A non-core drill bit is provided with a metallic seat 2 attached to the tip of a shank of a boring tool, a cylindrical first diamond grindstone body 3 fixed to the metallic seat 2 and having a recessed cutout portion 10 to be opened to one side, and a second diamond grindstone body 4 installed inside the recessed cutout portion 10. The tip of the second diamond grindstone body 4 is positioned on the metallic seat 2 side from the tip of the first diamond grindstone body 3. The inner side of the tip face of the first diamond grindstone body 3 is preferably formed in an approximately reverse-conical recessed shape.

For example, where an outdoor unit of an air conditioner is mounted to a concrete wall, the concrete wall is first bored, anchor bolts are mounted into the thus bored holes, and the outdoor unit is fixed to the anchor bolts with screws.
As a boring tool for making the above-described bored holes, there is known a hammer drill and a diamond drill. The hammer drill is a tool for hammering and boring the concrete wall, while a carbide tip of a bit is pierced to break the wall. However, this tool causes troublesome hammering noise.
On the other hand, the diamond drill is a tool in which a diamond grindstone body is fixed to the tip of a base constituting a seat, making a hole by firmly pressing a rotating bit against the concrete wall and cutting the surface thereof. Therefore, this tool is advantageous in lower working noise.
Incidentally, the diamond drill must continue to constantly press a bit attached to the tip thereof, thereby generating high heat resulting from frictional heat. Thus, there is generally used a wet-type diamond drill which allows water to flow inside the bit (refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, since this type requires a hole made for allowing water to pass through a center thereof, the bit must be hollow. Therefore, in the case of a core drill bit, it requires, a device for circulating cooling water and also requires means for removing concrete debris (swarf) remaining inside the hollow bit.
In contrast, a dry-type diamond drill, which is free of water, is constituted so that it is at least partially solid, the tip thereof is formed in a flat shape and a diamond grindstone body is fixed on an iron-based seat. The dry-type diamond drill does not require a device for circulating water or means for removing concrete debris. This drill is provided with a slit-like recessed cutout portion opened to one side, and swarf is to be removed outside from the recessed cutout portion.    Patent Document 1: JP-Y-05-030891    Patent Document 2: JP-A-05-245827
However, a conventional non-core drill bit (hereinafter, simply referred to as a bit) has the following disadvantages.    (1) In FIG. 9(a), since a bit 20 has a solid base 23 (the numeral 22 denotes a recessed cutout portion of a diamond grindstone body 21), cutting is done by the outer periphery side and the center side of the diamond grindstone body 21. In this case, there is a difference in rotating speed between the outer periphery side 21a and the center side 21b. When the bit 20 is rotated to perform boring, the outer periphery side 21a is higher in speed, thereby responding to concrete more efficiently. However, as the center side 21b is slower in speed, it responds to concrete less efficiently. Since the boring speed is dependent on working capability of the center side which is lower in working capability, the boring speed is slow while the bit 20 is new. After repetition of boring work, the bit 20 wears at the center, by which hole-cutting can be performed on the outer periphery side to improve the performance. It takes, however, some time by the time a predetermined performance is obtained.    (2) The performance will be improved as a bit wears at the center. However, due to a difference in rotating speed between the outer periphery side and the inner periphery side of the bit, a conically projected portion uncut and remaining develops at the center of the leading end of a hole 15. At the beginning, no problem is found. However, when the outer periphery side wears to decrease in height, and develops into a state shown in FIG. 9(b), a top portion 17 of a projected portion 16 which remains in a conical shape on the tip center side of the diamond grindstone body 21 is in contact with a base 23. The base 23 is free of abrasive material such as diamond, rotating quite remarkably slowly at the center, thereby the projected portion 16 is cut inefficiently. Further, the above case is also found where, in place of the projected portion, stones and the like are clogged at the center. Boring is not performed smoothly unless the center portion is cut and, therefore, the bit 20 is once taken out to remove the projected portion 16 and the boring must be started again, which is troublesome. Thus, the boring speed is sharply decreased due to the above reason.    (3) When the boring work is further continued from a state in (2), not only does the boring speed decrease but the diamond grindstone body 21 also lowers in height at the outer periphery portion. At the same time, the outer periphery face of a base 23 (made of iron and free of diamond grains) is more vulnerable to wear than the bit tip, thereby as shown in FIG. 9(c), this part also develops into a tapered shape. The outer periphery face 24 of a bit 20 also acts as a guide portion for providing straight-forward boring. Therefore, if the guide portion 24 is made short after repetition of boring work, there may be found a poor straight-forward boring. When the straight-forward guide is not provided, the bit 20 tends to move in a direction where resistance is small, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 9(b). Ingredients of concrete are not uniform and the resistance is therefore irregular, by which a hole may be easily deflected. Since, for example, the previously described anchor bolt is formed exactly in a straight shape, it becomes difficult to insert it into the deflected hole. There is also found a decreased capacity in retaining the anchor bolt inside the hole.


An interface pillow for insertion into a nostril of a user for delivering positive air pressure (e.g. during sleep) has a pliable member having a body. The body has an insertion end and a distal sealing end that includes a seal for interfacing with a cannula. An insertion bulge extends from the body limiting an insertion distance into the user's nostrils. An insertion area of the body extends between the insertion end and the insertion bulge, the sides of which angle inwardly towards the insertion end at an angle. The outer shape of the insertion area is flattened on one side for interfacing with a septum of a nose, and an upper interface area of the outer shape of the insertion area is narrower than a lower interface area of the outer shape of the insertion area to conform to a shape of a nostril of the nose.

Ventilation is commonly used in the treatment of respiratory conditions such as sleep apnea. On such form of ventilation is a continuous positive air pressure system often referred to as a CPAP system. Continuous positive air pressure systems typically include a mask that interfaces to a user's mouth or nasal passages, supplying air pressure from an air flow generator that is typically located in the proximity of the user. The mask directs the flow of air into the breathing passage of the user while allowing the user to exhale.
For the treatment of sleep apnea, the continuous positive air pressure system is worn while the user sleeps. In continuous positive air pressure system in which the mask interfaces with the user's nostrils, the nostril interface need be held in place and maintain a seal so that, as the user moves during sleep, the mask/nostril interface remains intact and sealed to provide positive airway pressure.
The mask/nostril interface is often referred to as pillow interfaces that are inserted partially into each nostril, maintaining an air-tight seal. As the pillow interfaces are worn while the user sleeps, it is important that the pillow interfaces be as comfortable as possible. If the seal is not air-tight, less positive airway pressure is delivered and, the break in the seal will often create noise that may impact the user's sleep.
Another issue with continuous positive air pressure system is the flow velocity of the positive airway pressure. In providing an adequate volume of air for each breath the patient takes (inhalation), the continuous positive air pressure system must provide a minimum volume per time period. Tradeoffs are made between providing greater volumes by using larger orifices or by using smaller orifices and increasing the velocity of the provided air. Unfortunately, when the velocity of the provided air is increased, several user issues occur including burning sensations in the user's sinuses, drying of the user's sinuses, a compromised therapeutic index, and increased noise that is undesirable when the user is trying to sleep.
Existing continuous positive air pressure system is that current pillow interfaces are typically round in cross-sectional area. These pillow interfaces cause discomfort when worn as the nasal septum is typically more sensitive to pressure and is typically relatively flat in areas of the nasal openings. Round cross-sectional shapes do not interface well with flat walls and, as an accommodation, prior pillow interfaces are typically made of a soft material that flattens when inserted. This flattening reduces the cross-sectional area of these prior nasal pillows, resulting in an acceleration of the air velocity, and therefore, the issues cited above.
The interface pillows of prior continuous positive air pressure systems have numerous issues, some of which are:
a. Pressure drop within the closed system/cannula.
b. Lack of ability to deliver an adequate volume of inspired air to the patient.
c. Air velocity delivered through these pillow interfaces is often high, leading to burning sensations, drying of sinuses, etc.
d. Such pillows leak if required to deliver more than 10 centimeters of water pressure. Such leaks cause noise disturbances.
e. Such pillow interfaces lead to discomfort at the bottom of the nostrils.
f. Head gear often needs to be adjusted too tight for patient comfort.
g. Air leaks often occur from slight movement of the head.
h. Lower levels of air deliver often lead to a decrease in blood oxygen saturation during sleep.
i. These interfaces pillows fit within the nostrils in a way that leads to a disproportionate amount of pressure being applied against the septum (center cartilage) of the nostrils, causing discomfort. The septum is the most sensitive area of the nostrils.
Many of the above issues relate to the shape of the prior-art interface pillows and the material of which they are made. As the shape of the prior-art interface pillows is not optimal for sealing within the nostrils of a user, to compensate for such, the prior-art interface pillows are made of very soft material that is easily deformed under pressure. The prior-art interface pillows, after insertion, deform to seal within the nostrils of the user. This deformation provides pressure on the sensitive septum of the user's nose, causing discomfort. This deformation also reduces the cross-sectional area of the air passage of each prior-art interface pillow, causing an increase in air flow velocity and noise. The increase in air flow velocity leads to dryness, a sudden burning sensation in the nostrils, and stuffiness in the sinuses. Higher air flow velocity and lower volume of incoming air is less efficient at correcting apnea and often interrupts normal breathing patterns.
Further, most prior interface pillow designs included turning points for the incoming air, some as much as 90 degrees, resulting in turbulence, pressure drop, and a decrease in the therapeutic index of the treatment. As a result of this, more pressure is typically required to deliver the required increased flow rate which partially compensates for inadequate air volume needed for treatment. This increase in air velocity increases unwanted side effects. An increase in air flow velocity is not preferred over supplying adequate air volume.
It should also be noted that with each incremental increase in driving pressure beyond 7 centimeters of water pressure, there is less and less proportionate therapeutic effect. Increases in driving pressure beyond 9 to 10 centimeters of water has little, if any, therapeutic effect using a prior-art interface pillows, and likely only exacerbate the negative effects. Most prior interface pillows will not hold pressures of more than 9 to 10 centimeters of water pressure. This has been one of the significant limitations of such pillow interfaces and only patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea typically have success with the prior interface pillows due to this limitation.
The prior interface pillows create a seal by applying pressure to the bottom of the nose. The seal is tenuous. Head movement often causes a significant and annoying air leak, usually at the outside of the nostrils, unless the head gear is noticeably too tight. The apex of the prior interface pillows (where the air flow passes into the nostrils) is very non-structural and the inner diameter of the prior interface pillows is easily be compromised when pressed against the bottom of the nostrils. This often decreases the cross-sectional flow space and air volume delivered, which in turn, further increases the velocity and/or pressure drop of the air flow entering into the nostrils. The area directly beneath the prior interface pillows where they fit against the nostrils becomes narrowed or compromised when encountering pressure against the bottom of the nose created by the head gear. This creates another source of restriction to air flow resulting in a decrease in delivered air volume, pressure drops, an increase of incoming air velocity, and a reduced positive effect.
Based on typical adult inspiratory demand; a patient's respiratory rate, in many cases, may decrease using the prior interface pillows because less air volume is available, which will take longer to complete the inspiratory cycle. The respiratory rate has been seen to decrease from a normal 12 to 14 breaths per minute down to 9 breaths per minute. This interruption of normal respiratory rate often creates a feeling of suffocation and reduced compliance (usage) of the system.
If the inspiratory cycle is prolonged, the expiratory cycle is also prolonged and the lungs may not empty completely before the inspiratory cycle is initiated. An increase in driving pressure will likely be required, but the increase in driving pressure only partially compensates for the inadequate volume of air that must be delivered to maintain an adequate tidal volume and minute ventilation that feels normal to the user. The result is the user's normal breathing patterns are disrupted, the user feels insecure, a feeling of suffocation and impending doom for some, and less likely to achieve restful sleep. The inadequate lower inspired air volume also creates the need to provide a lower cross-sectional flow space for expired air. The prior interface pillows style interface does not let the patient feel as if their expiratory cycle is normal. This is perceived as an increase in work of breathing. Adequate cross-sectional flow space for exhaled air can only be provided if there is an adequate volume of air supplied to the inspiratory cycle with very little or no resistance accompanied with a low air velocity which simulates normal inspiratory/expiratory flow rate.
The expiratory cycle is normally completed during deep sleep and is achieved only by the elasticity of the patient's lung. Accessory muscles are not active during restful sleep. If inspired air is not normally exhaled the patient will not feel secure and deep sleep will not come easy. The inspired air is not being normally exhaled if the patient's respiratory rate has been disrupted.
Further, bleed ports in prior systems direct exhaled air flow onto the patient's arms/hands. Some bleed ports are embodied into a swivel adaptor that can unintentionally misdirect exhale air flow in an unwanted direction. Constant adjustment is often needed. The patient's breathing mechanics must function as if they are not using CPAP therapy, and the CPAP therapy must correct apneic events to promote a sound, prolonged sleep, and consistent compliance to treatment. For the vast majority of patients using prior interface pillows, this requires a high volume of air delivery; significantly lower air velocity; and using significantly less pressure.
It is desired that the patient experiences no change in noise of air flow throughout the inspiratory/expiratory cycle. Any change in air flow noise during any part of the ventilation cycle indicates the patient's normal breathing is being interrupted. This is typically caused by an inadequate volume of inspired air and inadequate flow space for exhaled air. When a high volume of air is provided then a low level of pressure is required to correct apneic events for the vast majority of patients. Apneic events are not sudden; they build. If an ample/adequate volume of inspired air is supplied with a lower pressure, apneic events are prevented. If adequate inspired air volume is not available, then apneic events eventually occur during sleep and pressure will need to be increased to compensate for inadequate volume. To this end, sleep technicians often increase driving pressures as the sleep cycles progress. The increase in driving pressure is not preferred over adequate volume, often only partially compensates for an air volume deficiency, and typically increases unwanted effects.
Another issue with existing continuous positive air pressure systems is disposal of extra pressure, either from the air flow generator or from the user's exhalation. Many existing continuous positive air pressure systems have inadequate exit venting or exit venting that is directed toward the user's body, creating discomfort as the user exhales.
What is needed is a continuous positive air pressure system that provides interface pillows that seal within nostrils while retaining comfort and proper air flow.


A network signal processing circuit assembly includes a network-on-chip, a network connector, and a processing circuit including a plurality of channels respectively and electrically connected between the network-on-chip and the network connector, a plurality of signal coupling capacitors respectively electrically coupled to the channels, and a plurality of inductor sets electrically connected in parallel between the signal coupling capacitors and the network connector for causing a back-EMF (back-electro motive force) when receiving power supply from the signal coupling capacitors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network technology and more particularly, to a network signal processing circuit assembly, which uses signal coupling capacitors for causing a back-EMF (back-electro motive force) to increase the voltage difference, ensuring signal integrality and reliability, avoiding signal distortion and saving power loss.
2. Description of the Related Art
Following fast development of computer technology, desk computers and notebook computers are well developed and widely used in different fields for different applications. It is the market trend to provide computers having high operating speed and small size. Further, network communication technology brings people closer, helping people to gather information about living, learning, working and recreational activities. By means of network communication, people can communicate with one another to send real time information, advertising propaganda or e-mail. Further, through the Internet, people can search information, send instant messages, or play on-line video games. The development of computer technology makes the relationship between people and network unshakable and inseparable.
Connecting a computer or electronic apparatus to a network for data transmission can be done by a cable connection technique or a wireless transmission protocol. A cable connection technique needs the installation of a network connector. Further, following the development of network application technology, network data transmission capacity has been greatly increased. To satisfy the demand for high data transmission capacity, network transmission speed has been greatly improved from the early 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps or 1 Gbps. Nowadays, fiber-optic network transmission speed can be as high as 10 Gbps and up. When under the network transmission speed of 10 Mbps, Manchester coding is adopted. Because the waveform of the signal being transmitted through the cable at 10 Mbps is symmetric (see FIG. 7), in case of signal distortion or signal error, signal compensation can be performed using this symmetric characteristic, obtaining integral and accurate signal data. When under the network transmission speed of 100 Mbps, 3-level ternary code is used. This 3-level ternary code is to cut out bitstream into 8-bit bytes, enabling each 8-bit byte to be converted into a respective 6-symbol codeword. Thus, the required clock frequency can be reduced from 33.3 MHz to 25 MHz without surpassing the tolerable limit of 30 MHz of a double twisted cable.
However, when under the network transmission speed of 1 Gbps, the clock frequency is 125 MHz, and the 4D-PAM5 code is used. According to this 4D-PAM5 code, each level represents a symbol, and each symbol represents a 2-bits data. Thus, signal can be greatly compressed to enhance the transmission speed. However, the waveform of this signal is asymmetric (see FIG. 8). In order to prevent distortion or failure due to removal of network signal (the part of negative voltage), a bias must be provided, enabling signal to be smoothly transmitted in the positive voltage.
A conventional network connector has built therein transformer modules and common-mode suppression modules. As shown in FIG. 9, a conventional network connector comprises a circuit board A, and multiple transformer coils B and filter coils C installed in the circuit board A. The transformer coils B and the filter coils C each comprise a wire core D, and a lead wire D1 wound round the wire core D with the ends thereof bonded to respective contacts at the circuit board A. Because the winding of the transformer coils B and the filter coils C cannot be achieved by an automatic machine and must be done by labor, the fabrication efficiency of this kind of network connector is low. Further, the lead wire may be broken easily during winding, thereby increasing the cost. Further, fabrication by labor cannot accurately control the coil winding tightness and number of turns, affecting product quality stability.
Further, Taiwan Patent Application 101207955, or the Patent Number M436860 published on Patent Gazette on Sep. 1, 2012, issued to the present inventor, discloses a network signal processing circuit. According to this design, as shown in FIG. 10, the network signal processing circuit, referenced by E, has its two opposite ends respectively electrically connected to a network connector E1 and a network-on-chip E2. The network signal processing circuit E comprises a plurality of channels E3, a plurality of signal coupling capacitors E4 respectively coupled to the channels E3, and a plurality of inductors E5 electrically connected in series to the signal coupling capacitors E4. The inductors E5 are electrically connected to a bias providing terminal E51, a voltage stabilizing capacitor E52 and a grounding terminal E53. The bias providing terminal E51 provides a DC voltage level through the inductors E5 to the channels E3, keeping the signals being transmitted through the channels E3 within the positive voltage range. Therefore, signals being transmitted through the channels E3 will not be cut off, avoiding distortion and ensuring signal integrality. Further, the inductors E5 has the characteristics of being in an open circuit to DC voltage and close circuit to AC high-frequency signal. When the bias providing terminal E51 provides a DC voltage level to the inductors E5, the inductance value will be lowered for enabling the bias voltage to pass, isolating the high-frequency network signal, and therefore voltage signal can simply be transmitted through the channels E3 and will not be shunted to the ground. Further, the voltage stabilizing capacitor E52 and the grounding terminal E53 can balance the voltage value of the channels E3. However, voltage stabilizing capacitor E52 and the grounding terminal E53 will also cause the power supply provided by the bias providing terminal E51 to be grounded, causing a significant power loss.
Therefore, there is a strong demand for a network signal processing circuit assembly, which eliminates the drawbacks of the aforesaid prior art designs.

Network signal processing circuit assembly


An apparatus for detecting an abnormal event and capturing associated waveforms includes a detection module within a power control device that detects an abnormal condition. The abnormal condition is indicative of an impending failure of the power control device and/or a condition within the power control device indicative of a parameter being outside of a specified limit. The power control device controls power to one or more power devices in a power distribution system. The apparatus includes a signal transmit module that transmits a capture signal to a transient capture meter. The transient capture meter meters transient conditions of a branch of the power distribution system that includes the power control device. The capture signal instructs the transient capture meter to capture current and/or voltage waveforms relevant to a time when the detection module detected the abnormal condition.

Many power distribution systems include power control devices such as variable frequency drives ("VFDs") that control motor speed, smart motor controllers that use various methods to soft start motors to prevent high inrush current, and other devices with advanced monitoring capabilities. The power control devices often have the capability to detect component problems and abnormal conditions within the power control device. Some of the problems occur before or during a failure of the power control device. Other problems, such as voltage, current, temperature, etc. of a component may affect how the power control device performs. However, typical monitoring within a power control device may be inadequate in determining a cause of an abnormal condition, such as a failure of the power control device, a component out of spec, etc. or may be inadequate in determining an effect of an abnormal condition on the power distribution system.

Capture of power quality information at the time a device fails


A package structure and a package substrate thereof are provided. The package structure includes a package substrate, a chip and a molding compound. The package substrate has an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface has a molding area and a pad area. The molding area has at least one window opening penetrating the upper surface and the lower surface. The pad area is used for disposing at least one solder ball or at least one connecting pin. The package substrate includes a solder mask. The solder mask covers the lower surface of the package substrate. The solder mask has at least one groove. The groove is disposed between the molding area and the pad area. The chip disposed on the package substrate has an active surface. The active surface contacts with the upper surface of the package substrate. The molding area is covered by the molding compound.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package structure and a package substrate thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a package structure and a package substrate thereof, capable of using a solder mask to form a groove to prevent a molding compound from contaminating a pad area.
2. Description of Related Art
The appearance of semiconductor chips is an important milestone of the modern science and technology. Generally, the semiconductor chip must be protected by a package structure, so as to protect the semiconductor chip from being affected by moistures or from being crashed. Referring to FIG. 1, it is a schematic view of a conventional package structure 900. The package structure 900 includes a package substrate 910, a chip 920, and a molding compound 930. The chip 920 is carried on the package substrate 910. The package substrate 910 has at least one wire-bonding pad 911 and at least one solder-ball mounting pad 912. An active surface 920a of the chip 920 is electrically connected to the wire-bonding pad 911 via a bonding wire 940. The molding compound 930 covers the cover chip 920 and the bonding wire 940, so as to protect the chip 920 and the bonding wire 940 from being affected by moistures or being crashed. A solder ball 950 is disposed on the solder-ball mounting pad 912, for connecting to a printed circuit board (not shown in FIG. 1), such that the internal circuit of the chip 920 is electrically connected to the printed circuit board through the bonding wire 940, the wire-bonding pad 911, internal wires of the package substrate 910, the solder-ball mounting pad 912, and the solder ball 950.
As the electronics are continuously developed towards a trend of "light, thin, short, and small", the volume of the package structure 900 also must be reduced to cater to such an era trend. Generally, a certain space is required to connect the bonding wire 940 from the active surface 920a of the chip 920 to the wire-bonding pad 911 of the package substrate 910. Furthermore, after the molding compound 930 covers the bonding wire 940 and the active surface 920a of the chip 920, the whole structure 900 occupies a certain volume. Accordingly, in the package structure 900 of FIG. 1, the wire-bonding pad 911 and the solder-ball mounting pad 912 are disposed on the same surface of the package substrate 910. The package substrate 910 exposes the active surface 920a of the chip 920 via an opening 910c. Therefore, when the molding compound 930 covers the bonding wire 940 and the active surface 920a of the chip 920, the volume occupied by the molding compound 930 is greatly reduced. The package structure similar to the package structure 900 of FIG. 1 is a window ball grid array (WBGA) package structure, which has been increasingly widely used in various products, and recently, the main application is to be used on the package structure of a memory.
However, the molding compound 930 is a fluid. In the packaging process, after the molding compound 930 covers the bonding wire 940 and the active surface 920a of the chip 920, the molding compound 930 is cured upon being heated. Therefore, during the manufacturing process, the molding compound 930 may flow towards the solder-ball mounting pad 912 along a surface of the package substrate 910, such that the structural strength of the adhesion between the solder ball 950 and the solder-ball mounting pad 912 is seriously affected, and the product yield is greatly reduced.
Besides the problem that the molding compound contaminates the solder-ball mounting pad, in the WBGA package structure of FIG. 1, the package structure with the molding compound and any pad located on the same surface as the package substrate has the similar problem. Therefore, it is one of the important directions for the current research and development of how to solve the above problem.

Package structure and package substrate thereof

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.


The present invention provides techniques for efficiently determining a minimum or maximum of a plurality of values and the index of the minimum using registers of a processor. The present invention also provides for various processor instructions for determining the minimum/maximum and index of two or more values. The present invention finds particular benefit in implementing heaps and in systems utilizing Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ).

Various processes have been developed to determine the extreme value(s) (i.e., a minimum or maximum) of a plurality of values. One such method includes a sequential comparison, whereby the values are arranged in a list and each value in the list is compared to the minimum of the previous values of the list. The number of steps needed to perform a sequential comparison of n values is on the order of O(n) steps. Another known sorting process includes maintaining a sorted queue, whereby each of the plurality of values is less than or equal to one of its neighboring values and greater than or equal to its other neighboring value. Accordingly, the extraction of either the minimum or maximum value of the sorted queue is on the order of O(1) steps, while inserting a value into the sorted queue is on the order of O(n) steps.
Another sorting method combining the benefits of both the unsorted and sorted queues includes generating and maintaining a heap data structure. In a minimum heap data structure, each parent node of the heap is either less than or equal to its child nodes. This results in the minimum value of the heap being at the root node of the heap. Therefore, the identification of the minimum value in a proper heap is on the order of O(1). However, the extraction or modification of the minimum value from a heap of n values is on the order of O(log n) steps, as is the insertion of a new value into the heap data structure.
Heap data structures and/or other sorting processes often are used in network processors to implement various scheduling processes, such as Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ) or Generalized Processor Scheduling (GPS), to ensure that each incoming data stream receives a certain portion of the outgoing data stream bandwidth and/or to provide a latency bound for each incoming data stream. For example, a common method to implement WFQ scheduling is to associate a "due timestamp" value with each of the input queues used to buffer the incoming data streams. For each output cycle, a WFQ scheduler selects the input queue with the minimum "due timestamp" to provide a protocol data unit (PDU) for output. During or after the transmission of the PDU (e.g., a data packet) from the selected queue, the scheduler updates the "due timestamp" of the selected queue based at least in part on the assigned bandwidth and the size of the current PDU in the selected queue. Accordingly, a minimum heap data structure or a sorted queue often is used to determine the minimum "due timestamp" of the plurality of input queues as well as the index associated with the queue.
While priority queues, such as sorted queues or heap data structures, often are useful in scheduling processes, the insertion, removal, and/or maintenance of such priority queues often consumes a considerable portion of the processing cycles of a processor implementing the scheduling process. For example, to determine the minimum value in an unsorted queue, at least one compare instruction and one jump instruction typically are performed for each comparison of a value in the queue to the minimum of the previous values. As such, at least 2n instructions are performed to identify the minimum value and/or its index in the queue. Similarly, for heap data structures, the insertion of a new value (such as when the "due timestamp" for an input queue is modified) into the heap data structure or a removal of a value often necessitates a branch instruction and a jump instruction for each comparison of a parent node to a child node. Since O(log n) comparisons typically are performed when inserting/removing a value into/from a heap data structure of n values, the typical insertion/removal operation takes at least 2 log n cycles to perform.
Accordingly, an improved processor instruction, method, and/or system for determining an extreme value of a plurality of values in a heap or other priority queue would be advantageous.

Minimum processor instruction for implementing weighted fair queuing and other priority queuing


Compounds that act as inhibitors of QC including those represented by the general formulae 1 to 9:

Glutaminyl cyclase (QC, EC 220.127.116.11) catalyzes the intramolecular cyclization of N-terminal glutamine residues into pyroglutamic acid (pGlu*) liberating ammonia. A QC was first isolated by Messer from the latex of the tropical plant Carica papaya in 1963 (Messer, M. 1963 Nature 4874, 1299). 24 years later, a corresponding enzymatic activity was discovered in animal pituitary (Busby, W. H. J. et al. 1987 J Biol Chem 262, 8532-8536; Fischer, W. H. and Spiess, J. 1987 Proc Natl Acad Set USA 84, 3628-3632). For the mammalian QC, the conversion of Gln into pGlu by QC could be shown for the precursors of TRH and GnRH (Busby, W. H. J. et al. 1987 J Biol Chem 262, 8532-8536; Fischer, W. H. and Spiess, J. 1987 Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 84, 3628-3632). In addition, initial localization experiments of QC revealed a co-localization with its putative products of catalysis in bovine pituitary, further improving the suggested function in peptide hormone synthesis (Bockers, T. M. et al. 1995 J Neuroendocrinal 7, 445-453). In contrast, the physiological function of the plant QC is less clear. In case of the enzyme from C. papaya, a role in the plant defense against pathogenic microorganisms was suggested (El Moussaout, A. et al. 2001 Cell Mol Life Sci 58, 556-570). Putative QCs from other plants were identified by sequence comparisons recently (Dahl, S. W. et al. 2000 Protein Expr Purif 20, 27-36) The physiological function of these enzymes, however, is still ambiguous. The QCs known from plants and animals show a strict specificity for L-Glutamine in the N-terminal position of the substrates and their kinetic behavior was found to obey the Michaelis-Menten equation (Pohl, T. et al. 1991 Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88, 10059-10063; Consalvo, A. P. et al. 1988 Anal Biochem 175, 131-138; Gololobov, M. Y. et al. 1996 Biol Chem Hoppe Seyler 377, 395-398). A comparison of the primary structures of the QCs from C. papaya and that of the highly conserved QC from mammals, however, did not reveal any sequence homology (Dahl, S. W. et al. 2000 Protein Expr Purif 20, 27-36). Whereas the plant QCs appear to belong to a new enzyme family (Dahl, S. W. et al. 2000 Protein Expr Purif 20, 27-36), the mammalian QCs were found to have a pronounced sequence homology to bacterial aminopeptidases (Bateman, R. C. et al. 2001 Biochemistry 40, 11246-11250), leading to the conclusion that the QCs from plants and animals have different evolutionary origins.
Recently, it was shown that recombinant human QC as well as QC-activity from brain extracts catalyze both, the N-terminal glutaminyl as well as glutamate cyclization. Most striking is the finding, that cyclase-catalyzed Glu1-conversion is favored around pH 6.0 while Gln1-conversion to pGlu-derivatives occurs with a pH-optimum of around 8.0. Since the formation of pGlu-A□-related peptides can be suppressed by inhibition of recombinant human QC and QC-activity from pig pituitary extracts, the enzyme QC is a target in drug development for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
EP 02 011 349.4 discloses polynucleotides encoding insect glutaminyl cyclase, as well as polypeptides encoded thereby. This application further provides host cells comprising expression vectors comprising polynucleotides of the invention, isolated polypeptides and host cells comprising insect QC are useful in methods of screening for agents that reduce glutaminyl cyclase activity. Such agents are useful as pesticides.
Definitions
The term "DP IV-inhibitor" or "dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor" is generally known to a person skilled in the art and means enzyme inhibitors, which inhibit the catalytical activity of DP IV or DP IV-like enzymes.
"DP IV-activity" is defined as the catalytical activity of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DP IV) and DP IV-like enzymes. These enzymes are post-proline (to a lesser extent post-alanine, post-serine or post-glycine) cleaving serine proteases found in various tissues of the body of a mammal including kidney, liver, and intestine, where they remove dipeptides from the N-terminus of biologically active peptides with a high specificity when proline or alanine form the residues that are adjacent to the N-terminal amino acid in their sequence
The term "PEP-inhibitor" or "prolyl endopeptidase inhibitor" is generally known to a person skilled in the art and means enzyme inhibitors, which inhibit the catalytical activity of prolyl endopeptidase (PEP).
The term "QC" as used herein comprises glutaminyl cyclase (QC) and QC-like enzymes. QC and QC-like enzymes have identical or similar enzymatic activity, further defined as QC activity. In this regard, QC-like enzymes; can fundamentally differ in their molecular structure from QC.
The term "QC activity" as used herein is defined as intramolecular cyclization of N-terminal glutamine residues into pyroglutamic acid (pGlu*) or of N-terminal L-homoglutamine or L-β-homoglutamine to a cyclic pyro-homoglutamine derivative under liberation of ammonia. See therefore schemes 1 and 2.

The term "EC" as used herein comprises the side activity of QC and QC-like enzymes as glutamate cyclase (EC), further defined as EC activity.
The expression "QC/EC" refers to the glutaminyl cyclase, which has at least one of QC or EC activity, preferably both, QC and EC activity.
The term "EC activity" as used herein is defined as intramolecular cyclization of N-terminal glutamate residues into pyroglutamic acid (pGlu*) by QC. See therefore scheme 3.

The term "QC-inhibitor" "glutaminyl cyclase inhibitor" is generally known to a person skilled in the art and means enzyme inhibitors, which inhibit the catalytical activity of glutaminyl cyclase (QC) and/or its glutamyl cyclase (EC) activity.
The term "subject" as used herein, refers to an animal, preferably a mammal, most preferably a human, who has been the object of treatment, observation or experiment.
The term "therapeutically effective amount" as used herein, means that amount of active compound or pharmaceutical agent that elicits the biological or medicinal response in a tissue system, animal or human being sought by a researcher, veterinarian, medical doctor or other clinician, which includes alleviation of the symptoms of the disease or disorder being treated.
As used herein, the term "pharmaceutically acceptable" embraces both human and veterinary use for example the term "pharmaceutically acceptable" embraces a vetermarily acceptable compound or a compound acceptable in human medicine a health care.
Throughout the description and the claims the expression "acyl" can denote a C1-20 acyl residue, preferably a C1-8 acyl residue and especially preferred a C1-4 acyl residue; "cycloalkyl" can denote a C3-12 cycloalkyl residue, preferably a C4, C5 or C6 cycloalkyl residue; and "a carbocycle" can denote a C3-12 a carbocycle residue, preferably a C4, C5 or C6 a carbocycle residue. "Heteroaryl" is defined as an aryl residue, wherein 1 to 4, and more preferably 1, 2 or 3ring atoms are replaced by heteroatoms like N, S or O. "A heterocycle" is defined as a cycloalkyl residue, wherein 1, 2 or 3 ring atoms are replaced by heteroatoms like N, S or O. "Peptides" are selected from dipeptides to decapeptides, preferred are dipeptides, tripeptides, tetrapeptides and pentapeptides. The amino acids for the formation of the "peptides" can be selected from those listed above.
Throughout the description and the claims the expression "alkyl" can denote a C1-50 alkyl group, preferably a C6-30 alkyl group, especially a C8-12 alkyl group; for example, an alkyl group may be a methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl or butyl group. The expression "alk", for example in the expression "alkoxy", and the expression "alkan", for example in the expression "alkanoyl", are defined as for "alkyl"; aromatic compounds are preferably substituted or optionally unsubstituted phenyl, benzyl, naphthyl, biphenyl or anthracene groups, which preferably have at least 8 C atoms, the expression "alkenyl" can denote a C2-10 alkenyl group, preferably a C2-6 alkenyl group, which has the double bond(s) at any desired location and may be substituted or unsubstituted; the expression "alkynyl" can denote a C2- alkynyl group, preferably a C2-6 alkynyl group, which has the triple bond(s) at any desired location and may be substituted or unsubstituted.
The expression "substituted" or substituent can denote any desired substitution by one or more, preferably one or two, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, mono- or multi-valent acyl, alkanoyl, alkoxyalkanoyl or alkoxy alkyl groups; the afore-mentioned substituents may in turn have one or more (but preferably zero) alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, mono- or multi-valent acyl, alkanoyl, alkoxyalkanoyl or alkoxyalkyl groups as side groups; organic amines, amides, alcohols or acids, each having from 8 to 50 C atoms, preferably from 10 to 20 C atoms, can have the formulae (alkyl)2N— or alkyl-NH—, —CO—N(alkyl)2 or —CO—NH(alkyl), -alkyl-OH or -alkyl-COOH. Furthermore, the expression "substituted" or "substituent" can denote one or two of each, branched or unbranched alkyl chain, a branched or unbranched alkenyl chain, a branched or unbranched alkynyl chain, a carbocycle, aryl, heteroaryl, a heterocycle; the afore-mentioned substituents may in turn have one or more branched or unbranched alkyl chain, a branched or unbranched alkenyl chain, a branched or unbranched alkynyl chain, a carbocycle, aryl, heteroaryl, a heterocycle as side group(s); all herein before mentioned chains, residues or side groups may contain one or more, preferably one or two, epoxy moiety(ies) and one or more, preferably one or two, substituted or unsubstituted aziridine(s), whereas the substitution is characterized again as R1 which is described above; all chains, residues or side groups may be substituted by one or more F, Cl, Br, I, NH2, NO, NO2, CN atoms or groups, isocyanide(s), cyanate(s), isocyanate(s), fulminate(s), thiocyanate(s), isothiocyanate(s), selenocyanate(s) and isoselenocyanate(s), thio acids of sulphur with empirical formulae —S2H, —S2OH, —S3H, —S2O2H, —S3OH, and —S4H and their derivatives, whereas the substitution is characterized as R1; azonic acid(s), azinic acid(s), sulphonic acid(s) (SO2H), sulphur acid(s) (SO3H) and their esters, whereas the ester residue(s) is characterized as R1; phosphinous acid(s), phosphonous acid(s), phosphinic acid(s), phosphonic acid(s), their replaced modifications like phosphinothioic O-acid(s), phosphinothioic S-acid(s), phosphinimidic acid(s), phosphonothioic O,O′-acid(s), phosphonothioc O,S-acid(s), phosphonimidothioic acid(s) and their esters, whereas the ester residue(s) is characterized as R1.
Furthermore, all afore-mentioned chains, residues or side groups may contain one or more, preferably one, two or three alcohol(s), acid(s), aldehyde(s) or ketone(s), phosphane(s), phosphorane(s), sulfoxides (SO), sulfones (SO2), their selenium or tellurium analogues named selenoxide and selenone, sulfonic anhydride(s) [(SO2)2O] and sulphonic anhydride(s) [(SO)2O], hydrazide(s), N-Oxides of azo compounds; as well as amine(s), amide(s), ester(s), ether(s) or sulfonamid(e), phosphane(s) or phosphorane(s), having the formulae —NHR1 or —N(R1)2, —CON(R1)2 or —CONHR1, —CO—OR1, R1—O—R1, —SO2N(R1)2 or —SO2NHR1, —PHR1, —P(R1)2, —PH3R1, —PH2(R1)2, —PH(R1)3, —P(R1)4, whereas R1 is described above; as well as the corresponding thio analogues of the in advance described residues, where the oxygen is replaced by sulphur, for example thiol(s), thioaldehyde(s) and thioketone(s).
Amino acids which can be used in the present invention are L and D-amino acids, N-methyl-amino acids, aza-amino acids; allo- and threo-forms of Ile and Thr, which can, e.g. be α, β- or ω-amino acids, whereof α-amino acids are preferred.
Examples of amino acids are:
aspartic acid (Asp), glutamic acid (Glu), arginine (Arg), lysine (Lys), histidine (His), glycine (Gly), serine (Ser), cysteine (Cys), threonine (Thr), asparagine (Asn), glutamine (Gln), tyrosine (Tyr), alanine (Ala), proline (Pro), valine (Val), isoleucine (Ile), leucine (Leu), methionine (Met), phenylalanine (Phe), tryptophan (Trp), hydroxyproline (Hyp), beta-alanine (beta-Ala), 2-aminooctanoic acid (Aoa), acetidine-(2)-carboxylic acid (Ace), pipecolic acid (Pip), 3-aminopropionic acid, 4-aminobutyric acid and so forth, alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), sarcosine (Sar), ornithine (Orn), citrulline (Cit), homoarginine (Har), t-butylalanine (t-butyl-Ala), t-butylglycine (t-butyl-Gly). N-methylisoleucine (N-Melle), phenylglycine (Phg), cyclohexyl alanine (Cha), norleucine (Nle), cysteic acid (Cya) and methionine sulfoxide (MSO), acetyl-Lys, modified amino acids such as phospboryl-serine (Ser(P)), benzyl-serine (Ser(Bzl)) and phosphoryl-tyrosine (Tyr(P)), 2-aminobutyric acid (Abu), aminoethylcysteine (AECys), carboxymethylcysteine (Cmc), dehydroalanine (Dha), dehydroamino-2-butyric acid (Dhb), carboxyglutaminic acid (Gla), homoserine (Hse), hydroxylysine (Hyl), cis-hydroxyproline (cisHyp), trans-hydroxyproline (transHyp), isovaline (Iva), pyroglutamic acid (Pyr), norvaline (Nva), 2-aminobenzoic acid (2-Abz), 3-aminobenzoic acid (3-Abz), 4-aminobenzoic acid (4-Abz), 4-(aminomethyl)benzoic acid (Amb), 4-(aminomethyl)cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (4-Amc), Penicillamine (Pen), 2-amino-4-cyanobutyric acid (Cba), cycloalkane-carboxylic acids. Examples of ω-amino acids are e.g.: 5-Ara (aminoraleric acid), 6-Ahx (aminohexanoic acid), 8-Aoc (aminooctanoic acid), 9-Anc (aminovanoic aicd), 10-Adc (aminodecanoie acid), 11-Aun (aminoundecanoic acid), 12-Ado (aminododecanoic acid). Further amino acids are: indanylglycine (Igl), indoline-2-carboxylic acid (Idc), octahydroindole-2-carboxylic acid (Oic), diaminopropionic acid (Dpr), diaminobutyric acid (Dbu), naphtylalanine (1-Nal) and (2-Nal), 4-aminophenylalanine (Phe(4-NH2)), 4-benzoylphenylalanine (Bpa), diphenylalanine (Dip), 4-bromophenylalanine (Phe(4-Br)), 2-chlorophenylalanine (Phe(2-Cl)), 3-chlorophenylalanine (Phe(3-Cl)), 4-chlorophenylalanine (Phe(4-Cl)), 3,4-chlorophenylalanine (Phe(3,4-C12)), 3-fluorophenylalanine (Phe(3-F)), 4-fluorophenylalanine (Phe(4-F)), 3,4-fluorophenylalanine (Phe(3,4-F2)), pentafluorophenylalanine (Phe(F5)), 4-guanidinophenylalanine (Phe(4-guanidino)), homophenylalanine (hPhe), 3-jodophenylalanine (Phe(3-J)), 4-jodophenylaline (Phe(4-J)), 4-methylphenylalanine (Phe(4-Me)), 4-nitrophenylalanine (Phe-4-NO2)), biphenylalanine (Bip), 4-phosphonomethylphenylalanine (Pmp), cyclohexylglycine (Ghg), 3-pyridinylalanine (3-Pal). 4-pyridmylalanine (4-Pal), 3,4-dehydroproline (A-Pro), 4-ketoproline (Pro(4-keto)), thioproline (Thz), isonipecotic acid (Inp), 1,2,3,4,-tetrahydroisoquinolin-3-carboxylic acid (Tic), propargylglycine (Pra), 6-hydroxynorleucine (NU(6-OH)), homotyrosine (hTyr), 3-jodotyrosine (Tyr(3-J)), 3,5-dijodotyrosine (Tyr(3,5-J2)), methyltyrosine (Tyr(Me)), 2′,6′-dimethyltyrosine (Dmt), 3-NO2-tyrosine (Tyr(3-NO2)), phosphotyrosine (TyrPO3H2)), alkylglycine, 1-aminoindane-1-carboxylic acid, 2-aminoindane-2-carboxylic acid (Aic), 4-amino-methylpyrrol-2-carboxylic acid (Py), 4-amino-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid (Abpc), 2-aminotetraline-2-carboxylic acid (Ate), diaminoacetic acid (Gly(NH2)), diaminobutyric acid (Dab), 1,3-dihydro-2H-isoinole-carboxylic acid (Disc), homocylcohexylalanine (hCha), homophenylalanine (hPhe or Hof), trans-3-phenyl-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid, 4-phenylpyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid, 5-phenyl-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid, 3-pyridylalanine (3-Pya), 4-pyridylalamine (4-Pya), styrylalanine, tetrahydroisoquinoline-1-carboxylic acid (Tiq), 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronorharmane-3-carboxylic acid (Tpi), β-(2-thienryl)-alanine (Tha).
"Peptides" are selected from dipeptides to decapeptides, preferred are dipeptides, tripeptides, tetrapeptides and pentapeptides. The amino acids for the formation of the "peptides" can be selected from those listed above.
An "aza-amino acid" is defined as an amino acid where the chiral α-CH group is replaced by a nitrogen atom, whereas an "aza-peptide" is defined as a peptide, in which the chiral □-CH group of one or more amino acid residues in the peptide chain is replaced by a nitrogen atom.
Other amino acid substitutions for those encoded in the genetic code can also be included in peptide compounds within the scope of the invention and can be classified within this general scheme. Proteinogenic amino acids are defined as natural protein-derived α-amino acids. Non-proteinogenic amino acids are defined as all other amino acids, which are not building blocks of common natural proteins.
"Peptide mimetics" per se are known to a person skilled in the art. They are preferably defined as compounds which have a secondary structure like a peptide and optionally further structural characteristics; their mode of action is largely similar or identical to the mode of action of the native peptide; however, their activity (e.g. as an antagonist or inhibitor) can he modified as compared with the native peptide, especially visa vis receptors or enzymes. Moreover, they can imitate the effect of the native peptide (agonist). Examples of peptide mimetics are scaffold mimetics, non-peptidic mimetics, peptoides, peptide nucleic acids, oligopyrrolinones, vinylogpeptides and oligocarbamates. For the definitions of these peptide mimetics see Lexikon der Chemie, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag Heidelberg, Berlin, 1999.
The aim for using these mimetic structures is increasing the activity, increasing the selectivity to decrease side effects, protect the compound against enzymatic degradation for prolongation of the effect.
Stereoisomers:
All possible stereoisomers of the claimed compounds are included in the present invention. Where the compounds according to this invention have at least one chiral center, they may accordingly exist as enantiomers. Where the compounds possess two or more chiral centers, they may additionally exist as diastereomers. It is to be understood that all such isomers and mixtures thereof are encompassed within the scope of the present invention.
Preparation and isolation of stereoisomers:
Where the processes for the preparation of the compounds according to the invention give rise to a mixture of stereoisomers, these isomers may be separated by conventional techniques such as preparative chromatography. The compounds may be prepared in racemic form, or individual enantiomers may be prepared either by enantiospecific synthesis or by resolution. The compounds may, for example, be resolved into their components enantiomers by standard techniques, such as the formation of diastereomeric pairs by salt formation with an optically active acid, such as (−)-di-p-toluoyl-d-tartaric acid and/or (+)-di-p-toluoyl-1-tartaric acid followed by fractional crystallization and regeneration of the free base. The compounds may also resolved by formation of diastereomeric esters or amides, followed by chromatographic separation and removal of the chiral auxiliary. Alternatively, the compounds may be resolved using a chiral HPLC column.
Pharmaceutically acceptable salts:
In view of the close relationship between the free compounds and the compounds in the form of their salts, whenever a compound is referred to in this context, a corresponding salt is also intended, provided such is possible or appropriate under the circumstances.
The pharmaceutically acceptable salt generally takes a form in which an amino acids basic side chain is protonated with an inorganic or organic acid. Representative organic or inorganic acids include hydrochloric, hydrobromic, perchloric, sulfuric, nitric, phosphoric, acetic, propionic, glycolic, lactic, succinic, maleic, fumaric, malic, tartaric, citric, benzoic, mandelic, methanesulfonic, hydroxyethanesulfonic, benzenesulfonic, oxalic, pamoic, 2-naphthalenesulfonic, p-toulenesulfonic, cyclohexanesulfamic, salicylic, saccharinic or trifluoroacetic acid. All pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt forms of the compounds of the present invention are intended to be embraced by the scope of this invention.
Polymorph crystal forms:
Furthermore, some of the crystalline forms of the compounds may exist as polymorphs and as such are intended to be included in the present invention. In addition, some of the compounds may form solvates with water (i.e. hydrates) or common organic solvents, and such solvates are also intended to be encompassed within the scope of this invention. The compounds, including their salts, can also be obtained in the form of their hydrates, or include other solvents used for their crystallization.
Prodrugs:
The present invention further includes within its scope prodrugs of the compounds of this invention. In general, such prodrugs will be functional derivatives of the compounds which are readily convertible in vivo into the desired therapeutically active compound. Thus, in these cases, the methods of treatment of the present invention, the term "administering" shall encompass the treatment of the various disorders described with prodrug versions of one or more of the claimed compounds, but which converts to the above specified compound in vivo after administration to the subject. Conventional procedures for the selection and preparation of suitable prodrug derivatives are described, for example, in "Design of Prodrugs", ed H. Bundgaard, Elsevier, 1985 and the patent applications DE 198 28 113, DE 198 28 114, WO 99/67228 and WO 99/67279 which are folly incorporated herein by reference.
Protective groups:
During any of the processes for preparation of the compounds of the present invention, it may be necessary and/or desirable to protect sensitive or reactive groups on any of the molecules concerned. This may be achieved by means of conventional protecting groups, such as those described in Protective Groups in Organic Chemistry, ed. J. F. W. McOmie, Plenum Press, 1973; and T. W. Greene & P. G. M Wuts, Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis, John Wiley & Sons, 1991, fully incorporated herein by reference. The protecting groups may be removed at a convenient subsequent stage using methods known from the art.
As used herein, the term "composition" is intended to encompass a product comprising the claimed compounds in the therapeutically effective amounts, as well as any product which results, directly or indirectly, from combinations of the claimed compounds.
Carriers and additives for galenic formulations:
Thus, for liquid oral preparations, such as for example, suspensions, elixirs and solutions, suitable carriers and additives may advantageously include water, glycols, oils, alcohols, flavoring agents, preservatives, coloring agents and the like; for solid oral preparations such as, for example, powders, capsules, gelcaps and tablets, suitable carriers and additives Include starches, sugars, diluents, granulating agents, lubricants, binders, disintegrating agents and the like.
Carriers, which can be added to the mixture, include necessary and inert pharmaceutical excipients, including, but not limited to, suitable binders, suspending agents, lubricants, flavorants, sweeteners, preservatives, coatings, disintegrating agents, dyes and coloring agents.
Soluble polymers as targetable drug carriers can include polyvinylpyrrolidone, pyran copolymer, polyhydroxypropylmethacrylamidephenol, polyhydroxyethylaspartamide-phenol, or polyethyleneoxidepolyllysine substituted with palmitoyl residue. Furthermore, the compounds of the present invention may be coupled to a class of biodegradable polymers useful in achieving controlled release of a drug, for example, polyactic acid, polyepsilon caprolactone, poly hydroxy butyeric acid, polyorthoesters, polyacetals, polydihydropyrans, polycyanoaerylates and cross-linked or amphipathic block copolymers of hydrogels.
Suitable binders include, without limitation, starch, gelatin, natural sugars such as glucose or betalactose, corn sweeteners, natural and synthetic gums such as acacia, tragacanth or sodium oleate, sodium stearate, magnesium stearate, sodium benzoate, sodium acetate, sodium chloride and the like.
Disintegrators include, without limitation, starch, methyl cellulose, agar, bentonite, xanthan gum and the like.
Peptide Sequences
The peptides mentioned and used herein have the following sequences:
Aβ(1–42):Asp-Ala-Glu-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-Val- His-His-Gln-Lys-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe-Ala-Glu-Asp-Val- Gly-Ser-Asn-Lys-Gly-Ala-Ile-Ile-Gly-Leu-Met-Val- Gly-Gly-Val-Val-Ile-Ala(SEQ ID NO: 1) Aβ(1–40):Asp-Ala-Glu-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-Val- His-His-Gln-Lys-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe-Ala-Glu-Asp-Val- Gly-Ser-Asn-Lys-Gly-Ala-Ile-Ile-Gly-Leu-Met-Val- Gly-Gly-Val-Val(SEQ ID NO: 2) Aβ(3–42):Glu-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-Val-His-His- Gln-Lys-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe-Ala-Glu-Asp-Val-Gly-Ser- Asn-Lys-Gly-Ala-Ile-Ile-Gly-Leu-Met-Val-Gly-Gly- Val-Val-Ile-Ala(SEQ ID NO: 3) Aβ(3–40):Glu-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-Val-His-His- Gln-Lys-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe-Ala-Glu-Asp-Val-Gly-Ser- Asn-Lys-Gly-Ala-Ile-Ile-Gly-Leu-Met-Val-Gly-Gly- Val-Val(SEQ ID NO: 4) Aβ(1–11)a:Asp-Ala-Glu-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-NH2(SEQ ID NO: 5) Aβ(3–11)a:Glu-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-NH2(SEQ ID NO: 6) Aβ(1–21)a:Asp-Ala-Glu-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-Val- His-His-Gln-Lys-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe-Ala-NH2(SEQ ID NO: 7) Aβ(3–21)a:Glu-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-Val-His-His- Gln-Lys-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe-Ala-NH2(SEQ ID NO: 8) Gln3-Aβ(3–40):Gln-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-Val-His-His- Gln-Lys-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe-Ala-Glu-Asp-Val-Gly-Ser- Asn-Lys-Gly-Ala-Ile-Ile-Gly-Leu Met-Val-Gly-Gly- Val-Val(SEQ ID NO: 9) Gln3Aβ(3–21)a:Gln-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-Val-His-His- Gln-Lys-Leu-Val-Phe-Phe-Ala-NH2(SEQ ID NO: 10) Gln3-Aβ(1–11)a:Asp-Ala-Gln-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-NH2(SEQ ID NO: 11) Gln3-Aβ(3–11)a:Gln-Phe-Arg-His-Asp-Ser-Gly-Tyr-Glu-NH2(SEQ ID NO: 12)

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Abstract: and combinations thereof for the treatment of neuronal disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease, Down Syndrome, Parkinson disease, Corea Huntington, pathogenic psychotic conditions, schizophrenia, impaired food intake, sleep-wakefulness, impaired homeostatic regulation of energy metabolism, impaired autonomic function, impaired hormonal balance, impaired regulation, body fluids, hypertension, fever, sleep dysregulation, anorexia, anxiety related disorders including depression, seizures including epilepsy, drug withdrawal and alcoholism, neurodegenerative disorders including cognitive dysfunction and dementia.


A ferromagnetic material can be formed in a very small size on the order of an atomic size and is capable of being stably magnetized. The ferromagnetic material comprises basic unit structures each consisting of a first atom (11), a second atom (12) of the same kind as the first atom (11), and a third atom (or atomic group) (13) of the same kind as the first atom (11) or of a kind different from that of the first atom (11). In each of the basic unit structures, the atoms are arranged on a surface of a substrate so that a chemical bond (14) is formed between the first atom or and the third atom or molecule, a chemical bond (14) is formed between the second atom and the third atom or molecule, a chemical bond or an electron path (15) not passing the third atom is formed between the first and the second atom.

The present invention relates to a ferromagnetic material having a wide range of application in technical fields, and magnetic apparatuses including high-density magnetic recording apparatuses and magnetic sensors and employing such a ferromagnetic material.
A ferromagnetic material is a substance having spontaneous magnetization, i.e., a substance having a finite magnetization intensity. Sometimes, a ferromagnetic material in bulk does not display any finite magnetization intensity. In such a state, the interior of the ferromagnetic material is divided into a plurality of regions, each of the regions displays magnetization of a finite intensity, and the directions of magnetization of the regions are different from each other. A small region in which spontaneous magnetization has a fixed direction is called a magnetic domain.
A ferromagnetic material is applied widely to various magnetic devices including various magnetic recording systems and magnetic sensors. Efforts have been made for the development of various ferromagnetic materials suitable for different purposes. In the field of magnetic recording, in particular, the reduction in size of magnetic domains and the realization of recording of a minimum unit by a smallest possible number of magnetic domains are important problems. Although a plurality of magnetic domains serve as a recording unit in current magnetic recording, it is desirable to use a single magnetic domain as a recording unit when all is said and done, and it is desirable to reduce the size of magnetic domains each for a recording unit.
A method of making a ferromagnetic material having small magnetic domains employing electron beam lithography is disclosed in, for example, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 76, pp. 6673-6675 (1994). This method forms a region of several tens nanometer square of magnetic atoms on a nonmagnetic substrate, i.e., a material not displaying ferromagnetism. It is reported in this paper that the region displays ferromagnetism in a single magnetic domain in some cases. Magnetic atoms are atoms which display ferromagnetism in single bulk, such as those of 3d transition metals including Cr, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni, and lanthanides including Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Tm.
A region of a ferromagnetic material of a size on the order of the foregoing size can be formed by depositing the ferromagnetic material on a nonmagnetic substrate with the probe of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) as mentioned in, for example, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 76, pp. 6656-6660 (1994).

Ferromagnetic material and magnetic apparatus employing the ferromagnetic material


Multiple input patches are received on an output media, which patches are characterized by print density representing a document processing system's response to different input grayscale values over a potential response space. Values associated with the print density of each input grayscale value are measured. Reference Engine Response Curves are determined from the measured print density values and input gray scale values. A variance data representative of a difference between each measured print density value and a respective reference Engine Response Curve is determined. The variance data is transformed into individual components. Based at least on one selected individual component, a set of calibration compensating Tone Reproduction Curves is determined. The determined calibration compensating Tone Reproduction Curves are applied to input grayscale values.

The following relates to printing systems. It finds particular application in conjunction with adjusting print uniformity for printing multiple halftones and will be described with the particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the following is also amenable to other like applications.
Typically, within the printing system, a digital image gray level value is passed as an input to an image processing module containing functions such as the Tone Reproduction Curve (TRC) for each of the separations. The Tone Reproduction Curve modifies the input gray level value in accordance with the rules determined typically during calibration such as during gray balance as described in Mestha, "Gray Balance Control Loop for Digital Color Printing Systems," identified below, and provides the modified gray level value to a marking engine. The Engine Response Curve (ERC) of the marking engine describes the printed density as a function of the modified gray level input provided to the marking engine by the Tone Reproduction Curve. An ERC can be constructed and updated at regular intervals during print runs while executing process control functions. One method for updating an ERC employs optical sensors to measure print density on a belt as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,313, identified below. Accordingly, the marking engine writes toner or ink on a print media at a density determined by the modified gray level. The System Response Curve (SRC), as used in the present application, is the relationship between the input gray level and the output print density.
To produce high quality prints, the printer is required to maintain a consistent System Response Curve over time and space. An ideal, robust marking engine would have an ERC or SRC that is stable over space and time. However, the performance of sub systems in the marking engine due to disturbances, such as various halftones, media type, and environmental zones, may vary. ERC variation over space may result in streaks, which are generally defined as variations in the print density image quality in the cross process direction. In addition, ERC variation over time may lead to page-to-page color shifts.
One approach to maintain a consistent System Response Curve is to use feedback control, in which the stability or uniformity over time is achieved by monitoring patches at selected grayscale levels. The Engine Response Curve is inferred over all halftone gray levels based on the monitored patches. The compensating Tone Reproduction Curve is derived and applied based on the inferred Engine Response Curve such that the overall System Response Curve is maintained. Likewise, stability or uniformity over space is achieved by monitoring the uniformity of strips at selected grayscale levels. The spatially dependent Engine Response Curve is inferred over all halftone gray levels based on the monitored patches. Spatially varying compensating TRC is applied based on the spatially varying ERC. However, typically, the marking engine prints more than one halftone. For example, the print job might require printing multiple halftones such as printing a coarse halftone for graphics and a fine halftone for photography. The magnitude of streaks is typically different for different halftones. Each halftone may have a different ERC. If only one halftone is monitored and the compensating TRCs are derived for only the monitored halftone, the compensation may not be adequate for other halftones.
In another approach, each halftone screen is printed and compensating ERC or TRC for each halftone is determined. However, since a typical printer prints a plurality of halftones, such approach is costly and time consuming in most applications.
There is a need for methods and apparatuses which overcome the aforementioned problems and others.

Methods and apparatuses for controlling print density


A system includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device includes a programmable region. The programmable region of the first communication device is programmed so that an associated signal includes a number of preamble cycles. The second communication device also can include a programmable region. The programmable region of the second communication device can be programmed so that an associated signal includes a number of preamble cycles. The number of preamble cycles can be based on a variety of factors, such as the topology or implementation of the system. In an embodiment, the number of preamble cycles is associated with a data strobe signal, and data is not read or written in response to the data strobe signal until all of the preamble cycles have been transmitted and received.

Various communication phenomena can affect the integrity of communicated signals in a digital communication system. For example, intersymbol interference (ISI) can compromise the integrity of transmitted data when communicating digital signals in a computing system. ISI can create overlap of individual signal pulses (or interference between symbol intervals) which tends to prevent reliably ascertaining changes of state between individual signal elements. For example, for a system with insufficient channel bandwidth, signal pulses can spread and overlap into adjacent pulse intervals and thereby cause ISI. Improper filtering of a signal pulse can result in the signal pulse spreading and overlapping into adjacent pulse intervals and thereby cause ISI. Additionally, signals transmitted over a communication path that has been in an idle or direct current (DC) state prior to signal transmission can suffer distortion due to characteristics of the path (e.g. the length of the path, proximity to other paths, etc.). At certain thresholds, these and other communication phenomena can compromise the integrity of the communicated data.


A multiple speed automatic transmission having eight forward speeds and one reverse speed is realized by combining two simple planetary gear sets and one compound planetary gear set by five clutches and two brakes. Power is delivered efficiently and fuel consumption is enhanced due to the increased number of speeds of the automatic transmission. Step ratios of the eight forward speeds can harmonized so as to gradually decrease from the lower gear to the higher gear, thus shift-feel is be enhanced. Additionally, hill climbing ability in the reverse speed is also enhanced by increasing the speed ratio of the reverse speed.

(A) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiple speed automatic transmission for a vehicle. More particularly, the multiple speed automatic transmission includes a gear train that has eight speeds.
(B) Description of the Related Art
A typical multi-stage gearshift mechanism of an automatic transmission includes a plurality of planetary gear sets. Such a plurality of planetary gear sets varies the torque of a powertrain in multi-stages and outputs the torque to an output shaft when receiving a converted engine torque from a torque converter. Power performance and fuel consumption of an engine generally increases with more speeds available in the powertrain. Therefore, it is desirable for powertrains to have as many speeds as possible.
Durability, power transmission efficiency, size, and weight of a transmission are substantially dependent on how the planetary gear sets are arranged, even in transmissions with the same overall number of speeds. Therefore, research to improve the structural strength, reduce power loss, and generate a more compact transmission package is continuously being conducted. Usually, development of a powertrain using planetary gear sets does not devise a wholly new type of planetary gear set. To the contrary, it invokes how single/double pinion planetary gear sets are combined and how clutches, brakes, and one-way clutches are disposed to the combination of planetary gear sets such that required shift speeds and speed ratios are realized with minimal power loss.
With respect to manual transmissions, too many speeds cause a driver the inconvenience of excessive manual shifting. However, for an automatic transmission, a transmission control unit automatically executes shifting by controlling the operation of the powertrain, and therefore, more speeds usually implies more merits. In addition to various developments regarding powertrains, powertrains of automatic transmissions realizing six to eight forward speeds and one reverse speed have recently been introduced.
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 the prior art that is already known in this country to a person or ordinary skill in the art.

Multiple speed automatic transmission for a vehicle


The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of raspberry plant named ‘Driscoll Estrella’. The new cultivar is distinguished from other raspberry cultivars by its yellow fruit color, fruit firmness, consistent fruit structure and high yield. The new cultivar is distinguished from its pollen parent by producing a higher yield of larger, firmer fruit with a brighter yellow color.

This invention relates to a new cultivar of raspberry called 'Driscoll Estrella'. The new cultivar of raspberry plant was developed from a single seedling selected from the hybridization of the selection Q481.7 (an unpatented variety) as the seed parent with the selection S826.3 (an unpatented variety) as the pollen parent. The parents were crossed in 1998, whereafter fruit and seed were collected to produce seedlings for field planting in Watsonville, Calif. in 1998. The new cultivar was selected from these seedlings in 2000 for its yellow color, productivity and flavor. The cultivar has been asexually propagated by in vitro shoot tip culture, root sucker division and root cuttings at the Cassin Ranch in Santa Cruz County, Calif. and has been shown to maintain the desired and distinguishing characteristics after propagation over several generations.

Raspberry plant named ‘Driscoll Estrella’


A body lotion applicator including a housing with a handle portion and a head portion. Further provided is a rotating lotion applicator assembly situated within the head portion of the housing including a lotion applicator pad. Also situated within the head portion of the housing is a driving motor adapted for effecting the rotation of the lotion applicator pad upon the actuation thereof. A battery is situated within the handle portion of the housing in electrical communication with the motor via a pair of wires for actuating the motor. Also provided is a mercury switch employed to allow actuation of the motor only when the applicator is situated upright.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a body lotion applicator and more particularly pertains to evenly applying body lotion with a rotating applicator pad which deactivates upon the inversion of the device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of lotion applicators is known in the prior art. More specifically, lotion applicators heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of applying lotion to various parts of a body are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, the prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,339 to DeForest et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,382 to Hull et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,111 to Arispe; U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,596 to Grace; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 310,270 to Bacal et al. and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 351,483 to Angeletta.
In this respect, the body lotion applicator according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of evenly applying body lotion with a rotating applicator pad which deactivates upon the inverting of the device.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved body lotion applicator which can be used for evenly applying body lotion with a rotating applicator pad which deactivates upon the inverting of the device. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A sealing member 10 for a valve 12 includes a body 14 defining a cavity 16 and, a resiliently deformable membrane 18 extending across a lower end 20 of the body 14. The membrane 18 is provided with an aperture 22 through which fluid can flow to enter the cavity 16. The valve 12 typically has an inlet 24, an outlet 26, and a seat 28 through which fluid must flow in order to pass from the inlet 24 to the outlet 26. The sealing member 10 is configured to seal against the seat 28. When the sealing member 10 is seated on seat 28 to at least partially seal the valve 12, fluid enters the cavity 16 through aperture 22 and, by action of fluid pressure in the fluid, forces the resiliently deformable membrane 18 against the valve seat 28 to further seal the valve 12.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sealing member for a fluid valve exemplified by, but not limited to, a water tap or a ballcock float valve, and to a valve closure member incorporating the sealing member for sealing a fluid valve.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional domestic water tap consists of a tap head threadingly connected to a tap body, the tap body including a water passageway having a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and a tap seat therebetween. A spindle provided with a handle at one end is threadingly retained within the head so that rotation of the spindle in opposite directions moves the spindle up and down (i.e., linearly) within the tap body. A washer assembly is typically received within a hole formed in an opposite end of the spindle and is arranged for seating on the tap seat. Thus, as the spindle is turned in opposite directions, the washer assembly can be moved up and down (i.e., linearly) into and out of contact with the tap seat to effect opening and closing of the tap. To this end, the washer assembly typically includes a resilient sealing member which is forced against the tap seat by the linear motion of the spindle to effect the closing of the tap.
This type of washer assembly and sealing member suffer from various problems. Because the sealing member is often pushed up hard against the seat it tears, splits or otherwise fractures and thus requires frequent replacement in order to prevent leakage from the tap. Further, the washer assembly provides a very rigid shut off of water flow and leads the production of water hammer.
The HYDROSEAL.TM. washer was invented with a view to overcoming the above problems. The HYDROSEAL washer is designed to retrofit to any conventional water tap in place of the normal washer assembly described above. The HYDROSEAL washer as described in Australian Patent Number 567174, consists of a stem formed together with a disc, the stem adapted to removably located within a bore of a conventional tap spindle. The disc has a circular-shaped recess in which a circular shaped plate is fixed. The circular plate is spaced from the walls of the recess so as to define an annular recess and circular channel in fluid communication with each other. The circular channel is trapezium shaped in cross section and configured to house an o-ring seal which protrudes from the disc and plate. The o-ring seal is designed to seat upon a tap seat on closure of the tap. The plate includes an aperture which allows water to flow into the annular recess and circular channel and thus force the a-ring seal against the tap seat. Thus, closure of the tap is assisted by water pressure.
While the HYDROSEAL washer functions adequately, it is reasonably complex in construction and therefore expensive. Further, the o-ring seal is relatively rigid and does not effectively seat upon uneven or rough tap seats.
Another type of valve, known as the ballcock float valve, is used to regulate the flow of mains water to a lavatory cistern. The ballcock valve includes a tube which is located within the cistern into which water entering the cistern flows. The tube at one end has a water outlet against which a plunger seats so as to open or close the flow of water to the cistern. The plunger includes a sealing washer which seats around a periphery of the water outlet. The ballcock float valve further includes a fulcrum member having a float connected at one end, the fulcrum member adapted at the other end to bear against the plunger so as to seat and unseat it from the water outlet. Frequent seating against the water outlet progressively wears and or deforms the sealing washer. When in this condition, the washer cannot completely seal against the water outlet and mains water slowly leaks into the cistern. This water then overflows into the toilet proper and is as wasted. Additionally, when the plunger is seated it compresses the washer which increases the volume of water held in the cistern for flushing, again leading to the wasting of water. To avoid this, the plunger or other components of the ballcock float valve require servicing or replacement.

Sealing member and a valve closure member incorporating same


A device is provided for sensing the condition of a pneumatic tire preferably of the type used on an automobile wherein the tire is mounted on a tire rim. The device comprises a housing, a band for mounting the housing to the tire rim, a sensor for monitoring the condition within the tire, circuitry operatively connected to the sensor for generating radio signals indicative of the tire condition, a power supply operatively connected to the circuitry, a centrifugal switch, and a receiver for receiving the radio signals. The centrifugal switch may be bypassed with the condition sensor switch to generate the radio signals when the pneumatic tire is stationary. Otherwise, the circuitry within the housing remains disabled until such time as the centrifugal switch senses a rotational frequency above a predetermined level. The circuitry is provided with a microcontroller operable between an active and a low power consumption mode wherein the battery comprising the power supply is conserved. A watchdog arrangement between the radio receiver and transmitter provides for a self-checking feature to alert an operator of the automobile of possible fault conditions such as low battery or circuit malfunction.

This invention relates to the art of abnormal tire condition warning systems and particularly to battery powered systems.
Both over and under inflated conditions in pneumatic tires are a cause for excessive tire wear resulting in premature tire failure. Moreover, such under and over inflated tire conditions can have an adverse affect on the efficiency of operations of the vehicle as to both performance or handling as well as vehicle fuel mileage. Since such conditions and results have been well known for quite some time, there have been many attempts to develop and provide means for automatically detecting and reporting them. Recently, development efforts for a practical and inexpensive device have become more concentrated due to the rise in fuel and tire costs as well as vehicle operation costs in general. Safety continues also to be an important consideration.
While there have been quite a number of prior devices developed and utilized for detecting tire inflation conditions, these prior devices have had structural or operational shortcomings rendering them undesirable or impractical for widespread use. While the specific prior devices may have been many and varied, many have required special wiring and the like extending from the wheel assemblies to the vehicle chassis and then through the vehicle body to the instrument panel. Such wiring adds undesired cost to the system and moreover, is extremely difficult and time consuming to install. Such installation time is particularly important when considered on the basis of installing the devices during original vehicle assembly for making them a part of the original vehicle equipment. Further, the necessary special wiring and associated equipment extending between the wheels and chassis are such that they are susceptible to damage or breakage from road materials, weathering, and the like encountered during normal vehicle use.
There have also been some prior art attempts at developing a detector apparatus self-contained in the wheel assembly to eliminate the necessity for wiring and the like such as the piezoelectric reed transducer power supply system as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,384,482 and 4,510,484. These devices, associated with a radio transmitter in the wheel assembly and a radio receiver for supplying information to the driver have proven to be effective, but still exhibit characteristics inherent to the piezoelectric reed generators such as slow energy start-up activation, relatively large unit size requirements, expensive costs, and potential variations between individual units. Each of these characteristics can lead to certain operational problems and provide for added costs for the overall system.
Still other systems have attempted to use a battery mounted in-wheel for supplying power to the transmitter. These systems, however, have suffered problems including the size of the battery and the associated operational life of the battery. A battery that could supply the needed energy was impractical due to its size and weight, and a battery with practical physical specifications lacked the energy storage capacity required to provide an adequate continuous service duration and other features often demanded of such a system. With the system being mounted in-tire, frequent battery replacement is very expensive when considering tire dismounting/mounting, wheel balancing, and the cost of the replacement batteries themselves.


A display device has drive circuits each having a logic gate for inhibiting the inputting of a data signal from a signal line when unselected and permitting the inputting of a data signal from the signal line when selected, based on a drive signal (select voltage) applied from a select line, a capacitor for holding the output of the logic gate when selected and outputting the held output as a control voltage, and a drive voltage generating circuit for generating a drive voltage for displacing the actuator based on the control voltage from the capacitor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device comprising a display unit which has an array of capacitive elements arranged at respective pixels and displaceable for turning on and off the corresponding pixels, and a drive unit which has an array of drive circuits arranged at respective pixels for driving the corresponding capacitive elements in response to input signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
The applicant of the present application has proposed a display device employing ceramic components as disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 7-287176, for example. As shown in FIG. 46 of the accompanying drawings, the proposed display device has an array of actuators 200 associated with respective pixels. Each of the actuators 200 has an actuator unit 208 comprising a piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 202, an upper electrode 204 mounted on an upper surface of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 202, and a lower electrode 206 mounted on a lower surface of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer 202, and a base body 214 comprising a vibrator 210 disposed underneath the actuator unit 208 and a stationary block 212 joined to the vibrator 210. The lower electrode 206 is held against the vibrator 210, which supports the actuator unit 208 thereon.
The vibrator 210 and the stationary block 212 are integrally formed of ceramics. The base body 214 has a recess 216 defined therein beneath the vibrator 210 so that the vibrator 210 is thinner than the stationary block 212.
A displacement transfer element 220 for providing a predetermined area of contact with an optical waveguide panel 218 is joined to the upper electrode 204. In FIG. 46, when the actuator 200 is in a normal state in which it is held at rest, the displacement transfer element 220 is positioned in the vicinity of the optical waveguide panel 218, and when the actuator 200 is in an energized state, the displacement transfer element 220 is brought into contact with the optical waveguide panel 218 by a distance equal to or smaller than the wavelength of light.
Light 222 is introduced into the optical waveguide panel 218 from a lateral end thereof, for example. The optical waveguide panel 218 has its refractive index pre-adjusted to cause all the light 222 to be totally reflected within the optical waveguide panel 218 without passing through front and rear surfaces thereof. When a voltage signal depending on the attributes of an image signal is selectively applied to the actuator 200 via the upper electrode 204 and the lower electrode 206 to hold the actuator 200 in the normal state or displace the actuator 200 in the energized state, for thereby controlling the movement of the displacement transfer element 220 into or out of contact with optical waveguide panel 218. Thus, dispersed light (leaking light) 224 from a given area, aligned with the actuator 200, of the optical waveguide panel 218 is controlled to display an image depending on the image signal on the optical waveguide panel 218.
The proposed display device is advantageous in that (1) the power consumption thereof can be reduced, (2) the illuminance of the display screen can be increased, and (3) when it is used in color display applications, it does not need to have more pixels than black-and-white display apparatus.
FIG. 47 of the accompanying drawings shows the above display device including peripheral circuits. The display device includes a display unit 230 having a matrix of pixels, and the peripheral circuits include a vertical shift circuit 234 from which there extend as many vertical select lines 232 as the number of rows of pixels, each of the vertical select lines 232 being shared by a number of pixels (a group of pixels) making up one row, and a horizontal shift circuit 238 from which there extend as many horizontal signal lines 236 as the number of columns of pixels, each of the horizontal signal lines 236 being shared by a number of pixels (a group of pixels) making up one column.
Display information (output voltage) outputted from horizontal shift circuit 238 to a group of pixels in a selected row is also applied to a group of pixels in unselected rows, resulting in the driving of unnecessary pixels (actuators). Therefore, the display device consumes an unwanted amount of electric energy, and is not suitable for low power consumption designs.
When all the rows are selected in a vertical scanning period, the display screen fails to produce images of high illuminance because the pixels emit light only in a period of time represented by (vertical scanning period/required number of selected rows).
As shown in FIG. 48 or the accompanying drawings, one solution would be to use horizontal shift circuits 238 associated with the respective rows. The solution, however, is disadvantageous in that the resultant circuit arrangement would be very complex.
The applicant has proposed a new display device in order to solve the above problems (see the International Publication No. WO98/54609).
As shown in FIG. 49 of the accompanying drawings, the proposed display device, denoted by 300, has a switching thin film transistor (TFT) 308 disposed in the vicinity of an actuator 306 which comprises a lower electrode 302b, a shape holding layer 304, and an upper electrode 302a that are disposed on a drive unit.
The upper electrode 302a of the actuator 306 and a source/drain region 310 of the TFT 308 are electrically connected to each other by a contact 312. A select line 314 and a gate electrode of the TFT 308 are electrically connected to each other by a contact 316. A signal line 318 and a source/drain region 320 of the TFT 308 are electrically connected to each other by a contact 322.
With the above arrangement, it is possible to lower the power consumption, increase the illuminance, and simplify the formation of interconnections of the display device 300 which employs the actuator 306 including the shape holding layer 304.
The actuator 306 has a capacitor structure having a pair of electrodes and needs to be energized under a high voltage with a large current because the electrodes have a large electrostatic capacitance. The TFT 308 used as a switching element has to be large in size in order to increase its withstand voltage and output current.
Therefore, the actuator 306 fails to provide a sufficient area for use as a pixel, or the pixel provided by the actuator 306 has a small aperture ratio.
If switching elements are constructed separately as an IC, then a number of interconnections need to be provided between a drive circuit which has as many switching elements as the number of pixels and a board on which actuators 306 are formed (actuator board). The proposal thus poses a new problem in that it is difficult to form interconnection patterns on the actuator board.