fixed inside the casing with an adhesive or any other fixer.
Unfortunately, this metal mesh strip inside the casing barely covers the openings due to its variations in size and directional or positional misalignment inside the casing, leading to low electrostatic-shielding performance.
For example, Japanese Patent No. 5162484, hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses a microphone that has a shield plate with tongues at both ends of the microphone in the longitudinal direction, and the tongues at one end overlap the tongues at the other end alternately to form a cylindrical shape.
The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 barely overlaps tongues inside the casing and entirely covers the openings with the shield plate inside the casing, thereby leading to low electrostatic-shielding performance.


A multiple hop communications method among a plurality of moving vehicles. Each moving vehicles has a plurality of unidirectional radio. The method comprises receiving an incoming packet at one of the plurality of unidirectional radios, determining if there is an active link between each of the plurality of unidirectional radios and an unidirectional radio of a neighbor vehicle, relaying the incoming packet to the plurality of unidirectional radios having an active link and transmitting the incoming packet as an outgoing packet from at least one of the plurality of unidirectional radios. If more than one packet is received, the packets can be encoded using group coding before send the packets out as an outgoing packet.

Ad-hoc wireless communication has been used in moving devices such as a moving vehicle with the use of mobile networks (MANET). One type of MANET is a vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET) that refers to a mobile ad-hoc network designed to provide communications among nearby vehicles and between vehicles and nearby fixed equipment.
A VANET can be used to disseminate many aspects of vehicle safety applications, including, but not limited to, urgent road obstacle warning, intersection coordination, hidden driveway warning, lane-change or merging assistance. However, simply installing wireless antenna on a node and then transmitting uncoordinated communications would result in collision of data, interference between data and a significant transmission delay. By transmitting uncoordinated data, the airwaves would be flooded with a plurality of messages, which would result in a jamming of the radio waves, as the radio bandwidth is limited. As such, each node would interfere with each other's transmission and compete with each other for radio bandwidth for transmission. In omni-directional systems even with coordination, channel contention severely limits performance resulting in difficulty to achieve reliable V2V communication, e.g., DSRC/Wave based networks.
These problems become more apparent in ad-hoc networks where the nodes are moving at high speeds. The high mobility and lack of inherent relationships make a priori configuration of nodes into groups problematic. Information such as traffic advisories, Amber alerts, weather advisories, etc. must be relayed to all vehicles quickly, without delay and interference.

Switched link-based vehicular network architecture and method

Toyota Infotechnology Center, U.S.A., Inc.


A suspension apparatus is disclosed for which vehicle handling stability can be obtained. An upper arm (14), a damper unit (16), and a stabilizer (17) are connected in this order to a knuckle (13) from outside of the vehicle body in a width direction of the vehicle body. The reaction force of the stabilizer is used as a moment in the camber direction, and causes interference in the camber direction. As a result, a camber change during a reverse phase stroke is increased over a camber change during a same-phase stroke, and turning performance of the vehicle is improved.

Double-wishbone and multilink suspension apparatuses are known as vehicle suspension apparatuses.
These types of suspension apparatuses have been widely adopted with design modifications to the suspension according to different applications.
Known as these vehicle suspension apparatuses are those in which a knuckle is supported with a damper unit, those in which input from a stabilizer is introduced into a lower arm, and those in which input from a stabilizer is introduced into an upper arm (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication Nos. 2006-143013, 2000-153705 and 2006-182174).
FIG. 8 hereof shows the suspension apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-143013.
In a suspension apparatus 230, a damper unit (shock absorber) 231 is supported close to the knuckle, and the damper unit 231, which also doubles as a strut, has a fulcrum 234 for a link which extends to a stabilizer 233.
FIG. 9 shows the suspension apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-153705.
A suspension apparatus 240 is configured with the lower edge of a strut member 242 having a damper unit (shock absorber) 241 as a two-pronged fork 243. Each of these fork prongs 243 is coupled to a lower arm (lower link member) 244, and the edge of a stabilizer 245 on a wheel 246 is coupled to the lower arm 244 through the gap between the two fork prongs 243.
FIG. 10 shows the suspension apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-182174.
A suspension apparatus 250 has a knuckle 252 for rotatably supporting a wheel 251, an upper arm 253 for swingably coupling the upper portion of the knuckle 252 with the vehicle body, a lower arm 254 for swingably coupling the lower portion of the knuckle 252 with the vehicle body, a damper unit 255 extending between the lower arm 254 on the side of the knuckle 252 and the vehicle body, and a stabilizer 256 whose input is introduced into the upper arm 253.
For example, in a suspension system in which an A-shaped arm is used for the upper arm, and a damper unit whose spring is coaxial with the damper is mounted on the knuckle, as with the suspension apparatus shown in FIG. 8, there are numerous cases in which the stabilizer is attached to the lower arm, as in the suspension apparatus shown in FIG. 9, or in which the stabilizer is attached to the upper arm, as in the suspension apparatus shown in FIG. 10.
In a case in which the stabilizer is attached to the lower arm, it is sometimes difficult to introduce input from the stabilizer into the knuckle on the lower arm, the purpose of which is to avoid interference from the upper arm and damper, and the like. Here, when the ratio between the distance from the knuckle on the lower arm to the input point of the stabilizer and the distance from the input point of the stabilizer to the vehicle body side of the lower arm is designated as a lever ratio, the lever ratio deteriorates with increased distance from the knuckle on the lower arm to the input point of the stabilizer, and sometimes the action of the stabilizer cannot be adequately performed. Specifically, it is impossible to assure favorable handling stability.
In addition, in a case in which the stabilizer is attached to the upper arm, sometimes the input point must be offset forward or backward in relation to the axis (wheel center) in order to avoid interference from the lower arm, the damper unit, or the like. When the input point is offset forward or backward in relation to the axis, a mode occurs in which the knuckle itself is rotated, and unnecessary toe change occurs. Specifically, it is impossible to assure favorable handling stability.


A method of operating an integrated circuit may include receiving an update request via an input-output protocol, such as the Peripheral Interconnect Component Express (PCIe) protocol. The integrated circuit is placed in an update mode when the update request is received. State information is stored in predefined registers on the integrated circuit and configuration data on the integrated circuit may be subsequently updated. An asserted update mode signal is stored in a status register on the integrated circuit to indicate that the integrated circuit is in the update mode. The configuration data may include a core configuration portion and a peripheral configuration portion. When the integrated circuit is in the update mode, only the core configuration is updated while the peripheral configuration portion may be preserved.

Programmable integrated circuit devices such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and the like, may be used to implement a variety of functions. As an example, an FPGA device may be configured to perform various user functions based on different user designs.
Generally, an integrated circuit device includes a core region and a periphery region. A user design configuration may therefore be divided into two images: a core configuration image and a periphery configuration image. The core configuration image is used to configure logic elements or logic blocks in the core region while the periphery configuration image is used to configure peripheral elements such as input-output registers, transceiver blocks, etc.
To configure a device, a circuit designer may load the periphery image and the core image onto the device through a variety of available input-output protocols (e.g., the peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) protocol). Typically, the circuit designer may modify and update the design at a later stage (e.g., in order to meet future application requirements), and may therefore load the updated core configuration image onto the device.
When the updated core configuration image is loaded onto the device, the device is reset. When the device is reset, application data or state information may be lost. Accordingly, once the device is reset, periphery settings that may be specific to the application (e.g., transceiver calibration information) are reset or overwritten with default settings even though the periphery configuration image has not been updated.
It is within this context that the embodiments described herein arise.

Circuitry and techniques for updating configuration data in an integrated circuit


Provided are methods of forming a stack of electrodes and three-dimensional semiconductor devices fabricated thereby. The device may include electrodes sequentially stacked on a substrate to constitute an electrode structure. each of the electrodes may include a connection portion protruding horizontally and outward from a sidewall of one of the electrodes located thereon and an aligned portion having a sidewall coplanar with that of one of the electrodes located thereon or thereunder. Here, at least two of the electrodes provided vertically adjacent to each other may be provided in such a way that the aligned portions thereof have sidewalls that are substantially aligned to be coplanar with each other.

Exemplary embodiments relate to a semiconductor device, and in particular, to methods of forming a stack of electrodes and three-dimensional semiconductor devices fabricated thereby.
Higher integration of semiconductor devices is required to satisfy consumer demands for superior performance and lower prices. In the case of semiconductor memory devices, integration is an important factor in determining product prices and thus, increased integration is important. In the case of typical two-dimensional or planar semiconductor memory devices, their integration is mainly determined by the area occupied by a unit memory cell, and thus, integration is greatly influenced by the level of a fine pattern forming technology. However, the extremely expensive process equipment needed to increase pattern fineness sets a practical limitation on increasing integration for two-dimensional or planar semiconductor devices.
To overcome such a limitation, three-dimensional semiconductor memory devices having three-dimensionally arranged memory cells have been proposed. The three-dimensional semiconductor memory device may also include three-dimensionally arranged conductive lines (for example, word lines) serving as electrical paths for accessing the memory cells.

Methods of forming a stack of electrodes and three-dimensional semiconductor devices fabricated thereby