Disclosed is a mobile terminal having a main housing; a popup housing slidably movable on the main housing in a longitudinal direction to open or close an upper part of the main housing; and a lens housing connected to a rear of the main housing in such a manner that it can be pivoted around a rotating axis which is parallel to the sliding direction of the popup housing, the lens housing being opened or closed according to the sliding movement of the popup housing, and when the popup housing is moved up, the lens housing is capable of being pivoted around the rotating axis to expose a camera module facing in the same direction as a front side of the main housing. A picture may be taken through a through hole when the lens housing is closed by the popup housing. When the popup housing is moved up to expose the lens housing, the lens housing may be pivoted to take pictures in various directions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handheld mobile terminal, and more particularly to a sliding-type mobile terminal with a second housing being slidable on a first housing in a longitudinal direction so as to open or close a display window of the first housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, mobile terminals are classified into a bar type, a flip type and a folder type according to their shapes.
A bar-type mobile terminal has a single housing provided with a data input/output means, a transmitter and a receiver. Since a keypad that serves as a data input/output means is always exposed, it is in a position in which it may be inadvertently pressed by a user in error or may cause an undesired function to take place. Also, there is a limitation in making bar-type mobile terminals smaller because a sufficient distance is needed between the transmitter and the receiver, which may not be met when the bar-type terminal is made too small.
A flip-type mobile terminal has a main housing, a flip and a hinge module that connects the flip to the main housing. The main housing is provided with a data input/output means, a transmitter and a receiver. Since the flip covers the data input/output means, i.e., the keypad, it can prevent any inadvertent key-pressings when the flip is closed. However, there is still a limitation in reducing the size of flip-type mobile terminals because of the need for a sufficient distance between the transmitter and the receiver.
A folder-type mobile terminal has a main housing, a folder and a hinge module that connects the folder rotatably to the main housing. In a call waiting mode with the folder closed, the keypad of the main housing is covered to prevent any inadvertent key-pressings. In a call mode with the folder opened and apart from the main housing, a sufficient distance is typically provided between the transmitter and the receiver. Accordingly, it is relatively easy to reduce the size of folder-type mobile terminals. Due to this advantage, folder-type mobile terminals have become more and more popular to due their smaller size.
With the increasing popularity of mobile terminals, and the increase in the number of people who use mobile terminals, a variety of designs have been suggested to meet the needs and tastes of users. Among such designs, a sliding type terminal in which one housing is slidable with respect to the other housing, a popup type terminal and a swing type have become commercially available.
Presently, a current trend in mobile terminals is to provide more integrated functions and services than previously available terminals, whereby telephone services now offer a variety of multimedia services, such as an MP3 player and a digital camera.
To have a digital camera function, a mobile terminal is provided with a built-in camera module and a window for exposing the camera module, which will affect the exterior design of the mobile terminal. Also, mobile terminals are now provided with built-in camera that swivel in order for the user to manipulate the direction of a camera lens during a video conference or to take photos. Recently, mobile terminals with over one million-pixel digital cameras have become available. Mobile terminals now also generally include additional means, such as a cover, for protecting a built-in digital camera while not being used. Unfortunately, such additional means make it difficult to design the mobile terminals to be smaller and lighter.


An implant device (100d) for engagement with a bone of a subject, said the implant device (100d) comprising a distal end (102d), a proximal end (104d), a central shaft (106d), a longitudinal central axis (108d) and a helical thread portion (110d) having a leading edge (114d) and a trailing edge (116d). A portion of the leading edge (114d) extends in a direction towards the distal end (102d) of the implant further than the most distal portion of the root (112d) of the thread portion (110d); and wherein the trailing edge (116d) extends in a direction of from the most proximal portion of the root (112d) in a radial outward direction and towards the distal end (102d); and a crest portion (118d) disposed between the leading edge (114d) and the trailing edge (116d) and wherein said the crest portion (118d) forms a radially outward portion of the thread portion (110d). Hence, the implant device (100d) improved the axial pull-out strength and reduced stress concentration.

Bone implant devices are typically used for fixation and engagement with typically include a threaded engagement portion for engagement with and fixation within bone material.
Such bone implant devices have numerous applications in the field of orthopaedics and orthopaedic surgery, such as when used alone to reduce a fracture or secure fractured bone for example, to secure and fix other fracture or trauma hardware, such as fracture plate, or secure implants such as protheses in the field of arthroplasty.
As is known, other bone implant devices, which include a threaded engagement portion for engagement with and fixation in bone, include devices such as pedicle screws, suture anchors and other fixation type devices.
Also as is known within the art of bone implant devices and fastener and fixation type devices, including those recited above, which typically include a threaded portion for engagement with bone tissue, there exist numerous problems associated with the biomechanical and biological properties of bone and physiological response of bone in response to the presence of such devices and the loading to bone.
These may potentially reduce the integrity of engagement and fixation in bone, and securement of such devices within bone.
By way of example, bone fasteners such as bone screws, bone nails, and bone plates may have the effect of weakening or compromising the integrity of surrounding tissue through a physiological mechanism, which is known as stress shielding, which results from bone adjacent a fixation element or implant resorbing due to the absence of localised loading.
Due to such localised changes in bone tissue adjacent a fixation element, fastener or implant can further result in compromise of a mechanical engagement device and fixation, by a further mechanism known termed aseptic loosening, whereby the fit and engagement between orthopeadic implants and bone tissue is compromised resulting in a device loosening over time.
Accordingly, this may further cause loosening and even catastrophic failure of the mechanical system or the device, which may be exacerbated by the device crushing and compacting adjacent bone tissue in some cases.
Also, further problems which may result include what is known as progressive "cut out", in which a device may progressively penetrate through the bone from relative movement between the device and bone, until the device breaks through the cortex entirely.
As is known, such biomechanical problems associated with such devices are often related to and can be exacerbated by biological changes due to the processes of bone generation and bone remodelling.
As is also known, a common biological change in bone is the loss of bone mass and structural strength due to imbalance in the bone remodelling process, a condition known as osteopenia, or its more extreme form the progression to osteoporosis.
Global life expectancies of people have risen during the 21st century, and an increasing number of otherwise healthy and able-bodied elderly people suffer from painful and debilitating fractures due to osteoporosis.
Fractures of the hip, shoulder and spine of a subject are especially prevalent due to the relatively high content of cancellous, or "spongy," tissue within the larger, load-bearing bones.
It has been shown that in individuals suffering from osteoporosis, these bones often develop numerous cavities and cysts within the spongy bone tissue of a subject, that can compromise structural strength and lead to higher fracture and rates.
In the field of orthopaedics, a common form of treatment of patients for such fractures is surgical fixation by way of the implantation of metal rods or screws that are used to secure bone fragments in their original or appropriate anatomical positions, during the healing process.
Within the human body, all bone tissue, particularly bone tissue already weakened by conditions such as osteoporosis, degenerative disorders, compromised bone stock, is susceptible to complications caused by the migration and loosening of medical devices including implants, fixation devices and bone anchors.
Migration of a device within bone tissue can cause instability at fracture sites, aseptic loosening of implants, increased stresses on implants and fixation devices and associated hardware, all of which may cause fatigue and failure, and in the case of bone anchors this may cause instability and potential loosening and pull-out and other complications, all of which reduce overall musculoskeletal health and integrity of bone tissue and bone stability.
As is known, the presence of a device within bone stock of a subject may contribute to or may cause weakening of the bone through mechanisms such as bone resorption due to stress shielding.


A roller vane motor having a housing and a stator positioned on an inside surface of the housing. The stator has an internal wall with an inlet port and an outlet port and the portion of this internal wall at the outlet port tapers open at an angle of less than 45 degrees relative to a tangent of the internal wall. A rotor assembly is positioned within the stator. The rotor assembly includes: i) a rotor shaft, ii) a plurality of flutes extending from the rotor shaft; and iii) cylindrical rollers positioned between said flutes.

The present invention relates to downhole fluid driven motors used in the oil and gas drilling industry. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved roller vane motor.
There are various types of fluid driven motors which are designed to be incorporated into a drill string and are used to power (supply torque to) drill bits and other downhole tools. One type is the roller vane motor. The roller vane motor will normally be positioned in the drill string above the tool to be driven. A fluid (e.g. water, drilling mud, etc.) is pumped through the roller vane motor causing the motor to generate torque. FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a typical prior art roller vane motor 60. The motor 60 will generally comprise a stator 61 and a rotor 63. Rotor 63 will further include a series of flutes 66 with pockets 67 formed between flutes 66 and rollers 65 positioned in pockets 67. A fluid supply valve 68 will be formed through the center of rotor 63. Fluid passages 69 will communicate between supply valve 68 and pockets 67. Stator 61 will include interior stator walls which have varying radii. Portions of the stator wall will have a short radius (short radius portion 64a) approximate to the radius of flutes 66, such that flutes 66 forms a seal as they pass the short radius. Other portions of the stator wall will have a long radius (long radius portion 64b) which allows roller 65 to travel partially out of pockets 67. The stator will also have fluid exhaust ports 62 proximate said short radius stator wall portions. These fluid exhaust ports 62 are typically oriented radially outward from rotor 63 as suggested in FIG. 1.
In operation, fluid will be pumped down the drill string and will enter fluid supply valve 68. Rollers 65 which are facing a long radius portion 64b of the stator wall will tend to be pushed outward by the flow of fluid. Viewing in particular the roller designated 65a, it can be seen how rollers 65 will form a seal between rotor 63 and the long radius portion 64b of the stator wall and prevent the flow of fluid in the gap between rotor 63 and the stator wall. Another seal is formed between the flutes 66 of rotor 63 and the short radius portion 64a of the stator. Following the flow arrows in FIG. 1, it can be seen how fluid to the right of roller 65a may escape through exhaust port 62 and thus will be at the lower pressures existing outside the stator. On the other hand, higher pressure fluid flowing out of supply valve 68 into pockets 67 will be contained between the seal formed by flute 66 and short radius portion 64a and the seal formed by roller 65a engaging both the long radius portion 64b and the flute 66. The net effect of this arrangement is the accumulation of high pressure on the left side of roller 65a and lower pressure on the right side. Therefore, roller 65a will tend to move right toward exhaust port 62 and impart torque to rotor 63. Roller 65a will continue to impart torque to rotor 63 until roller 65a comes into contact with short radius portion 64a of the stator and roller 65a is forced into pocket 67, allowing the high pressure fluid behind roller 65a to escape through exhaust port 62.
One disadvantage with this prior art roller vane motor is that it is highly vulnerable to particulate matter in the power fluid. Very close tolerances are required where seals are intended to be formed, e.g. between flutes 66 and short radius portion 64a or between fluid passages 69 and the fins on supply valve 68. Particulates in the driving fluid either tend to stall the motor and/or seriously abrade the sealing surfaces. Additionally, the fins on supply valve 68 provide a very inefficient mechanism for sealing fluid passages 69. When these fins attempt to seal fluid passages 69, they present a critical short leak path between high and low pressure regions. Another disadvantage is the abrupt or violent manner in which rollers 65 will be forced into pockets 67 as the rollers approach short radius portion 64a of the stator. This abrupt action causes severe wear on both the roller and stator wall, thereby significantly reducing the useful life of the motor. It is believed that the degree of force with which rollers 65 are shifted in and out of pockets 67 is increased by exhaust ports 62 being oriented at a high angle in relation to the tangent of the stator wall at the exhaust port. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a dashed line 71 tangent to the stator wall approaching exhaust port 62. Dashed line 72 shows the orientation of the exhaust port 62. The angle xcex1 demonstrates the orientation of exhaust port 62 to tangent line 71 is approximately 90xc2x0. Additionally, when the roller vane motor is starting up from a stationary position, there is a tendency for the motor to xe2x80x9clock upxe2x80x9d because the rollers are forced into exhaust ports 62 and tend to remain there. This tendency to lock-up is also believed to be caused or aggravated by exhaust ports being oriented at high angles relative to the tangent of the stator wall.
The present invention provides a roller vane motor for use in downhole drilling operations or various other applications. The roller vane motor has a housing and a stator positioned on an inside surface of the housing. The stator has an internal wall with an inlet port and an outlet port formed therein and the portion of this internal wall at the outlet port tapers open at an angle of less than 45 degrees relative to a tangent of the internal wall. A rotor assembly is positioned within the stator and includes: i) a rotor shaft, ii) a plurality of flutes extending from the rotor shaft; and iii) cylindrical rollers positioned between said flutes.


An improved container providing improved spill control for the pouring of contents, such as fluids, into a receptacle, and in a preferred embodiment for pouring motor oil into an automobile engine, in which a moveable spout having a dispensing tube and a sealing plate is movable from a first position in which the sealing plate seals an opening to the container and a second position which aligns the dispensing tube with the opening for communicating the contents from the container to a receptacle, such as an automobile engine, the sealing plate being of a length sufficient to cover the opening for being sealed and remaining within a perimeter of the top surface when moved to the second position.

Automobiles, airplanes, motor-powered water craft, ski-mobiles, lawn mowers, and other such motor devices, typically use one or more of a variety of fluids, including such fluids as oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and others. As these products are used or worn, the fluids are periodically replaced. Occasionally, the volume of the fluids in the motor vehicle decreases such as through use or leaks. The volume of fluid accordingly must be supplemented. Typically in automobiles, motor oil is more commonly replaced or supplemented than are these other fluids. Although the following discussion will use automobile engines as a general example, it will be understood that such example is representative of the full range of other motor-powered applications for which the invention is useful.
Such fluids when sold in the after-market are generally packaged in small quantities, such as individual one quart containers. Some containers are fiberboard cylinders having metal tops and bottoms. These containers require a separate spout having a piercing element to pierce the metal top and to communicate the fluid from the container to the engine. Other containers have since been developed. Typically these comprise plastic bottles having elongated necks and twist-off caps. The cap is removed from the bottle, the oil fill cap is removed from the engine's oil filler port and the oil is poured from the bottle through the filler port into the engine.
While these containers provide a convenient supply of such fluids, using the containers while replacing or supplementing the fluids in the engine commonly results in some spillage on the engine adjacent the filler port. Spillage usually occurs because of a number of factors, including the unfavorable design of present containers which containers must be open prior to inverting the container over the filler port. Also, the engine compartment is often crowded and it may be difficult to reach the location of the filler port. Spillage may also occur accidentally for a variety of reasons.
If the spilled oil is not promptly removed, adverse consequences can result. These include oil dripping onto the floor of a garage and creating a dirty slippery surface. Road grime from dust or dirt accumulates on engine parts that are coated with spilled oil. The oil burns off surfaces of an operating engine and produces smoke. There is also potential damage to electrical and other operating parts in the engine compartment which come in contact with spilled oil.
Aligning the opening of such bottles with the filler port of the engine as the bottle is being inverted and the fluid flow begins, is an awkward task which often results in at least some oil being spilled outside the filler port until the bottle is fully positioned over or in the filler port. Inaccessibility of the filler port also contributes to the potential for oil spillage. Lack of accessibility can be caused by the height of the vehicle, the location of the filler port on the engine, and the presence of other engine parts, which may interfere with access to the filler port.
In efforts to avoid spillage, various devices have been developed for use with these motor fluid containers. These devices include funnels, long flexible tubes, and valve mechanisms. One such device is an elongated rigid tube having a screw cap at one end. A valve is positioned within the tube. The tube rotates to move the valve relative to the cap from a closed position to an open position for communicating fluids from the container to the engine. Another add-on device has an elongated flexible tube extending from screw-on cap for attaching the device to a bottle. The cap includes a valve which rotates between a closed position and an open position. The elongated flexible tube allows the user to hold the bottle away from the fill port.
While these devices attach to the oil bottle and communicate oil from the bottle to the engine, there are drawbacks associated with their use. First, they are devices which are separate from the oil bottle. As such, they must be manufactured, shipped, stocked at retail and sold as separate component products. These factors and other issues of cost and complexity of use are disadvantageous to consumers. These types of market factors are important when compared to the relatively nominal sales price of many of such products with which the devices are used. Also such devices must be attached to the oil bottle prior to use and must be removed from the oil bottle after use. Some residual oil will remain in the device, which oil collects dirt and other contaminants. The next time the tube is used, the dirt and contaminants are communicated to the engine. Also spills may still occur when using these devices. Furthermore, these devices typically require the use of two hands for operation.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for improved containers for holding and dispensing contents which reduce spillage while dispensing the contents into receptacles. It is to the provision of such that the present invention is directed.

Dispensing container for pourable contents


An exercise management function providing system and method is disclosed having a shoe with built-in sensors for sensing a user's exercise. User exercise information is measured using sensor values from each of the sensors and the measured user exercise information is transmitted to a mobile terminal. Then, the mobile terminal receives the user exercise information so as to grasp a user's exercise state and quantity of motion, and provides an exercise management function in accordance with the user's exercise state and quantity of motion. Accordingly, the present invention provides an exercise program suitable for a user in accordance with a user's quantity of motion so that the user can get exercise suitable for a specific user, and the user can be provided with an exercise program to attain their own desired weight, thereby assisting with health care.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exercise management function providing system and method for managing a user's exercise.
2. Description of the Related Art
As society's interest in health increases, much importance has been recently attached to exercise for health care. Accordingly, the number of people intending to exercise has increased, and the people who intend to exercise desire to have the amount and state of their exercise managed so as to obtain exercise that is suitable for their own health states and body condition.
As a technique for measuring a conventional quantity of motion, there is a technique in which a device such as a step counter is built into a mobile terminal, and the number of the mobile terminal user's steps is counted so as to display the quantity of motion. According to such a technique of measuring the conventional quantity of motion, the mobile terminal has a built-in vibration sensor, senses the number of vibrations so as to measure the user's number of steps, and calculates the user's quantity of motion with respect thereto so as to display it.
However, where the number of steps is measured in such a manner using the vibration sensor built into the mobile terminal, there is a problem in that the measured number of steps will differ in accordance with what state a user keeps the mobile terminal, i.e. horizontal or vertical, making it difficult to measure an exact quantity of motion.
Further, conventional systems simply provide information only on the quantity of motion in accordance with the number of steps, and cannot ascertain the exercise state that the user exercises in. Furthermore, conventional systems do not provide an exercise program suitable for a user's quantity of motion, making it difficult to meet the user's needs and for the user to manage their own exercise state or quantity of motion.

Exercise management function providing system and method


A data output circuit of a semiconductor apparatus includes a pull-up driver including a first plurality of leg units commonly electrically coupled to a data output pad and configured to pull up the data output pad in response to a first code signals, a pull-down driver including a second plurality of leg units commonly electrically coupled to the data output pad and configured to pull down the data output pad to a second code signals, and a code generator configured to generate the first and second code signals. The code generator generates the second code signals by comparing a replica voltage to a reference voltage.

1. Technical Field
Various embodiments relate to a semiconductor apparatus, and more particularly, to a data output circuit of a semiconductor apparatus.
2. Related Art
In a semiconductor apparatus, it is important to constantly retain the level of an output voltage (VOH), so as to ensure stable data communication between the semiconductor apparatus and an external system electrically coupled with the semiconductor apparatus, for example, a memory controller. The output voltage (VOH) may be the voltage level of a data output pad (DQ) when outputting high level data.

Data output circuit of a semiconductor apparatus


The present disclosure provides a vector control apparatus that operates by a diameter computation-free winder velocity control algorithm with enhanced operational reliability. The vector control apparatus configured to control tension of a motor free from diameter computation includes a tension velocity generator configured to generate command velocity information for constantly maintaining a tension of the motor by adding a PID (Proportional Integral Differential) output value to a value computing a compensation gain value substituting a diameter computation value of a motor to be controlled and a command linear velocity provided from outside, and a vector controller configured to perform a tension control of the motor by receiving a command velocity information provided the tension velocity generator.

1. Field of the Invention
The teachings in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this present disclosure generally relate to a vector control apparatus of induction motor, and more particularly to a vector control apparatus of induction motor configured to be operated by a winder control algorithm free from diameter computation.
2. Description of Related Art
Several motors simultaneously drive rollers on continuous product manufacturing lines such as steel, paper, textile and film manufacturing industries. The purpose of controlling rollers in the continuous processing is to constantly maintain a line speed of line and to simultaneously maintain a tension on materials. When an excessively high tension is generated on rollers due to speed deviation, materials may be ruptured, and when an excessively low tension is generated, meandering may be generated. When a high level controller in the continuous processing system calculates a diameter of material and motor command torque in response to linear velocity command, and instructs an inverter, the inverter drives the motor in response to the command torque.
Thus, an accurate control of a motor by an inverter may determine a stable operation of rollers in the continuous product manufacturing lines.

Vector control apparatus of induction motor


A tie-down strap is described, having a length of fabric having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein a loop is securely formed at the distal end. A first hook having a first eye, is provided, wherein the loop passes through the first eye. A second hook, having a different configuration from the first hook is provided, having a second eye wherein the loop passes through the second eye. The second hook is sized and configured to pass through the first eye of the first hook.

This application relates to the field of ropes and straps for tying down equipment, whether to secure the equipment or cargo in a stationary condition, or for purposes of moving it.
When moving cargo, movers often use tie-down straps to secure cargo from moving around during transportation. Tie-down straps are today typically made of a heavy duty webbing, which is made from a spun polymer thread. In some cases, a cinching device, such as a ratchet, may also be combined with a tie-down strap to help secure the cargo. Each end of the tie-down strap may terminate with a hook, such as an S hooks, a J hook, a double J hook, a flat hook, a grab hook, or other fastening mechanism. Because the straps and the hooks are made for heavy loads, the hooks are usually permanently attached to the straps to provide the most reliable connection. Depending on the cargo and available hook points, movers may select tie-down straps with a hook that is suitable for the purpose at hand. For example, a mover may select a strap with a wide flat hook when only a thin planar edge is available for supporting the hook; alternatively, the mover may select a strap with a strong double J hook when only a narrow hole is available for supporting the hook; further alternatively, the mover may use an S hook when only a bar is available, and so on.
However, because hooks are typically permanently fixed to straps, movers may be required to own and carry separate straps which are fitted with each type of hook. This may tend to be duplicative, inefficient, and expensive. For example, if a mover requires five hooks to secure cargo, but does not know in advance which type of hook will eventually be required, he may, for example, need to carry a total of fifteen straps, just to cover the possibility that five of only one kind is required, where the possible choices were basic S, J, or flat hooks.
Thus there is a need for straps that solve the problems in the art. The present invention addresses these, and other problems.


The present disclosure is directed to a tubular welding electrode with a sheath encapsulating a flux core, where the sheath comprises a number of added pores. The added pores may provide escape paths for the outgassing of moisture and hydrocarbons from the flux core when the tubular welding electrode is baked. In addition, the added pores may be used to hold a liquid, such as a lubricant. The added pores may be introduced using a process such as laser drilling or chemical etching, and may be added to a strip of sheath material prior to forming the strip into a tubular welding electrode.

Hydrogen associated cracking (also known as cold cracking) is a problem that can arise during welding of tubular welding wire electrodes, particularly for steel alloy welding wire electrodes. There is a desire for reduced diffusible hydrogen in all tubular wire electrode types, but this desire is especially felt in unbaked gasless tubular welding electrodes, which do not undergo a baking process step during manufacture that otherwise drives out moisture and hydrocarbons. For aluminum alloys, there is a similar hydrogen problem, but the defect is found in the form of porosity.


When a positive voltage of V1 is applied to a drive capacitor with a braking voltage V2 at 0V, a moveable electrode moves toward the drive electrode, and a capacitance C of a tunable capacitor becomes smaller. When the braking voltage V2 is applied a lower portion brake electrode of the brake capacitor moves in a horizontal direction, such that the inter electrode separation distance between an upper portion brake electrode and the lower portion brake electrode becomes 0 μm. The moveable electrode configured integrally formed with the lower portion brake electrode also moves in the horizontal direction, and the inter electrode separation distance between the moveable electrode and a fixed electrode becomes 0 μm. Since the two electrodes make contact with each other with a dielectric layer interposed therebetween, the position of the moveable electrode can be stably maintained by frictional force between the electrodes.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a variable capacitor, and in particular to a variable capacitor employing MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology.
2. Related Art
Recently there has been significant progress in wireless communication equipment, typified by mobile phones. The next generation of mobile phones will use multiple frequency bands. This has lead to progress in the development of multi-frequency receivable RF (Radio Frequency) front ends. The problem with this is the increase in the number of components. In particular it is difficult to make common passive components such as capacitors and inductors, and so the number of components increases along with the increase in the number of frequency bands. As the number of components increases problems arise in that the volume of the RF front end becomes large and there the const becomes expensive.
MEMS technology is drawing attention as a technology to solve such problems, with the ability to make components dramatically more compact. MEMS technology forms micro-scale mechanical structures, and produces ultra small devices. For example, a MEMS tunable capacitor can be produced capable of having plural impedances in a single device.
A tunable matching circuit can be configured using a MEMS tunable capacitor. By applying such a tunable matching circuit to a RF front end, it becomes possible to automatically reconfigure the circuit itself for each of the frequencies and each system, with the expectation that the number of antennae and number of individual amplifiers can be dramatically reduced. Various MEMS tunable capacitors are therefore proposed.
For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2006-261480, a MEMS variable capacitor is described in which a first electrode and a second electrode are disposed fixedly on a substrate, a moveable electrode is moved by an actuator with the application of a voltage, and the electric capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode is changed by contact with the moveable electrode.
In JP-A No. 2005-224934, a ultra small movable structure (MEMS) is described in which a first electrode and a second electrode are disposed facing each other in an up-down direction. Driving force is generated in this ultra small movable structure by applying a voltage across the first electrode and the second electrode, due to electrostatic force. The surface area over which electrostatic force acts is changed by the second electrode, which is a moveable electrode, moving in the up-down direction, changing the electrostatic capacitance.
However, a battery of about 3V is used in a small scale wireless communication device such as a mobile phone. In order to be applicable to mobile phones or the like, a MEMS tunable capacitor is therefore required capable of low voltage operation with an operating voltage of 3V or less. Namely, the electrostatic capacitance must be capable of being changed by a large amount, within the range of 0V to 3V In cases where comb electrodes are used, like that described in JP-A No. 2005-224934, there is the merit that the surface area over which electrostatic force acts becomes large, and the breadth of change in the electrostatic capacitance can be made large.
In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-518926, in a similar manner to in JP-A No. 2005-224934, a electromechanical micro variable capacitance diode (MEMS) is described that applies comb electrodes to a fixed electrode and a moveable electrode. In this MEMS variable capacitance diode, the electrostatic capacitance is changed by applying a voltage across the fixed electrode and the moveable electrode, and the moveable electrode moving due to electrostatic force. Comb electrodes are also employed in other MEMS devices, such as in mirror elements and the like. For example, JP-A No. 2005-341788 describes a micro-actuator that moves a movable portion in a substrate base direction by the action of a electrostatic force between a first comb electrode of the substrate base and a second comb electrode of movable portion due to application of a voltage.
As stated above, for application to mobile phones or the like, MEMS tunable capacitors (variable capacitors), using comb electrodes and capable of low voltage operation with an operating voltage of 3V or less, are being researched into. However, a problem arises in that these variable capacitors are not capable of stably maintaining the position of the moveable electrode after movement. The moveable electrode is maintained in a specific position by electrostatic force. The electrostatic capacitance changes if the position of the moveable electrode changes due to external vibration, leading to problems of unstable operation.
The fixed electrode and the moveable electrode operate by comb teeth portions thereof meshing together with each other. Consequently, there is concern of short circuiting occurring if external vibration is imparted during operation and the fixed electrode and the moveable electrode make contact with each other.

Variable capacitor employing MEMS technology


A method of monitoring network traffic includes accessing a network that includes a controller and a switch device having a flow table, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the switch device, and is configured to program a behavior of the switch device through an openflow protocol, and obtaining information regarding the programmed behavior of the switch device, wherein the act of obtaining the information is performed by a network appliance that is communicatively coupled to the network. An apparatus communicatively coupled to a network, includes a processor configured for accessing the network that includes a controller and a switch device having a flow table, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the switch device, and is configured to program a behavior of the switch device through an openflow protocol, and obtaining information regarding the programmed behavior of the switch device.

In a classical switch or router, the packet forwarding path (the data path) and the high level routing/forwarding decisions (the control path) are in the same device. The data path may be implemented using one or more hardware chips, such as ASICs or FPGAs, and the control path may be implemented via software running on a CPU that communicates with the data path's hardware chip(s) to configure flow-tables in the switch, typically in the form of TCAMs associated with these ASICs or FPGAs. Once a TCAM table is set up by the software, packets along the data path can be forwarded via the hardware chips at line rate.
In some cases, it may be difficult for researchers to experiment new protocols in a large scale utilizing existing commercial switches and routers in the Internet. This is because existing switches and routers are specifically configured to operate based on standard protocol. Also, the configuring of existing switches and routers may involve proprietary software and/or algorithms that are known only to the vendors of the switches and routers. Without knowing such proprietary software and algorithms, it would be impossible to configure the switch or router so that it will behave in a certain desired manner. Sometimes, a switch may have a management interface that allows a user to perform simple management tasks on the switch. However, such management interface has very limited use, and does not allow the user to modify the behavior of the switch (such as by changing one or more entries in a flow table in the switch), and certainly cannot be used to configure the switch to make it operate based on non-standard protocol.

Traffic visibility in an open networking environment


An integrated multiport switch (IMS) in which an on-chip management information base (MIB) accumulation processor enables monitoring of a significantly larger number of MIB objects to be stored in external memory while minimizing media access controller (MAC) complexity. A MAC for each port in the IMS outputs a MIB report for each transmission or reception of data according to a specific compressed format to a MIB engine that can be centrally located on the chip. The MIB engine decodes the MIB report into a plurality of associated MIB objects, which are temporarily accumulated until the external memory is updated. The MIB engine initiates the stored MIB value updating process by retrieving the values from the external memory and adding the accumulated MIB objects to the retrieved values. The updated MIB objects are then transmitted back to the external memory for storage therein and the MIB engine object values are cleared. Reset of the MIB related storage elements in response to an external data signal is effected independently of other chip logic elements.

A data network switch permits data communication among a plurality of media stations in a local area network. Data frames, or packets, are transferred between stations by means of data network switch media access control (MAC) enabling network interface cards. The network switch passes data frames received from a transmitting station to a destination station based on the header information in the received data frame.
Packet transmission events typically are tracked to provide a basis for statistical analysis of network operation with respect to each data network switch port.
For example, the number of transmitted packets, received packets, transmission collisions and the like can be counted and polled periodically. These significant parameters, termed objects, may be collected for purposes of statistical analysis. Through the use of statistical counters, determination can be made of improper device operation such as, for example, loss of packets.
Typically, each MAC unit may include a receive state machine and a transmit state machine having internal counters of limited capacity for counting a small number of transmission event parameters for each frame that traverses the respective switch port. Flip-flops, dedicated to the particular parameter objects, are respectively incremented each time an item in that frame is identified. For each incoming frame, which may be temporarily stored in a receive FIFO buffer, the respective flip-flops in the receive state machine are read and the resulting data are appended to the frame. For outgoing frames, similar processing takes place. Thus, the outgoing frame, transitionally stored in a transmit FIFO buffer, contains appended data relating to the receipt operation and transmit operation. The transmit operation data is added when the frame is transmitted out from the transmit FIFO buffer.
As data networks become more robust and data traffic increases, additional operational parameters become significant. The need to track all significant parameters imposes difficulties relating to increased MAC complexity. Such complexity involves the provision of more registers and supporting logic elements, as well as a requirement for larger buffer capacities. Integration of these additional elements for each MAC on the switch logic chip places a burden on chip architecture. These projected difficulties, and the relatively limited reporting functionality for the prior art arrangement, are significant disadvantages. These disadvantages are magnified if the data representing the operational parameters are retained in uncompressed format.
More recent network switch versions provide a RAM based memory on the switch logic chip as a full counter for data received from all of the MACs on the chip. Incorporation of a large capacity RAM in the chip to accommodate operational parameter data from all ports incurs undesirable expense. As the number of parameters increases to keep up with expanding statistical requirements, available RAM capacity must meet these needs. Polling of the RAM for external statistical diagnostic functions would require transfer of significantly increased quantities of data. Space constraints inherent in the integration of the various elements on a single logic chip are significant concerns.
The accumulation of this increased operational parameter data and the frequent access thereof for statistical processing imposes additional operational considerations. Traffic events and parameters of interest are monitored as they occur and contemporaneously added during the course of operation. The data will be retrieved frequently to perform appropriate statistical processing to analyze normal operation or for diagnostic purposes during a testing period. Whether the data to be retrieved is to be stored in registers or memory, on or off chip, the system should be able to reset such devices without clearing other registers on the logic chip so that switch operation can continue unfettered in the expected manner. The application to the chip of a global reset for the purpose of retrieval of statistical data would not permit this objective.

Integrated multiport switch having independently resettable management information base (MIB)


In an image forming apparatus which mounts a photosensitive drum cartridge with a memory, even when a power switch is turned off while data indicating the number of copies is being written in the memory of the cartridge after a paper sheet is discharged, the power OFF operation is ignored, and the power supply is maintained. After the count value has been written in the memory, the power supply is turned off.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which stores data in a memory provided to an exchange unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a recently proposed copying machine and printer that use an electrophotography process, an exchange unit including a photosensitive drum as an expendible member adopts a detachable structure, and an EEPROM as a storage means is built in the exchange unit. Data such as the number of processed copies, and the like are stored in the EEPROM, and when the predetermined number of processed copies has been reached, the user is advised to exchange the exchange unit.
In such copying machine, a paper discharge sensor detects that fixing processing has ended and that a paper sheet has been discharged onto a paper discharge unit. A paper discharge detection signal from the paper discharge sensor is supplied to a CPU that controls the entire system. The CPU reads out, in advance, the number of previously processed copies stored in the EEPROM in the exchange unit, increments the readout number of previously processed copies by 1, and supplies the incremented value to the EEPROM to write the new number of processed copies. In this manner, the storage value of the EEPROM in the exchange unit is updated every time one paper sheet is discharged, and serves as a counter. When the storage value has reached a predetermined value, the CPU determines that the life of the photosensitive drum is finished, and displays a message prompting a user to exchange the exchange unit.
However, since the storage value of the EEPROM in the exchange unit is updated after the paper sheet is turned off during the interval from the timing immediately after paper discharge and before the end of writing into the EEPROM, the count value in the EEPROM may not be updated, or a random value may be written, i.e., data may be destroyed in some cases.

Image forming apparatus mounting exchange unit with memory


An apparatus for measuring the retroreflectivity of a surface. The apparatus comprises a light source for illuminating an area of said surface at an incident angle relative to the surface; a detector for detecting light reflected back from the surface at an observation angle relative to the surface; a signal processing unit adapted to receive a detector signal from the detector and to determine, from at least the received detector signal, a measure of retro reflectivity of the surface; a range finder for measuring a distance between the apparatus and the illuminated area. The signal processing unit is further adapted to adjust the measure of retroreflectivity responsive to the measured distance.

Road markings are typically provided by application of marking materials such as paint, thermoplastic materials, cold hardening materials, preformed lines, and symbols onto the surface of the road. Road marking materials can be applied with or without addition of colors, e.g. white, yellow, or other colors.
Road markings are often profiled to produce a certain surface texture to enhance special properties, e.g. for enhancing retroreflectivity under conditions of wet or rainy weather, or to produce a signal to the driver of a vehicle in the form of an acoustistic signal or vibration when crossed at high speed.
In particular road markings may comprise addition of retro-reflective materials such as glass beads, in particular road markings intended for illumination by vehicle headlamp illumination.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,389 discloses a retroreflectivity measuring system that measures performance data relating to a reflective surface, such as a highway stripe or marking containing reflective glass beads. A laser beam illuminates a portion of the reflective surface with radiation of a predetermined wavelength, the laser being incident on the surface at an incidence angle i. The incident laser beam is then reflected back, at least partially, at a particular observation angle o that is separated from the incidence angle by a divergence angle delta. A telephotomultiplier aimed at the illuminated area receives the reflected laser beam at the observation angle o. The laser and the telephotomultiplier may be mounted on a servo-motor driven frame in order to scan the target area from a moving vehicle. Because the intensity of the incident beam is fixed and known, the measured intensity of the reflected laser light in the reflected beam can be used directly for providing a measure of the retroreflectivity of the reflective surface.
Even though the above prior art system provides a measure of the retroreflectivity of a roadmarking, it remains a problem to improve the accuracy of the measurements, in particular when the measurements are performed from a moving vehicle.

Apparatus and method for measuring retroreflectivity of a surface


A high power heterojunction field effect transistor comprising a first barrier layer including a semiconductor material having a band gap, a second barrier layer including a semiconductor material having a band gap, a channel layer including a semiconductor material having a band gap narrower than the band gaps of the material included in the first barrier layer and the second barrier layer and sandwiched therebetween and an interface layer sandwiched between the channel layer and the first barrier layer.

To produce a satisfactory heterojunction field effect transistor (HFET) capable of high output power under RF drive, it is necessary for the device to have a high breakdown voltage. Unfortunately, in HFETs having a narrow band gap material channel layer, such as InGaAs alloys, a high breakdown voltage is difficult to achieve, in part due to impact ionization resulting from electrons injected into the channel. Impact ionization is one of the major breakdown mechanisms, and can occur when hot electrons are injected into the channel. During injection, the electron can gain energy from the conduction band edge discontinuity. If the energy exceeds the impact ionization threshold energy, impact ionization may occur in the channel.
Impact ionization can be reduced by using higher band gap material for the channel. This, however, results in a corresponding reduction in efficiency of the device. Other attempts at increasing breakdown voltage include increasing the effective Schottky barrier height for the gate electrode, and reducing peak electric field at the drain edge of the gate.
Power in HFETs is also limited by the maximum current available from the device. One of the mechanisms that limits this current in an HFET is the scattering by the roughness at the heterojunction interfaces. In the channel layer of HFET structures, rough hetero-interfaces are often present due to practical technical constraints. Electrons suffer interface roughness scattering at the bad interface, resulting in lower current.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a HFET capable of high output power.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved HFET having an increased breakdown voltage threshold.
And another object of the invention is to provide an HFET having reduced impact ionization.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an HFET having high current density.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an HFET with reduced interface roughness scattering.

High power HFET with improved channel interfaces


A system and a method for heating source fluid, comprising: a turbine-electric generator transport comprising: an inlet plenum and an exhaust collector; a turbine connected to the inlet plenum and the exhaust collector; and an electric-generator coupled to the turbine; an exhaust heat recovery transport comprising: a combustion air connection coupled to the inlet plenum; an exhaust air connection coupled to the exhaust collector; a heat transfer assembly coupled to the exhaust air connection; and a fluid system coupled to the heat transfer assembly; an inlet and exhaust transport comprising: an air inlet filter housing coupled to the combustion air connection; and an exhaust stack coupled to the exhaust air connection.

Hydraulic fracturing has been commonly used by the oil and gas industry to stimulate production of hydrocarbon producing wells, such as oil and/or gas wells. Hydraulic fracturing, sometimes called "fracing" or "fracking" is the process of injecting fracturing fluid, which is typically a mixture of water, proppants (e.g., sand, fracturing sand, ceramics and resin coated materials), and chemicals, into the wellbore to fracture subsurface geological formations and release hydrocarbon reserves. The fracturing fluid is pumped into a wellbore at a pressure to cause fissures within the underground geological formations. Once inside the wellbore, the pressurized fracturing fluid flows into the subsurface geological formation to fracture the underground formation. The fracturing fluid may include water, various chemical additives, and proppants that promote the extraction of hydrocarbon reserves, such as oil and/or gas. Proppants, such as fracturing sand, prevent the fissures and fractures created in the underground formation from closing, and allow the formation to remain open so that the hydrocarbon reserves are able to flow to the surface.
A base fluid for creating fracturing fluid, such as water, possesses certain properties that dictate the base fluid's effectiveness in hydraulic fracturing operations. Examples of properties that influence a base fluid's effectiveness include mineral content (e.g., total dissolved solids such as iron, chlorides, and sulfides), potential of hydrogen (pH), alkalinity, bacterial content, and temperature. If the available base fluid fails to meet one or more of these criteria, then operators may adjust the water's properties prior to and/or during the fracturing fluid creation process. For example, an operator may adjust the base fluid's properties by implementing filtering processes (e.g., filter media or osmosis), performing chemical alterations (e.g., the addition of acids, bases, or biocides) and/or transferring thermal energy (e.g., a propane or diesel fired heat exchanger) to the base fluid. Typically, the volume of base fluid an operator uses in a fracturing operation can be as high as about 4,000,000 gallons per day. Therefore, to adjust the base fluid's properties, whether to filter, chemically alter, or heat water, can be a relatively large-scale operation.
In one example, assuming the base fluid is water, controlling water temperature within a certain range is important when operators treat the water in hydraulic fracturing operations with gelling agents, such as guar gum, xanthan gum, hydroxyethyl cellulose, or poly-acrylamide. One reason to treat the water with gelling agents is to achieve a desired viscosity that generates an intended fracture propagation and/or carry proppants designed to hold fractures in surrounding rock formations open post-treatment. To properly treat the water with the gelling agents, operators may manage the water's temperature to be within a certain range. If the water's temperature is outside the optimal range, operators may apply additional volumes of gelling agents and other chemicals to water to achieve the desired viscosity. Unfortunately, using additional volumes of gelling agents adversely affects the economics of the treatment projects and leads to unnecessary waste of resources. In certain situations, if the water's temperature is excessively low, an operator may be unable to achieve a desired viscosity for the fracturing fluid.
In addition to possible viscosity issues, base fluid temperatures that fall below a certain temperature could damage tubulars and/or casing that provides the integrity of the wellbore. As an example, if relatively large quantities of fracturing fluid with temperature below the certain temperature is injected into the wellbore, the tubulars could experience sudden detrimental thermal compression based on the thermal expansion properties of the steel. Specifically, a 30-degree Fahrenheit (° F.) drop in the fracturing fluid's average temperature over the length of 18,000 feet of casing in a wellbore could result in enough force to cause the casing to compress about five feet. The resulting compression could cause added tension within the various tubular strings that unset packer assemblies and casing hangers, damage wellbore cement sealing integrity, and/or even part the casing or tubing strings. Accordingly, injecting relatively large quantities of fracturing fluid at relatively low temperatures could damage a well's integrity and lead to costly repairs, safety risks, and possible environmental damage to ground water. Therefore, being able to efficiently manage the temperature of fracturing fluid remains valuable in fracturing operations.

Exhaust heat recovery from a mobile power generation system


A conveying belt is disposed so as to guide a recording medium on a side opposite to an image carrying belt across an extension line of a stretch surface formed by a transfer nip and a pressure member. Thus, the recording medium delivered from the transfer nip is guided on the side opposite to the image carrying belt across the extension line of the stretch surface. Therefore, even in a case of guiding a recording medium whose bending rigidity is high in particular, it is possible to suppress a rear end of the recording medium to move in a direction of separating from the image carrying belt at upstream of the transfer nip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus configured to transfer a toner image carried on an image carrier to a recording medium by using electro-photographic technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, there is known an image forming apparatus configured to transfer a toner image carried on an rotating endless belt-like intermediate transfer body (referred to as an 'intermediate transfer belt' hereinafter) to a recording medium at a transfer nip where the transfer belt is brought into contact with a transfer rotating member, e.g., transfer belt or a transfer roller. A strong electric field is generated at the transfer nip because high voltage is applied to the transfer rotating member to transfer the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt to the recording medium.
By the way, there is a case when the intermediate transfer belt vibrates during its rotation. If the intermediate transfer belt vibrates, a gap can be generated between a toner image carrying surface of the intermediate transfer belt and a recording medium at upstream of the transfer nip (upstream side in the conveying direction of the recording medium). Because the strong electric field is generated at the transfer nip as described above, an abnormal discharge tends to occur between the intermediate transfer belt and the recording medium if the gap is generated at upstream of the transfer nip. If the abnormal discharge occurs, the electrical charge of the toner carried on the intermediate transfer belt is lost and the toner whose electrical charge is lost is not transferred from the intermediate transfer belt to the recording medium. Then, a defective image in which an image of a spot where the abnormal discharge has occurred is omitted (called as a 'void' or the like) is generated.
Then, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-82543 discloses a device that suppresses the vibration of the intermediate transfer belt causing the abnormal discharge by disposing a vibration preventing member on a back surface side (side opposite to the toner image carrying surface) of the intermediate transfer belt and by pressing the intermediate transfer belt from the back surface thereof. This arrangement makes it possible to deliver the recording medium to the transfer nip in a state in which the recording medium is adhered to the toner image carrying surface of the intermediate transfer belt without gap at upstream of the transfer nip.
In the image forming apparatus, the recording medium on which the toner image has been transferred is delivered downstream of the transfer nip (downstream in the conveying direction of the recording medium) and is guided to a fixing apparatus in a state in which an opposite side from the surface on which the toner image has been transferred is supported by a conveying belt, a conveying guide, or the like. A direction in which the recording medium is guided is determined in accordance to a position where the fixing apparatus is disposed. For instance, in a case when the fixing apparatus is disposed obliquely upward from a direction in which the recording medium is delivered from the transfer nip, the conveying belt guides the recording medium so as to uplift a front end of the recording medium obliquely upward toward the fixing apparatus.
However, there is a problem in the past that the void caused by the abovementioned abnormal discharge is apt to be generated in guiding a recording medium whose bending rigidity is high such as a thick sheet, a coated sheet or the like. That is, if a 'stiff' recording medium is guided in a state in which its front end is uplifted at downstream of the transfer nip, a rear end of the recording medium moves in a direction separating from the intermediate transfer belt at upstream of the transfer nip. Then, the gap is generated between the toner image carrying surface of the intermediate transfer belt and the recording medium, thus causing the abnormal discharge and the void at the spot where the gap is generated.


Systems and methods for reducing the latency incurred during the publication of a message in a message publication system are provided. In a message publication system wherein the publishing component and the receiving component are located within the same processing space, several of the latency components that are usually unavoidably incurred may be eliminated. In such a system, the messaging queue is not used as a medium between the two components but is instead used as a secondary back-up storage. This results in the elimination of one latency component as the message is directly published from the publishing component to the receiving component. Further time reductions or optimizations occur when the durability, or reliability, of the message publication is not a concern and the messaging queue can be completely disregarded. Yet another optimization occurs when the identity of the subscriber is known in advance by the publisher.

The interaction between a publisher and a subscriber is a necessary feature in a message publication environment. In such an environment, a publisher routes messages to a subscriber through a persistent and dynamic storage center. This center, which may be thought of as a message data store, a subscription store, and a middle man between the two components, incorporates a designated storage queue for each subscriber of the system.
In a typical message publication environment, when the publisher possesses a message to be published, a publishing component contacts the subscription store to identify the potential subscribers to receive the message. Once a list of subscribers for the message to be published is obtained, the message is pushed into the designated queue of each subscriber. In order for each subscriber to receive the message, a polling mechanism is employed. Specifically, a message receiving component pulls the message from the storage queues and delivers the message to each subscriber. After the message has been received and processed by a subscriber, it is removed from that subscriber's storage queue.
The message delivery process outlined above incurs several latencies throughout the course of evaluating, sending, delivering, and removing a message. Time Te is the evaluation time and occurs at the beginning of the process after the publication interface has been provided with a message to be published. Te is the amount of time necessary to consult the subscription store in order to review and obtain a list of subscribers who can receive the message. The next encountered latency is time Tq, the queue time that is required to push the message to the queue of each subscriber identified on the subscriber list. Tp, the poll time, is the latency incurred when the receiving component polls the subscriber's queue and takes the message out to be published and processed. An additional latency component in the message delivery process, Tc, the clean-up time, occurs during the clean-up process in which the message is removed from the subscriber's queue. This latency occurs after the message has safely been polled to the subscriber and the subscriber has completely processed the message.
Generally, the latency components discussed above are not desirable. Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods that reduce, or even eliminate entirely, one or more of the latency components involved in the transmission and publication of a message in a publisher-subscriber model. The present invention satisfies this need.

Optimizing message transmission and delivery in a publisher-subscriber model


An apparatus and a method adapted for shielding and removing fine particles for a portable camera module generated during a portable camera module fabricating process. The portable camera module includes an image sensor and an infrared ray filter. The apparatus includes a tape attaching device for attaching a surface protective tape on a surface of the infrared ray filter so as to prevent fine particles from being attached to the surface of the infrared ray filter, and a tape detaching device movably installed above the surface protective tape in order to detach the surface protective tape having fine particles shielded from the surface of the infrared ray filter. The fine particles are attached to the surface protective tape, which remains shielding the surface of the infrared ray filter during the holder attaching, primary heat treatment, secondary heat treatment, and under filling processes are subsequently carried out. The tape detaching device is moved downward to attach to the surface of the protective tape using vacuum, and is moved upwardly to separate the surface protective tape from the surface of the infrared ray filter, while the vacuum is still being applied.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method adapted for removing fine particles from a portable camera module. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for shielding and removing fine particles generated when fabricating a portable camera module.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, portable communication devices are appliances that permit a user to engage in wireless communication with other users. Such portable communication devices include HHP, CT-2 cellular phones, digital phones, PCS phones and PDA, which are classified into various types depending on external appearances thereof. For instance, wireless terminals are classified into bar-type, flip-type or folder-type wireless terminals depending on the external appearance thereof.
In addition, in order to achieve wireless communications that include images, a conventional portable communication device includes a camera lens module having a camera lens, so that a user can transmit an image to/from other users, or use the device as a camera, by photographing objects through the camera lens module.
Recently, flip-type terminals or folder-type terminals are mainly used as portable communication devices for at least one of voice communication or visual communication (images). That is, in addition to voice and character transmission functions, the portable communication device has been changed into a high-functional composite appliance equipped with a camera capable of photographing, storing and transmitting an image or a series of images. However, although an image from the camera module is advanced into a mega-pixel image for storage and/or transmission, there are several problems in fabricating the camera module.
The main problem is how to treat fine particles that are attached to an image sensor and an infrared ray filter lens of the camera module of the communications device. There is a particular problem regarding fine particles that attach to an upper surface of an infrared ray filter during a camera module fabricating process. In other words, the infrared ray filter has a structure allowing fine particles to be attached thereto, particularly during construction. An exemplary image sensor is a CMOS image sensor 1 shown in FIG. 1. The CMOS image sensor 1 is a switch-type device capable of sequentially detecting outputs using MOS transistors, which are fabricated corresponding to the number of pixels through a CMOS technique utilizing a control circuit and a signal processing circuit as peripheral circuits. The CMOS sensor 1 is operated at low power consumption levels, so it is adaptable for a personal portable device, such as a portable cellular phone, that is limited in available power.
Hereinafter, a process for fabricating the CMOS image sensor 1 and an infrared ray filter 2 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the infrared ray filter 2 is mechanically processed in a COF (chip on film) process. Subsequent to the mechanical processing, a surface protective tape 3 is attached to the infrared ray filter 2 using a tape attaching/detaching device (not shown) in order to prevent fine particles from being attached to the infrared ray filter 2.
The surface protective tape 3 is detached from the infrared ray filter 2 by means of the tape attaching/detaching device when performing a holder attaching process. Then, adhesive is applied to a contact surface of the infrared ray filter 2 and a contact surface of Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB) 4 provided at an upper portion thereof with a connector 5 in order to attach the FPCB 4 to an upper portion of the infrared ray filter 2. As shown in FIG. 2, after bonding the contact surface of the infrared ray filter 2 to the contact surface of the FPCB 4, a holder 6 is attached to the contact surface of the FPCB 4 in such a manner that the infrared ray filter 2 is arranged within the holder 6. Then, a primary heat-treatment process is carried out in an oven (not shown) with a high temperature.
Subsequent to the primary heat-treatment process, as shown in FIG. 3, after attaching the image sensor 1 to a lower portion of the FPCB 4, an under filling work is carried out with respect to both lateral portions of the image sensor 1 in order to prevent the image sensor 1 from being separated from the FPCB 4. In this state, a secondary heat-treatment process is carried out in the oven with a high temperature. Then, fine particles 7 detected by the image sensor 1 are inspected through a monitor (not shown) of a test tool kit. In other words, before the holder 6 attaching work is carried out, the surface protective tape 3 is attached to the infrared ray filter 2 so as to prevent fine particles 7 from being attached to the infrared ray filter 2 (as shown in FIG. 1).
However, according to the conventional method of construction, it is necessary to separate the surface protective tape 3 from the infrared ray filter 2 when performing the holder attaching process of holder 6. Accordingly, the infrared ray filter 2 is exposed to an atmosphere when performing a banding work during the holder attaching process and when performing the heat-treatment process. In addition, it is required to perform the under filling and mechanical processing works with respect to the lateral portion of the image sensor in order to protect the image sensor. Fine particles (5–10 um) are introduced into the image sensor 1 and the infrared ray filter 2 from the atmosphere while the above processes are being carried out, thereby lowering the quality of images received by the camera module.

Apparatus for removing fine particles during fabrication of a portable camera module


A method and apparatus for streaming media content to a client device includes a server providing, for the client device, a variant playlist file that identifies a plurality of variant streams having different encoded bitrates; tracking sequence numbers of a first set of media segments downloaded by the client device from a first playlist file that corresponds to the first variant stream encoded at a first bitrate; receiving, from the client device, a request for a second playlist file that identifies a second set of media segments from a second variant stream encoded at a second bitrate; determining whether to identify, in the second playlist file, at least one media segment in the second set of media segments that has a same sequence number as any of the media segments, from the first variant stream, downloaded by the client device; and providing, to the client device, the second playlist file.

Since 1992, when the first image was posted on the Internet, methods for delivering media across computer networks have been developed, which continue to evolve. Today, video is one of the dominant forms of downloaded media due to greater network bandwidths coupled with a wide variety of available multimedia-capable devices. For instance, YouTube reports that as of January, 2012, 4 billion videos per day were viewed on its site alone—a number which continues to grow.
A prevalent standard used to support video downloads is Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Live Streaming (HLS), which allows playback to begin on a client device before a video is received in its entirety. HLS, as described in Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Internet Draft HTTP Live Streaming publication (Pantos & May; ver. 10; Oct. 15, 2012-Apr. 18, 2013, and all subsequent versions (collectively referred herein to as HLS, the HLS draft specification, or the HLS standard)), is a client-driven protocol that divides a video presentation into discreet chunks, which can be downloaded separately and played in sequential order. While this approach makes effective use of network resources on average, spikes in bandwidth utilization occur when client devices switch between different variant streams while playing media presentations.
When transitioning from one variant stream to another with a different encoded bitrate under the HLS standard, a client device downloads multiple, at least one from each variant stream, media segments that correspond to the same portion of the media presentation being played. This enables the client device to synchronize the video and audio between variant streams for a seamless transition during playback. A disadvantage of this approach is that the simultaneous download of multiple media segments from different variant streams that correspond to the same portion of the media presentation results in elevated use of network bandwidth.
Further, if the client device is transitioning to a variant stream that has a higher encoded bitrate than the one it is transitioning from, the client device often requests additional media segments from the new variant stream that have the same media content as media segments it has already downloaded from the previous variant stream. This is done so that the client device can purge its buffer of lower-bitrate media segments, which expedites its transition to higher-bitrate playback. Downloading these additional media segments that have duplicate media content in close time proximity to one another, however, compounds the problem of increased demand placed on network resources.
Accordingly, there is a need for a novel method and apparatus for streaming media content to client devices.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are rendered for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the description and drawings do not necessarily require the order illustrated. It will be further appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Method and apparatus for streaming media content to client devices


Gate line driver circuitry applies an output pulse to each of several gate lines for a display element array. The circuitry has a number of gate drivers each being coupled to drive a respective one of the gate lines. Each of the gate drivers has an output stage in which a high side transistor and a low side transistor are coupled to drive the respective gate line, responsive to at least one clock signal. A pull down transistor is coupled to discharge a control electrode of the output stage. A control circuit having a cascode amplifier is coupled to drive the pull down transistor as a function of a) at least one clock signal and b) feedback from the control electrode. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

For many applications, and particularly in consumer electronic devices, the large and heavy cathode ray tube (CRT) has been replaced by flat panel display types such as liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma, and organic light emitting diode (OLED). A flat panel display contains an array of display elements. Each display element is to receive a signal that represents the picture element (pixel) value to be displayed at that location. In an active matrix array, the pixel signal is applied using a transistor that is coupled to and integrated with the display element. The transistor acts as a switch element. It has a carrier electrode that receives the pixel signal and a control electrode that receives a gate signal. The gate signal may serve to modulate or turn on or turn off the transistor so as to selectively apply the pixel signal to the coupled display element.
Typically, thousands or millions of copies of the display element and its associated switch element (e.g., an LCD cell and its associated field effect transistor) are reproduced in the form of an array, on a substrate such as a plane of glass or other light transparent material. The array is overlaid with a grid of data lines and gate lines. The data lines serve to deliver the pixel signals to the carrier electrodes of the transistors and the gate lines serve to apply the gate signals to the control electrodes of the transistors. In other words, each of the data lines is coupled to a respective group of display elements, typically referred to as a column of display elements, while each of the gate lines is coupled to a respective row of display elements.
Each data line is coupled to a data line driver circuit that receives control and pixel signals from a signal generator. The latter translates incoming pixel values (for example, red, green and blue pixel values) into data signals (with appropriate timing). The data line driver then performs the needed voltage level shifting to produce a pixel signal with the needed fan-out (current capability).
As to the gate lines, each gate line is coupled to a gate line driver circuit that receives clock (control) signals from the signal generator. These clocks signals, together with a start pulse signal (SP, GSP) are generated into the domain of a reference clock that is received by the signal generator along with horizontal and vertical sync signals for defining the scan of a each frame. Each gate driver circuit typically drives a respective gate line. The array of display elements are, in most cases, driven in a horizontal or line-by-line scanning fashion: the desired pixel signals for a selected row of display elements are provided on the data lines; and the selected row of display elements is "enabled" by a pulse that is asserted on the associated gate line, by the gate driver circuit of that gate line. The approach is to scan line-by-line or row-by-row in a vertical direction, until the entire display element array has been "filled" with the pixel values of a single image frame.
The gate driver circuitry has stringent requirements in terms of timing of the transitions in the gate signals that it generates (and that are applied to the gate lines). Due to the nature of the display element array where an entire row of display elements are activated essentially simultaneously (within a single gate signal pulse window), the gate driver circuitry needs to provide precise control of the transitions in these gate drive signals. Furthermore, the gate driver circuitry should be reliable in that it has to withstand millions of operation cycles. For instance, in a 60 Hz display panel, the array of display elements are refreshed 60 times per second. Combining this with typical continuous operation ranging on the order of several hours, it can be seen that the gate driver circuitry needs to be not just accurate but also reliable. This is especially important when the gate driver circuitry has been integrated with the display element array on the same substrate (referred to sometimes as gate-on-array, GOA). This may result in a fairly expensive display or touch screen of a complex consumer electronic device such as a tablet computer, a laptop computer or a home entertainment system. A further limitation on the gate driver circuitry may be its constituent transistors and the manufacturing process used to produce them, e.g. where only n-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (NMOS devices) are allowed in some cases. Finally, manufacturing process variations make it difficult to tightly control the operating characteristics of such transistors, including their threshold voltages, Vth. The task of designing the gate line driver circuitry thus becomes fairly complex in view of such constraints, where there is a need to ensure that the constituent transistors can be turned on and turned off as designed, so as to meet stringent timing requirements as well as reliability goals.

Gate line driver circuit for display element array


A tubular anchor may have a polygonal cross-sectional configuration with flat outer side surfaces areas connected by a plurality of outer corner portions. A passage through the anchor may be formed by flat inner side surfaces interconnected by inner corner portions. A suture is inserted through the passage. A concentrated force may be applied against a limited area on a trailing end of the anchor to rotate the anchor to move an outer corner portion of the anchor into engagement with body tissue. The suture may engage an inner corner portion of the anchor. The suture may be inserted through a plurality of anchors and the anchors moved through a tubular member into the body tissue under the influence of force transmitted from a trailing anchor to a leading anchor. When the leading anchor is moved into the body tissue, it is rotated under the influence of force applied against a trailing end of the leading anchor. If desired, two anchors may be interconnected. A groove may advantageously be provided among the leading end and side of an anchor to receive the suture.

The present invention relates to a new and improved anchor and to a new and improved method of using one or more anchors to secure a suture in body tissue.
A known anchor and method of securing a suture in body tissue is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,129 issued Aug. 20, 1991. This patent discloses the use of a hollow outer needle or tube in which an anchor and pusher tube are received. A suture extends through the pusher tube and anchor. Force is applied against a trailing end of the anchor by the pusher tube to move the anchor through the hollow outer needle or tube into body tissue. Other known anchors for use in securing a suture in body tissue are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,682 issued Jan. 5, 1993, U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,315 issued Nov. 6, 1990 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,330 issued May 3, 1988.
An improved suture anchor has a polygonal cross-sectional configuration with an outer side which is formed by a plurality of flat side surface areas which are interconnected by outer corner portions. The anchor has a passage formed by a plurality of flat inner side surface areas which are interconnected by a plurality of inner corner portions. A suture is engageable with one of the inner corner portions to urge an outer corner portion of the anchor into engagement with body tissue. A groove may be provided in the end and/or outer side of the anchor to receive the suture.
A plurality of anchors having the configuration of the improved anchor described above or a different configuration may be used to anchor a suture. When a plurality of anchors are used, the suture is inserted through each of the anchors and the anchors are sequentially moved into the body tissue. As a leading anchor is moved into the body tissue, the suture is tensioned to move a corner portion on the leading anchor into engagement with the body tissue. A connector may be provided between each anchor.

Method and apparatus for anchoring a suture


A capacitor comprises m electrode plates that are arranged spaced apart and in parallel, where m is an integer greater than one. Even ones of the m electrode plates comprise x extensions that extend from the first side and that have a first width. Odd ones of the m electrode plates comprise y extensions that extend from the first side and that have a second width that is less than the first width. The x extensions are located between the y extensions when the m electrode plates are arranged in parallel. n first external terminals that are arranged on a first exterior surface of the capacitor. The x extensions are coupled to x of the n first external terminals and wherein the y extensions of the odd ones of the m electrode plates are coupled to y of the n first external terminals.

With the increasing performance of computers and network communications, demand for high speed and high-density integrated circuits is increasing. Such high performance integrated circuits ("ICs") tend to require more sophisticated noise filtering techniques such as decoupling capacitors to enhance the reliability of the devices. Decoupling capacitors are typically placed close to power supplies such as Vdd and/or ground. Decoupling capacitors reduce the noise and smooth fluctuations in power supply voltage.
Decoupling capacitors are typically mounted on the printed circuit board ("PCB") in close proximity to the ICs. As the switching speeds of ICs increase, greater demands are placed on decoupling capacitors. FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional decoupling capacitor 100. Capacitor 100 includes a main body 106 and two end portions 102-104. A typical physical size of a capacitor 100 is a rectangular structure with W (width)×L (length)×H (height), wherein L is typically the longest and H is the shortest in the structure. The two end portions 102-104 provide voltage potentials, also known as +poles/−poles, for capacitor 100. The structure of capacitor 100 is typically referred to as an axial structure. FIG. 1B is a side view 140 of capacitor 100 shown in FIG. 1A in which a capacitor 150 is mounted on a PCB 152. Typically, wires or terminals 162-164 are used to connect capacitor 150 to PCB 152.
Industry has met the demands for greater decoupling capacitors by employing larger and larger capacitors. However, a problem with a conventional capacitor is parasitic inductance. Typically, the larger the capacitor is in size, the larger the parasitic inductance becomes. Parasitic inductance degrades the effectiveness of a capacitor. Capacitors with large parasitic inductance have low resonance frequency making them unusable for many high-speed common applications. For example, it is common to find low power DC/DC or DC-to-DC converters operating at 1 MHz and some even operate at up top 2 MHz. However, high power DC/DC converters are still operating at about 1/10 of the lower power counterparts. One reason is related to the resonance frequency of large capacitors. Large value multilayer ceramic capacitors typically have resonance frequencies of less than 500 kHz versus smaller value multilayer ceramic capacitors with resonance frequencies of greater than 2 MHz. The relationship between resonance frequencies and capacitance can be expressed in the following equation:f=½π(LC)1/2
wherein f represents resonance frequency, L represents parasitic inductance, also known as equivalent series inductance ("ESL"), and C represents capacitance. As can be seen, the smaller the inductance L, the higher the resonance frequency f becomes.
Thus, it would be desirable to have a multilayer capacitor that provides high capacitance with small parasitic inductance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Ultra low inductance multi layer ceramic capacitor


Components of a device may transmit signals between one another using piezo electric transducers (PETs). In a basic system, a first PET may be coupled to and/or in contact with a first location on a member. A second PET may be coupled to and/or in contact with a second location on the member and separated from the first PET by a distance. The first PET may receive a signal (e.g., an electrical voltage) and convert the signal to a mechanical force/stress causing vibration of the member. The vibration may propagate through the member to other locations about the member. The second PET receive the vibration and may convert the vibration back to the signal, such as by converting mechanical force/stress to the electrical voltage (i.e., the signal). A similar process may be performed in reverse to enable the first and second PET to provide two-way communication.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have become commonly used by hobbyists and some commercial or governmental entities. While many UAVs are used for image capture, many other uses exist. UAVs offer unique advantages and considerations as compared to their counterpart manned aerial vehicles (e.g., typical helicopters and fixed wing aircraft). For example, UAVs may be smaller in overall size and lightweight as compared to their counterpart manned aerial vehicles. However, designing small and lightweight UAVs is challenging.
Redundant systems are important in aircraft. As an example, although some UAVs have up to eight rotors, fewer rotors are often needed to keep the UAV in flight or to enable a controlled landing. While not all systems in a UAV include redundancy, it is desirable to introduce redundancy where possible while weighing cost, weight, and other considerations.

Mechanical vibration based inter-module communication in vehicle


A component filter device which is added to a new or existing multi-chamber septic tank to filter the effluent of the septic tank to improve the quality of the water entering a method of dispersal. The device uses a spiral wound membrane filter to filter the effluent. The membrane filter contains open channel spacers to channel the bubbles which scour the membrane leaves. An air lift pump is used to pump permeate. A three-way actuator valve directs the airflow to either the pump or to a bubble diffuser. A two-way actuator valve directs the flow of permeate. A low water indicator directs the operation of the device. The device uses bubble scouring and back washing to clean the membrane leaves. A blower, two actuator valves and a low water indicator are the only moving parts of the device.

Effluent from septic systems may no longer meet the new water quality emission standards now in force in various municipalities and other governmental jurisdictions. It is advantageous to have an economical and reliable solution to bring existing or new septic systems into conformity with the new water quality release standards. Energy is becoming increasingly expensive, so a filtration system should be as energy efficient as possible. Alternatively, drain fields often fail due to overloading. It is advantageous to have an economical and reliable solution for the remediation of failed systems.

Device to filter the effluent of a septic tank


The present invention generally relates to sealing devices used in conjunction with two relatively rotatable members and having a fluid seal there between. Finger seals are utilized to achieve sealing between a rotating member and a stationary member. As such the present invention involves a double padded finger seal with both pads oriented axially in the same direction. The sealing apparatus may optionally utilize a padless third laminate. In other embodiments, the present invention provides variations of the basic double padded finger seal with pad configurations utilizing various arrangements and geometries of the padded area.

Seals are essential for the proper operation of a wide variety of devices including, but not limited to, turbines and compressors. Accordingly, seals find uses in a wide variety of locations. Specifically, their use at the interface between a turbine or compressor shaft and one or more stationary parts adjacent to the shaft are important to both the efficiency and operation of such devices. As with any mechanical device, continued use and wear results in a number of issues and/or cumulative negative effects. For example, leakages create a substantial effect on engine specific fuel consumption (SFC). For example, an average SFC increase of over 1% annually in large turbofan engines can generally be attributed to the wear and erosion of the seals. Leakage due to internal-flow systems of these engines has accounted for up to a 17% loss in power and over 7% increases in SFC.
The classical sealing technology for gas turbines or compressors used rigid seals such as cylindrical, labyrinth, or honeycomb seals. Presently, the labyrinth seal is the most common type of shaft seal with a combination of honeycomb seals and labyrinth seals used primarily as blade tip seals. The effectiveness of these types of seals depends on the radial clearance between the rotating and stationary parts as well as the number of seal stages, these factors being the main design conundrum for rigid seals. While a small clearance assures better sealing, differential thermal expansion, or dynamic excursions of the shaft associated with operational maneuvers, start-up or coast-down cause rubbing and wear damage at the interface between the stationary and rotating areas. Consequently, interstage or other type of leakage may increase with a resulting decrease in the engine efficiency. With linear speeds of near 1000 ft/sec, such rubbing contact and resulting interface wear will produce steady deterioration that may result in possible catastrophic failure.
Mitigation of such an environment occurs only if the seal interface becomes compliant and is able to follow the blade tip or shaft surface in its excursion/movement without being damaged thus avoiding the above mentioned consequences to the seal leakage effectiveness.
One of the first successful compliant seals with applications for the high temperature, high speed, and high pressure environment of a gas turbine/compressor involved the brush seal introduced in the early to mid-1980s. While a brush seal provides a good answer to compliance requirements and has become a serious competitor to labyrinth seals, there are also negative aspects engendered by the nature of the mechanics and operation of same. One such aspect involves the mounting of the brush seal with a significant preload onto a shaft, thus creating significant interface frictional and wear issues, as well as the significant heating of the bristle tips, sometimes to such temperatures that the tips get welded to the shaft. Another significant problem involves the dislodging of a bristle from the brush pack and its eventual entrainment within the power stream. Thus, while a brush seal does provide the compliance needed, it also brings about full contact with a rotating surface thereby resulting in a number of detrimental operational and structural problems.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improvement upon the brush seal whereby one maintains the advantages of the brush seal while improving efficiency.