Fibre-reinforced tubes made of a thermoplastics material are manufactured using a method of extruding thermoplastics material in a drawplate with a diverging end zone, the end zone of which has a diverging annular flow space which has a ratio A.sub.s /A.sub.e between the exit area and entry area of at least 1.2, and a ratio between the length 1 of the lower edge of the annular exit space of the diverging zone and the width e of the straight section of said annular space which is less than 5; the extrusion operation being carried out in the presence of a liquid lubricant which is incompatible with said thermoplastics material at extrusion temperatures, said lubricant being present at the level of the external wall and at the level of the internal wall of said flow space. Tubes which are manufactured by way of this method are particularly resistant to a high degree of bursting and have an improved surface quality.

Manufacturers and users of these tubes are constantly concerned with improving the mechanical behaviour of tubes manufactured by the extrusion of plastics material, the main characteristic feature of such tubes being their resistance to bursting and their behaviour to flow with internal pressure.
As a first approximation, the stresses produced in a tube of low thickness in relation to the radius, with an internal pressure P are given by the equations: ##EQU1## with .sigma..sub.L : stress in the longitudinal extent
.sigma..sub.R : stress in the radial extent PA1 e: thickness of tube wall PA1 R: average radius of tube
The pull is approximately twice as great in the radial extent as in the longitudinal extent.
For a homogeneous, isotropic substance (that is to say one where the mechanical properties are independent of the direction of pull) in the form of a tube subjected to an internal pressure P, the tube can rupture by swelling and bursting when a crack develops in the longitudinal extent.
Simple methods for extruding short glass fibre-reinforced plastics materials in no way improve the performance of tubes manufactured in that way. Actually, it is a well known fact that the fibres then tend to be directed in the direction of flow, and the reinforcing effect is then particularly sensitive in the longitudinal extent which is that subject to less pull, whilst in the radial extent the mechanical properties of the material are only slightly improved.
The need for the fibres to be directed mainly in the circumferential extent has often led to tube manufacturers using continuous fibres joined to the tube which has been extruded beforehand, using spool techniques, for example. The specification BE-684.102 is known, for example, wherein spool techniques are used to arrange a band of continuous fibres over a tube which has been extruded beforehand, and this band is covered over by a second plastics layer which is deposited by extrusion with a square head. The specification GB-1.052.884 is also known, wherein, still using a tube which has been extruded beforehand, a tubular braid of reinforcing fibres is arranged and covered over by a second plastics layer using an extrusion method with a square head. These techniques which are effective in reinforcing tubes are, however, awkward to carry out because they require two extruders, one of which is provided with a square head, a spool or a braiding machine and devices for holding the supporting internal tube during the braiding or spool operations, which can be quite complicated if proper adherence of the various plastics layers is to be achieved.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,297 is also known, wherein a description is given of the direct passage of a tubular braid in an extrusion drawplate with a square head, and of the encasement of that braid within the plastics layer to form a reinforced tube. The device is delicate to use, mainly because a very special tool is needed to enable these braided tubes to pass through the drawplate whilst ensuring that it is sealed to molten plastics material and under pressure in the drawplate. Moreover, manufacturing devices, feed devices and braided tube support devices are needed upstream of the extruder.
This kind of process always requires extra equipment and expenditure with respect to the treatment of the reinforced continuous fibres and because of the need for the various layers deposited at different stages during the process to adhere together properly.
These problems do not exist if discontinuous fibres are used to reinforce the plastics material.
In fact, the materials reinforced by discontinuous fibres can be extruded without any major problems, and the patent GB-2.182.603 describes, for example, the manufacture of tubes using conventional extrusion methods followed by expansion of the tube by applying an internal pressure which places the tube flat against a conformator. The fact that the tube swells causes significant longitudinal and radial drawn out sections which can encourage orientation of some of the fibres in the circumferential direction, but this is accompanied by non-adhesion at the interface between the fibres and the polymer material at atmospheric pressure.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,189 is also known which employs a conventional tube drawplate, but which is provided with a rotating mandrel.
Shearing in the radial extent is thus superposed over normal shearing in the direction of flow, and tends to direct at least some of the fibres in a circumferential direction which is perpendicular to the flow axis. In this case, the orientation depends mainly on the relative intensity of the shearing. With regard to the rotational speed of the mandrel, the orientation effect decreases when the shearing rate is increased in the longitudinal extent, for example by increasing the flow rate through the drawplate.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,591 is also known wherein at the end of the drawplate a diverging zone is used, characterised by a ratio between the surface areas of the annular exit sections and of the annular entry sections which is greater than 2. In this device, the flowing substance is urged by shearing in the direction of flow along the walls of the drawplate and in the transverse extent in the divergence. If tubes manufactured in this way are studied, fibres will be seen which are directed perpendicularly to the direction of flow in the heart of the wall thickness, but longitudinally in the wall of the tube. The mechanical properties of the tube are inadequate.
An improvement to this process is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,622, and it consists in physically separating a zone of low thickness in the tube wall where there is a concentration of shearing. An uncharged polymer flows in that zone, whilst, flowing in the central zone is the charged polymer which extends transversely without shearing.
This kind of coextrusion device permits an increase in the number of fibres oriented perpendicularly to the direction of flow, and thus an increase in the resistance of the tube. However, if the resistance is viewed in consideration of the amount of material per unit of thickness, the process becomes less interesting since the uncharged peripheral layers of material play no part in the reinforcement. Moreover, the high cost of coextrusion is also to the detriment of this process.

Extrusion of tubes of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics


A semiconductor memory device includes a gate region of each driver transistor arranged obliquely with respect to a first direction of a chip; a source/drain region of each driver transistor arranged obliquely with respect to the first direction; contact windows arranged substantially straight with respect to the first direction and connecting each source/drain region of the driver transistors to a power supply line provided in the first direction; and contact windows arranged every one contact window in a zigzag manner with respect to the first direction and connecting each source/drain region of transfer gate transistors to a corresponding bit line. By the constitution, it is possible to reduce an area of memory cell regions resulting in a reduction in a chip area, and to cause respective driver transistors to have uniform characteristics and thus improve an operation reliability thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device. More particularly, it relates to a layout configuration of n-MOS memory cells, each being constituted using n-channel MOS transistors, which are arranged in the form of a matrix in a semiconductor memory device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a semiconductor memory device, a plurality of memory cells are arranged in a matrix along row and column directions on a chip. In the arrangement form, each memory cell typically includes a flip-flop having two sets of driver transistors and load elements which are cross-coupled, and a pair of transfer gate transistors connected between a pair of data retaining nodes of the flip-flop and a pair of complementary bit lines, respectively. Also, regions of power supply lines for feeding power to the respective memory cells are incorporated into the above arrangement, together with regions of the memory cells.
In such a layout configuration, for example, where a further power supply line is arranged in the matrix of memory cells, a problem may be posed. Namely, since a layout pattern for the power supply line generally has no common portion with respect to a layout pattern of the memory cells, it is necessary to take the trouble to make or devise the layout pattern for the power supply line. This work is troublesome.
Also, depending on the arrangement form of each memory cell or the communization form of contact windows between each source/drain of the driver transistors or the transfer gate transistors and the power supply line or the bit lines, a problem occurs in that the entire chip area is increased by a wiring region corresponding to the power supply line.
To prevent an increase in the chip area, for example, an approach to reduce a distance between patterns of the complementary bit lines can be proposed. However, where the distance between the bit lines is simply reduced, respective regions (gate, source, drain) constituting each transistor may be changed in shape, depending on the arrangement form of the memory cells or the communization form of the contact windows. In this case, the gate width or the gate length of each transistor is changed and thus the characteristics thereof are also changed. This leads to a lowering in the operation reliability.
Note, the problems in the prior art will be explained later in detail in contrast with the preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Semiconductor memory device having specific layout configuration of n-MOS memory cells


Disclosed is a method and apparatus for aiding foreign language instruction, comprising a language instruction program that runs on a multimedia computer. The language instruction program uses a story to teach the foreign language by displaying selected frames about the story and dialog balloons that include phrases in the foreign language associated with the frames. Translations of the phrases are also displayed. As a further aid, a pronunciation guide displays an animated representation of a person's lips as the correct enunciation of selected words in the foreign language.

With ever-increasing world trade and other global interaction, the desirability and benefits of understanding different languages and cultures have perhaps never been more apparent. From this stems an increasing interest in foreign language teaching aids.
Traditional teaching aids include classroom instruction, flash cards, audio cassettes, magazines, and books. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. Classroom instruction provides valuable interaction with instantaneous feedback, but requires the student to conform to the classroom schedule and pace. Flash cards, magazines and books are relatively inexpensive, but do not provide audible feedback to the student. With audio tapes, the student may not have access to written text.
More recently, computer software programs have become available for teaching foreign languages. The popularity of computer software teaching aids is, in large part, due to the proliferation of multimedia computers. Multimedia computers, which have the ability to combine text, sound, and graphics, have presented significant opportunities for the creation of interactive computer-based teaching aids that cater to those wanting a relatively inexpensive, and yet effective, means of independent language study.
One popular computer software program that instructs English speaking persons on the Japanese language is "Power Japanese,"0 distributed by BayWare, Incorporated of Mountain View, Calif. "Power Japanese" and similar language learning programs provide a number of advantages over traditional teaching methods. In particular, software-based teaching aids have the capability of combining the audio benefits of cassettes with the visual benefits of magazines and books, along with drills that may be selected based on the progress of the student. A downfall of existing software-based teaching aids is that it is sometimes still difficult to ascertain how to correctly pronounce a word or phrase simply by hearing the word or phrase.
Aside from the particular medium used as a teaching aid, another challenge in facilitating the learning process is keeping the student interested in the subject matter being taught. Mangajin, a publication devoted to Japanese pop culture and language learning, has attempted to maintain the reader's interest by publishing Japanese comic strips along with English translations of the Japanese dialog contained in the comic strips. The magazine also has published an American comic strip, i.e., "Calvin and Hobbes," with a Japanese translation of the dialog contained therein.
Despite the progress that has been made, there is still a need for the development of foreign language teaching aids that can clearly and effectively communicate the pronunciation of words and phrases in unfamiliar languages. In contrast to the prior art discussed above, the invention promotes the learning process by providing a variety of effective techniques for associating foreign words and phrases with a familiar language, and by adding a pronunciation guide to innovative audiovisual teaching and feedback techniques.

Method and system for aiding foreign language instruction


A system and method are provided for collecting wireless network quality parameters. The wireless network quality parameters are collected from wireless networks by a client device in communication with the wireless network. The client device reports the wireless network quality parameters to a server. The server collects wireless network quality parameters from a plurality of client devices and analyzes the wireless network quality parameters from the plurality of client devices to determine a network quality for the particular wireless networks. The network quality is stored in a network quality database maintained by the server. The server provides access to the network quality for devices with permission to access the wireless network quality database.

Client devices, such as a mobile phone or laptop, often have a plurality of available wireless networks to choose from in order to achieve network connectivity. Typically, an available wireless network is selected by a client device or a user of the client device. However, the client device and the user do not have access to certain historical network quality parameters that will inform a decision to select a wireless network to use for achieving the best network quality.
Additionally, while there are an abundance of wireless networks available for use by client devices, each individual client device may only be aware of the presence of a particular wireless network once the individual client device is within signal range of an access point of the wireless network. In this regard, the individual client device may be unable to determine what wireless network to attach to until it comes into signal range of the access point of the wireless network. This issue is exacerbated as the client device moves between various wireless network coverage areas. Accordingly, the wireless network selection process is inefficient.

Method for collecting and aggregating network quality data


An exercise machine inclination device for providing variable exercise intensity on an exercise machine by inclining the exercise machine. The exercise machine inclination device generally includes a base adapted for being positioned upon a floor, a support structure adapted for supporting an exercise machine, a hinge pivotally connecting the base and the support structure and an actuator connected between the base and the support structure, wherein the actuator adjusts an angle of the support structure.

Field
Example embodiments in general relate to an exercise machine inclination device for providing variable exercise intensity on an exercise machine by inclining the exercise machine. In one embodiment, a Pilates exercise machine is rapidly inclined at one end concurrently while an exerciser is performing exercises.
Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Contemporary Pilates apparatuses are well known throughout the fitness industry, and have remained true to the core designs introduced by originator Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s. Pilates apparatuses are generally comprised of a rectangular, horizontal base structure with parallel rails aligned with the major length axis of the rectangular structure, and a slidable carriage thereupon that is attached to one end of the structure by springs or elastic bands that produce a resistance bias. Moving the slidable carriage horizontally and along the rails in a direction opposite the end of the apparatus to which the spring resistance is attached creates a workload against which therapeutic or fitness exercises can be performed.


The invention provides a method for beverage dispensing control and monitoring. A bottle control cap is attached to a bottle and a micro processor positioned in the bottle control cap is programmed with data to identify that control cap from others in a system of programmable control caps. The micro processor controls an electric motor which opens and closes a flow passage in the control cap on command in response to a signal from a system control processor located at a remote location. The micro processor is also programmed to request the signal.

The present invention relates to the field of controlling and monitoring of liquid dispensing and more particularly to control, monitoring and reporting of drink dispensing in a bar or tavern or the like utilizing a system which includes self contained control caps on the beverage dispensing bottles coupled with a remote sensory and control processor useful to control, monitor and report the dispensing of the beverage.
The dispensing of expensive beverages, such as liquor, in a commercial establishment must be monitored and controlled to avoid waste and theft. Further, it is desirable to control the processing cycle to insure that the quantity of the liquor dispensed is accurate and repealable.
Measuring devices, such as an enlarged bottle cap having a spout which meters out one jigger of liquor and then stops, have been used to indicate both to the customer and the bartender that the measured quantity of liquor has been poured. Despite the fact that such devices do not monitor the relationship between the amount of liquor poured and the receipts therefor, these measuring devices provide a simplified, convenient, and somewhat reliable measuring device for both bartender and customer. These mechanical measuring devices are simply moved from an empty bottle to the next full bottle as needed. Since they are in use, they are somewhat accepted by customers and, to a lesser degree, the bartenders
Automated systems for beverage control have been suggested. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,186 relates to a beverage dispensing control and quantity monitoring system which includes a transponder to transmit a signal from a control cap placed on a liquor bottle to a receiver system and then to a data processing device. The cap fits on the bottle and contains an electronic package which will meter the amount of beverage when tilted, thus controlling the amount poured. The cap also transmits to the receiver such data as the operator or bartender pouring the beverage, the type of beverage, the amount of beverage, and any other necessary data such as when the cap is removed form the bottle, when the battery therein is low, etc. This is accomplished using a plurality of data bits preprogrammed into each bottle cap which are serialized using a shift register. The serialized data gates the output of an LF oscillator. A separator HF signal transmitted from the vicinity of the bottle cap is mixed in a nonlinear device with the gated LF oscillator output and radiated to a remote receiver and data processing device.
Receiving and transmitting using HF signals in this manner however raises several problems. Depending on the establishment, the radio transmission may have to be licensed by the Federal Communications Commission which can prove to be a nuisance or impossibility to the establishment owner or operator. HF signals can be interrupted by transmissions emanating from ham radios, citizen band radios, limited transmit pagers, Police radios used inside the establishment, microwave dish reception used to bring in sport events and weather conditions such as lightning storms. Since there is no two way communication, the pour record would be lost if the processor receiver was disrupted.
Other problems associated with the prior art include opening a solenoid plunger to allow liquid flow in the traditional manner. The solenoid plunger relies on a spring to maintain a seal when the device is not in use. This spring is typically weak to allow for less power to operate, and this creates a problem. Bartenders wishing to circumvent the control may squeeze a plastic bottle and create sufficient pressure to lift the plunger and pour the beverage. Also, shaking the bottle can disrupt the seal and dispense product. Further, the power required to operate the solenoid is sufficient enough to preclude the use of small batteries as a power source thus creating the need for an external source such as an electro-magnet attached to a cable for constant power. Also shaking can be a problem when dispensing thick (sugar-based) products such as found in liqueurs. The sticky syrup does not flow well around the solenoid plunger and crystallizes causing the valve to stick.
There is still need for a liquid dispensing system which includes positive control of the dispensing from a remote processor and a cap controller that is responsive to such remote processor to accurately and reliably dispense a variety of liquors and maintain a record of such activity.

Method and apparatus for control and monitoring of beverage dispensing


In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an optical transmitter module that can be electrically coupled to an electrical serializer/deserializer and a controller. The optical transmitter module can include an electrical detector that can receive an in-band signal. The electrical detector can send to the controller a first power error signal and a second power error signal based on the in-band signal. The controller can send a correction control signal to the electrical serializer/deserializer based on the first power error signal and the second power error signal such that the electrical serializer/deserializer sends a pre-emphasized signal to the optical transmitter module based on the correction control signal. In such embodiments, the first power error signal, the second power signal and the correction control signal are out-of-band signals.

Some embodiments described herein relate generally to methods and apparatus for the detection and correction of distortion of the transmitted signal in an optical transmitter. In particular, but not by way of limitation, some of the embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatus for the detection and correction of frequency-based distortion of the transmitted signal associated with both an analog implementation and a digital implementation of an optical transmitter.
High data rate optical networks (e.g., 100 Gbit/s and beyond) can be enabled by, for example, an optical M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) scheme with digital signal processing (DSP). Transmitter side serializer/deserializer (SerDes) and digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are building blocks for spectrally-efficient, multi-level signal generation and spectral manipulation. High data rate communication interfaces, however, can impose high signal integrity demands that are difficult to accomplish without the use of pre-emphasis and/or post-compensation techniques. Known methods of pre-emphasis based signal correction include providing variable analog peaking in a SerDes along the transmitter-side orientation (TX) or the use of a digital filter in conjunction with a DAC.
Adjusting the pre-emphasis parameters of the SerDes TX can be particularly difficult if the interconnect properties are not known at the time of manufacture and the pre-emphasis parameters cannot be set accurately in the factory. This is typically the case when pluggable photonic elements are used, where the properties of the photonic elements can vary dramatically from vendor to vendor and over generations of photonic elements. Hence, this presents challenges for component designers and board designers that can prevent in-factory calibration and the correction of distortion.
Accordingly, a need exists for methods and apparatus for automatically setting the SerDes TX pre-emphasis parameters for a specific optical transmitter system. Such optimization can be implemented at the time of port turn up, after reset, or continuously optimized in the background to compensate for signal power fluctuations due to, for example, temperature effects and/or temporal effects.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for distortion correction in optical communication links


Disclosed is a fragile watermarking scheme for detecting and localizing malicious alterations made to a database relation with categorical attributes without introducing distortions to cover data. A watermark for a tuple group may be inserted by selectively switching the position of tuples in tuple pairs using a tuple hash associated with each tuple in the tuple pair; and a corresponding bit in a watermark derived from the tuple group using a embedding key, a primary key and hash functions.

The security of digital data has been a great concern since the expanded use of these data over the Internet. Because digital data allow unlimited number of copies of an "original" without any quality loss and can also be easily distributed and forged, this presents problems of copyright protection and tamper detection, creating a pressing need for digital data protection schemes.
A number of technologies have been developed to provide data protection including cryptography and steganography. Cryptography protects data by encrypting them so that the encrypted data are meaningless to an attacker. However, once the encrypted data are decrypted, the data are in the clear and are no longer under protection. On the other hand, steganography conceals the very existence of the data by hiding them in cover data. The problem is that it cannot extract the hidden data if the stego data undergo some distortions.
A new emerging technology, digital watermarking, complements cryptography and steganography by embedding an invisible signal directly into the data, thus providing a promising way to protect digital data from illicit copying and manipulation. After embedding, the watermark and the data are inseparable. There is a wide range of applications of digital watermarking including copyright protection, authentication, fingerprinting, copy control, and broadcast monitoring, etc. For different kinds of applications, digital watermarking should satisfy different properties. The tamper detection problem is of particular interest. For this kind of application, digital watermarking should have properties such as invisibility, fragility, high detection reliability, etc.
Digital watermarks may be classified into two categories based on their application: fragile watermarks for tamper detection and robust watermarks for ownership verification. In the last few years, research on fragile watermarking for multimedia data, such as images, audio, and video has been extensively conducted. Recently, some researchers began to realize the importance of watermarking databases and proposed some robust watermarking schemes designed to protect the copyright of a database relation. Though it may be important to verify the source or owner of a database relation, in some cases, it may also be critical to ensure the authenticity of database relations. This is of increasing interest in many applications where database relations are publicly available on the Internet. For example, in the application of database outsourcing, owners of databases, who do not have sufficient resources to maintain the applications, store their databases on servers provided by external application service providers so that the owners can focus on their own core tasks. The application service providers may provide data processing service to clients on behalf of the owners. Since service providers may not be trusted, the database owners may need to take responsibility for ensuring the integrity of outsourced databases. Similar applications include edge computing and data dissemination etc.
Unfortunately, despite the importance of tamper detection for database relations, this problem has not been adequately addressed. Although some digital signature based schemes have been proposed to address this problem, they can only detect, but not localize, the modifications. Thus, like fragile watermarking for multimedia data, it is desirable to have a fragile watermarking scheme for database relations, so that any modifications made to a database relation can be not only detected but localized as well. This is especially useful for a very large database relation where the rest of the relation can still be trusted and used after some tampered tuples are detected and localized.
Embedding watermarks in database relations is a challenging problem because there is little redundancy present in a database relation. One important property of digital watermarks is invisibility. Usually, in a watermarking scheme, a watermark is embedded by "slightly" modifying the cover data. To ensure invisibility, the modifications are limited to some acceptable level. This requires that the cover data can tolerate these modifications. In the context of multimedia data, this requirement is not a problem. Since multimedia data are highly correlated, there is a lot of redundant information present in multimedia data. Although compression techniques can remove some of the redundant information, currently, no compression technique is perfect enough to remove all the redundant information. This leaves room for watermark embedding. A watermark can be embedded as a part of the redundant information without affecting the quality of the multimedia data. Furthermore, some properties of the human vision (auditory) system can be incorporated to the watermark embedding so that the strength of the embedded watermark can be adjusted adaptively. All of these make it easy to ensure invisibility for multimedia watermarking. In contrast, database relations contain large number of independent tuples. A tuple can be added, deleted, or modified without affecting other tuples. All tuples and all attributes are equally important. There is little redundancy present in the tuples. Thus, it is a challenge to embed an invisible watermark in a database relation.
In current robust database watermarking schemes, there is an assumption that all watermarked attributes are numeric and can tolerate small distortions. Although this assumption is reasonable for some kinds of database relations such as weather and measurement databases, in real life, we also need to deal with database relations which contain categorical attributes such as social security number, name, date of birth, etc. Obviously, these attributes cannot tolerate any modifications.
To the best of our knowledge, the only effort on watermarking categorical data is by Sion. (See R. Sion. Proving ownership over categorical data. In Proceedings of ICDE 2004, 2004). In his scheme, although only a small number of tuples are selected for watermark embedding, the categorical values of the selected tuples are modified to embed a watermark. Such modifications may be too significant to be tolerable. Besides, the Sion scheme is a robust watermarking scheme and is designed to protect the copyright of a database relation. A fragile watermarking scheme for categorical data is yet to be devised.
What is needed is a fragile watermarking scheme for detecting and localizing malicious alterations made to a database relation with categorical attributes without introducing distortions to cover data.

George Mason Intellectual Properties, Inc.


An analogue to digital converter comprising a first analogue to digital conversion stage (14) for performing a relatively coarse conversion on a sample of an analogue input signal; a sample and hold stage (13) for holding the sample of the analogue signal fed to the first conversion stage while it is converted by the first conversion stage; a digital to analogue conversion stage (15) to which the digital output from the first conversion stage is fed; a difference circuit (16) for generating an analogue difference signal representing the difference between the signal held by the sample and hold stage (13) and the output from the digital to analogue conversion stage (15); a second analogue to digital conversion stage (17) for generating a digital output corresponding to the difference signal; and a combining unit (18) for combining the digital outputs of the first and second conversion stages to generate a digital output representing the sampled analogue input signal. The sample and hold stage (13) and the first and second analogue to digital conversion stages (14, 17) each responds to a respective pair of differential input signals. The sample and hold (13) and digital to analogue conversion stages (15) each generate output signals in the form of differential pairs of currents. The difference circuit (16) arithmetically combines appropriate pairs of the currents from the sample and hold and digital to analogue conversion stages to generate a differential current pair for input to the second analogue to digital conversion stage.

One of the major problems with converters of the kind described implemented in monolithic (integrated circuit) form results from inherent errors within the components of the circuit. For example, the sample and hold stage generally incorporates a solid state switch to enable the input analogue signal to be samples. When such a switch is operated there is always charge breakthrough from the switch logic drive to the hold capacitor. This can be a very serious source of error and efforts are made to minimise it. These usually require the provision of very good switches (e.g. MOSFET or JFET) and a large hold capacitor. Since bipolar IC processes are more suited to high speed analogue circuitry, the requirement for FET devices complicates the process. Furthermore, since the hold capacitor needs to be large, it must either be sited off the chip on which the other components are provided or it will occupy a very large area of the chip. A further problem is that any input bias current required by the output amplifier of the sample and hold circuit discharges the hold capacitor and so the output "droops" with time. Another problem is that conventional analogue to digital conversion stages, for example flash converters, have a rather different structure from the sample and hold circuit leading to difficulties with variations in processing times.
Problems have also arisen with the second analogue to digital conversion stage. Conventionally, these have made use of high gain amplifiers with feed back around them to provide the necessary gain. While the signal is being acquired for the first conversion stage, the inputs to this feed back amplifier may be as large as the full input range of the converter, consequently the output of the amplifier will be driven into saturation. Gain switching and clamping stages are usually employed with these amplifiers to avoid this.
EP-A-0311105 describes an analogue to digital converter which includes a flash converter but which operates on a feed back principle and suffers from the problems described above in connection with inherent errors. WO-A-90/03066 also discloses a flash converter but again this suffers from the disadvantages described above.

Sub-ranging analogue to digital converter using differential signals and direct current subtraction


A semiconductor package includes a redistribution structure including an insulating layer and a redistribution layer on the insulating layer, and having a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface, and an under-bump metal (UBM) structure including an UBM pad protruding from the first surface of the redistribution structure, and an UBM via penetrating through the insulating layer and connecting the redistribution layer and the UBM pad. A lower surface of the UBM via has a first area in contact with the UBM pad, and a second area having a step configuration relative to the first area and that extends outwardly of the first area.

The present inventive concept relates to a semiconductor package.
Semiconductor packages are mounted on substrates (e.g., main boards) through various types of connection bumps. The reliability of connections between semiconductor packages and substrates may be affected by the connectivity of connection bumps and redistribution layers of semiconductor packages. To enhance board level reliability of a semiconductor package, an under-bump metal (UBM) structure may be formed between the redistribution layer and the connection bump.

Semiconductor package with under-bump metal structure


Process and apparatus for examining the porosity of coated objects, and in particular of enamelled, electrically conductive strip and profiled material or objects, and in particular of hollow bodies such as beverage cans, in which electrical contact is made with the strip and profiled material or the hollow body to form one pole for an applied test voltage, an electrically conductive connection is made to a coated surface of the strip and profiled material or to the hollow body by means of a continuous stream or curtain of electrolytic fluid emanating from a nozzle, to form the opposite pole for the applied test voltage and wherein the current flowing from the one pole through a stream or curtain of liquid and the coating to the other pole is measured as a measure of the porosity of the coating.

The invention relates to a process and apparatus used to test the porosity of coated objects and, in particular, of enamelled, electrically conductive strip and profiled materials or objects or of hollow bodies such as beverage cans.
The porosity of such coatings when applied to hollow bodies can be measured by filling the hollow body with an electrolytic fluid, applying to the hollow body one pole of a test voltage and applying the other pole to an electrode immersed in the electrolytic liquid and measuring the flow of current. The test voltage will as a rule be 6.3 V. If the coating exhibits no porosity, no current flow will be indicated. Depending on quality requirements, a certain degree of porosity may be tolerated and this can be defined by specifying a permissible maximum value for the flow of current. If the permissible threshold value is exceeded the hollow body will have to be marked and/or rejected and may possibly be recoated.
The method described above for the testing of the porosity of beverage cans is time-consuming and costly since it is necessary to fill the beverage cans individually with electrolytic fluid, make the measurement and then to empty, rinse and dry the beverage cans. For this reason the test process known in the art is performed only on a spot-check basis following the coating of the beverage cans.
The procedure described above can be applied only in testing the porosity of the internal coating of beverage cans and similar hollow bodies, but not in testing coated strip and profiled material.

Process and apparatus employing a stream of electrolytic liquid for examining the porosity of coated objects


A valve for selectively sealing and unsealing an opening in a bladder is disclosed. The valve includes a flange for mounting the valve around the opening in the bladder, a valve seat supported on the flange, and an air passageway. A spring plate is supported on the flange and spaced from the valve seat. A floating valve disk is provided between the valve seat and the spring plate for movement towards and away from the valve seat to seal and unseal the opening in the bladder. A spring is provided to bias the floating valve disk towards the valve seat. Deflation lugs are provided to hold the floating valve disk away from the valve seat against the force of the spring. The floating valve disk is free to pivot but is prevented from pivoting to such an extent that movement of the floating valve disk is impeded as by binding.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns the field of valves and, more specifically, valves that are useful in rapidly filling and deflating dunnage air bags.
2. Background of the Invention
In a prior art search directed to the subject invention, the following US Patents were noted: U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,181,664; 7,410,145; 7,401,619; 7,051,753; 6,929,021; 6,550,086; 6,089,251; 5,941,272; 5,111,838; 4,927,397; 3,308,981; 3,785,395; and D536,565. Published US Patent application no. 2010/0043914 was also noted.


An antenna ball assembly which can display a message such as an advertisement or the like thereon and a method of use is disclosed. The antenna ball assembly has a body having at least one inclined surface and a passage therethrough, a tail attached to the body and at least one flexible stopper. A flexible stopper is preferably positioned at each of the bottom and the top of an antenna. The body is positioned between the stoppers on the antenna with the antenna passing through the passage in the body. The inclined surface is preferably two inclined body extension members or an inclined flat face. The two extension members form an angle between the body and an upper portion of the extension member of from about 30° to about 40°. The inclined flat face forms an angle between the inclined flat face and the vertical axis from about 30° to about 40°. The angle controls the movement of the body, thereby allowing the body to move up the antenna as the antenna moves, such as when attached to a car.

People use various modes of advertisement for promoting their business or sponsored activities. Traditional forms of advertising include word-of-mouth, placing an advertisement in a newspaper, placing an advertisement in a magazine and/or placing an advertisement on a billboard. However, traditional modes of advertising may not reach as broad of a group of people as desired or a particular targeted group of people by the person placing the advertisement. As such, people are developing new modes of advertising to reach a broad or targeted audience which requires less effort on the part of the audience to view the advertisement.
Accordingly, new modes of advertising are desired.
Further, to show support of a sporting team, school, or the like, streamers of representative colors or pennants with names as desired may be flown on a vehicle, in particular as the vehicle proceeds to an event for the team, school or the like. Accordingly, new and interesting display means are sought.


A method for controlling start-up of a network is provided. The method includes receiving a message from one node of a plurality of nodes at a hub while the network is in an unsynchronized state, relaying the message to the other nodes of the plurality of nodes of the network independent of the content of the message, and blocking all messages from the one node of the plurality of nodes until a relaying condition is met.

Communication networks are used in a variety of applications including telephone and computer systems, weapons systems, navigational systems, and advanced control systems in cars, aircraft and other complex systems. Given the variety of applications, many kinds of communications networks have been developed over the years. One common characteristic of communication networks is the use of a communication medium that interconnects various nodes on the network. Various topologies and protocols have been developed to control communications between the nodes of these networks.
One type of network is referred to as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA). In a TDMA network, nodes in the network are assigned time slots for communicating over the network. Many different TDMA protocols have been developed for communication between nodes of a network. For example, these protocols include TTP/C, SAFEbus, FlexRay and other TDMA protocols.
In many time-triggered protocols, such as the TTP/C Specification, a guardian is used to monitor messages to prevent faulty messages from propagating through the network. Left unchecked, the nodes producing faulty transmissions can interfere with the ability of the other nodes to properly start up the network and bring it from an unsynchronized state to a synchronized state. The guardian often monitors messages to assure that transmission characteristics, including but not limited to, transmission rate and order, are acceptable. Through the guardian's analysis of the content of the frames, faulty transmissions are detected so as to limit their influence on network start up and operation. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the communication system and protocol, the guardian is a complex component of the hub and typically requires a significant amount of hardware, software and testing to implement and maintain. This adds expense to the design and operation of a network with a central guardian.
Therefore, a need exists for a simpler mechanism for reducing the impact of faulty transmissions on network start up.


Silver-containing fibers are disclosed having silver particles intermingled with domains of sulfonated polyaniline in a continuous phase of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to silver-containing, high tenacity, high modulus, electrically-conductive composite fibers of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPD-T) and sulfonated polyaniline (SPAn).
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,415 issued on Apr. 12, 1994 discloses treatment of aramid fibers in concentrated sulfuric acid to increase adhesion of metal electrolessly plated thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,972, issued Aug. 27, 1996, discloses a process wherein silver plating is conducted on fibers of PPD-T having less than 20 weight percent water and greater than 0.5 weight percent sulfur based on the total weight of the PPD-T.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,897, issued Aug. 4, 1998, discloses a method to prepare high tenacity, high modulus conductive fibers of PPD-T and SPAn.

Silver-containing poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide)/sulfonated polyaniline composite fibers


An optical element and a scanning optical apparatus using the same capable of correcting for image plane re-positioning caused by internal distortion of the optical element, particularly, refractive index distribution caused by forming the optical element by plastic molding. The optical element has an internal refractive index distribution such that the focal length calculated based on the curvature of the plane thereof, the refractive index of the material, and the thickness along the optical axis, is shorter than the focal length actually measured. The element may be used in the scanning optical apparatus, may be provided with planes of different curvatures in a generating line and a line perpendicular thereto, and may be longer in the generating line.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical element and a scanning optical apparatus using the same, and in particular to an optical element whose refractive index is distributed internally. Such an optical element is particularly well-suited for scanning optical apparatuses according to the invention, such as a laser beam printer having an electrophotographic process, or a digital copying machine, in which a light beam modulated and emitted from light source means is reflected by a deflector comprising a polygon mirror revolving, and the deflected beam scans a surface for recording via an image formation optical system as the f.theta. lens having f.theta. characteristics, whereby image information is recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a scanning optical apparatus such as a laser beam printer, a light beam modulated in accordance with an image signal and emitted from light source means is periodically deflected by a deflector comprising a rotatable polygon mirror, and the deflected beam is converged into a beam spot on the surface of a photosensitive recording medium such as a photosensitive drum by an image formation optical system having f.theta. characteristics, so that the beam spot scans the surface to record an image.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the main components of a conventional scanning optical apparatus.
In FIG. 1, a divergent light beam emitted from light source means 11 is formed into a substantially parallel beam by a collimator lens 12 to be controlled as to its light amount by a diaphragm 13 to be incident on a cylindrical lens 14 having a predetermined refractive power only in a subscan direction. The parallel beam incident on the cylindrical lens 14 passes through the lens as the parallel beam in a main scan section, while the parallel beam incident on the lens converges in a subscan section to form a substantially linear image on a deflection surface 15a as a reflection plane of a deflector 15 comprising a rotatable polygon mirror.
The beam deflected on the deflection surface 15a of the deflector 15 is guided onto a photosensitive drum surface 18 as a scanned surface via an image formation system 16 which has f.theta. characteristics, and the deflector 15 is revolved in the direction of the arrow A, so that the guided beam optically scans the photosensitive drum surface 18 to record image information.
FIG. 2 is a section view illustrating the main components in the subscan direction, which is perpendicular to the main scan direction including the optical axis of the f.theta. lens, shown only between the deflector and the scanned surface of the conventional scanning optical apparatus.
In FIG. 2, the deflection surface of the deflector 15 and the photosensitive drum surface 18 as the scanned surface are substantially optically conjugate to each other, as to the f.theta. lens 16. Therefore, if there is any so-called surface inclination in the deflector, such inclination is corrected by forming the beam into an image in the same scan line on the photosensitive drum surface.
Conventionally, in designing a scanning optical apparatus, as shown in, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 61-190312, there is proposed a scanning optical apparatus designed such that a Gaussian imaging plane 82 as a paraxial image plane is positioned in the back of the scanned surface (i.e., opposite to the deflector) in consideration of spherical aberration of the optical system. Such an arrangement positions a so-called "best image plane" 81 directly on the scanned surface 18. In other words, the optical apparatus is designed such that the focal length calculated based on the arrangement of the optical system, the curvature of its plane, its refractive index, and its thickness, is longer than the focal length actually measured.
In FIG. 2, solid lines represent the beam travelling to the best image plane 81, and a broken line represents the beam travelling to the Gaussian imaging plane 82. In this specification, the Gaussian imaging plane is the image plane calculated based on the position of an object, the position of the light source means, the curvature of the lens, the refractive index of the lens, the thickness of the lens, the position of the lens surface, and so forth.
Most recently, f.theta. lenses have been produced by plastic molding. Apparatuses using such lenses must therefore consider not only optical aberrations but also internal distortions caused by the plastic molding process.
In order to mold the lens without internal distortions, it is considered to cool the material of the lens, very slowly. This method however has a problem that lead time lengthens, and productivity deteriorates.

Optical element and a scanning optical apparatus using the same


Disclosed herein is an automatic pallet exchanger of a machine tool, which can exactly decide a position of a pallet exchanging operation, and which can improve stability in operation. The automatic pallet exchanger includes an APC driving shaft (30) rotatably and elevatably standing on an APC body (20); an APC arm (40) supported on the APC shaft (30) for exchanging pallets of a processing area and a waiting area; rotating means for rotating the APC driving shaft (30); a cylinder (80) inserted on the APC driving shaft (30) and fixed on the APC body; a piston mounted on the APC driving shaft (30) for elevating the APC driving shaft (30) according to hydraulic pressure direction within the cylinder (80); a stopper (100) located within a fixed radius from the APC driving shaft (30) and fixed on the APC arm (40); and a pair of stop bolts (110A, 110B) fixed on the APC body (20) to stop the rotation of the APC arm (40) by contacting with the stopper (100) whenever the APC arm (40) is rotated at an angle of 180°.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic pallet exchanger of a machine tool, and more particularly, to an automatic pallet exchanger of a machine tool, which can exactly decide a position of a pallet exchanging operation, and which can improve stability in operation.
2. Background Art
In general, a pallet located in a processing area and a pallet located in a waiting area are exchanged with each other whenever processing is finished. Therefore, a workpiece put on the pallet located in the processing area is returned to the waiting area after completion of the processing in the processing area, and at the same time, a workpiece put on the pallet located in the waiting area is returned to the processing area. To fulfill such work for exchanging the workpieces with each other, a machine tool has an APC (Automatic Pallet Changer).
First of all, the terminology described in the present application is defined as below:
'Elevating' means a motion to ascend and descend.
FIGS. 8 and 9 are structural views of a conventional automatic pallet exchanger of a machine tool. FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line of B-B of FIG. 8.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, to exchange a first pallet (P1) located in a processing area 10 and a second pallet (P2) located in a waiting area 11 with each other, an APC arm 40 performs four motions, such as ascent, rotation, stop and descent.
That is, the APC arm 40 performs the steps of ascending a piston 90 in a cylinder 80 with hydraulic pressure, rotating an APC driving shaft 30 standing on an APC body 20 by the medium of a pinion gear 50 by rectilinearly moving a rack 60 by pressure oil induced into an index cylinder 70, stopping the APC driving shaft 30 by a stopper 72 when the APC driving shaft 30 is rotated at an angle of 180 degree, and finishing the pallet exchange by descending the piston 90. Therefore, the first pallet (P1) located in the processing area is transferred to the waiting area, and the second pallet (P2) located in the waiting area is transferred to the processing area, and thereby, the workpieces are exchanged with each other.
As described above, when the rotational motion of the APC arm 40 is stopped by the stopper 72 after the rectilinear motion of the rack 60 is carried out by the pinion gear 50 engaged to the APC driving shaft 30, there occurs a backlash between the engaged teeth of the rack 60 and the pinion gear 50. Such backlash induces backward rotation of the APC arm 40 or generates vibration, and thereby, interrupts a correct position decision and deteriorates durability of APC driving components.
Moreover, in the conventional APC device, only one guide for guiding the ascending motion of the APC arm 40 is mounted at one place. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the APC arm 40 rises depending on the one guide 200 mounted at one place between the cylinder 80 and the elevating cylinder housing 92, and thereby, the following problem is caused.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8, when biased load is applied to the APC arm 40 by the workpiece (W), there occurs a partial side wear on the guide 200 since the load is concentrated on one side, and thereby, the entire APC driving part is leaned so as to deteriorate a degree of processing.

Automatic pallet exchanger of machine tool


Described are an isolated DNA fragment incorporating an osmotin gene promoter sequence, recombinant DNA incorporating a foreign structural gene under control of an osmotin gene promoter sequence, as well as methods and transformants involving the isolated DNA fragment and recombinant DNA. Also described are methods for the inhibition of fungal, insect, nematode, and viral pathogens in a plant using such recombinant DNA.

The present invention relates generally to plant molecular biology and genetic engineering employing recombinant DNA techniques. More particularly, the invention pertains to isolated DNA including an osmotin gene promoter, and recombinant DNA including a foreign gene under control of the osmotin gene promoter, and transformants including the recombinant DNA.
Osmotin and osmotin-like proteins (hereinafter "osmotins") and coding sequences for osmotin proteins have been studied extensively. Osmotins are a group of cationic proteins existing in at least two forms, one with a pl>7.8 and another with a pl>8.2.
Osmotins have been classified as members of the PR-5-type proteins of tobacco. Studies have shown that the synthesis and accumulation of osmotin mRNA are developmentally regulated and controlled by at least six hormonal or environmental signals, including abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene, tobacco mosaic virus invention, salinity, desiccation, and wounding in both cultured cells and whole plants of tobacco. For additional background information with respect to osmotins, reference can be made to the following publications: Singh et al., Plant Physiol., 85, 529-536 (1987); Singh et al., Plant Physiol., 90, 1096-1101 (1989); Singh et al., In NATO ASI Series, G19, pp. 67-87 "Environmental Stress in Plants", J. H. Cherry, ed (1989); LaRosa et al., Plant Physiol., 91, 855-861 (1989); Meeks-Wagner et al., Plant Cell, 1, 25-35 (1989); Grosset et al., Plant Physiol., 92, 520-527 (1990); Neale et al., Plant Cell, 2, 673-684 (1990); Roberts et al., J. Gen. Microbiol., 136, 1771-1778 (1990); Stintzi et al., Physiol. Mol. Plant Pathol., 38, 137-146 (1991); Woloshuk et al., Plant Cell, 3, 619-628 (1991); Singh et al., Plant Physiol. 79, 126-137 (1985); Richardson et al., Nature, 327, 432-434 (1987); Bol, In Temporal and Spatial Regulation of Plant Genes, D. P. S. Verma and R. B. Goldberg eds (New York: Springer-Verlag) pp. 201-221 (1988); Brederode et al., Mol. Biol., 17, 1117-1125 (1991); Linthorst, Crit. Rev. Plant Sci., 10, 123-150 (1991); LaRosa et al., Plant Physiol., 79, 138-142 (1985); La Rosa et al., Plant Physiol., 85, 174-185 (1987); Singh et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 84, 739-743.
Despite considerable study of the coding sequences for osmotins, the prior art has not provided identification of or characterized promoters for osmotin genes or explored potential uses of such promoters. This is despite the continuing need for additional promoters which are useful in genetic engineering techniques and which may provide highly advantageous temporal and/or spatial expression of genes. Such regulation of expression allows for great variability in the manner in which the promoter is used including the capacity to express gene products in response to particular applied environmental signals, or to express gene products in specific tissues or developmental stages in which the expression is maximally beneficial.
It has been discovered that regulation of osmotin protein expression in plants is controlled by the osmotin promoter. Fusion of the osmotin promoter to a heterologous gene results in unique temporal and spatial expression of the heterologous gene in transformed plants. The osmotin promoter is therefore a transcription regulatory element which can be used to control the expression of operably linked genes under unique conditions and in targeted tissues and developmental stages of transformed plants.


A method and host bus adapter for controlling failover and failback processes within a redundant data storage system. The method is carried out by a failover mechanism in a host bus adapter linked to a host server. The system includes a communication fabric providing data paths to pairs of redundant storage controllers managing access to storage devices (such as hard disk drives arranged as RAID). The method includes operating the host bus adapter to detect a failover condition and in response, to match the failover condition to a particular failover action. The failover conditions and corresponding actions are stored in a well-defined rule set accessed by the host bus adapter. The method continues with performing with the host bus adapter the matched failover action. The method is transparent to the host computer device, as the host is not required to participate in the failover processes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to data storage networking technology, and more particularly, to a system and method for controlling failover and failback in a host-transparent fashion within a data storage system by utilizing rule-based firmware in host bus adapters linked to redundant storage controllers.
2. Relevant Background
Storage area networks (SANs) and other data storage systems are revolutionizing how businesses configure and manage data storage. A typical SAN combines server-to-storage architecture and software that allows storage media, such as disk arrays, to be shared by many servers, i.e., host devices, running various operating systems (OS) and software applications. Many of these businesses demand very high data storage availability, which has led to the use of redundant storage media or device such as redundant arrays of inexpensive disks (RAID) and redundant paths from the host server to the data storage. In such data storage systems, the data storage is logically consolidated with high uptime while also reducing costs and infrastructure costs.
A SAN often includes multiple servers or hosts with a central processing unit (CPU) running various operating systems (OS) and including multiple OS device drivers. A host bus adapter (HBA) is provided as an interface between the host CPU and a storage or disk controller. Generally, the host bus adapter is a printed circuit board with firmware adapted to relieve the host of data storage and retrieval tasks and to provide a communication link between the host communication bus and storage network communication fabric (such as Fibre Channel loop or connections). The storage controller performs lower level input/output (I/O) operations for the host and acts as an interface between the host and the physical storage media or devices, which includes providing active and standby paths to the storage devices that are typically identified individually by logical unit numbers (LUNs). To provide ongoing I/O availability and storage redundancy, the storage system must be adapted to address storage controller malfunction, errors in storage devices, and interruptions to or failures in data paths.
The data storage industry has utilized failover and failback processes to enhance controller, storage device, and path failures but has only achieved partial success. Failover is a process in which a first storage controller coupled to a second storage controller assumes the responsibilities of the second controller when the second controller fails (and/or a device or path to the controller fails). Failback is the reverse operation in which the first controller recovers control over its attached storage devices after being repaired or replaced. To achieve failover and failback, control software for storage controllers was typically implemented independently in the different host operating system device drivers, i.e., in host-assisted failover mechanisms.
This has led to a number of problems in common multi-host and multi-operating system environments. Ineroperability that enables hosts, storage controllers, and storage devices to be added to a storage system has been difficult because there has not been any standards or failover and failback rules to insure compatibility of systems. For example, a proposal calling for asymmetric commands in the current generation of the small computer system interface architecture (SCSI-3). The proposal provides a model for providing a redundant controller target but does not define host usage. The proposal has not been widely implemented in targets and is not presently implemented in OS drivers, which forces hosts with the problem that controllers not implementing asymmetric commands need to be failed over when implementing this proposal.
Additionally, operating systems often provide hooks for controlling redundancy at improper levels which results in poor error handling and long latencies. Hooks and/or handshaking protocols that are used to allow the host and storage controller to act cooperatively in failover operations are lacking in industry-standard interconnects (such as SCSI-based interconnects, switches, and hubs), and have presently been built into host firmwave via the host device drivers, which has further led to problems as each host and each host OS may implement different hooks and protocols. Many OS models dictate that redundancy control come from components that may introduce undesirable delays and interdependencies.
Hence, there remains a need for an improved system and method for controlling failover and failback processes in a data storage system utilizing redundant storage controllers. Preferably, such a method and system would address the need for compatibility among host, interconnects, and storage controllers by allowing each host operating system to work without any special redundant storage controller's control software being implemented by the host device drivers.

Data storage network with host transparent failover controlled by host bus adapter

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A photovoltaic panel made by direct co-extrusion of a plurality of superimposed polymeric layers and a plant for carrying out such a process.

The present invention refers to a photovoltaic panel, to the relative production process and to a plant for carrying out such a process.
Awareness of environmental problems connected with current main sources of energy (petrol, natural gas, coal, uranium) and the consciousness of their progressive depletion have pushed towards the research and exploitation of alternative sources over the last decade.
Amongst these, photovoltaic power generation seems to be the least intrusive for producing electromotive force and is applied already today by exploiting the properties of silicon.
The operation of a photovoltaic panel is based upon the homonymous effect which occurs when an electron in the valence band of a (generally semiconductive) material passes to the conduction band due to the absorption of a sufficiently energetic photon, incident on the material.
In particular, when a luminous flux on the other hand, hits a crystal lattice of a semiconductive material, a certain number of electrons are elevated to the conduction band corresponding to the same number of holes which pass to the valence band. In this way charge carriers are made available and can be used to generate current.
The photovoltaic panel is therefore made by placing a material which by atomic structure attracts electrons (and takes on negative charge) in contact with a material which tends to repel them (and takes on positive charge) thus obtaining an n type structure (with an excess of electrons) and a p type structure (with an excess of holes), respectively.
In both of the aforementioned materials, the electrical conduction must normally be stopped, but it must be easily activated by feeding energy to the valence electrons (characteristic of semiconductors) through photon radiation.
When an electron receives a sufficient amount of energy, it begins to move in the semiconductive material leaving the place it occupied empty (electron hole) that will be filled by adjacent electrons, generating a behavior similar to that of a positively charged moving particle.
Due to the contact between the two materials having different electrical affinity, the electron will tend to shift in a preferential direction generating an electric current (the corresponding hole shifts in the opposite direction) which can be collected by conductors and advantageously used.
Only if the electron-hole pair reaches the junction between the two semiconductors is it definitively disassociated and it generates electrical current. In general, a photovoltaic generator structure according to the prior art comprises, in the order illustrated in FIG. 1:                a first protective layer 1;        a conductive layer for collecting electrons (negative pole) 2;        a negative semiconductive layer 3 (n);        a positive semiconductive layer 4 (p);        a conductive layer 5 for collecting electron holes (positive pole); and        a second protective layer 6.
The photovoltaic panel illustrated in FIG. 1 has therefore the first protective layer 1 in glass, the conductive layer 2 in turn made through a metallic mesh 2′ embedded in a transparent conductive layer 2″. The p and n semiconductive layers 3 and 4 respectively are conventionally made through "doped" silicon respectively with elements of group III and V of the periodic system of elements.
Since the photons must reach the semiconductor, at least one of the protective layers and the adjacent conductive layer must be transparent to light.
The conventional photovoltaic cells use silicon doped, for example, with boron and phosphorus to make the two active intermediate layers (semiconductors) and conventional metal conductors for the most outer layers. One of the two conductive layers is formed by a metallic wire net to allow silicon to be illuminated.
In the conventional production process, the silicon foil (wafer) is obtained by slicing a suitably pure ingot, later doped by diffusion in high temperature ovens and assembled with the different layers that form the cell.
The process is costly and laborious and justified only in view of environmental and strategic reasons, obtaining institutional incentive for this reason or due to the lack of other energy sources.
In order to optimize the use of silicon and make the production process more cost effective, technologies have been developed in which the various components are obtained by deposition of thin films (of the order of nanometers nm, or of micrometers μm).
The silicon thus obtained is amorphous; it has a shorter life and a lower yield than the crystalline silicon of the wafers, but the reduction in cost makes up for the drawbacks.
Solutions using "conjugated structure" polymers, that is polymers in which the carbon atom chain C, contains at least partially regular configurations of double covalent bonds (σ, π), have been proposed and in some cases made.
In these polymers, the electron forming the bond π is, according to the most accredited model, delocalized in an electron cloud surrounding the molecule and can easily be excited to the conduction band generating a pair (electron-hole).
The particular chemical composition and/or the presence of suitable doping elements, gives the polymer the property of being an electron-donor (like in the case of poly (2-methoxy, 5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1, 4-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV)) or an electrons acceptor (like in the case of [6, 6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)) allowing photovoltaic semiconductive pairs to be created.
Examples of photovoltaic cells made with conductive polymers are described in technical/literature and/or form patent prior art.
For example, cells are known comprising the following layers:
ITO/PBI/P3HT/Au, (ITO: Indium Tin Oxide; the rear electrode is a thin gold film);
PEDOT: PSS/MEH-PPV/PCBM/Al (PEDOT: PSS conductive polymer; and
Polyethylenedioxythiophene/polystyrenesulfonate, the rear electrode is made of aluminum).
One of the conductors must be transparent in order to allow the semiconductive films to be irradiated.
Currently, ITO (ITO: Indium Tin Oxide) is used.
A suitable electron collecting system must then be associated with this, normally a small-meshed wire net of copper with thin wires.
All of this is closed between protective films to avoid the components from oxidizing. Organic or metal materials are normally used.
These polymers however, cannot withstand high temperature transformation processes, customary for common plastic materials, they have a relatively low energy yield and a relatively short life (always compared to silicon).
The possibility of making solar cells with cheaper procedures and even with continuous processes is a constant goal of the scientific community and industry.
According to the prior art different proposals can be found, for example:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,429, concerns a transparent electrode formed by embedding a metallic wire net in a charged polymer, typically a fluoropolymer charged with elements according to the semiconductive type it is to be coupled with:                for Silicon (Si), the conductive particles are Au/Si, Au/Ge, Ge, Al/Si, Al;        for Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), the conductive particles are Au/Ge, Au/Sn, Sn;        for Cadmium Sulphide (CdS) the conductive particles are In, Nb, Ni, Ti/Al, Hg; and        for Copper Sulphate Cu2S the conductive particles are Au, graphite, Cu, conductive Carbon Black, Pb/Sn.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,027 a photovoltaic film is obtained by laminating and coupling metallic and ceramic Silicon-based strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,184,057 B1 teaches a production process of a photosensitive film obtained through successive deposition of layers.
In a publication by Zhang et al. of 2002, a film is proposed made through successive depositions PEDOT:PSS/MEH-PPV/PCBM/Al (aluminum cathode deposited through vaporization) having high flexibility.
There are also partial solutions to make or optimize parts of the cell.
Glass is the conventional solution for protecting photovoltaic cells on the side exposed to solar radiation. However it does have limited mechanical characteristics.
More resistant alternatives are:                Polycarbonate (PC) (it has low weatherability and is oxygen permeable)        Polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) (DuPont); and        Ethylene/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE) (DuPont).
The rear protection can be made from a metal support but solutions involving single or multilayered polymers or polymeric blends have also been proposed:                multilayer PVF/ETFE/PVF;        single layer or multilayer PA (polyamide), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene);        multi-layer PC (polycarbonate) and fluorinated polymers, possibly with addition of an EVA (Ethylene-vinyl acetate) layer (BASF); and        PA (polyamide)/ionomers mixture (DuPont).
The processes described in literature for making the active part of a photovoltaic cell, that is the layers in which light radiation is converted into electrical potential difference, are carried out:                through deposition following vapour condensation by direct synthesis on the support (chemical reaction);        through condensation of a solution through removal of the solvent and depositing of the solute;        through deposition following printing (ink jet, lithography or others); and        through electrodeposition on a conductive substrate.
The procedures currently known, relative to the layers that form the entire cell (electrodes, semiconductors, protection, and similar) alternatively or in combination foresee:                the subsequently deposition of the layers through total or partial coating of the layers previously created; and        the preparation of semi-finished products subsequently coupled by lamination.

Photovoltaic panel, relative production process and plant for carrying out such a process

Costruzioni Meccaniche Luigi Bandera S.p.A.


A head mounted display (HMD) device according to one embodiment comprises a communication unit configured to transmit and receive data; a display unit configured to display visual information; a camera unit configured to capture an image; and a processor configured to control the communication unit, the display unit and the camera unit, wherein the processor is further configured to: detect an object image from a first image, which includes the object image, the first image being displayed in an external device located in an angle of view area of the camera unit, display information related to the object image, and display the first image in addition to the information when detecting that the first image is switched to a second image, which does not include the object image.

Field of the Disclosure
The present specification relates to a head mounted display device, and more particularly, to a head mounted display device and a method for controlling the same, in which a first image and information on the first image are displayed if the first image is changed to a second image while the information on the first image is being displayed in an external device.
Discussion of the Related Art
A head mounted display (hereinafter, referred to as HMD) device allows a user to wear on his/her head like glasses. Information displayed in the HMD device may be provided to the user. In particular, the HMD device may detect an object image at the front and provide the user with information on the detected object image.
However, the HMD device according to the related art may not display information on an object image located in an angle of view area or may maintain display of the information if the object image is not detected while the HMD device is displaying the information on the object image.
If the HMD device does not display the information on the object image, continuity in providing information is not assured, whereby a problem occurs in that confusion may be caused to a user. On the other hand, if the HMD device maintains display of the information even though the object image is not detected, a problem occurs in that the user may misunderstand the corresponding information as information on other object image.

Head mounted display device and method for controlling the same


A method using heat for shrinking a heat shrink film wrapping placed around a stack of items. The heat shrink film wrapping protrudes on the upper side of the stack of items at least beyond the upper edge of the stack of items to a top sheet film, which is welded to the heat shrink film wrapping. In the method hot gases rising up along the sides of the stack of items are diverted inward, in a direction parallel to the upper side of the stack of items, by a heat diverting and pressing apparatus, which is arranged above the stack of items. The heat diverting and pressing apparatus is for preheating and inwardly folding over the overhang of the heat shrink film wrapping and for preheating the top sheet film in the region of the upper side. The layers of the overhang are joined, by pressing the layers of the heat shrink film onto one another by the heat diverting and pressing apparatus. The invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying out the method.

The invention relates to a method for shrinking a heat shrink film wrapping placed around a stack of items, in particular a palleted stack of items, with at least one shrinking apparatus, which can be made to move in a vertical direction on a frame, is formed in particular as a shrink frame and is intended for shrinking the heat shrink film wrapping by heating, wherein the heat shrink film wrapping protrudes on the upper side at least beyond the upper edge of the stack of items for the upper shrink formation and arranged on the upper side of the stack of items is a top sheet film, which preferably protrudes beyond the edge of the stack of items and is welded to the heat shrink film wrapping.

Method and device for shrinking a heat shrink film placed

MSK-Verpackungs-Systeme Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung


The substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber; a susceptor configured to support a wafer; lifter pins configured to support the wafer on the susceptor; a gas supply unit configured to supply a gas into the process chamber; a heating unit configured to heat the wafer; an excitation unit configured to excite the gas supplied into the process chamber; an exhaust unit configured to exhaust the inside of the process chamber; and a controller. The controller controls a reducing gas to be supplied into the process chamber in a state in which the wafer is supported by the lifter pins, and controls the gas supply unit to supply an oxidizing gas and a reducing gas into the process chamber in a state in which the wafer is supported by the susceptor.

A conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes a process of processing a substrate on which a metal film and a polysilicon film are formed with plasma using a reducing gas and an oxidizing gas. With this process, the polysilicon film can be oxidized without oxidizing the metal film.

Substrate processing apparatus and method of manufacturing semiconductor device


An amplifier unit, adapted for use in a vehicle and for enhancing output signals of the vehicle sound system includes a housing provided with an opening for accessing the interior of the housing, an audio signal input attached to the housing, electric circuitry mounted within the housing which forms an apprible amplifier with basic operating characteristics for amplifying received signals, a connection device for optionally receiving module units having additional circuitry within the housing and for electrically connecting the additional circuitry with the basic electric circuitry to modify the basic operating characteristics of the amplifier, and an amplified signal output. This amplifier unit enables a consumer to buy a basic operable amplifier to which he can add special functions enabling him to build a different amplifier from his basic model.

It is known in the art to install a performance amplifier within a vehicle, such as an automobile, in order to modify audio frequency signals generated by the vehicle's sound system. With such known amplifiers, audiophiles can continue listening to high-fidelity sound reproductions of music and speech, even while traveling in their automobiles. These amplifiers are conventionally mounted in the trunk or under one of the front seats of the automobile.
Conventional amplifiers adapted for installation in a vehicle may have external adjustment controls so that a listener can fine tune, for example, the audio frequency response of the amplifier to suit his desires, the acoustic environment in the vehicle, and/or any deficiencies in equipment or recordings. These external controls extend through a face of the amplifier's housing and are electrically connected to the main circuitry of the amplifier, but do not change the basic operating characteristics of the amplifier. That is, a listener can only modulate the audio signals within the basic operating characteristics of the amplifier and cannot achieve a totally different sound unless a new amplifier with different operating characteristics is installed.
While amplifier arrangements employing externally mounted components for establishing operating characteristics of an amplifier are known, the applicant is not aware of such an arrangement being adapted for use in a vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,564 to Weischedel discloses an amplifier unit having the above construction. However, such amplifier units are inoperable without an external circuit board being connected thereto. Further, such external arrangements are not practical when units are to be mounted within an open area in a vehicle which may be moving thereby exposing the external circuitry to shifting articles.
In order to improve the aesthetics of known external link-up units, plug-in circuitry units have been developed, for example, in the measuring equipment field which house the circuitry components in a single unit and can slide into a recess in the main housing of the device. Such equipment includes a common housing which can receive one of a plurality of function modules. A multifunction device of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,776 to Kinninger. U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,851 to Martiny et al. discloses a radio signal receiver with plug-in modules. However, both these instruments are incomplete without a module unit which determines the function of the instrument.
In particular, the receiver of Martiny et al. includes a housing with a sealed recess in which a plug-in module must be inserted to link the various circuitry stages of the receiver in the proper sequence to produce a coherent receiver. A variable power amplifier for musical instruments having an opening in its housing for receiving a plurality of pluggable signal processing modules is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,289 to Kennedy et al. However, at least two pluggable signal processing modules need to be inserted into one of several electric terminals to electrically connect first and second electrical signal processing channels of the amplifier's circuitry.
Further, a protective cover which closes the opening through which two of Kennedy's modules are inserted is removed when the device is in use. Accordingly, the electrical circuitry of Kennedy's power amplifier is exposed once mounted for use and is not practical since the electric circuitry is not protected from dust, etc. Thus, with conventional amplifier arrangements, a consumer must purchase the required plug-in units to complete the circuitry of the basic amplifier and still may have problems due to circuitry damage (requiring further expense) since the modules units are not built into the device.
While the above-described conventional plug-in module units may overcome aesthetic disadvantages associated with externally mounted circuitry modules, the circuitry (if any) within the main housing of the device does not produce an operable device. As a result, several functional disadvantages are associated with these known devices in that the additional modifying circuitry is produced as a part of the basic amplifier circuitry, but is an external unit to the basic amplifier. Thus, a consumer is required to purchase an expensive device which is not operable along with separate, external units which determine its function. Further, these external circuits are not securely held within the device and thus can be damage subjecting a consumer to more expense just to operate his basic amplifier.
Therefore, it can be seen that there is a need for an amplifier unit having basic operating characteristics which can be inexpensively modified by a consumer to create a different amplifier unit and has a sturdy cover for protecting its circuitry.

Car amplifier with optional plug-in modules