A road traffic barrier module comprises a hollow body adapted to receive ballast and adapted at either end to link with similar modules to form a barrier in which there is a pair of upper and lower horizontal bolts passing through mating ends of adjoining modules and there is also a pair of cables the ends of which are also secured by the bolts. In an alternative form adjoining modules are linked by vertical pins passing through mating ends of the adjoining modules and there is a pair of cables the ends of which are also secured by the pin. The modules are molded from a plastic material and the walls may also be clad with metal pressings to increase structural integrity and to protect against damage.

The earliest road traffic barriers for use at worksites were made from concrete and have a broad base which tapered to an apex such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,362. Although they provide an effective barrier and are still widely used, the impact of a vehicle with them usually causes severe damage to both the vehicle and its occupants.
Accordingly concrete barriers have been progressively replaced at worksites by hollow modules made from semi rigid plastic material, usually polyethylene, which are filled with water to increase their weight and to provide an effective barrier, such as disclosed in AU Patent 664774. The aim is for the barrier to deform and move moderately when impacted by a vehicle thus absorbing the impact energy and minimizing damage to the vehicle and its occupants.
However the latter molded barrier is much the same shape as the earlier concrete barriers and vehicles tend to climb up them and roll over which still causes considerable damage. An early attempt to both strengthen a coupled chain of water filled barriers and to also soften the impact of a vehicle with the barrier is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,540. Here a pair of continuous tubular crash rails is mounted on the side walls of water filled modules by means of metal brackets strapped to the modules.
Although the mounting brackets of this configuration have been variously modified in later versions, it still does not achieve the optimum trade off between providing a barrier which limits the travel of an impacting vehicle and at the same time minimizes damage to the vehicle and its occupants. A further attempt to achieve this trade off is disclosed in AU Patent 751778 where the cross section of the water filled module is changed from an A shape to a castellation shape with an enlarged top section to prevent the vehicle wheel from climbing the barrier. The modules are also firmly bolted together to provide a continuous barrier which resists fracture.
AU Patent 774224 takes a step back toward the rigidity of the original concrete barriers by tying water filled modules together with a metal beam which is mounted on and overlies the side walls of at least two adjoining modules. The resulting barrier tends to have the rigidity of a concrete barrier and very little impact energy is absorbed by the barrier. Accordingly the vehicle and its occupants absorb most of the impact energy which usually causes severe damage.
In our PCT Application WO2004009909 we also teach the use of a metal beam but in a quite different way from AU774224 in that the beam is mounted on individual modules by means of a deformable bracket. Accordingly the beam and brackets absorb the initial impact energy and because they do not tie the modules together, the chain of coupled modules is still flexible enough to absorb further kinetic energy by flexing within the standard limits of displacement for road barriers. We have found that this arrangement meets the requirements of Australian New Zealand Road barrier Standard 3845-1999 and US NCHRP 350 for road safety barrier systems. Road safety barrier systems are now required to meet crash test standards set by road regulatory State and Federal agencies.
Another attempt to combine flexibility with limited displacement in barriers having water filled modules of castellated cross sectional shape has been made by fitting an internal steel frame, tying the modules together using cables running over the top of the modules. The cables are clamped to fixtures on each module thus forming a continuous linked barrier. However clamping the cables on top of the modules is time consuming and lack of tension in the cables is not ideal for the integrity of the linked barrier. Further the system suffers from uncontrolled deflection and cannot be used where traffic buffer space is restricted.


A fibrin sealant product having a plurality of layers that each includes a dextran support and at least one fibrin sealant agent. The at least one fibrin sealant agent is placed on the dextran support to form each of the layers. The plurality of layers is placed in a stacked configuration to form the fibrin sealant product. A plurality of crimps is dispersed over a surface of the fibrin sealant product to retain the plurality of layers in a position with respect to each other.

The body's natural response to stem bleeding from a wound is to initiate blood clotting via a complex process known as the coagulation cascade. The cascade involves two pathways that ultimately lead to the production of the enzyme thrombin, which catalyzes the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. Fibrin is then cross-linked to form a clot, resulting in hemostasis.
As used herein, the term wound is intended to encompass any type of skin tear, cut or puncture through which blood emanates. The term wound is also intended to encompass tears, cuts and punctures of the dura in the spine through which cerebral spinal fluid flows. The wound may be caused in a variety of situations ranging from combat to surgical operations.
For wounds that are not severe, and in individuals that have no countervening conditions, the body is usually able to carry out this process efficiently in a manner that prevents excessive loss of blood from the wound. However, in the case of severe wounds, or in individuals in whom the clotting mechanism is compromised, this may not be the case.
For such individuals, it is possible to administer components of the coagulation cascade, especially thrombin and fibrinogen, directly to the wound to bring about hemostasis. Bandaging of bleeding wounds is also a usual practice, in part to isolate and protect the wounded area, and also to provide a means to exert pressure on the wound, which can also assist in controlling bleeding.
While these methods may be carried out satisfactorily in cases of mild trauma or under conditions of "controlled" wounding (e.g. surgery), many situations in which such treatments are most needed are also those in which it is the most difficult to provide them. Examples of such wounds include, for example, those inflicted during combat or unanticipated wounds that occur as the result of accidents. In such circumstances, survival of the wounded individual may depend on stopping blood loss from the wound and achieving hemostasis during the first few minutes after injury. Unfortunately, given the circumstances of such injuries, appropriate medical intervention may not be immediately available.
In particular, the treatment of penetrating wounds such as bullet wounds or some wounds from shrapnel is problematic. This is due to the difficulty in placing a hemostatic product and/or therapeutic agents at the actual site of injury, which includes an area that is well below the body surface and difficult or impossible to access using conventional techniques.
Jiang et al. in Biomacromolecules, v. 5, p. 326-333 (2004) teaches electrospun dextran fibers. Agents associated with the fibers (e.g. BSA, lysozyme) are directly electrospun into the fibers. The fibers may also include other polymers electrospun with the dextran.
Jiang et al. in Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, p. 50-57 (2006) discloses electrospun fibers that are a composite of poly(c-caprolactone) as a shell and dextran as a core. These fibers provide the slow release of agents (bovine serum albumin, BSA) that are also electrospun into the fibers.
Smith et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,753,454, discloses electrospun fibers comprising a substantially homogeneous mixture of a hydrophilic polymer and a polymer that is at least weakly hydrophobic, which may be used to form a bandage. The bandage may comprise active agents (e.g. dextran). However, the disclosed fibers are not readily soluble in liquid.
MacPhee et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,762,336, teaches a hemostatic multilayer bandage that comprises a thrombin layer between two fibrinogen layers. The bandage may contain other resorbable materials such as glycolic acid or lactic acid based polymers or copolymers. Neither electrospun fibers nor dextran fibers are taught as components of the bandage.
Smith et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,821,479, teaches a method of preserving a biological material in a dry protective matrix, the matrix comprising fibers such as electrospun fibers. One component of the fibers may be dextran, but homogeneous dextran fibers are not described.
Cochrum et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,101,862, teaches hemostatic compositions and methods for controlling bleeding. The compositions comprise a cellulose-containing article (e.g. gauze) to which a polysaccharide is covalently or ionically crosslinked. The crosslinked polysaccharide may be dextran. However, the compositions are not electrospun and exogenous clotting agents are not included in the compositions.
Wnek et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0018226, discloses fibers produced by an electroprocessing technique such as electrospinning. The fibers comprise enclosures within the fibers for containing substances that are not miscible with the fibers. Dextran is not taught as a fiber component.
Fisher et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0160653, teaches a hemostatic textile comprising hemostatic factors (e.g. thrombin, fibrinogen) but the fibers are formed from electrospun glass plus a secondary fiber (e.g. silk, ceramic, bamboo, jute, rayon, etc.).
Carpenter et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0020015, teaches wound dressing comprised of various biodegradable polymers and hydrogels having allogenic or autologous precursor cells (e.g. stem cells) dispersed within the polymers. The polymers may be prepared by electrospinning, and one polymer component may be dextran. However, the polymers cannot be immediately soluble upon contact with liquid, as they must provide a scaffolding for delivery of the cells over time, even though the polymers eventually biodegrade in situ.
Li et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0265469, describes electrospun nanofibers that may include dextran. However, the nanofibers are not described as readily soluble in liquids.
Eskridge et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0053288, teaches a woven hemostatic fabric comprised of about 65% fiberglass yarn and about 35% bamboo yarn. The fiberglass component may be electrospun, and hemostatic factors such as thrombin may be associated with the fabric, e.g. by soaking the material in a solution of thrombin. This document indicates that dextran may be added as a hygroscopic agent.
There is an ongoing need to provide improved methods and means to initiate blood clotting in wounds to stop or at least slow blood loss. In particular, there is an ongoing need to improve the capability to readily promote hemostasis in severe wounds in a facile manner, especially under circumstances where immediate treatment by medical personnel is limited or unavailable.
Bowlin et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0150973, discloses a method of delivering one or more agents of interest to a location of interest. The method includes applying or delivering to a location of interest a hemostatic product. The hemostatic product includes electrospun dextran fibers that dissolve upon contact with liquid. The hemostatic product also includes one or more agents of interest associated with said electrospun dextran fibers. Applying or delivering results in dissolution of the electrospun dextran fibers in liquid at the location of interest to thereby release the one or more agents of interest into the liquid.
Olson, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0038627, describes a method in which a cutter that cuts the hemostatic products into a desired size causes the hemostatic layers to resist separation. This process also causes the hemostatic agents to be retained in the hemostatic products.


Systems and methods are provided for securing a self-securing device and information that is stored in memory within the device. The self-securing device comprising a processor unit and memory external to the processor unit. The processor unit contains a processor and processor unit memory. Upon initialization of the self-securing device, the processor unit determines whether a secure key is stored in the processor unit memory. If no secure key is stored, then the processor unit generates a secure key and stores it in the processor unit memory. The processor unit uses the secure key to decrypt information read from the memory external to the processor unit and to encrypt information to be stored in memory external to the processor unit.

A metering network may be used to communicate between a resource provider and devices that monitor and control resources, such as electricity, in a home or other location. An example is an electric utility company and the meters located at their customer's houses or businesses. Utility companies and other resource providers may use a metering network to monitor, control, and measure the consumption of resources by consumers. Securing information or data within devices in a metering network is crucial to allow accurate and uninterrupted operation of the metering network.
The flow of communication in a metering network may be from a head-end system through collectors, routers, and other meters to a meter or endpoint at a specified location. Having many network entry points can increase exposure to potential attackers. If left unsecured, entry points are vulnerable to tampering that might allow an attacker to penetrate the network, gain access to control software, and alter load conditions to destabilize the distribution grid. Previous solutions for providing security in a metering network cover the network from the head-end system to the endpoint or meter at a specified location. Devices in a metering network may be vulnerable to tampering since they are geographically dispersed and may not provide security for data stored within the device. In particular, data and code stored in a device is vulnerable if the device is tapped into without authorization. This occurs, for example, when a device is stolen for the purpose of reconfiguring it to make another device (cloning the device) or when a device is stolen for harvesting its parts to be used on other devices (re-purposing a device). Accordingly, systems and methods are desirable for a device to secure data stored internally without impacting the flow of secure communication in the metering network.

Securing a device and data within the device


A superconductive magnet system with a super conductive magnet is provided with a cooling system. A thermal switch is configured to thermally (de)couple the superconductive magnet from/to the cooling system so that the magnet can be decoupled from the cooling system e.g. in the event of a quench.

Such a superconductive magnet is known from the European patent application EP 0 350 264. The known superconductive magnet comprises a superconductive quench protected coil. The quench protected coil includes several layers of superconductive wire co-wound with copper stabiliser wires. A strip of electrically conductive foil is located between adjacent layers of wire. This configuration provides an improved quench propagation.

Superconductive magnet system for a magnetic resonance examination system


A combination of N>1 substances with pharmaceutical activity against at least one medical condition for treating the medical condition with a program including instructions causing a computer to perform a method including:                providing a patient with a set of questions adapted to the combination according to a question schedule;        providing a patient with N sets of questions according to N question schedules, wherein each set of questions is adapted to one substance;        collecting answers to the sets of questions from the patient;        subjecting the answers to the set of questions adapted to the combination to a set of functions, thereby generating a first patient feedback;        subjecting the answers to the sets of questions each adapted for one substance, to N sets of functions, thereby generating a second patient specific feedback; and        providing the first and second specific feedbacks to the patient.

Today pharmaceutical products on the market are powerful products solving health problems of the patients. However, most often they solve just a specific problem or symptom of the patient, i.e. a limited part of the patient needs; meanwhile the patient experiences a wider complex situation with several other issues and symptoms due to their illness. There is a need for a broader and more profound solution for a significant number of patients. This is especially the case for several therapy areas such as the cardiovascular, the diabetes, the chronic pain, the oncology, the respiratory and the CNS areas and in particular for patients with multiple diagnoses.
Today a lot of patients, especially the elderly with multiple and severe diagnoses, have several different drugs where each drug should address one or a few of the patient's symptoms. The possibility to evaluate if the drugs are clinically efficient, as well as optimized for the circumstances of the patient, and especially not causing any safety concerns, are in most cases missing. A lot of drugs interact with each other often causing negative health effects for the patients and sometimes critical situations. Today a lot of patients are forced to emergency healthcare visits due to unsuitable medication.
Today drugs on the market are thoroughly tested with regard to their clinical affect and safety during extensive clinical trials before they are approved for marketing by a national or regional Medical Products Agency, such as EMA in Europe or FDA in the U.S. In most cases, however, there are no verifications, or clinical trials, evaluating the situation of the patients in real clinical practice concerning the situation that several patients are taking a mix of multiple pharmaceuticals.
For several diagnoses, according to existing guidelines, a patient should be prescribed multiple separate pharmaceutical products in order to solve the complete health problems of the patient. Patients with, for example, Acute Coronary Syndrome should be prescribed approximately six different pharmaceutical drugs.
The existing knowledge of drugs that have been on the market for some time is mostly very well-known due to the performed clinical trials and the period of utilization of the drugs in clinical practice. This information is often available for several different actors to utilize for researching purposes, but not effectively available directly to the individual patient using the drug.
Today drugs in clinical practice are not possible to individualize to the circumstances of each specific patient. Instead estimation is done by the physician each time a drug is prescribed to a patient based upon his/her knowledge and the presented data from earlier performed clinical trials for a specific drug. There is seldom any follow-up of the results of the specific patient in clinical practice, and if the patient not themselves responds in any way to the results of the medication, no action is done to improve or secure the result of the treatment.
Drugs on the market today are stand-alone products without any support or connection to the vast amount of data generated during the research and development phase of the product, as well as the information gathered during clinical practice, which could be used for simplifying and optimizing the relation between the patient needs and the pharmaceutical product clinical conditions. The guidance for matching patient specific conditions to the use of pharmaceutical products is limited. The support for finding an optimal dosage for a specific patient is also missing.
One of the major issues to reach an increased clinical effect of pharmaceutical treatments in clinical practice is to improve adherence to prescribed medication, see World Health Organisation 2003 Report: Adherence to long-term therapies; Evidence for action: (available at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2003/9241545992. pdf)
Due to the lack of adherence to medication the results of pharmaceutical treatments in clinical practice have difficulties in reaching similar results of clinical effect as the ones made in clinical trials during the development of the pharmaceutical products.
In regulations from FDA and EMA focus on patient safety and follow-up of side effects, as well as possible adverse events, regarding pharmaceuticals is crucial. In clinical practice, however, this is difficult to achieve and the patient is mainly responsible with little or no support to accomplish it properly.
Even though the safety concerns of medications are directly related to the specific pharmaceutical products, today there are very limited features, or no features, at all integrated with the pharmaceutical product aiming at improving the patient safety concerns of the product. It is up to the patients themselves to handle the safety issues.
Medical devices enhancing the therapeutic effect of drugs are known. For instance, specifically designed inhalers are used to administer various anti-asthmatic drugs and implantable devices have been used for controlled release of anti-cancer drugs.
Patient compliance and monitoring systems are known in the art, e.g. WO02095352. Such systems are focused on monitoring patient compliance and reporting to the medical practitioner and the patient how the treatment is progressing. The system disclosed in WO02095352 is relevant for a certain condition (menopause) and a general therapy (hormone replacement therapy). It is not specifically adapted for a particular pharmaceutical product.
Different types of e-health applications are existing knowledge, as well as, the positive clinical effects of such systems. This kind of applications is focused on improving the health situation for the patient in general independent of any specific pharmaceutical. This kind of system has a large interest within clinical practice, but the broad usage of such systems today within healthcare is absent.

Clinical effect of pharmaceutical products using communication tool integrated with compound of several pharmaceutical products

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENABLER STOCKHOLM AB


The present disclosure provides a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a non-rectangular die area, a dicing ring and a reticle area surrounding the non-rectangular die. The dicing ring is within the reticle area and surrounds the non-rectangular die area. The number of edges of the reticle area is not equal to 4.

In the manufacture of semiconductor chip devices, photolithographic processes are often used to pattern various layers on a wafer in order to produce circuit features positioned as specified in a circuit layout. In such processes, a layer of resist (also referred to as "photoresist") is deposited on the layer being patterned, and the resist is then exposed using an exposure tool and a template. These templates are known in the art as reticles or masks. For purposes of the present application, the term reticle includes both reticles and masks, and the two terms are interchangeable herein. During the exposure process, the reticle is imaged onto the resist by directing a form of radiant energy such as ultraviolet light through the reticle to selectively expose the resist in a desired pattern. The pattern which is produced in the resist is referred to herein as a "feature layout".
The costs for producing reticles have increased due to miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuit device over these recent years. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a reticle having a maximum capacity usage to accommodate a die, especially a non-rectangular die.

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.


The invention pertains to a method for verifying the consistency of the values (β1,β2,β3) given by the sideslip probes (1,2,3) of an aircraft and to a device implementing this method. This method is noteworthy in that it consists in consolidating the values of two sideslip probes by using the value of the incidence α.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a method for verifying the consistency of the sideslip probes of an aircraft and to a device implementing this method.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The piloting of any aircraft requires a knowledge of its relative speed with respect to the air, that is to say to the relative wind. This speed is determined with the aid of sensors of static pressure Ps, of the total pressure Pt, of the angle of incidence α and of the angle of sideslip β.
The angle of incidence α of an aircraft is commonly defined as being the angle of the air speed vector with respect to a horizontal plane of the aircraft. Likewise, the angle of sideslip β of an aircraft is defined as being the angle of the air speed vector with respect to a vertical plane, generally a symmetry plane, of the aircraft.
The values of α and of β are conventionally estimated by known techniques, for example on the basis of a measurement of the pressure of the air outside the craft, as is the case in patent EP 1 354 212 B1. These pressure measurements are taken by probes arranged on the surfaces of the aeroplane. These probes can be of the Pitot or multifunction type (MFP).
Sideslip probes which do not use the measurement of the pressure are beginning to be used on civil aeroplanes. These probes dispatch an electrical signal as a function of time, indicative of the locally measured sideslip angle.
Sets of such probes with so-called weathervanes, also dubbed fins, generally comprise three probes fitted on the nose of the craft. The arrangement of such a set on an aircraft is illustrated in FIG. 3.
In this figure, the central plane X of the craft C is the symmetry plane of the fuselage, coinciding with the plane of the rudder. The probes 1, 2, 3 are arranged on the nose of the craft C, the two probes 1, 2 being symmetrically situated on either side of the plane X and the probe 3 being situated in the plane X. The three probes 1,2,3 are substantially aligned along a straight line Y perpendicular to the plane X of the aeroplane. This system of three probes is generally situated on the nose Cp of the craft C.
In probes of the weathervane type, it is difficult to detect a failure of the probe due to the deformation or displacement of the weathervane. FIG. 1 represents such a type of weathervane probe. The weathervane G overhangs the base S which is fitted in the fuselage. It is understood that the weathervane G is a sensitive part of the probe since it is subjected to the exterior environment.
It is known from patent EP 1 354 212 B1 to verify the consistency between three measurement probes by applying the triplex principle.
According to this principle, it is possible to note a defect on a measurement pathway when one of the probes of this pathway gives a very different result from the other two. It is then deduced therefrom that this pathway is defective. Nonetheless, within this pathway, the defective probe remains indeterminate.
The triplex principle is illustrated in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2a, the probes 2 and 3 indicate an angular sideslip value of 3° for probe 2 and of 3.1° for probe 3. Probe 1 gives for its part a value of 8° very different from the others. The measurements of probe 1 are therefore rejected.
In other cases, the application of the triplex principle may in particular turn out to be insufficient. Indeed, when two probes give erroneous but mutually consistent information, the correct measurement is rejected. This case is illustrated in FIG. 2b. Probe 1 gives a value of 8° and probe 3 gives a value of 8.1°. This information is erroneous but mutually consistent. Probe 2 gives a value of 3°, this in fact being the correct value of sideslip angle, but the application of the triplex principle means that it is the measurements of this probe 2 which are rejected.
It is therefore necessary to know whether the information given by the sideslip probes is correct, so as to indicate to the computer whether or not it may take this information into account.
A first solution consists in arranging a greater number of probes than that necessary for the measurements or else in installing a system of additional checking probes as is described in patent EP 1 354 212. However, these solutions lead to difficulties of integrating these systems into aeroplanes.
A second solution consists in estimating the value of the sideslip and in comparing the estimated value with the measured value so as to detect errors, if any, which may arise subsequent to the sole application of the triplex principle. This solution is effective and is generally employed on craft of modern design. In order to further increase flight safety, provision may be made to supplement this solution with means for verifying the consistency of the measurements of the sideslip probes.
One of the objectives of the invention is to provide a system for verifying the consistency of the sideslip probes which does not require the installation of additional probes.

Method and device for verifying the consistency of the sideslip probes of an aircraft


Features described herein relate to providing the capability to playback audiovisual content in a comprehensible manner at a rate adjustable by the viewer. For example, if a viewer wishes to watch a one hour news program, but the viewer only has thirty minutes to view the program, playback of the program at twice the rate, but in a comprehensible manner is provided. To provide the playback of the video at the adjustable rate, substitute audio is generated by adding or removing audio content without changing the playback rate of the audio. The video at the adjusted playback rate and the substitute audio at the normal playback rate may have the same duration and in some embodiments, may be presented synchronously.

Trick play (or trick mode) features allow for operations such as forward and reverse play at multiple rates. Such features may be provided by skipping or duplicating frames of a video, or by adjusting the playback frame rate. For example, in fast-forward and fast-reverse at a 2× rate, a system may provide the appearance of playing the video at double rate (forwards or backwards) by skipping playback of every other frame (e.g., the frames are displayed at the same rate, but only half the frames are presented), or by presenting every frame at twice the playback rate. Similarly, slow-forward and slow-reverse at a ½ rate provides the appearance of playing the video at half rate by displaying every frame twice (e.g., the frames are displayed at the same rate, but twice the frames are presented), by generating new frames in between the original frames, or by presenting every frame at half the playback rate. For skip-forward and skip-reverse, the system simply skips display of a duration of the video timeline (i.e., skips a predetermined number of frames) before returning to normal playback.
These and other trick play features provide the viewer a search capability to advance or reverse the playback timeline of the content to a point where the viewer would like to begin or resume watching the content at a normal playback rate (e.g., skipping a commercial). The trick play features, however, substantially limit and may entirely eliminate the viewer's ability to experience as intended (e.g., comprehend) the content during use of these trick play features. For one, the audio that is synchronized to the video may not have an analogous capability to simply skip (or duplicate) a slice of the audio corresponding to the skipped or duplicated frames. Were this to occur, the audio would become incomprehensible. For this reason, playback of the audio is often suspended during trick play.
To provide a viewer a better experience, there remains a need to be able to present audiovisual content at an adjustable rate desired by the viewer, but in a manner that remains comprehensible.

Audio modification for adjustable playback rate


A continuous furnace (straight-through furnace) for heating glass panes to their curving and/or toughening temperature is constructed as a circular furnace and comprises an annular, horizontal hot gas support bed (3). On this annular hot gas support bed (3) the glass panes are carried, each by means of a template (56) of heat-resistant metal plate, also floating on the hot gas support bed (3), in a circuit from the feed station (6) to the discharge station (7). The templates (56) are each mounted on the arms (17) of a star-type turntable (16) concentrically to the support bed (3). At the discharge station (7) the glass panes, heated to bending and/or toughening temperature, are removed from the furnace by means of a radially traversable suction plate (42) and transferred into a bending and/or toughening device disposed laterally alongside the furnace.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a continuous furnace (once-through furnace) for heating glass panes to their bending and/or toughening temperature, comprising a hot gas support bed and comprising an entraining apparatus, acting upon the edges of the panes, for conveying the glass panes over the hot gas support bed from a feed station to a discharge or transfer station. The invention furthermore relates to a bending and toughening installation for glass panes comprising a furnace of this type.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the known continuous furnaces comprising a hot gas support bed (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,501), the plane hot gas support bed is of linear form and is slightly inclined to the horizontal, transversely to the conveying direction of the glass panes. As entraining devices for the glass panes, driven entraining rollers having their axes of rotation perpendicular to the plane of the support bed are disposed along the lower longitudinal edge of this bed. The glass panes bear with one longitudinal edge, as a result of the force components acting in the direction of slope of the conveying plane due to their weight and the floating arrangement on the support bed, against the entraining rollers and are conveyed onwards by frictional engagement with these rollers. The glass panes are laid on the hot gas support bed or transferred from conveying rollers onto the hot gas support bed at one end of the furnace. The discharge or transfer of the heated glass panes from the hot gas support bed takes place at the other end of the rectilinear furnace, that is to say at a more or less large distance from the charging point of the furnace.
For a continuous furnace for glass panes, even if the furnace is fully automated, the feed station and discharge station of the furnace must be continually monitored. A linear continuous furnace has, however, a comparatively large length, and the feed and discharge stations are consequently so far apart that a separate monitoring person or operator is necessary for monitoring each of these two stations.

Continuous furnace for heating glass panes to bending and/or toughening temperature


A process for the transmission and reception of personalized programs. The program is constituted by personalized program elements containing an identification of the recipient or addressee, the access to each program element being reserved for a single recipient and is conditioned for the possession of an access title covering the access criteria to the service and the possession of an individual identification on the part of each recipient. The access title control message enables users of the service to calculate, on the basis of the single cryptogram of a root control word and the identification of the recipient, all the personalized control words which will enable each recipient and him alone to descramble the elements relating to him.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the transmission and reception of personalized programs.
2. Discussion of the Background
The great increase in the number of transmission or broadcasting supports or carriers (satellites, cables, microwave) has led program operators to vastly increase offers of services for access control programs, which can be in the form of audiovisual, sound or data transmission programs.
The principle of access control to such services is based on the scrambling of a program on transmission and the descrambling of the message received under the control of an access title. The scrambling and descrambling systems are initialized by a data, which varies in a random manner and which is known as a control word. The informations describing the access criteria to the program and a protected form of the control word are included in control messages of the access titles and which accompany the scrambled program.
To have access to a scrambled program it is necessary for the conditional access device to be able to exploit one of the control messages of the access titles associated with the program. In the case of "personalized" services for which the program is constituted by a plurality of program elements (video sequences and/or sounds and/or data) addressed to the same number of different addressees or recipients, each program element must only be restored in uncoded form for the single recipient involved and the control messages for the access titles must make it possible to guarantee the protection of each of the program elements.
The present invention relates to a process for the transmission and reception of access title control messages enabling any recipient (but him alone) to receive the program elements sent to him within the scope of a personalized transmission service.
The applications of such a process are all personalized program transmission or broadcasting services multiplexed on the same support, e.g. vocal messaging, data transmission (telex, data downloading, fax, radio messaging such as operator or alpha paging), fixed or moving picture transmission (video transmission), etc.
Existing processes making it possible to protect access to a broadcast program consist of allocating to each program element an access title control message. This method is widely used in pay television services for which each program or program element relates to a large audience and therefore for which it is sufficient to associate one or more, typically three or four access control messages with the complete broadcast program. The information rate specific to the access control relative to a broadcast program is then very small (typically a few hundred bytes per second for controlling an information rate of several megabytes per second).
Each access title control message generally has four fields:
an identifier of the service key to be used, PA0 a field defining the access conditions to be satisfied to have the right to use such a service key, PA0 the cryptogram or cryptograms of one or both control words, PA0 a redundancy field, which can be usefully added in order that the security processor cannot be used outside the intended context. PA0 the programs are scrambled by a control word and access control messages are formed which in particular contain access criteria and a cryptogram of the control word, PA0 a check is made to establish whether the access criteria are fulfilled, the control word used for scrambling is reconstituted and the received programs are descrambled, PA0 the control word used for scrambling the program intended for the particular recipient is obtained by personalization, with the aid of the identifier of said recipient, of a single control word called the root control word and which applies to all the recipients and only a single access control message is transmitted for all the recipients, said message more particularly containing a cryptogram of the root control word, PA0 each recipient, with the aid of his identifier and the access control message, reconstitutes, on the basis of the root control word, his own personalized control word, which enables him and him alone to descramble the program intended for him.
When the security processor contains an appropriate access right, i.e. when it holds the service key indicated by the identifier and said key is provided with a status compatible with certain conditions indicated in the access criteria field, the security processor decrypts or deciphers the cryptogram or cryptograms for reconstituting the control word or words. The control word enables the terminal to descramble the program or program elements with which it is associated.
In the case of personalized broadcasting services, the extension of the preceding method, which would consist of associating the same number of access title control messages as there are program elements accessible in a distinct manner, would make it necessary to reduce in certain cases, the information resource by two, assuming that the content of the information to be transmitted is roughly the same size as the actual access title control message (case of radiomessaging displaying 40 characters). This considerable decrease in the remaining useful resource i.e. the information is contrary to the economic profitability sought for the broadcast service.

Process for the transmission and reception of personalized programs

France Telecom Etablissement Autonome de Droit Public


Provided are a superluminescent diode with a high optical power and a broad wavelength band, and a method of fabricating the same. The superluminescent diode includes: at least one high optical confinement factor (HOCF) region; and at least one low optical confinement factor (LOCF) region having a lower optical confinement factor than the HOCF region. The method includes obtaining a difference of optical confinement factors in the HOCF region and the LOCF region through a selective area growth method, the selective area growth method using a deposition thicknesses difference of thin layers according to a width difference of openings that expose a substrate.

The present invention disclosed herein relates to an optoelectronic device and a method of fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a superluminescent diode with a high optical power and a broad wavelength band, and a method of fabricating the same.
The present invention has been derived from research undertaken as a part of the information technology (IT) development business by Ministry of Information and Communication and Institute for Information Technology Advancement in the Republic of Korea (Project management No.: 2006-S-004-02, Project title: silicon based high speed optical interconnection IC).
A superluminescent diode (SLD) is an optical device capable of providing several advantages such as a high optical power, a wide optical bandwidth, and a low spectral modulation. Therefore, the SLD is used as a light source for an optical gyroscope, a test of a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) system, an optical coherence tomography (OCT), and a fiber-optic sensor.
Like a laser diode, the SLD uses optical amplification phenomena by stimulated emission to achieve high optical power. In order to achieve a wide optical bandwidth, however, the SLD should be configured to reduce optical resonance phenomena, which differs from the laser diode. Accordingly, the SLD has much higher optical power (that is, close to an optical power of a laser diode) than a light emitting diode (LED), and also has much broader optical bandwidth than a laser diode.
A typical structure of the SLD is similar to that of a laser diode, but its reflective surfaces constituting a resonator have a relatively low reflectivity so as to reduce optical resonance phenomena. To reduce the reflectivity of the reflective surface in the SLD, there are provided various methods, for example, an antireflection coating technique, a method of providing an absorption region, or a method of forming an oblique reflective surface.
In addition, other typical methods for increasing a wavelength bandwidth have been proposed. As one of the typical methods, U.S. Pat. No. 6,184,542 (Alphonse et al., "superluminescent diode and optical amplifier with extended bandwidth") discloses a method of attaching active layers with different wavelengths along a direction of an optical waveguide. As another typical method, a method of using quantum well intermixing technique has been proposed in a paper by Ong et al. ("High performance quantum well intermixed superluminescent diode", Measurement Science and Technology, vol. 15 (2004), pp. 1591-1595). However, these methods may increase a wavelength bandwidth of the SLD, but have a limitation in that it is difficult to provide a required high optical power. For example, the optical power of the SLD according to the paper of Ong et al. is excessively low, e.g., about 1.5 mW.

High-power, broad-band, superluminescent diode and method of fabricating the same

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A phase-shift distributed feedback semiconductor laser emitting device includes a resonator between a diffraction grating and a multiple quantum well layer, and the diffraction grating has a modulated period region different in period from a standard period region so as to make the diffraction grating asymmetrical with respect to a center of the diffraction grating, thereby increasing an optical output power at an output end surface.

This invention relates to a semiconductor laser emitting device and, more particularly, to a phase-shift DFB (Distributed Feed-Back) semiconductor laser emitting device appropriate to a digital optical transmission system.
The semiconductor laser emitting device is an essential component in the conventional digital optical transmission system. A quarter-wavelength phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device has a multiple-layered semiconductor structure, which has diffraction gratings different in phase from each other by a half period at the central point of the laser oscillator. The quarter-wavelength phase-shift DFB is stable in single oscillation mode, and is appropriate to the digital optical transmission system. The multiple-layered semiconductor structure for the quarter-wavelength phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device is known to person skilled in the art. A typical example of the multiple-layered semiconductor structure is disclosed in xe2x80x9cSemiconductor Laserxe2x80x9d, edited by the Society of Applied Physics and published by Ohm Corporation, page 272, FIG. 12xe2x80x9412, 1994.
FIG. 1 shows a typical example of the phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device. The prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device 41 has a multiple-layered semiconductor structure, which consists of a semiconductor substrate 2 of n-type InP, an optical guide layer 5 of n-type InGaAs grown on the semiconductor substrate 2, a multiple quantum well layer 6 grown on the optical guide layer 5, a clad layer 7 of p-type InP grown on the multiple quantum well layer 6 and a cap layer 8 of p-type InP grown on the clad layer 7. The cap layer 8 is overlain by a p-type electrode 9, and an n-type electrode 10 is formed on the reverse surface of the semiconductor substrate 2. Low-reflection coating layers 45/46 are formed on end surfaces of the multiple-layered semiconductor structure. The optical guide layer 5 serves as a laser resonator, and diffraction gratings 43/44 are formed at the boundary between the semiconductor substrate 2 and the optical guide layer 5. The diffraction grating 43 is different from the other diffraction grating 44 by a half of the period at a phase shift point 48. The prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device 41 oscillates at the Bragg wavelength xcexB, and the Bragg wavelength xcexB is expressed as
xcexB=2xcex9neff
where xcex9 is the period of the diffraction grating and neff is the effective refractive index. As a result, the other oscillation mode is effectively restricted.
Although the phase shift point 48 is indispensable for the phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device, the internal electric field is made extremely strong around the phase shift point 48. When the bias voltage is increased, the lack of uniformity in the internal electric field gets more serious, and the output optical power is decreased. Moreover, the reflectivity of the low-refractive coating layers 45/46 is of the order of 1 percent, and the laser light is radiated in the backward direction as much as the laser light radiated in the forward direction. This means that the prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device can not achieve a high optical output efficiency in terms of the input current.
Another prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication of Unexamined Application No. 4-100287, and aims at a high optical output efficiency. The diffracting gratings are not changed at any phase-shift point in the prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication of Unexamined Application. The period of the diffraction grating is gradually modulated in a part of the laser oscillator, and the gradual modulation is designed to be equivalent to the quarter-wavelength phase shift. The concentration of internal electric field is less serious rather than that of the prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device shown in FIG. 1. This results in improvement of the intensity of the output laser light.
Thus, the prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication of Unexamined Application achieves a high optical output. However, the end surfaces are coated with low-refractive coating layers, and the laser light is equally radiated from both end surfaces. This means that the prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device still does not achieve a high optical output efficiency in terms of the input current.
Yet another prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication of Unexamined Application No. 61-216383. A cleavage plane or a high refractive coating layer are used at the backward end surface of the prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device, and the phase-shift point is closer to the backward end surface. The phase-shift point divides the laser oscillator at 3:7-4:6. The forward end surface is coated with a low-refractive coating layer. When the backward end surface is the cleavage plane, the reflectivity is of the order of 30 percent. However, the high-reflective coating surface achieves the reflectivity more than 90 percent. This results in that the prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device radiates the laser light in the forward direction much more than the laser light radiated in the backward direction. The Japanese Patent Publication of Unexamined Application insists that the phase-shift point closer to the backward end surface enhances the stability of the single oscillation mode. The prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device achieves a high optical output efficiency in terms of the input current. However, the period of the diffraction grating is changed at the phase-shift point as similar to the prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device shown in FIG. 1, and the phase-shift point makes the internal electric field extremely strong thereat. Although the intensity of the output laser light is slightly enhanced by virtue of the phase-shift point farther from the forward end surface than the phase-shift point 48, the intensity of the output laser light does not satisfy the user.
The present inventor calculates the ratio of the forwardly output laser light to the backwardly output laser light on the assumption that the reflectivity at the backward end surface is 95 percent. The ratio is 4:1. When the cleavage plane is used for the backward end surface, the margin is only several microns. If the cleavage plane is deviated by several microns, the optical output is clearly decreased. This results in a serious distribution of the laser output characteristics between the products.
Still another prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication of Examined Application No. 6-66509, which is corresponding to Japanese Patent Publication of Unexamined Application No. 60-125882. The prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device aims at enhancement of the single oscillation mode. However, the prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device can not increase the optical output efficiency in terms of the input current. The prior art phase-shift DFB semiconductor laser emitting device has two diffraction gratings different in period from one another in the laser oscillator, and the two diffraction gratings are asymmetrical with each other. The periods of the two diffraction gratings are designed in such a manner that the longitudinal mode with the minimum gain in one of the diffraction gratings is overlapped with the longitudinal mode with the minimum gain of the other diffraction grating. Although the two diffraction gratings enhances the single oscillation mode, they can not increase the intensity of the output optical light, and, accordingly, the Japanese Patent Publication of Examined Application is silent to any increase of the output optical light.
It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a DFB semiconductor laser emitting device, which is stable in the single oscillation mode, large in output optical power, high in current-to-laser light converting efficiency and small in dispersion of the device characteristics.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a distributed feedback semiconductor laser emitting device for radiating a laser light beam comprising a pair of electrodes applied with a potential difference, a multiple-layered semiconductor structure connected to the electrodes of the pair and including a first compound semiconductor layer extending between a first end surface of the multiple-layered semiconductor structure serving as an optical output and a second end surface of the multiple-layered semiconductor structure opposite to the first end surface and a diffraction grating structure held in contact with the first compound semiconductor layer, extending between the first end surface and the second end surface and having a standard period region constant in period and connected at one end thereof to the first end surface and a modulated period region different in period from the standard period region and making the diffraction grating asymmetrical with respect to a center of the diffraction grating, a first reflective coating layer formed on the first end surface and a second reflective coating layer formed on the second end surface and making the first compound semiconductor layer serve as a resonator.

Distributed feedback semiconductor laser emitting device having asymmetrical diffraction gratings


An arrow is arranged to threadedly receive a nock member, wherein the nock member is threadedly received within an associated insert coaxially positioned within the rearward distal end of the associated arrow shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to arrow nock structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved arrow nock assembly wherein the same is arranged for mounting to a rearward distal end of an arrow shaft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nock structure of various types have been utilized throughout the prior art and exemplified by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,645,211; 4,305,588; 3,749,076; U.S. Design patent No. 301,272; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,163.
The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for the installation of a nock assembly, wherein the same is arranged for mounting to an associated rear distal end of an arrow in a coaxially aligned relationship, as well as employing an extension structure as optionally desired thereto and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A vehicle includes an engine, first and second motor generators, a power split device, a propeller shaft, an automatic transmission, and an ECU. The power split device includes a carrier, a sun gear, and a ring gear respectively coupled to a crankshaft of the engine, a rotor of the first motor generator, and a rotation shaft of the second motor generator. The automatic transmission is provided between the second motor generator and a propeller shaft. When the first motor generator has a malfunction, the ECU restricts gear shift performed by the automatic transmission, as compared with a case where the second motor generator has a malfunction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle, in particular, a vehicle including first and second rotating electrical machines.
2. Description of the Background Art
A hybrid vehicle including an engine and first and second motor generators (rotating electrical machines) as a driving system has been known. In such a hybrid vehicle, when the driving system has a malfunction, retreat traveling control may be performed depending on a location of the malfunction. The retreat traveling control is control for continuing traveling temporarily, rather than stopping the vehicle immediately. Accordingly, the driver can retreat the vehicle to a safe place or can move the vehicle to a repair shop. For example, a hybrid vehicle disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2011-235750 includes retreat traveling control means provided in preparation for occurrence of abnormality in output of the second motor generator.


A circuit testing apparatus for testing a device under test is disclosed. The circuit testing apparatus includes a function generator, a signal measuring module and a determining module. The function generator is coupled to the device under test for providing a plurality of testing signals according to a predetermined manner. The signal measuring module is coupled to the device under test and the function module for measuring a plurality of measuring signals generated by the device under test according to the plurality of testing signals and generating a plurality of measuring results according to the predetermined manner. The determining module is coupled to the signal measuring module for determining a testing result for the device under test according to the plurality of measuring results.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to circuit testing, and more particularly to a circuit testing apparatus for testing a liquid crystal display (LCD) driver.
2. Description of the Related Art
To assure quality of integrated circuits (IC), each IC is tested when manufactured. The manufacturer determines whether an IC is qualified according to a testing result for the IC and whether the IC can be supplied to manufacturers.
General IC testing is achieved using a logic tester. The logic tester can only compare the variation of high level with low level of output voltages of an IC for a pattern function. When an IC providing multiple output voltages is used, for example, an LCD driver, multiple output voltages cannot be tested, such that the IC cannot be tested. Thus, when an LCD driver is tested, a special logic tester for the LCD driver is used for testing.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an LCD driver comprising four output voltages. Referring to FIG. 1, an IC under test is a driving circuit of an LCD device, comprising four different output voltages V1, V2, V3, and Vss. Thus, if a pattern function test is implemented to the driving circuit of the LCD, the pattern function must be activated to enable an output pin to output the voltages V1, V2, V3, and Vss, and the driving circuit of the LCD device is measured using the special logic tester, thus determining the function of the driving circuit of the LCD device according to the measuring result and completing the test.
The special tester, which can measure multiple voltage levels at a time, for the driving circuit of the LCD device is different from a general logic tester that can measure multiple output voltages provided by a driving circuit of an LCD device. Testing the driving circuit of the LCD device is completely based on a pass or fail determination of measuring voltages.
A special signal tester for a driving circuit of an LCD device commercially sold costs millions of dollars, such that a test for a special signal tester for a driving circuit of an LCD costs is relatively high, while a cheaper general logic tester cannot achieve required testing. Thus, an improved circuit testing apparatus is desirable.

Circuit testing apparatus for testing a device under test


A self-oscillation type switching power supply includes a transformer having a primary winding, a secondary winding, a feedback winding, and a control winding as required, a switching transistor to turn on and off a current flowing in the primary winding, a controlling transistor to control a positive feedback signal from the feedback winding or the control winding to said switching transistor, and a time constant circuit to charge a generated voltage across the feedback winding or the control winding with a fixed time constant and to give a controlling voltage to said controlling transistor. A delay transistor to delay the turn-on of said switching transistor is contained in a controlling signal input portion to said switching transistor, and a delay circuit is provided to delay a positive feedback signal from the control winding or the feedback winding with a fixed time constant and to give the delayed signal as a controlling signal to said delay transistor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a self-oscillation type switching power supply, and more specifically, to a switching power supply having a high output voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
A ringing choke converter has been often utilized as a self-oscillation type power supply. FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of an existing ringing choke converter. In the drawing, numeral 11 represents a DC power-supply circuit for generating about 120 V DC voltage by rectifying and smoothing a commercial AC power supply and T represents a transformer having a primary winding L.sub.p, a secondary winding L.sub.s, and a feedback winding L.sub.f. Q1 is a switching transistor connected to the DC power-supply through the primary winding L.sub.p of the transformer. To the base of the switching transistor Q1 a starting resistor R1 is connected. Between the feedback winding L.sub.f and the base of the switching transistor Q1 a current-limiting resistor R2, a speed-up capacitor C2, and a diode D2 are connected. Further, between the base and emitter of the switching transistor Q1 a controlling transistor Q2 is connected and across the feedback winding L.sub.f a time constant circuit 4 comprising a resistor R5 and a capacitor C3 is arranged, and they are connected so that the voltage across the capacitor C3 is applied to the base of the controlling transistor Q2. To the secondary winding Ls a rectifying and smoothing circuit 2 comprising a rectifier diode D1 and a smoothing capacitor C1 is connected. To the output side of the rectifying and smoothing circuit 2 a voltage-dividing resistor circuit comprising a resistor R3 and resistor R4, a variable shunt regulator 12, and a photo coupler are connected. The photo-transistor in this photo coupler PC is connected in the charging path for the capacitor C3.
The operation of the power supply shown in FIG. 12 is as in the following. When a DC voltage is applied from the DC power-supply circuit 11, a very small amount of starting current flows into the base of the switching transistor Q1 through the starting resistor R1. As a result, a current flows through the collector of the transistor Q1 and the voltage between the collector and emitter reduces. Then, a voltage is applied across the terminals of the primary winding L.sub.p of the transformer T and an induced voltage proportional to the applied voltage is generated across the feedback winding L.sub.f. Because of this induced voltage, a positive feedback current is supplied to the base of the switching transistor Q1 through the current-limiting resistor R2, and the speed-up capacitor C2 and the diode D2 in parallel, and the transistor Q1 is switched to the ON state (saturation). When the transistor Q1 is turned on, a DC voltage is applied between the terminals of the primary winding L.sub.p of the transformer T and a current flows through the primary winding L.sub.p to cause excitation of the transformer T. At this time, the induced voltage generated across the feedback winding L.sub.f at the same time charges the capacitor C3 through the resistor R5, speed-up capacitor C2, diode D2, and photo-transistor of the photo coupler PC. When the charged voltage of this capacitor C3 reaches the threshold voltage (about 0.6 V) between the base and emitter of the controlling transistor Q2, the base and emitter of the switching transistor Q1 is short circuited. This cuts off the base current of the switching transistor Q1 to turn off the transistor Q1 rapidly. Here, the duration in which the switching transistor Q1 is turned on is equal to the time from start of charging the capacitor C3 to attainment of the voltage across the capacitor C3 to about 0.6 V. When the switching transistor Q1 is turned off, the base of the switching transistor Q1 is reverse biased to a negative potential by the induced voltage across the feedback winding L.sub.f. At the same time the electric charge of the capacitor C3 is forced to discharge (reverse charge) by the feedback winding L.sub.f through the resistor R5, and so the base of the controlling transistor Q2 is reverse biased to a negative potential. Therefore, until the excitation energy of the transformer T is fully discharged through the secondary winding Ls, the switching transistor Q1 continues to be turned off. When the excitation energy of the transformer T has been fully discharged, the induced voltage of the feedback winding L.sub.f disappears rapidly, but because of the leakage induction and distributed capacitance of the transformer T a ringing voltage (kick voltage) is generated so as to forward bias the base of the switching transistor Q1 and the switching transistor Q1 is turned on again. After that, the above-mentioned turn-on and turn-off operation is repeated so that the oscillation grows and continues.
Here, when V.sub.out represents an output voltage of the rectifying and smoothing circuit 2, I.sub.out a current flowing in the load, Lp an inductance of the primary winding L.sub.p, and I.sub.cp the peak value of the collector current of the switching transistor Q1, the output voltage Vout can be given by the following approximate expression. EQU V.sub.out =(L.sub.p .multidot.I.sub.cp.sup.2)/(2 I.sub.out) (1)
Further, when t.sub.on represents a turn-on time of the switching transistor Q1, and Vin a voltage applied between the terminals of the primary winding L.sub.p, then I.sub.cp is given by the following expression. EQU I.sub.cp =(Vin/L.sub.p) t.sub.on (2)
From the relation shown by the expressions (1), (2), by detecting the output voltage and adjusting the current of the photo-transistor in the photo coupler PC and by controlling the turn-on time of the switching transistor Q1, the output voltage V.sub.out can be kept constant.
Then, in the conventional self-oscillation type switching power supply shown in FIG. 12, the output voltage is, for example, as low as 5 V, and the transformer is a step-down transformer. In the construction of the conventional power supply shown in FIG. 12, if the turn ratio of the secondary winding Ls to the primary winding L.sub.p of the transformer T is raised, a power supply for generating a high voltage can be theoretically constructed, but the following problems arise.
FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram of a transformer. C.sub.s represents a distributed capacitance between the terminals of the secondary winding Ls and C.sub.ps represents a distributed capacitance generated between the primary winding L.sub.p and secondary winding Ls. Further, C.sub.pp represents the distributed capacitance C.sub.s and C.sub.ps changed as a capacitance between the terminals of the primary winding L.sub.p. For example, in an electrophotographic copier and page printer a power supply to multiply a DC input voltage of tens V to a DC or AC voltage of hundreds to thousands V is required, but in order to realize such a performance the turn ratio of the secondary winding Ls to the primary winding L.sub.p must be increased to a great extent. Here, when N.sub.p represents the number of turns of the primary winding L.sub.p, Ns the number of turns of the secondary winding L.sub.s, C.sub.s and C.sub.ps the value of distributed capacitance C.sub.s and C.sub.ps respectively, a distributed capacitance C.sub.pp changed as a capacitance between the terminals of the primary winding L.sub.p is given by the following approximate expression. EQU C.sub.pp =(C.sub.s +C.sub.ps).times.(N.sub.s /N.sub.p).sup.2 (3)
Accordingly, the capacitance C.sub.pp in a high-voltage transformer becomes extremely large compared with that in a low-voltage transformer.
When the transformer T in FIG. 12 is replaced with the high-voltage transformer shown in FIG. 13, the primary converted distributed capacitance C.sub.pp of the transformer becomes extremely large compared with that of the low-voltage transformer. Therefore, when the switching transistor is turned on, excess current flows and switching loss is increased, and also the amplitude of the ringing component superposed on the collector current of the switching transistor is increased. As a result, the output voltage control or output current control is adversely affected. This is caused by the fact that, as shown in the expression (3), the distributed capacitance C.sub.pp converted as the capacitance between the terminals of the primary winding becomes extremely large.
Here, an equivalent circuit of the high-voltage transformer is shown in FIG. 14. In the drawing L1 and L2 represents a leakage inductance, L.sub.p an inductance of the primary winding, and C.sub.pp a primary converted distributed capacitance. FIG. 15 is the diagram of a waveform showing the collector current of the switching transistor Q1 and others. FIG. 16 is the diagram of the waveform showing the relation between the collector voltage and current and between the base voltage and current of the switching transistor Q1. In FIG. 15 V.sub.Lp represents the waveform of the applied voltage to the primary winding, I.sub.c ' the current flowing in the primary converted distributed capacitance C.sub.pp, I.sub.Lp the current flowing in the primary winding, and I.sub.c the collector current of the switching transistor Q1. When the switching transistor Q1 is turned on, the current I.sub.c ' flows through the capacitance C.sub.pp in such a way that initially excess current to charge the capacitance C.sub.pp flows and after completion of the charge the capacitance C.sub.pp becomes resonant with the leakage inductance (L1, L2) and the oscillation is repeatedly damped. The combined current of I.sub.c ' and I.sub.Lp flows through the collector of the switching transistor Q1, and accordingly as shown by I.sub.c in FIG. 15 excess current flows initially and then the current with ringing is increased at a slope of V.sub.Lp /L.sub.p. At this time, the ringing component superposed on the collector current I.sub.c has adverse effects of inducing intermittent operation and others on the controlling method to stabilize the output by adjustment of the turn-on time of the switching transistor Q1.
Further, in FIG. 16 V.sub.ce represents a voltage between the collector and emitter of the switching transistor Q1, I.sub.c a collector current of the transistor Q1, V.sub.be a voltage between the base and emitter of the transistor Q1, and I.sub.b a base current of the transistor Q1. Because of excess current flowing in the collector of the switching transistor Q1 when the transistor Q1 is turned on, as shown by the hatched area in FIG. 16 (a), large switching loss is caused by the product of the collector current and the voltage between the collector and emitter at the time when the switching transistor Q1 is turned on.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in conventional high-voltage power supplies, as shown in FIG. 17 it was common to stabilize an output by adjusting a DC input voltage to be input to the primary winding of a high-voltage transformer, not by adjusting the turn-on time of a switching transistor Q1. In FIG. 17 a transistor Q5 is a controlling power transistor to step down the voltage of a DC input power supply 1 and adjust the input voltage to a high-voltage transformer T. A control circuit stabilizes an output voltage by controlling the base current of the transistor Q5 in accordance with a detected signal from an output voltage detection circuit. The switching transistor Q1 is always turned on and off at a constant cycle by an oscillation circuit.
However, in the circuit shown in FIG. 17, a construction of a separate excitation type switching power supply is required, and accordingly an oscillation circuit is externally required and in addition a power transistor to step down the input voltage to the high-voltage transformer is separately required. As a result, the circuit construction becomes complicated and large-sized.

Self-oscillation type switching power supply


A display panel including a plurality of pixels. A first pixel among the plurality of pixels includes a first subpixel, which further includes a first subpixel electrode, a first switching element configured to apply a data voltage to the first subpixel electrode, and a second switching element applying a boosting voltage to the first subpixel electrode. The first pixel further includes a second subpixel including a second subpixel electrode and a third switching element applying the data voltage to the low pixel electrode. Accordingly, display quality and reliability of the display panel may be improved.

Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a display panel and a method of driving the display panel. More particularly, exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a display panel improving the display quality and reliability and a method of driving the display panel.
Discussion of the Background
Generally, a liquid crystal display ("LCD") apparatus includes a first substrate including a pixel electrode, a second substrate including a common electrode and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second substrate. An electric field is generated by voltages applied to the pixel electrode and the common electrode. By adjusting an intensity of the electric field, a transmittance of a light passing through the liquid crystal layer may be adjusted so that a desired image may be displayed.
In a vertical alignment type LCD apparatus, a unit pixel of a display panel is divided into a high pixel, which has a high relative brightness, and a low pixel, which has a relatively lower brightness, to improve a side visibility.
In a conventional vertical alignment type LCD apparatus, a data voltage is applied to the high pixel and a data voltage decreased by a storage voltage is applied to the low pixel. Thus, the low pixel may not display a maximum grayscale so that a light transmittance of the display panel may decrease and a response time of the display panel may increase.
In addition, when a difference between the data voltage and the storage voltage increases, the data voltage applied to the low pixel dramatically decreases so that a light transmittance of the display panel in a high grayscale area is further decreased.
Furthermore, when the display panel is driven in a voltage inversion driving method, the single storage voltage is used for a positive polarity and a negative polarity. Due to a difference of characteristics of a switching element according to polarities, a display defect such as a flicker and an afterimage may be generated and a reliability of the switching element may decrease.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form any part of the prior art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Display panel having a boosting voltage applied to a subpixel electrode, and method of driving the same


In case of a developing density correction based on a test image (patch image) density, normally, the developing density is carried out in a short period of time by correction (γ correction) of a developing bias and a grid voltage (S11). When a correction amount of the γ correction exceeds an ordinary range, the γ correction (S11) and adjustment of toner concentration (magnetic permeability reference value) (S5) are carried out in combination. Furthermore, when the toner concentration is changed, the setting of a correction reference of the γ correction (γ correction TBL) and correction timing of the γ correction are accordingly changed (S6, S7). Therefore, in the developing density correction based on the test image density in the developing device using binary developer, it is possible to carry out the developing density correction, which is carried out in a short time, and whose correction width is wide, while maintaining the accuracy of a developing density adjustment.

According to an image forming device using an electrophotographic printing method, a developing device develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor drum (image carrier). The developing device includes (i) a developing roller, which faces with the photoreceptor drum (image carrier), and (ii) a developer tank containing developer. The photoreceptor drum (image carrier) is rotatable. The electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor drum (image carrier). The developing roller rotates in order to deliver the developer from the developer tank to the photoreceptor drum, in order to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum.
The density of the image developed by the developing device fluctuates according to various factors, so that it is necessary to adjust the density in order to maintain constant image quality.
Conventionally, in the developing device, a density adjustment is generally carried out as follows: (i) a criterial patch image (test image) is developed to (is formed on) the photoreceptor drum, a transfer belt, or the like, and then density of the patch image is detected, and (ii) γ correction is carried out according to the difference between the density detected and a predetermined reference density. In the γ correction, a developing bias (a bias potential of the developing roller) and a potential charged on the photoreceptor drum (a grid voltage of a charging device) are adjusted. In this case, a conversion table is looked up for finding (setting) a correction amount corresponding to a detected patch image density. The conversion table is prepared beforehand based on experimental data, or the like, and is used to convert the patch image density to the correction amount (hereinafter referred to as a developing density correction amount) of the developing bias, the grid voltage, and the like (that is, to find appropriate developing density correction amount of the developing bias, the grid voltage, and the like according to patch image density).
Moreover, in cases where the developer is a binary developer including the toner and carriers, the carriers are left inside the developer tank, and only the toner is used and consumed for the development. The amount of the toner consumed is replenished to the developer tank by toner supplying means.
In the developing device using the binary developer, in order to maintain the image quality, it is necessary to maintain the concentration of the toner in the developer tank to be an appropriate density. On this account, the developing device using the binary developer is generally arranged such that (i) the magnetic permeability of the developer is measured as an index of the toner concentration, and (ii) when a magnetic permeability detection value (detection signal level) exceeds a reference value for a toner supply judgment, the toner concentration is considered to be less than a predetermined value, then the toner is supplied.
Incidentally, in the above-mentioned density adjustment, when the developing bias is too large or the grid voltage is too small, a cleaning field (potential difference between the photoreceptor drum and the developing roller) becomes too small. The problem here is that an image would be developed such that the image is developed also in a portion where no image should be developed (This problem is called "fogging"). On the contrary, when the developing bias is too small or the grid voltage is too large, the cleaning field becomes too large. The problem here is that the carriers of the developer are transported (dropped) onto the photoreceptor drum, or abnormal electrical discharge (pinhole leak) occurs. In some cases, the carriers transported onto the photoreceptor drum would be rubbed by a cleaning blade. This would possibly cause a damage on the photoreceptor drum. On this account, there is a limit to the developing density correction carried out by adjusting the developing bias and the grid voltage.
Conventionally, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 190993/1999 (Tokukaihei 11-190933, published on Jul. 13, 1999) describes means of adjusting the developing density: in cases where an output correction amount (grid correction amount) of a charging apparatus (charging device) is equal to or more than a predetermined value, a toner concentration reference value (which corresponds to the magnetic permeability reference value) is changed accordingly. That is, the above publication discloses such an arrangement that, in cases where a correction width of the grid voltage according to the density of the patch image is equal to or more than a predetermined width, the reference density of the developer (that is, the toner concentration) is increased or decreased accordingly. According to the method in the above publication, it is possible to prevent a fog phenomenon and the transport of the carrier to the drum, and also possible to widen a correction range of the developing density. In this way, it is possible to maintain constant image quality for a long time while coping with various situations.
However, different ideal conversion tables for conversion from the patch image density to the developing density correction amount, that is, different correction references of the developing density are required by different developing density. On this account, the technique described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 190933/1999 faces following problem: in cases where the magnetic permeability reference value is changed from a normal reference value (that is, the magnetic permeability reference value corresponding to the conversion table), it is impossible to set the developing density correction amount appropriately, so that the accuracy of the developing density adjustment is deteriorated.
Meanwhile, instead of adjusting the magnetic permeability reference value according to the output correction amount of the charging apparatus, it is possible to arrange such that the magnetic permeability reference value is adjusted according to the toner concentration, that is, according to the patch image density. However, because the developer tank containing the developer has a fixed capacity, it takes time to attain the uniform toner concentration in the entire developer tank by stirring the developer after the toner supply. On this account, the problem here is that developing density correction performed by adjusting the magnetic permeability reference value according to the patch image density requires a long time each time it is carried out.

Developing device, image forming device equipped therewith, and developing density adjusting method


A latch assembly for a shock strut may comprise a first linkage coupled to a strut cylinder and a shrink piston of the shock strut. A second linkage may be coupled to the strut cylinder. The second linkage may be configured to rotate the first linkage in response to the shock strut translating between a landing gear up position and a landing gear down position.

Shock absorbing devices are used in a wide variety of vehicle suspension systems for controlling motion of the vehicle and its tires with respect to the ground and for reducing transmission of transient forces from the ground to the vehicle. Shock absorbing struts are a common component in most aircraft landing gear assemblies. Shock struts control motion of the landing gear, and absorb and damp loads imposed on the gear during landing, taxiing, braking, and takeoff. Struts may be retracted, or shrunk, to fit the landing gear within a wheel well. A safety latch may be employed to prevent the strut from unshrinking while the landing gear is in the wheel well. Some safety latches can jam and/or inadvertently hold the strut in the shrunk position, even after the landing gear translates to the down position (i.e., exits the wheel well).


A method of removing chemical contaminants from a composition comprising an active, a solvent, and a contaminant can include providing an initial feed supply, wherein the initial feed supply comprises the active, the solvent, and the contaminant, wherein the contaminant can include 1,4 dioxane, dimethyl dioxane, or a combination thereof; including filtering the initial feed stock through a nanofilter and using reverse osmosis.

Chemical contaminants are sometimes found in raw materials or products utilizing raw materials. For example, 1,4-dioxane is an undesirable byproduct of detergent making. As an industrial processing solvent or chemical intermediate, 1,4-dioxane has previously been reported to be used in the production of products that may have commercial or consumer applications such as paints, adhesives, detergents, and pesticides. As such 1,4-dioxane may be present as a contaminant in consumer cosmetics/toiletries, household detergents, pharmaceuticals, foods, agricultural and veterinary products, and ethylene glycol-based antifreeze coolants. It is formed as a reaction byproduct during the manufacturing of ethoxylated surfactants. Manufacturers can remove most of the 1,4-dioxane in consumer products through a vacuum stripping process. However, this process is costly and requires steam which can be capital intensive. As such, there exists a need to create a new method of removing contaminants, like 1,4-dioxane from already ethoxylated surfactants.

Method of using nanofiltration and reverse osmosis to remove chemical contaminants


A device in miniature and fabrication of such a device for interferometric use is described, the device including a substrate with at least one deep reactive ion etching structure on at least one surface of the substrate forming an optical bench. The optical bench preferably comprises a moving stage, an actuator, one or more connector sockets and one or more optical components.

The invention described relates to the field of electronics and optics, and more specifically to miniaturized electronic devices and fabrication of such a device, such as micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems (MOEMS).
Most current interferometers using a Fourier transform (FT) principle are heavy and bulky. While various micro-fabrication approaches have been tried in order to create smaller-sized devices, when preparing such a device in miniature, the characteristics of a scanning mirror are challenging (e.g., in terms of stroke, position sensing, and mirror assembly) and have not been suitably met because micro-machined actuators do not generate sufficient stroke and precision position control has not matured sufficiently.

Devices in miniature for interferometric use and fabrication thereof

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


An X-ray diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment includes a generating unit and a display controller. The generating unit generates a diagram illustrating the angle information of an arm. The display controller performs display control to visualize, together with the diagram generated by the generating unit, at least one of information showing the status of the arm when the arm is at an angle illustrated in the diagram and information showing the status of a subject to be imaged when the arm is at the angle illustrated in the diagram.

In a treatment using an X-ray diagnostic apparatus, in particular, in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), an optimal angle setting of an arm has been regarded as important for the observation of an aortic valve. For example, in TAVR, it is important to set the angle of the arm so that the aortic valve can be observed in the vertical direction (a direction in which the vertical cross section of the aortic valve is perpendicular to the image plane of an X-ray image) in order to implant an artificial valve in one dilation.
The cardiovascular angiographic analysis system aortic valve (CAAS A-Valve) by Pie Medical Imaging, LLC. is known as a clinical analysis application that provides the angle information of the arm for optimal observation in TAVR. The CAAS A-Valve reconstructs a three-dimensional image from two two-dimensional images of the origin of an aortic valve, and based on the reconstructed three-dimensional image, provides the angle information of an arm allowing the aortic valve to be observed in the vertical direction. The angle information of an arm provided by the CAAS A-Valve is informed to an X-ray diagnostic apparatus, thereby allowing the setting of the angle of the arm. In the above conventional technique, however, operability associated with the setting of the angle of the arm degrades in some cases.


Methods of manufacturing a semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate and a hetero semiconductor region including a semiconductor material having a band gap different from that of the semiconductor substrate and contacting a portion of a first surface of the semiconductor substrate are taught herein, as are the resulting devices. The method comprises depositing a first insulating film on exposed portions of the first surface of the semiconductor substrate and on exposed surfaces of the hetero semiconductor material and forming a second insulating film between the first insulating film and facing surfaces of the semiconductor substrate and the hetero semiconductor region by performing a thermal treatment in an oxidizing atmosphere.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-318398 discloses a semiconductor device. In such a device, an N−-type polycrystal silicon region and an N+-type polycrystal silicon region are formed and adjoined to a main surface of a semiconductor substrate, in which an N−-type silicon carbide epitaxial region is formed on an N+-type silicon carbide substrate. The N−-type silicon carbide epitaxial region, the N−-type polycrystal silicon region and the N+-type polycrystal silicon region form a heterojunction. Further, a gate electrode is formed adjacent to a junction portion of the N−-type silicon carbide epitaxial region and the N+-type polycrystal silicon region via a gate insulation film. The N−-type polycrystal silicon region is connected to a source electrode and a drain electrode is formed on another surface of the N+-type silicon carbide substrate.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device and semiconductor device manufactured thereof


A gas irradiation system has an irradiation chamber having a plurality of irradiation compartments disposed circumferentially about a central axis. One of the compartments is an inlet compartment. The inlet compartment has an aperture at the bottom through which gas flows from the compartment. A UV LED is disposed within or adjacent to the aperture, where the UVC LED is configured to irradiate the gas and neutralize pathogens. Circumferentially adjacent to one side of the inlet irradiation compartment is an outlet irradiation compartment. Circumferentially adjacent in the opposite circumferential direction on the other side of the inlet radiation compartment is the first of a plurality of intermediate irradiation compartments. These intermediate compartments extend circumferentially about the central axis between the inlet compartment and the outlet compartment. The gas flows sequentially through each of the irradiation compartments, being irradiated in each compartment.

The present invention generally relates to the treating gas to neutralize pathogens contained in the gas. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to the neutralizing of pathogens contained in air inhaled by humans. Embodiments of the present invention may also be utilized for treating the exhalations of persons who may be infected with pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi or other pathogens, where the exhalations may otherwise present a potential risk of harm to persons exposed to the exhalations. The recent and ongoing SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus epidemic has illustrated the need for effective devices and methods which can provide safe breathing air for first responders, caregivers, and essential personnel. Such devices are preferably configured into a package which is relatively small, lightweight, easy to use, and having self-contained power means.
UVC light technology ("UV-C light") is a radiation method which makes use of specific wavelengths of ultraviolet light to neutralize pathogens. The wavelengths of UV-C light range from 200 to 300 nanometers. UV-C light is germicidal, which means it deactivates the DNA of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, which disrupt the ability of the microorganisms to multiply and cause disease.
A variety of devices are known which utilize UV-C light for neutralizing pathogens. It is known that the level of neutralization of the pathogens is related to the exposure time of the pathogens to the UV-C light, and the distance of the UV-C light to the pathogens. An apparatus which provides effective exposure time and distance to multiple sources of UV-C light to a gas stream potentially carrying pathogens is desirable. It is also desirable that embodiments of such an apparatus be configured into a portable, lightweight, and self-contained system which may easily be carried and/or worn by first responders, caregivers, essential personnel, etc. It would also be desirable to have a device which may also be configured to neutralize pathogens in the exhalations of an infected person, effectively quarantining the infected person from caregivers, family members and the like. Embodiments of the present invention provide an answer to these needs.