An arrangement is described for programming and debugging a microcontroller embedded into a system using a WiFi connection between the system and a host PC, rather than a wired connection. An optional additional monitor system collects event-driven data from the system which is compared to MCU code execution events to provide debugging information without interrupting the microcontroller.

It is increasingly popular to incorporate an embedded microcontroller unit (MCU) into devices and systems. Examples include household appliances (e.g. microwave oven, refrigerator, cordless phone, entertainment devices), automobiles (e.g. engine control, braking), medical devices (e.g. blood pressure, sugar measurement) and other devices to make them "smart" to add sophisticated functionality that cannot be achieved absent an embedded MCU.
The software or firmware for an MCU embedded into a "target system" can be quite complex and may be developed over time on one or more development computers (referred to herein as "host PC"). Successive versions of software or firmware are downloaded to a microcontroller, debugged, and revised until functionality goals are achieved. These present disclosure relates to the tools of the trade for programming/debugging. Typically, to download software/firmware or to debug it, a debug probe, connected to the host PC, is used to probe various nodes of a target system having an embedded MCU. The probe allows the person debugging to have full or at least partial control of the target system. Via the debug probe a developer can stop and restart the MCU of the target system, reset the MCU, read from and write to registers of the target system, read from and write to memory and peripherals of the target system, and set breakpoints for the software/firmware running on the embedded MCU.
The following references became known from one or more searches conducted in connection with a disclosure of the embodiments described herein. This patent document makes no assertion as to whether or not any particular reference constitutes "prior art" under the patent laws of the various jurisdictions for which patent protection is being sought. Copies are being provided in respective Patent Offices as part of an "Information Disclosure Statement" or equivalent in each jurisdiction.    U.S. Pat. No. 9,292,411 B2—Chuang, issued Mar. 22, 2016    U.S. Pat. No. 8,726,223 B2—Gamier et al., issued May 13, 2014    U.S. Pat. No. 8,656,361 B2—Bragdon et al., issued Feb. 18, 2014    U.S. Pat. No. 8,423,850 B2—Iwata et al., issued Apr. 6, 2013    U.S. Pat. No. 7,913,121 B2—Lou, issued Mar. 22, 2011    U.S. Pat. No. 7,669,064 B2—Johnson et al., issued Feb. 23, 2010    U.S. Pat. No. 7,506,313 B2—Bates et al., issued Mar. 17, 200    U.S. Pat. No. 7,412,633 B2—Kimelman et al., issued Aug. 12, 2008    US 2018/0004620 A1—Combs et al., published Jan. 4, 2018    US 2016/0292057 A1—Segger, published Oct. 6, 2016    US 2014/0215495 A1—Erich et al., published July 31, 2014    US 2017/0315175 A1—Grossier et al., published Nov. 2, 2017    US 2007/0226702 A1—Segger, published Sept. 27, 2007    US 2007/0011507 A1—Rothman et al., published Jan. 11, 2007    US 2006/0179374 A1—Noble, published Aug. 10, 2006    US 2003/0217306 A1—Harthcock et al., published Nov. 20, 2003    WO 2017/035236 A1—Dooley, published Mar. 3, 2017    CN 106324484    CN 203535469    CN 206546628    CN 201117006 Y    McGrew—Project MDDM, published Oct. 3, 2016    Specification Sheet Kinetis K66 Sub-Family; NXP Semiconductors
The use of a wireless connection for debugging a digital circuit is known. In this regard see US 2006/0179374 A1—Noble. Noble describes conducting a boundary scan for debugging a digital circuit. He describes a boundary scan interface configured to couple to a digital circuit. Nobel's system includes a first wireless port coupled to the boundary scan interface. A second wireless port is in wireless communication with the first wireless port for allowing bidirectional communication between the first and second wireless ports. The boundary scan debugging device is coupled to the second wireless port. The boundary scan debugging device includes a processor configured to conduct a boundary scan analysis of the digital circuit across the wireless connection between the first and second wireless ports. Boundary scan techniques and instructions for testing a digital circuit are set forth in a standard called "IEEE 1149."
Near field communication has been employed for programming and debugging electronic devices. In this regard, see WO 2017/035236 A1—Dooley, published Mar. 3, 2017. A near field communications (NFC) interface communicates with a microcontroller. An interface memory is configured to store data received from the external NFC device.
McGrew—Project MDDM, published Oct. 3, 2016, describes a hand-held device that allows a user to communicate wirelessly to display an instruction sent (by wire) to a device and its response. McGrew describes that his system can be used to aid in debugging.
It would be desirable to provide a more effective method and apparatus or system.

WiFi programmer and debugger for microcontroller and method thereof


A semiconductor single crystal manufacturing apparatus capable of lowering the local deterioration of a wire under high temperature atmosphere in the furnace of a chamber, wherein a crucible (24) in which silicon melt (28) is filled is installed in the furnace of the chamber (22), a pull-chamber (23) is disposed above the chamber (22), and a seed holder (32) lifting between the inside of the pull-chamber (23) and the inside of the furnace is suspended by a wire (50) through a coupling member (31). A collar (52) is fitted to the wire (50) so that, when the seed holder (32) is positioned to touch the melt, the exposed portion of the wire (50) near the tip thereof becomes a specified temperature or below under the high temperature atmosphere in the furnace.

Conventionally, for a substrate of a semiconductor device, semiconductor single crystal such as high purity single crystal silicon and compound semiconductors such as gallium arsenic have been used mainly. As one of the semiconductor producing methods, a CZ method (Czochralski method) which pulls up a cylindrical ingot from a material melt in a crucible is known.
The CZ method first charges a raw material in the crucible within a chamber of a semiconductor ingot manufacturing apparatus and melts the material by heating by a heater disposed around the crucible. Seed crystal attached to a seed holder is contacted to the melt, and the seed holder is pulled up while rotating the seed holder and the crucible in the same direction or opposite directions to grow a cylindrical ingot having a prescribed size. Then, the ingot is sliced to produce thin silicon wafers which are to be used for semiconductor integrated circuits and the like (e.g., see Patent Literature 1).
FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B) show a semiconductor ingot manufacturing apparatus according to the CZ method. FIG. 6(A) is an explanatory view of a state that the seed crystal attached to the seed holder is contacted to the melt, and FIG. 6(B) is an explanatory view of a state that the seed holder is pulled up to grow an ingot.
In FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B), a semiconductor ingot manufacturing apparatus 1 is provided with a bottom-closed cylindrical chamber 2 and a cylindrical pull chamber 3 which is erected from the top center of the chamber 2.
The chamber 2 has within its furnace a crucible 4 which is formed of quartz having a bottom-closed cylindrical shape with an open top and a rotation shaft 7 of which top end is fixed to the bottom of the crucible 4. The bottom end of the rotation shaft 7 is connected to a drive source (not shown) outside of the chamber 2, and it supports to allow the rotations of the crucible 4 within the chamber 2. A heater 5 which surrounds the crucible 4 is disposed around the crucible 4, and a heat insulating material 6 is disposed to surround the exterior of the heater 5 to prevent radiant heat of the heater 5 from being directly radiated to the inside wall of the chamber 2.
A winding device 10 for a wire 9 is disposed on the top of the pull chamber 3. A seed holder 12 is attached to the tip end of the wire 9 via a coupling member 11. The coupling member 11 hangs a hopper (not shown) for replenishing a raw material in charging and recharging steps and hangs the seed holder 12 to which the seed crystal is attached in a step of pulling up an ingot 13. A gate valve 14 for separating the interior of the pull chamber 3 into upper and lower sections is disposed close to the lower part of the pull chamber 3.
In the structure described above, the raw material is charged in the crucible 4 which is disposed within the chamber 2 and melted to prepare a silicon melt 8 by heating to melt the material by radiant heat of the heater 5 which is disposed to surround the crucible 4. Then, the seed crystal attached to the seed holder 12 is contacted to the silicon melt 8, and the ingot 13 is grown by pulling up the seed holder 12 by driving the winding device 10 while the seed holder 12 and the crucible 4 are rotated in the same direction or opposite directions.
Patent Literature 1:
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-261903

Semiconductor single crystal manufacturing apparatus


A FLASH memory is compatible with a standard EEPROM memory in terms of a write-by-page instruction with write protection. A circuit successively addresses one of the columns of a storage matrix in order to write a page previously stored in buffers, and the circuit addresses the writing of a protection bit after the writing of the page.

EEPROMs are memories that are electrically programmable and erasable by the tunnel effect (or Fowler Nordheim effect). These EEPROMs include memory cells comprising a floating-gate transistor and a selection transistor that is sometimes common to a group of cells forming a word. These are commonly used memories, and, accordingly, instruction protocols have been developed by manufacturers so that they can be mutually interchanged.
FLASH type memories are memories that are electrically programmable by hot electrons and electrically erasable by the tunnel effect. These memories are provided by storage cells comprising a single floating-gate transistor. The applications in which FLASH memories are used are often different from the applications in which EEPROMs are used. Moreover, FLASH memories are classically not compatible with EEPROM memories.
Since FLASH memories take up less space than EEPROM memories and can be programmed more speedily, the manufacturers of memories have conceived the idea of making a FLASH memory whose operation is compatible with that of a standard EEPROM. However, since the programming methods are different, adaptations are needed, causing certain problems to those skilled in the art.
The present invention pertains essentially to an instruction that is commonly used with EEPROM type memories. The instruction in question is a page-write operation followed by a write protection of the memory. According to the data books of the manufacturers of EEPROM type memories, the instruction is sent to the memory as follows: specific words are written at specific addresses, then the data elements of a given page are written, the page being defined as containing all the addresses of one and the same word line of the memory array. The writing of specific words at specific addresses defines the instruction.
By way of an example, FIG. 1 reproduces the standard sequence given by SGS-THOMSON MICROELECTRONICS for the memory marketed under the reference M28C64. This sequence is made for a memory with 13 address bits and 8 data bits. Since the addresses may vary according to the capacity of the memory, those skilled in the art can ascertain that the addresses always have the same form for the EEPROM type memories.
In an EEPROM memory, a microcontroller identifies the instruction sequence. Then the data elements to be written in the page are stored in buffer registers. When all the registers corresponding to a page have received a data element, the microcontroller starts a parallel write operation in all the cells of the word line and in a storage cell, conventionally called an SDP (for Software Data Protection) which indicates that the memory is protected and prohibits writing in the memory. The SDP cell is of same type as the memory cells providing the memory array, but is generally separate from the memory array. In EEPROM memories, a simple AND gate receiving the memory write command and a bit indicating the writing of the SDP are enough to carry out the programming of the SDP cell.
The transposition of this type of instruction to a FLASH type memory poses a problem to those skilled in the art. Indeed, programming by hot electrons requires greater energy than programming by the tunnel effect. Consequently, the parallel writing of all the data elements in the memory is unthinkable in a FLASH type memory. To write the data elements present in the various registers, a sequential write operation is used, programming the memory word by word. However, in this case it is no longer possible to manage the SDP cell in the same way as an EEPROM. An obvious approach may include using the microcontroller to program the SDP cell after having finished the writing of the page. Nevertheless, this approach is rather cumbersome and slows down the microcontroller.
It may be desirable to have a device for the writing of the SDP cell that enables the automatic writing of this SDP cell without the intervention of the microcontroller. It may also be desirable to use a microcontroller not very different from that used for an EEPROM, thus reducing the time needed to devise and finalize the microcontroller and its program.

Device for protection after a page-write operation in an electrically programmable memory


A method for displaying a message in a mobile terminal. The method includes selecting a message history option on an input unit of the mobile terminal, displaying a list of messages, and displaying a message type of at least one message included in the displayed list of messages.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and corresponding method for displaying types of messages created, sent and received on the mobile terminal.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Mobile terminals now provide many additional services beside the basic call service. For example, user's can now access the Internet, play games, watch videos, listen to music, capture images and videos, record audio files, etc. Mobile terminals also now provide broadcasting programs such that user can watch television shows, sporting programs, videos etc.
Users can also send and receive text and email messages using their mobile terminal. However, because the user often sends multiple text messages, emails, etc., it is difficult for the user to effectively manage messages they have created, sent or received on their mobile terminal

Method for displaying message of a mobile terminal and mobile terminal using the same


A certain preselectable region of a sample, for example, a disc or a volume component, is selectively excited in that the transverse magnetization of the desired region is phase-coupled by spin locking, while the spin coherences in the remaining spatial region are destroyed by phase relaxation. The thickness of the desired disc or the dimensions of the desired volume component can be varied by adjusting the amplitude of the spinlock pulse while the magnetic field gradients are kept constant. Comparatively low magnetic field gradients can be used. Even with such low magnetic field gradients, good spatial resolution can be achieved while reducing the energy of the radio-frequency excitation. Because of the relatively low energy irradiation of the material being investigated, the process is especially suitable for in vivo applications.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,850 (Sepponen) discloses a process for spatial determination of the relaxation time T.sub.1p in a rotating frame of reference. In this process, the sample is first irradiated with a .pi./2 pulse in order to generate a transverse magnetization, and then with a spin lock pulse at a 90.degree. angle to the .pi./2 pulse, both of the pulses being applied in the absence of gradients. The pulse application is followed by volume selection by means of applied gradients, and lastly by signal evaluation. The problem with this process is that strong radio-frequency and gradient fields are needed for layer- or volume-selective excitation. These strong fields are undesirable for in vivo applications.
The object of the present invention is to make available processes in which strong radio-frequency and gradient fields are not needed for layer- or volume-selective excitation of a sample for in vivo investigations, and in which it is possible to acquire a reliable and versatile signal from the region of interest.

Method for performing magnetic resonance spectroscopy or tomography in a preselectable region of a material


One exemplary embodiment involves receiving an input on a device, the input comprising at least one of an amount of pressure applied to the device against a computing device, a click of a physical button associated with the device, or a movement of the device against the computing device. The embodiment also includes transmitting the received input to the computing device via a wireless transceiver associated with the device. Additionally, the embodiment includes causing a plurality of actions to be performed on the computing device based at least in part on the received input.

Conventional touch screen computing devices have been configured to identify the positioning and/or movement of one or more fingers or other objects on or near touch surfaces of the devices. For example, touch screens associated with some touch computing devices have been configured for receiving input via finger gestures and to perform one or more functions in response to those finger gestures. Certain touch screen computing devices can receive input from stylus devices. A stylus is a writing, drawing, or pointing instrument or utensil that is generally configured to be hand held and, in the context of touch screen computing devices, used to interact with a touch surface. For example, touch screen computing device have identified input based on one end of the stylus moving on or near the touch surface of the computing device. Stylus have been used with personal digital assistant devices, tablet computing devices, smart phones, and other touch screen computing devices for handwriting, drawing, selecting icons, and providing other forms of input to such computing devices.


The invention relates to compounds of formula I

Schizophrenia is a progressive and devastating neurological disease characterized by episodic positive symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, thought disorders and psychosis and persistent negative symptoms such as flattened affect, impaired attention and social withdrawal, and cognitive impairments (Lewis D A and Lieberman J A, Neuron, 28:325-33, 2000). For decades research has focused on the "dopaminergic hyperactivity" hypothesis which has led to therapeutic interventions involving blockade of the dopaminergic system (Vandenberg R J and Aubrey K R., Exp. Opin. Ther. Targets, 5(4): 507-518, 2001; Nakazato A and Okuyama S, et al., Exp. Opin. Ther. Patents, 10(1): 75-98, 2000). This pharmacological approach, besides ameliorating positive symptoms in schizophrenic patients, poorly addresses negative and cognitive symptoms which are the best predictors of functional outcome (Sharma T., Br. J. Psychiatry, 174 (suppl. 28): 44-51, 1999). In addition, current antipsychotic treatment is associated with adverse effects like weight gain, extrapyramidal symptoms or effects on glucose and lipid metabolism, related to their unspecific pharmacology.
In conclusion there is still a need for developing new antipsychotics with improved efficacy and safety profile.

Abstract: wherein A1, A2, A3, B, R1, R2, R3 and R4 are as defined in the description and in the claims, as well as physiologically acceptable salts thereof. These compounds inhibit PDE10A and can be used as medicaments.


There is provided a measuring apparatus for measuring a signal-under-test, having a comparator for sequentially comparing voltage values of the signal-under-test with a reference voltage value fed thereto at timing of strobe signals sequentially fed thereto, a strobe timing generator for sequentially generating the strobe signals placed almost at equal time intervals, a capture memory for storing the comparison result of the comparator and a digital signal processing section for calculating jitter of the signal-under-test based on the comparison result stored in the capture memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a measuring apparatus and a measuring method for measuring a signal-under-test, a testing apparatus and a testing method for testing a device-under-test and an electronic device. More specifically, the invention relates to a measuring apparatus, a measuring method, a testing apparatus and a testing method for measuring jitters in the signal-under-test output from a device-under-test.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, there has been known a test for measuring jitter in a signal-under-test output from an electronic device such as a semiconductor circuit as an item for testing the electronic device. For example, jitter of such signal-under-test is measured by a time interval analyzer, an oscilloscope or the like by inputting the signal-under-test thereto. The time interval analyzer or the like allows such jitter to be calculated by measuring phase errors of edges of the signal-under-test for example.
There is known a function test for judging whether or not a pattern of a signal-under-test output from an electronic device coincides with a pattern of an expected value as an item for testing the electronic device. In this test, a testing apparatus detects a data pattern of the signal-under-test by comparing a voltage value of the signal-under-test outputted out of the electronic device with threshold voltage when a predetermined test pattern is inputted to the electronic device. Then, it judges whether or not the data pattern coincides with the pattern of the expected value.
It has been thus necessary to prepare the apparatus for measuring jitter and the apparatus for testing function in order to carry out the jitter in addition to function tests as described above. Therefore, it has been costly to carry out the jitter test.
Typically, a function testing apparatus compares the voltage value of the signal-under-test with the threshold voltage at preset timing. Therefore, it can detect the edges of the signal-under-test by shifting the comparison timing. It provides timing information when the data pattern of the signal-under-test transits bit by bit. It is then conceivable to measure jitter by utilizing this function, i.e., by using the apparatus for performing functional testing.
However, the conventional apparatus for functional testing is what sets sampling timing in a test rate synchronized with period of the signal-under-test. Therefore, it is necessary to set phase of the sampling timing for each test rate in order to gradually shift the relative phase of the sampling timing with respect to the signal-under-test within each test rate. It has been thus necessary to carry out the cumbersome timing setting in order to carry out the jitter test. Still more, its measuring accuracy has not been suitable for the test because the timing is shifted corresponding to the relative phase.
When jitter is measured by using an oscilloscope or the like, the signal-under-test to be input thereto contains amplitude noise components in addition to the timing noise component. Therefore, it has been difficult to accurately measure only the timing noise of the signal-under-test.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a measuring apparatus, a measuring method, a testing apparatus, a testing method and an electronic device, which are capable of solving the above-mentioned problem. This object may be achieved through the combination of features described in independent claims of the invention. Dependent claims thereof specify preferable embodiments of the invention.

Measuring apparatus, measuring method, testing apparatus, testing method, and electronics device


A system, medium and method of automatically discovering a wide area network optimized route is disclosed. A client request is received at a second optimization device to access a server. The second optimization device is of a second local area network with respect to a wide area network (WAN) and is configured to communicate with the server. A probe request is received at the second optimization device from a first optimization device of a first local area network. The probe request establishes an optimization route with the first optimization device. A probe response is sent to the first optimization device, wherein the probe response provides identifying information of the second optimization device. A paired relationship is established, wherein configuration information of the first and second optimization devices are exchanged. An optimization route based on the configuration information is exchanged between the paired first and second optimization devices.

Wide Area Networks (WANs) are designed to allow efficient network communications to occur among and between network devices in one or more Local Area Networks (LAN). In particular, WAN optimization devices are used to optimize data transfers over the WANs between a company's data centers or LANs. However, configuration complexities arise with regard to the WAN optimization devices when new network devices (e.g. servers) are added to, or removed from, one or more LANs. In particular, it is a significant burden to ensure that the configuration information of the network devices are up to date when network devices are added or removed.
What is needed is a system and method for automatically discovering wide area network optimized routes and devices.

System and method for automatically discovering wide area network optimized routes and devices


A composite synthetic mica powder having an excellent ultraviolet ray screening effect, the composite synthetic mica powder comprising a fine particle layer (B) containing one or more types of elements selected from the group of Te, Bi, Pb, Ce, Fe, Mo, Nb, W, Sb, Sn, V, Mn, Ni, Co, Zn and Ti is formed on the surface of scale-like mica particles (A). The covering ratio of particles (A) by particles (B) is in the range of 0.5 to 1; the ratio of particle size of the particles (B) to plane direction diameter of the particles (A) is 0.1 or less; and particle size of the particles (A) is 1 to 100 .mu.m. Also, a red synthetic mica which develops light-resistant red color closer to the color of human skin and ultraviolet rays, a method for manufacturing the same, and an ultraviolet ray screening agent which contains the synthetic mica. The synthetic mica is expressed by the following formula (I): EQU X.sub.1/3.about.1 Y.sub.2.about.3 (Z.sub.4 O.sub.10)F.sub.2.times.0.75.about.2.times.0.99 (I). where X represents one or more ions selected from the group of Na, K, Li, Ca, Rb and Sr; Y represents one or more ions selected from the group of Mg, Fe, Ni, Mn, Al, Li, Co, Ti and Zn; Z represents one or more ions selected from the group of Al, Si, Ge, Fe, B, Co and Ti; and at least one of Y and Z represents an iron ion; and the molar number of iron contained in the synthetic mica is 0.01 to 3 mols.

The present invention relates to composite mica powder and new red synthetic mica to be used as base material for paint, ink, coating agent, plastic, film, fiber, glass, and glaze, and also to an ultraviolet ray screening agent containing said mica powder.
Mica powder is used as a filling material for plastics and paint or as pigment for cosmetic products. Also, a mica product having interference color and with its surface covered with an oxide having high refractive index such as titanium oxide is known as "pearl mica".
On the other hand, as means for screening ultraviolet rays, methods are known such as a method for screening ultraviolet rays by scattering effect of particles and a method to absorb ultraviolet ray energy and to convert it to thermal energy. A typical example of the former is to use titanium oxide, and this is used as an ultraviolet ray scattering agent in cosmetic products, plastics, etc. As the material for the latter, an ultraviolet ray absorbing agent having benzophenone and the like as principal component is known. In addition, a large number of ultraviolet ray screening agents have been proposed. For example, there are composite oxides of metal such as aluminum and zinc (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 62-275182), zirconia particle containing cerium (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2-135275), etc. Also, an ultraviolet ray absorbing agent containing mica has also been proposed. For example, there is a product having nickel-containing synthetic mica as main component (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 58-19379), a product having synthetic mica containing Te and the like as main component (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 3-33179), etc. Also, an ultraviolet ray screening pigment has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 62-187770), which is covered with titanium oxide in such quantity that pearl luster due to interference does not virtually appear on mica surface.
On the other hand, mica has been widely used for cosmetic products because it has excellent transparent property, luster and high extensibility. In recent years, not only natural mica but also synthetic mica have been developed as an additive for cosmetic products (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 63-241072).
The mica powder of a conventional type has been used as scale-like particles of about 1 to 500 .mu.m after being pulverized by a dry or wet type pulverizing method. This conventional type mica powder is disadvantageous in that it can utilize only the heat-resistant and insulating properties of the mica powder. For this reason, the ultraviolet ray absorbing function is provided by giving interference color through adoption of a particle structure covered with titanium oxide as in the case of the pearl mica described above or by a method to replace the elements in mica with other elements through synthesis. However, the pearl mica covered with titanium oxide can give interference color, but it has no transparency specific to mica, or titanium oxide has poor resistance to light. The ultraviolet ray absorbing mica which contains specific elements does not have sufficient effect to screen ultraviolet rays.
In a ultraviolet ray screening agent, the ultraviolet ray scattering agent such as titanium oxide has excellent effect to screen ultraviolet rays while it impairs transparency of mica because it also scatters visible rays, and this is not suitable for the application where transparency is required. In case it is blended in cosmetic products, the white color is exaggerated and gives an unnatural impression. On the other hand, an organic type ultraviolet ray absorbing agent has outstanding ultraviolet ray absorbing potency within a specific wavelength range, but it has poor weatherproof property and lacks stability.
As natural mica, muscovite, phlogopite, and biotite are known, and these are grayish white to blackish brown in color. Mica can be synthesized by various methods, and it is known that mica haring an outstanding white color can be obtained from synthesis and that colored synthetic mica can be produced by coordinating colored elements in the crystal structure.
On the other hand, mica is widely used in cosmetic products because it has a high transparent property, luster and extensibility in use. In recent years, not only natural mica but also synthetic mica has been developed as an additive for cosmetic products. For example, the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 63-241072 discloses a synthetic mica powder, in which less fluorine ions are eluted and which has a low surface activity and a high oil impregnation properties.
As described above, mica has not been used widely because color cannot be given to it, and despite of its excellent property, only the properties such as insulating property or leafing property coming from its scale-like shape can be utilized. In the fields of paints, plastics, cosmetic products, etc., there are strong demands on a material, which is red in color and has ultraviolet ray screening effect to improve the durability of organic substances. To give red color, however, it is necessary to add a coloring agent such as an organic dye or iron oxide. Because organic dye has low resistance to light and iron oxide contains particles with high refractive index, it is likely to cause unevenness and impairs the transparency important to cosmetic products. On the other hand, an ultraviolet ray scattering agent such as titanium oxide or an organic type ultraviolet ray absorbing agent are used in cosmetic products to defend against ultraviolet rays. Although an ultraviolet ray scattering agent has excellent effect to screen ultraviolet rays, it also scatters visible rays. This leads to impairment of transparency and causes choking and whitening of cosmetic products. An organil type ultraviolet ray absorbing agent has outstanding ultraviolet ray absorbing potency within a specific wavelength range but has poor weatherproof property.


An efficient means for transmitting digitized return path signals over a cable television return path is disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, the cable television return path includes a node that receives an analog return signal from a subtree of the cable television system and generates a digital transport signal representative of the analog return path signal. The digital transport signal, however, is not a digitized form of the analog return signal. Rather, the digital transport signal is encoded such that fewer bits are used to represent the analog return signal without substantially impacting the accuracy and dynamic range of the signal. At the hub, the digital transport signal is decoded and converted to produce an analog signal that is a close approximation of the analog return signal.

Cable television systems (CATV) were initially deployed so that remotely located communities were allowed to place a receiver on a hilltop and then use coaxial cable and amplifiers to distribute received signals down to the town which otherwise had poor signal reception. These early systems brought the signal down from the antennas to a "head end" and then distributed the signals out from this point. Since the purpose was to distribute television channels throughout a community, the systems were designed to be one-way and did not have the capability to take information back from subscribers to the head end.
Over time, it was realized that the basic system infrastructure could be made to operate two-way with the addition of some new components. Two-way CATV was used for many years to carry back some locally generated video programming to the head end where it could be up-converted to a carrier frequency compatible with the normal television channels.
Definitions for CATV systems today call the normal broadcast direction from the head end to the subscribers the "forward path" and the direction from the subscribers back to the head end the "return path." A good review of much of today's existing return path technology is contained in the book entitled Return Systems for Hybrid Fiber Coax Cable TV Networks by Donald Raskin and Dean Stoneback, hereby incorporated by reference as background information.
One innovation, which has become pervasive throughout the CATV industry over the past decade, is the introduction of fiber optics technology. Optical links have been used to break up the original tree and branch architecture of most CATV systems and to replace that with an architecture labeled Hybrid Fiber/Coax (HFC). In this approach, optical fibers connect the head end of the system to neighborhood nodes, and then coaxial cable is used to connect the neighborhood nodes to homes, businesses and the like in a small geographical area.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a digital return path 100 of a prior art cable television system that uses conventional analog return path optical fiber links. As shown, analog return signals, which include signals generated by cable modems and set top boxes, are present on the coaxial cable 102 returning from the customer. The coaxial cable 102 is terminated at a node 110 where the analog return signals are converted to a digital representation by an A/D converter 112. The digital signal is used to modulate an optical data transmitter 114 and the resulting optical signal is sent over an optical fiber 106 to a hub 120. At the hub 120, the optical signal is detected by an optical receiver 122, and the detected digital signal is used to drive a D/A converter 124 whose output is the recovered analog return signals.
The analog return signals present on the coaxial cable 102 are typically a collection of independent signals. Some of these independent signals may have high peak values and some of the signals may be low level signals. To detect the low level analog return signals and to accommodate the high level analog return signals at the same time, an A/D converter with a large number of bits (e.g., a 10-bit A/D converter) is typically used in the node 110. In the United States, because the analog return signals are in the frequency range of 5 to 42 MHz, the sampling rate of the A/D converter is typically about 100 MHz. A 10-bit A/D converter operating at a sample rate of 100 MHz will output data at a rate of 1 Gbps. Therefore, optical transmitters and the optical receivers in an CATV optical link must be capable of transmitting and receiving optical signals at 1 Gbps or at a higher rate. Naturally, the costs of such high-speed optical equipment are high. Limits on the bandwidth of the optical equipment also restrict the number of analog return signals that can be bundled together for transmission on the same optical fiber.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a system and method for transmitting digital data on the CATV return path at a rate that is lower than a full rate without significant loss of performance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Efficient transmission of digital return path data in cable television return path


It is so arranged that an appropriate deadline is assured with little consumption of power. A register (24) for remaining transfer time senses time that remains up to a limit by which data is to be transferred. A register (25) for remaining amount of data transfer senses the remaining amount of data that is to be transferred. The clock of the processing module is changed over dynamically based upon the remaining time sensed by the remaining transfer time register (24) and the remaining amount of transfer data sensed by the remaining transfer amount register (25).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bus system and, more particularly, to an ideal bus system used in order that a bus master may transfer data to a bus slave via a bus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an example of the prior art, a plurality of bus masters are connected on a bus and each bus master transfers data to a bus slave connected to the bus (see the specification of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-243176). In this case, the general practice is such that a bus master outputs a transfer request to an arbiter (bus arbitration unit) on the bus and starts data transfer when permission to transfer is given by the arbiter. Further, a fixed priority scheme or round-robin scheme, etc., generally is used as the arbitration algorithm of the arbiter.
In bus arbitration based upon the fixed-priority or round-robin arbitration algorithm, however, it is difficult to assure a deadline required when each bus master performs a data transfer.
For example, even if a "sum of average bands" requested by each bus master within a certain prescribed time period falls within the range of a bus-allocatable band, the sum of bands requested by each of the bus masters may exceed the bus-allocatable band if attention is directed toward part of a time period within the prescribed time period.
In this case, with a simple arbitration algorithm such as the fixed-priority or round-robin arbitration algorithm, a problem which arises is that appropriate bus arbitration cannot be performed from the standpoint of assuring a deadline.
Furthermore, assume a case where there are hierarchically organized buses. If bus arbitration is performed by the simple arbitration algorithm, namely the fixed-priority or round-robin arbitration algorithm, for every hierarchical layer, then a bus master connected in a lower layer cannot always acquire the bus privilege preferentially in a higher layer. The problem which arises is that it is difficult to assure the deadline.
Further, a waiting state develops in a bus master having more transfer capability than necessary with respect to a deadline. In this case, a problem which arises is that power is consumed wastefully owing to supply of a clock even in the waiting state.


An apparatus for controlling the operation of power conditioners (10) for supplying the generated power to an external power system such as a commercial power system, in which power conditioners (10) are interconnected to an external power system, the power conditioners (10) are interconnected through information exchange means, at least one of the power conditioners (10) monitors the reverse power flow, and the power conditioners (10) exchange the monitor information with information of the other power conditioners (10), thereby equalizing the outputs of all the power conditioners (10). A generator (42) has armature windings (60), and an inverter circuit (13) of the power conditioner (10) provided for each of the armature windings (60) is controlled by cable or radio.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electric power system having a generator driven by an engine and power conditioners, and enabled to supply individual electric power generated by the generator and external electric power to load by connecting an output wire of the generator with an external electric power system such as a commercial electric power system through the power conditioners. Especially, it relates to operation control construction of the power conditioners, connection construction of inverter circuits of the power conditioners, and connection construction of multiple electric power systems.
2. Related Art
In recent, a gas cogeneration system attracts public attention as a kind of independent power generation systems. It is a system which provides electric power generated from fuel of natural gas, and recovers waste heat for heating water or the like.
The system comprises: a generator for converting fuel energy into electric energy; a electric power conversion device (an inverter circuit) for converting electric power from the generator into alternating-current power synchronized with an external electric power source such as a commercial electric power source; a protection device for detecting the abnormalities of the external electric power source; and a waste heat recovery device for recovering waste heat. A power conditioner is constituted by the electric power conversion device and the protection device.
When the electric power generated by the gas cogeneration system causes reverse power flow, the efficiency of power generation falls. Therefore, functions for detecting and preventing the reverse power flow are needed.
For increasing the capacity of an electric power system such as the gas cogeneration system, enlarging capacity of the inverter circuit poses a problem in respect of retaining the system compact. Then, it may be considered that multiple power conditioners (namely, multiple inverter circuits) are connected to the external electric power system.
However, when connecting multiple power conditioners (multiple inverter circuits) to the external electric power such as a commercial electric power system, all the power conditioners are required to detect the reverse power flow. Also, it is important to prevent inequality of output among the power conditioners, and to ensure a compact interconnection structure among the inverter circuits of the power conditioners simply and inexpensively.
Furthermore, when a plurality of the electric power systems are provided, it is necessary to equalize operation of the systems.

Power system having generator driven by engine


A system and apparatus for monitoring the status of loading dock equipment includes a control panel operatively connected to an input/output device which is operatively connected to a display device for displaying the status of at least some of the dock loading equipment. A method for monitoring the status of dock loading equipment is also provided. The method includes displaying the status of various dock loading equipment.

Loading docks located at warehouses and other places where cargo is on and offloaded from freight vehicles have a variety of equipment associated with them. For example, many loading docks have a garage-type door that provides security and protection to the interior of the warehouse from the elements. Loading docks may also be equipped with other equipment such as lights and a dock leveler.
A dock leveler is used to form a bridge between the surface of the loading dock and the bed of a freight vehicle. Often, freight vehicles such as tractor trailers have a bed located at a different height than the dock. Many dock levelers include a ramp that is hinged at one end that can be raised or lowered to match the level of the bed of the freight vehicle. At the free end of the ramp is a lip that pivots between a pendant position about perpendicular with the ramp and an extended position where the lip is substantially coplanar with the ramp. Often the lip is extended and then brought down by a means of lowering the ramp to allow the lip to rest on the bed of the freight vehicle, thus establishing a bridge between the loading dock and the bed of the freight vehicle.
Other common pieces of equipment associated with loading docks may include a vehicle restraint. A vehicle restraint may attach to either the frame of the vehicle itself, or it may involve a blocking device, such as a wheel chock, to hold the freight vehicle in place. These several pieces of equipment associated with the loading dock are often controlled by control panels that may be located within the warehouses themselves. The control panels may be unitary, in other words, may control all of the pieces of equipment, or be singularly dedicated to an individual piece of equipment. In other instances, a control panel may control a few pieces of equipment but not all of the equipment associated with the loading dock.
Larger loading docks may include several bays where each bay may be equipped with a door, a dock leveler, vehicle restraint, lights or other pieces of equipment. For a variety of reasons, it may be desirable to monitor the status of a piece of equipment at a loading dock. For example, it may be desirable to monitor whether a dock door is open or in a closed position, in what position a dock leveler is in, or whether or not a vehicle restraint is engaged with a vehicle.
In some instances, it may be desirable to keep records of the status of various pieces of equipment associated with the loading dock and establish the time in which the pieces of equipment were manipulated during normal loading dock operations. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus that monitors the status of various pieces of loading dock equipment and, in some instances, keeps or maintains a historical record of the status of loading dock equipment.

Loading dock monitoring system and apparatus


An apparatus includes structure defining a first hole that is characterized by an opening. A protuberance surrounds the opening and at least partially defines a concavity. A retention member is disposed within the concavity, and defines a second hole. The second hole has a first portion characterized by a first diameter and a second portion characterized by a second diameter. A threaded fastener has a flange characterized by a third diameter greater than the first diameter and less than the second diameter. The flange is disposed within the second portion of the second hole and between the first portion of the retention member hole and the first surface. Accordingly, the retention member retains the fastener in the concavity while permitting radial movement of the fastener.

Assembly of complex articles of manufacture, such as automobiles, often includes the connection of a preassembled first component to a second component. The connection may, for example, be accomplished using threaded fasteners, such as bolts or nuts. If bolts or nuts are employed, then the connection of the preassembled first component to the second component may involve manual insertion of the bolts or nuts into holes formed in the preassembled first component.


A process of molding a container closure comprises depositing a gob of thermoplastics material in a mold cavity and then moving mold plates in an upper mold portion relative to an opposing lower mold portion to form the container closure in the mold cavity.

The present disclosure relates to compression molding processes. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to compression molding of plastics materials to produce container closures.
Compression molding of plastics materials typically entails forming a portion of raw material into a molded end-product such as a household item, for example. Compression molding methods are used to form thermosetting and thermoplastic resins to produce articles such as closures for containers.


Multiposition valves are used for instance to interrupt a flow of pressure fluid that begins at a pressure source, such as a master cylinder, and leads to a consumer, such as a wheel brake. To that end, such multiposition valves have a valve seat, a valve seat closing body, an electromagnet which presses the valve closing body against the valve seat, and a valve opening spring, so that when the electromagnet is turned off, the valve closing body assumes an outset position spaced apart from the valve seat. To reduce noise production, especially when power is supplied in pulsed fashion to the electromagnet a further spring is provided that urges the armature in the direction of its outset position, so that when the valve opens, the armature can lead ahead of the valve closing body. The valve is advantageously usable in a hydraulic vehicle brake system where irritating noise production during operation is to be avoided.

German Patent Disclosure DE 43 36 860 A1 discloses a two-connection/two-position valve of the generic type involved here, known for short as a 2/2-way valve; it has a housing that has a longitudinal bore, a valve seat resting in the housing, a closing body associated having the valve seat, a tappet connected to the closing body and displaceable in the longitudinal bore, an opening spring engaging the tappet, an armature, oriented toward the tappet, for displacing the closing body enclosing the valve seat, and an electromagnet which has a magnetic coil. This 2/2-way valve is intended for installation in a hydraulic vehicle brake system and in particular in an anti-skid brake system for conditionally dependent variation of wheel brake pressures in wheel brake cylinders to avoid the danger of wheel locking. However, such a 2/2-way valve can also be used for arbitrary electrically controllable variation of brake pressure and for automatic variation of brake pressure, for instance to limit drive slip at drivable wheels by braking, or to generate wheel brake slip for the sake of side slip generation to change the driving performance of a vehicle equipped with it. As the name, two-position valve, indicates, the only positions this valve assumes are "open" and "closed". Because of the relatively small structural size of the 2/2-way valve and hence of its electromagnet, its armature directs the closing body to the valve seat lightning-fast, and conversely because of the short return time of the armature to its outset position, this 2/2-way valve is also opened very fast, resulting in the generation of irritating noise in the vehicle brake system. To counteract such irritating noise production, the 2/2-way valve of DE 43 36 860 A1 is assigned a damping device, which for instance as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a cylinder, a piston displaceable in the cylinder, and a damping spring acting on the piston. The cylinder has one connection on each of its ends; the first connection communicates with a first connection of the 2/2-way valve, and the second connection communicates with a second connection of the 2/2-way valve. If there is a flow through the normally-open 2/2-way valve so that the valve is closed lightning-fast, then the damper, by displacement of its piston counter to the force of its damper spring, absorbs kinetic energy from the flowing medium, thereby both limiting the rates of pressure change and limiting pressures, and thus lessening the sources of noise production. The high technological expense for the damper is a disadvantage.
Another 2/2-way valve, in accordance with German Patent Disclosure DE 40 35 817 A1, is provided with a hydraulic damper which has a piston and a check valve and which, on the opening of the 2/2-way valve by means of an opening spring, on the occasion of the displacement of the tappet together with the closing body, presents a speed-dependent resistance, and as a result limits the speed of displacement of the tappet and thus of the closing body. Such a damper, using a piston, is expensive, especially because it is necessary to manufacture a damper cylinder or damper cylinder bore with the smoothest possible surface. If the damper piston is equipped with a sealing sleeve, then a throttle in the wall of the damper cylinder is also needed, but its cross section is narrow and it can therefore tend to become soiled, thus causing perhaps excessively slow opening of this 2/2-way valve. That would lead to an overly low flow of pressure fluid per unit of time and hence to a slow buildup of brake pressure and a long vehicle braking distance. One advantage is that by the intentionally slowed opening of the 2/2-way valve, volumetric flows arise in delayed fashion, and as a result pressure changes caused by these volumetric flows are likewise delayed, which aids in avoiding disadvantageous noise development.

Electrically controllable valve, especially for installation in a hydraulic brake system of a vehicle


An LED lamp includes a heat sink having a base and a plurality of fins extending from the base. A plurality of LED modules is thermally attached to the base of the heat sink. A lamp frame surrounds the LED modules on the heat sink and is hermetically mounted to the heat sink. A lens is hermetically attached to the lamp frame and covers the LED modules. The fins includes a plurality of first fins extending from a first face of the base of the heat sink, and second fins extending from a second face of the base. The LED modules are located between the second fins. A pole has a top end engages with the lamp frame. The pole is used for mounting the LED lamp at a desired position, for example, a sidewalk of a street.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an LED lamp, and particularly to an LED lamp used as an outdoor street lamp.
2. Description of Related Art
LEDs are well known solid state light sources. An LED is a member for transferring electricity to light by using a theory that, if a current is made to flow in a forward direction in a junction comprising two different semiconductors, electrons and cavities are coupled at the junction region to generate a light beam. The LED has an advantage in that it is resistant to shock, and has an almost eternal lifetime under a specific condition; thus, when the LED is used in a lamp, it is intended to be a cost-effective yet high quality replacement for incandescent and fluorescent lamps.
An LED lamp generally requires a plurality of LEDs, and most of the LEDs are driven at the same time, which results in a quick rise in temperature of the lamp. Generally, since the lamps do not have heat dissipation devices with good heat dissipating efficiencies, operation of the lamps has a problem of instability because of the rapid increase of heat. Consequently, the light from the LED lamp often flickers, which degrades the quality of the illumination. Furthermore, the LED lamp is used in a high heat state for a long time and the life time thereof is consequently shortened.
When the LED lamp is used as a street lamp, it is inconvenient to give frequent maintenances to it because of special conditions in respect to the street lamp, for example, location and height of the street lamp and weather condition. Therefore, the LED street lamp needs to be constructed with a reliable heat dissipation capability and robust to withstand severe weather conditions.

Fu Zhun Precision Industry (Shen Zhen) Co., Ltd.


A multi-mode telephone, e.g., an enhanced cell phone, includes a battery powered telephone module and a POTS telephone module. The phone includes a telephone jack for coupling the phone to a landline. When connected through the landline, the phone includes a mode of operation in which the phone can be operated without any external AC power source and without using internal battery power, the power used being supplied via the POTS landline. The multi-mode phone may function as a lifeline in times of emergency, e.g., during power failures when cell phone calls cannot be completed. Other modes of operation include an enhanced landline mode using the phone's battery power to provide enhanced features such as, e.g., caller ID. If battery power is depleted in the enhanced landline mode, the phone reverts to a standard POTS phone, e.g., during an in progress call, requiring no battery power for continued operation.

Many telephones currently used in both the home and/or the office require AC power to operate. Such AC powered phones cannot derive dial tone if AC power is not present. Examples of such phones include cordless phones with an AC powered local base station, advanced feature phones including displays and accommodating such options as caller identification (ID), phones integrated with other devices, such as e.g., automated answering and/or automated call machines, and Internet Protocol (IP) phones. As consumers and industry have embraced these new AC powered phones, in many cases, these new AC powered phones have replaced older equipment, e.g., standard plain old telephone service (POTS) phones which are powered via a landline telephone line coupled to a Central Office and did not require an AC power source to operate. In many cases, a home or an office no longer has any standard POTS phones and now uses solely AC powered phones.
In the event of a power failure, e.g., due to a downed power line or transformer from a storm, due to a power station shutdown, or due to a terrorist act, homes or businesses using AC powered phones would be unable to make any calls out of or receive any calls into the residence or business, even though, in many cases, the landline phone lines to the residence or business would be still intact and fully operational.
Although many individuals now carry a personal cell phone, the cellular networks have limited capacity. In times of emergency, the number of individuals attempting to use their cell phones simultaneously may, and in many cases does, exceed the capacity, resulting in many individuals being unable to complete a call. In addition, cell phones coverage varies as a function of location. Cell phone coverage in offices and buildings is limited due to the problems associated with signal propagation. Individuals, e.g., trapped in a building, may be in a location of poor reception such as the interior of a building and be unable to complete a cell phone call. Also, in many instances, the cell tower and/or cell base station may have also lost power, rendering the cell phones within that cell useless.
Cell phones operate on batteries with limited energy storage capacity and require frequent recharges using AC power or battery replacement. In times of an extended local AC power outage, many cell phones may become inoperative due to depleted batteries.
In view of the above mentioned problems, it would be advantageous if cordless phones, e.g., cell phones, included a capability to function as a conventional POTS phone, requiring no AC power. It would be advantages if such multi-mode phones included battery monitoring capabilities and provided users with different options, e.g., options requiring no battery power and options using battery power and perhaps providing additional advanced capabilities.

Methods and apparatus for multi-mode telephone


A filtering assembly includes a container and a filtering cap which is connected to a connection end of the container. A flange extends spirally from an outside of the connection end and includes a positioning portion which is the longest section of the flange. The filtering cap includes an inner skirt and an outer skirt, wherein the inner skirt has a groove defined in an inside thereof the flange can be engaged with the groove. The groove has a positioning port which is the deepest portion of the whole groove. A plurality of bosses extend from an inside of the outer skirt. The positioning portion is engaged with the positioning port and the bosses are engaged with the wave-shaped ring when the filtering cap is located onto the container.

A conventional filtering assembly generally includes a filtering cap which is connected to a container and water enters the filtering cap and filtered and received in the container. The filtering cap includes horizontal flanges which are slidably engaged with grooves defined in outside of the opening of the container so as to connect the cap to the container. There are notches defined in the grooves and the flanges can be engaged with the notches to lock the cap onto the container. However, when locking the cap to the container, the user has to push the cap downward and press a seal ring so as to lock the cap on the container, this might not be convenient for some users. Before the flanges engaged with the notches, a reaction force is generated due to the gap between the flanges and the notches, the reaction force may reduce the force applied on the seal ring and leak may happen. The conventional way to connect the cap to the container does not provide obvious signal to the user when the cap is locked onto the container so that the user might stop rotating the cap before the cap is locked. The cap is not located at a fixed position relative to the container so that when the cap is locked, the relative position between the cap and the container may vary, and the instruction labels on the container cannot be positioned to face the user every time.
The present invention intends to provide a filtering assembly comprising a filtering cap and a container, wherein the filtering cap can be locked to the container with a click sound generated when the filtering cap is rotated to the locked position.

Connection between filtering cap and container


The present invention provides a lens having broadband anti-reflective nanostructures formed using nano-island masks and a method for making the same, in which nanostructures having a size and period equal to or smaller than the light wavelength are formed on the surface of a lens to obtain a lens having decreased reflectance, increased transmittance and high efficiency. The lens having broadband anti-reflective nanostructures formed using nano-island masks comprises: a lens having a planar shape or a predetermined curvature; and anti-reflective nanostructures formed on one surface of the lens using nano-island masks, in which the horizontal and vertical cross-sections of the anti-reflective nanostructures have a size equal to or smaller than the light wavelength.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens having broadband anti-reflective nanostructures formed using nano-island masks and a method for making the same, and more particularly to a lens having broadband anti-reflective nanostructures formed using nano-island masks and a method for making the same, in which nanostructures having a size and period equal to or smaller than the light wavelength are formed on the surface of a lens to obtain a lens having decreased reflectance, increased transmittance and high efficiency.
2. Description of the Related Art
As used herein, the term "microlens" refers to a lens having a diameter ranging from about 1 μm to a few mm. The microlens is used as an optical device in the fields of telecommunication devices, medical devices, optical sensors and photoelectric devices, which include connections between optical devices such as planar lightwave circuits (PLCs), laser diodes (LDs) and photodiodes (PDs). Such microlenses can be classified into gradient index lenses, spherical surface microlenses, array lenses, Fresnel lenses and the like, and are made by a method such as molding, ion exchange, diffusion polymerization, sputtering or etching.
In addition, the microlenses are necessarily used for the purpose of increasing the light-receiving efficiency of image sensors, such as CCD (charge coupled device) or CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor), by using the light-receiving characteristics of the microlenses. These microlenses are made by a thermal reflow or resist melting method based on the thermoplastic properties of polymer materials. The reflection of light resulting from the difference in refractive index between the microlens and air reduces the light-gathering efficiency of the microlens.
Generally, high-transmittance lenses having low reflectance compared to microlenses are made using anti-reflective coating. In a known method for making a high-transmittance lens, an anti-reflective film consisting of a multilayer structure of an oxide layer, a nitride layer and the like is formed on the surface of a microlens. The anti-reflective film serves to increase the light transmittance of an optical device while reducing the light reflectance.
However, this anti-reflective coating technology according to the prior art has shortcomings in that the anti-reflective film becomes mechanically unstable as temperature changes, it is difficult to find a coating material suitable for the intended use, and the cost of the coating material is expensive to increase the production cost. In addition, the method for forming the multilayer anti-reflective film has problems in that it requires a special medium having a very low refractive index and employs a complex process, and thus the overall efficiency of the process is reduced.
Accordingly, there has been an increasing demand for new technology for the above-described conventional anti-reflective coating technology, and according to this demand, technology for forming an anti-reflective structure was suggested as an alternative for the conventional anti-reflective coating technology. In other words, the technology for forming the anti-reflective structure has advantages over the conventional anti-reflective coating technology in that the anti-reflective structure can be made at a relatively low cost, can be used in a wider wavelength range and can provide anti-reflective effects over a wider incident angle.
Examples of conventional methods for forming this anti-reflective structure include a lithography-based method. However, this method has shortcomings in that much cost and time are required and it is difficult to form the anti-reflective structure over a large area on a spherical surface.
Thus, it is preferable to a novel method capable of making a plastic lens having an anti-reflective structure, which overcomes the problems of the above-described conventional lithography-based method and can produce the plastic lens in large amounts. However, an apparatus or a method, which satisfies all the above-described requirements, has not yet been provided.
Accordingly, the present inventors have conducted studies to develop a lens having decreased reflectance, increased transmittance and high efficiency, and as a result, have found that, when an anti-reflective layer having nano-structures is formed on the lens surface, a lens can be produced in a simple manner in large amounts, thereby completing the present invention.

Lens with broadband anti-reflective structures formed by nano island mask and method of making the same

KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)


A water station, or cabinet, or console, particularly for use in kitchens and in restaurant kitchens and in oriental restaurant kitchens, contains (i) a reverse osmosis system, and (ii) a sink. The water cabinet dispenses copious amounts of (i) water purified by reverse osmosis ("RO water"), as well as (ii) tap, or supply, water and (iii) waste water from the reverse osmosis (RO) process, respectively from three faucets in position over the sink. The cabinet is compact: it fits within the footprint of, and replaces, a conventional restaurant sink. The RO water purification performed by the RO system completely within the cabinet is water-conserving, typically producing RO purified water and waste water at a ratio as low as one-to one (1:1) by using an adjustable feedback path for waste water. Operational status is clearly visible. Maintenance is easy, with sediment filters replaceable on-line. RO purified water is supplied to external devices, including "rice robots" and auxiliary purified water storage tanks, by plumbed connections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally concerns the organization, packaging and optimization of reverse osmosis water purification systems, particularly for installation and use in kitchens, particularly including restaurant kitchens.
The present invention particularly concerns water stations, or cabinets, or consoles incorporating both (i) a reverse osmosis water purification system and (ii) a sink.
The present invention further particularly concerns a reverse osmosis system having both an atmospheric storage tank completely contained in a cabinet, and a pressurized auxiliary storage tank remote from the cabinet, for storing purified water.
The present invention still further particularly concerns a reverse osmosis system having quick-change sediment filters that are changeable while the system is operating.
2. Description of the Prior Art
2.1 An Increasing Need for Purified Water in Cooking, Particularly in Oriental Cooking, Particularly of Rice, Including in the Orient
As world population density and industrial activity simultaneously increase, ever greater amounts of ever more marginally impure water is required to be rendered potable for human use, including use in cooking, by water treatment. Even advanced industrial societies have been forced by ever increasing demands for potable water into the capture and use of marginal surface and subsurface waters that require extensive purification treatments. These treatments, most notably including chlorination, may impart a slight taint, or taste, to the water so treated. Although these treated waters are presently presumed safe for human consumption, they may impart a slightly undesirable taste to foods when used in cooking.
In some more affluent areas of the world, including in the United States, the use of bottled water both for cooking and for consumption by ingestion (i.e., drinking and the eating of re-hydrated foodstuffs) has become common in some areas, especially in those areas where local natural waters retain a pronounced taint even after treatment. According to the International Bottled Water Association based in Virginia, U.S.A., the United States national consumption of bottled water increased from 1.1 billion gallons in 1985 to 2.7 billion gallons in 1995. The consumption is, however, regionally very uneven. California alone consumed 788.2 million gallons of bottled water in 1995. Some consumption of bottled water is attributed to motivations, such as fashion, other than (i) necessity, (ii) taste, or (iii) health. However, there is ample evidence that at least a wealthy society (such as the U.S.) will sometimes, and in some places, pay handsomely for pure water, even to the astronomical levels (in California, U.S.A., circa 1996) of paying twice as much for a liter of water as for a liter of gas.
Appreciation of pure water is not limited to wealthy, nor to occidental, societies. Indeed, western, or occidental, cuisine is generally not so water intensive as is oriental cuisine, especially such oriental cuisine as is based on the consumption of rice. It will, of course, be recognized that a greater portion of the world's people subsist primarily on rice than on any other grain. In particular, more than fifty liters (50 l.) of water may be used in the preparation and cooking of a single (one) kilogram of rice. Other major oriental foods such tea, soups and tempura batter also use large amounts of water. This copious use of water in the preparation of rice, and of other foods, in oriental cooking effectively precludes any cost-effective usage of bottled water.
Nonetheless to a lack of any appreciable use of bottled water in the home and commercial kitchens of the orient, it has as of late been recognized that the quality of municipal waters in the major cities of, for example and most notably, Japan has, despite water treatments of the most advanced order producing water of undisputed safety for human consumption, presently arrived at a level where taste components of treated water can at least be detected (if not directly tasted, or distinguished, or identified) in cooked foods, notably rice. The Japanese, in particular, are very fastidious about the quality of their rice, paying significantly premium prices for the finest grains. It is obvious that the taste of even the finest rice can be impaired if the rice is cooked in water that imparts any undesired tastes.
According to the recognition that the cooking of rice could be improved, at least in selected areas of present day metropolitan Japan, by the use of purer water, Mr. John Lai of Tokyo, Japan, has reportedly proceeded to the investigation of, and to the filing(s) of the application(s) for patent(s) on, improved methods for the cooking of rice using, at least in part, water that is purified by process of reverse osmosis.
It has been, in particular, the insight of Mr. Lai that the first washing of uncooked, natural, rice should transpire with purified water--such as is preferably obtained by process of reverse osmosis conducted on municipal supply water. A normal second and third washings of the rice then preferably transpire by use of only normal, tap, water or, at most, by use of filtered tap water. Finally, the washed rice is preferably cooked in water that is again purified by process of reverse osmosis.
The utility in using purified, reverse osmosis, water ("RO water") in the first and last steps is to both initially, and finally, permeate the rice grains with the purest water available. Intermediary steps are less critical, and are suitably conducted with tap water (or filtered tap water) to avoid the water wastage attendant upon the production of purified water by process of reverse osmosis.
The rice so washed and cooked is reportedly of a detectably better quality than is rice washed and cleansed solely by the use of municipal, tap, water (at least in certain areas of Japan where tens if not hundreds of millions of people live and eat). The superior quality of this rice is of particular concern to (Japanese) restaurants, which understandably wish to compete for their discriminating clientele by offering cooked rice--a universally-recognized and appreciated basic food--of the best quality possible.
Preliminary indications are that the clientele of at least one Tokyo restaurant operated by Mr. Lai may have ratified their approval of rice prepared with water purified by process of reverse osmosis in a most profound way: they eat more of it. Indeed, indications are that the ratio of the restaurant consumption of rice prepared with purified water to rice not so prepared is unexpectedly high (at least in Tokyo, Japan), and may be as high as several times greater.
Additionally, there have been unexpected indications that some foods prepared with purified water, notably tempura batter, may have a longer usable life, and may correspondingly be prepared in larger batches with increased efficiency, when made with purified water. Food chemistry is complex, and it is uncertain as to what effect is being observed, and to what magnitude and consequence, during the use of purified water particularly in oriental cooking. However, it goes without saying that few, or no, recipes call for the intentional addition of calcium carbonate, or other metals and minerals removed from water by reverse osmosis, to foods during cooking. It therefore makes some sense, which is presently in process of investigation, that the use of pure water may have unexpected beneficial consequences (other than just taste) to the preparation of food.
Nonetheless to the desirability of using water that is purified by reverse osmosis in the (i) washing and (ii) cooking of rice in Japanese restaurants, use of reverse osmosis (RO) water incurs at least two challenges. First, the total amount of water used in the preparation of one liter (1 l.) of rice by partial use of purified RO water is even higher than the normal large amount. Commonly ten liters (10 l.) of purified, RO, water plus eighty liters (80 l.) of tap water, or a total of ninety liters (90 l.) of municipal water, are used in the washing and cooking of each liter (1 l.) of rice. Second, the home and restaurant kitchens of Japan are exceedingly small by occidental standards, and there is scant room for the installation of any reverse osmosis water purification system having the desired capacity.
It will be recognized that the challenges of volume delivery of pure water, and accommodation to existing restaurant kitchens, that may be most acute in oriental kitchens are not limited to these kitchens. Indeed, occidental cuisine can also benefit from the use of pure water in cooking, and space is also at a premium in existing occidental restaurant kitchens which are generally compactly laid out (as are oriental kitchens) for reasons of operational efficiency.
2.2 A Desirable Integration of A Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System Into the Crowded Kitchens of, Inter Alia, the Orient and Japan, and, in Particular, Into the Existing Kitchens of Oriental Restaurants, Is Challenging
The reverse osmosis system of the present invention will be seen to be unique for being suitably retro-fitted to existing kitchens, particularly restaurant kitchens and more particularly the crowded kitchens of oriental restaurants including as exist, inter alia, in the orient, and most notably in Japan.
The biggest problem faced with installing any new equipments, including reverse osmosis system equipments, in such existing oriental kitchens is space. As the awareness for the need for water purification in the Japanese restaurant industry grows, the motivation of restaurant owners and operators to install a reverse osmosis water purification system is expected to increase to considerable levels. However, the installation of a restaurant RO system is often strongly limited by the existing physical constraints of the restaurant's kitchen, and of its plumbing (and, to a lessor extent, its electrical wiring). Even should room for a RO system be found in a restaurant kitchen, access to the installed RO system for purpose of maintenance must be provided.
It will momentarily be seen the present invention adopts a usage, particularly in restaurant applications, of the existing volume, and of a part of the "air space", normally occupied by the kitchen sink. Every kitchen must have a sink to wash hands, rinse vegetables, wash pots and pans, etc. It will momentarily be seen that, in accordance with the present invention, a RO water purification system and a sink are combined to accomplish both the (i) water supply, including a purified water supply, and the (ii) sink, needs of a restaurant kitchen.
It will momentarily further be seen that the unique design of the combined sink and RO system of the present invention will, while performing a substantially normal process of water purification by process of reverse osmosis, occupy as much as six to eight cubic feet (6-8 ft.sup.3) less volume than would normal RO system equipments. Such normal RO system equipments would include, as separate parts, any of (i) one or more sediment filters, (ii) one or more carbon filters (of wall mount or of floor mount design), (iii) one or more reverse osmosis membranes, (iv) a purified water storage tank (either atmospheric or pressurized), and (v) a RO water delivery system. Any RO system must also include piping or tubing to connect all of the component pieces together so as to make the RO system functional.
The preferred embodiment of a combined (i) RO water purification, and (ii) sink, system of the present invention will momentarily be seen to realize, by very judicious and creative tight packaging, both the functions of (i) pure water supply, and (ii) used water evacuation, in a single cabinet. The preferred cabinet does not, by and large, take up any more nor any additional floor space, and occupies but only modestly more volume, than is presently occupied by a restaurant sink and its associated plumbing and support structure. The water station, or cabinet, or console, of the present invention can typically be installed into the existing volume of a sink, particularly the typically large sink of a restaurant.
2.3 A Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System Integrated Into a Kitchen Would Desirably Not Waste Water
A reverse osmosis water purification system integrated into an oriental restaurant kitchen would normally be used to produce copious amounts of purified water, typically up to eight hundred gallons (800 gal., or 3061 liters) per day. Such a system would desirably not waste water. Wastage of water is, by and large, a function of two different criteria: 1) how much water it takes to make each unit volume of the purified, RO, water, and 2) any usage that is made, or that can be made, of the RO waste water.
Considering the first criteria, the RO system in accordance with the present invention will momentarily be seen to employ such a diversion of waste water back into the purification cycle as ultimately supports a very high ratio of one to one (1:1) between the produced purified RO water and the waste water. Although such a "re-circulation" path is known, its (i) components, and (ii) required plumbing, in the system of the present invention are to some degree in tension with the requirement of the system to be packaged as extremely compactly as is possible.
Considering the second criteria, a RO water purification system must normally flow connect across an air gap (as is mandated both by plumbing codes and by good plumbing practices) to a drain for the evacuation of waste water. It will momentarily be seen that the RO system in accordance with the present invention will, when installed in the space conventionally occupied by a sink, suitably use the existing drain connection (as well as the incoming water supply) of the sink. This usage will, however, present certain challenges that have, as will shortly be seen, to do primarily with the prevention of any back-up of effluent into the RO system.
The rewards of routing RO waste water to the sink are, however, very great. The RO waste water can readily be used for things like thawing fish, thawing frozen products, rinsing vegetables, etc. It will be seen that, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is sufficient merely to turn on a faucet valve on a console, or cabinet, in order to divert RO waste water into a sink for the above, and for other, purposes. Indeed, even the RO waste water will already have been filtered throughout both a sediment filter and a carbon filter, and--although containing such heavy materials as will not pass through an RO membrane--this "waste" water remains eminently useful for the above applications.
2.4 Integration of A Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System Into the Kitchen of the Future
It is desirable that a new embodiment of a reverse osmosis system suitably retro-fitted to existing kitchens, including the kitchens of restaurants, should be susceptible of integration with other equipments, and future equipments, of the kitchen. A new kitchen reverse osmosis water purification system should, as a minimum, be highly compatible with such other kitchen equipments as may required either the purified water or, more rarely, the waste water, that is produced by the RO system.
An example of such a device is the relatively new so-called "rice robot" for use in the kitchens of oriental restaurants. These "rice robots" are free-standing electrically-operated high-volume rice preparation and cooking appliances of considerable size and sophistication. They typically cost some tens of thousands of dollars U.S. each, circa 1996.
A "rice robot" typically serves to impeccably cleanse and cook successive batches each of some several liters of rice as is appropriate for, among other mass food service applications, oriental restaurants. Such modern (circa 1996) "rice robots" are sold, for example, by Kubota of Japan as models KR4501S and KR7201S. A very large, and economically significant, number of these units have reportedly been sold, reportedly more than twenty thousand (20,000).
These "rice robots" use the full normal amount of water required in the cleansing and cooking of rice. In accordance with the explanation in the preceding section 2.1 that this water should in certain portions of the process desirably be purified water, these modern machines are desirably suitably flow connected to the RO purified water supply of a modern (oriental) kitchen water station, or cabinet, or console. They are so connected in accordance with the present invention.
Yet another requirement for kitchen-wide integration of water services involves the occasional desire, or necessity, to store more purified RO water than may possibly be contained within such a (necessarily) small storage tank as is contained internally within the cabinet of a water station that fits within the modest volume of a wink--as will seen to be the case with the water station cabinet of the present invention. Accordingly, some accommodation of a modern kitchen water station to storing purified, RO, water in an auxiliary, remote, storage tank would be desirable.
It will momentarily be seen that the RO system in accordance with the present invention has a sophisticated in-unit, and external, water delivery system. From a storage tank built into the unit (in a position that will be seen be under a sink, and inside a cabinet), purified RO water will be seen to be deliverable out of either of two flow ports to any of a variety of other equipments and/or applications. For example, one of the output purified water ports can be routed to an additional pressurized storage tank for providing a backup supply of purified RO water, or for keeping additional water on hand in order to support more and/or different uses of the purified RO water.
2.5 Water Purified by Reverse Osmosis Substantially Alleviates the Precipitation of Calcium Deposits Onto Equipments Using the Purified Water
The aforementioned "rice robot" suffers greatly from calcium deposits precipitated from heated water. Similarly, steam tables, ice machines, steamers, proofing ovens and similar kitchen, restaurant and food service appliances--particularly as may use heated water, and as are predominantly used in the occident--are also subject to unsightly, and potentially functionally deleterious, deposits of calcium carbonate, or lime, from (heated) water.
Water purified by reverse osmosis substantially alleviates the precipitation of calcium deposits onto equipments using the purified water. Accordingly, the selective use of purified water in a kitchen offers advantages to machine function as well as to human taste.
2.6 A Kitchen Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System Would Desirably be Fool-Proof in Safety of Operation, Highly Reliable, and Easily Maintainable
It will momentarily be seen that the RO system in accordance with the present invention is operator-friendly, clearly indicating its operational status while being simply and straightforwardly controlled. The system is intrinsically safe not only in the RO process performed, but also in strict avoidance of any failure modes that might serve, as an ultimate negative consequence, to produce any output water (waste water as well as purified water) that had somehow been rendered unsafe, such as from an occurrence of bacterial growth.
Finally, the water station in accordance with the present invention will be seen to be highly maintainable. The preferred system will shortly be seen to have, for example, dual sediment filters with a diverter valve assembly. During processing water passes through a sediment filter which, after a period of time, gets dirty and clogged, slowing the flow of water. The RO water station and system in accordance with the present invention then permits, when the sediment filter gets dirty or clogged, that a valve between the two sediment filters should be manually turned, switching the system on-line to a clean sediment filter. The dirty sediment filter may then be changed without shutting down the system, and while the system remains running.

Compact water-conserving kitchen water station with sink for supplying copious purified water, particularly for restaurants


Rare earth alloy powder having an oxygen content of 50 to 4000 wt. ppm and a nitrogen content of 150 to 1500 wt. ppm is compacted by dry pressing to produce a compact. The compact is impregnated with an oil agent and then sintered. The sintering process includes a first step of retaining the compact at a temperature of 700° C. to less than 1000° C. for a period of time of 10 to 420 minutes and a second step of permitting proceeding of sintering at a temperature of 1000° C. to 1200° C. The average crystal grain size of the rare earth magnet after the sintering is controlled to be 3 μm to 9 μm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rare earth magnet and a method for manufacturing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a high-performance rare earth sintered magnet manufactured of rare earth alloy powder having a reduced oxygen content.
2. Description of the Related Art
An R—Fe—B rare earth magnet (R is at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of yttrium (Y) and rare earth elements) is mainly composed of a major phase made of an R2Fe14B tetragonal compound, an R-rich phase including a rare earth element such as Nd in a large proportion, and a B-rich phase including boron (B) in a large proportion. The magnetic properties of an R—Fe—B rare earth magnet are improved by increasing the proportion of an R2Fe14B tetragonal compound as the major phase in the magnet.
At least a minimum amount of the R-rich phase is necessary for liquid-phase sintering which is a necessary process for forming sintered rare earth magnets. Since R reacts with oxygen to generate an oxide R2O3, R is partly consumed prior to the sintering. Therefore, to compensate for the amount consumed by the oxidation, an additional amount of R is conventionally required. The oxide R2O3 is generated more vigorously as the amount of oxygen is greater. In view of this, it has been attempted to reduce the concentration of oxygen in an atmosphere in which R—Fe—B alloy powder is produced to suppress generation of the oxide R2O3, and to thereby reduce the relative amount of the R in the finally manufactured R—Fe—B rare earth magnet and thus improve the magnetic properties of the magnet.
The amount of oxygen in R—Fe—B alloy powder used for manufacture of an R—Fe—B magnet should preferably be small, as described above. However, no attempt to reduce the amount of oxygen in R—Fe—B alloy powder for improving the magnet properties has been realized as a mass production technique, for the following reason. If R—Fe—B alloy powder is produced in a controlled environment of a low oxygen concentration so that the amount of oxygen in the alloy powder is as low as 4000 wt. ppm or less, for example, the powder may vigorously react with oxygen in the atmosphere (the air), causing the possibility of ignition in several minutes at room temperature.
Hydrogen processing for milling provides good production efficiency compared with mechanical milling using a ball mill, for example. However, when magnet powder produced by the hydrogen processing is used for manufacture of a magnet, the resultant magnet tends to vary in magnetic properties (coercive force among others) depending on the sintering conditions. In particular, the variation in magnetic properties is significant when the amount of oxygen in the sintered body is as small as 4000 wt. ppm or less and the total amount of the rare earth element in the magnet is comparatively small (e.g., 32 wt. % or less).
Therefore, while it has been recognized that the amount of oxygen in R—Fe—B alloy powder should desirably be reduced for improving the magnetic properties, in reality, it is extremely difficult to handle R—Fe—B alloy powder having a reduced oxygen concentration in a production site such as a plant.
In particular, the risk of ignition is high during a pressing or compacting process in which powder is compacted with a press. In this process, the temperature of a compact rises due to heat generated as the result of friction among powder particles during compaction and as a result of friction between powder particles and the inner sidewall of a cavity of the press during ejection of the compact. One possible technique for prevention of ignition includes placement of the press in an environment of a non-oxygen atmosphere. This placement is however impractical because supply of the raw material to the press and retrieval of the compact from the press are difficult in such a non-oxygen environment. The occurrence of ignition may also be avoided if individual compacts are immediately sintered when they are ejected from the press. This is, however, an extremely inefficient process, and thus not suitable for mass production. A sintering process takes four hours or more, and it is reasonable that each sintering process is carried out against a lot of compacts at the same time. In addition, in mass production facilities, it is difficult to manage compacts in an environment of an extremely low oxygen concentration through a series of processing steps from pressing to sintering.
A liquid lubricant such as fatty ester is often added to fine powder before the pressing process to improve compressibility or formability of the powder. By this addition of a liquid lubricant, thin oily coatings are formed on the surfaces of powder particles. Such coatings however fail to sufficiently prevent oxidation of the powder having an oxygen concentration of 4000 wt. ppm or less.
For the above reasons, a slight amount of oxygen is intentionally introduced into an atmosphere in which an R—Fe—B alloy is milled, to thereby oxidize thin surfaces of finely milled powder particles and thus reduce the reactivity of the powder. In an example of such a technique, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-6728 discloses a process in which a rare earth alloy is finely milled under a supersonic inert gas flow containing a predetermined amount of oxygen, so that during the milling a thin oxide coating is formed on the surfaces of fine powder particles produced by the milling. According to this technique, since oxygen in the atmosphere is blocked by the oxide coatings on the powder particles, occurrence of heat generation/ignition due to oxidation is prevented. Note, however, that with the existence of the oxide coatings on the surfaces of the powder particles, the amount of oxygen contained in the powder increases.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,343 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-321451 disclose another technique where R—Fe—B alloy powder having a low oxygen content (for example, 1500 ppm) is mixed with mineral oil or the like to obtain slurry. Since powder particles in the slurry are kept from contact with the atmosphere, occurrence of heat generation/ignition is prevented while the oxygen content of the R—Fe—B alloy powder is kept low.
This conventional technique has the problem that after the R—Fe—B alloy powder in the slurry state is filled in a cavity of a press, the oil must be squeezed out during the pressing process. This reduces productivity. Further, conventional methods for manufacturing a rare earth magnet have the problem that crystal grains tend to become coarse during sintering. The magnet properties (coercive force) therefore fail to be improved sufficiently even when magnet powder having a low oxygen concentration is used.

Rare earth magnet and method for manufacturing the same


A new and distinct hybrid of Lungwort plant named Pulmonaria ‘Spot On’ characterized by silver spotting on medium green foliage, purplish-pink to salmon-pink flower buds on dense, upright, highly branched stems, that open into purplish-blue campanulate flowers in dense panicles. The new plant has silver spotting on the upper side of both basal and cauline. The plant also show excellent vigor and the foliage has good mildew resistance.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Pulmonaria and given the cultivar name of 'Spot On'. Pulmonaria is in the family Boraginaceae. The new cultivar originated from a self-pollination of the unnamed proprietary hybrid with the breeder code 13-125-10 (not patented) on Apr. 15, 2015 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich.
The new plant was initially asexually propagated at the same nursery in the summer of 2016 by division of the rhizome and followed by plant tissue culture of the shoot tip. The plant was assigned the breeder code of 15-12-1 through the evaluation process. The original plant and all propagules have shown themselves to be stable and true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation by division at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and also through shoot tip tissue culture.