A circumferential slot virtual impactor includes a disk-shaped housing with an endless circumferential slot for receiving aerosols. The slot forms an acceleration nozzle, and a receiver nozzle spaced apart radially inwardly from the acceleration nozzle exit. In an annular gap between the two nozzles, negative pressure is selectively applied to draw a major flow of the aerosol axially away from the nozzles, while a minor flow of the aerosol is drawn radially inward and enters the receiver nozzle. A portion of the larger particles leaves the major flow and merges with the minor flow due to particle momentum, thus increasing the large-particle concentration of the minor flow. The acceleration nozzle incorporates convex curvature along its opposed interior surfaces, for a smoother aerosol flow and reduced large-particle deposition.

Systems for detecting potentially hazardous airborne particulate matter in near-real-time can be used in military and civilian applications for nuclear, biological and chemical aerosols. In the nuclear industry, radioactive particulate continuous air monitors protect personnel in laboratories and industrial facilities. The U.S. military has field-deployable chemical and biological (CB) agent-detection systems to protect personnel in the event of a CB attack. Anthrax attacks experienced by the U.S. Postal Service in 2001 and the sarin nerve-agent attack in the Tokyo subway system in 1995 indicate a need for CB detectors in sensitive civilian locations. Although chemical agent and radioactive particulate detectors have matured through several design generations, practical biological point detection systems are relatively new, and significant advancements are needed before biological agent detectors perform on par with chemical agent and radioactive particulate monitors.
A major obstacle confronting biological detectors is the relatively low concentration of biological agent particles that can cause serious harm. In terms of the minimum detectable level in the sampled environment and reliability of the detector output signal, detector response can be enhanced by concentrating the sampled aerosol particles prior to detection. Concentration factors of 100 to 1000 are currently employed in detection systems. Sensitivity in future biological detection systems is likely to improve, which could potentially reduce the desired levels. Nonetheless, even future detection systems will benefit from aerosol concentration prior to detection, in that the greater number of organisms detected, the higher the probability of a statistically supportable alarm. For current and future applications, there is a critical need for small, portable, biological agent detection systems that are suitable for field applications and can efficiently concentrate airborne particles.
Virtual impaction is widely used for concentrating aerosol particles. The most common configurations in present virtual impactors are axi-symmetric, in which opposed acceleration and receiver nozzles are truncated-conical or round, and planar-symmetric in which the nozzles have opposed, inclined rectangular surfaces spaced apart to form slots with rectangular exits. The concept of virtual impaction can be understood from FIG. 1, which schematically illustrates an aerosol flow through an acceleration nozzle 1 and a receiver nozzle 2 of a virtual impactor. The aerosol (including particles suspended in a gaseous medium or gas phase) is drawn into accelerator nozzle 1 by a partial vacuum (negative pressure differential), and is accelerated by virtue of inclined surfaces 3 of nozzle 1 as it approaches an aperture 4. The aerosol flows longitudinally (vertically in the figure) through aperture 4 and into a fractionation zone in the gap between nozzles 1 and 2. As the aerosol flow enters the fractionation zone, negative or vacuum pressure is selectively applied to draw a major portion or fraction of the aerosol (in terms of volume per unit time) transversely away from the fractionation zone. The major flow, illustrated by streamlines 5, approaches nozzle 2 but undergoes a hairpin turn, doubles back toward nozzle 1, then flows into a diverging transverse exit passage. The gaseous medium and the smaller entrained particles tend to follow the path indicated by streamlines 5. In contrast, the larger particles tend to continue moving longitudinally into receiver nozzle 2, because they have momentum sufficient to overcome the tendency to flow with the gaseous medium.
Negative pressure also is applied through nozzle 2 to draw a minor portion or fraction of the aerosol flow longitudinally into the receiver nozzle. The minor flow, indicated by streamlines 6, passes through an aperture 7 into nozzle 2. Inclined nozzle surfaces 8 diverge to decelerate the flow. The gaseous medium and all particles of the minor portion tend to follow the longitudinal path indicated by streamlines 8.
Typically, the major flow constitutes about ninety percent of the original flow in terms of volume per unit time, while the minor flow constitutes about ten percent of the original flow. With the exception of losses due to deposition onto the walls near the fractionation zone, virtually all of the larger particles are transferred from the major flow to the minor flow, to provide a highly concentrated minor flow including about ten percent of the gaseous medium, ten percent of the smaller particles, and nearly all of the larger particles.
The larger particles and smaller particles are distinguished from one another based on a size threshold known as the cutpoint, i.e. the size at which particle momentum causes fifty percent of the particles to leave the major flow and merge into the minor flow. As particle sizes increase above the cutpoint, the percentage of the particles transferred from the major flow to the minor flow increases rapidly. Consequently, in polydisperse aerosols, virtually all of the larger particles are transferred to the minor flow, although very large particles may inadvertently be deposited on internal surfaces in the fractionation zone and thereby not transferred to the minor flow stream.
Aerosol (particle and gas phase) flow in a virtual impactor is governed primarily by two dimensionless parameters, the Stokes number (Stk) and the Reynolds number (Re). The Stokes number is given by:
                    Stk        =                                            C              c                                                  ρ              p                                                  D              p              2                                                  U              0                                            18                        μ                                                                                L              c                                                          (        1        )            where Dp is the particle diameter in centimeters, ρp is the particle density in kg/m3, Cc is the slip correction factor, U0 is the mean velocity at the expiration nozzle exit in m/second, Lc is the acceleration nozzle aperture dimension (radius of a circular nozzle aperture and half-width of a slot nozzle) in m, and μ is the dynamic viscosity of the gas in kg/m s.
The Reynolds number is given by:
                    Re        =                                            ρ              f                                                  L              c                                                  U              o                                μ                                    (        2        )            where ρf is the gas density in kg/m3, and the other values are as indicated above, except that the characteristic dimension Lc is the nozzle diameter for a circular nozzle and the nozzle width for a rectangular slot nozzle.
The Stokes number is the dominant parameter governing particle behavior in virtual impactors. The cutpoint Stokes number (Stk50) corresponding to the cutpoint particle size is weakly a function of the Reynolds number owing to minor differences in the flow field as affected by Reynolds number.
The pressure drop (ΔP) for moving air through the virtual impactor can be represented as a function of the acceleration nozzle throat velocity:
                              Δ                                                              P                =                  K                                                              ρ                f                                                          U                o                2                                      2                                              (        3        )            where: K is a pressure coefficient, essentially constant for a limited range of flow rates.
The ideal power (Pwr) required to operate a virtual impactor, i.e. the minimum power required to move air through the virtual impactor ignoring blower/pump inefficiencies and pressure losses in the associated flow handling system, is given by:Pwr=QmaΔPma+QmiΔPmi   (4)where: Qma is the major flow rate (of the fine particle flow in cm/sec); ΔPma is the difference between pressure at the entrance plane of the acceleration nozzle and pressure at the exhaust plane of the major flow in pascals (Pa); Qmi is the minor (coarse particle) flow rate in cm/sec; and ΔPmi is the difference between pressure at the entrance plane of the acceleration nozzle and pressure at the exhaust plane of the minor flow in Pa. Typically, the major flow components on the right side of Equation 4 are much larger than the minor flow components, because Qma is much larger than Qmi (e.g. by a factor of nine). Also, the pressure drop for the minor flow is negligible compared to the pressure drop for the major flow because of pressure recovery in the entry region of the receiver nozzle.
For bioaerosol concentration, the virtual impactor should have a cutpoint below the particle size range of interest. A bacterial agent like anthrax may consist of single-spores having aerodynamic diameters of about 0.9 μm. To achieve a cutpoint low enough to concentrate particles of this size with an acceptable level of power consumption, the virtual impactor must have the proper nozzle dimension (width or diameter) and mean nozzle velocity. For a given cutpoint the choices are (i) a larger nozzle dimension and higher mean nozzle velocity, and (ii) a smaller nozzle dimension and a lower mean nozzle velocity.
With a fixed cutpoint and flow rate, the ideal power to operate a virtual impactor is a function of nozzle width, increasing approximately with the square of the nozzle diameter or width (for a constant minor loss coefficient K). FIG. 2 is a plot of ideal power for operating a virtual impactor with a cutpoint aerodynamic diameter of 0.8 microns at a flowrate at 500 L/min (17.7 CFM), with a pressure coefficient K of 1.5. An impactor with a smaller nozzle dimension requires less power for a given cutpoint and flowrate. For example, a slit width of 0.254 mm (0.010 inches) requires an ideal power of 40 watts, while an impactor with a slit width of 0.762 mm (0.030 inches) requires 400 watts.
Present bioaerosol detection systems typically require flow rates in the range of 100 to 1000 L/min to reliably detect concentrations of biological agents expected in a release. For small dimension round-nozzle virtual impactors, these flow rates require an array of many nozzles. For slot nozzles, the total slot length must be sufficient to supply the required total flow, either as one continuous slot, or as an array of slots of intermediate length. Both approaches involve manufacturing difficulties, especially as the nozzle critical dimension approaches the level of tolerance control.
An array of many round nozzles increases the risk of producing defective nozzles, in that each nozzle requires small dimension chamfers and fillets. For slot nozzles, nozzle edge linearity and parallelism become more difficult to achieve as the nozzle dimension becomes smaller. Both designs require precise alignment mechanisms to align the centers of the receiver nozzle and acceleration nozzle. Also, both require considerable depth for the acceleration and receiver nozzles to gradually accelerate the aerosol particles approaching the fractionation zone and decelerate the large particles after fractionation. Thus, manufacturing processes such as photo-etching are of limited value.
As compared to round nozzles, slot nozzles are more resistant to fouling from debris. Round nozzles are more easily bridged by airborne fibers. Once a fiber bridges the nozzle, additional particles attach to the fiber, eventually fouling the nozzle and preventing proper function of the virtual impactor. Although slot nozzles can also become bridged by fibers, their long dimension allows them to avoid fouling to a greater degree. On the other hand, round nozzles are not subject to the inaccuracies introduced by disturbances at the opposite ends of the rectangular slots, known as end effects.
Neither the round nozzle design nor the rectangular-slot nozzle design is particularly well suited for a portable, compact aerosol particle concentration device with a minimal power requirement. In the case of round nozzles, this is due to the requirement for an array of nozzles to meet flow rate requirements. In the case of rectangular-slot nozzles, it is due either to the array requirement, or an inordinate length necessary to achieve a desired flow rate. Further, the nozzle interior in both designs leads to undesirable large-particle trajectory effects as the aerosol moves through the acceleration nozzle. More particularly and with reference to FIG. 1, large particles relatively close to one side of the nozzle can tend to travel transversely toward the opposite side of the aperture rather than flowing longitudinally through the aperture with the gaseous medium, due to particle momentum.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aerosol particle concentrating device that operates effectively at both micrometer and sub micrometer cutpoints, yet is compact and has low power requirements.
Another object is to provide a virtual impactor having an acceleration nozzle with a high ratio of slot length to slot width, which is not subject to end effects.
A further object is to provide an improved process for separating an aerosol into fractions with different particulate concentrations.
Yet another object is to provide a virtual impactor that promotes a more unidirectional flow of particles through the aperture of its acceleration nozzle.

Circumferential slot virtual impactor for concentrating aerosols


There is provided a system for recording and/or reproduction of broadcasting programs permits the facilitation of selection and management of recorded videos in the manner of following the operations of general AV equipment such as televisions and video decks, in which virtual channels are assigned according to categories defined by a user, and programs corresponding to the categories are recorded into the virtual channels, and since the recorded programs are set in array on a time base for simultaneous reproduction on each virtual channel, the user may happen to watch various recorded programs only by switching over the channels from one to another or continuing to reproduce recorded programs in a single channel after application of power at any time, which results in quite passive style only sufficient for the user to watch the recorded programs.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and a method for recording and/or reproducing videos of broadcasting programs or the like sent on the air from broadcasting stations, and in particular, to a recording/reproducing system, which permits the automated video recording and recording schedule reservation.
More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a recording/reproducing system and its method, which may support the reproduction and watching operations of a large number of automatically recorded videos, and in particular, to a recording/reproducing system, which permits the facilitation of selection and management of recorded videos in the manner of following the operations of general AV equipment such as televisions and video decks.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of digital techniques is making it possible to store a mass of AV data composed of video data and audio data without degradation. Recently, as HDD having a capacity of several ten GB or more is available at relatively low cost, HDD-based recorders are coming on to the market as well (Refer to reports of "Apparatuses to record television programs into HDD are coming out one after another (by Nikkei Electronics, No. 727, pp. 27 to 28, 1998) and "HDD-based digital recording techniques for domestic use come out at last" (by Nikkei Electronics No. 727, pp. 41 to 46, 1998)). With the increasing capacity of recording media, recording of more programs is made possible in a program recording/reproducing apparatus.
The HDD is a device, which is random-accessible to data recorded therein. Thus, the HDD may start reproduction directly from a user's favorite program without the need for reproducing the recorded programs from the top in sequence, dissimilarly to conventional reproduction of recorded contents in video tapes.
However, the more the number of recorded programs increases with the increasing capacity of the recording media, the more difficult it becomes to select a desired program to reproduce. In particular, a system configured to permit program recording and recording schedule reservation automatically on the basis of user's tastes and profile information shows a tendency to record programs more than the need, for a purpose of preventing a user from being disappointed with insufficient recording. For that reason, an excessive workload is required more and more for the user to select the desired program to reproduce.
In the environment of the above recording/reproducing system when in use, the permissible amount of time for the user to practically watch videos recorded is considered to be negligible as compared with the total amount of time of the videos recorded. However, any effective technique or remedy to bridge a gap therebetween has not been developed yet.
For instance, there is provided a method of displaying a list of names, channels and broadcasting dates or the like of recorded programs on a screen. However, it doesn't always follow that the user may grasp the program contents through such a display screen. Further, an attempt to display detailed information of each program also on the above display screen brings about a complication of images displayed on the screen, so that it becomes extremely difficult for the user to view the images on the screen.
A viewer, that is, the user does not always watch a specific television program on the air carefully. That is, the user generally assumes the style of watching television programs in such a way as to watch television for no purpose or as it happened that television is on. On the other hand, an action required for the user to watch one's desired recorded program after passing judgment one after another on which is the recorded program desired to watch is not fitted for the latter watching style. In other words, the above action permits no bridging of the gap between the total amount of time of videos recorded and the permissible amount of time for the user to practically watch the videos recorded.
Most users also have an inclination to fall into such a state of mind as attaining one's feeling of achievement or security with satisfaction of seeing recording of a specific broadcasting program finished, leading to one of causes that the users may not go so far as to bring watching of the recorded program into practice. For that reason, most recorded programs are apt to remain simply recorded, that is, be kept idle without a chance to be reproduced.
While the recording/reproducing system configured to permit the automation of recording and recording schedule reservation of broadcasting programs on the basis of the user's tastes and profile information has been available in the prior art, manual operations are required for the user oneself for reproduction and judgment on deletion or preservation of each recorded program, inclusively of their operations. There is also the need for individual display of a recording timetable, a list of recorded programs or the like, inclusively of its operation, every kind of information or operation, so that operational mistakes easily happen also in proportion as the work is complicated. To begin with, the operations in the recording/reproducing system described the above are incompatible with the passive watching style of the user in such a way as to view (or watch) on-the-air programs on television for no purpose.
If the user has no intention of watching the recorded programs, it means that storage of programs remaining simply recorded without being reproduced occurs so much. Consequently, as the recording capacity is approaching its limit, the user has to delete at least a part of recorded programs regardless of whether or not the user finished watching a target program for deletion. For instance, a function of a type which permits the automatic deletion of time-expired programs by means of setting the term of validity for preservation of programs has been available until now. However, much time is required for the user to set the term of validity serially every recorded program, and besides, it is difficult to set the appropriate term of validity. On the other hand, in the recording/reproducing system configured to set the term of validity, videos inclusive of important videos are in danger of deletion in user's unguarded moment and so on, so that it is extremely difficult to permit the above function to reflect on management of preservation of recorded videos while grasping the user's intention accurately. Accordingly, a function which permits the efficient deletion of only unnecessary videos from a mass of automatically stored recorded videos is in great demand. To select target programs for deletion from a large number of recorded programs is considered to be indivisible from, that is, essentially the same as to select which program to watch.
On the other hand, in a recording/reproducing system of sequential access mode such as video tapes, even if the user gives a pause to a certain recorded program in the process of watching, disconnection of power or switching to other recorded programs to watch brings about a loss of information of a recorded program pause position. Thus, if the user desires to resume reproduction for watching from the last paused point, has the user stores a counter value for rewind operations or the like.
When a list of recorded programs is displayed on the screen in the recording date order, the user has to bring displaying of the list of recorded programs on the screen once into practice before selection of the desired program to reproduce. For that reason, if there is an interval of broadcasting/recording date between programs even having continuity like a series of programs inclusive of a serial drama or the like, when recorded, the complicated work is required for the user to watch such the programs in due order.

System and method for recording and reproducing broadcasting programs


A method of bandwidth management over a transmission network comprising a plurality of stations forming a logical ring that circulates a token from station to station. Each station is allowed to transmit data to other stations over the transmission network when it receives the token. The station is allowed to transmit C bytes, where C is a credit. The credit increases in proportion to the time spent since the preceding reception of the token by the station.

On local Area Networks (LANs) of the Ethernet type able to transmit data at speeds higher than one gigabit/s, an unlimited number of stations can be connected to a shared medium. To control the exchange of data between the stations connected on the shared medium, Ethernet uses a protocol called Carrier Sense, Multiple Access Collision Detect (CSMA/CD). The "Multiple Access" part means that every station is indeed connected to the shared medium forming a single data path. The "Carrier Sense" part means that before transmitting data, a station checks to see whether any other station is already transmitting. If the transmission medium appears to be idle, the station may begin to send data. However, two stations can start transmitting at the same time, causing a collision. When this occurs, each interfering station detects the collision. Hence, all stations attempt to transmit, back off, and try retransmissions at randomly selected later times, thus minimizing the chance of another collision.
Although Ethernet does not set an upper limit to the number of stations that can be connected on the same transmission medium, there are, in practice, drastic limitations. Generally speaking, as more users are added to a shared network, or as applications requiring more data are added, performance inevitably deteriorates. This is because the users become competitors in trying to use a common resource: the shared transmission medium. It is generally agreed that a moderately loaded 10 Mbps Ethernet shared by 30–50 users can sustain a throughput in the neighborhood of only 2.5 Mbps after accounting for packet overhead, inter-packet gaps, and collisions resulting in the use of the CSMA/CD protocol. Thus, although simple, CSMA/CD protocol is limited in its ability to take advantage of the intrinsic performance of the shared transmission medium i.e., 10 Mbps in this example.
Further increasing the number of users (and therefore packet transmissions) creates an even higher collision potential. Since collisions occur when two or more stations attempt to send information at the same time, when these stations realize that a collisions has occurred, they must, to obey the Ethernet standard, all shut off for a random time before attempting another transmission. This tends to add a considerable overhead, severely impacting performance. Consequently, the Ethernet mechanism collapses when the shared medium is overloaded.
One well-known solution to this problem is to segment traffic over independent, disjoint, smaller collision domains, which comes at the expense of having to put in place extra devices to allow communication between the independent pieces of the LAN thus created. This may be accomplished by using a bridge or a switch. For example, an eight-port high-speed switch can support eight Ethernets, each running at a full 10 Mbps and thereby interconnects more users on what appears to them as a single LAN. Such a solution, which creates a more expensive and complicated network, goes against the original objectives of the Ethernet LAN, which were to provide a very inexpensive solution, simple to manage for local communications over a campus or between the employees of a company dispersed over a group of buildings.
Another solution consists in implementing a token-passing mechanism of Token Ring LAN so that the physical Ethernet network becomes collision free and therefore can be used at higher rates. In this mechanism, a logical ring is formed between connected stations and a token is circulated among the connected stations that are part of the logical ring. Then, a station of the logical ring is permitted to transmit only while holding the token, thereby preventing collisions from happening.
Although the above system prevents collisions between stations, it does not prevent a station from monopolizing the bandwidth and preventing other stations from transmitting.

Method of allocating bandwidth to the stations of a local area network

International Business Machines Corporation


A printing apparatus which includes a printer body having a setting surface on which a printing surface of a printing medium is set horizontally, a carriage beam 23 which is attached to the printer body and extends in the direction along the setting surface, and a carriage 5 provided so as to be movable in the beam lengthwise direction with respect to the carriage beam 23, and further includes an ink head 6 equipped with a nozzle for discharging ink provided in the carriage, comprises:                a carriage supporting means 7 which supports the carriage 5 onto the carriage beam 23 in a manner enabling it to move up and down,        an ink receiving part 8 which receives ink that is discharged from the ink head 6, and        a receiving part supporting means 9 which supports the ink receiving part 8 on the carriage 5 in a manner enabling it to move to an ink receiving part below the ink head and a withdrawing position separated from the ink head 6.

Conventionally, this type of printing apparatus prints a predetermined image pattern on a fabric set on a setting surface on which a printing medium is set by moving a carriage equipped with an ink head using the ink jet method, horizontally to the setting surface.
Concretely, the carriage is supported on a carriage beam in a manner enabling it to reciprocate, and the carriage beam is supported on the printer body having the setting surface in a manner enabling the carriage beam to reciprocate in the direction orthogonal to the carriage moving direction.
Then, a control device for controlling the driving of the carriage beam, the carriage, and the ink head is provided, image data of images of a-pattern to be printed on a fabric is recorded in advance on the control device, and when printing, ink is discharged from the nozzle of the ink head according to the image data to print the predetermined image on the surface of a fabric.
The ink head of the ink jet printing apparatus has eight unit heads for individually discharging of ink in dark and light colors of four colors including, for example, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, that is, ink of eight colors.
Then, when printing, an ink necessary for printing is selected in these eight unit heads and the determined ink is discharged from the nozzle of the selected unit head.
Since an ink of a predetermined unit head is selected when printing, depending on the image to be printed, the time interval from discharge to the next discharge from the unit heads may become longer, and as a result, ink discharge may not be carried out for a definite period of time or more. In this case, ink adhering to the nozzle is dried and the discharge opening of the nozzle is clogged.
Therefore, in the ink jet printing apparatus described above, in order to prevent the nozzle of the ink head from being clogged, for example, it is common that flushing to forcibly discharge the ink from the nozzle of the ink head is carried out when a predetermined period of time elapses from the start of execution of the printing processing.
Then, in the case where flushing is carried out in the conventional ink jet printing apparatus, the carriage with the ink head is moved to a non-printing region outside a moving region for printing an image, and the nozzle of the ink head is moved closer to an ink recovery tank that is disposed in the non-printing region, and thereafter, a predetermined amount of ink is discharged from the opening of the nozzle into the ink recovery tank.
However, in the above-described printing apparatus, when flushing is carried out during the printing processing, as mentioned above, the carriage must be moved to the non-printing region outside the moving region for printing, and after the flushing is finished, the carriage must be returned to the printing region again, and this results in a lengthened printing time in total.
On the other hand, in order to solve the above-described problem, for example, a printing apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H09-11502, wherein the ink recovery tank for the ink discharged from the nozzle of the ink head is installed in the apparatus main body together with the carriage with the ink head, and the carriage is supported onto the apparatus main body in a manner enabling it to freely swing.
In this printing apparatus, the ink recovery tank is fixed at a position apart from the printing object setting surface that is to be regarded as a printing position in the apparatus main body, and the carriage is supported onto the apparatus main body in a manner enabling it to swing so that the nozzle of the ink head can be moved to the printing position and a position opposite the ink recovery tank.
During image printing, the nozzle of the ink head is positioned at the printing position, and in the middle of image printing, when a predetermined period of time elapses in regard to an unused unit head, the nozzle of the ink head is swung to the position opposite the ink recovery tank for flushing the ink and a predetermined amount of ink is discharged from the nozzle into the ink recovery tank.
However, in the above-described carriage swing type printing apparatus, although the problem that lengthens the period of time required for printing is solved, if the printing area is increased as in the case of a printing apparatus for printing onto a fabric, the ink supply amount must be increased and this inevitably makes the carriage large, so that a large space is required for swinging the carriage.
Particularly, when it is demanded that the ink types are increased and the number of unit heads of the ink head is increased, the carriage becomes larger, so that the swinging space cannot be secured and the number of unit heads cannot be increased.
In addition, when the large-sized carriage is swung, the distance from its pivot to the center of gravity lengthens, so that the swinging mechanism for swinging the heavy carriage against the gravitational force is also increased in size for obtaining strength to withstand the swinging motion, and as a result, the entirety of the printing apparatus is increased in size.
The present invention has been developed in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a printing apparatus which can carry out flushing of ink at a predetermined timing even when an ink head is positioned at an arbitrary position above a printing object without an increase in size of the printing apparatus and without an increase in total time required for printing.


A signal connector is provided according to the invention which signal connector relates to a signal connector used to connect to an electronic circuit and can be switchedly operated between two signal sources. The elements needed are simplified so that the signal connector can reduce the prime cost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a signal connector. Particularly, the present invention relates to a signal connector that can be switchedly operated between two signal sources and can reduce the prime cost.
2. Description of Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art signal connector is shown. The prior art signal connector essentially includes a casing 6, an electronic connector 1 that includes a conductive body 1′, a first terminal 2, a metal cylinder 2a, a second terminal joint 3 that includes a second terminal 3′, an insulation piston 4 and a spring 5. The electronic connector 1 has one end protruding out of the casing 6 to couple to an electronic circuit of a PC board (not shown). The electronic connector 1 is electrically connected to the first terminal 2 or the second terminal 3′through the conductive body 1′. The spring 5 encircles the conductive body 1′ and sequentially encircles the metal cylinder 2a at the conductive body 1′. The metal cylinder 2a abuts on to one end of the first terminal 2 by the spring 5 and electrically connects to the conductive body 1′. The other end of the first terminal 2 couples to a first signal source (not shown). The piston 4 is made of insulation material and is located between the second terminal joint 3 and the metal cylinder 2a. The second terminal joint 3 is of tapered form and contains a second terminal 3′ that is a central core-line made of metal material. The other end of the second terminal joint 3 is for inserting into a second signal source (not shown). Accordingly, when the second terminal joint 3 is inserted into the casing 6, the inserting end face of the second terminal joint 3 will abut on to the piston 4 so as to press the piston 4 to move to the spring 5 and thus pushes away the metal cylinder 2a to break up the electrical connection between the metal cylinder 2a and the first terminal 2 and, thus, break up the electrical connection between the first terminal 2 and the circuit of the PC board while an electrical connection is formed between the second terminal 3′ and the electronic connector 1. Therefore, the signal transport of the first or second signal source between the electronic circuit of the PC board can swtichedly operated through the above mentioned prior art signal connector.
The prior art signal connector shown contain relatively more elements, thus its prime cost is relatively high. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the structure of the prior art signal connector.


A data processing apparatus which processes data held in memory. The data processing apparatus includes an address operation unit which obtains an address to read one-word data from the memory, wherein the one-word data is a unit of data access to the memory, and a logical operation unit which determines a content of an operation on a field basis based on information which designates the number of bits per field to construct one-word data with a plurality of fields having a same number of bits. The logical operation unit, based on the content thus determined, performs the operation in parallel on the fields of the one-word data read from the memory by the address thus obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high speed image processing apparatus having microprocessors for inputting and outputting data, collecting data and displaying a graphic pattern in a raster scan type CRT display and having a drawing function controlled by a microprogram stored in a microprogram memory.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most of prior art CRT controllers control only the display function and have no drawing function. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,264. A graphic processing apparatus which achieves a graphic processing function using an integrated circuit has been known but it merely processes monochromatic graphic pattern data representing each pixel by one bit. However, as the information processing system becomes more and more complex, the image processing for a multi-color or multi-tone image is frequently required and processing, speed for such processing is a problem. For example, when image data is to be updated in the multi-color (n-color) or multi-tone (n-tone) processing system, the same image processing is repeated n times, or when a one-bit one pixel is to be displayed the image processing is repeated n times or when a one-bit pixel is to be displayed the image processing is repeated n times. Accordingly, processing time is n times as long as that for binary image processing. One processing apparatus may be provided for each of n display memories but this increases the scale and the complexity and increases the burden on a central processing unit.
Assume a drawing process in which a line in an X-Y coordinate space having an origin is drawn between two points PS (XS, YS) and PE (XE, YE). A gradient of the line is calculated based on the coordinates of the two points and coordinates of points on the line are calculated. Thus, the graphic pattern data for each point is prepared and stored. The above process is sequentially carried out for all points on the line. Since the calculated coordinates are different information than the memory addresses of the display memory in which the graphic pattern data are to be written, the calculated coordinates (logical addresses) must be translated to the display memory addresses (physical addresses). Since each word of the display memory includes one or more pixels of data, the calculated logical address is translated into two physical addresses, first to the display memory address, and second to a bit address representing a pixel position.
In order to translate the logical address to the physical address, the physical address of the origin point and the horizontal size of the display memory must be known. Since the logical address (X, Y) represents a relative position to the origin point, the physical address can be calculated by adding to or subtracting from the physical address of the origin point a product of the horizontal size of the display memory multiplied by Y, in the vertical (Y) direction, and a quotient of the logical address X divided by the number of pixels in one word, in the horizontal (X) direction. A residue produced when the logical address X is divided by the number of pixels in one word is used as a bit address. In this manner, the physical address for processing the graphic pattern data is obtained.
However, in the past, the calculation of the logical address and the translation to the physical address were done by a software program. Accordingly, when a general purpose microprocessor is used, many microseconds are required to store one pixel of data in the display memory, and high speed processing is not achieved.
In graphic pattern processing apparatus which generates graphic display data, the graphic display data is transferred in the display memory. Processing speed therein is also a problem.
Assume that pixel data is to be transferred to another pixel position. Usually, each word of the memory stores data of a plurality of horizontally contiguous pixels. Accordingly, when pixel data is to be transferred to another pixel position, a shifting operation to align the bit positions or selecting an operation of source pixel data is required to align the bit positions for operation. In the past, the transferring was done by a software program. For example, when data in a rectangular area is to be transferred, additional steps for moving pointers for designating source pixels and destination pixels, and counting the number of times of transfer are required. As a result, when a general purpose microprocessor is used, many microseconds are required to transfer one pixel of data and hence a high processing speed is not attained.
The present invention provides an image processing method and apparatus which enables high speed processing of memory updating of multi-color, and multi-tone data, pattern drawing and pixel data transfer.
Related prior art of this type of image processing apparatus is disclosed in Great Britain Patent GB 2,087,696A.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a graphic and image processing apparatus which can draw a pattern of a multi-color or multi-tone data having each pixel represented by a plurality of bits, at substantially the processing speed as that for binary image data.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus which can calculate an address in a display memory at a high speed based on a logical address of an image.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the image processing apparatus comprises means for sequentially calculating pixel addresses each including information for designating a display memory address and a pixel position in one-word display data at that address, based on display control data, means for logically operating on drawing data for the designated pixel bits for the calculated one-word pixel address based on pixel position information, and means for writing the logically operated on data into the display memory address.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the image processing apparatus comprises logical address operation means for providing a logical address representing a relative position of a pattern to an origin point based on display control data, and means for calculating a physical address in a display memory based on the logical address.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the image processing apparatus comprises means for calculating a shift amount based on information for designating a pixel position in a source word and information for designating a pixel position in a destination word, when display data is to be transferred in a graphic pattern display memory, and shift means for multiple shifting of a plurality of bits.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the image processing apparatus comprises a command register for storing a command code contained in a command supplied as a display control data, a decoder for decoding a portion of the command code stored in the command register to generate a type and a sign of operation to be carried out for a current coordinate, a code register for storing the output of the decoder, means for calculating pixel coordinates on a graphic pattern display memory based on a control signal and means for designating a position on the graphic pattern display memory based on the coordinates.


A device for endoscopic examinations and operations includes a frame on which one or more of holding, connecting and receiving elements for locking and/or spreading instruments, lighting devices, liquid and/or gas suction devices, examination and/or surgical instruments may be arranged and detachably secured, as may also tongue and labial commissure retaining spatulas, palatal plates, lighting and receiving members for other devices and/or instruments.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed towards a device for endoscopic examinations and/or operations, in particular in the region of the epipharynx, oropharynx, mesopharynx and/or hypopharynx and/or of the larynx, but also, in optionally modified form, for cardiosurgical, laparoscopic, neurosurgical and/or gynaecological examinations and/or operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the aforementioned region of the pharynx and of the larynx a large number of pathological changes may occur which not uncommonly require surgical therapy. For instance, besides benign tumors, carcinomas occur of the pharynx, for example pharyngeal lymphoepithelioma, and of the larynx, for example in the form of carcinoma of the sphenocephalus. Depending on the site of these tumors, a pharyngectomy or a laryngectomy is carried out in these cases. With a view to diagnosis of tumors in the region of the pharynx, use is made of a so-called laryngoscope, an endoscope with a spatula for pressing the tongue against the floor of the mouth and also optionally a laryngeal spatula. With the aid of such a laryngoscope it is also possible to operate by means of laser surgery, but both diagnosis and therapy prove difficult in many cases, for example when a tumor is located in the valleculae; this difficulty results from the tube diameter of such a laryngoscope. In the region of the transition from the oropharynx or mesopharynx to the hypopharynx, malignant tumors are to be found with increased incidence, the removal of which by laser surgery has hitherto been made decidedly difficult as a consequence of the intermittent use during surgery of instruments for representing the corresponding anatomical region. Moreover, there are a number of other problems, particularly in the region of the oropharynx and mesopharynx, which necessitate surgical intervention, for example tonsillectomy. In all these cases it is possible in principle for diagnosis and/or surgical intervention to be undertaken through the pharynx; however, on account of the convoluted structure thereof and the limited capacity of a patient to open his mouth wide it is extremely difficult to insert appropriate examining and/or surgical instruments as far as the location in question.
Similar difficulties also arise within the scope of endoscopy-based diagnostic measures and/or of surgical therapies in the region of other organs of the body, for example in the case of cardiosurgery, laparoscopy, neurosurgery or gynaecology. Here too, the access path is often very cramped, so that examinations and/or operations are greatly impeded.
This disadvantage of the known state of the art results in the problem that gives rise to the invention, namely of creating a device with which endoscopic examinations and/or operations, in particular in the region of the pharynx and of the larynx, can be performed without this entailing the need for a largely rigid instrument with a large tube cross-section, as is the case with conventional endoscopes, to be pushed forward as far as the location in question and without an operation having in certain circumstances to be carried out without direct view. Furthermore, there is a need for enlargement of the access path and for dynamic regulation of all anatomical areas of the region in question in order that the operation may become more precise and thereby safer.


According to an embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed an array substrate, comprising: data lines; first and second gate lines, the first and second gate lines and the data lines crossing with each other so as to define sub-pixel structures; each of the sub-pixel structures comprising first and second sub-pixels; a first control line, insulated from the first and second gate lines; and first switch devices, each for making the first gate line and the second gate line corresponding to the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel in the same sub-pixel structure connected or disconnected under the control of the first control line, wherein in each of the sub-pixel structures, the first gate line is connected to the first sub-pixel, the second gate line is connected to the second sub-pixel, and the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel are connected to the same data line.

Embodiments of the invention relate to an array substrate, a method for controlling the same and a display panel including the array substrate.
Stereoscopic display has become a big trend of the display field. And, the basic principle of the stereoscopic display is to produce a stereoscopy by utilizing a parallax, i.e., a left-eye picture is seen by the left eye of a person, and a right-eye picture is seen by his right eye. Herein, the left-eye and right-eye pictures are a pair of stereoscopic images having the parallax.
One mode to achieve the stereoscopy is a time serial manner, in which at a first time slot, a left-eye picture is displayed on a display and the displayed left-eye picture is only seen by the left eye of a viewer at this time; and at a second time slot, a right-eye picture is displayed on the display and the displayed right-eye picture is only seen by the right eye of the viewer. With persistence of vision of human eyes, a feeling is given to the person that the left-eye and right-eye pictures are simultaneously seen by the left and right eyes, thereby producing a stereoscopic sensation.
Another mode to achieve the stereoscopy is a parallel manner, in which at the same time, content for a left-eye picture is displayed by a part of pixels on a display, and content for a right-eye picture is displayed by another part of pixels. The content displayed by a part of the pixels only can be seen by the right eye and that displayed by another part only can be seen by the left eye by way of gratings, polarization spectacles, etc., so as to produce the stereoscopic sensation.
A polarization spectacles type stereoscopic display is one kind of mainstream technology in the current stereoscopic display field, and the basic constituting manner of the polarization spectacles type stereoscopic display is to install a device capable of adjusting a polarization direction of emitting lights in front of a display panel. The device may be a phase retarder plate, or may also be a liquid crystal cell, or other devices capable of adjusting the polarization directions of emitting lights from different pixels. The principle of a phase retarder plate type stereoscopic display is as shown in FIG. 1, and from top to bottom, there are a picture displayed by the display panel, the phase retarder plate, an emitting picture, and polarization spectacles for viewing. On the display panel, a right-eye picture and a left-eye picture are alternately shown in adjacent rows. The phase retarder plate is disposed in front of the display panel, one row has λ/2 retardation, and adjacent one row has zero retardation. As such, the polarization direction of emitting lights from pixels which correspond to the rows having the λ/2 retardation can be rotated by 90°. In this manner, only lights emitted by right-eye pixels can be seen by the right eye and only lights emitted by left-eye pixels can be seen by the left eye when the person wears polarization spectacles having such polarization directions that are perpendicular to each other for the left and right eyes, so as to produce a stereoscopic effect.
In a variety of stereoscopic displays of the polarization spectacles mode, a technology in which a phase retarder plate is employed takes the most favor. The basic structure of this stereoscopic display is that a phase retarder plate is attached to a display panel after they are precisely aligned. Different phase retardations can be produced with the use of different regions on the phase retarder plate, so that lights from different pixels emit in different polarization directions and a viewer can see a 3D effect when wearing polarization spectacles.
However, one of drawbacks for this 3D display is that the viewing angle in a perpendicular direction is very small (other polarization spectacles mode 3D displays each have this drawback). A simplified principle (in which only simplified, theoretical computation is given, but a directional result can be provided by it) that explains why the viewing angle for the polarization spectacles mode 3D display is narrow is schematically illustrated in FIG. 2, in which, DP is the display panel, and PR is the phase retarder plate. In FIG. 2, a is height of a pixel display area, b is width of a black matrix (BM) in a perpendicular direction, c is width of one stripe of the phase retarder plate, h is distance from the phase retarder plate to the display panel, θ is a 3D viewing angle, p=a+b, and p (the size of a pixel) is a constant. A good 3D effect can be seen only at a narrow, shadow region on a right side, here, the angle θ is an important parameter. A computation can be performed in accordance with the simplified principle view shown in FIG. 2, and the 3D viewing angle θ meets the following relation:
      tan              θ      2        =                    2                                                  p            +      b      -              2                                                  c                    2                                      h
It can be seen from the above relation that θ increases with the increase of a width b of the BM. Accordingly, a scheme in which an active BM is used is proposed, and its structure is shown in FIG. 3. In the scheme shown in FIG. 3, one sub-pixel unit is divided into two small pixels in the upper and in the lower, namely a first sub-pixel 1 and a second sub-pixel 2, and they are controlled separately. When a 2D display is carried out, the same content is displayed by the first sub-pixel 1 and the second sub-pixel 2; and when a 3D display is carried out, the second sub-pixel 2 represents black, which is equivalent to increasing of the width b of the BM for an original pixel, so that the 3D viewing angle can be improved.
However, in a general active BM scheme, the second sub-pixel 2 is controlled as a separate pixel, and as a result, the number of gate lines of the display panel will become twice as much as the original case, and the number of data signal lines will become twice as much as the original case. Thus, the control cost and the control difficulty are increased.

Array substrate, method for controlling the same and display panel including the array substrate


A glove with an integrally formed arm trough has a hand portion, arm portion and a cuff portion. The arm portion is provided with a first ridge, a second ridge with a larger diameter compared to the arm portion, and a third ridge. During use, the third ridge is pushed towards the first ridge by the user to extend the second ridge away from the arm and towards the hand portion forming a liquid capturing trough while the cuff portion protects from the arm from liquid exposure. The length between the third ridge and the second ridge is larger than the length between the first and second ridge so that the trough created has a positive cone angle and a depth to sufficient to provide liquid volume capacity. The ridges are shaped as sharp edges or C-sections to provide easy forming of the liquid capturing arm trough.

Gloves are commonly used to protect hands in industrial or household applications. When the wearer of the glove handles liquids, typically these liquids run down the fingers and eventually make their way into the cuff region. At this stage, depending on the glove cuff geometry, the liquid may run down the skin or into the cuff of a surgical or protective gown, which is generally positioned in between the glove interior surface and the skin of the user. In the case of a surgical glove, the body fluids of a patient may carry bacterial or viral contaminants and the doctor may receive these infectious fluids. In the worst case, the medical professional or other patients may be infected. In the case of a mechanic or a chemical technician using a standard glove, oil or other chemical liquids may run down the surface of the glove contaminating or soiling the uniform or skin of chemical technician or mechanic.
A number of patents relate to providing gloves with tighter cuff retention through cuff geometry or providing a cuff region of a glove that is flipped by the user to capture any liquid that runs down the surface of the glove. The tightened cuff region approach does not inherently prevent the entry of the liquid into the interior of the glove, since this entry of the liquid into the interior of the glove is essentially controlled by the contact angle, the surface tension and viscosity properties of the liquid being dripped. The liquid can enter the glove interior by capillary action. In the case of the flipped cuff region approach, the flipped region of the glove acts as a reservoir with a single layer of latex. Since the liquid is generally heavy, especially when the flipped glove region has a large volume, any movement of the hand spills the liquid at the edges of the flipped region, which again run down the external surface of the glove towards unprotected skin. In the worst case scenario, the flipped cuff of the glove that has a single layer of latex may flip back by the weight of accumulated liquid unexpectedly, since the side walls of flipped the single layer latex reservoir are generally very thin. In this case, all the accumulated liquid flows down the cuff into the skin or the interior of a surgical gown. In both these cases, the entry of the spilled liquid into the interior of the glove depends on the contact angle, surface tension and viscosity of the liquid being spilled. Therefore the intended desired functionality of the tight cuff or flipped cuff is defeated by these inherent drawbacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,407,658 to Kelly discloses a wristlet. This is a thin rubber device worn by wrist of the operator. The cylindrical portion of the wristlet surrounds the wrist while the attached flared portion collects any drips produced by washing a painted surface or windows with a sponge. The wristlet is not provided with a glove and there is no protection provided to the fingers of the user. Liquid captured by the flared portion may leak between the cylindrical seal portion and the wrist at the center of the wristlet.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,106,346 and 2,117,417 to Hall et al. disclose a static resisting garment. The rubber glove is folded over to form a trough at the cuff to prevent static build-up. This garment has nothing to do with capturing drips in a surgical or washing application.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,821,718 to Hall et al. discloses rubber glove with reinforced turn back cuff. This rubber glove has the flared cuff portion annularly grooved and is provided with annular row of longitudinal corrugations. These corrugations are intended to provide some strength to the flipped region while the annular grooves assist flipping of the glove. The glove is originally designed to provide static shield and is also useful for housewives in handling liquids or in various industrial applications. The cuff portion when turned up provides shielding from static electricity. The turned back cuff acts as a trough preventing liquids from running down the arms of the wearer. The edge of the glove has a rolled bead. The same annular grooves that provide easy flipping of the glove may allow the thin latex layer to turn back to suddenly spill all the liquid that has accumulated. There is no glove extension or liquid protection below the turned back cuff.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,780 to Reimers et al. discloses glove having improved cuff-securing features. The cuff region of a medical glove is provided with a tab with an acrylic adhesive. The adhesive attaches the cuff portion securely to the wearer. The tab prevents glove roll down and entry of foreign materials into the interior of the glove. The tab is attached to the interior of the glove and is attached to the exterior of the cuff to create a snug fit. There is no indication that this snug fit at the wrist prevents the entry of liquids. As seen in FIG. 3 of the '780 patent, a cone is created at the tab region enabling entry of liquids into the interior of the glove. Any liquid present runs down the glove into the skin region or into a surgical gown since no capture means are provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,300 to Vistins discloses glove having improved cuff-securing features. An acrylic adhesive is provided on a portion of the cuff of a medical glove. The adhesive secures the portion of the cuff to other portions of the cuff for tightening the cuff when the glove is on the wearer's hand. The adhesively attached cuff portion can be easily removed. As shown in FIG. 3 of the '300 patent, the cuff region of the glove folds over itself being secured by the adhesive. There is no indication that this snug fit at the wrist prevents the entry of liquids. Any liquid present runs down the glove into the skin region or into a surgical gown since no capture means are provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,613 to Schwartz discloses applicator glove and method of use. The applicator glove has absorbent pads adjacent to thumb and fingers that hold herbicides for treating selected plants. The cuff of the glove is inverted forming a trough to catch any drips. The quantity of liquid handled by the glove is small and the inverted cuff portion is subject to opening out and spilling any collected liquid, especially if the liquid quantity accumulated is large.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,953,756 and 6,249,917 to Vrissimdjis disclose glove of rubber or the like. The glove of rubber is provided with a tubular sleeve portion and a cuff portion, which extends conically outwardly in extension of the sleeve portion. The cuff portion can be folded back such that the free end of the conically outwardly extending cuff portion has a radial distance from the outer circumference of the sleeve portion. The portion adjacent to the fold back portion is thickened and at the fold back region thinned. This change in thickness is created by providing sharp curvatures in the latex dipping mold changing the nominal accumulation of coagulated latex at the transition regions. The liquid is collected in the fold back region, but the weight of the liquid collected may be adequate to flip the cuff of the glove back, particularly at the reduced thickness regions, thereby spilling all the collected liquid on the user's skin or surgical gown. There is no liquid protection provided below the folded cuff portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,237 to Baldwin discloses drip catching glove construction. This device is for use by mechanics. A drip catching glove construction includes a glove member fabricated from a waterproof material and having an elongated wrist portion. The wrist portion is provided with a collar unit, which includes a peripheral sponge member and a peripheral skirt member, which surrounds the sponge member and defines a liquid containment reservoir. The throat of the reservoir is partially obstructed by the sponge member. The collar unit is separate from the glove and has to be attached. The sponge also needs to be attached. This collar unit of the drip catching glove is not manufacturable by dipping a former in a latex emulsion due to the presence of multiple layers at the same physical location. The '237 disclosure does not teach how this drip catching glove is manufactured. The drip catching glove can only capture as much liquid as absorbed by the sponge and excess liquid may destabilize the single layer of waterproof material. In a second embodiment, a wristlet is worn on bare hand that has an absorbent pad member contained within a waterproof resilient construction provided with a porous covering to admit and trap fluids. There is no glove in this second embodiment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,968,572 to Johnson et al. discloses fluid barrier arm cuff. The present invention is directed to a fluid barrier apparatus for an arm. The apparatus includes a seal portion defining an opening for the arm. The seal restricts passage of fluid between clothing or bare skin and the apparatus. The apparatus includes a basin, which is connected to the seal. The basin collects any fluids running down the arm not passing through the seal or fluids, which may occasionally fall on the basin. The apparatus further includes a lip portion adjacent to the basin, which contains the fluids within the basin. Finally, the apparatus includes a drain for draining the accumulated fluids out of the basin. The drain can be a spout, drain holes, a cutout area in the lip, conduits, tubing, pipes, and the like. The fluid barrier is applied to arm over the skin or clothing to capture dripping liquid. There is no glove provided to protect the skin from contacting the fluid. Any fluid that drips down from the basin reaches the clothing or skin immediately.
U.S. Patent application 20050229287 to Mattesky discloses gloves with easily deployed cuff catcher. The glove body is made from an elastomeric material and is sized and shaped to receive a wearer's hand. The body has a cuff portion including a first end, which is connected to the body, and a second end, which is positioned opposite the first end. The cuff portion includes an annular ridge, which is included as an inserted elastomeric article slipped on a former and cures integrally with the glove body. This annular ridge assists folding over of the cuff of the glove at the annular ridge. When the cuff of the glove is folded, it forms an open pocket, whereby materials falling from the body during the use of the glove can be caught by the pocket. However, the pocket thus formed is of a single layer of latex which may not contain liquids and is subject to folding back spilling out all the liquid or other materials collected on the skin or surgical gown of the user.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a sturdy liquid catching trough positioned at or near the arm of the wearer protecting the skin and surgical gown, thereby preventing unwanted spills and contamination of patients and doctors in the case of a surgical glove. The portion of the arm below the trough needs to be protected from contacting any of the spilled liquid. Moreover, the liquid catching trough must have sufficient rigidity to contain the trapped liquid, not spill the contents on the skin or gown of the wearer. Preferably, the glove with a trough and arm protection should be easy to manufacture as a unitary body having adjustable features to provide a trapping geometry most suited for the user of the glove.

Glove with integrally formed arm trough for capturing liquids and a method therefor


Disclosed is a structured model for developing PIO code and for performing PIO transactions. This model of structured PIO transactions provides a framework with default behaviors. Developers need only provide a minimal amount of configuration information and can then characterize subsequent PIO transactions in terms of a profile, thus reducing the amount of detailed and often redundant information that developers need to provide for each PIO transaction. In some embodiments, the PIO transaction model is expressed in terms of object-oriented programming constructs. In one example, a PIO enabler object captures general PIO operational parameters and manages underlying operating system objects and behavior. When device manager software receives an input/output request that involves a PIO data transfer, the device manager constructs a PIO transaction object that represents the PIO work request. During the processing of the PIO transaction, the PIO transaction object maintains state and status information.

PIO is a set of techniques for moving data from one area of memory in a computing device to another area (usually on a different piece of hardware). The central processing unit (CPU) of the computing device is used throughout a PIO operation because the transferred data all pass through the CPU. Because of this intensive CPU use, and because of the overhead necessary to program the CPU before the transfer, PIO has in many scenarios been replaced by the more efficient (because less CPU-intensive) techniques of DMA (direct memory access). PIO, based on simpler digital logic, still has its place, however, where lower memory transfer rates are acceptable.
Programming PIO transactions is complicated and often confusing. Some confusion arises because different operating systems impose different requirements on software developers who write code for PIO transactions. These developers may have only incomplete knowledge of the PIO requirements and capabilities of a device. Also, the developers may have neither the time nor the inclination to master all of the details of a given device's PIO transactions. In consequence, each developer tries to use only as much of a device's PIO capabilities as is strictly necessary for his tasks. Code supporting PIO transactions is thus implemented in an ad hoc fashion which invites errors and inefficiencies and which does not provide a stable basis for future development.
The resulting situation is that PIO transactions often run at a level of efficiency lower than would otherwise be possible, and ill formed PIO transactions can slow down or even jeopardize the stability of computing systems.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for structured programmed input/output transactions


A semiconductor device may include a first insulating pillar having a substantially Y-shaped cross-sectional structure to define first through third regions, channel pillars formed in the first through third regions, respectively, and second insulating pillars disposed opposite one another across the first through third regions. The semiconductor device may also include third insulating pillars disposed between the second insulating pillars and disposed opposite one another across the first through third regions. The third insulating pillars may extend in a direction intersecting the second insulating pillars.

1. Technical Field
Various embodiments relate generally to semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to a three-dimensional (3D) memory devices.
2. Related Art
A semiconductor device includes a memory device capable of storing data. The memory device includes memory cells. A three-dimensional (3D) memory device includes memory cells stacked at a plurality of layers on a substrate. Thus, the 3D memory device is more advantageous for high integration than a two-dimensional memory device including memory cells disposed at a single layer on a substrate.
To increase the integration density of a 3D memory device, the number of memory cells stacked on a substrate may be increased. As the stacked number of the memory cells increases, however, the stack structure of the memory cells becomes more susceptible to collapsing. As a result, the reliability of the process associated with the manufacturing a 3D memory device may be degraded. This degradation may be due to the stability issues associated with the stacked structure.
A 3D memory device includes a conductive pattern surrounding a channel pillar. As the thickness of the conductive pattern surrounding the channel pillar becomes increases in uniformity, operating reliability of the 3D memory device further improves. However, there may be a reduction in the reliability of a 3D memory device's operations because of the difficulties associated with forming a conductive pattern, surrounding the channel pillar, with a uniform thickness.


A high-dielectric lead-free paste serves for the manufacture of at least one area having a high dielectric constant in a ceramic multilayer circuit. The lead-free dielectric paste is basically made of barium titanate nano powder of a suitable particle size and sinters at temperatures below 1000.degree. C., preferably in a range of 800.degree. C. to 1000.degree. C.

Dielectric pastes sintering at temperatures below 1000.degree. C. are known, which however contain lead as an essential component. In the article "New Capacitor Dielectrics Covering K=2,000-12,000 for Printing and Firing Applications below 1000.degree. C." of the Proceedings of the International Symposium on Microelectronics of 1992, p. 445, a high-dielectric paste sintering below 1000.degree. C., based on lead perowskites, is presented.


The television signal recording/reproducing system digitally records and reproduces television signals composed of a luminance signal, a chrominance signal and a resolution compensation signal included in predetermined television scanning lines. The system includes a Y/C separating circuit for separating the luminance signal Y from the chrominance signal C and a decoder for decoding the color signal into color difference signals C.sub.B, C.sub.R. One of the color difference signals C.sub.B, C.sub.R is combined with the resolution compensation signal, and a digital video signal recorder digitally records the combined resolution signal and the color difference signal. In this manner, the resolution compensation signal is accurately recorded.

The present invention relates to digital video signal recording/reproducing and, more particularly, to digitally recording/reproducing a vertical resolution signal of a video picture as a color signal. Reference is made to copending application Serial No. (to be assigned), filed Nov. 3, 1995 (attorney docket 450100-3367, which describes related subject matter.
Video signals are transmitted from a transmission source to a television and are reconstructed by the television into a video picture. A video signal is comprised of different types of signals, such as information signals describing how the video picture is arranged and data signals corresponding to the actual video picture. Video signals are transmitted to televisions in a standard format so that a television can identify the different signals and process them into a video picture.
The PAL plus standard is one such format employed particularly in European countries and is becoming more popular in the United States. The success of the PAL plus standard is due in part to the movie-screen shape of a PAL plus video picture shown in FIG. 1A. With a PAL plus television, viewers can watch a movie in the comfort of their own home with all of the enjoyment of watching the video picture on a movie-theater screen.
The ratio between the width and the height of the video picture is known as the aspect ratio. The PAL plus standard has a 16:9 aspect ratio, which means that the width is almost twice as large as the height of the PAL plus video picture. By comparison, the NTSC television screen in FIG. 1B (the PAL plus video picture superimposed) has a significantly larger aspect ratio than the NTSC screen. That is, the NTSC screen is shaped more like a square than the rectangular, PAL plus video picture.
With the digital compression era, video picture standards are being modified to include digital compression. The PAL plus standard is one such modified version which grew out of the earlier PAL standard. The digital compression in the PAL plus standard is a 4 to 3 decimation, and as shown in FIG. 1C, compresses four lines of the video picture into three lines. The resulting compressed video picture can be thought of as having an upper screen portion, a middle main screen portion and a lower invalid screen portion.
Since the invalid screen portions do not carry video picture data, the PAL plus standard uses these portions to transmit information relating to the video picture. Such information includes a vertical resolution signal, known as a helper signal, which is generated by decimating the video picture using a 4 to 1 decimation process. The helper signal is used during decompression to reconstruct the vertical resolution of the PAL plus video picture.
FIG. 2A is a more detailed depiction of the decimated PAL plus video picture with the first field (lines 60 to 274) corresponding to a luminance signal Y component, and the second field (lines 372 to 586) corresponding to a color difference signal C.sub.B,C.sub.R component (FIG. 3). During the transmission of lines 1 to 22, 311 to 335 and 623 to 624, no signals are transmitted and the television executes a vertical blanking operation; whereby the electron scanning beam is turned off and reset to the upper-left corner of the television screen. Similarly, during the transmission of samples 1 to 9 and 712 to 731,the television executes a horizontal blanking operation and the electron scanning beam is reset to the next line. WSS bits which indicate that a helper signal is forthcoming are located at the beginning of the video picture on line 23. A reference signal which is used to decode the helper signal follows the WSS bits on line 23. Then, the helper signal is transmitted during lines 24 to 59, which correspond to the upper invalid screen portion. The main screen portion is transmitted during lines 60 to 274, wherein the data making up the video picture is transmitted. Finally, another portion of the helper signal is transmitted during lines 274 to 310, thus completing transmission of field 1. Field 2 (lines 336 to 623 is transmitted in a similar fashion to field 1.
The PAL plus standard ascribes to a 4:2:2 (Y:C.sub.R :C.sub.B) sampling scheme corresponding to Recommendation 601 of CCIR (International Radio Consultative Committee; now, ITU-RS). In other words, for every four samples, the luminance signal Y is sampled four times and the color difference signals C.sub.B,C.sub.R are each sampled twice. Thus, the luminance samples signal Y are stored in field 1, while the color difference signals are "doubled-up" and stored together in field 2, as shown in FIG. 2A.
While the PAL plus signal is depicted as a picture in FIG. 2A, the PAL plus signal is transmitted as the stream of data depicted in FIG. 4A. Valid lines 23 to 622 are by sync pulses and each line is separated by horizontal sync pulses. The PAL plus signal begins at line 23 and is shown with the WSS signal and the reference of the helper signal; and ends at line 622. The vertical blanking interval begins at line 623 and includes the white 100% reference level, which indicates the value corresponding to a 100% white portion of the video picture. An analog signal corresponding to the video picture transmitted during the main portions of the PAL plus signal is shown in FIG. 4B. Following the video signal, the helper signal is shown as an analog signal. FIG. 4C shows line 23 in more detail with the WSS signal arranged as a series of bits. FIG. 4D shows line 623 in more detail of the PAL plus signal, wherein the white 100% level reference has a maximum value of 235 and a pedestal is set to 16.
As shown in FIG. 2B, another video picture standard is the EDTV-2 video picture which has a similar configuration to the PAL plus video picture shown in FIG. 2A. As shown, the EDTV-2 video picture has two fields with each field having upper and lower invalid portions and a middle valid portion. The upper and lower invalid portions are multiplexed with vertical resolution signals VT and VH and the middle valid portion is multiplexed with a horizontal resolution signal HH. The VT signal is a vertical time high-band component that is lost in the interlace process when a video signal photographed in the double speed non-interlace mode is transmitted by the interlace mode; and the VH signal is a vertical luminance high-band component that is lost when a video signal with an aspect ratio of 16:9 is formed by decimation into the letter box shape. The HH signal is a horizontal luminance high-band component with a band ranging from 4.2 MHz to 6 MHz and is frequency shifted and multiplexed to the Fukinuki hole (an area in the vertical/temporal frequency domain where the color signals are not located) of the main screen portion. Thus, data in the vertical blanking interval and the horizontal blanking interval is omitted while lines 23 to 232 of a field 1 and lines 285 to 524 of a field 2 are encoded.
Similar to the PAL plus system, EDTV-2 also includes reference signals. NRZ signals (B1 to B4) that represent an aspect ratio are disposed on lines 22 and 285. Identification (ID) signals are disposed that represent whether or not signal components of VT, VH, and HH are present (the ID signals are modulated with a color sub-carrier and identify whether the signal components VT, VH, and HH are present depending upon whether the phase of the modulated signals are phase 0 or in phase with the color sub-carrier). Lastly, a 2.04 MHz confirmation signal that identifies the video signal as a signal corresponding to the EDTV-2 standard is disposed.
A problem arises when a resolution compensation signal is digitally recorded by a digital VCR. As shown in FIG. 5, the luminance Y signal has a bandwidth of approximately 5 MHz and a center frequency of about 2.25 MHz. The chrominance signal C, by contrast, has a smaller bandwidth of about one MHz. The helper signal shown in FIG. 5B has the same center frequency as the chrominance signal C, but has a bandwidth which is within the range of the luminance signal Y. When the helper signal in the first field of the PAL plus video signal is processed as a color signal C the helper signal is truncated because the bandwidth of the chrominance signal C (one MHz) is significantly smaller than the helper signal (five MHz). Thus, the helper signal has not been, heretofore, properly processed and stored on digital media.

Digital video signal recording/reproducing apparatus for storing a vertical resolution signal


The present invention involves methods and apparatus for permanent downhole deployment of optical sensors. Specifically, optical sensors may be permanently deployed within a wellbore using a casing string. In one aspect, one or more optical sensors are disposed on, in, or within the casing string. The optical sensors may be attached to an outer surface of the casing string or to an inner surface of the casing string, as well as embedded within a wall of the casing string. The optical sensors are capable of measuring wellbore parameters during wellbore operations, including completion, production, and intervention operations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for use in oil and gas wellbores. More particularly, the invention relates to using instrumentation to monitor downhole conditions within wellbores.
2. Description of the Related Art
In well completion operations, a wellbore is formed to access hydrocarbon-bearing formations by the use of drilling. Drilling is accomplished by utilizing a drill bit that is mounted on the end of a drill support member, commonly known as a drill string. To drill within the wellbore to a predetermined depth, the drill string is often rotated by a top drive or rotary table on a surface platform or rig, or by a downhole motor mounted towards the lower end of the drill string. After drilling to a predetermined depth, the drill string and drill bit are removed and a section of casing is lowered into the wellbore. An annular area is thus formed between the string of casing and the formation. The casing string is temporarily hung from the surface of the well. A cementing operation may optionally be conducted in order to fill the annular area with cement and set the casing string within the wellbore. Using apparatus known in the art, the casing string may be cemented into the wellbore by circulating cement into the annular area defined between the outer wall of the casing and the borehole. The amount and extent of cement in the annular area may vary from a small amount of cement only at the lower portion of the annulus to a large amount of cement extending to the surface or the top of the casing string. The combination of cement and casing strengthens the wellbore and facilitates the isolation of certain areas of the formation behind the casing for the production of hydrocarbons.
It is common to employ more than one string of casing in a wellbore. In this respect, the well is drilled to a first designated depth with a drill bit on a drill string. The drill string is removed. A first string of casing or conductor pipe is then run into the wellbore and set in the drilled out portion of the wellbore, and cement may be circulated into the annulus behind the casing string. Next, the well is drilled to a second designated depth, and a second string of casing, or liner, is run into the drilled out portion of the wellbore. The second string is set at a depth such that the upper portion of the second string of casing overlaps the lower portion of the first string of casing. The second liner string is then fixed, or "hung" off of the existing casing by the use of slips which utilize slip members and cones to wedgingly fix the new string of liner in the wellbore. The second casing string may then be cemented. This process is typically repeated with additional casing strings until the well has been drilled to total depth. As more casing strings are set in the wellbore, the casing strings become progressively smaller in diameter in order to fit within the previous casing string. In this manner, wells are typically formed with two or more strings of casing of an ever-decreasing diameter.
As an alternative to the conventional method, drilling with casing is a method increasingly used to place casing strings of decreasing diameter within the wellbore. This method involves attaching a cutting structure in the form of a drill bit to the same string of casing which will line the wellbore. Rather than running a drill bit on a smaller diameter drill string, the drill bit or drill shoe is run in at the end of the larger diameter of casing that will remain in the wellbore and may be cemented therein. Drilling with casing is often the preferred method of well completion because only one run-in of the working string into the wellbore is necessary to form and line the wellbore.
While drilling the drill string or the casing string into the formation, drilling fluid is ordinarily circulated through the inner diameter of the casing string or drill string, out through the casing string or drill string, and up around the outer diameter of the casing string or drill string. Typically, passages are formed through the drill bit to allow circulation of the drill fluid. Fluid circulation prevents collapse of the formation around the drill string or casing string, forces the cuttings produced by the drill bit drilling through the formation out from the wellbore and up to the surface rather than allowing the cuttings to enter the inner diameter of the drill string or casing string, and facilitates the drilling process by forming a path through the formation for the drill bit.
Recent developments have allowed sensing of parameters within the wellbore and within the formation during the life of a producing well. Typically, the drill string or casing string with the drill bit attached thereto is drilled into the formation to a depth. When drilling with the drill string, the drill string is removed, a casing string is placed within the drilled-out wellbore, and the casing string may be cemented into the wellbore. When drilling with casing, the casing string may be cemented into place once it has drilled to the desired depth within the formation. Production tubing is then inserted into the casing string, and perforations are placed through the production tubing, casing string, cement around the casing string, and the formation at the desired depth for production of hydrocarbons. The production tubing may have sensors therearound for sensing wellbore and formation parameters while drilling and during production operations.
Historically, monitoring systems have used electronic components to provide pressure, temperature, flow rate and water fraction on a real-time basis. These monitoring systems employ temperature gauges, pressure gauges, acoustic sensors, seismic sensors, electromagnetic sensors, and other instruments or "sondes", including those which provide nuclear measurements, disposed within the wellbore. Such instruments are either battery operated, or are powered by electrical cables deployed from the surface. The monitoring systems have historically been configured to provide an electrical line that allows the measuring instruments, or sensors, to send measurements to the surface.
Recently, optical sensors have been developed which communicate readings from the wellbore to optical signal processing equipment located at the surface. Optical sensors may be disposed along the production tubing within a wellbore. An optical line or cable is run from the surface to the optical sensor downhole. The optical sensor may be a pressure gauge, temperature gauge, acoustic sensor, seismic sensor, or other sonde. The optical line transmits optical signals to the optical signal processor at the surface.
The optical signal processing equipment includes an excitation light source. Excitation light may be provided by a broadband light source, such as a light emitting diode (LED) located within the optical signal processing equipment. The optical signal processing equipment also includes appropriate equipment for delivery of signal light to the sensor(s), e.g., Bragg gratings or lasers and couplers which split the signal light into more than one leg for delivery to more than one sensor. Additionally, the optical signal processing equipment includes appropriate optical signal analysis equipment for analyzing the return signals from the Bragg gratings.
The optical line is typically designed so as to deliver pulses or continuous signals of optic energy from the light source to the optical sensor(s). The optical cable is also often designed to withstand the high temperatures and pressures prevailing within a hydrocarbon wellbore. Preferably, the optical cable includes an internal optical fiber which is protected from mechanical and environmental damage by a surrounding capillary tube. The capillary tube is made of a high strength, rigid-walled, corrosion-resistant material, such as stainless steel. The tube is attached to the sensor by appropriate means, such as threads, a weld, or other suitable method. The optical fiber contains a light guiding core which guides light along the fiber. The core preferably employs one or more Bragg gratings to act as a resonant cavity and to also interact with the sonde.
While optical sensors placed on production tubing allow measurements while the production tubing is located within the wellbore, the sensors on production tubing do not allow monitoring of wellbore and formation conditions during the drilling and well completion operations and after the production tubing is removed from the wellbore. Thus, the sensors are only deployed temporarily while the production tubing is within the wellbore. Furthermore, when employing seismic sensors which need to be coupled to the formation, sensors located on production tubing are located at a distance from the formation, so that measurements of formation parameters derive some inaccuracy due to signal attenuation of the sensor without coupling the sensor to the formation. Coupling the sensors to the formation requires complicated maneuvers and equipment across the distance between the production tubing and the formation.
Accordingly, there is a need for apparatus and methods for permanently deploying measurement devices. There is a need for apparatus and methods for measuring wellbore and formation conditions throughout drilling and well completion operations, well production operations, and the remaining operations of a well. Furthermore, there is a need for apparatus and methods for locating measurement devices closer to the formation than is currently possible to increase the accuracy of the measured parameters and to facilitate coupling of the optical sensors to the formation.

Permanent downhole deployment of optical sensors


The present invention provides a retroreflective sheeting including: optical elements arranged in substantially a monolayer; a spacing layer in which the optical elements are at least partially embedded; a specularly reflecting layer underlying the spacing layer; and a bead bond layer in which the optical elements are at least partially embedded. The bead bond layer includes an aminoplast-crosslinked polymer comprising urethane groups, wherein prior to crosslinking the polymer has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of less than about 0.degree. C.

Heretofore, a number of retroreflective sheeting products have been marketed. A typical example is characterized by a single layer of tiny optical elements embedded in a polymeric bead bond layer and in a polymeric spacing layer. The spacing layer is typically backed by a specularly reflective layer and an adhesive with a strippable protective layer (i.e., a release liner). The bead bond layer is typically surfaced with a top film. Retroreflective sheetings such as this are known as "embedded" lens sheeting (or often as "enclosed" lens sheeting). The first example of an embedded-lens sheeting was taught by U.S. Pat. No. 2,407,680 (Palmquist et al.). See also, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,551,025 (Bingham et al.), 3,795,435 (Schwab), 4,664,966 (Bailey et al.), 4,530,859 (Grunzinger, Jr.), 4,721,649 (Belisle et al.), 4,725,494 (Belisle et al.), and 4,808,471 (Grunzinger).
Certain of the bead bond layers described in these patents are tacky prior to final cure when the optical elements are applied and set, whereas others are nontacky. Some of the layers, including the bead bond layers, are made of polyurethanes, which may or may not be crosslinked. Such sheeting has been sold commercially for many years in large volume and to the general satisfaction of its users. Despite this general satisfaction, there has been a desire for an improvement in certain properties of the sheeting as technology advances and as decentralized manufacturing expands. For example, it is desired to produce retroreflective sheeting which has greater conformability and embossability, particularly under high speed embossing forces, than retroreflective sheeting heretofore known in the art.

Conformable embossable retroreflective sheeting

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


The present invention includes a system for removing drift from a head-worn gyro, which utilizes forward and rearward looking IR sensors, which are used to determine if gyro output signals, which indicate downward or upward rotation of the head, are correct.

In the past, Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) gyroscopes (gyro) have been widely available in the industry, but with their unavoidable drift, often provide insufficient performance for use for head tracking systems, unless some calibrating or corrective augmentation of the MEMS is employed.
Head tracking has been known to be used for gyroscopic or inertial measurement augmentation. Such augmentation has been done with optical, ultrasonic, and magnetic techniques, each with various deficiencies.
One common deficiency is that they often are limited to use in controlled environments, such as an aircraft cockpit. When an open and/or uncontrolled environment exists, such as with a person walking outdoors, the necessary hardware to perform precise head tracking is often expensive, heavy and power hungry. With these deficiencies, prior art head tracking systems may have been believed to be unsuitable for augmentation of inertial measurement units for many head tracking systems.
The present invention overcomes one or more of these problems.