In a semiconductor device of the present invention, the top surface of an n-type silicon carbide layer formed on a silicon carbide substrate is miscut from the (0001) plane in the <11-20> direction. A gate electrode, a source electrode and other elements are arranged such that in a channel region, the dominating current flows along a miscut direction.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a semiconductor with a higher hardness and a wider band gap than silicon (Si) and applied to power devices, environmentally resistant devices, high-temperature operating devices, high-frequency devices, and other devices.
For example, MOSFETs as disclosed in Patent Document 1 that will be described below are known as representative switching devices using SiC. FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) are diagrams showing typical vertical accumulation-mode MOSFETs using SiC. In a unit cell of a typical vertical MOSFET, a source electrode is arranged in the middle of the unit cell. On the other hand, FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) show the arrangement of electrodes with a gate electrode arranged in the middle. That is, FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) show a joint between two unit cells. FIG. 14(a) is a plan view showing some of electrodes of MOSFETs when seen from above, and FIG. 14(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the MOSFETs taken along the line XI—XI shown in FIG. 14(a).
As shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b), the known vertical accumulation-mode MOSFET comprises a semiconductor substrate 101 made of n+-type 4H—SiC, an n-type silicon carbide layer 102 formed on the semiconductor substrate 101 and made of n-type 4H—SiC, p-type well regions 103 formed in regions of the upper part of the n-type silicon carbide layer 102 located at both sides of the joint between the two unit cells and doped with, for example, aluminum, a channel layer 104 formed on a region of the n-type silicon carbide layer 102 interposed between the two p-type well regions 103 and the top surfaces of the two p-type well regions and made of, for example, n-type 4H—SiC, source regions 105 formed in the upper parts of the p-type well regions 103 to come into contact with the lateral sides of the channel layer 104, respectively, and doped with, for example, nitrogen, a gate insulating film 106 formed on the channel layer 104 and respective parts of the source regions 105, a gate electrode 107 formed on a part of the gate insulating film 106, source electrodes 108 formed from on the top surface of the source regions 105 to on respective parts of the n-type silicon carbide layer 102 located to the outermost lateral sides of the source regions 105, and a drain electrode 109 formed on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 101.
The source electrodes 108 each have a structure in which it also functions as base electrodes to which the p-type well regions 103 are electrically connected.
In order to turn the MOSFET ON, a positive voltage is applied to the drain electrode 109, the source electrodes 108 are grounded, and a positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode 107. In this way, switching operations of the MOSFET can be achieved.
When the MOSFET is thus turned ON, electrons serving as carriers initially flow in the direction parallel to a substrate surface as shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b). Thereafter, the electrons flow in the direction perpendicular to the substrate surface as shown in FIG. 14(b). The arrows shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) show directions in which electrons serving as carriers travel. Current flows in the opposite directions to these arrows. In this relation, the directions in which electrons travel in FIG. 14(a) should be noted. The source electrodes 108 and the gate electrode 107 are arranged such that carriers travel in the direction perpendicular to a substrate miscut direction A. The "miscut direction" indicates the direction within a miscut surface inclined at an angle of several degrees from the crystal plane and extending from a normal vector to the crystal plane toward a normal vector to the miscut surface. The reason why the electrodes are arranged as described above will be described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a perspective view schematically showing the top surface and cross sections of a silicon carbide substrate.
The silicon carbide substrate shown in FIG. 15 has a substrate surface miscut by a predetermined angle to the (0001) plane. In FIG. 15, the substrate surface, i.e., the miscut surface is horizontally oriented. Typically, when an element is formed using a silicon carbide substrate, a miscut substrate to the (0001) plane is used. The reason for this is that if a layer is formed by epitaxial growth on a substrate surface miscut by a predetermined angle to the (0001) plane, the polytype can be easily controlled. For example, the surface miscut by approximately 8 degrees from the 4H—SiC(0001) plane in the <11-20> direction (which herein means 1120) is formed as the miscut surface.
However, when a high-temperature process, such as epitaxial growth and heat treatment for dopant activation, is applied to a substrate having the miscut surface as the substrate surface, the step-bunching is developed at the substrate surface along the direction perpendicular to the miscut direction. For example, when the miscut direction is the <11-20> direction, step bunches are formed to protrude along the <1-100> direction perpendicular to the <11-20> direction. The step bunches have a height of approximately 50 through 100 nm, leading to anisotropy in electrical characteristics. The electron mobility in the miscut direction (in the direction transverse to the step bunches) has conventionally differed, for example, by one or more orders of magnitude, from that in the direction perpendicular to the miscut direction (i.e., in the direction parallel to the step bunches).
In view of the above reason, in order to fabricate a semiconductor device capable of passing a large amount of current, electrodes has been required to be arranged such that current flows in the direction perpendicular to the miscut direction. When currents flow through the channel layer 104 in a plurality of directions, electrodes need have been designed such that one of the plurality of directions in which the largest amount of current flows is matched with the direction perpendicular to the miscut direction (for example, Patent Document 1).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-144288    Patent Document 2: PCT/JP98/01185

High-breakdown-voltage insulated gate semiconductor device

Abstract: In the present invention, a gate insulating film is formed and then heat treatment is performed in an atmosphere containing a group-V element. In this way, the interface state density at the interface between the silicon carbide layer and the gate insulating film is reduced. As a result, the electron mobility becomes higher in a miscut direction A than in the direction perpendicular to the miscut direction A.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present disclosure provides an end plate for a fuel cell including a sandwich insert, in which a metal insert has a sandwich insert structure including a plurality of stacked plates, thereby securing strength and achieving a lightweight structure. The sandwich insert is manufactured by staking two or more plates, each having a specific shape, followed by injection molding the sandwich insert with a plastic injection molded body, thereby securing strength and also achieving a lightweight structure, contrary to a conventional integral metal insert.

(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an end plate for a fuel cell including a sandwich insert. More particularly, it relates to an end plate for a fuel cell including a sandwich insert, in which a metal insert has a sandwich insert structure including a plurality of stacked plates, thereby securing strength and achieving a reduction in weight.
(b) Background Art
Referring to FIG. 7, in a unit cell of a fuel cell stack mounted on a fuel cell vehicle, a Membrane-Electrode Assembly (MEA) is located at the innermost side of the unit cell of the fuel cell stack. The MEA includes a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 10, through which protons pass, and catalytic electrode layers, i.e., a cathode 12 and an anode 14, coated on opposite surfaces of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 10 such that hydrogen can react with oxygen.
Gas Diffusion Layers (GDL) 16 and gaskets 18 are sequentially stacked outside the cathode 12 and the anode 14. Separation plates 20, which include flow fields for supplying fuel and discharging water generated by the reaction, are located outside the GDLs 16.
After several hundreds of unit cells of the fuel cell stack are stacked, end plates 30 for supplying and fixing each of the unit cells are assembled at the outermost sides of the fuel cell stack.
In this case, a current collector plate for collecting electricity generated in the fuel cell stack and sending the collected electricity to the outside is mounted inside the end plates 30.
Accordingly, an oxidation reaction of hydrogen occurs in the anode 14 of the fuel cell stack, and protons and electrons are generated. At this time, the generated protons and electrons first flow to the cathode 12 through the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 10, and then to the separation plate 20. As a result, water is generated in the cathode 12 through an electrochemical reaction of the protons and electrons from the anode 14 with oxygen in the air. Electric energy is then generated through flow of the electrons and is supplied to a load requiring electric energy through the current collector plate of the end plates 30.
The end plates 30 of the fuel cell stack, which are located at opposite sides of the fuel cell stack, serve to fasten a plurality of stacked separation plates, MEAs, and GDLs, and further serve to provide a uniform surface pressure to each unit cell.
As can be seen in FIG. 6, the end plate 30 is formed from a metal insert 31, a plastic injection molded body 32, and a current collector plate 33, which are integrally formed to provide reduced weight and electric insulation.
In particular, the metal insert 31 is disposed inside an injection mold and then a plastic injection molding material is filled in the injection mold, so that the end plate 30, including the metal insert 31 surrounded by the plastic injection molded body 32, is thus formed.
The current collector plate 33 can also be disposed inside the injection mold together with the metal insert 31, and injection molded together with the plastic injection molded body 32. Alternatively, the current collector plate 33 can at a later time be separately assembled inside the plastic injection molded body 32.
The metal insert 31 of the end plate must have a high strength to resist an inner surface pressure. Accordingly, the metal insert 31 is generally manufactured through machining of a metal material, and is also typically manufactured in a complicated shape that may enhance its ability to collect generated electricity of the fuel cell stack and to fasten the fuel cell stack.
However, according to conventional methods, the metal insert of the end plate is manufactured in an integral shape, which results in a number of disadvantages.
First, in machining a lightweight material reducing structure for the metal insert, it is difficult to injection mold the metal insert. In particular, a recess or an uneven portion should not be generated on a resin surface after the injection molding of the end plates so as to prevent a fuel leak when the contact is secured with the gaskets. However, in applying the material reducing structure to the metal insert, if a thickness of the resin material of the plastic injection molded body is not uniform, a recess or an uneven portion is disadvantageously generated on the surface of the resin due to contraction of the resin. In particular, if pocket processing is performed so as to apply the material reducing structure to the integral metal insert for reducing the weight, it is difficult to uniformly maintain the thickness of the injection molding material.
Second, the integral metal insert is manufactured through cutting a metal plate or a non-metal plate through machining, so it takes a long time to manufacture the single integral metal insert. This not only makes mass production difficult, but also makes it more challenging to reduce costs.
Third, the integral metal insert should be made of a single material, so there is a difficulty in utilizing different materials for reducing weight and improving strength.

End plate for fuel cell including sandwich insert


A cushion rubber provided independent from a flange of a fuel tank. A fuel tank is arranged above a main frame. A tank front stay, which is mounted on a front lower portion of the fuel tank, is made to overlap with a tank-front-side mounting boss, which is formed on a front end bent portion of the main frame, and is fastened to the tank-front-side mounting boss using a bolt from sideward. The tank front stay is provided independently from a flange, is welded to a bottom surface of the fuel tank, and projects downward from the inside of the flange. A sleeve portion is mounted on a lower end of the tank front stay, and a mount rubber is inserted into the sleeve portion thus providing a rubber mount.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel tank mounting structure of a saddle-ride-type vehicle, and more particularly to a mounting structure arranged on a front side of a fuel tank.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been known a fuel tank mounting structure where a fuel tank is supported on a main frame which constitutes a vehicle body frame, a bracket is mounted on a front end portion of the fuel tank, the bracket is fixed to the vehicle body frame from above using bolts, a buffer member is mounted in a hole formed in a flange portion which is mounted on a lower portion of a side portion of the fuel tank in a downwardly extending manner, and an upper surface of the buffer member is brought into contact with a bottom surface of the fuel tank and a lower surface of the buffer member is brought into contact with an upper surface of the main frame (see JP-A-2013-124078).
In the structure where the buffer member is mounted on the flange as in the case of the above-mentioned JP-A-2013-124078, it is necessary to position the flange on the upper surface of the main frame such that the buffer member overlaps with the main frame. Accordingly, to align the position of the flange with the upper surface of the main frame, a shape of the fuel tank is restricted. Further, the buffer member is also required to satisfy the particular arrangement relationship with the upper surface of the main frame and hence, the arrangement of the buffer member is restricted. Still further, the buffer member is mounted on the flange by forming the hole in the flange and by engaging the buffer member with the hole from a side and hence, the hole formed in the flange and an engaging portion of the buffer member are observed from the outside unless no measure is taken whereby the structure influences the appearance of a vehicle. A particular cover becomes necessary to conceal the hole formed in the flange and the engaging portion of the buffer member. The invention has been made to overcome these drawbacks.

Fuel tank mounting structure of saddle-ride-type vehicle


This disclosure provides a detection device, which includes a transceiver for transmitting a transmission signal and receiving an echo caused by the transmission signal to output a reception signal according to an intensity of the echo, the reception signal in one measurement including one or more reception signals, and an interference detector for detecting an interference signal from the one or more reception signals. The interference detector performs a switching operation of switching interference detection processing between first interference detection processing and second interference detection processing that has a higher interference detection sensitivity than in the first interference detection processing, according to the number of the reception signals detected as the interference signals.

Conventionally, devices, such as radar apparatuses and fish finders, for transmitting and receiving a sound and/or an electromagnetic wave perform various kinds of processing to remove interference caused by another device(s). For example, JP2003-322678A discloses a method using the fish finder, in which interference is detected based on whether a ratio of an amplitude of a reception signal from a measurement (current measurement) and an amplitude of a reception signal from a previous measurement is below a predetermined value.
The interference signal is unlikely detected continuously for a plurality of times at the same level and the same depth, T he method disclosed in JP2003-322678A determines that the current reception signal is interference if the ratio of the amplitudes is above the predetermined value (i.e., if an intensity difference between the reception signals is large) and displays it on a display unit using the previous reception signal.
However, because the method disclosed in JP2003-322678A determines as interference as long as the intensity difference is large, there has been a possibility that a reception signal that is a normal echo other than interference (a target object such as school of fish) may be determined as interference. On the other hand, in another method with lower detection sensitivity than the method disclosed in JP2003-322678A, there has been a possibility that even the reception signal that originally is interference may not be determined as interference.

Detection device and computer readable media storing detection program


There is provided a surveying instrument including a distance measuring light projecting module, a light receiving module, an optical axis deflector provided in a common portion of a distance measuring optical axis and a light receiving optical axis, a projecting direction detector which detects an optical axis deflection angle and a deflecting direction, a narrow angle image pickup module for a narrow angle of view, a distance measurement arithmetic module, and an arithmetic control module, wherein the arithmetic control module controls the optical axis deflector and the distance measurement arithmetic module, the distance measurement arithmetic module performs a distance measurement of a measuring point based on a transmission signal of a measuring light and a reception signal of a measuring light, the narrow angle image pickup module acquires a narrow angle image with reference to the distance measuring optical axis, a sighting is performed every different objects, and an acquisition of the narrow angle image and a three-dimensional measurement are performed.

The present invention relates to a surveying instrument and a surveying instrument system which can measure an object by simple installation.
There is a total station as a surveying instrument. In the total station, an object is sighted by a telescope with high-magnification, which also serves as a distance measuring optical system, and the measurement is performed. Further, in the total station, the telescope is horizontally rotated/vertically rotated, and different objects are sighted so that the measurement is sequentially performed in accordance with each of different objects.
However, the telescope for sighting has a high magnification and a narrow angle of view (a narrow angle), and the telescope itself has the large inertia. Further, a support mechanism of the telescope requires the high rigidity, and hence the support mechanism component also has the large inertia.
Therefore, when changing the object, it is difficult to horizontally rotate/vertically rotate the telescope at a high speed, to rapidly sight the object, and to acquire a sighting image, which is a problem for the work efficiency.

Surveying instrument and surveying instrument system


A communication link may be managed between the user interface and a system, where the user interface allows a user to select the system. The user interface is determined to be capable of being used with the system. It is communicated that the user interface may be used with the system. The user requests that the user interface be allocated for use with the system. The user interface is allocated for use with the system.

In a dynamic network environment, for example a wireless communication network, where resources may serve and be served by a dynamically changing group of other resources, the environment should include a system and method for managing user interface resources.
Present systems to not provide a user friendly and efficient mechanism for managing user interface resources in a dynamic network environment. Present systems may be deficient in a variety of ways. For example and without limitation, a user may be required to perform an inconvenient array of set-up procedures to utilize a particular user interface resource with a particular system. Such set-up procedures may include, for example, physically altering system connections and/or manually specifying communication link parameters. The user may, for example, have to perform such set-up procedures on numerous systems.
Also for example, a user may have to perform various inconvenient set-up procedures when the user desires to switch systems with which the user is utilizing a particular user interface resource. Such set-up procedures may include, for example, performing manual operations to tear down and establish communication links between the user interface resource and the old and new systems. The user may, for example, have to perform such set-up procedures on a multitude of systems, which may even include, for example, the system with which the user no longer desires to utilize the user interface resource.

Resource controlled user interface resource management


A hand held drill press (20) is shown for a drill motor (30) having a clamping collar (44) and a drill bit (26). The drill motor is mounted in a movable jaw (56) which is moved along a slide bar (52) toward a fixed jaw (54) by squeezing a trigger (58) against a handle (100) of the movable jaw. A work piece (24) placed between the fixed jaw and the drill bit is drilled as the trigger is squeezed.

When using a hand operated drill motor to drill a hole in a work piece, the operator presses against the handle of the drill motor to push the drill against the work piece. This is easy and safe to do when the work piece is below the operator and the operator can use his body weight as the source of the forward force. If the work piece is on a vertical surface such as a wall, the operator leans into the drill bit again using his body weight as the source of the forward force. However, if the operator is on a ladder and has to push against a wall, the operator and ladder tend to move backward possibly causing a dangerous condition. An overhead work piece requires the operator to use the muscles in his arms to push the drill up.
If the work piece can be moved to the drill, a drill press is ideal for drilling the hole. A table supports the work piece and a drill is forced into the work piece with the aid of a lever.
A drill press head having an electromagnetic base is available for work on steel construction. The electromagnet takes the place of the table and base of a regular drill press. When the operator wants to drill a hole in a large steel member, he moves the unit to the desired location and turns on the electromagnet which clamps the unit to the work piece. The head is then operated in the same manner as a drill press head to create the hole. When he is finished, the operator turns off the electromagnet which releases the unit from the work piece. This type of unit tends to be large and expensive and is useful only for steel construction.
Smaller hand drill press arrangements have been developed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,529 to Forrer shows a drill motor mounted on a bar for drilling a work piece held against a jaw member. Forward force for drilling is provided by a threaded spindle engaging a threaded aperture and rotated using a crank handle. The operator holds the drill motor with one hand while rotating the crank handle with the other. Rotation of the spindle with the crank is awkward, however, and tends to throw the drill to the side out of alignment with respect to a fixed work piece.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,735 to Davey et al. illustrates a guide for drilling along a line with a drill motor during surgery but does not have a forward moving means.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,271 to Christiano shows a portable drill guide based on a welder clamp type locking plier such as sold under the trademark VISE GRIP.RTM.. It is primarily used for drilling out spot welds in sheet metal. The drill motor is mounted on one of the jaws perpendicular to the opposite jaw. A work piece is drilled between the end of the drill and the opposite jaw while the operator squeezes the locking plier handles with one hand and holds the drill motor with the other. The thickness of the work piece is seriously limited.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,397 to Spear shows a stand for drilling overhead. The stand is jacked between a floor and the overhead work piece. The drill motor on the stand is pushed into the overhead work piece using a lever.
All of the devices shown in the referenced patents are difficult to use or are useful only in limited circumstances. A hand drill press that could be operated by one hand while the operator uses his other hand to hold the work piece or himself would be an improvement.
Slide bar clamps sold under the trademark QUICK-GRIP.RTM. by Peterson Manufacturing Co., Inc. of DeWitt, Nebr., provide linear clamping force along a slide bar between a moving jaw held by one hand and a fixed jaw as shown in U.S. Utility Pat. Nos. 4,926,722; 5,009,134; and 5,022,137, and U.S. Design Pat. No. 320,919. As the operator repeatedly squeezes the trigger on the movable jaw, the movable jaw walks along the slide bar in a linear fashion toward the fixed jaw. Each squeezing of the trigger moves the movable jaw only slightly forward translating the gripping force of the hand into significant forward force due to the leverage provided by the trigger mechanism. The operator can readily determine the amount of clamping force applied between the movable jaw and the fixed jaw by how hard he squeezes the trigger.
QUICK-GRIP.RTM. clamps are sold to clamp work pieces for gluing and assembly. A significant advantage of QUICK-GRIP.RTM. clamps over other clamps is that they can be operated entirely by one hand while the operator uses his other hand to control the work piece. Most other portable clamps require two hands to operate. Another significant advantage is that the force applied by the clamps is always linear between their movable jaws and fixed jaws. Other clamps usually are applied using torque which tends to throw them to the side or rotate them during application. No suggestion is made for any method of using such slide bar clamps with drill motors.


An image forming apparatus that includes: an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a developing agent carrier which supplies developing agent to the image carrier; a linear movement member which reciprocally and substantially linearly moves between a pressing position for pressing the developing agent carrier against the image carrier and a releasing position for releasing pressure; a drive source; a cover which is provided on a body of the apparatus so as to be opened and closed; a first input member which inputs a driving force from the drive source to the linear movement member as a force for moving the linear movement member; and a second input member which inputs a force for moving the linear movement member in conjunction with an opening motion of the cover.

An image forming apparatus of electro-photographic system such as a laser printer is generally provided with a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed. A developing cartridge for developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image is detachably mounted to the image forming apparatus.
A cover is provided on a body of the apparatus so as to be opened/closed. By opening this cover, the developing cartridge can be mounted to and detached from the apparatus body.
The developing cartridge is provided with a developing roller for supplying toner to the photosensitive drum. This developing roller can be pressed against or separated from the photosensitive drum in a state where the developing cartridge has been mounted to the apparatus body.
As a structure for allowing the developing roller to be pressed against or separated from the photosensitive drum, a structure including a lever for pressing a developing unit which holds the developing roller, a guide member for operating the lever, and a guide cam for rendering this guide member to reciprocally and linearly move has been proposed (see JP-A-2002-6716, for example). When an image is to be formed, the guide member is moved in one direction following rotation of the guide cam, and the lever is separated from the developing unit, whereby the developing roller is pressed against the photosensitive drum. On the other hand, when an image is not formed, the guide member is moved in the other direction following the rotation of the guide cam, so that the lever presses the developing unit, whereby the developing roller is separated from the photosensitive drum.

Image forming apparatus with linear movement member


A boat deck including a bow convertible between a flush deck and an open bow. The boat deck includes a removable deck portion positioned above a footwell forming a portion of the forward deck flush with the remainder of the deck. To convert to an open bow, the removable deck portion is removed from over the footwell and stowed along a forward bulkhead within the footwell.

Many recreational boats are intended for a primary use, such as use as a fishing boat or as a runabout. Specialized deck arrangements for each of these uses differ, depending on where and what type of seats are most appropriate or desirable for the chosen activity. Configuration of a boat for one primary activity may decrease the boat's usefulness for a second activity. For example, a fishing boat may desirably have a raised front deck which serves as a casting platform and includes a leaning post or a raised pedestal seat. Such a front deck arrangement reducing the utility of the boat used as a runabout, such as for water skiing or other water sports. A boat configured for these activities may desirable include a front deck footwell with passenger seats on either side of the footwell.
Improvements to boat decks to permit multiple configurations for different activities are desirable.


Provided is a bulb-type lamp including a lightweight housing with great handleability. An LED light bulb (1) comprises: an LED module (3) on which LEDs are mounted; a cylindrically-shaped case (7) having openings at both ends, which are first and second ends; a mount member (5) on a front surface of which the LED module (3) is mounted, the mount member (5) closing a corresponding one of the openings of the case (7) by being in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the first end of the case (7); a base member (91) attached to the second end of the case (7); and a lighting circuit (11) that is disposed inside the case (7). A wall thickness of the case (7) is in a range of 200 μm to 500 μm inclusive, and the wall thickness of at least one portion of the case (7) decreases from the first end toward the second end of the case (7).

In recent years, for the purpose of energy conservation and prevention of further global warming, research and development of lighting devices employing light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been conducted in the field of lighting. LEDs can achieve higher energy efficiency than conventional incandescent light bulbs and the like.
For example, a conventional incandescent light bulb offers an energy efficiency of tens of (lm/W). In contrast, LEDs, when used as a light source, achieve higher energy efficiency—more specifically, an energy efficiency of 100 (lm/W) or higher (hereinafter, a bulb-type lamp equipped with the LEDs and designed to replace another light bulb is referred to as an "LED light bulb").
Patent Literatures 1 and 2, etc. introduce an LED light bulb that can replace a conventional incandescent light bulb. The LED light bulb disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is structured as follows. A substrate, on which a plurality of LEDs have been mounted, is mounted on an edge surface of a housing, inside which a lighting circuit for lighting the LEDs (causing the LEDs to emit light) is disposed. The LEDs are covered by a dome-shaped globe.
This LED light bulb has a similar external shape to a conventional incandescent light bulb and comprises an Edison screw as a power supply terminal. Therefore, this LED light bulb can be attached to a lighting fixture to which a conventional incandescent light bulb is customarily attached.


The present disclosure relates to a technology for a sensor network, machine to machine (M2M), machine type communication (MTC) and internet of things (IoT). The present disclosure can be utilized for intelligent services (smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, health care, digital education, retail trading, security and safety-related services, etc.) based on the technology. A control method of a control device for managing a user's sleep environment according to the present invention may comprise the steps of: obtaining sleep-related information of the user on the basis of user sensing data sensed by a sensor; and controlling, on the basis of the sleep-related information, a first wavelength band output of at least one electronic device comprising a light source. The present invention may also include other embodiments, not limited to the above embodiment.

Internet has been innovated from a human-based connection network in which a human generates and consumes information to an Internet of Things (IoT) network that gives, receives and processes information to and from distributed constituent elements such as things. Internet of Everything (IoE) technology has appeared in which big data processing technology is combined with IoT technology through connection to a cloud server. In order to implement the IoT, technology elements such as sensing technology, wired and wireless communication and network infrastructure, service interface technology, and security technology are required; thus, nowadays, research is being carried out on technology of a sensor network, Machine to Machine (M2M) communication, and Machine Type Communication (MTC) for connection between things.
In an IoT environment, an intelligent Internet technology service that collects and analyzes data generated in connected things to provide a new value to a human life may be provided. The IoT may be applied to the field of a smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected car, smart grid, health care, smart home appliances, and high-tech medical service through fusion and complex connections between existing information technology (IT) and various industries.
For example, a smart home means a home environment in which devices including home appliances connected to a home network can be controlled almost regardless of time and location. Nowadays, in order to implement a smart home, various smart home devices have been developed, and related standardization work is being performed in various fields such as a home platform, wired and wireless home networking, intelligent information home appliances, and a green home.
In a smart home environment, various electronic devices such as a home appliance device and a user terminal may be registered at a control device (e.g., application processor (AP), and the registered electronic device and the control device may perform communication by wire or wireless.
Nowadays, in a smart home field, various home services that can provide convenience to a user are developing. For example, an entire sleep environment from when a user prepares for sleep until after wake-up may be adaptively applied to the user.

Control method and apparatus for managing sleep environment


A computer-based system and method for production planning are described that relies on developing factory shop floor modeling. This modeling includes simulating the factory shop floor to create a Virtual Factory. This Virtual Factory provides the ability to assess any possible production sequence for determining an optimal of production sequence according to the criteria defined the user.

In many manufacturing sectors, the market and efficiency demand that a single manufacturing facility produce a variety of goods or products, not just a single product variety. This manufacturing environment becomes more challenging when competitive pressure requires manufacturers to constantly improve/increase productivity in the manufacture of goods or products while at the same time decrease manufacturing costs and increase profits. In many cases, achieving the goals of (1) increased and effective manufacture of goods or products using a single manufacturing or production line and (2) meeting the competitive pressures are viewed as conflicting goals.
If a manufacturer is manufacturing goods or products that are to be produced in a number of varieties, it typically will require a large number of changeovers in production lines used to produce such goods or products. These changeover periods result in downtime for the machines used in the production line(s), which reduces productivity. In the face of the circumstances just described, manufacturers have tried various methods to attempt to optimize manufacturing and production processes by minimizing the number of changeovers required to manufacture or produce a variety of goods or products on a single production line.
In the manufacturing industry, the optimization process has been referred to as "production planning." Production planning may be very complex. Part of the reason for this is the constraints that exist for any manufacturing facility. Further, each manufacturing facility has its own set of unique constraints or restrictions.
Currently, factory staff solves the production planning problem either "manually" or with the help of "rules-based" software systems. The manual process involves a factory employee who considers the current demand, the current state of the factory, and previous experiences gained during the operation of the factory to guess an optimal production sequence. The "rules-based" software system codifies the experiences of factory staff into rules and uses these rules for production planning. Therefore, a "rules-based" system, which may be computer-based, solves the problem in a way similar to the factory staff's method of solving the problem manually. Using "rules-based" systems, however, may speed up the process.
Examples of production planning situations are set forth in the following two scenarios. These scenarios are meant to be examples only and do not encompass every possible scenario that could affect the production planning sequences for these production situations.
Scenario 1: If a manufacturer is producing a particular product on a production line and the variety of this product based on demand that must be produced are three red products and three green products, the following will apply for coloring step of the process for these products. The color will be applied by a coloring device. This coloring device must be cleaned for 30 minutes before a new color can be applied. The most optimal way to manufacture the products having these two colors is to manufacture all of the products of one color first—for example, the red products—then changeover for the coloring device for the minute changeover period, followed by coloring the remaining products with the second color—for example, green. As noted, this production sequence has one downtime of 30 minutes to clean the coloring device
Scenario 2: Scenario 1 is a single changeover situation; however, in many cases the manufacturing process may be far more complicated for producing a variety of products. If the conditions for producing finished products, for example, require that partially finished products be transported to a different factory in special transportation crates for completion and there is a limited supply of these crates, and the shape of the product dictates the crate that is to be used for transportation, it is readily seen that the manufacturing process is more complicated. To illustrate the complications of the manufacturing process just described, if the product mix includes two products of the red variety and one product of the green variety and these have shape A, and all remaining products being manufactured have shape B, and all of the crates for shipping products with shape B are currently in use, then any products being produced that have shape B cannot be processed. The constraint associated with the availability of shipping crates can have a large impact on the manufacturing process.
Given these conditions, it is still necessary to determine a production schedule to optimize the use of the production line. The production schedule described for Scenario 1, which was to manufacture the reds first, changeover, and then manufacture the greens, will not work in this case because the third red product that has a shape B will require a transportation crate that is not available. Therefore, the production schedule must not only take into account the color but also the availability of the transportation crates (a factory restriction).
In the past, production planning has been principally solved by having knowledge of the factory restrictions through a set of production rules. These rules represented the know-how that factory workers developed over time in performing factory operations. For example, in Scenario 1, one such production rule could be stated as: "Produce the same colors in sequence." In Scenario 2, the production rules could be stated as: "Produce same colors as long as transportation crates are available." The problem that exists with relying on such a rule-based approached is that as soon as there is a change in any factory restrictions, there must be some corresponding change to the rules.
An example of how this may take place is the following. If the two Scenarios described above were altered with upgraded coloring equipment for the production line so that there was an additional "stand-by" coloring device, it would significantly change the production scheduling. This second coloring device could be used while the first device was being cleaned. More specifically, when a color change was necessary for the production of a variety of products, the second coloring machine can be brought on-line in the production sequence, while the first device is moved off-line to be cleaned. Thus, the changeover time for color changes would be reduced to zero from 30 minutes. The introduction of the second "stand-by" coloring machine would significantly change optimization of production scheduling.
Given this simple change in the production, any of the previous rules for optimizing productivity by minimizing color changeover times would become invalid and no longer needed; and the entire rule-based optimization scheme would have to be redesigned. As such, it is seen that rules-based systems and methods are fragile under changes in factory restrictions. Furthermore, rule-based optimization strategies also are only as good as the rules system, which is transitory, i.e., the knowledge of individuals, only sometimes experts, who derived the rules.
The present invention provides a system and method for optimization of production planning and overcomes these problems of the past based on manual or rule-based production planning.

System and method for the production of goods or products


An animal litter composition comprising 1) a particulate, water absorbent clayey component, e.g., bentonite, containing at least one water-swellable clay mineral, e.g. montmorillonite; and 2) a solid particulate deodorizing additive component comprising sodium bicarbonate (SBC) or potassium bicarbonate (KBC), the particles of which are substantially coated with a mineral oil, mixed with a powdered siliceous material, e.g., expanded perlite, having a bulk density significantly lower than the density of SBC or KBC, the coated particles of SBC or KBC being stably adhered to and agglomerated with the particles of the siliceous material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel animal litters containing a deodorizing additive.
2. Information Disclosure Statement including Description of Related Art
The following information is disclosed in accordance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.56, 1.97 and 1.98.
As is well-known, many species of animals and birds are raised and/or kept by people for various purposes, e.g., as pets; for the production of valuable products such as food or furs; or for experimental purposes. A major problem connected with the raising and/or keeping of animals is the disposition of their waste excretions, mainly urine and feces. Whether the animal or bird is caged, in which case its waste is deposited on the floor of the cage, or allowed to roam free but is trained to deposit its waste in a particular receptacle, a "litter" material is generally employed which is capable of absorbing the liquid portion of waste excretions, primarily urine and the excess liquid of fecal matter.
Of particular interest as the basic component of animal litters are the clayey soils or comminuted rocks, e.g. the bentonites, comprising at least one water-swellable clay mineral, e.g., montmorillonite, since these materials have the ability to clump and harden after contact with an aqueous liquid such as urine. This facilitates the removal of only the soiled portion of the litter in a litter box or cage during cleaning without the necessity of removing all the litter. Note, however, that, while the water absorption properties of litters based on clay and other materials make them effective in reducing the mess of animal waste excretions between cleanings, they do little to prevent the foul odor emitted by the waste.
Various deodorizing agents have been recommended for use in animal litters, including sodium bicarbonate (SBC). However, when SBC is utilized in the form of an unmodified powder as a deodorizinq agent in animal litter, it tends to "wick" and dissolve in the aqueous phase of any animal waste products present, in which dissolved state it does not exert any deodorizing effect. Furthermore, due to its relatively high density, it tends to sink to the bottom of any litter composition present in the cage or litter box. To overcome these disadvantages, it has been proposed that the SBC be utilized in the animal litter in encapsulated form. However, the preparation of encapsulated SBC is an expensive procedure which renders the employment of SBC in this form impractical for many applications.
The following prior art references illustrate aspects of the technology of animal litter preparation, and, in particular, disclose the use of clays in such litters.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,371 issued Oct. 16, 1973 to Fisher discloses a foamed plastic for absorbing and/or adsorbing animal waste products and also identifies clay and bentonites as previously used animal litters.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,275,684 issued Jun. 30, 1981 and 4,395,357 issued Jul. 26, 1983 to Kramer et al., disclose calcium silicate as an animal litter box absorbent material, and state that clay minerals, e.g. sepiolites, are known litters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,761 issued Feb. 16, 1982 to Larrson et al., teaches the use of aerated or foamed concrete to absorb animal waste products and facilitate the removal of excrement from a litter box, and also discloses that "porous granulates of burnt expanded clay" is known for use as a urine absorbent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,481 issued Jan. 22, 1985 to Rodriguez et al., discloses the addition of a soluble salt of a transition metal from Group Ib or IIb of the Periodic Table to a conventional litter composition to prevent the development of urine odors, and also identifies "clay such as. . . montmorillonites or bentonites" as suitable for use as an animal litter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,573 issued Feb. 18, 1986 to Lohman, discloses an animal litter composition containing 60-94 wt. % of paper, 1-35 wt. % of gypsum, and 3-12% of water, and also states that clay, fuller's earth, and vermiculite are employed in cat litter compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,763 issued Jan. 27, 1987 to Greenberg, teaches the addition of sodium sulfate to a litter box absorbent material to facilitate removal of solid absorbent material from the litter box, and teaches that clays such as montmorillonite and hectorite are suitable as absorbent material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,420 issued Aug. 11, 1987 to Stuart, discloses an animal litter composition comprising a water-absorbing polymer such as a polyacryate combined with a porous inert solid substrate such as clay.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,115 issued Mar. 19, 1991 to Hughes, discloses the use of a water swellable bentonite clay as an absorbent litter material. The clay absorbs the liquids in animal waste which on contacting the clay agglomerates it into a stable mass easily separated from the unwetted and unsoiled portion of the composition.
Application Ser. No. 08/056,511, filed May 3, 1993, discloses and claims the deodorizing additive included in the litter compositions of this invention.

Animal litters containing a deodorizing additive


A trenching tool which includes a lower portion having a blade and a guide tube. The guide or alignment tube is vertically positioned on one edge of the blade. An impact rod slips into the alignment tube and is repeatedly forced, by the operator, to impact the top of the blade, thereby driving the blade into the ground. Through a rocking motion, the channel formed by the blade is widened and the blade is again forced into the ground until the desired depth is obtained. The assembly is then removed and repositioned to extend the channel through the same procedure. The blade has either a rectangular cross section or a triangular cross section permitting the channel to be sloped automatically while the blade is being driven into the soil. A handle, preferably having shock absorption capabilities, allows the operator to slide the impact rod to obtain the driving force. A flexible harness keeps the impact rod from being withdrawn from the alignment tube; and, a pair of handles located on the alignment tube are used to reposition the assembly. In one embodiment of the invention, a plate at the top of the blade prevents the blade from being driven too deeply into the soil; another embodiment allows the plate to be positioned along the face of the blade to provide a depth limiting gauge.

This invention relates generally to trenching tools and more particularly to impact tools used to bury cables, wires, and the like.
This invention concerns an impact tool useful in the operation of burying cables, wires and other materials. It arises from the fact that fuel powered conventional burial machinery is not always practical in the commission of burying cables or wires.
Historically, the alternative tools used in the commission of burying cables or wires have been and are primitive, unsophisticated, and designed for a broad spectrum of uses and not specifically for the operation of burying cables or wires.
Such tools as shovels, picks and axes are also extremely inaccurate and potentially dangerous to the operator in the commission of burying cables or wires. Further, these tools provide extended or extremely wide trench when only a single wire or pipe needs to be buried.
Trenches made by shovels are also very disruptive to the ground and require an extended period of time for the lawn to grow over the site.
Further, the very nature of a shovel requires that the dirt be "removed", requiring that the removed dirt be placed somewhere until such time that the trench needs to be refilled. This is unsightly, causes damage to grass under the piles of removed dirt, and also creates a safety hazard (i.e. tripping or falling into the open trench).
It is clear there is a need for an improved trenching tool which will easily implant cables, wires, and other such materials.


A multiprocessor computer includes a processor disabling scheme which disables a processor that has been designated to boot the computer but fails to boot the computer. For computers having voltage regulator modules (VRMs) to power each processor, a control device directs a VRM associated with the failed boot processor to cease supplying power in response to the processor""s failure. For computers without VRMs, a transistor controls the delivery of power from the power supply to each respective processor. If a designated boot processor fails to boot the system, the control device turns off the appropriate transistor to disable the failed processor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer systems and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for disabling a processor in a multiprocessor computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
About two decades ago, a relatively compact and basic computing device, which would come to be known as the personal computer or PC, was under development. Like all personal computers since, these early personal computers utilized microprocessors coupled to various types of memory devices. However, due to the extremely limited computing capabilities of these early microprocessors and the limited size and costliness of high speed memory, these early personal computers truly were nothing but stand alone personal computing devices.
In the intervening years, microprocessors, memory devices, software, and many other portions of a computing system have seen rapid improvements in speed, capacity, complexity, and performance. By way of example, the latest generation microprocessors from Intel Corporation include the Pentium, Pentium Pro, and Pentium II Xeon (Slot-2) microprocessors. These processors are so powerful that they not only would have been considered an unbelievable evolution over the Z80 and 8080 microprocessors of two decades ago, but they also offer significant enhancements over the prior generation 486 processors. Even in view of this rapid and incredible improvement of microprocessors, the resource requirements of software are always increasing, as are the variety of uses for xe2x80x9cpersonalxe2x80x9d computers. These needs, in turn, drive the need for the design and development of ever more powerful and efficient computer systems.
In view of these vast technological improvements, personal computers have made great strides from their humble beginnings to provide solutions for the ever expanding needs and desires of the computing public. For example, two decades ago, virtually all large or complicated computing operations, from data processing to telephone networks, were handled by large mainframe computers. However, networks of microprocessor-based personal computers have made tremendous inroads into areas that were once the exclusive domain of such large mainframe computers. Such networks of personal computers provide the computing power and centralized access to data of mainframe systems, along with the distributed computing capability of stand alone personal computers. These networks typically include tens, hundreds, or even thousands of personal computers, including powerful personal computers that can act as servers. Indeed, as such networks have become larger and more complex, there has been a need for improving the computing performance of servers on the network. To address this need, multiple processors are now being used in personal computers which are configured to act as servers in order to produce more powerful servers.
The expansion of microprocessor-based personal computers into the mainframe domain, however, has not been problem free. Mainframe computers have historically been designed to be reliable and extremely fault tolerant. In other words, a failure of a portion of the mainframe computer does not typically result in lost or corrupted data or extensive down time. Because personal computer networks are increasingly being used instead of mainframe systems, users are demanding that such networks provide fault tolerance similar to that found in the mainframe systems.
In view of these user demands, manufacturers have devised various ways for providing fault tolerance in personal computer networks. Many of these developments have concentrated on the fault tolerance of the servers in a personal computer network, because servers are typically the cornerstone of most networks. In other words, because the servers typically provide applications, data, and communications among the various workstations, the failure of one server could cause the entire network to fail.
In a multiprocessor computer such as those typically used as servers, one problem that may occur involves the failure of one of the multiple processors. Because of this possibility, a fault-tolerant scheme should include the ability to detect when one of the multiple processors has failed. Current fault detection schemes of this type typically attempt to determine whether a processor has failed during the power up sequence. For example, one method of booting a multiprocessor computer involves the assignment of a primary processor, typically called a boot processor, which is responsible for activating the remainder of the computer system. Once the boot processor has been successfully started, the boot processor then tests the remaining processors and various other components in the computer system. While this scheme facilitates the detection of a failed secondary microprocessor, it does not address a situation where the boot microprocessor fails. In such a situation, the boot microprocessor would be unable to activate the secondary processors, leaving the entire server incapacitated even though one or more secondary processors may remain fully operational.
In an effort to address this problem, one technique utilizes a timer associated with the processors, along with specialized hardware to determine the hierarchy of the multiple processors. When the system is reset, the boot processor is initialized by the hardware and activated to boot the remainder of the computer system including the secondary processors. However, if the boot processor does not take certain actions within the period set by the timer, the timer expires and sends a signal to the hardware to cause the hierarchy of the multiple processors to be changed. Thus, one of the secondary processors becomes the boot processor, and it attempts to activate the computer system. This process, which is typically referred to as a hot spare boot, continues until a successful boot operation occurs.
Although this type of technique may be quite satisfactory in many circumstances, shortcomings do exist. Of primary concern is the method conventionally used to exclude a processor from the boot process. Currently, the xe2x80x9cFLUSH#xe2x80x9d pin on the processor is asserted during a reset to cause a failed processor to shut itself off. After a reset, when the processor samples this pin and determines that the FLUSH# signal has been asserted, the processor""s pins are placed in a high impedance state or tristate mode so that the processor xe2x80x9cplays deadxe2x80x9d during the rest of the system""s normal operations. While this method appears to be quite satisfactory, as mentioned above, the inventors have questioned the reliability of this method if the processor has internal failures. For instance, a failing processor may not be able to sample the FLUSH# pin, and, if it can, it may not be able to operate properly to remove itself from operation. Thus, a problem with this conventional method is that it relies on a failing processor to (a) interpret an incoming signal and (b) to perform the appropriate action to remove itself from operation.
The present invention may address one or more of the problems set forth above.
Certain aspects commensurate in scope with the disclosed embodiments are set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of certain forms the invention might take and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Indeed, the invention may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below.
In one embodiment, a computer has a plurality of processors, each of which are powered by a respective voltage regulator module (VRM). During a power on sequence, one of the processors is designated as a boot processor, which is responsible for booting the remaining processors. If the boot processor is operating correctly, it delivers a signal to stop an associated timer, and it boots the computer. However, if the boot processor is not able to boot the computer, the computer resets itself. Specifically, in this embodiment, the timer associated with the boot processor times out and delivers a signal to control logic if the boot processor does not boot the computer within a given time period. In response to this signal, the control logic delivers a signal to the VRM associated with the boot processor. The signal causes the VRM to discontinue supplying power to the boot processor, thus disabling the boot processor. This process may continue until one of the processors successfully boots the computer.
In another embodiment, a computer has a plurality of processors, each of which are powered by the computer""s power supply via a respective transistor. During a power on sequence, one of the processors is designated as a boot processor, which is responsible for booting the remaining processors. If the boot processor is operating correctly, it delivers a signal to stop an associated timer, and it boots the computer. However, if the boot processor is not able to boot the computer, the computer resets itself. Specifically, in this embodiment, the timer associated with the boot processor times out and delivers a signal to control logic if the boot processor does not boot the computer within a given time period. In response to this signal, the control logic delivers a signal to the transistor associated with the boot processor. The signal turns off the transistor to discontinue the supply of power to the boot processor, thus disabling the boot processor. This process may continue until one of the processors successfully boots the computer.

Method and apparatus for disabling a processor in a multiprocessor computer

Compaq Information Technologies Group, L.P.


A semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a semiconductor substrate, which comprises a first surface on which an electrode pad is formed, and a second surface arranged at an opposite side of the first surface; an external terminal formed on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate and is electrically connected to the electrode pad; and a sealing resin which seals the first surface so that a surface of the external terminal is exposed. An outer edge of the second surface has a chamfered portion, a surface of which is inclined by substantially 45 degrees from the second surface.

Since mobile devices are getting smaller in size, and semiconductor devices used for such mobile devices are required to be smaller in size as well. In order to achieve such a request, a semiconductor device called "chip size package", having a dimension corresponding to a semiconductor chip, has been developed. Chip size package includes a Wafer Level Chip Size Package and a Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WCSP). A front or top surface of a semiconductor chip (semiconductor substrate) is sealed with a resin, while a rear or bottom surface, which is a silicon surface, is exposed.
A WCSP is mounted on a mount board so that a front surface of the semiconductor chip faces the mount board. In other words, a WCSP is mounted on a mount board so that a rear or bottom surface faces upward, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-60120A.
However, according to a WCSP described in the above publication, a rear surface of a semiconductor chip is exposed, so that an edge chipping may be occurred at an edge of the semiconductor chip when an external force is applied thereto. The edge of the semiconductor chip may be broken. When a broken piece caused by an edge chipping phenomenon is stuck on to a mount board, short-circuit would be made. Now, it has been required to prevent such an edge chipping phenomenon from a WCSP.

Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same


A method and system for autonomous tracking of a following vehicle on the track of a leading vehicle. A lead message is received by the following vehicle and rejected by the following vehicle or confirmed with a follow message. After receipt of the follow message, a first element of coordination information for coordination of the autonomous tracking is sent to the following vehicle by the leading vehicle. A second element of coordination information is detected for coordination of the autonomous tracking by environment sensors of the following vehicle on the basis of movements of the leading vehicle. The first and second elements of coordination information are compared by the following vehicle. In the case of a matching comparison result, the autonomous tracking is performed corresponding to the first and second elements of coordination information and, in the case of a deviating comparison result, the autonomous tracking is ended.

The prior art already discloses a multiplicity of different sensor systems for environment sensing. By way of example, these sensor systems can be used to recognize lane boundaries or to determine the distance from a vehicle ahead and hence a relative position for the vehicle ahead. A relative speed in relation to the vehicle ahead can also be determined by means of the known sensor systems. Similarly, it is already known practice to use wirelessly communicating vehicle-to-X communication systems to exchange information with surrounding vehicles or infrastructure devices. The vehicle-to-X messages sent by the vehicles usually comprise at least an absolute position, an absolute speed and a piece of information about the direction of travel.
In this context, DE 10 2006 050 214 A1, which is incorporated by reference, discloses a lane recognition method for assisting a driver in driving a vehicle. This first of all involves roadway edge recognition being performed, e.g. by means of infrared sensors, cameras and radar scanners. On the basis of the evaluation of the sensor signals according to features that represent the surface quality of the road and of the road edge, a change of lane is recognized. If it is now recognized that the vehicle leaves the lane without the indicator having been operated, a warning signal is sent to the driver. This warning signal may be visual, audible or haptic.
DE 41 33 882 A1, which is incorporated by reference, describes a method for automatically tracking a vehicle in a lane of a vehicle traveling ahead. In this case, the vehicle behind comprises an electronic camera that continuously produces image signals for significant rear areas of the guiding vehicle. Electronic image evaluation of the image signals likewise continuously ascertains the distance from the guiding vehicle and also the lateral offset of the guiding vehicle in relation to the longitudinal axis of the driver's own vehicle. This information in turn is used to calculate the steering angle that is required in order to follow the guiding vehicle. The calculated steering angle is set by a stepping motor connected to the steering shaft of the vehicle, without the need for the driver to intervene. Distance regulation is not described in DE 41 33 882 A1.
DE 10 2007 024 877 A1, which is incorporated by reference, discloses a method for forming and controlling a vehicle union. To this end, vehicle identification data from various vehicles are transmitted among said vehicles by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication. A first vehicle then transmits an initiation message in order to initiate the formation of the vehicle union. Surrounding vehicles react to reception of the initiation message by sending an acceptance message or a rejection message. If a rejection message is sent, the sending vehicle does not join the union. If an acceptance message is sent, the first vehicle must then for its part confirm the inclusion in the vehicle union by sending a further acceptance message. If the first vehicle sends a rejection message, on the other hand, then the further vehicle is not included in the union. As soon as a union has been formed from two or more vehicles, the driving movements scheduled in future are coordinated by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication. In this case, data from future scheduled driving movements by the first vehicle in the vehicle union are captured and transmitted to the further vehicles. On the basis of the received data, the further vehicles schedule an appropriate driving movement of their own.
A disadvantage of the methods known from the prior art is that the information available to a following vehicle does not just need to have a very high level of reliability on account of the high safety requirements in road traffic but also needs to be transmitted and then captured by a following vehicle with a very high level of reliability, without the prior art disclosing a solution to achieve this prerequisite, however. The absence of the information required for autonomous travel or the capture of incorrect information or the incorrect capture of correct information can lead to serious accidents. This high risk potential and the requirements arising therefrom for the reliability of such methods have meant that it has not been possible to date to realize autonomous following travel by one or more vehicles in public road traffic apart from during stringently monitored trial performance.

Method and system for autonomous tracking of a following vehicle in the lane of a leading vehicle


A labyrinth seal system and method for sealing against the flow of a fluid along a rotating member according in which a fixed housing surrounds the rotating member and one or more sealing members extend from the housing and engage the rotating member for wiping a portion of the fluid off of the rotating member and thus preventing the wiped fluid from passing through the sealing member and along the rotating member. The rotation of the rotating member causes air to flow outwardly from the shaft to normally promote the flow of the fluid along the rotating member and through the sealing member, and a member is associated with the housing for breaking the vacuum.

The present invention relates generally to seals for rotating shafts, and, more particularly, to a multi-stage, stationary, labyrinth seal assembly surrounding a rotating shaft.
Labyrinth seals have been used to minimize fluid flow from a high pressure side of the seal to a low pressure side thereof. However, there is inevitably some fluid leakage across the labyrinth seal especially when the seal is established along a rotating body, such as a rotating shaft, or the like, since the rotating body often causes a flow of air radially outwardly from the low pressure side of the labyrinth seal, thereby forming a vacuum and increasing the pressure drop across the seal.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,443, an external fluid source is used to limit such leakage. This is accomplished by a plurality of radially extending purge openings formed in the seal to provide a flow of inert gas around the labyrinth seal to provide a thin fluid film through the radial purge openings, so that the seal rides on the thin film. The fluid is introduced at the center of the seal to provide buffering to minimize leakage of lubricating oil or process fluids. However, the external fluid source increases the complexity of the structure and presents a problem if no such external fluid source is readily available.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,713, radial passages are disclosed in a rotating labyrinth seal. The passages extend from the low pressure side of the labyrinth seal to a channel between the teeth of the seal at the low pressure end of the seal. Air entrained in the passages is subjected to centrifugal force causing the air to move away from the center of rotation. The passages function as a pump to move the air radially outwardly. This device however, requires that the labyrinth seal body rotate and is therefore not adaptable to a stationary labyrinth seal body.
Therefore, what is needed is a stationary labyrinth seal assembly which minimizes or eliminates leakage across the seal and which does not require an external fluid source.


In some embodiments, a device includes a memory and a processor. The memory is operatively coupled to the processor and configured to store encrypted personal data. The processor is configured to receive query and a personal identifier from a user. Based on the query, the processor further identifies and retrieves a portion of the associated encrypted personal data from the memory. Using the personal identifier, the processor produces decrypted personal data by decrypting a portion of the retrieved encrypted personal data. The processor is further configured to analyze the decrypted personal data to identify a result of the query. The result is sent to the user without sending the decrypted personal data.

The human genome controls the behavior of almost every cell in our body from conception until death. Within the past few decades, astonishing progress has been made in genetic research and genome sequencing that has begun to transform clinical practice. Protecting such sensitive data is important for this data to become widely used in practice. Without protection, this data can be used for criminal activity and/or can pose serious privacy concerns.
Systems exist to use genetic data for identification, screening, diagnoses and dosing based on pharmacogenetics. For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a cytochrome P450 (CYP450) test called AmpliChip that can detect CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 polymorphisms. These two enzymes metabolize about a quarter of commonly prescribed drugs. The test can predict whether a patient is a slow or rapid metabolizer. Using this test, a patient taking a certain drug metabolized by these enzymes can avoid the tribulations of trial and error to find the correct therapeutic dose.
Systems also exist to predict the risk of acquiring a disease state. For example, the BRCA2 gene belongs to a class of genes known as human tumor suppressor genes. The protein produced from the BRCA2 gene helps cells control their rate of division, and is involved in the repair of damaged deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). A mutation in this gene increases the risk of acquiring breast cancer as well as other cancers. Testing for a BRCA mutation uses a DNA sample from the patient, which is sent to a lab for analysis. This is a slow and inconvenient process.
Additionally, in some systems, a patient's entire genome can be sequenced and stored in a central database. A clinician then accesses the genetic database to determine the pharmacogenetics of a medication, or determine the disease risk for a patient. Such data centralization exposes patients' genomic data to the risk of data breaches and misuse.

Methods and apparatus for security enhanced portable data store and processor for allowing secure and selective access to genomic data


Circuits, methods, and apparatus for limiting voltages received by devices in input/output cells to less than the device's breakdown voltage. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an input/output cell having one or more clamp diodes and resistors configured to limit voltages seen by the gates of the devices in the input/output cell. In one embodiment, the clamp diodes are on-chip, while the resistors are off-chip. In a specific embodiment, the clamp diode is connected between an input pad for the input output cell and a supply voltage VCC, while a resistor is off-chip and in series with the input pad. In another specific embodiment, a series of clamp diodes are coupled between ground and an input pad, while a resistor is off-chip and in series with the input pad. In another embodiment, the clamp diode or diodes may be programmably or selectively disconnected. These clamp diodes may be disabled to protect against latch-up. Integrated circuits that are consistent with the present invention may include one or more of these and the other features described.

The present invention relates to protecting devices in input/output cells from excessive input voltages.
A goal in integrated circuit manufacturing is to increase circuit density and functionality. Accordingly, there has been a great deal of effort put into reducing the size of individual transistors so that more transistors, and thus more functionality, can be placed on each device.
But there is a downside to these higher densities and smaller devices. For example, smaller devices can only withstand a limited voltage before oxide breakdown occurs. Also, higher densities can result in an increase in power supply dissipation per unit area of an integrated circuit, which can limit operability and lifetime (as measure in mean time before failure) of the circuit. To mitigate both these consequences, the power supply voltages of integrated circuits has been progressively lowered over the years, from 5 volts to 3.3, then to 2.5 and recently 1.8 volts and even lower.
Not all integrated circuits operate at these lower voltages, however. That is, many devices have been designed to operate at 3.3 volts, 5.0 volts, or at even higher voltages. This means that some integrated circuits operating at a lower 1.5 or 1.8 supply voltage need to accept input signals having higher voltages. For example, a device operating with core or internal voltage supplies of 1.8 volts and ground may need to receive signals that switch between 5.0 volts and ground.
This arrangement leads to over-voltage problems for output drivers, input receivers, and input/output (I/O) cells. For example, when receiving an input signal, if the received voltage exceeds the gate-oxide breakdown voltage of the input devices, the devices may become stressed and damaged.
Thus what is needed are circuits, methods, and apparatus for protecting the devices in input and output structures from input voltages that exceed the device's oxide breakdown voltage.

High voltage tolerance emulation using voltage clamp for oxide stress protection


Disclosed is a catheter which is introduced into a blood vessel for the treatment or inspection of a diseased portion in the blood vessel. For facilitating the introducing operation of the catheter, a super-elastic wire is housed in the catheter body in a manner to extend in the longitudinal direction of the catheter body. The super-elastic wire may be fixed within the lumen of the catheter body, may be detachably provided, or may be embedded in a part of the catheter body. The exposed surface of the catheter body or the super-elastic wire may be covered with a layer of a watersoluble high molecular weight material. Also, an X-ray intransmissible material may be applied to the exposed surface of the catheter body or the super-elastic wire.

A catheter for introduction into a blood vessel is used mainly for injection of a medical solution, a contrast media, etc. into the blood vessel for the treatment or inspection of a diseased portion within the blood vessel. The conventional catheter of this type is constructed such that a hub is simply mounted to the proximal end of a flexible tubular body. For introducing the conventional catheter into a blood vessel, a guide wire is inserted in advance into the blood vessel, followed by introducing the catheter into a desired position within the blood vessel along the guide wire.
The requirement of guiding by a guide wire necessitates a troublesome operation for a long time for enabling the distal end of the conventional catheter to reach a desired position. Also, a blood vessel after branching is bent and diminished in inner diameter, leading to an increased resistance to the catheter insertion. Naturally, it is difficult to insert a guide wire into the branched blood vessel, making it more difficult to introduce the catheter to reach the desired position. Further, a series of operations for insertion and withdrawal of the catheter give serious pains to the patient.
An object of the present invention is to provide a catheter for introduction into a blood vessel, which can be easily introduced even into a branched blood vessel such as a celiac artery without using a guide wire. The catheter of the present invention permits markedly alleviating the pain given to the patient. Also, it is possible to simplify the operation for introducing the catheter into a blood vessel.

Catheter for introduction into blood vessel


An aspect of the present invention is to provide a mirror surface angle adjusting device in which an assembly error between first housing (A1) and second housing (A2) does not affect the assembly accuracy of worm wheels (A71) badly, and which can be assembled by simple and prompt processes. The mirror surface angle adjusting device according to the aspect is characterized in that the worm wheels (A71) contained in the actuator (A) are held by the second housing (A2) in such a way that the worm wheels are not detached along their respective central axes and rotate around the respective central axes. This mirror surface angle adjusting device can be assembled by simple and prompt processes. In addition, even if there is any assembly error between the first housing (A1) and the second housing (A2), this error does not affects the assembly accuracy of the worm wheels (A71) badly.

For example, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-161123, a rearview outer mirror provided at a lateral part of an automobile contains a mirror surface angle adjusting device for tiltably holding a mirror.
As shown in FIG. 13, the mirror surface angle adjusting device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-161123 is attached to a back side of a mirror M (i.e., a vehicle's front side), and it includes a pivot plate Hc for holding the mirror M through a mirror holder Mh, and an actuator Ac for tiltably holding this pivot plate Hc.
The actuator Ac includes an annular receiving part P of which inner face is molded to a circular shape, and rods Q for pushing or pulling the pivot plate Hc. Although being not shown, the actuator Ac is equipped therein with one or more motors for applying driving power to the rods Q, and both a worm wheel and a worm for transmitting the driving force of the motor to the rods Q.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, the pivot plate Hc is provided, at its rear face, with an annular sliding portion P′ slidably held by the receiving part P, and a pair of engaging portions Q′ mating with tips of the respective rods Q.
Furthermore, when the rods Q move back or forth by controlling the rotational direction and rotational amount of the motor, the pivot plate Hc is tilted with respect to the actuator Ac.
Actually, as shown in FIG. 14, the worm wheel S contained in the actuator Ac is held by being sandwiched between a first housing R1 and a second housing R2 which both constitute a casing of the actuator Ac.
However, in such a structure for holding the worm wheel S, if any assembly error between the first housing R1 and the second housing R2 occurs, the assembly accuracy of the worm wheel S may be affected. For example, if a contact pressure between the worm wheel S and both the housings R1 and R2 excessively increases due to the assembly error between the housings R1 and R2, abnormal noises may be sounded in response to a rotational movement of the worm wheel S, and furthermore, a smooth rotational movement of the worm wheel S may be hindered. Moreover, if an excess gap is formed between the worm wheel S and both the housings R1 and R2 due to the assembly error between the housings R1 and R2, "deviation" occurs in a central axis (i.e., a rotation axis) of the worm wheel S, which may inhibit its smooth rotational movement.
Moreover, in the above-described holding structure for the worm wheel S, the worm wheel S is not secured until the first housing R1 and the second housing R2 are assembled. Therefore, during the manufacture of the actuator Ac, a worker must assemble the first housing R1 and the second housing R2 while being careful not to cause a deviation in the position (i.e., the central axis) of the worm wheel S.
As described above, in conventional mirror surface angle adjusting devices in which the worm wheel S is sandwiched between the first and second housings R1 and R2, the assembly error between the first housing R1 and the second housing R2 has a great influence upon the assembly accuracy of the worm wheel S. Furthermore, the assembly process thereof cannot be done simply and promptly.


A plurality of node index records are created in a database containing stored scanned image data and related index files. The node index records are batched in accordance with a hierarchy of documents from which they were derived. The index node records are stored in a work queue which is divided into stages. The first stage of the work queue includes a system administrator connected to the database which identifies a work flow comprising several processes to be carried out on the node index records and related image files. A plurality of workstations networked to the database carry out the work flow process and upon completion of each process, restores the index node records to a lower stage of the work queue where subsequent processes are carried out by the networked computer workstations.

The present invention relates to document imaging systems for storing and retrieving images of scanned documents. Specifically, the invention relates to the batch processing of raw image data which has been scanned into the memory of a processing system.
Document scanning to create electronic media from paper documents and microfilmed records is conducted on a high-speed, high-volume production basis. Electronic media offers advantages over print media in storage space efficiency, preservation. retrieval and text searching. High-speed scanners can rapidly scan 10,000 documents, creating a stored pixel-based image of each side of each scanned page. Each image is identified by an ASCII index file record which contains various indicia relating to the image. The index file record is created at the time of scanning and contains address links to respective document images. Personnel conducting a scanning operation include bar code data or other readable indicia on each page being imaged. Additionally, break pages may be included which identify the beginning and end of a document, folder or box. This information is inserted in the ASCII index file by the image scanner and is used to locate the linked image.
The Kodak Image Link scanning system produces an ASCII text file containing the readable indicia for each scanned page including the inserted break pages. The image data for each scanned image comprises a pixel array which is transferred with the related ASCII index file over a local area network for storage in a database in accordance with a protocol specified by the manufacturer of the scanner controller.
The images of the document residing in the data base of the processing system are accessed from information contained in the ASCII index file. A computer operator networked to the database controller can call up and search tile ASCII index file for a record or records which correspond to the image(s) which are to be retrieved for viewing on a retrieval device or for export to other devices which utilize the image data such as a CD ROM storage.
The stored image data may require further processing to correct for scanninig anomalies, such as image skew and image defects. Image skew can be corrected by rotating the pixel array, whereas poor image quality may require the document to be rescanned into the system.
The use of the stored images in text search and retrieval applications is limited by the content of the ASCII index files. For enhanced search and retrieval capabilities, the ASCII files must be augmented with information which is searchable. Improved searching capabilities may be realized if an OCR file is made of the image data and linked to the respective image. This permits full text search capabilities of the OCR version of the image.
The retrieval system which corrects the image errors and augments the index ASCII file does so on an image by image basis. A work station operator must call up each index file record and corresponding image on a per image/per index file record basis. The workload represented by these post scanning processes reduces the overall system throughput.
Batch processing of the stored image data and index file record can organize images and index file records so that only stored information which relates to a specific job is queued up for these additional processes. The capability of providing multiple computer work stations for performing different tasks on the same image records and index records also aids throughput. System throughput suffers when the images are subjected to tasks which are executed in sequence, requiring workstations which execute some tasks to wait until the earlier tasks of the sequence are executed.
A remaining problem in the document retrieval system is providing a format for the index file which is compatible with output devices of various users. Each manufacturer of these devices, has their own input format requirements. Thus, a transfer of information from the processed records to the input file of the retrieval device requires the ability to map records of one format to records of an input file having a different format.

System for performing multiple processes on images of scanned documents