There is described an image forming apparatus that performs an image forming operation in a N-up printing mode based on a print job. The apparatus includes an image forming section; an operating section to designate the N-up printing mode, and to set an arranging method in the N-up printing mode; and a controlling section to apply image processing to the image data of the plural pages, so that the plural images are arranged onto the single paper sheet according to the arranging method set by the operating section. When implementing the image forming operation in the N-up printing mode, the controlling section groups the plural pages into plural groups, each of which includes specific pages fulfilling a same condition in respect to the image forming operation, and then, aligns the specific pages on a same line among plural lines extended along a conveying direction of the paper sheet.

The present invention relates an image forming apparatus that conducts image forming operations based on image data and is provided with a N-up printing mode in which a plurality of images represented by image data for a plurality of pages are printed by aligning them on a single paper sheet.
There has been well-known an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile device, a Multifunctional Peripheral including abovementioned functions, etc., that conducts image-forming operations based on the image data, and is provided with the N-up printing mode which makes it possible not only to save a number of paper sheets to be consumed, but also to reduce the counting amount of printed paper sheets, by aligning a plurality of images represented by image data for a plurality of pages on a single paper sheet when conducting the image-forming operations. Although, sometimes, the N-up printing mode is called a N-in-1 mode, an Integration mode, etc., such the differently named modes have substantially the same function. It is applicable that the image data for a plurality of pages represent either a plurality of different images or a single image.
Tokkai 2003-101753 (Japanese Non-Examined Patent Publication) sets forth an image forming apparatus that is provided with an image integrating means to form an intensive image that includes a plurality of document images distributed on a single transfer material. According to the above image forming apparatus, the image integrating means reads a single document according to plural image processing methods established in advance, and makes it possible to put the image processing results together, so as to output the intensive image onto a single transfer material. The abovementioned feature makes it possible to eliminate cumbersome settings and operations to be conducted by the operator for repeating the copying operations by changing the image processing mode many times, etc., and to speedily confirm the contents of the image processing desired by the operator. Accordingly, it becomes possible not only to shorten the working hours and improve the maneuverability of the image forming apparatus, but also to reduce a number of unnecessary copies, resulting in an improvement of the economical aspects of the image forming apparatus.
In this connection, generally speaking in the N-up printing mode, it is possible to designate an arranging order of the images represented by the image data. For instance as shown in FIG. 10(a), FIG. 10(b), FIG. 10(c) and FIG. 10(d), various kinds of image arrangements, to be applied when four page images are arranged within a single paper sheet, will be detailed in the following. FIG. 10(a) shows a method for sequentially arranging the four page images in a vertical direction by setting the start position at the leading edge side relative to the conveying direction. FIG. 10(b) shows another method for sequentially arranging the four page images in a vertical direction by setting the start position at the trailing edge side relative to the conveying direction. FIG. 10(c) shows still another method for sequentially arranging the four page images in a horizontal direction by setting the start position at the leading edge side relative to the conveying direction. FIG. 10(d) shows yet another method for sequentially arranging the four page images in a horizontal direction by setting the start position at the trailing edge side relative to the conveying direction. It is possible for the user to designate any one of the abovementioned four kinds of image arrangements.
In the light-material printing market, sometimes, the abovementioned N-up printing mode is employed for reducing the printing cost, in such a manner that the same images for plural pages are printed on a single transfer paper, and then, the printed images are cut into the plural pages by employing an offline post processing apparatus. However, if there exists in the image forming section a density inclination along the main-scanning direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the single transfer paper concerned, the density of the images disposed at the leading edge side is different from that disposed at the trailing edge side. Since the same images are printed on the single transfer paper, the color and quality differences between the images can be considerably recognized and cause the deterioration of the printing quality. Further, even when the different images are printed, the color and quality differences between them, caused by the density inclination, are sensible for the user, resulting in the deterioration of the printing quality.
Generally speaking, in the image forming section, a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor drum according to the steps of: uniformly charging a circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum by activating the charging section; conducting the exposure scanning operation to form a latent image by activating the image writing section; and applying the reversible developing operation to the latent image with toner, so as to form the toner image on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum. Then, the image-forming operation is achieved by transferring the toner image onto the paper sheet. Accordingly, the cause of the density inclination mentioned in the above varies in a wide range of factors in the main-scanning direction, such as mechanical variations in the image writing section, a longitudinal inclination of the charging electrode relative to the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum, etc. Therefore, it has been a difficult problem how to cope with the density inclination when it happens.

Image forming apparatus with N-up print mode grouping and alignment

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


A surface potential sensor which is less affected by noise superposed on a reference source voltage than prior sensors, and hence can improve measurement accuracy with ease, and which also has higher stability against extraneous noise. The sensor includes an initial-stage input circuit comprising an FET, and a succeeding-stage amplifier circuit mainly comprising an operational amplifier for amplifying a difference between an AC component from the initial-stage input circuit and a reference source voltage. A resistor is connected between a drain of the FET constituting the initial-stage input circuit and a source voltage line to take out a signal from the FET drain. The source voltage supplied to the FET is the reference source voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface potential sensor for being positioned to face a charged member for detecting a surface potential of the charged member.
2. Description of the Related Art
In apparatus utilizing static electricity, such as PPC copying machines, page printers and electrostatic dust collectors, surface potential sensors have been heretofore employed to detect a surface potential of a charged member and keep the surface potential stable.
The principle of measuring a surface potential of a charged member will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, when a detecting electrode is placed near a charged member which is to be measured and has a surface potential Vx, an electrostatic capacitance C is produced between the detecting electrode and the charged member to be measured. By periodically changing the distance between the detecting electrode and the charged member to be measured, the electrostatic capacitance C is changed correspondingly and a resulting voltage across a resistor R is output as Vout.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a surface potential sensor for measuring a surface potential of a charged member to be measured in accordance with a signal output from the circuit shown in FIG. 5. The distance between the detecting electrode and the charged member to be measured is periodically changed by using a tuning fork, for example, as shown in FIG. 6. A piezoelectric tuning-fork oscillator circuit vibrates the tuning fork with a constant amplitude. An initial-stage input circuit performs impedance conversion by receiving a voltage output from the detecting electrode under high input impedance and outputting a detection signal under low output impedance. A succeeding-stage amplifier circuit amplifies an AC component of the detection signal, a rectifier circuit rectifies the AC-amplified signal, and a DC amplifier circuit amplifies the rectified signal with a constant gain before outputting it as a measured voltage. A stabilized power supply circuit supplies stabilized source voltages to the various circuits.
FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram including the initial-stage input circuit and the succeeding-stage amplifier circuit in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the initial-stage input circuit is of the source follower type made up by connecting a drain of an FET to a source voltage Vc, a resistor R3 between a source of the FET and ground, and a resistor R2 between the detecting electrode and a gate of the FET. Additionally, a resistor R1 is connected between the detecting electrode and ground. An operational amplifier OP1 has a non-inverted input terminal to which are applied a reference source voltage Vr through a resistor R5 and the AC component of a signal from the FET source through a capacitor C1. A voltage dividing circuit comprised of resistors R6, R7 is connected to an output terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. Further, a feedback circuit comprised of the voltage dividing circuit, resistors R8, R9 and capacitors C2, C3 is associated with the operational amplifier OP1. The succeeding-stage amplifier circuit using an operational amplifier is thus constructed.
The conventional surface potential sensor including the initial-stage input circuit and the succeeding-stage amplifier circuit, shown in FIG. 7, has a problem which can occur if noise is superposed on the reference source voltage Vr. Specifically, the operational amplifier OP1 amplifies a difference between the FET output (AC component) and the reference source voltage Vr. Accordingly, if noise is superposed on the reference source voltage Vr for some reason, the operational amplifier OP1 amplifies the noise component as well, resulting in a risk that detection accuracy of the surface potential may be lowered, or that a detection characteristic may be deteriorated. In particular, because the operational amplifier OP1 of the succeeding- stage amplifier circuit shown in FIG. 7 must amplify a weak voltage signal on the order of 10 .mu.V-100 mV, the effect caused by the noise superposed on the reference source voltage Vr becomes relatively large.

Surface potential sensor and processing circuit having improved noise reduction


A method and system for nonlinear trajectory shaping guidance law capable of providing a robust guidance solution suitable for multi-mission, multi-mode operations. The nonlinear trajectory shaping guidance law offers (1) a dual layered GL gains calculation: (i) NTS time varying adjustment accounting for engine on/off and L/D variation and (ii) general explicit guidance algorithm based sub-optimal fixed-gain selection while still maintaining its trajectory shaping capability for short range to go missions; (2) flight path angle (FPA) command tracking and following to ensure a high probability of target destruction while minimizing collateral damages; (3) high precision impact point calculation factoring in target location errors or motion and maneuvering uncertainties; and (4) heading error angle minimization.

Conventional guidance subsystems such as proportional navigation (PN) based guidance laws (e.g., modified PN, Augmented PN (APN), commanded line of sight (CLOS)) and NTS based guidance laws (SDRE based NTS or Sliding Mode NTS) are solutions with limited performance capabilities that are not adaptable or capable of coping with weapon and target engagement uncertainties at the systems level. Some of those uncertainties include but are not limited to (i) target location errors (for static) and target maneuvering (for dynamic) uncertainties; (ii) sensor/seeker noise and look angle constraints; (iii) impact angle command following and enforcement; (iv) nonlinear shaping capabilities with a great layer of robustness dealing with mission variations; just to name a few. For instance, advanced guidance laws (GL) are expected to be capable of accomplishing multi-missions, e.g., short-range air defense or surface-to-surface engagement, while offering adaptation and self-adjusting capabilities against unpredictable systems uncertainties and matching future weapons' stringent requirements such as multiple target engagement and/or target re-assignment after launch.
The present disclosure offers an NTS-based GL solution that is capable of resolving the aforementioned shortcomings of mainstream GL techniques while providing a robust guidance solution that is suitable for multi-mission, multi-mode operations. Wherefore it is an object of the present disclosure to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings and drawbacks associated with the conventional guidance laws.

Multi-mode adaptive nonlinear trajectory shaping (NTS) guidance law

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


A lens element includes a first surface, a second surface, at least one first communicating lens portion on the first surface, at least one second communicating lens portion on the second surface, and a first deflecting surface for deflecting optical signals between the at least one first communicating lens portion and the at least one second communicating lens portion. The lens element further includes a first testing lens portion, a second testing lens portion, a second deflecting surface, and a third deflecting surface. The second deflecting surface and the third deflecting surface deflect a detecting light converged by the first testing lens portion at a predetermined angle so that the detecting light passes out of the lens element through the second testing lens portion.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to lens elements and optical communication apparatuses, particularly to an optical lens and optical communication apparatus with a self-alignment function.
2. Description of Related Art
An optical communication apparatus generally includes an emitter, a receiver, two optical fibers, and a lens element. The lens element includes two lenses, which align the emitter with the receiver to optically couple to the optical fibers. The alignments between the emitter and the receiver and the optical fibers must be precise. If tests show any misalignment, the apparatus needs to be reassembled.
What is needed therefore is a lens element and an optical communication apparatus with the lens element addressing the limitations described.

Lens element and optical communication apparatus with same


A container for holding a plurality of wafers in an axially aligned, generally parallel spaced apart arrangement includes an enclosure portion having a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides, a back and an open front. At least one wafer support is provided in the enclosure along with a kinematic coupling on the bottom of the enclosure. The container has a door for sealingly closing the open front which includes a chassis and an operable latching mechanism on the chassis. The latching mechanism includes a cam selectively rotatable to shift the latching mechanism between a first favored position and a second favored position and at least one vibration dampener for dampening vibrations generated when the latching mechanism is shifted between the first and second favored positions.

Semiconductor wafers have become larger in scale, now with fabrication facilities commonly utilizing 300 mm wafers to be manufactured into semiconductor devices such as integrated circuits. The integrated circuits themselves have become larger in size with increasing circuit densities. As a consequence, the size of particulate contaminants that can destroy a circuit have decreased significantly, and strict particulate control is necessary during all phases of manufacturing, processing, transporting, and storage of semiconductor wafers.
Wafers are commonly stored and transported in sealed front-opening wafer containers that have a door secured by latches on the open front. The door can be typically removed manually or robotically. Such wafer containers are known in the industry as FOUPs, which is an acronym for front-opening unified pod, and FOSBs, an acronym for front-opening shipping box. The doors on these types of containers are operated with robotic interfaces that have precisely positioned keys that insert into the front of the door to operate latching mechanisms to remove and place the door with respect to the container portion.
Wafer container latching mechanisms ideally have certain characteristics. First, it is desirable that they operate reliably and consistently to latch and unlatch the door. Additionally, it is desirable that the latching mechanisms are made and designed so as to emit a minimum of particulates, such as may be generated by sliding contact of parts during operation. It is further desirable that the latch mechanisms are simple to manufacture, assemble, and clean. Moreover, it is desirable that these latching mechanisms operate smoothly with controlled changes in the relative velocities of moving parts. Many typical existing wafer container latching mechanisms exhibit relatively abrupt deceleration of components. For example, in some such mechanisms, moving parts collide with a fixed stop at the limits of travel. The result is impact and vibration that serves to "launch" any particulates that may be resting on surfaces in the container, thereby enabling such particulates to later precipitate onto the wafers causing contamination and damage. What is needed in the industry is a wafer container having a latching mechanism with improved velocity and vibration control characteristics.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Wafer container and door with vibration dampening latching mechanism


The present invention provides methods for treating pruritus in a subject in need thereof comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a JAK inhibitor. Also provided are methods of intranasal administration of JAK inhibitors for use in treating pruritus.

Itchiness, i.e. the sensation that produces the desire to scratch, is clinically referred to as "pruritus." There are multiple etiologies of pruritus, and it is often a major clinical challenge to diagnose the underlying etiology in order to adequately treat.
The multidimensional character of the itch experience is reflected in the complexity of itch processing in the brain. Multiple neural pathways and molecular mechanisms responsible for producing the sensation of itch have been identified, including histamine-dependent and histamine-independent pathways. Ideally, effective treatment of pruritus would be informed by an understanding of the underlying etiology and the neuronal pathways involved in each specific disease. Although recent neurophysiological research has led to a better understanding of neural pathways involved in itch response, the pathophysiology is still not completely understood. Accordingly, the state of the art does not allow a medical practitioner to predict whether a treatment will effectively control pruritus of different etiologies, particularly when the origin of pruritus cannot be identified.


A device is disclosed. The device includes a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of source lines formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate. The plurality of source lines are laid in both X and Y directions. The device further includes a plurality of gate lines laid out over source lines in X direction in the plurality of source lines, a source contact line that connects source lines in the plurality of source lines that are terminating in Y direction, a gate contact line that connects the plurality of gate lines and a drain contact.

Trench gate technology is commonly used for improved break down voltage characteristics in semiconductor devices, especially high voltage devices. In the trench gate technology, the gate is vertically buried in the source, typically separated by an isolation cover. Other advantages of the trench gate technology include reduced junction gate field effect transistor (JFET) effect that may be undesirable at least in some applications. However, the trench gate technology does offer some disadvantages when lower voltage configurations are desired due to a need to reduce the width of the embedded gate.

Semiconductor device having a plurality of source lines being laid in both X and Y directions


A gateway system for a building comprises: a first relay to couple a first line of the gateway system to a first grid line of a power grid; a second relay to couple a second line of the gateway system to a second grid line of the power grid; a neutral line coupled to a neutral grid line of the power grid; a first electric-vehicle (EV) line coupled to the first line of the gateway system, the first EV line configured for being coupled to a first line of an EV charging connector; a second EV line coupled to the second line of the gateway system, the second EV line configured for being coupled to a second line of the EV charging connector, wherein the EV charging connector has no neutral line; and a balancing converter coupled to the first and second lines of the gateway system.

Many buildings are connected to a power grid for supplying electric power to run the building. However, power grids are susceptible to uncertain continuity and may temporarily be shut down, or operate at reduced effect, with little or short notice.
In recent years, electric vehicle (EV) technology has continued to develop, and an increasing number of people are choosing to have an EV as a personal vehicle.

Balancing power from electric vehicle in vehicle-to-building supply


A customized group tour development system includes a server configured to execute a customized tour application. The customized tour application includes a sales module configured to generate a tour proposal for a custom tour as a function of a customized tour framework. The customized tour application may also include a client module that is configured to be enabled to allow creation of a group list within the customized tour framework. The group list may include participants in the custom tour. An operations module is also included in the customized tour application. The operations module is configured to develop the customized tour framework into a fully detailed customized tour.

1.Technical Field
The present invention relates to group tours and more particularly to a computerized system for planning, development and management of custom group tours.
2.Background Information
Custom tours that involve developing an itinerary for a group of individuals traveling to a destination are typically prepared by a travel agency or other similar organization. A custom itinerary may also be developed for meetings or other functions involving a group of individuals by a function planning organization. In general, developing an itinerary for a group involves establishing an agenda of events and/or travel locations, identifying the individuals that are going to participate in the function or tour and building a sequential time schedule. In addition, development of an itinerary may also include determining services and/or venues supporting travel, locations and/or events. Determination and tracking of the costs and expenses of the tour for the group as a whole and for each individual participant may also be part of the process.
Computerized travel and reservation information and planning systems are widely used to assist in the development of itineraries for customized group tours. Typically, a tour organizer, such as a travel agency, collects information in the form of one or more lists of participating individuals that include personal information such as names, contact information, etc. The collected information may be provided as computer data or may be manually entered into a computer by the tour organizer. Based on the number of participants, the tour organizer may then use a computerized reservation system to reserve services such as airlines, buses and hotels that will be utilized by the group during the tour. The tour organizer may then assign each participating individual to an airplane seat, a bus seat, a hotel room, or other reserved accommodation. This is a manual process that involves associating the reserved accommodations information with the data related to each participating individual. Information related to other activities such as dining services, attractions, such as amusement parks, museums, etc., may also be identified and reserved by the tour organizer based on the list of participants.
Once the services and/or facility reservations are completed, the tour organizer will typically develop a tour booklet or other document for distribution to the group of participants. The tour booklet may include a daily schedule, maps, contact information for services and attractions being utilized and other details related to the tour. Compilation of the details associated with the tour related information is also a manual process requiring association of the services and venues related information with the group data and reservation data. In addition, the financial aspects of the tour, such as expenses, profit margins, etc. must be determined, compiled into financial data and tracked by the tour organizer. This involves a separate accounting computer system into which the financial data must be entered, verified and maintained.
Inherently, the participating individuals in such group tours are added and/or removed during the planning process. In addition, services, venues, time schedules, etc. change. Further, there may be errors and/or omissions in the data provided by the tour participants and/or the tour specific information that must be changed/corrected. Such changes must be reflected in the head count, the reserved accommodations, the financials, etc. Thus, the participant lists, reserved accommodations, the tour booklet and the financials must be frequently updated to accurately reflect the revised participants and/or tour itinerary. Typically, such changes are communicated verbally, by facsimile, etc. and must be made manually by the tour operator. In addition to the significant time and resources expended by the tour operator and/or the participants to communicate and effect such changes, the accuracy of the tour information may be compromised due to errors and inaccuracies introduced during the revision process. Not only may the quality of the tour experienced by the participants be affected by such errors but also the financial accuracy of the tour may be compromised.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system capable of developing, planning and managing customized group tours that minimizes opportunities for errors in the tour information and finances. In addition, a system is needed that minimizes manual data entry and data transfers between various systems used to develop such a customized group tour.

System for developing custom group tours


An image scanning system for producing an electronic version of a hardcopy element which is compensated for spectral content of an illumination source in the image scanning system, the image scanning system includes a sensor for receiving light containing the hardcopy element for forming and storing an electronic version of the hardcopy element; a spectral sensor for receiving light from the illumination source and storing an electronic version of spectral contents of the illumination source; and a conversion system for receiving the electronic versions of the illumination source and the hardcopy element and creating a compensation table that compensates subsequent hardcopy elements passed through the conversion system.

The physical phenomenon of light occurs over a continuous range of wavelengths, some of which are visible to the human eye. Color is actually the distribution of energy throughout the visible spectrum of light. To accurately and fully represent the actual energy distribution (color) at a single point, it would require a long list of numbers representing the intensity of the light at various wavelengths.
The human eye doesn't sense color in this level of detail though. The human retina contains three types of color sensitive receptors (cones). Each type of cone has a different range of wavelengths of light for which it is sensitive. The combination of the three different sensitivities divides the visible spectrum into three overlapping sub-ranges that the eye/brain perceives collectively as color. In order for-two colors to look identical, they don't necessarily have to have identical wavelength spectrums. They only need to have the same amount of energy in the three sensitivity ranges that the eye senses.
Most electronic representations of color take advantage of the eye and brain's simplified perception mechanism, and only utilize three numeric values to represent a specific color. There are a variety of different three channel (three numeric values) color spaces that are commonly used. The different color spaces are all representations of the same original spectrum of light in the image. Each channel of a color space represents the weighted energy content over a specific range of wavelengths of light. Each color space is defined by (either directly or indirectly) a set of weighting curves that specify how the continuous color spectrum contributes to each channel of the color space.
Typically, color image sensors in a scanner deliver three channels of data to the image processing electronics, representing the red, green, and blue content of the image. Similar to the eye, these are three overlapping sub-ranges of the visible spectrum of light. However, they are different sub ranges from those of the human eye. They are also generally subtly different from the red, green, and blue of the industry standard color space called sRGB.
The role of the color correction and conversion hardware/software algorithms in image processing electronics is to perform the conversion from the image sensors RGB to standard sRGB, and possibly to another color space. This is commonly performed with a look up table (LUT). Each input vector (sensor RGB combination) maps to a single specific output vector in the output color space. To exhaustively tabulate all possible input colors would require an excessively large look up table, so actual designs usually contain a subset of points, and interpolate between them. This is commonly referred to as a three dimensional (3D) LUT because there are three components in the input vector (image sensor RGB). There are usually three components in the output vector as well, which really makes the system three independent 3D-LUTs, each with a single channel of output.
The accuracy of such a system can only be as good as the contents of the LUT. Most current systems do not vary the contents of the 3D LUT during operation. Instead, a LUT is selected at the time the system is designed. Usually some form of white balance system is employed to ensure that the scaling of the inputs to the 3D-LUT is consistent over time.
Current state of the art white balance subsystems, in similar applications, involve the use of a white reference area introduced into or included in the primary scanning area. The color detected by the main scanning apparatus in the reference area is measured and compared with a predetermined aim point, and corresponding adjustments are made to gain stages in each of the detection system channels.
Although the currently used and utilized system for compensating LUTs is satisfactory, they include drawbacks. These white balance systems compensate for variations in illumination intensity and optical throughput. They do not, however, compensate for all possible variations in the color spectral content of the illumination.
Consequently, a need exists for scanning systems that compensate for the color spectral content of the illumination.

Image color balance for scanners using an illumination spectral sensor


A method that comprises continuously depositing fillings on a sheet of bread dough and winding up the sheet with the deposited fillings from one of its sides into a bar of bread dough, with the fillings centered. This simple method serves to reduce production labor.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to manufacturing filled buns, and more especially to continuous processes of manufacturing from a continuously fed mass of dough the filled buns consisting of a dough coating and a filling, without exposing the filling.
2. Prior Art
In the prior-art methods the manufacture of high-quality filled buns, such as a bean-jam bun, required manual operations. In a conventional way of manually producing filled buns having a cover of a uniform thickness without exposing the fillings, a mass of kneaded bread dough is divided into smaller masses of dough. Each of them is then stretched into a separate sheet of bread dough shaped as a circle or hexagon. A measured portion of a filling is put on the center of this separate sheet of bread dough. The filling is enveloped by uniformly gathering the edges of the sheet, and then the dough is strongly pinched or twisted at the gathering point to prevent the dough edges from being separated due to the elasticity of the dough.
In the conventional dividing process the dough is weighed and mechanically divided by a piston cylinder. This tends to destroy the gluten network of the dough, and the quality of the dough is thus reduced. Since to recover the lost quality the dough must be later processed, extra equipment is needed. It has also been difficult to automatically carry out those prior-art processes so as to produce low-cost, popular foods, such as bean-jam buns, since it requires a production complex. Thus, no simple method existed in which buns were continuously and automatically produced.
The publication entitled A Collection of Well-known Art, published Feb. 20, 1980, by the Japanese Patent Office, shows, as a conventional technique, a winder having a roller for winding up a continuous sheet of bread dough from one of its sides into a bar of dough.
The winder has not been used for continuously manufacturing completely and neatly encrusted filled buns without exposing the filling. It aims at obtaining a product having a desired weight by cutting a horizontal bar of dough into pieces of equal lengths.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,109 discloses an apparatus for continuously cutting a filled cylindrical dough body wherein a blade shaped as a wedge penetrates, from above, the dough body being conveyed on a horizontal conveyor. To cut the dough body the blade is driven both down and laterally. This complex mechanism hinders the efficient mass production of high-quality filled products. Further, the blade is liable to be forced into the filling, and the sections of the cut dough body where it is cut tend to have rough surfaces. Furthermore, since the blade pushes the conveyor down, the dough body is deformed when it is cut so that nonuniformly-shaped products result.
Therefore, when a high-quality filled bun is automatically prepared from a continuously fed mass of dough, an apparatus and method has been required in which the gluten network of the dough is sufficiently developed and kept unharmed, the filling is completely encrusted by the dough crust, and in which the dough body is effectively and neatly cut and shaped.

Method and apparatus for continuously manufacturing filled buns


The invention relates to the processing of remote sensing data, especially remote sensing data recorded by a satellite. A plurality of processing routines for processing the remote sensing data is available or is prepared. A defined requirement on the use of the remote sensing data is entered by the use of an interface. In a linker, the defined requirement is used to select a certain number of processing routines and to link them together, so that the selected processing routines can process the remote sensing data in such a way that the defined requirement is fulfilled.

1. Field of the Invention
Remote sensing data form the basis for many different types of studies of the environment around us, ranging from the discovery of valuable mineral deposits, for example, by satellite-supported mapping of the earth to the acquisition of environmentally relevant data. Thus a large circle of users can put these data effectively to use. The same data can be used to solve problems in various areas of interest.
2. Description of the Related Art
A first aspect of the invention relates to a method and arrangement/apparatus for processing remote sensing data, especially remote sensing data which have been recorded by a satellite.
Existing methods and systems for the automatic processing of remote sensing data usually serve a single purpose. In some cases, it is assumed that the user has a great deal of knowledge about satellites, about remote sensing data, and about how to process such data. The networking of the reception, storage, and distribution of the remote sensing data and of the data products derived from them will continue to increase both nationally and internationally in the coming years. Thus larger quantities of remote sensing data, which can be used to solve a wide variety of problems, will become available. Aside from that, the databases already in existence are not being utilized as fully as possible. New remote sensing missions, furthermore, are being launched at regular intervals, which means that the quantities of data can be expected to continue to increase. For this reason, it is becoming more difficult for the user of the remote sensing data and of the data products to retain an overview of the existing possibilities and to select the right data and the right products.
It is an object of the first aspect of the present invention to provide a method and arrangement for processing remote sensing data, which make it possible to minimize the effort required of the user of the remote sensing data, despite the existence of a large number of different goals which can be achieved by the use of such data. In particular, the object is to make it unnecessary for the user to have wide-ranging expert knowledge about satellites and/or the acquisition of remote sensing data.
A second aspect of the invention relates to a method and arrangement/apparatus for the selection of remote sensing data, especially remote sensing data which have been recorded by a satellite.
In the existing systems for searching available remote sensing data to find those which are suitable for a specific purpose, it is currently assumed that the user has a great deal of knowledge about satellites and about remote sensing data. As the variety of data increases, there will necessarily be a corresponding increase in the number of selection criteria.
The networking of the reception, storage, and distribution of the remote sensing data and of the data products derived from them will continue to increase both nationally and internationally in the coming years. Thus larger quantities of remote sensing data, which can be used to solve a wide variety of problems, will become available. Aside from that, the databases already in existence are not being utilized as fully as possible. New remote sensing missions, furthermore, are being launched at regular intervals, which means that the quantities of data can be expected to continue to increase. For this reason, it is becoming more difficult for the user of the remote sensing data and of the data products to retain an overview of the existing possibilities and to select the right data and the right products.
It is an object of the second aspect of the present invention to provide a method and arrangement for selecting remote sensing data, which make it possible to select from among a large number of available alternatives those which come closest to meeting the user's requirements. It should be possible to obtain reproducible results in this way, and there should be no need for expert knowledge.
A third aspect of the invention relates to a method and arrangement/apparatus for the automatic georeferencing of remote sensing data, especially of remote sensing data which have been recorded by a satellite.
The georeferencing of the remote sensing data (i.e., the correlation of the remote sensing data to geographic information, e.g., from a map of the earth's surface) is a fundamental task of the further processing of the remote sensing data. It is a prerequisite in particular for the generation of derived data, such as data which can be useful to agriculture. Because the remote sensing data of satellites are present initially in the form of so-called satellite projections, and because these are usually distorted in comparison with geographic projections, we also speak of the "rectification" of remote sensing data or of satellite images. There are essentially two different procedures which have been used in the past to do this. In the method of position calculation, a projection model is used, which simulates the motion of the satellite as accurately as possible. For this purpose, it is necessary to have data on the satellite's orbit, on the position of the satellite at the time in question, on the position of the recording system (including one or more sensors) in the satellite, on the projection lenses, and on the form of the space body.
In the method based on so-called "control points", characteristic image structures are used, which can be identified in both the satellite image and again in the reference image. Positions can thus be determined by comparing the positions in the two images. In contrast to the projection model, however, only the positions of the control points are known. All other positions are determined or assigned by the use of an interpolation model. Combinations of the two methods are also used.
In both of these cases, the goal of the georeferencing is to correlate the measured pixels of the remote sensing data with geographic data. In the case of interactive methods (i.e., methods requiring the participation of a human operator), a geographic reference (e.g., a rectified image or a geographic map) is usually used to achieve this geographic correlation. The automatic methods are based in most cases on the exact knowledge of the projection geometry and on the availability of the corresponding projection parameters required.
A satellite projection is a projection obtained by projecting an observed object (e.g., an area of the earth's surface or an area of some other body in space, e.g., another planet) onto the sensor plane (or image plane) of the satellite. The result of the projection thus depends on the position of the satellite and on the angle at which the satellite is viewing the object being observed for remote sensing. The remote sensing data present in the satellite projection may already have been subjected to certain corrections (e.g., correction of the offset, amplification of a sensor signal) and/or to other operations. In particular, the measurement signals supplied by a sensor of the satellite during a scanning process may already have been converted into the common coordinate system of the satellite projection. For example, the sensor's measurement signals which are used are obtained successively during the scanning process.
In many methods of georeferencing, the information content of the remote sensing data (e.g., multi-spectral data) is altered. For example, the data can be rectified onto a fixed data grid (e.g., a grid of lines of equal geographic latitude and longitude), and each of the individual pixels mapped onto this grid will usually represent a combination of several pixels, which were originally adjacent to each other in the satellite projection. What takes place, therefore, is a kind of averaging. As a result, the grayscale values measured by a sensor of the satellite, for example, or the spectral characteristics measured by the satellite are not preserved and are therefore unavailable for further processing only in their original form. This procedure, however, has become established especially in the area of interactive image processing, because the operator can compensate intuitively for possible changes during the further course of processing.
The change in grayscale values or spectral characteristics, however, is troublesome precisely in cases where the data are to be subjected to further processing automatically and physical relationships are to be taken into account. After the averaging, the original grayscale values or the original spectral characteristics can no longer be calculated. The results will therefore suffer from a certain error. The goal, however, is to derive highly accurate quantitative data and/or parameters.
One of the objects of the present invention is therefore to provide a method and arrangement of the type indicated above in which physical properties such as the grayscale values and spectral characteristics of the remote sensing data measured by the satellite remain preserved. In addition, there should be no need for the operators to make any interventions or to take any actions, and there should be no need for the user to have expert knowledge to complete the georeferencing successfully.

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.


A testing system for testing semiconductor package stacking chips is disclosed. The system includes a testing socket, a testing arm, and a testing mechanism. The testing mechanism includes a probe testing device. The probe testing device has a testing chip inside and a plurality of testing probes electrically connected to the testing chip. The plurality of testing probes extends toward the testing socket for contacting a chip-under-test loaded on the testing socket. When the testing mechanism moves to an upper position between the testing socket and the testing arm, the testing arm moves downward in the vertical direction and presses down the testing mechanism thereby coercing the plurality of testing probes in the testing mechanism to closely abut against the chip-under-test, so that the testing chip inside the testing mechanism can electrically connect to the chip-under-test for forming a test loop.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a testing system; in particular, the present invention relates to a testing system for testing semiconductor package stacking chips.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently available portable electronic products like smartphones, mobile computing products and various electronic consumer devices all seek higher semiconductor functionalities and performance under the conditions of limited occupation areas and least thickness and weight with the lowest fabrication costs, so certain manufacturers have recognized such trends and devoted efforts specifically on the integration of semiconductor chips, and also developed the formation of stacked multiple package integration by means of chip stacking or die stacking package.
Such a stacked multi-package integration can be generally categorized into two types, respectively referred as package-on-package (PoP) and package-in-package (PiP). More specifically, in terms of the integral structure of PoP, at present, the technology utilized in industry can lay out more than one hundred contacts on a single chip of square centimeter area, which typically comprises a two-layer structure consisting of a first package (top package) and a second package (bottom package), wherein the first package (top package) is stacked on top of the second package (bottom package), with each package surface including more than one hundred micro contacts (solder balls) for solder connection, and the contacts respectively on the first package and the second package are mutually connected by means of precision soldering technologies. So far, the chip-under-test fabricated in this way is still individually inspected all through visual and manual test operations.
In the stack chip package, upon stack integrating the top chip with the bottom chip, it is necessary to perform test processes on final test yield. Therefore, in a conventional stack chip package, it is required to manually place an individual top chip onto an individual bottom chip in stack so as to perform the final test. However, in case that low yields or continuous errors do occur from the test results, it may become difficult to clearly differentiate whether the top chip or the bottom one causes such problems. Seeking other approaches for solution may complicate the entire process, if unable to efficiently identify the problem source.
Consequently, it is desirable to provide a technical solution which enables the use of a correct, error-free top chip as a testing chip, conjunctively with the automatic pick-up and placement as well as categorization for the under-test bottom chip, and electrically connects the testing chip to the under-test bottom chip to perform the test operation; hence, it is possible to automatically categorize the bottom chip before the process of stack chip package thereby more significantly increasing the final test efficiency and also saving manpower costs, thus offering an optimal solution.

Testing system for testing semiconductor package stacking chips and semiconductor automatic tester thereof


A liquid soap dispenser for dispensing concentrated liquid soap to industrial cleaning apparatuses is disclosed. The dispenser includes a receiver and a seal opener. The receiver is comprised of an upper support structure and a lower soap reservoir. The upper support structure defines an interior chamber for receiving and supporting a liquid soap container. The lower soap reservoir defines an opening through which liquid soap is ultimately dispensed. The seal opener is disposed within the receiver at a lower end of the upper support structure.

The present invention relates to liquid soap dispensers. More specifically, the invention provides for dispensing concentrated liquid soaps for use in industrial cleaning apparatuses.
Liquid soaps used in industrial cleaning apparatuses, e.g., laundry machines, dishwashers, pot sinks, housekeeping applications, etc., are stored in containers in a concentrated form and are generally caustic in nature. Due to the concentrated form and caustic nature of these industrial cleaning soaps, it is undesirable for a person who is dispensing the concentrated soap into an industrial cleaning apparatus to come into contact with it in its concentrated form. Currently, these types of industrial cleaning soaps are stored in gallon containers, e.g., in either 5, 15 or 55 gallon drums.
Due to the caustic nature of the concentrated soaps and their storage in relatively large containers, soap dispensers are used to dispense the soaps for delivery to industrial cleaning apparatuses. Currently known methods for dispensing industrial soaps from their containers present drawbacks, including the use of complex pumping and/or mixing apparatuses that call be costly to procure and repair and difficult to operate.
An example of a currently known dispensing system employs a soap container that is placed in an upright position with a pump mechanism arranged to draw a suction on the container. With this system, soap is pumped from the container to the cleaning apparatus. A problem with these types of dispensing systems is that should the pumping mechanism become inoperative, the soap cannot be drawn from its container. Due to the caustic nature and concentrated form of the soap it is generally not recommended that a user manually pour the soap from the container to the cleaning apparatus in order to avoid spillage or over use.
Additional problems associated with the soap container being placed in an upright position is the effect on efficiency. Because the soap collects in the bottom of the container, it may be difficult to pump all of the soap from the container, leaving a significant portion of the soap unused.
Soap dispensers are also known for dispensing soap to industrial cleaning apparatuses where dry, particulate soap powders and solid detergents are stored in a container and a water spray is directed onto the powder or solid to liquefy the soap and provide the liquid soap to the cleaning device. However, these types of dispensers require an additional step of first liquefying the soap before it can be dispensed. Spray mechanisms, and controls for the spray mechanisms, are required for these types of dispensers, all of which add to the cost and complexity of these systems.
An additional problem associated with industrial soap dispensing systems is that the user is exposed to the caustic soap at some point during the dispensing process. Thus, the systems are not closed systems where the user is insulated from potential contact with the liquid soap. For example, the user may be required to open the soap container to place a pumping mechanism in the container and may be required to internally visually inspect the soap container to determine if any soap remains in the container. All of which exposes the user to the caustic liquid soap at some point during the dispensing process.
Hand-soap liquid dispensers that are used to dispense soap for cleaning a user's hands are also known in the art, however, these types of dispensers are not applicable for use in industrial cleaning apparatuses. These devices are designed for dispensing small quantities of soap directly to a user's hands and are not designed for dispensing concentrated soap fluid to industrial cleaning apparatuses.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide for a liquid soap dispenser that would allow for dispensing soap for use in industrial cleaning apparatuses without requiring complex pumping and/or spray mechanisms in order to dispense the soap from the container.

Dispenser for dispensing concentrated liquid soap to industrial cleaning apparatuses


An interactive database organization and searching system employs text search and image feature extraction to automatically group documents together by appearance. The system automatically determines visual characteristics of document images and collect documents together according to the relative similarity of their document images.

This invention relates to document management systems and more particularly to providing a method of navigating through a database of document images.
The proliferation of low-cost, high-capacity electronic storage of document images has enabled users to keep ever increasing amounts and varieties of documents, previously stored in hard copy format, as electronic information online. While this revolution in storage technology has reduced the cost of document storage, it brings with it the need for more efficient methods of searching through a myriad of online documents to find a particular document or set of documents of interest to the user.
Methods for locating a document of interest have been rudimentary at best. Typically, in these methods, documents are scanned into the computer and an Optical Character Recognition ("OCR") program converts the image into a textual file. Next, a form of keyword matching search is performed, with the system either scanning the entire text of all documents, or a set of carefully chosen keywords thought to be representative of the document by a person who initially classified the document. The problem with the first approach is the high search cost involved with traversing a large number of documents in their entirety. The difficulty with the second approach is that different persons will employ different strategies to filing and retrieval. As the heterogeneity of documents contained in databases increases, the reliability of these traditional search methods diminishes.
Recognizing the opportunity to exploit the information content of the image portion of documents, several attempts have been made to search for documents based upon matching of small images contained in the documents. For example, M. Y. Jaisimha, A. Bruce and T. Nguyen in their work, "DocBrowse: A system for Textual and Graphical Querying on Degraded Document Image Data" describe a system which searches for documents based upon company logos in letterheads. D. Doermann, et. al. in "Development of a General Framework for Intelligent Document Retrieval," outline a system for matching documents based upon generation and matching of an image descriptor which describes low-level features and high-level structure of a document. Unfortunately, this method requires intensive processing of the image information, which greatly curtails its use in most commercial applications.
While such methods provide document search capability via elemental matching of image characterization vectors, they do not provide a useful method to organize a large database of document images. These and other shortcomings indicate that what is needed is a method and system for efficiently searching a database of document images. This method would expedite search by organizing the database according to the textual as well as the visual characteristics of document images.

Navigation system for document image database


In a virtual machine, swap activities of a hypervisor and a guest OS are reconciled so that redundant input-output operations (IOs) can be avoided and a synchronous response time of the virtual machine improved. This is achieved with a map of memory pages to blocks of storage. For a write IO to write contents of a memory page into a target block, the map is examined to see if it contains a valid entry for the memory page. If the map contains the valid entry, the write IO is prevented from being issued and a data structure is updated so that subsequent IOs to the target block is redirected from the target block to a block that is associated with the physical memory page in the valid entry. On the other hand, if the map does not contain the valid entry, the write IO is issued.

Virtual computing environments allow multiple virtual machines (VMs) to be run on a single physical platform ("host") and to share physical resources. Some virtual computing environments allow configuring the VMs in a way where the total amount of memory designated for use by the VMs is bigger than the actual amount of memory available on the host. This is referred to as memory over-commitment, and it allows packing more VMs onto a single host.
Each VM has a guest operating system (OS) that allocates the physical address space of the VM, which is divided into addressable physical page numbers (referred to herein as "guest physical page numbers"), to applications and devices running in the VM. Each such application or device is allocated a virtual address space, which is divided into addressable virtual page numbers (referred to herein as "guest virtual page numbers"), each of which may have a mapping to a guest physical page number or to a location on a virtual disk of the VM known as a swap space. The use of the virtual address space allows the guest OS to provide a contiguous address space and also to over-commit the guest physical memory, which may cause swapping out of guest physical pages to allow them to be repurposed between applications and devices running the VM.
Just as a guest OS maps guest virtual page numbers to guest physical page numbers, a virtualization software layer running in the host, commonly known as and referred to herein as a hypervisor, maps the guest physical address space of each VM to the host physical memory space (also referred to as "machine memory space"), which is divided into addressable host physical page numbers (referred to herein as "machine page numbers"). Over-commitment of the machine memory may lead to swapping out of machine pages to a swap space managed by the hypervisor to allow them to repurposed between VMs running in the host.
When both the guest OS and the hypervisor have over-committed their respective physical memory, a problem known in the art as "double swapping" may occur. This problem is encountered when the hypervisor swaps out a machine page to its swap space and the guest OS subsequently attempts to swap out a guest physical page that is mapped to the swapped-out machine page. When the guest OS attempts to swap out a guest physical page that is mapped to the hypervisor swapped-out machine page, the hypervisor swapped-out machine page is read back into memory from the swap space of the hypervisor, only to be swapped out once more to a swap space on the virtual disk that is managed by the guest OS. This sequence of events has several costs: (1) allocation of a machine page for swapping in the hypervisor swapped-out machine page when the host is presumably under memory pressure; (2) swapping in data that is already stored persistently, only to be swapped out once more to persistent storage; and (3) unexpected latency experienced by the VM.

Detecting and suppressing redundant input-output operations


In a piezoelectric actuator control device for controlling operation of one or more piezoelectric actuators, when receiving a drive signal of a low level, a discharging switch is repeatedly turned on and off in order to discharge electric charge accumulated in the piezoelectric actuator. That is, the discharging switch is kept ON until a discharging current from a piezoelectric actuator reaches a peak threshold value Ip. When the discharging current reaches the peak threshold value Ip, the discharging switch is turned OFF and kept OFF until a discharging current from a piezoelectric actuator reaches a peak threshold value Ip. The device has a threshold value setting circuit for increasing the peak threshold value according to a discharging period of time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric actuator drive device capable of driving a piezoelectric actuator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Piezoelectric actuators are well known and widely used in various types of devices. In general, a piezoelectric actuator expands and contracts by electrical charging and discharging in order to control a linear motion of a piston. For example, a piezoelectric actuator controls the linear motion of a piston in a fuel injection device for an internal combustion engine in order to control opening and closing of a valve of a fuel injector. Conventional documents such as Japanese patent laid open publications No. JP 2003-92438 and No JP 2007-205173 disclose such piezoelectric actuators.
There is a known drive device that charges and discharges a piezoelectric actuator in order to expand and contract the piezoelectric actuator. The drive device is comprised of a charging path, a discharging path, a first diode, and a second diode. A DC power source supplies an electric power to a series circuit composed of an inductor and the piezoelectric actuator through the charging path and a charging switch. The charging switch is composed of a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOS FET) mounted to the charging path. The electric charge accumulated in the piezoelectric actuator are discharged through the discharging path and a discharging switch connected in parallel to the series circuit. The discharging switch is composed of a MOS FET mounted to the discharging path.
The first diode is connected in parallel to the charging switch so that the cathode of the first diode is connected to the positive electrode of the DC power source. The second diode is connected in parallel to the discharging switch so that the anode of the second diode is connected to the negative electrode of the DC power source.
When receiving a drive signal transferred from an external device, the above drive device for the piezoelectric actuator repeats ON-OFF operation of the charging switch while setting the discharging switch to the OFF state in order to expand the piezoelectric actuator by accumulating electric charge into the piezoelectric actuator.
When receiving no drive signal, the drive device repeats ON-OFF operation of the discharging switch under the OFF state of the charging switch in order to contract the piezoelectric actuator by discharging the electric charge accumulated in the piezoelectric actuator.
During the charging period of the piezoelectric actuator, a charging current is supplied from the DC power source to the piezoelectric actuator through the charging path by turning the charging switch ON. After this, by turning the charging switch OFF, a charging current (namely, a fly wheel current), which flows by the electrical energy charged in the inductor, is supplied to the piezoelectric actuator through the second diode connected in parallel to the discharging switch. The above ON and OFF operations are repeated in order to gradually charge the piezoelectric actuator.
During the discharging period of the piezoelectric actuator, a discharging current is supplied from the positive electrode of the piezoelectric actuator to the discharging path through the inductor by turning the discharging switch ON. After this, the discharging current is supplied from the positive electrode of the piezoelectric actuator to the DC power source through the first diode connected in parallel to the inductor and the charging switch by turning the discharging switch OFF. The electric charge accumulated in the piezoelectric actuator can be recovered to the DC power source by the discharging current. Those operations are repeated in order to discharge the piezoelectric actuator in steps.
In the control of discharging the piezoelectric actuator, the discharging switch is firstly turned ON, and the discharging switch is turned OFF when the detection value of a discharging current from the piezoelectric actuator reaches a peak threshold value. The discharging switch which is OFF is then turned ON when the detection value of the discharging current from the piezoelectric actuator reaches a bottom threshold value. Those operations are repeated.
The conventional document JP 2003-92438 has disclosed the technique to maintain a discharging energy by increasing the above peak threshold value (or a breaking current) according to the elapse of the discharging time. Because the voltage of the piezoelectric actuator is decreased according to the elapse of discharging time, the total amount of energy released as a time product can be kept at a constant by increasing the current of the piezoelectric actuator in order to avoid the fluctuation of the discharging period of time (necessary to discharge).
The conventional document JP 2007-205173 discloses the technique of discharging the electric charge accumulated in the piezoelectric actuator for a predetermined period of time by adjusting the peak threshold value for the discharging control according to the amount of the electric charge of piezoelectric elements in the piezoelectric actuator.
On the other hand, Japanese patent laid open publication No. JP 2008-5649 discloses a conventional technique of charging a piezoelectric actuator to a target amount of energy.
The conventional technique disclosed in JP 2003-92438 only increases a peak threshold value for use in the discharging control for the piezoelectric actuator at a constant gradient. It is accordingly difficult to control an energy discharging change rate (or a rate of energy change during discharging) of the piezoelectric actuator at an optional constant value. In addition, because the energy discharging change rate is changed when an electrostatic capacity of the piezoelectric actuator is changed during the charge of the piezoelectric actuator, the period of time need to discharge is changed.
On the other hand, the conventional technique disclosed in JP 2007-205173 changes the peak threshold value, which is constant to the period of time, in accordance with the amount of electric charge accumulated in the piezoelectric actuator. Because the discharging energy is decreased approximately based on a quadratic function, it is impossible to adjust the energy discharging change rate to an optional constant value.


A method to allow an analyst or other user of molecular-array data to directly tailor pixel-intensity integration of scanned pixel-based representations of features of a molecular array to produce feature signals. The method is embodied in a graphical user interface that allows an analyst or other molecular-array user to input pixel-intensity-weighting functions into a computational system that applies the weighting functions prior to producing integrated feature signals. The GUI provides a user with the ability to select the origin of a feature-centric rectilinear coordinate system, to input a function that specifies the function that is applied to the raw pixel intensities within the region of interest prior to integration of the pixel intensities within the region of interest to produce a feature signal.

The present invention is related to computationally aided analysis of molecular-array data. In order to facilitate discussion of the graphical user interface ("GUI"), a general background of molecular-array technology is provided in this section, and the paragraphs that follow.
Molecular arrays are also referred to as "microarrays" and simply as "arrays" in the literature. Molecular arrays are not regular patterns of molecules, such as occur on the faces of crystalline materials, nor arbitrary patterns produced in a manufacturing or printing processes, but, as the following discussion shows, molecular arrays are manufactured articles specifically designed for analysis of solutions of compounds of chemical, biochemical, biomedical, and other interests.
Array technologies have gained prominence in biological research and are likely to become important and widely used diagnostic tools in the healthcare industry. Currently, molecular-array techniques are most often used to determine the concentrations of particular nucleic-acid polymers in complex sample solutions. Molecular-array-based analytical techniques are not, however, restricted to analysis of nucleic acid solutions, but may be employed to analyze complex solutions of any type of molecule that can be optically or radiometrically scanned or read and that can bind with high specificity to complementary molecules synthesized within, or bound to, discrete features on the surface of an array. Because arrays are widely used for analysis of nucleic acid samples, the following background information on arrays is introduced in the context of analysis of nucleic acid solutions following a brief background of nucleic acid chemistry.
Deoxyribonucleic acid ("DNA") and ribonucleic acid ("RNA") are linear polymers, each synthesized from four different types of subunit molecules. The subunit molecules for DNA include: (1) deoxy-adenosine, abbreviated "A," a purine nucleoside; (2) deoxy-thymidine, abbreviated "T," a pyrimidine nucleoside; (3) deoxy-cytosine, abbreviated "C," a pyrimidine nucleoside; and (4) deoxy-guanosine, abbreviated "G," a purine nucleoside. FIG. 1 illustrates a short DNA polymer 100, called an oligomer, composed of the following subunits: (1) deoxy-adenosine 102; (2) deoxy-thymidine 104; (3) deoxy-cytosine 106; and (4) deoxy-guanosine 108. When phosphorylated, subunits of DNA and RNA molecules are called "nucleotides" and are linked together through phosphodiester bonds 110-115 to form DNA and RNA polymers. A linear DNA molecule, such as the oligomer shown in FIG. 1, has a 5′ end 118 and a 3′ end 120. A DNA polymer can be chemically characterized by writing, in sequence from the 5′ end to the 3′ end, the single letter abbreviations for the nucleotide subunits that together compose the DNA polymer. For example, the oligomer 100 shown in FIG. 1 can be chemically represented as "ATCG." A DNA nucleotide comprises a purine or pyrimidine base (e.g. adenine 122 of the deoxy-adenylate nucleotide 102), a deoxy-ribose sugar (e.g. deoxy-ribose 124 of the deoxy-adenylate nucleotide 102), and a phosphate group (e.g. phosphate 126) that links one nucleotide to another nucleotide in the DNA polymer.
The DNA polymers that contain the organization information for living organisms occur in the nuclei of cells in pairs, forming double-stranded DNA helixes. One polymer of the pair is laid out in a 5′ to 3′ direction, and the other polymer of the pair is laid out in a 3′ to 5′ direction. The two DNA polymers in a double-stranded DNA helix are therefore described as being anti-parallel. The two DNA polymers, or strands, within a double-stranded DNA helix are bound to each other through attractive forces including hydrophobic interactions between stacked purine and pyrimidine bases and hydrogen bonding between purine and pyrimidine bases, the attractive forces emphasized by conformational constraints of DNA polymers. Because of a number of chemical and topographic constraints, double-stranded DNA helices are most stable when deoxy-adenylate subunits of one strand hydrogen bond to deoxy-thymidylate subunits of the other strand, and deoxy-guanylate subunits of one strand hydrogen bond to corresponding deoxy-cytidilate subunits of the other strand.
FIGS. 2A-B illustrates the hydrogen bonding between the purine and pyrimidine bases of two anti-parallel DNA strands. AT and GC base pairs, illustrated in FIGS. 2A-B, are known as Watson-Crick ("WC") base pairs. Two DNA strands linked together by hydrogen bonds forms the familiar helix structure of a double-stranded DNA helix. FIG. 3 illustrates a short section of a DNA double helix 300 comprising a first strand 302 and a second, anti-parallel strand 304.
Double-stranded DNA may be denatured, or converted into single stranded DNA, by changing the ionic strength of the solution containing the double-stranded DNA or by raising the temperature of the solution. Single-stranded DNA polymers may be renatured, or converted back into DNA duplexes, by reversing the denaturing conditions, for example by lowering the temperature of the solution containing complementary single-stranded DNA polymers. During renaturing or hybridization, complementary bases of anti-parallel DNA strands form WC base pairs in a cooperative fashion, leading to reannealing of the DNA duplex.
The ability to denature and renature double-stranded DNA has led to the development of many extremely powerful and discriminating assay technologies for identifying the presence of DNA and RNA polymers having particular base sequences or containing particular base subsequences within complex mixtures of different nucleic acid polymers, other biopolymers, and inorganic and organic chemical compounds. One such methodology is the array-based hybridization assay. FIGS. 4-7 illustrate the principle of the array-based hybridization assay. An array (402 in FIG. 4) comprises a substrate upon which a regular pattern of features is prepared by various manufacturing processes. The array 402 in FIG. 4, and in subsequent FIGS. 5-7, has a grid-like 2-dimensional pattern of square features, such as feature 404 shown in the upper left-hand corner of the array. Each feature of the array contains a large number of identical oligonucleotides covalently bound to the surface of the feature. These bound oligonucleotides are known as probes. In general, chemically distinct probes are bound to the different features of an array, so that each feature corresponds to a particular nucleotide sequence. In FIGS. 4-6, the principle of array-based hybridization assays is illustrated with respect to the single feature 404 to which a number of identical probes 405-409 are bound. In practice, each feature of the array contains a high density of such probes but, for the sake of clarity, only a subset of these are shown in FIGS. 4-6.
Once an array has been prepared, the array may be exposed to a sample solution of target DNA or RNA molecules (410-413 in FIG. 4) labeled with fluorophores, chemiluminescent compounds, or radioactive atoms 415-418. Labeled target DNA or RNA hybridizes through base pairing interactions to the complementary probe DNA, synthesized on the surface of the array. FIG. 5 shows a number of such target molecules 502-504 hybridized to complementary probes 505-507, which are in turn bound to the surface of the array 402. Targets, such as labeled DNA molecules 508 and 509, that do not contains nucleotide sequences complementary to any of the probes bound to array surface do not hybridize to generate stable duplexes and, as a result, tend to remain in solution. The sample solution is then rinsed from the surface of the array, washing away any unbound-labeled DNA molecules. In other embodiments, unlabeled target sample is allowed to hybridize with the array first. Typically, such a target sample has been modified with a chemical moiety that will react with a second chemical moiety in subsequent steps. Then, either before or after a wash step, a solution containing the second chemical moiety bound to a label is reacted with the target on the array. After washing, the array is ready for data acquisition by scanning or reading. Biotin and avidin represent an example of a pair of chemical moieties that can be utilized for such steps.
Finally, as shown in FIG. 6, the bound labeled DNA molecules are detected via optical or radiometric scanning or reading. Optical scanning and reading both involve exciting labels of bound labeled DNA molecules with electromagnetic radiation of appropriate frequency and detecting fluorescent emissions from the labels, or detecting light emitted from chemiluminescent labels. When radioisotope labels are employed, radiometric scanning or reading can be used to detect the signal emitted from the hybridized features. Additional types of signals are also possible, including electrical signals generated by electrical properties of bound target molecules, magnetic properties of bound target molecules, and other such physical properties of bound target molecules that can produce a detectable signal. Optical, radiometric, or other types of scanning and reading produce an analog or digital representation of the array as shown in FIG. 7, with features to which labeled target molecules are hybridized similar to 706 optically or digitally differentiated from those features to which no labeled DNA molecules are bound. In other words, the analog or digital representation of a scanned array displays positive signals for features to which labeled DNA molecules are hybridized and displays negative features to which no, or an undetectably small number of, labeled DNA molecules are bound. Features displaying positive signals in the analog or digital representation indicate the presence of DNA molecules with complementary nucleotide sequences in the original sample solution. Moreover, the signal intensity produced by a feature is generally related to the amount of labeled DNA bound to the feature, in turn related to the concentration, in the sample to which the array was exposed, of labeled DNA complementary to the oligonucleotide within the feature.
One, two, or more than two data subsets within a data set can be obtained from a single molecular array by scanning or reading the molecular array for one, two or more than two types of signals. Two or more data subsets can also be obtained by combining data from two different arrays. When optical scanning or reading is used to detect fluorescent or chemiluminescent emission from chromophore labels, a first set of signals, or data subset, may be generated by scanning or reading the molecular array at a first optical wavelength, a second set of signals, or data subset, may be generated by scanning or reading the molecular array at a second optical wavelength, and additional sets of signals may be generated by scanning or reading the molecular at additional optical wavelengths. Different signals may be obtained from a molecular array by radiometric scanning or reading to detect radioactive emissions one, two, or more than two different energy levels. Target molecules may be labeled with either a first chromophore that emits light at a first wavelength, or a second chromophore that emits light at a second wavelength. Following hybridization, the molecular array can be scanned or read at the first wavelength to detect target molecules, labeled with the first chromophore, hybridized to features of the molecular array, and can then be scanned or read at the second wavelength to detect target molecules, labeled with the second chromophore, hybridized to the features of the molecular array. In one common molecular array system, the first chromophore emits light at a red visible-light wavelength, and the second chromophore emits light at a green, visible-light wavelength. The data set obtained from scanning or reading the molecular array at the red wavelength is referred to as the "red signal," and the data set obtained from scanning or reading the molecular array at the green wavelength is referred to as the "green signal." While it is common to use one or two different chromophores, it is possible to use one, three, four, or more than four different chromophores and to scan or read a molecular array at one, three, four, or more than four wavelengths to produce one, three, four, or more than four data sets.
Many sophisticated computational techniques are applied to the raw, pixel-intensity-based data scanned from a molecular array. Many commercial systems employ a variety of techniques to scan the pixel-based image representation of molecular-array data to locate and index features, and to then extract data from the features and normalize extracted data. Quite often, these techniques produce satisfactory results. However, a great deal of seemingly random and systematic noise may be introduced into molecular-array data as a result of systematic errors that arise during manufacture of molecular arrays, during exposure of molecular arrays to sample solutions, and during post-exposure molecular-array processing. For example, when features are deposited by ink-jet technologies, the feature grid may be distorted due to mechanical irregularities, and features may be deposited in areas shaped differently from the desired disk shape. Because of the many different variables in chemical synthesis of probe molecules, probe molecules may end up distributed non-uniformly within the area of the molecular-array surface corresponding to a feature. During exposure of a molecular array to a sample solution, target molecules may be non-uniformly bound to molecular array features. Following exposure of the molecular array to a sample solution, features may be corrupted due to fingerprints, mechanical abrasion, chemical and particulate contamination, microbial growth, and various other types of events and processes.
FIGS. 8A-F illustrate a few of the many types of feature irregularities that may occur in a molecular array, and in the pixel-based representation of data scanned from a molecular array. In FIG. 8A, a feature 802 is seen with a desirable, circular disk shape perfectly aligned with an expected or calculated xy-position within a rectilinear coordinate grid used to describe feature positions on the surface of the molecular array or in the pixel-based representation of data extracted from a molecular array. However, as shown in FIG. 8B, a well-formed feature 804 may be translationally displaced with respect to an expected or calculated xy-position. Yet another type of irregularity that may occur is that the feature, rather than being disk shaped, may be instead elliptically shaped, as are the features in FIGS. 8C and 8D, 806 and 808, respectively. Note that, in general, the elliptical deformations, or directions of the major axes of elliptical features, tend to be oriented either vertically or horizontally with respect to the molecular array, and with respect to the rectilinear coordinate system describing positions of the surface of the molecular array, because mechanical irregularities in the manufacture of molecular arrays tend to produce distortions in the directions in which ink-jet pens, or other deposition devices, track across the surface of the molecular array.
Features may also be asymmetrically shaped, as is feature 810 in FIG. 8E, or may be symmetrically, but non-elliptically shaped, as is the feature 812 in FIG. 8F. The irregularities illustrated in FIGS. 8A-F all concern a region of interest, or data-containing area of a pixel-based representation of the data collected from the surface of a molecular array, that produces a significant signal above a calculated background signal. Many automated molecular-array-data processing systems attempt to automatically correct for the shape and position irregularities, examples of which are shown in FIGS. 8B-F. However, many of these automated systems are quite limited in the models that they employ for describing feature shapes and regions of interest. In many systems, a pixel-intensity centroid may be calculated from the pixels within a calculated region of interest in order to select a pixel corresponding to the center of the feature, from which subsequent calculations can be made. However, all of these methods may fail to properly account for feature shape and positional irregularities, and may lead to anomalies in signal data calculated from pixel-based representations of the data scanned from molecular arrays.
FIGS. 9-10 illustrate a second type of feature-signal irregularity, or non-uniformity, that commonly occurs in the pixel-based representation of data scanned from the surface of a molecular array. As shown in FIG. 9, a feature 902 in the scanned image of a molecular array comprises a number of pixels, such as pixel 904, within a region of interest corresponding to the feature. In the case of feature 902 in FIG. 9, the region of interest is disk shaped, and is centered about the grid-point origin 906. Each pixel within the region of interest, such as pixel 904, is associated with an intensity value, representing the signal strength read from the portion of the surface of the molecular array corresponding to the area and location of the pixel. FIG. 10 illustrates the signal intensities corresponding to each pixel within feature 902 of FIG. 9. In FIG. 10, the vertical height, in the z direction 1002, of the rectangular column rising from each pixel represents the signal intensity of that pixel. Note that the pixel intensities are relatively high at the center of the feature, and fall off dramatically towards the edge of the feature. Such a distribution of pixel intensities within the feature may arise from a variety of different sources. Chemical feature deposition methods may result in probe molecules being concentrated in central portions of a feature as the solution containing probe molecules or probe-molecule precursors deposited on the molecular-array surface evaporate inward from the original boundaries of the feature. Alternatively, different probe-synthetic or probe-deposition solutions may result in concentration of probe molecules in the original boundary regions of a deposited feature, producing an outer annular region of high intensity that falls off radially towards the center of the feature.
Automated feature extraction software may attempt to model signal distributions within features, and locally normalize intensities during computation of integrated pixel-intensity signals that represent the total signals for features scanned from a molecular array. However, such automated feature extraction methods are often constrained by relatively simplistic models used to model pixel-intensity distributions, and often do not allow for the knowledge of particular types of molecular arrays, or molecular-array experiments, to be employed in order to assist in integrating pixel intensities to produce feature signals. For these reasons, the designers, manufacturers, and, in particular, users of microarrays have all recognized the need for a more flexible method that would allow molecular-array users to tailor feature extraction and pixel-intensity integration to pixel-intensity-distribution models known to the users of molecular arrays based on the types of probe molecules included in the molecular arrays, the techniques by which the molecular arrays are manufactured, the types of experiments in which the molecular arrays are employed, and the types of contamination and post-exposure processing to which the molecular arrays may have been subjected prior to scanning.

User interface for molecular array feature analysis


A linear suspension element having preloaded legs that reduce fretting and maximize stroke within allowable stress limits. Also, a reciprocator and suspension including the linear suspension element.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a linear suspension element and, more particularly, to a linear suspension element for long-life reciprocation along a line of motion. The invention also relates to a reciprocator and linear suspension including the linear suspension element.
2. Related Art
There are a variety of linear suspensions available to constrain movement of a moving element in a linear motor or reciprocator. These suspensions are analogous to bearings in rotary devices because they restrict a moving element to primarily move in the operationally useful sense and prevent motion in other directions. Additional objectives of a linear suspension (as opposed to linear bearings) are to provide long-life reciprocation with no friction or wear.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,214 to Beckett et al. discloses an exemplary spiral suspension for a reciprocator. This suspension spirally expands to allow its center to move perpendicularly to the spiral plane. It resists radial movement to limit linear motion of a moving element to a single axis perpendicular to the spiral plane.
A problem with spiral suspensions is their inducement of a torsional motion about the reciprocation axis. This motion may cause vibration and failure and requires the moving element to be circular in section, or have excessive clearances to the stationary elements of an assembly in order not to collide with the stationary elements during operation. Accordingly, spiral suspensions are useless with xe2x80x9cSTARxe2x80x9d reciprocators in which the moving element and stationary elements mate in a generally non-circular manner. In xe2x80x9cSTARxe2x80x9d reciprocators, the suspension must exhibit substantial torsional stiffness as well as radial stiffness.
Strap suspensions, such as described incidentally in U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,844, have been developed for xe2x80x9cSTARxe2x80x9d reciprocators. In these suspensions, tensile stresses experienced by legs, or flexure elements, of the strap are transferred to bending stresses in the vertically mounted ends of the legs. A problem with these suspensions, however, is that users do not adequately monitor fretting that may occur on the ends of the flexure elements where they are clamped. Furthermore, the clamping of the legs to the mount is mechanically cumbersome.
In view of the foregoing there is a need in the art for a suspension element capable of withstanding operational and non-axial stresses and providing longer life. Further, there is a need for a reciprocator and suspension having the same characteristics.
The invention provides an improved linear suspension element and a reciprocator using the linear suspension element. The suspension element includes preloaded legs connecting a moving element to a static element of the reciprocator. The preloads substantially reduce fretting, simplify the mechanical coupling structure, provide longer life and maximize stroke within allowable stress limits.
A first aspect of the invention provides a linear suspension element for a moving element, the suspension element comprising: a mount; a plurality of preloaded legs each having a first portion for coupling to a moving element, and a second portion coupled to the mount.
A second aspect provides a reciprocator comprising: a linear drive mechanism for linearly moving a moving element; at least one linear suspension element operatively coupled to the linear drive mechanism, each linear suspension element having: a mount; a plurality of legs each having a first portion for coupling to a moving element, and a second portion coupled to the mount; and wherein each leg includes a preload.
The invention also includes, in a third aspect, a linear suspension for a moving element of a reciprocator having a linear drive mechanism for the moving element, the suspension comprising: a first mount coupled to the linear drive mechanism; a plurality of preloaded legs each having a first portion coupled to the moving element, and a second portion coupled to the first mount; a second mount coupled to the linear drive mechanism; and a plurality of preloaded legs each having a first portion coupled to the moving element, and a second portion coupled to the second mount.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention.

Reciprocator and linear suspension element therefor

Clever Fellows Innovation Consortium, Inc.


A communication system with a control circuit is disclosed. The circuit includes an operating system for exchanging messages and user software, and a device for exchanging software. For a software component to be exchanged in a few milliseconds, a newly loaded software component, corresponding to a successor component, obtains states and messages from a service port of a stopped software component that is to be replaced, corresponding to a predecessor component. The successor component is restarted with the transferred states and messages.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a communication system with a control circuit the circuit comprising an operating system and user software and means for exchanging software.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Communication systems comprise computer systems or control circuits hose software is to be durable and practically always available. In the event of errors in the software or also because of new requirements, certain software components are to be renewed. In that case the down-time of the communication system is to be minimized.
A communication system which has practically no down-time when software of a component of a switching system is to be exchanged is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,837. Before the exchange, first the contents and states of all the registers, processors and memory units are saved in a special memory while the old software is being used (column 7, lines 30 to 36). The old version of the software is then loaded into a first partition. Subsequently, the new software is loaded into a second partition. After the new software has been loaded and tested, the contents and states of all the registers, processes and memory units in the memory are copied to the new software. This new software is then taken into operation. The new software, however, does not start operating at the point in the process where the old software was stopped, but at a defined program point. Neither are individual software modules or software components exchanged, but only software incorporated therein.

Communication system capable of exchanging software and restarting with all information preserved


A method and computing device are provided for processing user events received via a user interface, such as a touchscreen, in multiple threads. When a user event is received for a target element in a webpage, the user event is dispatched to both a main browser thread and a secondary thread. The secondary thread processes user events in accordance with established default actions defined within the browser, while the main thread processes the user events in accordance with any event handlers defined for that target element. The main thread processing may be delayed by other interleaved task, and the secondary thread may be given priority over the main thread. When the secondary thread completes processing, an updated webpage is displayed. When the main thread subsequently completes processing, its updated rendering of the webpage is displayed. The secondary thread thus provides an early user interface response to the user event.

1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to the processing of detected user input events in a web browser.
2. Description of the Related Art
User agents and other applications used to render documents for presentation to a user, such as a web browser, process user events received via one or more user input mechanisms. User input mechanisms can include pointing and similar devices such as mice, touchpads, trackpads, and optical joysticks, as well as touchscreen interfaces. The outcome of the processed user event can include scrolling, zooming in or zooming out of the displayed document. The user events are processed in a browser's main thread; however, the user interface of the browser may appear unresponsive to the user when the processing of user events is interleaved with other, potentially long-running tasks.

Processing user input events in a web browser