A containment assembly for storing a liquid substance above a ground support surface has an inner tank for receiving and storing the liquid and an outer tank surrounding the inner tank and forming a first air space therebetween for trapping any of the liquid which might escape said inner tank. A support beneath the outer tank provides a second air space between the outer tank and the ground support surface, and a thermal insulating layer substantially envelopes the inner tank, outer tank and support from the ambient. A vapour exhaust vent is provided atop the inner tank, which may include a liquid scrubber for recovering liquids from discharging gases and returning the liquids to the inner tank or elsewhere. Piping is provided for liquid communication between the inner tank and external liquid sources for filling and emptying the inner tank. Instrumentation for measuring the amount of liquid in the inner tank includes a shut-off mechanism for stopping the flow of liquid through the piping to the inner tank when the liquid reaches a pre-set level in the tank. A detector accesses the first air space for detecting liquid leakage from the inner tank. Air exchange is promoted between the first and second air spaces by a plurality of open ended standpipes spaced about the first air space and in air communication with the second air space. A heater is preferably provided for forcing heat into the second air space, the heat being distributed through an the standpipes into the first air space and about the inner tank. A second inner tank may be located beneath the outer tank for liquid storage, and may be partitioned for handling selected liquids.

There are a variety of tanks available for storing various substances both belowground and aboveground. Existing underground tanks suffer from many drawbacks, some of which render such tanks unusable as a result of more stringent modern day environmental guidelines and requirements. One drawback is that underground tanks tend to leak their contents, whether through corrosion or other causes such as breaks due to ground movements. Leaks are typically very difficult to detect, and, once detected, it is virtually impossible to tell how long the leak has been present. Such tanks not only require expensive excavation to install, but require further excavation for removal, repair or replacement. Underground tanks are usually replaced rather than repaired due to impacts and damage during excavation and repair. Reclaiming a contaminated site is also very time consuming and expensive. Underground tanks used in the petroleum industry further require berms and dykes which claim a large surface area at well sites, and make access to the tank more difficult. Removing product from such tanks is expensive due to required use of vacuum trucks rather than less expensive pump trucks.
Aboveground tanks, on the other hand, avoid some of these problems. They do not require excavation, for instance, but may require berms depending on whether the tank is single or double walled. Existing aboveground designs have their own drawbacks, particularly in extreme cold (or hot) climates. Keeping stored liquid from freezing and damaging the tank usually requires more than just thermal insulation but a heating system of some sort. A disadvantage of prior art systems is that they focus on heating the liquid itself, which can be expensive and impractical. Hence, usage of aboveground tanks in such extreme climates is not as popular as it should be, even though from an environmental standpoint, leak detection is much easier and quicker to detect than in underground tanks.
What is desired therefore is a novel aboveground tank assembly for storing liquid substances which overcomes the limitations and problems of these prior art tanks. Preferably it should provide a dual containment assembly where a sizeable air space between an inner tank for receiving and storing the liquid and outer tank is provided to trap any leakage from the inner tank. A means for readily detecting any leak should be provided, and a shut-off mechanism should be available to stop liquid flow and prevent overflow of the inner tank. Preferably the novel tank should have another air space beneath the outer tank communicating with the first air space, and a heater for heating these air spaces whereby the stored liquid is prevented from freezing by the surrounding air spaces rather than direct heating of the liquid. An air exchange assembly should provide for air communication between air spaces, yet prevent any leaked liquid in the first air space from entering the second air space. The assembly should be enveloped and effectively isolated from the ambient by an insulating layer. The assembly should further provide for storage of more than one type of liquid, and for a means of at least partially separating solids from the liquid. It should also provide a vent for the inner tank which reclaims at least some moisture from vented gases and returns the moisture to the assembly.
In a preferred aspect the present invention provides an aboveground containment assembly for storing liquids comprising:
an inner tank for receiving and storing said liquids; PA1 an outer tank surrounding said inner tank and forming a first air space therebetween for trapping any of said liquids which might escape said inner tank; PA1 a support means beneath said outer tank for providing a second air space between the outer tank and a ground support surface; PA1 an insulating layer for substantially isolating said inner tank, outer tank and support means from the ambient; PA1 a vapour exhaust means for said inner tank; PA1 pipe means for liquid communication between said inner tank and external liquid sources for filling and emptying said inner tank; PA1 measurement means for measuring the amount of liquid in said inner tank and including a shut-off mechanism for stopping the flow of liquid through said pipe means to said inner tank upon said liquid reaching a pre-set level therein; and PA1 a detector accessing said first air space for detecting liquid leakage from said inner tank. PA1 an outer tank located aboveground; PA1 an upper inner tank for primary liquid storage located within said outer tank so as to form a first air space therebetween for containing any egress of liquid from said upper tank; PA1 a sub-floor assembly beneath said outer tank for elevating and supporting a base of said outer tank aboveground and to form a second air space beneath said outer tank base; PA1 an external insulating layer for substantially isolating said upper inner tank, outer tank and sub-floor assembly from the ambient; PA1 a vapour and pressure exhaust means for said upper inner tank; PA1 inlet and outlet pipe means for filling and emptying said upper inner tank; PA1 measurement means for measuring the amount of liquid in said upper inner tank and including a shut-off mechanism for interrupting the flow of liquid through said pipe means upon said liquid reaching a pre-set level within said upper inner tank; and PA1 a detector accessing said first air space for detecting liquid therein.
In another aspect the invention provides a containment assembly for liquid storage comprising:


A method for analyzing an design of an integrated circuit, the method includes defining possible timings of signals to be provided to the integrated circuit and calculating hold violations; characterized by including a stage of determining relationships between clock events and corresponding data/control events that ideally precede the clock events, in response to the possible timing of signals; and determining hold parameters in response to the relationships. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, the set of instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to define at least one internal delay of a designed component, characterized by causing the processor to define a cell that is characterized by multiple hold times and multiple setup values for a certain clock skew value.

Modern integrated circuits include a very large amount of logic circuits such as flip flops, logic gates and the like. The design process is relatively long and includes multiple stages such as high level description, synthesis, placement and routing, extraction, static timing analysis and the like.
Various vendors provide software tools capable of performing static timing analysis. These tools include, for example, Quartus® II of Altera™, of California U.S.A.; Timer™ of Actel™ of California, U.S.A., and PathMill® and PrimeTime™ of Synopsys™ of California, U.S.A.
Various verification and re-design stages are required before the design process is completed. Typically, the synthesis is responsive to design constraints (including timing constraints) and to the characteristics of designed components. The characteristics of multiple designed components are usually gathered in a cell library. Various vendors offer standard cell libraries, including Libra-Visa of Synopsys.
The following U.S. patent applications, all being incorporated herein by reference, illustrate various prior art cell libraries: U.S. patent application publication number 20050006670 of Zounes, U.S. Patent application publication number 20040237059 of Chen et al., U.S. patent application publication number 20040218831 of Liu, U.S. patent application publication number 20040195690 of Flohr, U.S. patent application publication number 20040143797 of Nguyen et al., U.S. patent application publication number 20040040004 of Sakiyama et al., and U.S. patent application publication number 20030149953 of Whitaker et al.
In general, it is harder to correct design errors during later stages of the design process, and especially after the placement and routing stages.
Static timing analysis usually includes analyzing, debugging and validating the timing performance of a design of an integrated circuit. During this stage the timing associated with the propagation of signals through a designed integrated circuit are calculated. Especially, this analysis checks whether the delay of a component fits the clock frequency requirements, and whether hold and setup violations occurred.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,407 of Kaufman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,159 of Belkadi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,127 of Craven et al., U.S. patent application publication number 2001/007144 of Terazawa, and PCT patent application publication number WO0075815 titled "An arrangement and a method relating to design of circuits", all being incorporated herein by reference, provide an overview of static timing analysis.
A hold violation is determined by checking if a data or a control input signal that is provided to a certain component was steady for at least a predefined period (referred to as a worst case hold time) relative to a corresponding clock event occurred. A clock event is usually a rising or falling edge of the clock signal.
A setup violation is determined by checking if a data or a control input signal that is provided to a certain component was steady for at least a predefined period (referred to setup period) before a corresponding clock event occurred.
The worst case hold time guarantees that regardless of the setup time the component will operate in a proper manner.
There is a need to provide an effective method for static timing analysis.

Method and a computer readable medium for performing static timing analysis of a design of an integrated circuit


A hanger fixture that supports a hanger hook and includes a glide rod and two guide rods to loosely hold the hanger hook in a predetermined position on the hanger fixture. A secure wire spaced from the glide rod and connected to the glide rod helps hold the hanger hook in place. The assembly of the glide rod and secure wire are adjustable in position over four different settings each ⅜ inches apart.

Millions of plastic garment hangers are removed from clothing each day at point-of-sale in retail stores. These hangers must be dealt with in the back rooms of the stores through a process of untangling, sorting by style and organizing them for re-use. This is a serious problem because of labor intensiveness, cost of broken hangers ($0.25 to $1.00 each) due to tangle, storage space and retail efficiency. In addition, new federal and state regulations against discarding plastic hangers into the nation's landfills, makes recycling for all retail stores a necessity.
Successful hanger management is thwarted by the multiplicity of hanger styles used in retail stores. Previous attempts to sort and organize all hangers have failed because no one hanger management system will accept and sort all hangers.
At present, to sort hangers, boxes of various materials and sizes are used at point of sale. Hangers removed by sales clerks are thrown into these boxes. When full, the boxes of hangers are removed to the back of the retail establishment, the hangers manually untangled and sorted for re-use. This method is the most frequently used system and the most costly from the standpoint of labor costs, efficiency and broken hanger expense.
One system attempting to deal with this problem includes a hair-pin fixture sorting method using a metal fixture consisting of two metal hoops, one shorter than the other. The hanger hook is placed in the tallest hoop and hanger arms are placed between the two hoops. This method makes no attempt to align hooks or separate hooks by style. This system is only slightly superior to the box sorting method because of tangling of hangers, broken hangers still exist and re-sorting is still necessary.
Another system includes a bar sorting assembly having three to six bars approximately 24 inches long. Each bar is designated for a specific hanger type and sortation results to some degree, dependent completely on employee discipline. In operation, serious problems develop if foam rubber hold downs unlock in which case all hangers can fall off the bars during transfer from a bar rack at a point of sale to a rolling rack for transfer to a back room. Bars must be held horizontal and hangers tend to swing out of alignment and frustrate easy loading on rolling racks. This system is the most expensive hanger management system mainly because it has a very elaborate racking system required to hold hangers and its many plastic pieces and foam rubber parts that require replacement.
It has been determined that the critical distance for a hanger is the center of the hanger hook to the shoulders or arms of the hanger. Since this distance varies by style, retail chain dedicated hangers and manufacturer, a number of hanger fixtures are required and designed to accept each particular hanger type. This clearly is unacceptable, costly, confusing and unworkable because of space requirements.
Hanger standardization then would seem to be the only real solution; however, this solution would have to be accepted industry-wide. This apparently will not happen in view of the large investment in the present inventory of retail hangers which would have to be scrapped and replaced with new standardized hangers at a substantial cost. Since the problem remains, the problem to be solved must be how to bring order and efficiency to the tangle and confusion of the costly hanger management problem.

Garment hanger caddy and storage rack therefor


A storage system whereby all managers of the storage system can easily collect the history data of the manager of each partition. The storage system is designed such that the memory resources within the system are managed by a system manager while partitions of the memory resources are managed by partition managers assigned for every partition unit. The storage system is provided with management modules that change the configuration of the memory resources corresponding to the content set by the system manager or partition manager, a history data management module that creates history data correlating the identifier of the partition unit that has undergone modification of the configuration of the memory resources, the setting content, and the identification data of the manager, and a history data storage unit that stores the history data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage system and a storage management method, and more particularly to a technology to improve a storage system in which memory resources are partitioned and managed.
2. Description of the Related Art
The need for uniform management of memory resources has become evident recently, and as can be seen in operations by storage service providers, operations are conducted wherein multiple clients share a storage system on one device. In this kind of operation, the various service managers (called "partition managers" hereinafter) independently manage resources assigned to various clients. The storage system itself has come to have a resource partition and management function in order to efficiently and safely conduct this kind of operation. Service provision systems for individual service functions provided from the storage service provider to the storage resource users, for example, have been proposed as storage management technology for storage systems having this kind of resource partition and management function wherein the storage system manages and controls the number of users that can be provided for and the total volume of storage resources, and adequate licensing can thereby be performed in relation to service functions that the storage service provider offers to the users (for example, Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-230189). Additionally, for example, control of access to memory devices has been proposed wherein the control system call access from the host system to the data memory device is controlled by pre-set access restrictions, and access by each user to permissible devices and for permissible actions can be controlled (for example, Patent Literature 2: Japanese Unexamined Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-259214).

Storage system and storage management system


A method for calibrating an analysis instrument, e.g., a gas chromatograph, for water analysis that includes four steps. The first step is to continuously remove water from a liquid that contains water to produce a liquid containing a reduced amount of water such as by membrane pervaporation. The second step is to analyze the liquid containing a reduced amount of water for water by a reference water analysis method such as by Karl Fischer titration. The third step is to analyze the stream of liquid containing a reduced amount of water using the instrument to be calibrated, e.g., a gas chromatograph having a helium photoionization pulse discharge detector. The fourth step is to calibrate the instrument using the analysis of the second step. In a related embodiment, a system for normal phase chromatography.

Aquametry or the determination of water in a material is an important branch of chemical analysis. The most common chemical analysis method for the determination of water is the Karl Fischer titration. However, other chemical analysis methods, such as Gas Chromatography (GC), are also widely used; see Gilbert et al., Anal. Chem., 2001, p520-526.
When most chemical analysis instruments are used to determine water in a liquid, the instrument must be calibrated by analyzing a liquid "standard" having a known water concentration. Calibrating a chemical analysis instrument for the determination of water at relatively low concentrations (e.g., in the range of 1 part per million) is difficult because it is difficult to prepare a liquid standard having such a relatively low water concentration because water from the environment tends to contaminate the liquid standard.
Normal phase liquid chromatography (NPLC)is an important chemical analysis technique, see Heftmann, Journal of Chromatography Library, Volume 22A, pages A75-A78. However, the water concentration of the relatively non-polar mobile phase used in NPLC has a significant effect on the relative elution rate of the separated components of interest. Therefore, the mobile phase used in NPLC is usually kept as free of water as possible and/or a relatively polar "modulator", such as an alcohol is added to the mobile phase.

Method and apparatus for determination of water and for normal phase liquid chromatography


A nozzle bar apparatus for applying a pattern of a viscous material upon a portion of a substrate where the apparatus is adjustable to vary the length, width and position of the pattern relative to the substrate including a nozzle member for selectively dispensing the material in a predetermined pattern and frequency including at least one material flow path through the nozzle member, the flow path having a first end forming an outlet facing the substrate for dispensing the material to the substrate and a second end in operable communication with a material supply for providing a flow of viscous material, the outlet having a predetermined range defining a width of the pattern, the nozzle member being activated for a selected period of time to control a length of the pattern and including a pattern control mechanism for selectively varying the width as well as the position of the pattern anywhere across the range of the outlet.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to material dispensing assemblies and more particularly to an assembly including an adjustable nozzle bar for dispensing a viscous material, such as an adhesive, onto a moving substrate in a variable pattern and frequency where the length, width and position of the pattern are readily adjustable with respect to the substrate and the nozzle bar is readily interchangeable with a nozzle bar having a different pattern.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nozzle assemblies are utilized to dispense a viscous adhesive onto containers, such as end flaps of cardboard boxes, prior to closing and filling the container with a desired material. An example of such an assembly is illustrated in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/962,666 which is assigned to the same assignee as the assignee herein. In that application, to vary the pattern of the adhesive applied, the nozzle assembly typically is removed and another nozzle assembly having the desired pattern is substituted.
Another way to vary the applied pattern is to provide a plurality of individual elongate nozzle outlets which in tandem comprise the entire pattern and then controlling each outlet with a separate dispensing solenoid valve. An example of such a device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,137. That device, however, is not capable of varying the width of the pattern provided by the individual elongate nozzle outlets.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,879 discloses a thermoplastic material applicator having an adjustable slot nozzle whose pattern is adjustable by rotation of a cylinder. The cylinder is mounted within the material flow path and, by rotating the cylinder, the width of the pattern can be adjusted about a center line of the slot nozzle.
Such an assembly, however, is not readily interchangeable to provide a different pattern of adhesive and is only capable of varying the width of the pattern about a center line of the slot nozzle. Accordingly, With that assembly it is not possible to position the pattern as desired across the slot nozzle, such as toward one end of the slot.
It therefore would be desirable to provide a material dispensing assembly having a nozzle bar which is readily interchangeable with another nozzle bar having a different pattern and is completely adjustable while mounted to the assembly to vary the length, width and position of the pattern anywhere across the nozzle bar and substrate to which the adhesive is applied.


A method and system for preventing an operator of a vehicle from using a handheld wireless communication device without a hands-free communication device associated therewith when the vehicle is in motion.

1. Field of Invention
The invention described and claimed herein relate to methods and systems for wireless communications. Specifically, they relate to methods and systems that prevent a handheld wireless telecommunication user from using a wireless telecommunication device in situations that would create safety hazards for the user or the general public.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Handheld wireless communication technology has come a long way since the 1980s. A handheld wireless communication user in the early days of handheld wireless communication had to carry a handheld wireless communication device in a bag. Today, handheld wireless communication devices are not only compact and stylish but also capable of much more than their bulky predecessors. The development of digital handheld wireless communication technologies increasingly facilitate variety of handheld wireless communication devices to communicate voice, data, or both simultaneously via different networks including the Internet.
One of the most popular handheld wireless communication devices is the wireless telephone. While the advancement of relevant technologies has greatly enabled flexible application of wireless telephones, such ubiquitous use of wireless telephones has also created new safety hazards. This is true of other handheld wireless communications devices, e.g., without limitation, PDAs/mobile PCs. For example, the use of handheld wireless communication devices by drivers of automobiles has been directly correlated with an increasing number of automobile accidents. The use of an handheld wireless communication device in a moving vehicle not only requires the use of one or both of the driver's hands on occasion, but also diverts the driver's attention from driving thereby delaying response time to prevent avoidable accidents.
The problem associated with the use of handheld wireless communication devices has become increasingly significant. It has reached the point that serious concerns are raised regarding the safety of both the driver as well as the general public. Some states within the United States and other countries have enacted, or are considering the enactment of legislation banning the use of handheld wireless communication devices by operators of moving vehicles. Even with enactment of these jurisdictions, many operators of vehicles are willing to risk being ticketed recognizing that the law is difficult and costly to implement.
The problem of operators of moving vehicles employing handheld wireless communication devices without a hands-free communication device is expected to worsen progressively. The latter is expected in part based on the new trend of implementing mobile computing offices to facilitate the demand that an individual be made available 24 hours a day/seven days a week and a substantial increase in the number of handheld wireless communication device sales. Consequently, government agencies and the automotive industry are seeking a solution to this problem.

Method for automobile safe wireless communications


A Raman amplification apparatus includes a pumping light supplying section, a main signal wavelength light level acquisition section, a monitoring signal wavelength light level acquisition section, a function information storage section for storing, as function information, information regarding functions for deriving a noise amount and a gain by Raman amplification with regard to a monitoring signal wavelength light with respect to pumping light power supplied from the pumping light supplying section, and a transmission characteristic derivation section for deriving a transmission characteristic on an optical transmission line based on information acquired by the main signal wavelength light level acquisition section and the monitoring signal wavelength light level acquisition section and the function information stored in the function information storage section, and Raman gain is derived with high accuracy in comparison with the conventional technique.

Demand for an optical communication transmission apparatus is increasing in a context of increase of the communication traffic in recent years. Installation of an optical communication transmission apparatus not only in an optical relay node incorporated in a trunk network but also in a recent local network is advanced actively. Further, an optical network is formed also in a subscriber system. In this manner, the optical communication system has a significant role in the information network in the world. In an optical network, an optical amplification relay is used dominantly which includes a wavelength multiplexing optical amplifier such as an EDFA (Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier) provided for each of transmission lines so that it implements increase of the capacity and long-distance transmission at a low cost and in high reliability.
In an optical amplification relay system, under the condition that the relay loss is high from such a cause that the transmission line is long, the input level of signal light to an optical amplifier is low. Therefore, there is the possibility that the signal to noise ratio (SN ratio) may degrade, resulting in degradation of the transmission characteristic. As a method for avoiding this, it is effective to apply transmission line distributed Raman amplification which utilizes an amplification action using an effect of induced Raman scattering when pumping light is injected into a transmission line.
A distributed Raman optical amplifier (Distributed Raman Amplification; DRA) has already been put to practical use as an effective implementation method for achieving transmission line distributed Raman amplification. By applying the distribution Raman optical amplifier, the input level to an optical amplifier such as an EDFA or the like increases to increase the SN ratio thereby to improve the transmission characteristic and increase the number of spans which can be transmitted. Further, in the Raman amplification, not optical output fixing control (Automatic Level Control; ALC) but gain fixing control which does not require transmission of wavelength information between nodes must be carried out in order to be ready for dynamic fluctuation of the number of wavelengths.
The gain of Raman amplification can be controlled by increase or decrease of the pumping power. A conventional technique relating to gain fixing control of a DRA is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-193640 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1). In particular, in Patent Document 1, a technique is disclosed wherein transmission line distributed Raman amplification is carried out by gain fixing control irrespective of such conditions as the gain efficiency of an optical fiber which forms a transmission line and the loss of a connection path or of the signal light level so that the output wavelength characteristic of the Raman amplification is kept fixed. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is described to determine a Raman gain utilizing reference light which does not undergo Raman amplification and control pumping light so that the determined Raman gain becomes equal to a predetermined value.
It is to be noted that also techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 2 to 4 given below relate to the present invention.    (Patent Document 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-80301    (Patent Document 3) pamphlet of International Publication No. 2002/021204    (Patent Document 4) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-252595
However, while it is necessary to monitor the optical main signal level inputted through an optical transmission line using a monitor circuit formed from a light reception device and so forth in order to determine the Raman gain, the signal of a result of the monitoring includes not only circuit noise by a monitor circuit section but also noise by the Raman amplification. If such a monitoring result signal which includes noise as just described is used for the gain derivation described above, then this makes a cause of an error in a derived gain value and also may make an obstacle to enhancement of the accuracy of gain control.

Raman amplification apparatus and distributed raman amplification system as well as starting up method for distributed raman amplification system


Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for storing, by a policy enforcement system, a plurality of policies and data associating a plurality of user credentials with the plurality of policies; receiving, from a client device, a request for data from a file system, the request further comprising user credentials; forwarding the request for data to a second node that stores the data from the file system; receiving, from the node, the data from the file system; selecting from the plurality of policies, based on the received user credentials and the data associating the plurality of user credentials with the plurality of policies, one or more policies that correspond to the received user credentials; filtering, by the policy enforcement system, the data from the file system based on the one or more policies; and sending the filtered data to the client device.

A framework, e.g., Apache Hadoop, can be deployed to manage distributed storage and distributed processing of large data sets on clusters of many computers, i.e., nodes, which may be physical or virtual. The framework can include multiple components to be run on different nodes in the cluster. Each component can be responsible for a different task. For example, a first component, e.g., Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS), can implement a file system, and a second component, e.g., Hive, can implement a database access layer. The components work together to distribute processing of a workload of files among the nodes in the cluster.
When managing data access at the cluster, a file system component, e.g., HDFS, can include a master node, e.g., a Name Node, that manages a file system namespace and regulates access to files. The master node can store a mapping of data in the files to one or more slave nodes, e.g., Data Nodes. The slave nodes can store the files and serve read and write requests from client devices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A silver halide photographic material comprising on a support at least one silver halide emulsion layer having a silver halide content of not lower than 90 mol %, wherein a silver halide emulsion in at least one of said silver halide emulsion layers having a silver chloride content of not lower than 90 mol % contains at least one compound represented by formula (I): ##STR1## wherein Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 each represents an atomic group required for forming a nitrogen-containing five-membered or six-membered heterocyclic ring; Q.sub.1 and Q.sub.2 each represents a methylene group; R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 each represents an alkyl group; R.sub.3 represents an alkyl group, an aryl group or a heterocyclic group; L.sub.1, L.sub.2, L.sub.3, L.sub.4 and L.sub.5 each represents a methine group; n.sub.1 and n.sub.2 each represents 0 or 1; M.sub.1 represents a counter ion for neutralizing electric charge; and m.sub.1 represents a number not less than 0 required for neutralizing electric charge in the molecule.

Silver chlorobromide containing substantially no silver iodide is used for expediting the development speed of products used in the market where there is a great demand to finish a large amount of prints in a very short period of time as in photographic materials for color photographic paper.
The demand for improving rapid processing of color photographic paper has increased more and more in recent years, and there have been made many studies directed to the improvement thereof. For example, it is well known that when the silver chloride content of silver halide emulsions used is increased, the development speed can be greatly improved.
Further, it is conventionally well known that sensitizing dyes are added to silver halide emulsions to enlarge the sensitive wavelength regions of the silver halide emulsions and to optically sensitize the emulsions in the preparation of silver halide photographic materials.
Many compounds, conventionally referred to as spectral sensitizing dyes, are used for this purpose. Examples of spectral sensitizing dyes conventionally used include cyanine dyes, merocyanine dyes and xanthene dyes described in T. H. James, The Theory of the Photographic Process, third edition, pp. 198 to 228 (Macmillan, N. Y., 1966). It is also known that these dyes may be used either alone or in combination (e.g., for the purpose of supersensitization).
Generally, when these sensitizing dyes are applied to silver halide emulsions, only the sensitive wavelength regions of the silver halide emulsions are enlarged, but the following conditions must also be met.
(1) The material is spectrally sensitized to the proper region.
(2) Sensitizing efficiency is good, and sufficiently high sensitivity can be obtained.
(3) Fogging is not caused.
(4) The difference in photographic performance caused by the difference between lots (i.e., variability from lot to lot) in the preparation of silver halide photographic emulsions is small.
(5) Unevenness in sensitivity due to change in temperature during exposure is small.
(6) There is no adverse interaction of the dyes with other additives such as stabilizers, anti-fogging agents, coating aids, color formers, etc.
(7) A lowering in sensitivity is not caused when silver halide emulsions containing sensitizing dyes are stored, particularly under high temperature and humidity conditions.
(8) Color turbidity (color stain) is not caused by diffusing the added sensitizing dyes in other light-sensitive layers after development.
The above-described conditions are important factors in the preparation of silver halide emulsions, particularly for silver halide color photographic materials.
Supersensitization is described in Photographic Science and Engineering, Vol. 13, pp. 13 to 17 (1969), ibid., Vol. 18, pp. 418 to 430 (1974) and James, The Theory of the Photographic Process, 4th Edition, p. 259 (Macmillan, 1977). It is known that high sensitivity can be obtained by choosing suitable sensitizing dyes and supersensitizing agents.
However, when using silver halide emulsions having a high silver chloride content (namely, high silver chloride emulsion) which have increasingly been in demand lately in the photographic market as described above, there is much difficulty in obtaining sensitizing dyes which satisfactorily meet the above-described requirements which can be fulfilled by emulsions mainly composed of silver bromide.
Thus the difficulty in obtaining high silver chloride emulsions which have high sensitivity and sufficiently high storage stability and are low in variability from lot to lot is a very important problem to be solved.
Attempts have been conventionally made (1) to improve the spectral sensitivity or preservability with time of silver halide emulsions containing silver chloride which is spectrally sensitized with spectral sensitizing dyes or (2) to prevent the emulsions from being fogged by infrared rays. For example, JP-B-4610473 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese Patent publication") and JP-B-48-42494 propose the addition of nitrogen-containing compounds, JP-A-505035 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") proposes the addition of supersensitizing agents, JP-A-52-151026 proposes the addition of water-soluble bromides, JP-A-54-23520 proposes the addition of iridium and JP-A-60-202436 proposes the addition of hardening agents. Further, JP-A-58-7629 discloses an improved method for adding spectral sensitizing dyes, and JP-A-60-225147 proposes the use of silver chlorobromide having (100) face and (111) face.
It is conventionally known that pentamethinecyanine compounds in which the 2- and 4-positions o the methine chain are crosslinked with a trimethylene group, are superior in sensitivity and storage stability. For example, these compounds are described in JP-A-60202436, JP-A-60-220339, JP-A-60-225147, JP-A-61-123834, JP-A-62-87953, JP-A-63-264743, JP-A-1-155334, JP-A-1177533, JP-A-1-198743, JP-A-1-216342, JP-A-2-42, JP-B-60-57583 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,570.
However, these patent specifications disclose only dyes in which the 2- and 4-positions on the methine chain are crosslinked with 2,2'-dimethyltrimethylene group as in the following dye A. ##STR2##
Further, dyes in which the 2- and 4-positions on the methine chain are crosslinked with an unsubstituted trimethylene group, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,481,022.
Furthermore, dyes in which a trimethylene crosslinking group substituted by an alkyl or aryl group on the 2-position is positioned at the 2- and 4-positions on the methine chain, are disclosed in U.K. Patents 595,783, 595,784, 595,785 and 604 2,481,022 and 2,756,227, Kanko Kagaku Yoko Kagaku, page 39 (1987) (written in Japanese), and Journal of Imaging Science, 32, page 81 (1988).
With regard to photographic performance as silver halide photographic material, however, the above references have only limited disclosures. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 2,481,022 discloses that silver iodobromide is spectral-sensitized; Journal of Imaging Science, 32, page 81 (1988) discloses that silver bromide is spectral-sensitized; and Kanko Kagaku Yoko Kagaku, page 39 (1987) discloses that silver chlorobromide is spectral-sensitized.


The invention is directed to special effect device that is used to produce a simulated flame that has the shape and, if desired, the color characteristics of an actual flame. The device is particularly adapted to applications in which individuals may be in close proximity to the device. In this regard, the device produces little noise that would indicate to such an individual that the simulated being produced by the device is not a real flame. In one embodiment, the device includes a sintered nozzle that receives a stream of steam and outputs a steam cloud, a steam accelerator for applying a linear stream of air to steam cloud output by the sintered nozzle, and a lighting system to project desired colors onto the linear steam cloud.

The use of a simulated fire or flame is desirable in many applications. For instance, in many theme park attractions (e.g., volcano, battle scene and disaster scenes), the use of a simulated flame or fire is preferred relative to a real flame or fire for a number of reasons. For instance, a real flame or fire must typically be located a substantial distance from an audience to prevent members of the audience from coming into contact with the fire or flame. Further, with respect to attractions that are located indoors, a real flame or fire produces heat and smoke that typically require additional air conditioning and ventilation. In contrast, several types of simulated flame or fire effects can be located close to an audience and do not typically impose the air conditioning and ventilation requirements of a real flame or fire.
There are many types of devices for producing simulated flames or fire. For example, one type of device blows strips of colored material, such as silk, up into the air and shines an appropriately colored light onto the strips. From a distance, these devices provide a reasonably convincing simulated flame or fire. At the other end of the spectrum are devices that provide a television or video monitor with a signal of a pre-recorded fire or flame. Such devices are impractical in theme park applications that require a flame or fire that extends over a distance that is greater than the typical width and height of a video monitor or television. Yet a further type of device involves the use of a screen of atomized water and the projection of an image or light on the screen that creates the illusion of a flame or fire. Also known are devices that use theatrical smoke or steam in creating the illusion of a fire or flame. Among these devices are the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,685,574, 6,802,782, 6,953,401, and 7,762,897.


A bidirectional optical transmitting and receiving module for connection to an optical waveguide, having an optical receiving device and an optical transmitting device, with the receiving device being arranged in one region of the optical axis of the optical waveguide, in front of its end surface. In order to make it possible with a transmitting and receiving module such as this for this module to be produced very easily and at the same time in order to very largely avoid electrical crosstalk between the transmitting device and the receiving device, the transmitting device is arranged away from the region of the optical axis of the optical waveguide, and at least one deflection device is arranged in the beam path between the optical waveguide and the receiving device and injects the light which is emitted from the transmitting device into the optical waveguide.

A first known transmitting and receiving module is disclosed, for example, in German Laid-Open Specification DE 198 23 213. In this already known transmitting and receiving module, a laser (optical transmitting device) and the optically active zone of a photodiode (optical receiving device) are arranged immediately in front of the end surface of an optical waveguide. The photodiode and hence the active zone of the photodiode are integrated in a substrate and have a structure which is in the form of a frame and frames a central region of the substrate. The laser is mounted on the substrate in this central region, as a separate component. From the physical point of view—along the optical axis of the optical waveguide—the laser is thus located between the plane that is covered by the photodiode and the end surface of the optical waveguide. The laser and the photodiode are thus both located in the region of the optical axis of the optical waveguide.
Furthermore, a second known transmitting and receiving module is disclosed in "Optical Transceiver for OP i.LINK S200/S400", Hideaki Fukita, Yorishige Ishii, Toshihisa Matsuo, Yoshifumi Iwai, Tetsuo Iwaki, Kazuhito Nagura, Takatoshi Mizoguchi and Yukio Kurata; Proceedings of the 11th International POF Conference 2002, Tokyo, September 18–20, in which a deflection mirror is arranged between the optical receiving device and the end face of the optical waveguide. The transmission light from the optical transmitting device is injected without any physical deflection into an edge area of the end surface of the optical waveguide. The transmitting device and the receiving device in this already known transmitting and receiving module do not physically lie on a plane, so that the module has to have a relatively complicated physical design.

Bidirectional optical transmitting and receiving module


A header for an implantable pulse generator includes a header body having a bore formed therein, at least one header contact located within the bore to contact a corresponding contact of a lead terminal inserted in the bore, and a rigid component located within the bore.

Leads implanted in or about the heart have been used to reverse certain life threatening arrhythmia, or to stimulate contraction of the heart. Electrical energy is applied to the heart via electrodes on the leads to return the heart to normal rhythm.
A header on an implantable device is used to couple a conductor of a lead with the implantable device. For instance, a connector assembly in the header is used to couple a cardiac stimulator system such as a pacemaker, an anti-tachycardia device, a cardiac heart failure device, a cardioverter or a defibrillator with a lead having an electrode for making contact with a portion of the heart. The lead is typically coupled to the header using a set-screw to stabilize the lead.

Connector assembly for implantable device


An integrated magnetic device disposed on a system circuit board is disclosed. The integrated magnetic device comprises a first magnetic device and a second magnetic device. The first magnetic device comprises a primary winding having at least a terminal; a secondary winding disposed corresponding to the primary winding, a magnetic core assembly assembled with the primary and secondary windings and partially covered by the primary and secondary windings, and a receiving chamber. The second magnetic device has a central through hole and a plurality of conductive ends. The second magnetic device is received in the receiving chamber of the first magnetic device and electrically connected to the system circuit board via the conductive ends, and the terminal of the primary winding of the first magnetic device pierces through the central through hole of the second magnetic device and electrically connects to the system circuit board.

Generally speaking, many magnetic devices are disposed in electronic equipment. Transformer is one of the common magnetic devices to regulate voltage by electromagnetic theory, so as to provide suitable voltage for electronic equipment.
Take server circuit for example, the current of the transformer of the circuit is detected by current sensor, such as current transformer. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the transformer and the current sensor disposed on the system circuit board according to the conventional technique. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional transformer 10 and the current sensor 11 are separately disposed on the system circuit board 1. The ends of the primary winding are served as terminals 101 of the transformer 10, and the ends of the winding of the current sensor 11 are served as conductive ends 111. The terminals 101 and the conductive ends 111 are soldered to the predetermined position of the system circuit board 1, respectively. The current sensor 11 comprises a central through hole 110 at the center thereof and a conductive wire 112 piercing through the central through hole 110 and being soldered to the system circuit board 1. One of the terminals 101 of the primary winding of the transformer 10 and the conductive wire 112 of the current sensor 11 are electrically connected to each other through the trace (not shown) of the system circuit board 1. Therefore, current of the transformer 10 can be transformed by the current sensor 11 and measured by suitable instrument.
However, since the transformer 10 and the current sensor 11 are separately disposed on the system circuit board 1, certain amount of space on the system circuit board 1 is occupied. Thus fragmentary space on the system circuit board 1 is formed, and the trend for minimizing the volume of the electronic equipment cannot be matched. In addition, since the transformer 10 and the conductive wire 112 of the current sensor 11 are electrically connected via the trace of the system circuit board 1, the assembly procedure is inconvenient and power loss is easily caused.
Accordingly, it is required to develop an integrated magnetic device to overcome the foregoing defects.


An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device and a method are discussed. The OLED display device includes a display panel, a power supply unit for supplying drive voltages having different levels respectively corresponding to a user image display mode and an idle mode to power lines of a display panel in accordance with the user image display mode and the idle mode, respectively, a timing controller for controlling the power supply unit, to thereby control image display operations in accordance with the user image display mode and the idle mode, respectively, and a drive voltage generating unit for varying a level of a feedback voltage thereof in accordance with a predetermined feedback reference voltage select signal so that the same period of time is taken to generate the drive voltages upon a mode change to the user image display mode and a mode change to the idle mode, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device and a method for driving the same, which avoid display failure caused by flicker or glare occurring when an operation mode of the OLED display device is changed to an idle mode under the condition that the OLED display device is applied to a mobile communication device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, thereby being capable of achieving an enhancement in reliability.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As flat panel display devices that have recently been highlighted, there are a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, a field emission display (FED) device, a plasma display panel (PDP) device, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device, etc. Among such flat panel display devices, the OLED display device is a self-luminous device in which an organic light emitting layer emits light through re-combination of electrons and holes. Since the OLED display device exhibits high brightness, and employs a low drive voltage while having an ultra-slim structure, it is expected to be a next-generation display device.
Such an OLED display device includes a plurality of unit pixels, each of which includes an OLED constituted by an anode, a cathode, and an organic light emitting layer interposed between the anode and the cathode, and a pixel circuit for independently driving the OLED.
The OLED display device is usefully applied to mobile communication devices such as smartphones or tablet computers because OLED display device exhibits high brightness, and employs a low drive voltage while having an ultra-slim structure.
Recently, for transmission of image signals or control signals, a command communication protocol such as mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) interface protocol has been applied to the mobile communication devices. In some instances, it has also been required to employ a command communication protocol for an idle mode (for example, a partial idle mode) requiring low-consumption of electric power. In other words, in an idle mode, in which only basic information such as information as to current time or weather is displayed to allow the user to identify the displayed information, various matters should be taken into consideration, differently than an image display mode, in which an image, etc., are displayed at a user's request.
For example, in the instance of an LCD device, it may be possible to simply implement an idle mode requiring low consumption of electric power, simply by turning a backlight off. On the other hand, in the instance of an OLED display device, a driving system for driving the OLED display device at a lowered drive voltage or at a lowered drive frequency was employed because the OLED display device is a self-luminous display device. However, when the OLED display device is driven at a lowered drive frequency, the blank period, in which no image is displayed, is lengthened because driving control signals are frequency-modulated in proportion to the drive frequency. As a result, there is a problem in that the blank period is recognized by the naked eye. When the OLED display device is driven using a variable drive voltage, there may be a problem of irregular mode change driving timing because capacities of a capacitor and resistors employed in the display device are fixed.
In other words, each of the capacitor and resistors of a feedback circuit employed for stabilization of a drive current and a drive voltage from a power IC is set to have an optimal capacity in order to avoid abnormal current variation or the like. However, when variation in current amount and voltage level occur during mode change to an idle mode or an image display mode, the drive current and drive voltage from the power IC exhibit different driving start timings for respective modes in accordance with respective fixed capacities of the capacitor and resistors. In this instance, display failure caused by flicker or glare may occur. Due to such a display failure, there may be a degradation in reliability or other problems.

Organic light emitting diode display device and method for driving the same


A method of delivering an optimized power level from a backup energy system to a load connected to a primary energy supply via a DC link and an inverter is provided. The method has the steps of: sensing a voltage of the DC link connected to the load; connecting a converter between the backup energy supply and the DC link; evaluating a rate of change of the voltage of the DC link; determining an estimate of the average load current using the rate of change of the DC link voltage; and controlling the converter using the average load current to switch the optimized power output from the backup energy supply to the load. In an embodiment, the step of determining an estimate of the average load current using the rate of change of the DC link voltage is performed in accordance with a formula I.sub.load =C.sub.DC link (dV.sub.DC link /dt). Also, the step of evaluating a rate of change of the DC link voltage is performed by representing a plurality of DC link voltage samples taken over time as points in an x-y coordinate system connected by a best fit line such that the slope of the line represents the rate of change of the voltage of the DC link. Further, the step of evaluating the rate of change of the DC link voltage may be implemented using a first plurality of serially connected sample and hold amplifiers having a second plurality of difference amplifiers selectively connected to the first plurality of sample and hold amplifiers and an operational amplifier summer connected to sum outputs of the difference amplifiers to produce an output. The output is used to control the converter for an optimized power level output switchover.

The present invention relates generally to estimating a load and more particularly to a method for load estimation using only DC link voltage measurements to determine an average load current which is used as an initial condition for optimally controlling a converter connected between a backup DC energy source and a customer load.
Known inverter systems (i.e., commercially available motor drives and uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems, etc.) experience problems due to utility power outages and sags in power. Normally, the DC link of the inverter system is supported by the utility via a rectifier. When the utility fails, the DC link voltage falls as the inverter continues to draw from it. The voltage quickly falls to a level insufficient to support the inverter, and the system subsequently trips off line.
In certain situations, a backup energy source delivers supplemental energy to stop the fall of the DC link and hold it at a potential above the trip point. Energy is provided through a power converter which is typically waiting in a standby mode until the DC link falls. This converter must assume the entire load as quickly as possible so as to prevent the further collapse of the DC link voltage.
Most applications of such a backup energy source do not provide for or allow the use of any in-line instrumentation to measure the load current. Typical ways of measuring the load current to determine the load include inserting a meter in series to measure the load current. However, often times the situation is such that the customer load is inaccessible or it is undesirable to open a line and insert such a measurement device. A system for estimating a load to optimize a power switchover is therefore needed which augments and supplements the customer's system without invasively violating it.

System for estimating a load to optimize a backup energy system response


A method of controlling a valve and a control system in a machine having an internal combustion engine, the system including the valve and an associated motor, and a temperature sensor that supplies a temperature signal to a controller in electrical communication with the motor. The controller supplies a closing current to the motor at a temperature signal corresponding to a temperature no greater than a preset temperature parameter, the closing current being at or above a nominal operating current of the motor and being furnished for a preset period of time.

Valves are utilized within engines and associated equipment, such as exhaust regeneration systems, to control the passage of gas for various operations. In extremely cold weather, the viscosity of the grease and lubricant in a valve increases. This may dramatically slow the response time of the valve, resulting in inefficiencies and even error in associated systems. Air control valves are utilized, for example, to control the amount of combustion air supplied to burners for diesel particulate filters to facilitate combustion. As the response time of such combustion air valves becomes sluggish at low temperatures, the increased response time may result in a mixture that is too rich, inhibiting ignition, or even preventing an associated diesel particulate filter burner from lighting. Thus, when these machines are utilized in extremely cold conditions, the engine must typically be allowed to warm up before allowing diesel particulate filter regeneration.
Various methods have been proposed to reduce lubricant viscosity. U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,761 to Daliger for a refrigeration apparatus, for example, discloses a motor that contains a lubricant that is non-fluid or substantially solid at room temperature. Upon installation and powering of the unit, conditions are established such that a relatively high current flows through the motor winding to produce a relatively large quantity of heat. The heat generated by high current renders the lubricant fluid, allowing the rotation of the rotor, and the motor to run. While a stalled motor generating heat is generally viewed as undesirable, in this instance, the length of time that the motor is stalled is limited by the subsequent closing of a circuit that allows the entire winding to be energized and the motor to run in accordance with its normal operating characteristics.


Methods and apparatus for separating desired signals from a mixed signal. A preferred method includes identifying the frequencies associated with the independent signals within the mixed signal and sampling the mixed signal once for each of the identified frequencies. Using the identified frequencies, a set of constant coefficients is determined and applied to the samples to separate at least one of the independent signals from the mixed signal. The other independent signals may then be suppressed. A signal processing system is also supplied that includes memory and a circuit. The memory stores samples of the mixed signal for the circuit to process. The circuit identifies the frequencies of the independent signals, determines a set of coefficients, and applies the coefficients to the mixed signal. Thus, the system separates a desired signal from the mixed signal.

Many military and commercial mobile platforms have numerous wireless systems for transferring information from one platform to another and with ground-based systems. These mobile platforms include aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and many other devices. When one of the onboard wireless systems transmits a signal, part of the energy radiated from the antenna may couple to the antenna terminals of a nearby receiver, particularly a receiver operating at a frequency near the frequency of the transmitted signal. The resulting induced energy (undesired signal) in the receiving circuit will cause spurious responses and thereby prevent the receiver from detecting the signal which it is intended to receive.
As demand for connectivity increases these problems will become more pronounced and troublesome. For instance, as the traveling public takes increasing advantage of mobile Internet services (such as ConnexionSM offered by the Boeing Company of Chicago, Ill.), it is envisioned that additional transceivers may be placed on many mobile platforms. Such systems are also needed on many types of military and commercial platforms, which include helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, ships, and ground vehicles. Thus, an increasing number of systems are likely to become susceptible to interference from nearby transmitters. In particular, the current emphasis on small-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) creates a need for filtering systems that can be integrated with these small airframes. Unfortunately, the size and weight of the previous filtering systems makes it impossible to integrate these systems onboard a UAV. Thus, previous attempts to solve the interference situation have, heretofore, proven unsatisfactory.
The previous techniques used for achieving compatibility between competing signals include: frequency management, analog filters, cryogenic filters, and even active cancellation systems. Frequency management is an administrated process requiring the operator to avoid simultaneously operating systems at the competing signals. While frequency management avoids degrading system performance, and avoids the addition of filters with their attendant weight penalties, frequency management also includes disadvantages. One disadvantage is that limiting the spectrum of frequencies available to the transceiver is limited. In the alternative, transceivers that share a frequency may only be operated sequentially therefore causing a loss of critical information at times. Additionally, the radio operator suffers an increased workload due to having to actively managing the system.
To avoid the complications required by frequency management, other attempts have used combinations of filters and amplifiers to suppress the undesired signals. The amplifiers are inserted between filter stages to compensate for the degradation of the desired signal caused by its pass through the filters. While some suppression of undesired signals may be realized by this technique, these systems are limited to applications in which the competing frequencies are not close together and in which the weight of the filters can be tolerated (i.e. not on mobile platforms). Also, as the inline insertion loss associated with the filters increases, the frequency separation between the desired and undesired signal increases.
The use of cryogenic liquids to cool the filters increases the filter efficiency to the point where the need for inter-stage amplifiers is eliminated. The elimination of the amplifiers is possible because the insertion in the pass band is minimal and the frequency separation between the desired and undesired signal is smaller when compared to the more non-cryogenic filters previously discussed. Thus, system performance is improved somewhat as compared to systems using non-cryogenic filters. However, these systems require heavy cryogenic components along with operational complications caused by the need to maintain cryogenic temperatures during operation (e.g. the filters take some time to cool down and the generation of even small amounts of heat in the filters can vaporize the cryogenic liquid).
Active cancellation systems have also been employed to alleviate the presence of the undesired signals. Active cancellation systems use amplifiers and phase shifters to cancel the undesired signals. Unfortunately, though, each receiver and the interfering transmitter(s) must be interconnected to the cancellation system. Thus, the interconnection creates a single point failure that can deny the use of all receivers connected to the cancellation system. Worse still, if a new transceiver system is added to the vehicle, the interconnection system must be redesigned and grows factorially in weight, size, and unreliability.
Thus a need exists to eliminate the interference caused by closely spaced antennas in a cost, power, and weight efficient manner without occupying undue space onboard mobile platforms.

Digital signal processing remediation of cosite antenna interference


In one aspect and one example, a method for calibrating robotic picker mechanisms in automated storage library systems includes detecting a calibration mark with at least one sensor from a first position and a second position, where the first position and the second position are separated by an offset distance. Further, the method includes determining a shift in the calibration mark between the first position and the second position, and determining a distance between a reference position and the calibration mark based on the shift in the calibration mark, the offset distance, and the focal length of the sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automated storage libraries for storing and retrieving computer data, and more particularly to systems and methods for improving the positional accuracy of library robotics through the use of parallax viewing techniques.
2. Description of the Related Art
A popular device for the handling and storage of large amounts of information in a data processing system is an automated storage library system, which generally improves the access speed and reliability of data storage libraries containing large amounts of information. Automated storage library systems typically include a plurality of storage media devices, a transport mechanism, and one or more storage media drives in communication with a computer system or network for inputting and outputting desired information to and from the plurality of storage media devices.
Magnetic tape cartridges, for example, have proven to be an efficient and effective medium for data storage in computer systems and storage libraries. Automated tape cartridge libraries generally have a plurality of storage bins or slots for storing tape cartridges, a robotic picker mechanism (often referred to as a "picker"), and one or more tape drives. The robotic picker may be controlled to select a specific storage tape cartridge from the library and transfer the tape cartridge between a storage slot and a tape drive within seconds. The robotic picker typically includes a gripper or hand mechanism positioned on the robotic picker. The robotic picker may position the gripper near a desired tape cartridge such that the gripper may grip the tape cartridge to remove the tape cartridge from the storage bin and transfer the tape cartridge to load the tape cartridge into a tape drive, load port (for adding or removing tapes from the library), or the like.
An automated storage library is typically interfaced to a computer system such as a computer network or the like. The storage library or interfaced computer system may index the location of the tape cartridges and their associated stored data within the storage library for later retrieval of the stored information. When desired, the storage library may be activated to retrieve a desired storage tape and load it into a drive to access the stored information and/or write new information. In large storage libraries multiple tape drives are generally employed to improve access and storage performance by operating in parallel as well as providing back-up drives in case of failure, maintenance, and the like.
As robotic mechanisms move tape cartridges between storage bins and tape drives the positional accuracy of the robotic mechanism in relation to the storage bins and tape drives is desirably maintained to a high degree to reduce the potential for wear and damage to the cartridges, storage bins, and tape drives. For example, inaccurate positioning may cause mating surfaces between storage cartridge, storage bins, and tape drives to rub or collide causing damage to one or more. Additionally, wear and collisions may cause undesirable debris within the automated library housing that may interfere with or degrade, for example, the tape drive operation.
Positional accuracy of the robotic mechanism may be determined with an optical scanner that scans a point of light in x and y directions, e.g., horizontally and vertically, across a target or fiducial mark on a storage bin or drive bezel. If the camera is positioned such that the target falls within the camera's field of vision, the x and y coordinate values may be measured directly. The distance in the z direction, the extension or depth of the target from the camera, however, is not directly measured by the camera. The distance or z coordinate value can be inferred from a combination of other measurable and/or previously known quantities. For example, the distance may be determined by comparing the image or apparent size of the target to the known size of the target.
One problem with conventional optical approaches for determining the distance between a robotic picker mechanism and portion of the library including a calibration mark is that the target size generally must be known. Additionally, if the calibration mark size is only approximately known, e.g., known within a certain variance, the distance measurement suffers in proportion to the variance of the calibration mark size.
Therefore, new methods and systems for determining positional accuracy of a robotic mechanism in an automated storage library are needed. Further, methods and systems for determining positional accuracy with greater accuracy and/or smaller fiducial marks than prior approaches are desired.

System and method for library robotics positional accuracy using parallax viewing


Hole transport layer compositions comprising a silylated aryl amine and a polymeric component, to enhance performance of an associated electroluminescent device.

Impressive scientific and technological progress has recently been achieved in the area of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), motivated by potential applications in a large variety of display technologies. OLEDs are "dual-injection" devices in which holes and electrons are injected from opposite electrodes into an active molecular/macromolecular medium to produce, via exciton decay, light emission. OLED responses are usually evaluated with respect to the following characteristics: luminance—light intensity per unit area, turn-on voltage—voltage required for a device to reach luminance of ˜1 cd/m2, and current efficiency—luminance per unit current density. To achieve optimum device performance, it has been thought desirable to have multilayer structures having discrete hole transport layer (HTL), emissive layer (EML), and electron transport layer (ETL) functions. The role of the HTL is not only to maximize hole injection from the anode (usually ITO—tin-doped indium oxide), but also to block efficiency-depleting electron overflow from, and to confine excitons within, the EML. With such multilayer structures, high-performance devices have been realized for small-molecule-based OLEDs fabricated via vacuum deposition. Typical small-molecule HTLs are triarylamine-based materials such as NPB or TPD (FIG. 1), which are known to have appreciable hole-transporting and electron-blocking/exciton-blocking capacity, because of their relatively high-lying LUMO levels and large HOMO-LUMO gaps.
For polymer-based LEDs (PLEDs), while single-layer polymer devices have obvious attractions such as ease of fabrication and large carrier mobilities, their performance is limited by inefficient hole injection from the ITO anode into the HOMO level of the EML polymer, as a result of, among other factors, the ITO work function (4.7 eV) and EML HOMO level (5.3-5.9 eV) mismatch. Compared to its small-molecule counterparts, a multilayer PLED device is far more challenging to fabricate due to the risk of partially dissolving a previous layer while depositing the next in solution casting processes. Examples of conventional PLED HTLs are p-doped conductive polymers such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS), polyaniline-camphorsulfonic acid (PANI-CSA), and polypyrrole-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (Ppy-BDSA). In most cases, these HTL films are cured at high temperatures (˜200° C.) after spin-coating, and thus rendered insoluble. These conventional HTLs have been shown to significantly enhance PLED anode hole injection (by increasing the anode work function and smoothing energetic dicontinuities) and device performance.
However, these HTLs also have serious drawbacks such as corrosion of the ITO anode, poor surface energy match with typical aromatic EMLs, and mediating the luminescence-degrading oxidative doping of polyfluorene EMLs. Furthermore, the question still remains as to whether PEDOT-PSS has the magnitude of electron-blocking capacity required for a truly high-performance PLED HTL. In addition to these more conventional conductive polymer HTLs, there has also been intense research activity focused on photo- or thermally crosslinkable and in situ polymerized PLED HTLs. Most of these crosslinkable HTLs require either high temperature baking (150-200° C.) or ultraviolet photochemical processing. Moreover, many of these crosslinked films suffer from microcracking due to volume shrinkage on crosslinking of the materials, which could lead to undesirable leakage currents in the PLED devices.

Hole transport layer compositions and related diode devices


The present invention provides a low dielectric constant copper diffusion barrier film composed, at least in part, of boron-doped silicon carbide suitable for use in a semiconductor device and methods for fabricating such a film. The copper diffusion barrier maintains a stable dielectric constant of less than 4.5 in the presence of atmospheric moisture.

This invention relates to low dielectric constant layers for use in various applications. The invention also relates to methods of forming low dielectric constant layers in a wide range of VLSI and ULSI fabrication operations.
As the features of microelectronic integrated circuits devices are reduced to smaller sizes, the electrical properties of the materials that constitute the devices will require change and improvement. One material that must be improved is the electrical insulator ("dielectric") used between the wires, metal lines, and other elements of the circuit. Without improvement in the insulator material, there will be increased problems due to capacitive effects such as coupling (crosstalk) and propagation delay. The speed at which future circuits will operate will be limited by RC delay in the interconnect.
These difficulties can be mitigated by preparing the circuit using an inter-layer dielectric ("ILD"), for example an inter-metal dielectric ("IMD"), having a dielectric constant that is as low as possible. The integration of Cu metal and IMD with a low dielectric constant continues to challenge the integrated circuit industry as device size and wiring dimensions are scaled down. Low dielectric constant (k) ("low-k"), insulators, with k significantly lower than that of presently used SiO2 (3.9), are needed for reducing capacitive coupling and improving switching performance of future ULSI circuits. In this regard, the effective dielectric constant (keff) encountered by the signal in the interconnect structure is the most important parameter.
Cu/IMD integration schemes typically involve the incorporation of other materials along with the bulk inter-metal dielectric material, forming a stack. These other materials may include copper diffusion barrier, copper capping layer and hardmask (e.g., CMP and etch stop) materials needed to prevent copper poisoning of the bulk low-k dielectric, to protect the relatively soft low-k dielectric, and to facilitate the Damascene processing used in the device fabrication. These materials have a substantial impact on the effective k of the IMD stack. Thus, the IMD must meet the dual challenges of minimizing the effective k of the stack while providing material selectivity with the use of reduced k etch stop, barrier and capping materials.
Silicon nitride (SiN) provides a film having satisfactory properties as a copper diffusion barrier, but its dielectric constant is relatively high. A recently developed PECVD SiC dielectric barrier is a promising candidate to replace SiN in many copper barrier applications because of its relatively low dielectric constant (k<4.5). However, existing PECVD SiC technology has shown limitations in achieving dielectric constants lower than 4.5 while continuing to maintain other integration requirements relating to line to line leakage, via poisoning, etch selectivity, Cu hillock formation and atmospheric moisture uptake. Improved materials and processing are required.

Low-k B-doped SiC copper diffusion barrier films


A distance defined by expression 2 is secured between the exciting coil and the protection cover. This not only prevents a magnetic field with a specific magnetic field intensity or higher from leaking to the outside but also reduces the effect on the circuits in the apparatus or optionally installed circuits (including a printer controller and a FAX controller).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fixing apparatus which fixes a developer image on paper and an image forming apparatus provided with the fixing apparatus, such as a copying machine or a printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of fixing apparatus installed in copying machines using electrophotographic processes, a fixing apparatus which includes an induction heating unit that generates hear by use of an electromagnetic induction has recently been put to practical use. In many cases, a heating (fixing) roller in which a heater is set and a pressure roller pressed against the heating roller at a specific pressure at one point of the outer circumference of the heating roller are used. It is well known that such a configuration enables not only the heat of the heating roller to be supplied to toner efficiently but also pressure for fixing the melted toner to a transfer medium to be applied to the transfer medium and toner efficiently.
One known fixing apparatus using induction heating is such that, for example, the magnetic flux leaking from the induction coil provided outside the fixing roller is suppressed by a shield member, which enhances the heat dissipation of the induction coil (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-313162).
Another known induction heating fixing apparatus with exciting coil outside the rotating body is such that the arrangement of a magnetic material on the opposite side of the rotating body of the exciting coil not only increases the heat generation efficiency but also prevents the magnetic field produced from the exciting coil from leaking to the adjoining parts (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-297462).
A further known induction heating fixing apparatus is such that an induction heating member, a film member for moving the heating member, and an exciting coil fixing member have a ferromagnetic, high-sensitivity shield member, thereby preventing electromagnetic noise leaks (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 9-16006).
In an image forming apparatus with a heating unit using such induction heating, the high-frequency magnetic field generated from the coil can reach the circuit board in the apparatus or the printer controller or FAX controller optionally installed, which results in the problem of causing the devices or units to malfunction.
In addition, when a thin-film conductive member is used for induction heating to increase the efficiency in producing rapid temperature changes, or when the temperature is raised from room temperature to the requested fixing temperature (in warm-up), the high-frequency magnetic field generated from the coil can have a greater effect on the units in the apparatus.
Furthermore, even when a shield member is used, the high-frequency magnetic field from the coil can leak from the spacing or the like to secure a space through which the transfer medium is to be transported.


A card cage formed of mating, identical halves provides parallel slots for circuit boards carrying snap-on retainer clips with integral pawl-like clasps which lock over ridges on the exterior of the card cage. The clip is released from the cage by squeezing the clasps with one hand before withdrawing the circuit board. Slotted side brackets capture mating ribs on the card cage halves to assemble and mount the card cge to a wiring clost panel.

The invention relates to card cages for housing of electronic circuit boards.
With the advent of the circuit board, now ubiquitous in all forms of electronic equipment, chassis and cabinetry for electronic circuitry changed markedly. In the architecture of circuit board housing, several competing functional interests must be resolved in order for form to truly follow function. Geometrical or space constraints, electrical requirements and so called human factors do not always mesh. The assembly of iterative circuitry represents one of the harder schemes to design well, i.e., creatively with enhanced functionality. The goal of housing numerous similar or identical circuit boards can give rise merely to mundane solutions which offer nothing more than a common roof.
Data communications equipment in particular offers a challenging number and variety of interconnections to organize and manage from the mechanical standpoint. Complex junction boxes called wiring closets with racks of connectors handle the tangle of interconnections between related circuitry. Iterative interface circuitry may exist for the purpose of routing or multiplexing or may serve solely to convert or adapt signals on one multi-cable system to another format compatible with a different multi-cable system. An example of the latter adapter system is a wiring closet interfacing a set of coaxial cables with a set of unshielded twisted pair cables. Interconnecting these dissimilar types of cables without affecting data throughput requires careful impedance matching typically carried out by dedicated circuitry mounted 011 a printed circuit board with cable connectors. The numbers of cables involved in a given wiring closet depend, for example, on the size and type of local area network. The overall architecture of the wiring closet should be mechanically sound and easy to install, but should not lose sight of the need for versatility to accommodate networks of various sizes and to allow for easy expansion and change within a given network. Facilitating installation, serviceability and expandability with simple procedures and low cost materials, while maintaining a reasonably high density circuit board enclosure, should be major objectives of the mechanial design.


An information processing device 11 including: a control data generation unit that inputs analysis data X that is to be processed, to a trained model that has learnt a relationship between analysis data X that represents a time series of musical notes, and control data Y for controlling movements of an object that represents a performer, thereby generating control data Y according to the analysis data X.

Conventionally, techniques for controlling movements of an object, which is an image representing a player, according to song performance data, have been proposed (Patent Literatures 1 and 2 and Non-patent Literatures 1 and 2). For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for generating a moving image of a player playing a song, according to a pitch that is specified by performance data.


A caller-ID device and/or an integrated caller-ID and answering machine device which is configurable 1) to play a pre-recorded announcement for the user when the caller-ID information received over the PSTN corresponds to stored information indicating an important caller; 2) to play a pre-recorded "block-the-blocker" outgoing message for the caller when a blocked-caller-ID code is received; and/or 3) to play a pre-recorded "reject call" outgoing message for the caller when the caller-ID information corresponds to stored information indicated an undesirable caller. Also disclosed are an economical method and apparatus for displaying caller-24 ID information for a call-waiting caller simultaneously with the caller-ID information of a present caller and a method and apparatus for enabling a caller-ID device to selectively dial the last seven digits of a phone number, the area code and the last seven digits, or a "1", the area code, and the last seven digits of a phone number.

The present invention relates generally to a telephone device for processing caller-ID information. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing caller-ID information, a method and apparatus for displaying caller-ID information for a call-waiting caller, and a method and apparatus for dialing a stored phone number from a caller-ID device.
Several telephone companies now offer caller-ID services for telephone users. These services enable a user to identify the name and/or the phone number of the caller before choosing to accept the call. Telephone companies also provide a blocking service for those users who wish to remain anonymous.
Devices for processing the caller-ID information, including block codes, have proliferated as well. Typical devices include information processing circuitry in the device, usually comprising a controller and a memory, to show the caller's name and/or phone number on a suitable display device. Some device are further provided with circuitry from comparing the number of a calling party with stored information, and for classifying the call as either "wanted" or "rejected" based on the stored information. When the call is classified as "wanted," the number is displayed to the user and a ring indication is provided to indicate to the user that a desired call has been received. When the call is classified as "rejected," the number is displayed and the ring indication is disabled. An example of such a device is provided in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/540,532, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
A caller-ID telephone is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,145, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes, which includes many of the features described above. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,145 describes a caller-ID telephone which compares the caller-ID information to stored information in the telephone device. When there is a match, the telephone displays the caller's name and number on the device. In addition, the device includes circuitry for causing the caller-ID device to spelling or speak the name of the caller for the user. The present invention is a further development of U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,145.
Conventional caller-ID devices have the capability to display caller-ID information for only one incoming caller at a time. This is because the display device employed in the conventional caller-ID device is typically a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, or comparable device, which provides only three rows for the display of caller-ID information to the user. One row is used to display the name of the caller, a second row is used to display the phone number of the caller, and a third row is used to display other information about the caller including, but not limited to, the time and the date.
When a call or conversation is in progress, the display of the conventional caller-ID device shows the caller-ID information for the present caller. When a second incoming call signal is received on the call-waiting line, the conventional caller-ID device erases the caller-ID information related to the present caller and replaces it with the caller-ID information of the call-waiting caller.
Often, the user would like to simultaneously view the caller-ID information for both the present caller and the call-waiting caller. For example, when the user needs to alternate frequently between the two callers (by employing a "flash" key, for example), or when the user engages in a three-way conference call with two callers, it would be preferable if the caller-ID device could display the caller-ID information for both callers at the same time. However the conventional three row display is inadequate for this purpose.
One solution proposed is to add three more rows to the display unit (i.e., six rows in total) so that the complete caller-ID information of both callers could be displayed simultaneously. However, this solution is not economical because the size of the display would generally exceed cost, power, and size considerations for the caller-ID device and would require a doubling of the display driver capability.
The user of the conventional caller-ID device may cause the device to display an entry of the caller-ID information stored therein. In addition, the user may cause the conventional caller-ID device to dial the phone number of the entry by pressing a DIAL key, or equivalent, while the entry is shown in the display. However, the caller-ID device does not know whether to dial the last seven digits of the phone number; the area code plus the last seven digits of the phone number; or a "1", the area code, and the last seven digits of the telephone number. This problem is exacerbated in certain metropolitan areas that include many different area codes.
The conventional technique for addressing this problem is to enable the user to store the area code(s) which should not be dialed in the caller-ID device. Thereafter, when the user displays an entry and presses the DIAL key, or equivalent, the conventional caller-ID device compares the area code of the displayed entry to the area code(s) stored therein. When there is a match, the conventional caller-ID device dials the selected seven-digit phone number without dialing the area code. Typically, the conventional caller-ID device is configured to store only one such area code which should not be dialed; however, some later models have the capability to store up to three such area codes.
The problem with the conventional approach is that, for some areas of the country, the limited storage capacity of the conventional caller-ID device does not accommodate all of the area codes within the local calling area. Moreover, the conventional approach does not address the problem where a "1" must be dialed with the area code and phone number.