A broadhead includes a ferrule for mounting an arrowshaft, the ferrule having a locking portion. At least two blades are mounted on the ferrule (three are used in the preferred embodiment), the blades being coupled to the ferrule in their center portions by notches that mate with the locking portion of the ferrule. A locking nut is mounted on a rear portion of the ferrule for holding the three blades in place on the ferrule when the locking nut is tightened.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to arrowheads for arrows, particularly to broadhead arrowheads, and specifically to broadhead arrowheads formed from replaceable and interchangeable components.
2. Related Art
The sport of archery includes activities ranging from target practice to game hunting, and the art of providing arrows suitable for each of such purposes has become highly developed. Archery is a type of leisure activity having a very active following. There is a continual demand in the archery field for improved equipment including arrowheads for arrow shanks. Specifically, a need exists for arrowheads that are strong and durable even though of an assembled nature. Further, such arrowheads should allow ease of assembly to allow the use of replaceable and interchangeable components including blades allowing the cutting edges of the arrowhead to be sharpened or replaced. Furthermore, even though easily disassembled by the user, such arrowheads should not fall apart in use even when hitting firm or solid objects such as bones. Additionally, such arrowheads should have a minimal weight ratio to allow use of heavier blades while minimizing the total weight. Likewise, such arrowheads should maximize the cutting edges of the blades and provide minimum resistance for maximum penetration.
A great many types of arrowheads have been developed, with each designed to serve a particular purpose and having specific operating characteristics. Thus, arrowheads specifically intended for hunting large, thick-skinned, heavy-boned game such as bear have been developed. Additionally, heads particularly suitable for hunting large thinner-skinned, lighter-boned game such as deer have been developed. Arrowheads have also been developed for hunting fowl, particularly turkey, for hunting squirrels and other small game, and for bow-fishing. When such specially designed arrowheads are attached to the arrow shaft in non-releasable fashion, it is necessary for the archer to have a wide range of arrows, some for target shooting, some for hunting larger game, some for smaller game.
Arrowheads with interchangeable blades have been proposed in an effort to increase the versatility of the arrowhead while economizing in the amount of materials needed for production. Systems typical of this general approach are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,758 to Richter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,479 to Sherwin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,226 to Sorenson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,330 to Kosbab. Such systems typically employ a plurality of independent blades, each of which can be fitted into a different one of a plurality of slots in a central body. Usually, the blades are then clamped by axially-acting clamp members that are separate from the arrowhead body, or the body itself may act as a clamp member. Since a plurality of blades are clamped, the blades tend to be held less securely and tend to become loose during use. Since the blades themselves must be clamped to the arrowhead body, there is an increased likelihood that the blades will fracture or shear on impact, at or near the points where the blade is clamped. Moreover, leading edge clamps are blunt, as compared to the edges of the blades, which impedes penetration.
While prior-art proposals have achieved significant acceptance in the trade, there has been a continuing need for improvement, particularly in the ease of assembly of the arrowhead and its ability, once assembled, to withstand the rigors of actual use.

Archery broadhead with replaceable blades


A method of forming a gate of a semiconductor device includes providing a semiconductor substrate over which a first conductive layer, a dielectric layer and a second conductive layer are formed. The second conductive layer is patterned to expose a part of the dielectric layer. A first protection layer is formed on sidewalls of the second conductive layer. A first etch process is performed to remove the exposed dielectric layer and to expose a part of the first conductive layer. A second protection layer is formed on sidewalls of the second conductive layer. A second etch process is performed to remove the exposed first conductive layer.

The present invention relates, in general, to semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to a method of forming a gate of a semiconductor device, which prevents a bowing profile from occurring during a gate etch process.
A NAND flash memory device has non-volatile memory properties including programming and erase characteristics, and a structure that is advantageous for high integration. The flash memory device has a structure in which a floating gate and a control gate are formed over a semiconductor substrate with a dielectric layer disposed therebetween. A gate insulating layer is formed below the floating gate.
The NAND flash memory device is formed by laminating the gate insulating layer, the floating gate, the dielectric layer, the control gate, etc., over the semiconductor substrate and then patterning by a gate etch process. This process is performed using etch conditions suitable for material for forming the respective layers in an in-situ manner. However, layers other than etch targets are patterned and sidewalls of the layers are exposed. Accordingly, problems arise because the layers other than the etch targets are unnecessarily etched and bowing occurs on sidewalls of a gate pattern.

Method of forming a gate of a semiconductor device


The present disclosure provides a method and an apparatus for adjusting a process control prediction model, and a process controller. In an embodiment, the method includes: determining, based on controlled variable data in process control data obtained through real-time monitoring, whether a prediction performance of the process control prediction model is lower than a reference performance; and when the prediction performance is determined to be lower than the reference performance, using manipulated variable data in the process control data monitored to adjust the process control prediction model. By way of the method, a re-test does not need to be executed to re-identify a model so as to eliminate a mismatch of the process control prediction model, thereby eliminating an influence of fluctuation introduced by addition of an excitation signal during the re-testing.

In the field of process control, a model predictive controller (Model Predictive Controller, MPC) is the most popular advanced process controller (Advanced Process Controller, APC), which has a dynamic model of the process. A future change trend of a manipulated variable (Manipulated Variable, MV) in the MPC controller is determined by carrying out an optimization to maximize benefits of a factory under manipulated constraints. Because the MPC controller has the advantage of global optimization, the MPC controller has been widely used in industrial production.

Method and apparatus for adjusting process control prediction model and process controller


An integrally formed, injection molded merchandise display hook for mounting on spaced-apart, parallel rods has a resiliently-deformable mounting clip adapted to mount to the rods, and a label support arm and a merchandise support arm extending outwardly from the mounting clip. A stabilizing member spans between the label support arm and the merchandise support arm and is spaced a short distance from the mounting clip to provide rigidity and to maintain the arms in a parallel relationship.

Display hooks, which are removably mountable on fixed support structure, are in widespread usage for displaying carded merchandise for sale. In many cases, such merchandise display hooks are combined with label-mounting means for presenting product information and pricing in association with the carded merchandise. A common form of such label-mounting means consists of a label support arm projecting above and generally parallel to a merchandise supporting arm, which label support arm holds a label-holding device, such as a pivoting label holder, at its forward extremity, advantageously in a position directly in front of the outer end of the merchandise display hook. The label-mounting means, in such cases, serves an additional function as a means for guarding the outer end of the display hook element against accidental contact.
One form of mounting means for such display hooks comprises a snap-on mounting clip adapted to be mounted on a suitable support structure, such as horizontal cross bars or on spaced-apart, parallel rods, such as in the ladder rack strip structure described in the applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 657,797, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
The present invention is directed to a merchandise display hook of the general type described above which is adapted to be formed from a unitary piece of injection molded plastic. To this end, the device of the invention includes an integral mounting clip adapted to be removably mounted on the support structure, such as the cross bar or rack strips previously referred to. The merchandise support arm and label support arm are parallel and extend outwardly from the mounting clip, and the label support arm can include a cross bar element, as discussed above, for pivotal support of a label holder. The mounting clip and support arms are formed as a unitary injection molding of plastic material. Pursuant to the invention, a stabilizing member spans between the merchandise support arm and the label support arm at a short distance spaced outwardly from the mounting clip to maintain the support arms in parallel relation, and to aid in mounting and removal.

All-plastic merchandise display hook with label holder


An orifice fitting with an orifice plate centered in the flow passage of an orifice fitting via direct contact between a cradle and the orifice plate. The orifice plate is centered via the use of an orifice plate carrier having two channels on its downstream side and two slots located in the bottom portion of the seat, which is located on the plate carrier's upstream side. The plate fits into the seat and a bottom portion of the plate's peripheral edge protrudes through the slots. A cradle having locating surfaces fits through the channels in the orifice plate carrier and firmly holds the orifice plate against the orifice plate carrier. The cradle can be positioned and then secured in place by two adjustable set screws and a stem piece of the cradle. Once the orifice plate has been centered via the positioning of the cradle, the stem piece of the cradle and the set screws can be welded into the body of the orifice fitting. Alternatively, the cradle may be formed from weld metal added to the body of the orifice fitting and machined to define the cradle, or can be machined from a portion of the cast metal cradle. The method of the present invention involves the use of a cradle having locating surfaces to center an orifice plate in an orifice fitting by inserting the locating surfaces of the cradle in channels in an orifice plate carrier so that the locating surfaces contact and hold a bottom portion of the peripheral edge of the orifice plate and then positioning the cradle so as to center the plate.

Orifice fitting devices are useful in measuring the flow of fluids in pipelines. An orifice fitting commonly includes, among other things, an orifice plate, which has a restricted bore. As is well known, where a fluid flows through a restricted orifice in a pipeline, a pressure differential is developed across the upstream and downstream sides of the orifice. This pressure differential can be detected and measured. Indeed, the pressure differential, together with other factors such as pressure, type of fluid, temperature and so forth, can be used to calculate the amount of the fluid which flows through pipeline during the given time period.
As is well known, orifice fittings can be used to measure, among other things, the flow of natural gas through gas pipelines. In fact, orifice fittings are used as the primary method of measuring natural gas as it flows through pipelines throughout the world. Orifice fittings of a type heretofore used in natural gas pipelines include a square orifice plate carrier that has a recess in it that accepts an orifice plate and a seal. In a dual-chambered orifice fitting, the plate carrier assembly (i.e., the combination of the orifice plate carrier, the orifice plate, and a seal), can be lowered into or removed from its position in the flow passage of the orifice fitting by an operator. The plate carrier assembly's position within the fitting (and more specifically, within the flow passage of the fitting) of this type of orifice fitting is held by three fixed-in-place screws. An operator typically centers the plate carrier assembly in the vertical direction by adjusting one of the three screws and then adjusting the other two screws for horizontal centering. This is done by a trial and error method where the operator puts the carrier assembly in the fitting, adjusts the screws, takes a measurement, and then readjusts the screws. This process is typically repeated until the orifice plate's bore is centered within the flow passage of the orifice fitting.
A variety of orifice fittings, orifice plates, and orifice plate carriers have been suggested over the years. Typical prior art orifice fittings, orifice plates and orifice plate carriers, as well as other devices, are those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,817,287, 4,444,224, 4,478,251, 4,593,915, 4,633,911, 4,750,524, 5,042,531, 5,094,272, and the 1990 brochure entitled "Superior Dual Chamber Orifice Fitting," published by Superior Measurement Equipment of Houston, Tex., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,287 describes an orifice fitting with a saddle for receiving an orifice plate and seal and allows installation and removal of orifice plates without the necessity of depressurizing the line to which the orifice fitting is attached. U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,224 describes another orifice plate mechanism that allows installation and removal of orifice plates without the necessity of depressurizing the line to which the orifice fitting is attached. This patent also describes the use of an ejector plate, which supports the orifice plate between gear operated seat members. The gear operated seat members hold the orifice plate in place in the flow passage during operation of the orifice fitting; the orifice plate is inserted, held in place and removed via a relatively complicated system of gears and cams and requires the use of a specially designed orifice plate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,251 describes orifice plates and specifically, an orifice fitting seal assembly comprising internal seal rings, an external locking ring, an outer pair of O-ring sealing elements, and an inner pair of O-ring sealing elements. U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,915 describes an orifice plate seal ring for use in an orifice fitting, comprising two seal rings composed of sufficiently hard material as to resist swelling or distortion under high pressures and/or high temperatures. U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,911 describes an orifice plate seal ring having a U-cup spring located within circumferential grooves in the seal ring, where the seal ring completely encases the outer circumference of the orifice plate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,524 describes an apparatus for changing orifice plates in orifice fittings, but requires a specially designed rectangular parallelepipedal orifice plate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,531 describes an energized seal for use in orifice fitting wherein a hollow pin containing a piston mounted on the orifice plate carrier is used to energize the seal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,272 describes an orifice plate seal which can be adjusted to allow the desired amount of interference fit between the orifice plate carrier and the seat slot.
Large commercial transactions, such as sales of natural gas, are based on the data generated by measurements made with the use of orifice fittings. Because of this, orifice fittings generally and, more particularly, orifice plates, have been studied in detail. To bring uniformity and accuracy to such measurements, various organizations have promulgated written standards dealing with orifice plates.
Industry standards require "concentricity"; i.e., they require that the center of the orifice plate's bore and the center of the flow passage (as defined by the upstream and downstream inside walls of the flow passage) to be within certain tolerance limits. This is because the orifice or bore defined by the orifice plate must be "centered" within the flow passage of the fitting to ensure accurate measurement of the pressure differential. To be centered, the orifice plate's bore must be concentric with the inside wall of the flow passage of the fitting. If the orifice plate's bore were perfectly concentric within the flow passage of the fitting, the center of the orifice plate bore would be the same distance, in all directions, from both the upstream and downstream inside walls of the fitting. Deviations from perfect concentricity of the orifice plate bore are normally termed "eccentricity" by natural gas industry standards for orifice plates. As used herein, "eccentricity" is used to describe the amount of a deviation from perfect concentricity.
Until fairly recently, most standards allowed the orifice plate to be centered within the pipeline with somewhat liberal tolerance. In 1980, a new International Standard, ISO-5167, was promulgated. This standard drastically reduced the preexisting tolerances. Because of these new tolerances, this new standard focused new attention on the centering of the orifice plate. More recently, revised standards with revised tolerances for centering an orifice plate's bore have been issued. An example of such a revised standard is the standard set forth in Chapter 14, Section 3 of the 1991 version of the API Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards, which is incorporated by reference herein. In conjunction with the revised standards for tolerances of "eccentricity," more rigorous industry standards have been imposed on the maximum allowable eccentricity of the bores of orifice plates. For example, Chapter 14, Section 3 of the 1991 version of the API Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards sets a revised standard for concentricity that has been accepted by the American Gas Association, the Gas Processors Association and as an American National Standard (ANSI). Similar centering requirements set forth in the above standards have also been adopted by a revised International Standard ISO-5167, formally entitled "Measurements of Fluid Flow by Means of Pressure Differential Devices, 1991 Edition," thus establishing world-wide acceptance of similar standards for centering an orifice plate bore within an orifice fitting's flow passage.
Such current industry standards provide a maximum eccentricity value for deviations from perfect concentricity in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The "horizontal" direction, as used herein, is defined for convenience as the direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the flow passage and parallel to the plane of the pressure taps used to measure the pressure differential, as shown by the arrow labeled "H" in FIG. 2. The "vertical" direction, as used herein, is defined for convenience as the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the flow passage and perpendicular to the plane of the pressure taps, as shown by the arrow labeled "V" in FIG. 2. Hence, references herein to "up," "down," "top," "bottom," and the like will be understood to follow the convention for "vertical" and "horizontal" noted above. These definitions follow the usage of the API Standards discussed above. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that an orifice fitting may need to be installed in an unusual position because of surrounding conditions, such as a pipe or the like, or to facilitate the measurement of moist gases. In such cases, terms such as "vertical" and "horizontal" and the like will still be understood in reference to the directions as defined above.
One method of determining eccentricity values is described in Chapter 14, Section 3, Paragraph 184.108.40.206 of the 1991 version of the API Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards. In this method, the perpendicular distance between the edge of an installed orifice plate's bore and the inside wall of the pipeline is measured at the location of a pressure tap, a well known device typically used to measure the pressure differential in an orifice fitting. Typically, the pressure differential is measured by the use of two pressure taps, one located on the upstream side of the orifice plate and one located on the downstream side of the orifice plate. As is well known in the art, these pressure taps are aligned in the same plane as the direction of flow of the fluid, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the flow passage and each extends inward through the flow passage of the orifice fitting to the flow of fluid.
The same measurements are then taken on the opposite side of the flow passage, 180 degrees from the location of the first measurement. One half of the difference between the two measurements represents the eccentricity value in the horizontal direction. Two similar measurements ate then taken in the vertical direction. (This method assumes that the orifice plate's bore and the inside wall of the pipeline are round to within a tolerance smaller than the maximum allowable eccentricity value.) One means of making such eccentricity measurements is by the use of an eccentricity gauge, such as the TCS Eccentricity Gauge marketed by TCS Sales of Bossier City, La. Other technically valid techniques for measuring eccentricity are also acceptable under this API standard and are well known to those skilled in the art.
Very small deviations from concentricity in the horizontal direction can cause relatively large errors in the pressure differential measurement. The pressure differential measurement is not as sensitive to deviation from concentricity in the vertical direction. Therefore, industry standards generally impose tolerance limits in the horizontal eccentricity value that are more stringent than the tolerances allowed in the vertical direction. For example, the standard set forth in Chapter 14, Section 3 of the 1991 version of the API Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards imposes a horizontal eccentricity tolerance four times tighter than its vertical tolerance. The problems in maintaining acceptable values of eccentricity in the horizontal direction are exacerbated by the fact that orifice fitting devices are sometimes installed in a sideways position to facilitate flow measurement in moist gases. When the orifice fitting is installed horizontally, the horizontal direction (as previously defined herein) is perpendicular to the ground, and thus, gravity can contribute to or exacerbate existing deviations from concentricity in the horizontal direction.
One way in which eccentricity tolerances have been met (i.e., the orifice plate bore has been centered) in the past has been by manufacturing the orifice plate, the orifice plate's bore, the orifice plate carrier, and the seals to extremely tight tolerances, and then manually positioning the orifice plate carrier in place. The orifice plate carrier was typically positioned through the use of adjustable set screws. The set screws would be manually adjusted by an operator in response to repeated measurements to determine eccentricity, until the centering of the orifice plate carrier was accomplished. The set screws would then be welded in place.
One disadvantage of this technique is that the tolerances associated with the manufacture of the orifice plate, the orifice plate's bore, the orifice plate carrier, the seals, the clearance required between the plate carrier and the set screws, and the inside diameter of the orifice fitting are cumulative. As is well known in the art, where there is a "stacking" of tolerances, the resulting assembly may not meet the applicable requirements even though each of the individual components meet its own rather restrictive tolerance. Hence, even though each of the components in a typical plate carrier assembly might fall within the specified tolerances, the horizontal eccentricity value of such assemblies would still exceed the industry standard.
Further, the industry standards do not set a standard for the outer diameter of the orifice plate, or the tolerance limits within which this dimension must be maintained. This fact introduces more uncertainty into the centering of the orifice plate carrier assembly, since centering the entire orifice plate carrier assembly to center the orifice plate's bore is dependent upon the tolerances of the constituent parts of the orifice plate carrier assembly.
Additional difficulties arise from other components. For example, the seal is typically made from an elastomeric material. Such materials are often difficult to mold to the restrictive tolerances required. The seal tends to swell over its lifetime. Since such swelling is not always perfectly uniform, it introduces more error into the initial centering process. Also, because the seals used in typical orifice plate carrier assemblies completely surround the outer circumference of the orifice plate, they prohibit movement of the orifice plate. As a result, the orifice plate and therefore, the orifice plate's bore, often must be centered by aligning the orifice plate within the seal, then the seal within the plate carrier, and then the plate carrier within the fitting, rather than by centering the orifice plate itself. Hence, the bore of the orifice plate was centered within the pipeline bore only indirectly, not directly. Moreover, this process involved a substantial amount of effort by human operators.

Apparatus and method for centering an orifice plate


The present invention provides a method and apparatus for setting concentric casing strings within a wellbore in one run-in of a casing working string. In one aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises a drilling system comprising concentric casing strings, with each casing string having a drill bit piece disposed at the lower end thereof. The drill bit pieces of adjacent casing strings are releasably connected to one another. In another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for setting concentric casing strings within a wellbore with the drilling system. In another aspect of the invention, the releasably connected drill bit pieces comprise a drill bit assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for forming a wellbore in a well. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and apparatus for forming a wellbore by drilling with casing. More specifically still, the invention relates to drilling a well with drill bit pieces connected to concentric casing strings.
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 is then conducted in order to fill the annular area with cement. Using apparatus known in the art, the casing string is cemented into the wellbore by circulating cement into the annular area defined between the outer wall of the casing and the borehole. 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.
In some drilling operations, such as deepwater well completion operations, a conductor pipe is initially placed into the wellbore as a first string of casing. A conductor pipe is the largest diameter pipe that will be placed into the wellbore. The top layer of deepwater wells primarily consists of mud; therefore, the conductor pipe often may merely be pushed downward into the wellbore rather than drilled into the wellbore. To prevent the mud from filling the interior of the conductor pipe, it is necessary to jet the pipe into the ground by forcing pressurized fluid through the inner diameter of the conductor pipe concurrent with pushing the conductor pipe into the wellbore. The fluid and the mud are thus forced to flow upward outside the conductor pipe, so that the conductor pipe remains essentially hollow to receive casing strings of decreasing diameter, as described below.
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 is 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 is then cemented. This process is typically repeated with additional casing strings until the well has been drilled to total depth. In this manner, wells are typically formed with two or more strings of casing of an ever-decreasing diameter.
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 a drilling operation, the drill bit for drilling to the next predetermined depth must thus become progressively smaller as the diameter of each casing string decreases in order to fit within the previous casing string. Therefore, multiple drill bits of different sizes are ordinarily necessary for drilling in well completion operations.
Well completion operations are typically accomplished using one of two methods. The first method involves first running the drill string with the drill bit attached thereto into the wellbore to concentrically drill a hole in which to set the casing string. The drill string must then be removed. Next, the casing string is run into the wellbore on a working string and set within the hole within the wellbore. These two steps are repeated as desired with progressively smaller drill bits and casing strings until the desired depth is reached. For this method, two run-ins into the wellbore are required per casing string that is set into the wellbore.
The second method of performing well completion operations involves drilling with casing, as opposed to the first method of drilling and then setting the casing. In this method, the casing string is run into the wellbore along with a drill bit for drilling the subsequent, smaller diameter hole located in the interior of the casing string. In a deepwater drilling operation, the conductor pipe includes a drill bit upon run-in of the first casing string which only operates after placement of the conductor pipe by the above described means. The drill bit is operated by concentric rotation of the drill string from the surface of the wellbore. After the conductor pipe is set into the wellbore, the first drill bit is then actuated to drill a subsequent, smaller diameter hole. The first drill bit is then retrieved from the wellbore. The second working string comprises a smaller casing string with a second drill bit in the interior of the casing string. The second drill bit is smaller than the first drill bit so that it fits within the second, smaller casing string. The second casing string is set in the hole that was drilled by the first drill bit on the previous run-in of the first casing string. The second, smaller drill bit then drills a smaller hole for the placement of the third casing upon the next run-in of the casing string. Again the drill bit is retrieved, and subsequent assemblies comprising casing strings with drill bits in the interior of the casing strings are operated until the well is completed to a desired depth. This method requires at least one run-in into the wellbore per casing string that is set into the wellbore.
Both prior art methods of well completion require several run-ins of the casing working string and/or drill string to place subsequent casing strings into the wellbore. Each run-in of the strings to set subsequent casing within the wellbore is more expensive, as labor costs and equipment costs increase upon each run-in. Accordingly, it is desirable to minimize the number of run-ins of casing working strings and/or drill strings required to set the necessary casing strings within the wellbore to the desired depth.
Furthermore, each run-in of the drill string and/or casing string requires attachment of a different size drill bit to the drill string and/or casing string. Again, this increases labor and equipment costs, as numerous drill bits must be purchased and transported and labor must be utilized to attach the drill bits of decreasing size.
Therefore, a need exists for a drilling system that can set multiple casing strings within the wellbore upon one run-in of the casing working string. Drilling with multiple casing strings temporarily attached concentrically to each other increases the amount of casing that can be set in one run-in of the casing string. Moreover, a need exists for a drill bit assembly which permits drilling with one drill bit for subsequent strings of casing of decreasing diameter. One embodiment of the drilling system of the present invention employs a drilling assembly with one drill bit comprising drill bit pieces releasably connected. Thus, one drill bit is used to drill holes of decreasing diameter within the wellbore for setting casing strings of decreasing diameter. In consequence, operating costs incurred in a well completion operation are correspondingly decreased.

Drilling with concentric strings of casing


A granular pesticidal composition which comprises a pyrazolinone compound given by the formula (1):

It is known that the pyrazolinone compounds given by the formula (1):
wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom, chlorine atom or methyl group; R2 represents a chlorine atom or methyl group; R3 represents a 1-methylethyl, 1,1-dimethylethyl, 1-methylpropyl, 1-ethylpropyl or 1-methylbutyl group; and R4 represents a C1-C4 alkoxy, C3-C4 alkenyloxy, C3-C4 alkynyloxy, C1-C4 alkylthio, C3-C4 alkenylthio or C3-C4 alkynylthio group;    are useful as an active ingredient of an agent for controlling plant diseases.
The pyrazolinone compounds given by the formula (1) are known in U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,567, and some granular pesticidal compositions containing the pyrazolinone compounds are known in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,294,567, 6,521,568 and JP-2002-316902A.

Abstract: wherein R1 represents a chlorine atom etc.; R2 represents a chlorine atom etc.; R3 represents a 1-methylethyl group etc.; and R4 represents a C1-C4 alkoxy group etc.    and a salt of ligninsulfonic acid,    and the amount of the salt of ligninsulfonic acid in the granular pesticidal composition is 10-60% by weight    has good disintegrability in water when it is diluted with water.


Digital sound data are stored in a data memory. When a first display object (such as an enemy character, a waterfall, or the like) is displayed in a three-dimensional manner on a display screen, an audio processor reads out corresponding sound source data from the data memory to produce first and second sound source data. The first and second sound source data are converted into analog audio signals by digital-to-analog converters, and then used to drive left and right speakers. The audio processor calculates a delay between generation of the first and second sound source data based on a direction of the first display object as viewed from a "virtual" camera which might correspond for example to one of the graphical characters in the three-dimensional display. The audio processor also controls sound volume levels for the first and second sound source data depending on the distance between the first display object and the virtual camera. Using the present invention, realistic sound effects consistent with and synchronized to visual changes of a three-dimensional image are generated by selectively controlling the timing and volume of sound source data provided to the left and right speakers.

A technique for generating stereo sounds is disclosed in Japanese Publication No. 9397/1985 (hereafter, JP9397). An audio signal is output as an analog signal immediately, and then after a delay, is output again to produce stereo sounds. However, JP9397 cannot be applied to a digital sound source. Nor does JP9397 take into account movement of an object or a character displayed on a screen of a CRT display. As a result, sounds associated with the object are not synchronized with the movement of the object.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 155879/1987 (hereafter JP 155879) discloses a sound generator for generating two-dimensional sounds in relation to an image display. JP155879 controls the sound volumes of left and right speakers in a two-dimensional manner, such as for an airplane, by gradually decreasing the sound volume as the airplane moves away and gradually increasing the sound volume as the airplane moves closer.
However, the sound volume is only gradually decreased or increased as the airplane moves which may not give a desired realistic effect. Even when the sounds are heard in stereo, three-dimensional sound effects are not obtained making JP155879 unsuitable for a three-dimensional image display. The problem is further complicated since three-dimensional sound effects should be synchronized with three-dimensional image movement. In addition, as the difference between the sound volumes of the right and left sounds increases, the user is easily fatigued. It has been experimentally shown that the use of headphones with differing left and right ear volumes for an extended time often gives the listener a headache.

Sound generator synchronized with image display


An image forming device includes a residual paper amount detecting unit, a first execution unit and a second execution unit. The residual paper amount detecting unit is configured to detect a residual paper amount of a paper feeding cassette which retains papers. The first execution unit is configured to, if the number of papers required in executing an initially-inputted earliest job among a plurality of print jobs is more than the residual paper amount detected by the residual paper amount detecting unit, execute printing of a predetermined minimum number of printing papers in the earliest job. The second execution unit is configured to, after the printing of the minimum number of printing papers is executed by the first execution unit, execute one of the print jobs satisfying a predetermined priority condition.

The technology of the present disclosure relates to a method of controlling execution procedures of a plurality of print jobs in an image forming device.
In an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine or a multifunction peripheral, a plurality of print jobs is executed in an input order of the respective print jobs. In the meantime, there has been conventionally proposed a technique of detecting a residual paper amount of a paper feeding cassette and preferentially executing a printable print job among a plurality of print jobs depending on the residual paper amount.

Image forming apparatus, non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing an image forming program, and image forming method


An absorbent article, which comprises a fastening element for the absorbent article for fastening the absorbent article to underpants or a stiffening element for providing a relatively stiff region of the absorbent article and for defining a collapse prone portion of the absorbent article to shape the absorbent article as desired. The element defines a Y- or X-shape and comprises a first piece of material defining a bend and a second piece of material defining a bend, wherein the first and second pieces of material and their bends together define the Y or X shape of the element. The first and second pieces define a generally V- or U-shape so that each of the first and second pieces has first and second legs extending from a point of the V-shape or a bight of the U-shape, wherein the second legs respectively provide first and second arms of the Y- or X-shape of the element, and wherein the first legs either together provide a third arm of the Y-shape or respectively provide third and fourth arms of the X-shape.

An absorbent article, such as a sanitary towel, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,832 that has a stiffening element that is relatively stiff as compared to other layers of the absorbent article such as an absorbent core, a body side layer and a liquid impermeable outer layer, wherein the body side layer and the outer layer encase the absorbent core. The absorbent article is hourglass shaped in plan view. The stiffening element has a hole therethrough that is positioned over a longitudinal central line that collapses under lateral forces during use to provide the article with a desired three dimensional shape. The stiffening element is disclosed as being, in a preferred option, an absorbent core comprising superabsorbent. It results in material wastage to stamp a hole out of the stiffening element.
A male incontinence guard sold under the Trade name Tena for Men™ Level 1 or Level 2 has a a bodyside liner, an outer liner and an absorbent pad disposed therebetween. The guard is generally triangular shaped when laid out flat. The base of the triangle is worn closer to the waist of the user, while the point of the triangle is positioned more towards the area between the legs of the user. This shape of article is more comfortable for the wearer and offers liquid retention benefits. The outer liner has rectangular strips of adhesive tape attached to it that are covered by a release liner. To wear, the release liner is peeled away and the adhesive strips serve to removably fix the guard in position on underpants of a wearer. Alternative shapes for the adhesive tape may be desirable that provide improved fastening coverage of the triangular shaped absorbent article. Such alternative shapes would optimally maintain material use efficiency (lack of waste trimmings) of rectangular strips.

Absorbent article comprising a shaped element and a method of making such


A method of supporting a user in mechanically analyzing a performance of an object, including the steps of: graphically displaying a generalized model which is constructed as a numerical analysis model for the object such that the generalized model has been generalized with respect to at least configuration of the object, and has been specialized with respect to a function of the object; displaying an item for letting the user enter data in order to define a specialized model which is constructed as a numerical analysis model for the object by specializing the displayed generalized model with respect to the at least configuration thereof; and mechanically analyzing the performance of the object, on the basis of the specialized model defined, a numerical analysis approach predetermined in correspondence with the function of the object, and a numerical analysis condition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology of supporting a user in mechanically analyzing the performance of an object, using an input device, a display device having a screen for display, and a computer connected to the input device and the display device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
There have existed some practical technologies of supporting a user in mechanically analyzing the performance of an object, using a computer. In a process of developing an automobile as one example of the object, the practical technologies have been employed to support in designing the automobile, for example.
It has been general that two divisions are mainly involved in automotive development. One is a design division where design of an automobile is performed, the other is an evaluation division where evaluation of the performance of the designed automobile is performed.
As shown in FIG. 38, the process of developing an automobile is initiated with a concept designing and a detailed designing of parts or components of the automobile in the aforementioned design division, wherein the detailed designing follows the concept designing. Then, the performance of the automobile to be manufactured according to a design draft made in the aforementioned developing process is evaluated by using a prototype made according to the design draft, or by executing analysis according to a numerical approach such as Finite Element Method, FEM, wherein the analysis may be categorized into Computer Aided Engineering, CAE, for example.
The evaluation results obtained in the above-mentioned evaluation division are informed to the above-mentioned design division. When the evaluation results demonstrate that the present design draft would lead to unsatisfactory performance of the automobile, design change for the automobile is performed in the design division on the basis of the evaluation results. After this design change, the performance of the automobile is again evaluated in the evaluation division with respect to a new design draft of the automobile made in the design division.
Where the new evaluation results demonstrate again that the present design draft would lead to unsatisfactory performance of the automobile, another design change is made in the design division. Instead, where the new evaluation results demonstrate that the present design draft would lead to satisfactory performance of the automobile, the designing and evaluating process for the automobile is terminated, followed by construction of the automobile.
Conventionally, development of analyzing technologies has been oriented to improvement in analyzing accuracy, improvement in availability to kinds of objects to be analyzed, and so on. Consequently, in the process of developing an automobile, for example, it has become capable of quantitatively estimating the performance of a whole automobile realizing a design draft to some extent, without using a prototype realizing the design draft.
However, on the other hand, the conventional analyzing technologies have been greatly advanced in terms of their sophistication and diversity of function, so as to require high-level expertise for utilizing those technologies. It follows that those technologies are available only to professional analyzers. For this reason, in a conventional automobile development process, for example, professional analyzers perform analysis of the performance of an automobile after the completion of the above-mentioned detailed designing, such that the analysis serves as an alternative of experimental evaluation mainly using a prototype of the automobile to be evaluated.
Thus, the analysis is performed after the completion of the detailed designing. However, at the time of the completion of the detailed designing, a fundamental policy, namely, a framework of a design of an automobile has been almost fixed. Therefore, it is difficult to make an innovative design change in the light of the results from the analysis, due to the limitation on a man-hour which is for planned for designing. That is, it is a fact that, in the conventional automobile development process, an analysis which is originally intended to support in designing, although it can support in performing experimental evaluation, fails to directly support in designing.
In other words, the conventional analyzing technologies have placed stress on analyzing accuracy and versatility, not on easiness to use those technologies.

Method and system for supporting user in analyzing performance of object, using generalized and specialized models on computer


A wheeled lawn sprinkler assembly for easily moving a lawn sprinkler around a large or small size yard which assembly contains a shut off valve, a collapsible wheel assembly and a collapsible support assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
A lawn sprinkler assembly and more particularly a wheeled support lawn sprinkler assembly for easily moving a lawn sprinkler around a large or small size yard which assembly contains a shut off valve, a collapsible wheel assembly and a collapsible support rod.
2. Description of Related Art
Proper irrigation of a lawn, garden or turf is a time consuming task requiring the constant movement of hoses and attached sprinklers. Each time the sprinkler is to be moved, the water line must be shut off at the shut off location, usually the house, the hose moved and then the water turned back on. This identical process may be undertaken several times a day depending upon the size of the area to be watered. While home owners desire a green lawn, the constant need to turn on and off the water supply and drag the hoses and sprinklers can become overwhelming and can, in certain circumstances, result in physical injury.
Water sprinkler systems of various designs, structure, configurations and materials of construction have been disclosed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,959,886 to Wadsworth discloses a portable sprinkler support that has a tripod supporting ring having non-extendable bamboo legs for use in watering and spraying of fruit trees. The water is passed through a central non-extendable pipe and a sprinkler head. This prior art patent does not disclose the particular structure and design of the water sprinkler system of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,694,600 to Richey discloses a lawn sprinkler stand having a C-shaped configuration base supported by a tripod collar having braces that are non-extendable and connected to the C-shaped base. The water is passed through a central extendable pipe and a sprinkler head. This prior art patent does not disclose the particular structure and design of the water sprinkler system of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,020 to Harward discloses a sprinkler stand having a central support hub with a plurality of at least five non-extendable legs, and the water is passed through a short central pipe and a sprinkler head. This prior art patent does not disclose the particular structure and design of the water sprinkler system of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,176 to Bussiere discloses a lawn-garden sprinkler having a tripod support structure. The tripod support structure includes a spindle axis having non-extendable support rods which radiate outwardly from the central axis being connected to tie rods. The tie rods are welded to the support rods to provide a rigid tripod construction resistant to fracture or bending forces. The water passes through a short angled pipe and a sprinkler head. This prior art patent does not disclose the particular structure and design of the water sprinkler system of the present invention.
None of the prior art water sprinkler systems disclose the structure, configuration and functionality of the present invention.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a sprinkler assembly which can be easily moved from place to place, can be easily and conveniently stored, and is inexpensive and non-corrosive.
A further objective of this invention is to provide a sprinkler assembly which is easy to use and inexpensive for the consuming public.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sprinkler assembly of simple design, durability and sturdiness.
It is the further object of the present invention to provide a sprinkler assembly containing a valve for stopping the water from continuing to the sprinkler, thereby eliminating the need for the water to be turned off at its source each time the sprinkler assembly is to be moved.
It is the further object of the present invention to allow a variety of sprinkler heads to be attached to the sprinkler assembly to properly accommodate the area to be watered.
It is the further object of the present invention to provide a sprinkler assembly that is of simple structural configuration for easy setup for water spraying of lawns, gardens, arenas, flowers, shrubs, orchards, and trees.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sprinkler assembly that is foldable into a portable configuration for easy carrying and storage by the user without removing any bolts or nuts.


An oligomer comprised of repeat units of beta glucosamine exhibits broad antifungal activity. The oligomer preferably has a molecular weight in the range of 4,000-18,000 dalton, and may be partially acetylated. These materials are highly effective against a variety of fungi including various species of Candida.

Fungal infections are common to a large number of animal species. Common agents of fungal infections include various species of the genii Candida and Aspergillus, and types thereof, as well as others. While external fungus infections can be relatively minor, systemic fungal infections can give rise to serious medical consequences. The incidence of fungal infections has undergone a significant increase, particularly in humans. This increase is, at least in part, attributable to an ever increasing number of patients having impaired immune systems, both as a result of medical therapy for other conditions, and as a result of diseases such as AIDS which compromise the immune system. Fungal disease, particularly when systemic, can be life threatening to patients having an impaired immune system.
A number of prior art pharmaceutical agents have been developed for the treatment of fungal diseases. These materials include compounds such as amphotericin B (AMB), triazoles and flucytosin. AMB is the drug of choice for many systemic fungal infections due to its broad range of activity; however, it is harmful to the kidneys and must be administered intravenously. Many of the triazoles exhibit broad ranging activity and can be administered orally; however, many strains of fungi have become resistant to these materials. Consequently, there is a need for a new group of agents which are effective in eliminating fungus disease, but are of low toxicity to patients. Ideally, these materials should be simple to prepare, stable, and easy to administer.
As will be described in further detail hereinbelow, the present invention is directed to a highly effective agent for controlling fungus disease. The material of the present invention is derived from natural carbohydrate materials and is inherently low in toxicity. The material is specifically prepared from complex carbohydrates such as chitin or chitosan. These materials are widely distributed in nature, and are found, for example, in the shells of arthropods, and in the cell walls of fungi. These and other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the discussion, description and examples which follow.

Composition and method for treating fungal disease in animals


A light emitting device includes a first conductive semiconductor layer on a substrate, a control layer interposed between the substrate and the first conductive semiconductor layer. The control layer includes a first nitride semiconductor layer having aluminum (Al), a plurality of nano-structures on the first nitride semiconductor layer, and a second nitride semiconductor layer provided on the first nitride semiconductor layer and having gallium (Ga).

1. Field
The embodiment relates to at least one of a semiconductor device, a light emitting device or an electronic device.
2. Background
Various electronic devices and light emitting devices have been developed by using compound semiconductor materials. The electronic devices may include solar cells, photodetectors, or power devices.
The electronic devices or the light emitting devices may be fabricated based on a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate includes a growth substrate and a compound semiconductor layer grown on the growth substrate.
The semiconductor substrate may have various defects caused due to a lattice constant and a thermal expansion coefficient between the growth substrate and the compound semiconductor layer. Dislocation is caused by the difference in lattice constant between the growth substrate and the compound semiconductor layer, so that the crystallinity may be degraded. In addition, stress is generated by the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the growth substrate and the compound semiconductor layer. Accordingly, due to the stress, cracks may occur in the compound semiconductor layer or the growth substrate may be broken. Since cracks occur in the compound semiconductor layer, a high quality semiconductor layer serving as the light emitting device or the electronic device may not be grown at a higher thickness.


An image sensor improving the uniformity of effective incident light. In one example, the size of microlenses disposed in different regions of the image sensor is changed to balance the brightness in different regions, in which the size of each microlens is a function of the distance between the microlens to the chip center In another example, the distance between the center of the microlens and the center of the corresponding sensing area is changed to balance the brightness in different regions and the corresponding color filters are shifted such that the microlens is overlying a corresponding color filter unit without overlying adjacent regions thereof, in which the distance between the center of the microlens and the center of the corresponding sensing area is a function of the distance between the corresponding sensing area to the chip center.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to image sensors. In particular, it relates to a design for image sensor microlenses to improve uniformity of effective incident light at different regions,
2. Description of the Related Art
Solid state image sensors are necessary components in many optoelectronic devices, including digital cameras, cellular phones, and toys. Conventional image sensors Include both charge coupled device (CCD) image sensors and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors. The basic technology used to form the CMOS image sensor is common to both types sensors.
The CMOS image sensor comprises a photo detector for detecting light and a logic circuit for converting the detected light into an electric signal representing data regarding the detected light. The fill factor, sometimes referred to as the aperture efficiency, is the ratio of the size of the light-sensitive area to the size of the total pixel size. Although efforts have been made to increase the fill factor of the image sensor and thereby increase the sensor sensitivity, further increases in the fill factor are limited because the associated logic circuitry cannot be completely removed. Accordingly, in order to increase the sensitivity of the light, a microlens formation technology has been used to converge and focus the incident light onto the photo detector by changing the path of the light that reaches the lens of the photo detector. In order for the image sensor to detect and provide a color image, it typically must include both a photo detector for receiving the light and generating and accumulating charge carriers and a color filter array (CFA), i.e., a plurality of color filter units sequentially arranged above the photo detector The CFA typically uses one of two alternative three-color primary configurations, either red R, green G and blue B (PCB) or yellow Y, magenta X and cyan C (CMY). A plurality of microlenses are positioned above the color filter array to increase the photo-sensitivity of the image sensor.
In the followings a conventional CCD image device will be explained.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional solid-state image device. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 13 represents a semiconductor substrate provided with a solid-state image sensor; 12 represents a p-well formed in the semiconductor substrate 13; 11 represents a photodiode; 10 represents a charge transfer part; 9 represents a silicon oxide or nitride film; 8 represents a polysilicon electrode; 14 represents a photo-shielding metal layer; 25 represents a surface protective coating of semiconductor elements; 19 represents a planarization layer for setting elements thereon; 24 represents a color filter array; 23 represents an intermediate transparent film; and 21 represents microlenses. Furthermore, another conventional example comprises one additional layer of metal film formed via a silicon oxide film on the photo-shielding metal layer 14 for strengthening the photo-shielding and forming a semiconductor element with the surface protective coating 25. A microlens 21 is adjusted and positioned corresponding to each photodiode, and light converged by the lens is directed to the photodiode 11 to enhance sensitivity. Among electrons and holes arising from photoenergy in the photodiode 11, the electrons are forwarded to the charge transfer part 10 by voltage applied to the polysilicon electrode 8. The transferred electrons are then forwarded to an output part by potential energy created in the charge transfer part 10 through the voltage applied to the polysilicone electrode 8.
Examples of various forms of the solid state sensor structures are to be found in the prior art. Okamoto (U.S. Pat. No. 6,545,304 B2) discloses a photoelectric converter element group on one section of a semiconductor substrate and a charge transfer path to transfer accumulated signal charge to a contiguous readout gate region having a readout gate electrode associated therewith. Umetsu et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,528,831 B2) discloses a solid state image pickup device in which a matrix array of photoelectric sensors are formed adjacent to charge transfer channels and wherein a read-cum-transfer electrode is formed on an insulating layer and surrounds each photoelectric element. These devices are cited here as examples of a CCD type sensor device.
In general, the image sensor is built in a chip, and the microlenses corresponding to the photo detectors are arranged in a matrix. The solid state image sensor is placed where light is converged by an optical lens and an image is formed. However, the image captured on the edge region of the matrix is darker than that in the center region.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the incident light P0 transmits into the microlens 21 and through the stacked transmission layer comprising the color filter layer 27 and an IC transparent stacked layer 29 in the left pixel P0 with a chief angle θ=0°, the incident light R0 is focused on the sensing area 11 of the photo detector. This ideal situation of a chief angle θ=0° occurs at the center region of the sensor chip 10. But if the incident light R1 transmits into the microlens 21 with a chief angle θ other than 0°, the incident light reaching the photo detector may shift outside the sensing area 11. The phenomenon is especially problematic for microlenses 21 disposed near the edge region of the sensor chip 10. The pixel P1 shown in the middle of FIG. 2 is between the center region and the edge region of the sensor chip 10, and the right pixel P2 is arranged in the edge region. In pixels P1 and P2, the ideal incident light I is uniformly collimated light shown by dashed lines, while the real incident light R1 and R2 is shown by solid lines transmitted into the microlens 21 with chief angles θ1 and θ2, and θ1<θ2. Therefore, the sensing area 11 corresponding to the incident light R1 and R2 transmitted with a chief angle θ>0° obtains less photoenergy than the sensing area 11 corresponding to the incident light R0 transmitted with a chief angle 0°.
The traditional method to resolve the issue of shift of the focus center is shifting the microlens 21 to correct the focus center of the incident light within the sensing area 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the microlens 21′ before shifting is aimed at the sensing area 11R of the right pixel PR and the incident light Rb passing though the color filter layer 27R falls outside the sensing area 11R. After shifting, the shifted microlens 21 can focus the incident light Rf on the right pixel PR. However, microlenses 21 near the boundary of the chip may be shifted so much that the incident light Rf passes through the adjacent color filter layer 27L and cross-talk phenomenon CT occurs in the adjacent pixels PL and PR.

Image sensor with improved uniformity of effective incident light

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A parallax mitigation device and method is disclosed. The parallax mitigation device can be used in a reflex sight having a front portion for receiving light and a rear portion for providing a visual of a target and a projection of an aiming point superimposed on the visual to a user. The parallax mitigating device is placed at one of: the front portion, the rear portion, or in an optical path between the front and rear portion of the reflex sight. The parallax mitigating device is configured for indicating a center of the visual provided to the user to facilitate parallax mitigation of the reflex sight.

Reflex sights are optical or computing sights that reflect a reticle image (or images) onto a combining glass for superimposition on the target. The M68 sight is a reflex sight. It uses a red aiming reference (collimated dot) and is designed for the "two eyes open" method of sighting. The dot follows the horizontal and vertical movement of the gunner's eye while remaining fixed on the target. The sight is parallax free beyond 50 meters and thus the shooter can place the dot of a properly zeroed weapon on a target regardless of its positioning the sight tube and hit the target at distances of 50 meters and greater. However, when zeroing the weapon or engaging targets at distances of 50 meters or closer the dot must be precisely centered to ensure accurate zeroing of weapon or accurate fire on targets. Failure to precisely center the red dot in the tube while zeroing the weapon will either cause difficulty in achieving a zero or if the red dot is maintained in the same non-centered position the soldier will have a false zero on his or her weapon and will be unsuccessful when engaging targets be they on a range or on the battlefield.
Parallax is an apparent displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. In the M68 series scopes this is caused by the fact that there are multiple lenses in the scope. Because of this the soldier may be required to make a visual estimation of center when zeroing this scope. This estimation may be difficult to accurately repeat and may be the most common and serious problem encountered by soldiers when zeroing.

Method and system for mitigating parallax in gun sights


A broad band energy harvesting system to harvest energy from a structure and associated methods are provided. The system includes a structure carrying a plurality of environmentally produced vibration frequencies extending over a frequency range and an energy harvesting apparatus positioned in vibration receiving communication with the structure to harvest energy from the structure. Each energy harvesting apparatus includes broadly tuned energy harvesting generators having relatively low quality factor and corresponding relatively wide bandwidth. The energy harvesting generators collectively provide energy harvesting over multiple modes to thereby provide energy harvesting over a substantial portion of the frequency range. Each energy harvesting generator can include a cantilevered beam connected to a common backbone comprised of a resilient material configured to transfer energy between adjacent generators to further enhance energy harvesting.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to energy harvesting systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a broad band energy harvesting system and related methods to harvest energy from the structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of platforms such as, for example, aircraft structural components, aircraft skins, or other related components, when in operation are subjected to various environmental conditions such as stress and strain, exposure to temperature extremes, and significant vibration energy. Due to the various environmental conditions such components can suffer material degradation over time.
Structural health monitoring helps promote realization of the full potential of such components. Remotely positioned sensors and/or nodes have been installed adjacent to such structures/components to monitor various parameters such as, for example, strain levels, stress, temperature, pressure, or vibration level to help manage physical inspection schedules, maintenance schedules, to help predict material failure, and generally monitor the "health" of such components.
Such sensors have been provided a dedicated power supply such as power obtained through conductors, e.g., wires, connected to the aircraft electrical system or through chemical batteries. Such wiring can, in some instances, undesirably result in increased weight and complexity of the component being monitored and/or the associated structure or component and are subject to damage or breakage requiring extensive repair costs and down time.
Depending upon available space, batteries can be inappropriate due to their size. Batteries can also have a limited service life and therefore, typically require periodic inspection and/or replacement, are often positioned in locations difficult to reach, and often require costly disassembly and reassembly of the sensor or component to perform service on the battery. Further, batteries may not be suitable due to environmental constraints, i.e., temperature changes often affect battery performance.
Other structural health monitoring systems include self-powered sensors attached to or embedded within the components to be monitored that can reduce dependence on batteries or any other external power source. The sensors can include an energy harvesting device either incorporated within the sensor or connected externally. Such sensors can be relatively small in size and can utilize, as a power source, energy obtained or otherwise transmitted through the component or structure being monitored. This type of sensor can typically consume very low amounts of power in the microwatt range.
The energy harvesting devices for these sensors can generate small electrical currents, for example, when the material is deflected, such as when the monitored component vibrates. To do so, such devices typically include one or more cantilevered beams weighted with a proof mass on the free end and connected to a base on the opposite end, which is connected to or in direct contact with the vibrating structure. Each cantilevered beam can form a resonator or generator. Resonators and resonant systems have a natural frequency. Such resonators and resonant systems respond to frequencies close to their natural frequency much more intensely than to other frequencies. Each beam is sized and/or weighted to vibrate at a preselected resonant frequency coinciding with the expected frequency of the vibration energy generated by the structure. Such devices are designed with a relatively high quality factor and corresponding narrow bandwidth in order to maximize harvesting energy from the structure at the expected vibration frequency. This quality factor is a measure of the "quality" of the resonator, which in a mechanical system indicates, the effect of mechanical resistance to resonance—a high-quality factor equates to low mechanical resistance.
Each beam also generally has a material attached which generates electrical currents when the beam, and thus the material, is deflected by the vibrations. Piezoelectric material is but one example of materials that perform this function. As each beam deflects at the preselected resonant frequency due to the vibrations generated by the structure, the piezoelectric material converts a fraction of the mechanical energy to electrical energy. An electric circuit including a storage device, such as a capacitor, is typically connected to the piezoelectric electric material to receive and store the generated electricity for use by the sensor or node.
Where the vibration energy is expected at more than one discrete frequency, multiple energy harvesting devices can be deployed with each tuned to resonate at a separate preselected discrete resonant frequency coinciding with each of the discrete vibration frequencies expected to be generated by the structure. In another design, each of the beams or group of beams in a single energy harvesting device can be separately sized and/or weighted to vibrate at a separate preselected discrete resonant frequency coinciding with each of the discrete vibration frequencies expected to be generated by the structure. As with the single resonant frequency-multiple resonator design described above, this multiple resonant frequency-multiple resonator design is configured so that each of the beams (resonators) are designed with a relatively high quality factor and correspondingly narrow bandwidth in order to maximize harvesting energy from the structure at the expected predetermined vibration frequencies.
Because power harvesting relies on energy being available in the vicinity of the energy harvesting device, the sensors positioned in the areas of environmental energy having a frequency different than the expected frequency often do not receive sufficient power to provide continuous sensing capability necessary to perform even sampled sensing using a small duty cycle. Also, the available energy distribution may change such that an area of the structure once having a high level of environmental energy at an expected frequency or frequencies is now subject only to a low-level of such energy at such frequency or frequencies, making power availability less reliable. In such situations, energy may nevertheless be available at one or multiple frequencies spaced over and/or shifting over different frequencies between a known frequency band. Further, an operator installing the energy harvesting device may not know anything more than a range of potential frequencies that the energy harvesting device will have access to until immediately prior to actually installing the device in or on the vibrating structure, i.e., selecting the location on the structure to position the energy harvesting device. As such, each individual energy harvesting device may need to be manually tuned according to its selected location, or groups of devices having different predetermined resonant frequencies may need to be manufactured separately for different portions of a structure expected to experience different but known vibration frequencies.
Recognized by the Applicants is that energy harvesting devices having one or more discrete resonant frequencies configured to have a relatively high quality factor, and thus, a correspondingly relatively low bandwidth, may be unreliable in the expected frequency or frequencies of the environmentally generated vibration energy of the structure if the expected frequency or frequencies of the vibration energy do not fairly precisely match the actual frequency or frequencies of the environmentally generated vibration energy. Correspondingly, also recognized by the Applicants is the need for a broad band energy harvesting system capable of harvesting energy over a relatively broad frequency band so that as the frequency of the environmentally generated energy shifts, the broad band energy harvesting system can continue harvesting energy, and thus, supply power to the associated sensor or sensors. Further recognized by the Applicants is the need for a single energy harvesting device or apparatus capable of working over a very broad range of frequencies that would be available in different locations on a structure.

Broad band energy harvesting system and related methods


The invention relates to an encoder (200) comprising an input (201) for inputting frames of an audio signal, a LTP analysis block (209) for performing a LTP analysis of the frames of the audio signal to form LTP parameters on the basis of the properties of the audio signal, and at least a first excitation block (206) for performing a first excitation for frames of the audio signal, and a second excitation block (207) for performing a second excitation for frames of the audio signal. The encoder (200) further comprises a parameter analysis block (202) for analysing said LTP parameters, and an excitation selection block (203) for selecting one excitation block among said first excitation block (206) and said second excitation block (207) for performing the excitation for the frames of the audio signal on the basis of the parameter analysis. The invention also relates to a device, a system, a method, a module and a computer program product.

In many audio signal processing applications audio signals are compressed to reduce the processing power requirements when processing the audio signal. For example, in digital communication systems audio signal is typically captured as an analogue signal, digitised in an analogue to digital (A/D) converter and then encoded before transmission over a wireless air interface between a user equipment, such as a mobile station, and a base station. The purpose of the encoding is to compress the digitised signal and transmit it over the air interface with the minimum amount of data whilst maintaining an acceptable signal quality level. This is particularly important as radio channel capacity over the wireless air interface is limited in a cellular communication network. There are also applications in which digitised audio signal is stored to a storage medium for later reproduction of the audio signal.
The compression can be lossy or lossless. In lossy compression some information is lost during the compression wherein it is not possible to fully reconstruct the original signal from the compressed signal. In lossless compression no information is normally lost. Hence, the original signal can usually be completely reconstructed from the compressed signal.
The term audio signal is normally understood as a signal containing speech, music (non-speech) or both. The different nature of speech and music makes it rather difficult to design one compression algorithm which works enough well for both speech and music. Therefore, the problem is often solved by designing different algorithms for both audio and speech and use some kind of recognition method to recognise whether the audio signal is speech like or music like and select the appropriate algorithm according to the recognition.
In overall, classifying purely between speech and music or non-speech signals is a difficult task. The required accuracy depends heavily on the application. In some applications the accuracy is more critical like in speech recognition or in accurate archiving for storage and retrieval purposes. However, the situation is a bit different if the classification is used for selecting optimal compression method for the input signal. In this case, it may happen that there does not exist one compression method that is always optimal for speech and another method that is always optimal for music or non-speech signals. In practise, it may be that a compression method for speech transients is also very efficient for music transients. It is also possible that a music compression for strong tonal components may be good for voiced speech segments. So, in these instances, methods for classifying just purely for speech and music do not create the most optimal algorithm to select the best compression method.
Often speech can be considered as bandlimited to between approximately 200 Hz and 3400 Hz. The typical sampling rate used by an A/D converter to convert an analogue speech signal into a digital signal is either 8 kHz or 16 kHz. Music or non-speech signals may contain frequency components well above the normal speech bandwidth. In some applications the audio system should be able to handle a frequency band between about 20 Hz to 20 000 kHz. The sample rate for that kind of signals should be at least 40 000 kHz to avoid aliasing. It should be noted here that the above mentioned values are just non-limiting examples. For example, in some systems the higher limit for music signals may be about 10 000 kHz or even less than that.
The sampled digital signal is then encoded, usually on a frame by frame basis, resulting in a digital data stream with a bit rate that is determined by a codec used for encoding. The higher the bit rate, the more data is encoded, which results in a more accurate representation of the input frame. The encoded audio signal can then be decoded and passed through a digital to analogue (D/A) converter to reconstruct a signal which is as near the original signal as possible.
An ideal codec will encode the audio signal with as few bits as possible thereby optimising channel capacity, while producing decoded audio signal that sounds as close to the original audio signal as possible. In practice there is usually a trade-off between the bit rate of the codec and the quality of the decoded audio.
At present there are numerous different codecs, such as the adaptive multi-rate (AMR) codec and the adaptive multi-rate wideband (AMR-WB) codec, which are developed for compressing and encoding audio signals. AMR was developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for GSM/EDGE and WCDMA communication networks. In addition, it has also been envisaged that AMR will be used in packet switched networks. AMR is based on Algebraic Code Excited Linear Prediction (ACELP) coding. The AMR and AMR WB codecs consist of 8 and 9 active bit rates respectively and also include voice activity detection (VAD) and discontinuous transmission (DTX) functionality. At the moment, the sampling rate in the AMR codec is 8 kHz and in the AMR WB codec the sampling rate is 16 kHz. It is obvious that the codecs and sampling rates mentioned above are just non-limiting examples.
ACELP coding operates using a model of how the signal source is generated, and extracts from the signal the parameters of the model. More specifically, ACELP coding is based on a model of the human vocal system, where the throat and mouth are modelled as a linear filter and speech is generated by a periodic vibration of air exciting the filter. The speech is analysed on a frame by frame basis by the encoder and for each frame a set of parameters representing the modelled speech is generated and output by the encoder. The set of parameters may include excitation parameters and the coefficients for the filter as well as other parameters. The output from a speech encoder is often referred to as a parametric representation of the input speech signal. The set of parameters is then used by a suitably configured decoder to regenerate the input speech signal.
Transform coding is widely used in non-speech audio coding. The superiority of transform coding for non-speech signals is based on perceptual masking and frequency domain coding. Even though transform coding techniques give superior quality for audio signal the performance is not good for periodic speech signals and therefore quality of transform coded speech is usually rather low. On the other hand, speech codecs based on human speech production system usually perform poorly for audio signals.
For some input signals, the pulse-like ACELP-excitation produces higher quality and for some input signals transform coded excitation (TCX) is more optimal. It is assumed here that ACELP-excitation is mostly used for typical speech content as an input signal and TCX-excitation is mostly used for typical music and other non-speech audio as an input signal. However, this is not always the case, i.e., sometimes speech signal has parts, which are music like and music signal has parts, which are speech like. There can also exist signals containing both music and speech wherein the selected coding method may not be optional for such signals in prior art systems.
The selection of excitation can be done in several ways: the most complex and quite good method is to encode both ACELP and TCX-excitation and then select the best excitation based on the synthesised audio signal. This analysis-by-synthesis type of method will provide good results but it is in some applications not practical because of its high complexity. In this method for example SNR-type of algorithm can be used to measure the quality produced by both excitations. This method can be called as a "brute-force" method because it tries all the combinations of different excitations and selects afterwards the best one. The less complex method would perform the synthesis only once by analysing the signal properties beforehand and then selecting the best excitation. The method can also be a combination of pre-selection and "brute-force" to make compromised between quality and complexity.
FIG. 1 presents a simplified encoder 100 with prior-art high complexity classification. An audio signal is input to the input signal block 101 in which the signal is digitised and filtered. The input signal block 101 also forms frames from the digitised and filtered signal. The frames are input to a linear prediction coding (LPC) analysis block 102. It performs a LPC analysis on the digitised input signal on a frame by frame basis to find such a parameter set which matches best with the input signal. The determined parameters (LPC parameters) are quantized and output 109 from the encoder 100. The encoder 100 also generates two output signals with LPC synthesis blocks 103, 104. The first LPC synthesis block 103 uses a signal generated by the TCX excitation block 105 to synthesise the audio signal for finding the code vector producing the best result for the TCX excitation. The second LPC synthesis block 104 uses a signal generated by the ACELP excitation block 106 to synthesise the audio signal for finding the code vector producing the best result for the ACELP excitation. In the excitation selection block 107 the signals generated by the LPC synthesis blocks 103, 104 are compared to determine which one of the excitation methods gives the best (optimal) excitation. Information about the selected excitation method and parameters of the selected excitation signal are, for example, quantized and channel coded 108 before outputting 109 the signals from the encoder 100 for transmission.


Systems and methods for processing credit card transactions including an account with a multi-dimensional balance structure, wherein balance segments within the balance structure have individually-definable terms and conditions. A system receives incoming transaction data by way of a conventional transaction system. A transaction processor within the system uses predetermined balance rules to determine an appropriate balance segment within an associated masterfile, which stores data. The multi-dimensional balance structure allows financial institutions to provide customers with special promotions for transactions meeting predetermined requirements, such as transactions with particular merchants, Internet purchases, and automobile-related purchases.

Conventional credit card transaction processing systems comprise a network of merchants connected via a plurality of telecommunications links to financial institutions. VISA®, MASTERCARD®, and DISCOVER® are typical credit card networks that allow local and national banks to issue credit cards under a single authorization system in a standardized fashion. A typical transaction system 10 is schematically depicted in FIG. 1. At a point of sale terminal 12, a merchant or customer inserts a customer's credit card 14 and enters the amount of a purchase, which is the financial transaction. Transaction information 16 is sent via a plurality of telecommunications links and computer networks through a credit card network 18 to the credit card issuer's processor 20. The credit card issuer's processor 20 is associated with a credit card issuing bank 22, which maintains the customer's account. The card issuer's processor 20 analyzes the transaction information 16 and sends an authorization signal 24, approving, rejecting, or referring the transaction, back through the credit card network 18 to the merchant. The entire process must be performed in a matter of seconds to provide a real time authorization process for customers and merchants.
Today, the use of credit cards has become the predominate method of payment for goods and services. Credit cards offer customers a wide array of advantages over traditional methods of payment, such as allowing customers to avoid the risks associated with carrying large quantities of cash, and allowing customers to make large purchases and pay for them over a period of time. Real-time authorization and standardization of credit card networks, such as VISA® and MASTERCARD®, have led to widespread acceptance by the majority of merchants.
Merchants are competing more vigorously than ever before to cultivate new customers and predict current customers' needs. Due to the myriad of advertisements that a customer may face daily, merchants have become more selective in their advertising and promotional efforts. Merchants often target customers using specific marketing promotions based on a customer's past purchasing profile. In addition, credit card issuers have developed business relationships with merchants that provide customers with incentives, such as airline frequent flyer miles. Frequent flyer miles are reward points that a customer accumulates by making purchases with specific merchants. Accumulated points may then be used towards the purchase of plane tickets, hotel accommodations, automobile rentals, and upgrades. This relationship provides the customer with an incentive to use both a given bank's credit card and the goods or services of the participating merchant.
Conventional credit card systems have a limited ability to segregate balances within a single customer account, such as separating cash advances from merchant transactions. These conventional systems are not flexible enough to accommodate separating merchant transactions further into additional balances depending on the specific transaction. As a result, incentives that a card issuer, merchant, or other interested party may apply to a given transaction are limited.

Systems and methods for the processing of financial transactions


This disclosure is a method and system for the linking of digital images to RFID devices. The method includes providing at least one radio frequency identification device, each radio frequency identification device having a electronic product code; linking one or more of the electronic product codes to a digital image file; and storing the linked digital image file into a memory. The disclosure allows users to easily access only images that are linked to their RFID device. Thereby, this disclosure allows a photographer easy access to potential customers while protecting user's privacy.

This disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for linking digital images to radio frequency identification (RFID) devices. More particularly, it relates to a method and system for the configuration of mapping digital images to a digital camera and a digital image delivery system.
While the disclosure is particularly directed to the art of linking RFIDs to individual digital images, especially where digital cameras have the capabilities to handle such linking, either through attached RFID readers or through RFID readers connected through the universal serial bus (USB) and thus will be described with specific reference thereto, it will be appreciated that the example embodiments disclosed herein may have other useful fields of application. For example, the teaching of the disclosure may be used for the linking of general media devices to RFIDs.
By way of background, RFID is an automatic identification method that uses radio frequency to transmit identification data to a reader. One major advantage of RFID is that there is no line of sight requirement. The transmitter can be read by a reader whenever the transmitter is in a sufficient proximity to the reader.
There has been a trend among photographers to use digital photography equipment. This has particularly been the case among professional contract photographers that work venues such as wedding halls, cruise ships and amusement parks. During cruises and in amusement parks, these photographers typically take pictures, print them and load them on to a viewing area, such as a centrally located wall, where people interested in purchasing the pictures may search through the pictures and purchase the ones that interest them. However, many people do not have their pictures taken, because they do not want pictures of themselves on general display. When people do agree to have their picture taken, but do not purchase them, the photographers create a large amount of waste. In this regard, they expend recourses printing photos that will never be purchased and, oftentimes are never viewed. Furthermore, photographers may be in possession of pictures or picture images that a customer may be interested in purchasing; however, photographers often times do not have access to these potential customers. These photographers may use paper identification and/or tagging systems in order to link an individual to their particular photo and/or set of photos. However, with traditional methods, the linking may take a considerable amount of time and organization.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for an improved system and method that links a potential customer to their set of photographs that they may be interested in purchasing. Furthermore, there is a need for such a system and method to allow for high accessibility for the potential customers. In addition, the system and method must allow photographers to quickly link the potential customers to their individual set of photos and further restrict the general public from having access to these very same digital images.
The present disclosure contemplates a new and improved system and method for resolving the above-referenced difficulties and others.

Method and apparatus for RFID mapping to a digital camera and digital picture delivery system


A submicrometer photodiode probe with a sub-50 nanometer tip radius is used for optical surface characterization on a nanometer scale. The nanoprobe detects subwavelength optical intensity variations in the near field of an illuminated surface. The probe comprises a metal-semiconductor Schottky diode that is constructed at the end of a micromachined tip of a semiconductor wafer. A process is disclosed for micromachining the tip of the semiconductor wafer and then of creating a photodiode at the tip, with the photodiode having an optical aperture of a size less than 1000 nanometers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to scanning probe microscopy and in particular to micromachined submicrometer photodiodes for nanometer scale, near-field photodetection optical microscopy. The invention further relates to a process of fabricating the photodiodes utilizing a novel method of forming small openings in a deposited layer on the end of the micromachined tips of the photodiodes. In addition, the invention also relates to optical intensity mapping on the nanometer scale using the photodiodes in near-field photodetection optical microscopy.
2. State of the Art
In recent years there has been a multitude of developments in scanning probe microscopy that allow imaging on a nanometer scale, yet chemical and molecular identification with these probes remains a great challenge. Standard optical spectroscopic techniques provide a powerful tool for chemical identification but lack spatial resolution on this scale. Near-field optical microscopy offers the possibility of routinely extending the spatial resolution of optical spectroscopy into the nanometer scale. Near-field scanning optical microscopy is an established technique based on the collection or transmission of light through a subwavelength aperture scanned near a surface. Near-field photodetection optical microscopy utilizes a photodetector of subwavelength dimensions. The localized photodetector probe is brought near an illuminated surface where it can directly absorb optical power. As it is raster scanned across the surface the photocurrent signal is recorded to create a two-dimensional image of the optical intensity distribution. The small detector is necessary to achieve a high spatial resolution.
Line photodetectors and light sources that are small (submicrometer) in two dimensions have previously been constructed.

Micromachined probes for nanometer scale measurements and methods of making such probes