A headset that communicates with a mobile device through a local radio frequency (RF) communication link to conduct a telephone call is described. The headset includes a local RF communication modem that receives downlink packets from the mobile device through the local RF communication link. The downlink packets were received by the mobile device through a wireless communication link. The headset includes an audio decoder that decodes the downlink packets into a downlink audio signal to be played back at the headset. The headset also includes an audio encoder that encodes an uplink audio signal produced by the headset into uplink packets. The local RF communication modem sends the uplink packets to the mobile device through the local RF communication link. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

A mobile phone (also known as a cellular phone, and a cell phone) enables its user to make and receive telephone calls over a cellular communication network while moving around a wide geographic area. To allow hands-free operation of a mobile phone, a headset is often used alongside the mobile phone during a phone call. A headset has a pair of left and right earphones or headphones combined with a microphone, or one headphone with a microphone, in a way that can be worn by the user in a hands-free manner (e.g., as an over-the-head unit, a tethered and wired unit, a wireless ear worn unit). Headsets provide the equivalent functionality of a telephone handset but with hands-free operation.
FIG. 1 illustrates a detailed diagram of a cellular phone 130 that works together with a Bluetooth headset 110 to enable hands-free operation during a telephone call. Specifically, this figure shows a Bluetooth headset 110 connected to a cellular phone 130 through a Bluetooth link 160. The Bluetooth headset 110 includes a Bluetooth audio decoder 112, a Bluetooth audio encoder 115, a Bluetooth flow/rate control logic 118, a Bluetooth modem and radio module 120, a speaker 122, and a microphone 125. The cellular phone 130 enables a near-end user to make and receive telephone calls to or from a far-end user over a VoLTE link 165. The cellular phone 130 includes a Bluetooth modem and radio module 132, a Bluetooth audio encoder 135, a Bluetooth audio decoder 138, an audio processing unit 140, a Bluetooth flow/rate control logic 142, an Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio decoder 145, an AMR audio encoder 148, a cellular flow/rate control logic 152, and a baseband radio and modem 150.
During a telephone call, the baseband radio and modem 150 of the cellular phone 130 receives downlink cellular packets from the far-end user through the VoLTE link 165. The downlink cellular packets contain a downlink audio signal that is encoded with a speech coding standard such as adaptive multi-rate wideband (AMR-WB) for transmission over the VoLTE link 165. The baseband radio and modem 150 sends the cellular packets to the AMR audio decoder 145. The AMR audio decoder 145 decodes the cellular packets into an audio stream and sends the stream to the audio processing unit 140. The audio processing unit 140 processes the stream to enhance audio quality and sends the processed stream to the Bluetooth audio encoder 135. The Bluetooth audio encoder 135 encodes the processed stream into Bluetooth packets based on an audio subband codec such as high-efficiency advanced audio coding (HE-AAC) or low complexity subband coding (SBC). The Bluetooth audio encoder 135 sends the Bluetooth packets to the Bluetooth modem and radio module 132, which then transmits the Bluetooth packets to via the Bluetooth link 160. The Bluetooth flow/rate control logic 142 manages the rate of data transmission from the mobile device 130 to the Bluetooth headset 110 by controlling the encoding of Bluetooth packets at the Bluetooth audio encoder 135.
The Bluetooth modem and radio module 120 of the Bluetooth headset 110 receives the Bluetooth packets from the cellular phone 130 through the Bluetooth link 160. The Bluetooth modem and radio module 120 then sends the Bluetooth packets to the Bluetooth audio decoder 112, which decodes the Bluetooth packets into an audio signal stream. The speaker 122 receives the audio signal stream and converts it into sound for the user of the Bluetooth headset 110.
The microphone 125 of the Bluetooth headset 110 produces an uplink audio signal stream. The Bluetooth audio encoder 115 encodes the uplink audio signal into Bluetooth packets. The Bluetooth flow/rate control logic 118 manages the rate of data transmission from the Bluetooth headset 110 to the cellular phone 130 by controlling the encoding of Bluetooth packets at the Bluetooth audio encoder 115. The Bluetooth modem and radio module 120 receives the Bluetooth packets from the Bluetooth audio encoder 115 and transmits them via the Bluetooth link 160.
The local modem and radio module 132 of the cellular phone 130 receives the Bluetooth packets from the Bluetooth headset 110 through the Bluetooth link 160. The local modem and radio module 132 then sends the Bluetooth packets to the Bluetooth audio decoder 138, which decodes the Bluetooth packets into an audio signal stream. The audio processing unit 140 may process the audio signal stream to enhance audio quality and send the processed audio signal stream to the AMR audio encoder 148. The AMR audio encoder 148 encodes the processed audio signal stream into uplink cellular packets and sends the uplink cellular packets to the baseband radio and modem 150. The uplink cellular packets contain the uplink audio signal that is encoded with a speech coding standard such as adaptive multi-rate wideband (AMR-WB) for transmission over the VoLTE link 165. The cellular flow/rate control logic 152 manages the rate of data transmission from the cellular phone 130 to the VoLTE link 165 by controlling the encoding of cellular packets at the AMR audio encoder 148. The baseband radio and modem 150 sends the uplink cellular packets to the device of the far-end user through the VoLTE link 165.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, during a telephone call, the incoming or downlink audio packets are decoded by the AMR audio decoder 145 and then encoded by the Bluetooth audio encoder 135 at the cellular phone 130, and then decoded by the Bluetooth audio decoder 112 at the Bluetooth headset 110. During the same telephone call, the outgoing or uplink audio packets are encoded by the Bluetooth audio encoder 115 at the Bluetooth headset 110, and then decoded by the Bluetooth audio decoder 138 and encoded by the AMR audio encoder 148 at the cellular phone 130. The flow control and buffering is done at multiple places, e.g., by the Bluetooth flow/rate control logic 118 at the Bluetooth headset 110, and the Bluetooth flow/rate control logic 142 and cellular flow/rate control logic 152 at the cellular phone 130.

Cellular network communications wireless headset and mobile device


In order to produce high quality final products cheaply using a large-scale production chains, not just the production being performed in the present production unit, but also parts supplies chains must be rational and without waste or overburdening. However, there is presently no means for discovering whether parts supplies chains are irrational, without waste or overburdening, or are rational and without waste or overburdening.

In producing, for example, a car, coils are produced in a production unit, the coils are used in a subsequent production unit to produce armatures, the armatures are used in a subsequent production unit to produce motors, the motors are used in a subsequent production unit to produce fuel pumps, the fuel pumps are used in a subsequent production unit to produce fuel pump assemblies, the fuel pump assemblies are used in a subsequent production unit to produce fuel tank assemblies, and the fuel tank assemblies are used in a subsequent production unit to produce cars. A production activity such as parts produced in a former production unit are used in a subsequent production unit to produce high level parts is repeated many times or multi-stages in a normal production chains.
In the present specification, a production unit is numbered from the highest side, and a production unit that produces final product is termed the present production unit. In the example given above, the coils are produced in a sixth production unit, the armatures in a fifth production unit, the motors in a fourth production unit, the fuel pumps in a third production unit, the fuel pump assemblies in a second production unit, and the fuel tank assemblies in a first production unit. The fuel tank assemblies produced in the first production unit are delivered to the present production unit, and the final products (the cars) are produced in the present production unit.
The aforementioned 'first production unit' could instead be considered as 'the present production unit' in a case that the fuel tank assemblies are produced as final products. In this case, the 'second production unit' described earlier is now the 'first production unit' and the 'third production unit' is now the 'second production unit'. Any production unit that receives lower parts and produces higher parts by using lower parts can be deemed to be the 'present production unit', and the production units preceding it may be termed the 'first production unit', 'second production unit', 'third production unit', etc. The technique of the present invention assists findings of problems by revealing problems existing but concealed within parts supplies chains that supply parts to the present production unit. The technique of the present can be applied to any production unit in which lower level parts are used to produce higher level parts.
To produce high quality final products at a low cost within a short time in a production chains, parts supplies chains for the production chains must be rational. Waste or overburdening should be excluded from the parts supplies chains for the production chains. For example, in each production unit within the parts supplies chains, the rate of defective parts should be low, the number of inventoried parts should be less, production and delivery should take place within a short time, and the number of part suppliers should be reduced to an appropriate number.
However, under present circumstances there is no means for learning whether parts supplies chains are irrational with waste or overburdening, or are rational without waste or overburdening. Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication 2001-331535 and Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication H9-267239 set forth a technique for graphically displaying an overall relation of various parts defined by a product—first level parts list, first level part—second level parts list, second level part—third level parts list and so on. The overall relation defined by the upper level part—lower level parts list at multi-stages is graphically displayed by using linking information defining hierarchic relationship. When a higher level part is designated, it is possible to identify chains of lists of lower level parts at various levels that constitute the higher level part.
Even though the lists of the lower level parts at various levels that constitute the higher level part is shown graphically, it is not possible to know from this graphic display whether the parts supplies chains are irrational with waste or overburdening, or are rational without waste or overburdening.

Parts supply system problem detection support system and method, and program for the same

Abstract: A hierarchical tree table of product-parts lists of multi-stages may be displayed with at least one item of parts supply information, this being selected out of production unit of the parts, number of parts, lead time of the parts, cost of the parts, etc. The retrieved parts supply information is displayed in a manner allowing it to be distinguished from other items of parts supply information. The method of retrieval can be set as desired. The entirety of the parts supplies chains is displayed graphically, and the location where the problems exist becomes clear.


The invention pertains to a process and a device for the speech-controlled remote control of electrical consumers by means of speech commands entered via a standard, commercially available PC (1). The PC (1) stores the control sequences for the sequencing control of the individual electrical consumers (21, 22, 23, 24, . . . , 2n). The control sequences are infrared-encoded signals enabling any electrical consumers featuring an infrared remote control unit to be controlled. Units which do not feature a remote control unit can be at least switched on and off via an upstream infrared receiver. A graphical user interface which is capable of being displayed on a monitor of the PC (1) forms an image display which is assigned to each individual electrical consumer, said image display being capable of being assigned the respective speech commands entered and infrared-encoded signals (FIG. 1).

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for remote controlling electrical consumers by way of speech commands, the following being featured: a standard, commercially available personal computer (PC) serving as the CPU which receives the speech commands, recognizes them and transforms them into control commands for controlling the consumers, a minimum of one speech channel with an electro-acoustic transducer which is connected to the PC via a speech channel interface, and a remote control network which is connected to the CPU and the consumers, in addition to a standard, commercially available speech recognition program being implemented in the PC.
Such a process and a device are known by virtue of the published German Patent application DE 4 214 668 A1.
Standard, commercially available personal computers in the form of economically priced speech communications systems have been offered recently for communication with the computer. The remote control system described in the above-mentioned German Patent application DE 4 214 668 A1 takes advantage of this to generate the control signals required for the remote control of connected electrical consumers with the aid of the speech recognition system implemented in the PC. This process also utilizes a graphic user interface (GUI) on the PC monitor for displaying a code word for calling stored individual settings for the respective electrical consumer.
The citation (DE-A-4 219 106 DEUTSCHE AEROSPACE AG, 16th Dec. 1993, Abstract) pertains to a speech-controlled information and/or ordering system featuring a central computer, the central computer being equipped with a speech recognizer and a central data storage, as well as featuring at least one speech input/speech output device, said device being connected to the central computer by a telephone network. In order to improve the flexibility and efficiency of such a system in the handling of the dialog of the caller with the central computer, this publication suggests that the speech input/speech output device be spatially assigned a display unit which is connected with the central computer for the purpose of visually displaying the information conveyed from the central computer. This speech-controlled information and/or ordering system does not comprise a remote control or telecommand system. Transmission of infrared signals is suggested exclusively for communication between the speech input and output devices, e.g. between a modified telephone terminal device and a display unit.
Many electric household appliances on the market, i.e. consumer electronics units in particular, can be remote-controlled nowadays using a small-sized, easy-to-use remote control unit by means of the transmission of infrared signals to the electric appliance. Such a remote control unit of hi-fi units, for example, incorporates a great variety of different functions, e.g. switchover from stand-by mode to continuous operation, channel selector, loudspeaker volume control, etc. Infrared remote control units of this type have shown themselves to be particularly reliable and not susceptible to malfunction. However, infrared remote control units are designed for operating only a single unit or a group of functionally associated units, and remote control extending through a number of rooms is not possible.
The citation (DATABASE WPIL no. 92-055 708, DERWENT PUBLICATIONS LTD., London; & TP-A-19 201 (ANONYMOUS)) suggests two different systems for a remote control or telecommand system based on infrared signal transmission:
a) A portable, keyless remote control unit transmits infrared or radio remote control signals to electronic equipment, with the remote control commands being entered by way of speech input at the remote control unit rather than by way of keys.
b) The second system suggests a stationary base unit whose functions are the same as those of the remote control unit mentioned above. The stationary base unit is located at a place from which the unit to be remote-controlled is visible. In contrast to the portable version a), the stationary unit is capable of receiving speech commands inputted from a distance, e.g. through the telephone network.

Process and device for the speech-controlled remote control of electrical consumers


The present invention provides a microfluidic device and method for facilitating on-chip complex sample processing and detection. In general, the device comprises at least a separation channel of a separation system, an interface, and an array of microreservoirs disposed within the same chip. The interface is configured to orthogonally transfer separated components from the separation channel into the array of microreservoirs, enabling direct analyte detection from the chip and high-throughput analysis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to microfluidic devices and methods for use, and more particularly, to high-throughput microfluidic devices and methods for on-chip complex biological and/or chemical sample separation and/or detection of separated components.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Cancer is a leading cause of death in the U.S. and throughout the world, with over 1,000,000 new cases being diagnosed every year in the U.S. alone. Hundreds of genes are involved in the development of diseases such as cancer. An accumulation of mutations, which result in loss- or over-expression of genes that control cell growth and proliferation, ultimately lead to the onset of the disease. To fully elucidate the molecular mechanisms and pathways that govern cancer initiation and progression, the information generated at the DNA and mRNA level must be complemented with a complete and detailed panorama of protein expression levels and their post-translational modifications. The characterization of the proteomic complement of a specific genome will enable us to understand the basic processes that distinguish healthy versus diseased states.
The analysis of proteomic samples is very difficult, however, for a number of reasons. First, the sample is either available in a limited amount (e.g., a few thousands of cells to start with), or the final subfractions submitted to analysis are extremely small (e.g., 1-10 μl at the nM/pM concentration level). Second, the sample itself is typically complex (5,000-10,000 different proteins may be expressed in a mammalian cell at any given time). Third, the dynamic range of the proteins present is typically very large (1:106) and/or their presence easily obscured by other more highly abundant components.
In order to contend with the overwhelming numbers of mixture components, complex samples are typically separated (i.e., fractionated) into smaller components prior to analysis. Two common types of separation techniques include: "gel-based" (e.g., 2D Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis "2D-PAGE"); and "liquid chromatography (LC)-based" (e.g., 2D Strong Cation Exchange "SCX" and High Performance Liquid Chromatography "HPLC") approaches. Comparatively, 2D-PAGE is a relatively awkward and time consuming separation technique that utilizes a gel to separate proteins according to isoelectric point, or charge, in a first dimension, and according to molecular weight, or size, in a second dimension. LC techniques utilize a stationary phase and a mobile phase to separate sample components based on properties, such as hydrophobicity, charge, and size. LC operates such that the sample to be separated is initially loaded at the head of a separation channel packed with a stationary phase, and then forced through the channel with the aid of a mobile phase under high pressure. The sample components are separated according to their differential interaction with the packing material (the stationary phase) in the channel. In 2D-LC, for example, the sample is separated according to charge in the first dimension and according to hydrophobicity in the second dimension. Several notable advantages of 2D-LC over the more complicated 2D-PAGE process include: easier automation, no gel handling, better separation power, and simpler coupling to other techniques, such as mass spectrometry.
Mass Spectrometry (MS) is a detection technique commonly used following the above mentioned separation techniques. MS is used to detect sample components with a higher degree of detail by generating a mass spectrum representing masses of individual components. In addition, MS is highly suited for proteomic investigations for a number of reasons: 1) it generates results with a level of confidence that is comparable to amino acid sequencing of electrophoretically separated proteins; 2) it is more tolerant towards low molecular contaminants; and 3) it is faster, simpler, and more sensitive than traditional sequencing protocols. As a result, MS has evolved into the detection tool of choice for proteomic applications (refs 1-5) as it offers the combined benefits of specificity, sensitivity, resolving power, and capability to deliver high quality structural information. In many cases, routine MS analysis can be performed from protein quantities as low as 10-100 fmol; and state-of-the-art MS is demonstrating results at the amol level.
Other recent improvements in MS detection sensitivity and analysis speed have launched this technique into an effective strategy for the detection of novel disease biomarkers and protein co-expression patterns. Current approaches for biomarker discovery and/or screening involve techniques such as DNA microarray technology, immunohistochemical staining, protein chips, and multidimensional separations followed by MS detection. These approaches, however, are accompanied by numerous limitations that include: insufficient quantitative correlation between gene and protein expression level; complexity and lengthiness for analytical approaches that attempt comprehensive qualitative/quantitative proteomic profiling; and lack of sufficient sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility.
Mass spectrometry generally operates by initially ionizing the sample within an ionization source, separating the ions of differing masses, and recording their relative abundance with a mass spectrometer. In particular, two commonly used MS ionization techniques include: Electrospray ionization (ESI) and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI). ESI operates by generating gas-phase ions (or "spray") from a liquid phase solution. According to this technique, an analyte solution is pumped through a very small charged capillary such that the liquid exits the capillary in the form of an aerosol or mist. After a series of subsequent charge-based interactions, the aerosol droplets eventually reach the mass spectrometer in the form of lone ions for detection. MALDI, on the other hand, is an ionization technique that mixes a matrix solution with the sample (or analyte) to produce a homogeneous co-crystallized analyte-matrix solution. Specifically, the role of the matrix is to absorb the energy of a laser beam and transfer it to the more fragile analyte molecules. Advantages of MALDI-MS include: amenability to high-throughput, ease of operation, and applicability for fast peptide mapping. Recently, MS/MS sequencing techniques that enable unambiguous peptide identifications have been developed for MALDI-MS as well. However, some challenges toward this end include developing simple, compact, and low cost devices with parallel processing capabilities that would enable high-throughput investigations.
Interestingly, miniaturization is emerging as a significant trend in analytical and biological instrumentation (refs 6-8). One unique benefit of miniaturization is that a variety of novel analytical configurations only become possible if they are developed in a microfabricated format. For example, high-speed capillary electrophoresis (CE) can be performed on a microchip device in as fast as 0.8 ms using a separation channel of only 200 μm in length (ref 9). Moreover, microchips can handle as little as 1-5 microliters (μl) of sample, analyze volumes as low as 1 pl-1 nl, and perform sample injection, labeling, and detection within millisecond time-frames (ref 9). Additionally, the micro-domain environment enables the emergence of unique physical events. Particularly, as the size of a device decreases, the surface-to-volume ratio increases. As a result, surface driven phenomena begin to dominate in the micro-scale world. Electroosmotic flow (EOF), which can be effectively generated only in capillaries with dimensions in the micrometer (um) domain, represents a relevant example.
Microfluidic devices function according to well-established principles and are characterized by several features that distinguish them from large-scale instrumentation. First, the miniature format of these devices enables the manipulation of extremely small sample amounts and short analysis times, resulting in significantly reduced analysis costs. Second, the ability to perform precise and accurate sample handling operations with microfluidic devices advantageously enables process control and automation, and the generation of reliable and high-quality data. Finally, microfabrication enables large-scale integration, multiplexing, and consequently high-throughput analysis. In addition, microfluidic devices may be fabricated from several different materials that include glass, quartz, polymeric and silicon substrates (refs 6,8), and may comprise a variety of elements that perform operations, such as pumping, dispensing, clean up, mixing, separation, chemical alterations, and detection (ref 7).
Despite the advantages of microfluidic devices, very few have been successfully combined with MS analysis (refs 10-30). In addition, because MS/MS capabilities were only available until recently with ESI-MS, the microchips that have been developed have been primarily interfaced with ESI. Such microchip-ESI interfaces typically allow ESI to be generated either: directly from the chip surface (refs 10-12); from capillary emitters inserted in the chip (13-18); or from microfabricated emitters (refs 19-22). Liquid sheath, liquid junction and nano-ESI sources have been implemented (refs 17-23). However, the bottleneck of all these applications goes back to the sequential nature of traditional ESI-MS detection. Conversely, microfluidic technologies that enable high-throughput MALDI-MS detection remain in a very early stage of development. These technologies typically make use of a piezo-actuated flow-through dispenser (refs 24,25) or a centrifugal CD (refs 31,32). For example, microfabricated piezo-actuated flow-through dispensers can be used to deposit samples on a nanovial target plate and to interface capillary liquid chromatography to MALDI/TOF (refs 24,25). Alternatively, the centrifugal CD enables sample loading at the center of the disc, centrifugal transport through reaction chambers to the outer edge of the disc, and sample collection into small spots on the edge of the CD for MALDI-MS detection (refs 31,32). In addition, array-based technologies, such as the surface enhanced laser desorption ionization (SELDI) approach, have been shown to enable MALDI-MS detection from functionalized protein chips (ref 38).
Although the above microfluidic devices have demonstrated noteworthy sensitivity, throughput, and flexibility, they do not demonstrate the full benefits of microfluidic platforms combined with MS detection for a number of reasons. First, as mentioned, the main limitation of ESI-MS detection in the context of microfabricated analysis platforms relates to the traditionally sequential nature of the technique. This attribute inherently forfeits some of the greatest advantages provided by miniaturization, i.e., large-scale integration, multiplexing, and high-throughput analysis. Also, the fabrication of microfabricated ESI spray emitters is difficult, and their integration with microfluidic chips that perform complex sample processing steps has not been demonstrated. Second, the fabrication of piezo-actuated micro-dispensers that enable sample collection from multiplexed microfluidic chips for MALDI-MS detection is not simple, and their integration within sample processing chips has not been demonstrated either. Moreover, the dispensing process would deposit the sample onto a different chip than the one used for analysis, consequently increasing labor and costs. Third, the centrifugal CD does not enable the integration of a separation step prior to MS analysis since sample collection occurs in a single spot. Fourth, intense scrutiny of the SELDI chip approach has demonstrated that the technique is neither sufficiently reproducible, nor sensitive enough to detect low abundance signature biomarker components (ref 34). Also, the technique does not enable dynamic processing of biological samples as required for protein analysis.
Overall, microfluidic chips that enable complex sample processing followed by high throughput MS detection do not exist at the present time. For example, existing microfluidic devices may perform on-chip separation, but are subsequently connected to external pumping systems and autosamplers for MS detection. Such techniques do not provide sufficient throughput and cost-effective analysis. Therefore, what is needed is a small, microfluidic device comprising all the components necessary to perform complex sample separation as well as enable on-chip MS detection. Additionally, what is needed is a microfluidic device for complex sample processing that provides high sensitivity and throughput, requires only small amounts of complex samples, and minimizes overall analytical costs.

Microfluidic devices and methods facilitating high-throughput, on-chip detection and separation techniques

Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.


A receptacle connector (12) is provided for mounting on a circuit board (14) and for receiving a plug (30) to deflect the plug contacts (32) against contact pads (20) on the board, wherein a receptacle connector of simple design provides EMI (electromagnetic interference) shielding, means for fixing itself to the board in a simple and accurate manner, and means for secure plug latching. The receptacle connector includes a die cast metal housing and a plastic molded cam wall (26) fixed to the housing. The housing has three solder pad projections (100, 102, 104) at its bottom which are soldered to ground traces (110, 112, 114) on the circuit board to hold the housing in place and with its horizontal plane accurately parallel to the plane of the circuit board. The metal of the die cast housing provides EMI shielding and provides metal strikes (54) against which plug latches (50) are latched.

One type of receptacle connector of applicant is mounted on an edge portion of a circuit board and forms a forwardly-opening space for receiving a plug. The circuit board has a row of contact pads, and the receptacle connector has a cam lying over the contact pads. When a plug is inserted, the cam wall deflects the plug contacts against the contact pads. In addition to the function of downwardly deflecting the plug contacts, the receptacle connector should accurately position the connector plug so all of its contacts properly engage corresponding contact pads, some EMI (electromagnetic interference) shielding is provided, and the plug is securely retained against accidental pullout. Previously, the receptacle connector was formed as an injection molded part of an insulative polymer, with sheet metal clips provided at opposite sides for soldering the part to the circuit board, and with a separate metal shield provided where EMI shielding was desired. This required the use of several parts, and even then the plastic molded connector did not provide as reliable long term latching to a plug as is required for some applications. A receptacle connector of the type generally described above, which could be constructed and mounted at low cost, would be of value.


The invention relates to an evaporator unit for an inhaler, in particular an electronic cigarette product, comprising an electrically operable heating body, in particular a flat heating body, which has an inlet side and an outlet side, and a plurality of microchannels, each of which extends from the inlet side to the outlet side through the heating body. The heating body is designed to evaporate liquid being transferred through the microchannels by applying a heating voltage. A porous and/or capillary wick structure is arranged on the inlet side of the heating body, said wick structure being fluidically connected or connectable to a liquid store. The wick structure has a shaft which extends through a passage opening of the support, and a collar, which is arranged between the support and the heating body, wherein the diameter of the collar is greater than the diameter of the passage opening of the support.

In the prior art, the liquid supply to the heating body typically takes place in a capillary manner by means of a wick. The wicks used ideally have a constant transfer effect along the transfer direction. If the transfer rate is lower than the required evaporation rate, the wick dries out in close proximity to the heating body. A dry puff follows and harmful substances are released.
In the case of a flat heating body, the heating body must be wetted by the wick as evenly as possible at all times and in every location in order to ensure a constant temperature distribution and thus uniform, pollutant-free evaporation over its surface.

Evaporator unit for an inhaler having a wick structure with a shaft and a collar


The invention relates to a roller-screen arrangement having covering roller screens which are arranged axially one beside the other and can be jointly rolled up onto, and unrolled from, a winding roller, wherein the free ends of the covering roller screens are oriented in opposite directions. The covering roller screens can thus be jointly rolled up onto, and unrolled from, the winding roller, wherein furthermore, in the unrolled state, a distance A is formed between the covering roller screens. A cavity is created between the covering roller screens, and at least one intermediate roller screen is provided in this cavity in order to cover gaps between the covering roller stir screens arranged axially one beside the other. When the covering roller screens are opened and closed, the intermediate roller screens are taken up and let down and picked up again in accordance with the shortening and lengthening of the covering roller screens.

Gaps are formed between the individual roll covers of conventional systems, allowing the passage of ambient air into the refrigeration unit, thus drastically lowering the energy performance of its refrigerating capacity. For this reason, according to an earlier application (Ref: PCT/EP2010/068261, corresponding to WO 2011/064318) of the same applicant, the intention was to cover the gap formed between the roll covers by using so-called intermediate roller blinds that can also be rolled up and unrolled when the roll covers are rolled up and unrolled so the resulting gap between the roll covers can be covered in the lowered position. These intermediate roller blinds and their rolling-up mechanism require a drive, so that when they are rolled up and unrolled they can always cover the gap well and at the same time ensure uniform unrolling so the fabric webs of the intermediate roller blind and the roll cover lie uniformly next to one another and thus seal well.
As mentioned in the earlier patent application, a similar device is known from DE 201 01 977 U1 that also overlaps the edges of the roll covers and can be rolled up and unrolled with them through a separate drive and a transmission gear. Since the drive of the intermediate roller blind must be synchronous with the roll covers, a suitable control of this drive is required. This driver, however, is complex and expensive, particularly because the roller blind device must be assembled on site, as the intermediate roller blind needs to engage in the roll covers so it can cover the gap by overlapping the edges. Although the earlier application resolved this deficiency, it was also relatively complex and expensive. It was also found that the proper rolling-up and unrolling of the intermediate roller blind was not always guaranteed.

Gapless roller blind device for the access opening of a refrigeration unit


A fastener for releasably fastening a face guard to a helmet is disclosed. The fastener comprises a plug having a plug proper and an attachment portion integrally joined to each other; and a bowl-shaped socket having an engaging hole and a notch formed in the center and the edge, respectively, of its bottom, the notch communicating with the engaging hole for guiding the plug proper into engagement with the engaging hole of the socket. The fastener further includes a retainer rotatably fitted in the bowl-shaped socket and including a cylindrical body and a closing plate mounted on its bottom for selectively opening and closing the notch in response to rotation of the retainer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fastener for releasably fastening a face guard or visor to a helmet for motorcycle riders etc. and particularly to such a fastener which facilitates fastening and unfastening the face guard to the helmet and which is completely immune from accidental unfastening.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One typical fastener of the type described is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2-133603. The disclosed fastener comprises a plug holder having a plug mounted thereon so as to be capable of coming into and out of the plug holder; a bowl-shaped socket having a central hole and a resilient hollow cylindrical portion provided on one side of the socket and surrounding the central hole, the forward end of the plug being resiliently engageable with the resilient cylindrical portion of the socket; and a pusher including a circular base plate and a push rod protuberantly mounted on the middle thereof, the pusher reciprocally mounted on the other side of the socket with the push rod fit through the central hole. In order to couple the plug with the socket, a wearer presses the plug holder against the socket with the protruding plug registering with the hollow cylindrical portion until the plug comes into engagement with the resilient cylindrical portion of the socket. In order to decouple the plug holder from the socket, he must press the pusher against the socket until the pusher rod intrudes into the hollow cylindrical portion of the socket and pushes the plug out of engagement with the resilient cylindrical portion.
Another fastener of the type described is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 2-82729. The fastener comprises a plug holder having a base, a plug protuberantly provided on the upper surface of the base, a lever pivotally mounted at its middle on the base and a plate spring acting between one end of the lever and the base and normally urging said one end upward and the other end of the lever down against the base; and a socket having a dent and a resilient engaging rim surrounding the dent, the engaging rim being engageable with the plug of the plug holder. In order to couple the plug holder with the socket, a wearer presses the plug holder against the socket until the plug comes into engagement with the resilient rim of the socket. In order to decouple the plug holder from the socket, he depresses said one end of the lever against the bias of the plate spring whereby the other end of the lever is lifted, thus bringing the plug out of engagement with the engaging rim of the socket.
The first type of conventional fastener suffers from the following drawbacks. In order to couple the plug with the socket, the wearer must forcibly press the plug holder against the socket with the protuberant plug intruding into the hollow cylindrical portion. Since tremendous force is required to forcibly press the plug holder against the socket, the coupling operation is not so easy. Furthermore, all that is necessary for decoupling the plug from the socket is to press the pusher exposed on the outer surface of the socket. So, the pusher can be pushed by the wearer unconsciously or by something extraneous accidentally, so that the plug holder is very likely to come out of engagement with the socket accidentally.
This is also the case with the second type of conventional fastener; that is; since tremendous force is necessary to press the plug holder against the socket the coupling operation is not so easy. Furthermore, all that he must do to decouple the plug holder from the socket is to press one end of the lever which is exposed on the outer surface of the plug holder. So, the lever can be depressed by the wearer unconsciously or mistakenly or by something extraneous accidentally, so that the plug holder comes out of engagement with the socket accidentally.

Fastener for releasably fastening face guard to helmet


In an online shopping system having a shopping basket function capable of conducting an order process in onetime by storing items to be purchased in a purchase list, an interface for the shopping basket function is provided as a shopping basket window separate from a catalog window for displaying item data of the online shopping. The shopping basket window is placed near a pointer displayed on the catalog window and a display position thereof is moved in linkage with the movement of the pointer. The shopping basket function includes a list of items to be purchased which is a main body of the shopping basket, a function to add item data to the list, and a function to change the item information registered in the list. Preferably, the shopping basket main body is not constantly displayed. Instead, an interface function to recall the content display of the shopping basket is provided in the shopping basket window.

The present invention relates to an online shopping system for a consumer to order and purchase items by using a computer, and more particularly to a method for providing an online shopping system having an interface function for allowing an consumer to efficiently select and confirm items to be purchased and such an interface function.
Recently, an online shopping system which allows examination, selection and order of items through a computer has been put into practice. In such an online shopping system, in order to supplement a disadvantage by a gap from ordinary shopping caused by the use of electronic means such as not capable of directly touching the item and not capable of getting assistance of a real salesman, various devices for a user interface have been made. As one of such devices, a so-called shopping basket function which has some analogy with shopping basket used in a shop such as supermarket is proposed. In this function, items on the online shopping are temporarily added to a purchase list and a process of order and purchase is conducted when all items to be purchased are registered on the list, as items to be purchased in the supermarket are once put into a shopping basket and lastly the account is settled at a counter. In this manner, by preparing the purchase list to order a plurality of items one time, a time required to purchase may be substantially saved. Further, the consumer may prevent the failure of shopping and stop the purchase of unnecessary items by checking the list once before the purchase. Further, because of feel of easiness that the items once added on the purchase list may be finally changed in any way before the purchase, there is a psychological effect that the consumer may proceed shopping readily.
The elements which constitute the shopping basket are a shopping basket main body (purchase list) and a function for taking in and out items for the shopping basket. As functions associated with the shopping basket, there are a function to take the items into the shopping basket (add to the purchase list), a function to check the contents of the shopping basket (display the purchase list), a function to return the item in the shopping basket (change the purchase list) and a function to purchase the items in the shopping basket. However, for the function to purchase the items, only the order is accepted because the delivery of the items is made later except a portion of items which can be downloaded as digital data and the shopping is not completed until the items are received and the account is settled.
As one of methods for proving the shopping basket to the consumer, there is a method of displaying a button for the shopping basket on the same display page as a catalog which the consumer watches as it is realized in the online shopping system mainly on the World Wide Web. As another method of proving the shopping basket, there is a method for separately displaying an item catalog area and a shopping basket area. Such a function is used in the shopping system provided by a CD-ROM.

Shopping basket presentation method for an online shopping system


A process for making an amino acid by the steps of: (a) contacting a compound of formula I

L-amino acids, such as those having the formula IV,
wherein R is H, alkyl or aryl and R1 and R2 are the same or different alkyl groups and wherein R1 and R2 may be fused, can be synthesized by using mono-acetal (ketal)-aldehydes. Synthesis of mono-acetal-aldehydes from dialdehydes suffers from complications in purification and low yields, particularly when the two formyl groups are equivalent. It is even more difficult to make ketal-aldehydes from ketoaldehydes because the formyl group is more reactive than the keto group. Hydroformylation of readily available olefinic acetals or olefinic ketals typically produces a desired linear aldehyde and undesired branched aldehydes. Separation of the linear mono-acetal aldehyde and the branched mono-acetal-aldehydes is generally very difficult due to high, similar boiling points.

Abstract: with a hydroformylation catalyst and synthesis gas to produce a mixture of aldehyde compounds comprising the formulas IIa, IIb and IIc;

Abstract: (b) reacting the mixture of aldehyde compounds from step (a) to produce a mixture of derivative compounds;    (c) contacting the mixture of derivative compounds from step (b) with an enantioselective hydrolase enzyme in the presence of water to produce an L-amino acid having the formula IV;

Abstract: (d) isolating the amino acid having the formula IV in substantially pure form,wherein in formulas I, IIa, IIb, IIc, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc and IV, R is H, alkyl or aryl and R1 and R2 are the same or different alkyl groups and wherein R1 and R2 may be fused.


A method for preventing cut pieces of agricultural products containing starch, particularly potatoes, from sticking to each other during the steps of drying and cooking, which includes washing the cut pieces with, or immersing the same in, a solution of an amylolytic enzyme, or an acidic or alkaline aqueous solution, or performing the washing or immersing treatment after blanching the cut pieces, thus saccharifying the starch existing on the surface of the cut pieces and removing the sugar thus formed from the cut pieces and thereby preventing the sticking of the cut pieces in the subsequent heating and drying steps.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for preventing cut pieces of agricultural products containing starch, particularly those of potatoes, from sticking to each other in the drying and cooking steps.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37CFR 1.97-1.99
When cut pieces of agricultural products containing much starch, particularly those of poptatoes, are treated in various ways, such as heating, drying and cooking, the starch existing on the surfaces of said cut pieces tends to gelatinize to increase the viscosity of the water clinging to the surfaces. thus causing sticking of the cut pieces to each other and forming massive particles. It was therefore impossible to treat a large quantity of cut pieces at a time. Accordingly, it was necessary to supply cut pieces sparsely lined up to a dryer, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,483, or to sparsely arrange cut pieces on a conveyer to a dryer, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,090. These methods are suitable for treating a small quantity of cut pieces. but are not suitable undoubtedly when a large quantity of cut pieces is treated. In addition, it has also been attempted, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokai No. 109764/1984, to float cut pieces, while being passed through a heater and a dryer by means of a conveyer, by flowing a heat transfer medium, such as hot air and superheated steam, in large quantities, thereby preventing the cut pieces from sticking to each other. This method requires not only the use of a large-sized dryer but also a large quantity of energy to supply a sufficient air flow for floating the cut pieces, thereby markedly lowering the energy efficiency in the drying and cooking operations.
As described above, in order to prevent cut pieces of agricultural products containing much starch, particularly those of potatoes, from sticking to each other, were proposed a method of treating a small quantity of sparsely arranged cut pieces, a method of treating a large quantity of cut pieces sparsely dispersed in large-sized equipment and a method of treating cut pieces floated by a powerful air blast. However, these methods involve many problems in terms of plant investment and running cost, and no effective method has yet been developed. Frying of these cut pieces, on the other hand, rarely suffers from such problems because sticking of cut pieces to each other does not take place.
In recent years, the demand for low-calory and low-fat foodstuffs has been increasing because of the enhanced concern of general consumers for health. Attempts have been repeated for the industrial production of dried and crispened foodstuffs without frying in place of the conventional fried foodstuffs of a high calorific value containing much fat exemplified by potato chips, but no effective method has yet been developed. Thus, establishing a low-cost, industrial method for producing foodstuffs from potatoes and other agricultural products containing much starch by drying and crispening without frying will respond to the concern of consumers for health.

Method of preventing cut pieces of agricultural products containing starch from sticking to each other in the drying and cooking steps


A vehicle protector having an elongated body with a front surface, a back surface, a top, a bottom, and a first and second end, the first and second ends disposed opposite from one another, with first and second top straps disposed on the front surface nearer to the top than the bottom, the first top strap having a distal end extending from the first body end and the second top strap having a distal end extending from the second body end. Upon the application of tensile forces to the first and second top straps and the first and second bottom straps, the top of the body is drawn towards the bottom of the body on the back surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of vehicular protection and specifically to the field of automotive body protection.
2. Background of the Related Art
Vehicles, such as cars, trucks, vans and the like (collectively "automobiles" or "vehicles"), may come into contact with other objects during operation of the vehicle or while the vehicle is parked on streets or in parking structures such as public parking garages. This type of contact may result in damage to the finish of the automobile such as scratches and transferred paint, and may include structural damage to the automobile such as denting or cracking.
In the past, several attempts have been made to protect automobile exteriors from precisely this type of damage without marring the overall appearance or operation of the vehicle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,790 discloses a "Deformable Vehicle Bumper Guard" comprised essentially of a block of cushioning material which is placed in front an automobile's bumper. This device does not protect the entire bumper, nor may it be readily attached to other portions of an automobile to protect them. Additionally, because the device is secured to the vehicle above the bumper it is designed to protect but is not constrained in any other direction, the device may be readily displaced during impact, thereby eliminating its protective value partially or completely.
Another example of an inadequate attempt to solve the above identified problems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,086 for an "External Cushion Protector for Bumper of a Parked Vehicle." This patent discloses a cushioning device which is supported from above by clamping support structures between a rear lip of a trunk door and an automobile body. Additionally, the device is supported by magnets to the exterior of the automobile body. This device embodies several disadvantages, namely: (1) support via a trunk lid limits the use of the product to automobiles with trunks, thus excluding sport utility vehicles ("SUV's"), pickup trucks, station wagons and the like; (2) magnetic supports will not function on many of today's vehicles having composite, non-ferromagnetic bodies, thus rendering the device unusable; and (3) magnetic supports may scratch the automobile bodies as the device is applied and removed, thereby causing the very damage the device seeks to protect.
Still another example of an inadequate attempt to solve the problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,073, entitled "Automobile Rear Bumper Protector". This patent discloses a device consisting of two "attachment handles" which are fixedly attached to the automobile and by means of which a panel is supported to cover the automobile's rear bumper. This device has the serious drawback of requiring the "attachment handles" to be installed via sheet metal screws or the like. Such attachment not only requires significant labor and equipment, but also may lead to corrosion at the points of installation. Furthermore, because the panel is supported only at its longitudinal ends, significant slippage may occur in the center of the panel, thereby exposing significant portions of the bumper to potential damage.
Yet another type of proposed solution requires the fabrication of a protective cover specifically designed to fit the contours of a particular automobile model. These devices, often referred to as "bras", rely on the close correlation of cover shape and automobile shape, as well as the use of clips located on the device to attach to the automobile at points specific to the automobile model to secure the device to the vehicle. Examples of this type of device may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,056,817 and 4,997,229. These devices have the disadvantage of being specifically designed for particular automobile models, thus requiring manufacturers to manufacture and maintain inventory of large numbers of different designs.
With these considerations in mind, it is desirable to have a single device for protecting a wide range of automobile models that securely protects automobile exteriors without the need for labor intensive installation procedures.


The present invention describes a polyamide textile fiber comprising conjugated nanoparticles homogeneously dispersed in the fiber, selected from polyethylene glycol-conjugated platinum nanoparticles, hyaluronic acid-conjugated gold nanoparticles and mixtures thereof. The invention also describes how to obtain it as well as its use in a cosmetic skin treatment as a system for the release of said conjugated nanoparticles.

Different textile products incorporating cosmetic active ingredients capable of conferring hydrating, antioxidant or firming properties thereto are known in the state of the art. In all the cases, it has been seen that the active ingredient is added to the fiber once the latter has been manufactured, such that said active ingredient is only bound to the surface of the fiber and is thus gradually released in the skin.
However, fibers of this type have various drawbacks among which the low effectiveness and durability of the cosmetic effect provided by them can be mentioned.
There is therefore a need in the state of the art to provide a new textile fiber with cosmetic properties which at least partially overcomes any of these drawbacks.

Cosmetic textile fiber, method for obtaining it and use thereof


A feed-roll mounting mechanism for a machine which curve-cuts logs into boards, wherein the feed rolls are mounted in a fashion which permits selective lateral (axial) shifting along their rotational axes.

This invention relates, generally, to curve-cutting of boards from a log. More particularly, it relates to the mountings provided for power-driven feed rolls that (a) feed an undivided log into a bank of curve-cutting, rotary saw blades, and (b) feed away from the cutting blades the resulting cut-into-boards products divided from the log.
Responding to the ever-growing desire in the wood-products field for the optimization of yield from logs, a technique known as curve-cutting has been developed for cutting boards from logs in a fashion whereby the paths along which boards are cut generally follow a log's curvature. A good description of the advantages of such a procedure, and of a process and an apparatus generally involved in curve-cutting, appears in U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,909, and for the purpose of providing a background for the ensuing disclosure, the entirety of this patent is incorporated herein by reference.
In order for curve-cutting to be accomplished effectively, it is important that, at a location generally immediately upstream from the infeed end of the bank of curve-cutting saw blades (or other kinds of cutters), each log, properly positioned, be urged laterally against a suitable reference datum structure so that the log's curvature, previously calculated by a computer, for example, can be followed meticulously as the log advances through the bank of blades. However, the application of a lateral positioning force to position an oncoming log against such a reference structure can effect, and often does effect, extreme lateral stressing and wearing of the support drive mechanism which is provided for the usual upstream, power-driven, clamping feed rolls (power-driven structure) which feed a log into the saw bank.
Not only does such a stressing problem occur at the infeed or upstream side of the cutting mechanism, but also, to a somewhat lesser degree (but nevertheless present) on the downstream side of the cutting mechanism where the divided-into-boards "products" are fed away from the cutting mechanism.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a mounting structure for such feed rolls which minimizes the wear and stress that has been encountered in such machines heretofore.
In particular, the present invention offers a unique, laterally-floating, clamping feed-roll drive mechanism that can accommodate, by lateral shifting of the rolls, lateral forces that are introduced into this mechanism by virtue of the passage of a log whose surface, which presents itself to the feed rolls, curves generally in the normally horizontal "plane" in which the log is being fed. For example, pairs of upper and lower power-driven feed rolls are provided according to this invention which rotate on horizontal axes that are generally transverse, or at right angles, to the direction in which a log is fed. These rolls are mounted on drive shafts through rotational locking keys which allow for limited, generally unrestrained, bidirectional, lateral (along their rotational axes) shifting of the rolls to accommodate log curvature. Spring biasing may be employed to promote nominal longitudinal positioning for the rolls. This lateral-shift accommodating structure is employed for feed rolls which are disposed both on the upstream and on the downstream sides of the cutting mechanism.
With such mechanism, as proposed by the present invention, installed in a curve-cutting machine, the kinds of damaging wear and stress mentioned above are substantially completely avoided.
These and other objects and advantages that are attained by the invention will become more fully apparent as the description which now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Laterally-floating feed-roll drive mechanism for curve-cutting machine


A fabrication process for a mask used in exposure processes using x-rays, which includes first forming and patterning an absorber, and then forming a membrane over it. The fabrication process can avoid the use of a selective etching process on the absorber and the membrane. The mask, according to the invention, can prevent transferred pattern misalignment or displacement or misplacement, and exposure to secondary electrons as well.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mask used for an exposure process, and more particularly, to a mask used for an exposure process using x-ray.
2. Description of Related Art
In a photolithography process, in addition to a light source, a mask with a pattern of circuits, for transferring the pattern onto a photoresist layer, is also required. Since a whole semiconductor wafer is wasted if any single processing step goes wrong, inspection steps are required before proceeding with any fabrication step. As a result, it is very important for the fabrication of semiconductor devices to correct the alignment of the layers before every photolithography process to avoid improperly transferring the patterns.
Referring to FIG. 1A through FIG. 1E, a fabrication process of a conventional mask used in a x-ray lithography mask process is shown.
First, as shown in FIG. 1A, two membranes 3 and 4, such as silicon-rich nitride, are formed on the first surface and the second surface of an experimental silicon wafer 2. Then, referring to FIG. 1B, an etching process, such as an etching process using KOH, is performed on the middle portion of membrane 4 and on wafer 2 itself. The etching process is stopped when membrane 3 is exposed.
Referring to FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D, an absorber 6 is formed on the membrane 3. Next, photoresist layer 8 is deposited on the absorber 6 and patterned, and the unwanted portions of the absorber are etched off. Then, a photolithography process is performed to transfer a desired pattern onto the absorber 6.
Referring to FIG. 1E, after the removal of the patterned photoresist 8, an anti-reflection layer 10 is then deposited on the patterned absorber 6, and an x-ray mask is completed. The anti-reflection layer 10 prevents the transfer of patterns caused by exposure to secondary electrons due to excessive x-ray energy.
Because the absorber 6 is capable of absorbing high-energy x-rays, the density of the absorber is relatively high. As a result, the selective etching process on the membrane 3, which has a thickness of only about lam, and the absorber 6 is accomplished at a very low yield, and the fabrication cost is increased accordingly.
Furthermore, after several exposures to x-rays, a thermal stress occurs on the transferred pattern of the absorber 6, and twists the membrane 3, causing misalignment. As a result, patterns cannot be reliably or precisely transferred by photolithography processes.
The fabrication process of another conventional mask for x-ray is shown in FIG. 2A through FIG. 2E.
First, referring to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, membranes 3 and 4, such as silicon-rich nitride, are formed respectively on the first surface and the second surface of an experimental silicon wafer. An absorber 6 is then formed on the upper membrane 3.
Referring to FIG. 2C, a photoresist layer 8 is deposited on the absorber 6 and patterned, and the unwanted portions of the absorber are etched off. Following that, a photolithography process is performed to transfer a desired pattern onto the absorber 6. Then, referring to FIG. 2D, after the removal of the patterned photoresist 8, an anti-reflection layer 10 is deposited on the patterned absorber 6, and a mask for x-ray is completed. The anti-reflection layer 10 is used to prevent the transfer of patterns caused by exposure to secondary electrons due to excessive x-ray energy.
And then, referring to FIG. 2E, an etching process is performed on the middle portion of the lower membrane 4 and the into the silicon wafer 2. The etching process, such as one using KOH, removes the middle portion of the silicon wafer 2, and stops as it reaches the upper membrane 3 to accomplish the fabrication of an x-ray mask.
The previously mentioned drawbacks of a conventional x-ray mask also happen to the second conventional x-ray mask during the selective etching process and after several x-ray exposures.

Mask for an exposure process using X-ray


An active current steering semi-digital FIR filter for a digital-to-analog conversion circuit, which includes a shift register having a 1-bit digital input stream and a plurality of output taps, where each output tap provides a 1-bit signal which has a value of a logic 1 or a logic 0, and a plurality of current paths, where each path includes an active element, such as a transistor, having a relatively high output impedance, which is connected to a common current source, and to an op amp for current-to-voltage conversion. The relatively high output impedance of the active current steering element causes any error term resulting from offset at the op amp inputs to be minimized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital-to-analog FIR filter. More specifically, the present invention relates to a digital-to-analog filter which uses active current division steering techniques.
2. Brief Description of the Related Technology
Previous methods for digital-to-analog (D/A) signal conversion and reconstruction filtering involve several methods. The actual D/A conversion process has been accomplished using methods such as a single current source and sink, or by dumping charge from a switched capacitor that has been charged to either a positive or negative reference voltage. Reconstruction filtering has been accomplished by using a combination of active and/or passive classical filtering techniques, such as continuous time active filters with resistors and capacitors, continuous time passive filters utilizing resistors, capacitors, and inductors, or switched capacitor filter techniques. A method of filtering which combines a D/A converter with a reconstruction filter has recently become known in the art.
Oversampled D/A converters generally include the following signal processing blocks: (1) an interpolator filter, or series of filters, which raises the sample rate of the incoming digital signal to a higher sample rate, (2) a digital sigma-delta processor (or noise shaper) which lowers the number of bits representing the signal by shaping the quantization noise in a way that places most of it at higher frequencies, (3) a D/A converter which converts the output of the noise shaper into an analog signal, and (4) an analog low pass filter which removes, or substantially lowers, the noise that was placed at higher frequencies by the noise shaper.
In all sigma-delta D/A converters, there exists a need to filter the high frequency noise inherent to this method of conversion. It is common for a digital noise shaper (digital sigma-delta modulator) to have as its output a single bit. The single bit digital output signal is then converted to an analog signal using switched capacitor techniques or switched current source techniques. Once this conversion is made, filtering of the high frequency noise is then accomplished through a variety of means.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a semi-digital reconstruction filter typically uses a tapped delay line, or shift register, to control a plurality of devices each of which has an associated gain factor. The outputs of the plurality of devices are then summed together to form a single output of the filter. In some cases, individual current sources are employed as the plurality of devices. The amount of current in each current source is designed such that a desired FIR filter response is achieved. The output of each current source is then provided, or steered, to a current summing node (IOUT) or to an alternative current summing node (IOUT*), depending on the logic state of the control bit (B.sub.N) at the delay line tap associated with each current source. The currents at one or both of the current summing nodes are then converted to a voltage using standard current to voltage conversion techniques. Additional filtering may then be employed to remove extremely high frequency noise.
In other cases, the plurality of devices in the semi-digital filter FIR coefficients are represented as charge stored on a plurality of capacitors. The charge on each capacitor can then be summed by employing a switched capacitor summing amplifier. Once again, additional filtering may be employed to remove any extremely high frequency noise.
In another semi-digital filter scheme, the FIR coefficients are represented as a current value through a plurality of resistors. Each resistor is selectively connected to a voltage reference depending on the state of the individual control bit from the delay line tap associated with each individual resistor. The current is then summed and converted to a voltage by means of resistive feedback around an operational amplifier (op amp). As in the previous methods discussed, additional filtering may be employed to remove any high frequency noise.
Previous current steering semi-digital FIR filters utilize current paths having linear resistors, or resistive elements such as FETs or CMOS transmission gates biased in the linear region. This results in relatively low output impedance of the resistive elements of the filter. Any offset on inputs to an operational amplifier (op amp) connected to the current paths in the prior filter circuits may cause an error term. Since the current through each path is dependent on the resistance of the resistive element in each path, the state of the switches and the op amp offset, the FIR coefficients for the filter, as determined by the current in each path, are a function of the op amp offset. A need exists to minimize, or eliminate, this offset distortion term.

Apparatus and method for a combination D/A converter and FIR filter employing active current division from a single current source


A method of producing a nitride-based semiconductor device includes the steps of growing an InxAlyGa1-x-yN (0≦x, 0≦y, x+y<1) buffer layer (2; 12; 22; 32; 42) on a substrate (1; 11; 21; 31; 41) at a first substrate temperature, and growing a first conductivity type nitride-based semiconductor layer (4; 14; 24; 34; 44) on the buffer layer at a second substrate temperature. The first temperature is higher than the second temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvement in a semiconductor device including a layer of nitride-based compound semiconductor (InxAlyGa1-x-yN: 0≦x, 0≦y, x+y<1), and improvement in a producing method thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 06-196757 discloses a method of producing a nitride-based semiconductor device, which can be used for producing a blue light-emitting diode, a blue laser diode or the like. According to the disclosure of Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 06-196757, a GaN buffer layer is grown to about 20 nm thickness on a sapphire substrate at a substrate temperature of 510° C. On the GaN buffer layer, a GaN layer is grown to about 2 μm thickness at a substrate temperature of 1030° C. Further, on the GaN layer, an InGaN light-emitting layer is grown at a substrate temperature of 800° C.
When the GaN buffer layer is grown at the low temperature of 510° C. as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 06-196757, the grown GaN buffer layer is in an amorphous state. When the GaN layer is grown at the high temperature of 1030° C. on the amorphous GaN buffer layer, dislocations are generated from the interface with the amorphous GaN buffer layer and then extend penetrating or threading through the GaN layer being grown at the high temperature. When the InGaN light-emitting layer is grown at the high temperature of 800° C. on the GaN layer including such threading dislocations, the threading dislocations propagate into the light-emitting layer. As a result, in a nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device produced with the light-emitting layer including such threading dislocations, its light-emitting efficiency becomes low due to the threading dislocations.

Method of producing nitride-based semiconductor device, and light-emitting device produced thereby


A medical device can perform treatment and diagnosis without causing a sense of unease to the patient. The medical device includes a substantially ring-shaped support frame provided in such a manner that a central axis through which an isocenter passes is disposed substantially horizontally; a substantially ring-shaped moving gantry which slides relative to the support frame and which has an opening at the isocenter side thereof a radiation emitter configured to emit a beam towards the isocenter; and a protective cover which covers the radiation emitter and an inner circumferential side of the moving gantry and which moves together with the moving gantry.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical devices, for example, radiotherapy apparatuses and CT (computed tomography) apparatuses.
2. Description of Related Art
Stereotactic radiotherapy apparatuses are known medical devices for performing treatment by irradiating an affected area, such as a tumor, with radiation. Such Stereotactic radiotherapy apparatuses emit radiation a plurality of times in multiple directions towards the same affected area. To emit radiation from multiple directions, it is necessary to dispose a radiation emitter at a position corresponding to a location for emitting the radiation for irradiating the affected area, and to allow the radiation detector to be moved to a plurality of positions around the patient and aligned. Known approaches for moving the radiation emitter in this way include the cantilever type, robotic arm type, and gantry type approaches.
In the cantilever type approach, the radiation emitter is supported in a cantilevered manner and rotated around the patient's body. In the robotic arm type approach, the radiation emitter is attached to the end of a multi-axis arm, and the radiation is emitted from an arbitrary direction. However, with the cantilever type approach or the robotic arm type approach, because of a structure for attaching the radiation emitter to the end of the cantilever or the arm, the cantilever or the arm becomes deformed due to the weight of the radiation emitter, thus making high-precision positioning (setting the irradiation direction) difficult.
In contrast, in the gantry type approach, a gantry is positioned so as to surround a patient lying on a couch, and the radiation emitter is moved along the gantry or together with the gantry. The gantry type approach is a preferable structure for realizing high-precision positioning because the radiation emitter is supported by a highly rigid gate-shaped gantry. Medical devices using this gantry type approach have been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Translation of PCT International Application, Publication No. HEI-10-511595, which is related to a radiotherapy apparatus described below, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. HEI-10-71213, which is related to a proton-beam therapy apparatus.
With the cantilever type approach and the gantry type approach, to increase the degrees of freedom of the irradiation direction, positioning control (translation and rotation) of the couch on which the patient is set is performed, in addition to movement of the radiation emitter in a single direction.


Systems and methods for remotely switching telecommunication access sources. Exemplary systems include a communication device that is operable to receive a selection, and a micro electro-mechanical cross-connect that is, based on the selection, operable to route a source to an output, such as a subscriber line. The exemplary systems further include a control device that is operable to receive the selection from the communication device, and to provide a selector derived from the selection to the micro electro-mechanical cross-connect. Various methods are also included for operating a telecommunications network that includes such systems.

The present invention is related to telecommunications networks, and in particular to cross-boxes implemented in relation to telecommunications networks.
As illustrated in FIG. 1a, a telecommunications network 100 can include a two service providers 110, 120 with access to a consumer premises 140 via a cross-box 130. The service providers can include supporting service provider 110 that maintains cross-box 130 and provides services via connection 111, and accessing service provider 120 that merely provides services via connection 121 connected to cross-box 130. Cross-box 130 is connected to consumer premises 140 via connection 131.
As an example, service provider 110 can be an ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier), while service provider 120 is a CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier). When the ILEC servicing consumer premises 140 is to be changed, a service technician must be dispatched to physically change the service selection at cross-box 130. This can include, as depicted in FIGS. 1b and 1c, changing a jumper 150 to connect points 112 and 132, or points 122 and 132 and thus couple connection 131 to a selected one of connection 111 or connection 121. This process is expensive and time consuming.
Hence, there exists a need in the art for advanced systems and methods for implementing cross-boxes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Automated cross-box and methods for using an automated cross-box


A linear voltage regulator includes a pass device for supplying current to a load, and an error amplifier for generating a control signal for controlling the pass device for regulating an output voltage at the load. The error amplifier is connected to a first power supply having a first voltage and a second power supply having a second voltage greater than the first voltage. The error amplifier preferably includes an output stage for providing a greater amount of current to the pass device from the first power supply than from the second power supply when the control signal is below a predetermined value, and for providing a greater amount of current to the pass device from the second power supply than the first power supply when the control signal is above the predetermined value. The predetermined value may be slightly above the typical drive or control voltage needed for a bipolar pass device. Accordingly, the linear regulator can provide a relatively large amount of current for a bipolar transistor from primarily the lower voltage power supply, and can provide a higher voltage for a MOSFET from the higher voltage power supply.

DC-to-DC power converters are widely used to supply power to electronic devices, such as computers, printers, etc. Such DC-to-DC converters are available in a wide variety of configurations for many different applications. For example, a relatively sophisticated DC-to-DC converter in integrated circuit form is available from Harris Corporation, the assignee of the present invention, under the model number HIP 6017. In fact, the HIP 6017 monitors and precisely controls three different output voltage levels for use in high performance microprocessor and computer applications.
The HIP 6017 integrated circuit includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller, a linear regulator, and a linear controller to provide the three outputs. In addition, the HIP 6017 integrated circuit includes the associated monitoring and protection functions. The PWM controller regulates the microprocessor core voltage with a synchronous-rectified buck converter. The linear controller regulates power for the so-called "GTL bus" or microprocessor bus of the computer, and the linear regulator provides power for the clock driver circuits.
A typical integrated linear regulator circuit, such as provided by one portion of the HIP 6017, is connected to and controls an external semiconductor pass device, such as a metal-oxide field-effect transistor (MOSFET). The MOSFET, for example, may be controlled to provide a regulated lower output voltage, such as 1.5 V, from a higher voltage input, such as 3.3 V. The gate of the MOSFET is driven by an error amplifier. The error amplifier is connected to the bias supply, such as 12 V for a typical computer application.
The error amplifier also has an inverting input connected to a resistive voltage divider for sensing the output or load voltage, and a non-inverting input connected to a voltage reference. For this example using a MOSFET pass device, the error amplifier needs to supply a control voltage in a range of about 0 to 12 volts, but at a relatively small current in a range of only about 5 milliamps regardless of the load current.
Other linear regulators are also used wherein an external NPN bipolar pass device is used as the pass device. In such a regulator, the error amplifier, more particularly the output stage of the error amplifier, need only supply a relatively modest voltage of about 0 to 2.5 V, for example. However, the current necessary to drive the base of the external NPN transistor is much higher than for the MOSFET pass device when the output load current is high. For example, with an output load current of 2 to 10 amps, the base drive current may be up to 50 mA.
If the linear regulator including the error amplifier coupled to the 12 V supply is used to drive the NPN bipolar device, the power dissipation on the integrated circuit will be 50 mA.times.12 V or 0.6 Watts. This is a relatively large amount of power, especially considering that there are typically other power dissipating circuits on the same integrated circuit chip, such as is the case for the HIP 6017, for example. In comparison, when the linear regulator is connected to an external MOSFET pass device, the power dissipation is only 5 mA.times.12 V or only 60 mW. Moreover, there are significant reasons why the circuit designer may wish to use the NPN bipolar transistor as the pass device rather than the MOSFET. Unfortunately, present linear regulator circuits that are also compatible for MOSFET pass devices may produce an unacceptably high power dissipation, because drive current is delivered from a relatively high supply voltage for compatibility with the MOSFET pass device.

Linear voltage regulator compatible with bipolar and MOSFET pass devices and associated methods


A secondary-battery life estimation apparatus includes: a voltage measuring portion measuring a terminal voltage of a secondary battery to be measured; a first memory storing in advance a terminal voltage V0 of a non-degraded secondary battery before the non-degraded secondary battery discharges after fully charged; a second memory which stores in advance a life-estimation data map as a look-up table associating a voltage difference dV between a terminal voltage V of the secondary battery to be measured before the secondary battery to be measured discharges after fully charged and the terminal voltage V0 with a residual life of the secondary battery to be measured; and a CPU calculating the voltage difference dV between the terminal voltage V measured by the voltage measuring portion before the secondary battery to be measured discharges after fully charged and the terminal voltage V0 stored in the first memory and estimating the residual life of the secondary battery to be measured based on the life-estimation data map stored in the second memory using the voltage difference dV.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a secondary-battery life estimation apparatus for an apparatus provided with a secondary battery, and a life estimation method for the secondary battery.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, a secondary battery has often been used as a power supply system in combination with a solar battery, or a power generator driven by natural energy such as wind power and hydraulic power or artificial mechanical power such as an internal combustion engine. A power supply system combined with such a storage unit stores excess power in the storage unit and supplies electric power from the storage unit to a load apparatus if necessary, thereby utilizing energy more efficiently.
As an example of this system, there is a solar-light power-generation system charging a storage unit with excess power when the amount of power generated by solar light is greater than a power consumption in a load apparatus, and oppositely, when the amount of generated power is smaller than a power consumption in the load apparatus, driving the load apparatus with electric power outputted from the storage unit.
Therefore, the solar-light power-generation system is capable of storing excess power conventionally out of use in the storage unit, thereby enhancing the energy efficiency compared with a conventional power supply system.
In order to store excess power efficiently in the storage unit, the solar-light power-generation system executes control lest the state of charge (below called SOC) of the storage unit should reach 100%, and in order to drive the load apparatus if necessary, it executes control lest the SOC should fall to zero. Specifically, the storage unit is controlled in such a way that the SOC is within a range of 20 to 80%.
This principle is applied to a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) provided with an engine and a motor. The HEV drives a dynamo and charges a storage unit with excess power if the power outputted from the engine is greater than motive power required for driving, and charges the storage unit by using a motor as a dynamo when braking or slowing.
In addition, great notice has recently been taken of a load-leveling power supply or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle making effective use of nighttime power.
The load-leveling power supply is a system which stores electric power in a storage unit in the night when the power consumption declines and the power rates lower and consumes the stored power in the daytime when the power consumption peaks. The leveled power consumption leads to constant power generation, thereby enabling power facilities to operate efficiently, or cutting down on an investment in the facilities.
The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle utilizing nighttime power mainly operates EV (electric vehicle) driving which supplies electric power from the storage unit when running at a poor mileage in the streets and operates HEV driving which utilizes an engine and a motor when running over a long distance, thereby reducing the total emission quantity of CO2.
As repeatedly used, a storage device is degraded, thereby lowering the capacity and raising the impedance. If the capacity falls to a reference value or below, of if the impedance rises to a reference value or above, then the storage device needs to be replaced. If the storage device degraded beyond each reference value is continuously used, for example, an emergency back-up power supply can have trouble, thereby requiring a regular knowledge of the capacity or impedance of the storage device in use.
However, it generally takes a long time to measure the capacity of the storage device accurately. For example, a small nickel-hydrogen storage battery is charged for sixteen hours with 0.1 C(mA) after discharged up to a cell terminal voltage of 1.0 V. Then, it is not given a charge or a discharge for an hour, and thereafter, discharged with 0.2 C(mA) up to a cell terminal voltage of 1.0 V. The discharge capacity taken out at this time is a real capacity. Herein, 1 C (=1It) is a current value for nullifying the residual capacity of a secondary battery in an hour when the secondary battery discharges a nominal capacity with a constant current.
Accordingly, measuring a capacity takes a whole day or so, and besides, since a battery cannot be put into operation while the capacity thereof is being measured, preferably, the capacity should not be measured too frequently. Particularly, if a large battery is provided with a dedicated artificial load for discharge, that requires a load for a great amount of electric current, thereby raising costs.
In order to solve the problems, a method has been proposed for estimating the capacity of a secondary battery within a shorter period of time. For example, a method for precisely estimating the capacity of a nickel-hydrogen battery in a short time without measuring a discharge capacity of the battery in practice is offered (e.g., refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-235420). This says that the battery capacity can be estimated based on a correlation between a variation in voltage and the capacity after a specified time passes from the point of time when a charge is completed for the nickel-hydrogen battery.
Furthermore, a capacity estimation method using an internal impedance for the purpose of estimating the life of a lead storage battery is put to practical use, and thus, a method for predicting a life by extrapolating a temporal variation in estimated capacity has been proposed (e.g., refer to "Tomonobu Tsujikawa, Tamotsu Motozu, Kunio Nakamura: NTT R&D, vol. 50, No. 8, p. 569 (2001)").
However, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-235420, the battery voltage needs to be measured twice immediately after fully charged and when the specified time passes after fully charged, thereby increasing the number of measurements of the battery voltage.
Particularly, an electric vehicle requiring, for example, a high voltage of 288 to 600 V is provided, for example, with a secondary-battery module formed by connecting in series a plurality of, for example, 240 to 500 cells each having 1.2 V. The secondary-battery module has a high output voltage, thereby making it hard to measure each output voltage of the whole secondary-battery module all at once in a voltage detection circuit which cannot withstand a high voltage. This compels, for example, a plurality of measurements of the terminal voltage of each cell, thereby if each voltage of, for example, 500 cells in series is measured twice, requiring a thousand battery-voltage measurements.
In "Tomonobu Tsujikawa, Tamotsu Motozu, Kunio Nakamura: NTT R&D, vol. 50, No. 8, p. 569 (2001)", the battery internal resistance needs calculating, thereby complicating the calculation process.

Secondary-battery life estimation apparatus and method


A method of manufacturing an electronic package is disclosed. The described method includes (a) placing an electronic component on at least one layer structure; (b) encapsulating the electronic component by an encapsulant in a pressureless way; and (c) forming at least one further layer structure at the layer structure to thereby form a stack beneath the encapsulated electronic component. A further described electronic package includes (a) a stack comprising at least one layer structure and at least one further layer structure; (b) an electronic component being placed on the stack; and (c) an encapsulant encapsulating the electronic component, wherein the encapsulant has been formed in a pressureless way. Further described is an electronic device comprising such an electronic package.

Integrated circuit components are typically put into packages in order to allow for an easy handling and reliable assembly of electronic circuits e.g. onto a component carrier such as a printed circuit board (PCB). A package for or of an integrated circuit further provides protection for the packaged electronic component against e.g. mechanical and/or chemical impacts.
A placement of packaged electronic components on a component carrier is typically carried out by surface mounting by means of an automatic placement machine. For realizing a high integration density of electronic assemblies it is known to use multilayer PCBs. A multilayer PCB comprises appropriately structured or patterned (horizontal) intermediate electrically conductive layer structures, which are selectively interconnected with each other by means of (vertical) interconnects such as metallized vias. Thereby, the "third dimension" of the component carrier is utilized for realizing a wiring by means of appropriately structured and interconnected conductor traces.
For further increasing the integration density of electronic assembles being mounted at a component carrier it is known to embed electronic components, e.g. RFID tags, within the component carrier. Embedding is a process which must be carried out with care for instance to avoid or reduce mechanical stress acting on the electronic component and to ensure a sufficient reliability of electric connections of the electronic component even under thermal stress.

Package with embedded electronic component being encapsulated in a pressureless way

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