Disclosed is a flat fluorescent lamp, including a back substrate, a front substrate made of a transparent material and mounted on the back substrate through a sealing member disposed therebetween, a plurality of partitions disposed between the back and front substrates to define a discharge channel therebetween, a fluorescent material layer coated along a surface of the discharge channel defined by the partitions, a plurality of electrodes disposed to both the back substrate and the front substrate to cause a dielectric barrier discharge, and a reflective layer to cover the entire back substrate and upper portions of the electrodes disposed to the back substrate. In addition, a backlight unit is provided, including the above flat fluorescent lamp, a light diffusion part spaced from a top of the front substrate of the flat fluorescent lamp to diffuse light irradiated from the flat fluorescent lamp, an insulating layer disposed under the reflective layer of the flat fluorescent lamp through a first adhesive layer, and a base member disposed under the insulating layer through a second adhesive layer. Such a backlight unit is advantageous in improvement of uniform characteristics of luminance and supplement of durability of the lamp upon combination of the lamp and the base member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to flat fluorescent lamps and backlight units using the same, and more specifically, to a flat fluorescent lamp having an electrode structure to cause a dielectric barrier discharge, and a backlight unit using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a flat display device is classified into a light-emitting type and a light-receiving type, in which the light-emitting type display device includes a cathode ray tube, an electron light-emitting device, a plasma display panel, etc., and the light-receiving type display device is exemplified by a liquid crystal display.
However, the liquid crystal display per se has no a light-emitting structure, and cannot display an image unless light is externally irradiated. Thus, an additional light source, for example, a backlight unit, is mounted to display the image.
Such a backlight unit acts to diffuse light irradiated from a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) through a light plate and a diffusion plate, or may diffuse light by exciting a fluorescent material through ultraviolet rays by use of a flat fluorescent lamp.
With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a conventional flat fluorescent lamp. Such a fluorescent lamp 10 includes a back substrate 11, and a front substrate 12 mounted at predetermined intervals to the back substrate 11 through a sealing member 13, whereby a discharge channel is formed between the back and front substrates 11 and 12. In addition, a fluorescent material layer 16 is formed to a bottom surface of the front substrate 12, and discharge electrodes 14 are formed in a predetermined pattern to a top surface of the back substrate 11 corresponding to the fluorescent material layer 16. Further, a dielectric layer 15 is formed on the back substrate 11 to embed the discharge electrodes 14 therein. In the discharge channel, a discharge gas, such as xenon (Xe), neon (Ne), etc., is filled.
The conventional flat fluorescent lamp 10 is structured to cause a surface light emission by exciting the fluorescent material layer 16 through ultraviolet rays generated by a surface discharge of the electrodes, according to the application of a power to the discharge electrodes 14.
However, since the conventional flat fluorescent lamp mainly employs an inert gas, such as xenon (Xe), neon (Ne) or Xe—Ne, as a discharge gas, it has an alternating voltage as high as 2 kV that is applied to the discharge electrodes 14, and a light efficiency as low as 30 lm/W or less. Hence, with the intention of obtaining large quantities of light, the discharge channel of the above lamp 10 should be enlarged and an operation power should increase, resulting in increased power consumption. In addition, since the used discharge gas is inert, the fluorescent material layer 16 is excited by ultraviolet rays of 147 or 173 μm. Consequently, the above fluorescent lamp is disadvantageous in terms of using an expensive fluorescent material, instead of a mass-produced fluorescent material for ultraviolet rays of 254 μm.
On the other hand, a typical flat fluorescent lamp using mercury has a long serpentine type discharge channel, in which electrodes are disposed to a staring point and an ending point of the discharge channel. Thereby, relatively large electrical current flows in the discharge channel, and mercury can be easily evaporated, thus realizing the high efficiency of a mercury discharge.
However, as the discharge channel becomes longer, a voltage required to initiate the discharge increases. In cases of increasing the discharge voltage, the lamp may suffer from unstability, current leakage and electronic wave problems. Further, a flat fluorescent lamp is large-sized in recent years, due to the use of a large liquid crystal display, whereby there is necessary a drastically lengthened serpentine channel. Hence, it is impossible to realize a circuit required for such a discharge voltage.
To solve the problems, Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2001-0079377 discloses a flat fluorescent lamp and a manufacturing method thereof.
The disclosed manufacturing method of the flat fluorescent lamp includes heating a flat glass plate to predetermined molding temperatures, molding the heated flat glass plate by use of a mold processed to have a plurality of discharge channels separated by partitions and communicated with discharge paths, to prepare a molded flat glass plate having discharge channels, removing the molded glass plate from the mold, slowly cooling the molded glass plate, coating a fluorescent material to the insides of the discharge channels of the molded glass plate, followed by a burning process, attaching the glass plate to a front cover through a seal paste, removing air from the insides of the discharge channels of the glass plate, introducing a discharge gas into the discharge channels, sealing exhaust ports of the discharge channels, and mounting electrodes to apply high frequency power to the discharge channels.
As for the above method, the electrodes used for the application of the high frequency power are inner electrodes mounted to the insides of the discharge channels or are disposed along the entire longitudinal lengths of both lateral surfaces of the discharge channels.
Although such a flat fluorescent lamp is difficult to fabricate because of molding the heated glass plate to define the discharge channels, it has no problems related to the application of the high voltage to the electrodes. However, crosstalk between the discharge channels may occur, due to a strong discharge in a specific discharge channel among the discharge channels or severely shaking discharge plasma.
This is because discharge charges are easily moved through the inner surfaces of apertures of the electrodes and thus the discharge charges crowd in the discharge channel which relatively easily causes the discharge.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. Sho. 60-216435 discloses a flat fluorescent lamp, in which partitions are alternately disposed in a zigzag shape in a chamber having a closed space to define a serpentine discharge channel. Further, electrodes are disposed to both ends of the discharge channel, and fluorescent material layers are formed on the top and bottom of the discharge channels. However, such a flat fluorescent lamp suffers from drawbacks, such as non-uniform luminance, due to weak light emission at an edge of the discharge channel, requirement of a high discharge voltage, and easy deterioration of the electrodes.
In Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei. 09-092208 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,903,096 and 5,509,841, there is disclosed a planar light source having a serpentine channel defined by partitions. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,841 discloses a metallic body having a serpentine channel.

Flat fluorescent lamp and backlight unit using the same


A bus bar module (1) includes: a first module body section (3) provided with an output terminal installation section (13); a second module body section (5) detachably attached to the first module body section; an output terminal cover (19) provided to the first module body section using a hinge section (21), and configured to cover an output terminal; a cover latch section (23) provided to the output terminal cover; a cover latching section (27) to which the cover latch section of the output terminal cover is fastened; and a reinforcing section (31) configured to come into engagement with the output terminal installation section when the second module body section is installed on the first module body section, and configured to prevent deformation of the output terminal installation section.

A bus bar module 307 has been known which, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, includes a resin case 301 and a cover 303, and is installed and used in a battery assembly 305 (see PTL 1).
A door section (an opening and closing section) 311 is provided to the cover 303 of the bus bar module 307 by use of a hinge section 309. A latch hole 313 is provided to the door section 311. A latch claw 315 is provided to the resin case 301.
The door section 311 turns pivotally around the hinge section 309. When the door section 311 is closed (see FIG. 13), an electrode 317 is covered with the door section 311. When the door section 311 is opened (see FIG. 4), the electrode 317 is exposed to the outside.
Leaving the door section 311 opened makes it easy to connect a cable from an external apparatus to the electrode 317, and to maintain the battery assembly 305. Leaving the door section 311 closed, meanwhile, covers the electrode 317 and thereby prevents dust and the like from being attached to the electrode 317.
While the door section 311 is closed, the latch claw 315 is in engagement with the latch hole 313 of the door section 311. By the engagement, the door section 311 can be fixed and kept closed.
PTL2 can be also cited as a document related to the conventional technique.


A method for determining the sensitivity of an analog output node of a mixed-signal module on a system on a chip (SoC) to noise coupling on the analog input nodes of the mixed-signal module includes (i) selecting an IP block for testing, (ii) selecting the output node, (iii) compiling a list of input nodes for testing, (iv) for each input node of the list, providing excitation signals at different frequencies, (v) for each provided excitation signal, determining the output node's noise sensitivity, and (vi) if any individual and/or cumulative noise sensitivity result exceeds a preset threshold, then modifying the SoC design to take corrective action.

The present invention relates to integrated circuit (IC) system design and, more particularly, to identifying noise coupling among input/output (I/O) nodes of the components of the IC.
A System on a Chip (SoC) integrates, onto a single chip, several distinct functions, such as processing and memory that previously may have been implemented in distinct chips, such as a processor chip and a memory chip. A typical SoC includes a microprocessor module, a memory module, and one or more additional modules that may include, for example: timing sources such as oscillators or phase-locked-loop (PLL) circuits, interfaces, converters such as analog-to-digital (ADC) or digital-to-analog (DAC) converters, and power regulators. Some of these modules such as, for example, some PLLs and converters, use both digital and analog components and signals and are consequently referred to as mixed-signal modules. Digital components are generally clock-signal activated and include components such as logic gates and registers. Analog components are continuously active and include components such as capacitors and resistors.
Mixed-signal modules have input and/or output (I/O) nodes and may be particularly sensitive to noise coupling from the effects of switching activity by digital circuits on nearby analog circuits. Note that, as used herein, a module's I/O nodes include interfaces with any other module-external components, whether on-chip SoC components or off-chip components. A typical SoC includes a plurality of modules with densely laid out interconnections that interact in complex ways. This makes the SoC vulnerable to unintentional noise couplings and/or noise injections among the various modules' I/O nodes and lines. Reducing noise couplings would help make for more reliable SoCs.
Note that ICs may be said to comprise intellectual property (IP) blocks, which are also called IP cores. IP blocks refer to defined, designed, verified, and reusable IC building blocks. An IP block can refer to an entire module, such as, for example, a processor on an SoC, or to a portion of a module. IP blocks may be at any one of multiple levels of abstraction—similar to the way software blocks may be in pseudo code, source code, object code, executable code, or various other levels of abstraction. Correspondingly, IP blocks may be described as soft, firm, or hard. Soft IP blocks are typically in the form of netlists or hardware description language (HDL) files, and are fairly flexible in terms of physical implementation details. Hard IP blocks have predefined and detailed physical parameters for the components and are generally specific to a particular foundry. Firm IP blocks are in between hard IP and soft IP and have some predefined physical parameters, but are configurable to an extent.
It would be advantageous to be able to measure or test the mixed-signal modules of an SoC design for noise sensitivity due to cross-coupling.

Identifying noise couplings in integrated circuit


An electromagnetic interference (EMI) gasket for an electronic module comprises a valley feature formed on one side of an EMI gasket and a crown feature formed on the other side of the EMI gasket in order to complement the valley. One or more EMI gaskets are used to construct a shield across the opening of a module cage or rack. Each gasket forms a link in a series of modules, in order to complete a seal across the opening in the cage. A perpendicular pressure forces the module gaskets to center and align evenly as the crown and valley of the opposite features nest together. The modules can be then pressed together and the overlap of the crown and valley acts to center the alignment and create a pressure for satisfactory EMI grounding and the reduction of EMI leakage.

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) involves the introduction of unacceptable amounts of electromagnetic energy into an environment due to the presence of electrical devices and equipment. For example, a desktop or a laptop computer chassis may include many micro-electronic components that perform various electrical-based tasks. In such devices, electromagnetic energy is typically radiated due to the electrical switching operations of the components. Accordingly, the radiated electromagnetic energy may significantly degrade the performance of other devices, if the radiated electromagnetic energy is permitted to be introduced into a common environment.
EMI is physically related to the transmission and reception of electromagnetic energy. The radiation of the electromagnetic energy to the receiver may cause the receiver to act in an undesired and often unpredictable manner. EMI shielding is often utilized to reduce or eliminate the effects of EMI. Such shielding involves the placement of an electromagnetic shield or EMI shield between an EMI source and potential EMI receivers. The electromagnetic shield may be provided in the form of a continuous metal sheet. The electromagnetic shield may adopt alternative forms such as a perforated metal sheet that permits thermal radiation. The electromagnetic energy emitted by a source propagates as an electromagnetic wave. The electromagnetic wave is partially absorbed by the EMI shield. Accordingly, the intensity of the electromagnetic wave can be attenuated or reduced and the EMI effects upon receivers are lessened.
The design of an electromagnetic shield significantly impacts its effectiveness in reducing the intensity of the electromagnetic wave associated with the EMI. For example, a gap or seam in an electromagnetic shield can result in EMI leakage. Another problem associated with sheet metal EMI shields is that such components cannot easily accommodate different separation tolerances and minimum compression requirements throughout the EMI shield. Accordingly, EMI gaskets are utilized to prevent gaps or seams from causing EMI leakage. EMI gaskets are conductive media designed to provide for a flexible connection between two electrical conductors used as EMI shields.
EMI gaskets can be selectively placed to reduce any slots, seams, or other discontinuities between the EMI shields to prevent EMI leakage. EMI gaskets are used to maintain shielding effectiveness by proper seam treatment. It is the effect of these seams and discontinuities, in general, which accounts for most of the leakages in an enclosure design. The shielding effectiveness of a seam is dependent upon the materials, contact pressure, and surface area. Deviation from the appropriate compression force may either allow EMI leakage or damage the EMI gasket.
In an effort to address the foregoing difficulties, a continuous metal to metal contact can be provided using a valley feature on one side of EMI gasket and a crown feature on the opposite side that complements the valley. It is believed that the implementation of such a method can reduce EMI leakage and maintain a good EMI grounding.

Self-aligning electromagnetic interference gaskets for customer removable modules


A method is provided for processing an image. The method comprises identifying one or more contours or surfaces in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image generated from a set of projection data. The set of projection data is differentially processed based on the identification of those data points that largely define one or more contours or surfaces. An enhanced image set is reconstructed from the set of processed projection data.

The present invention generally relates to the field of image reconstruction in computed tomography (CT) systems and more particularly to a method and apparatus for reducing artifacts in image data generated by computed tomography systems.
CT scanners operate by projecting fan-shaped or cone-shaped X-ray beams from an X-ray source. The X-ray source emits X-rays at numerous angular positions relative to an object being imaged, such as a patient, which attenuates the X-ray beams as they pass through the object or patient. The attenuated beams are detected by a set of detector elements, which produce signals representing the intensity of the incident X-ray beams. The signals are processed to produce data representing the line integrals of the attenuation coefficients of the object along the X-ray paths connecting the X-ray source to the detector elements. These signals are typically called "projection data" or just "projections". The individual attenuation values in a given projection are typically referred to as data points. By using reconstruction techniques, such as filtered backprojection, useful images may be formulated from the projections. The images may in turn be associated to form a volume rendering of a region of interest. In a medical context, pathologies, specific physiological regions, or other structures of interest may then be located or identified from the reconstructed images or rendered volume. In non-medical contexts, otherwise inaccessible items or structures, such as items within a bag or package, may be observed and/or studied.
Reconstructed images in CT systems often exhibit a blurring of structures in the direction of the radiation beams that were used to acquire the projection data. Volumetric images obtained with most reconstruction methods exhibit artifacts; such artifacts can be due to high-contrast structures in the imaged volume. These artifacts make image interpretation and visualization steps difficult. The artifacts associated with an imaged structure vary depending on the orientation of the structure with respect to the acquisition geometry and the opacity of different features within the structure, such as long straight edges or areas of high X-ray attenuation. Therefore, the blurring of structures, or edges between structures, may create undesirable image artifacts and inhibit the separation of structures in the reconstruction of the imaged volume.
Different filtering techniques are used during reconstruction of the volumetric images to try to minimize or eliminate artifacts and enhance area definitions that represent features of interest in the three-dimensional structure. A filter is selected for processing the projection data prior to the backprojection. Depending on the filter chosen, either the spatial resolution or contrast sensitivity can be enhanced, at the expense of degrading the other. Contrast sensitivity is a measure of the ability to detect a region in a reconstructed image with a density value that is slightly different from the surrounding background in the presence of noise. For example, an increase in spatial resolution through filtering will result in a decrease in contrast sensitivity, and vice-versa. A further limitation of this approach is the selection of a single filter for the backprojection of all projection data, without regard for changes in features or surfaces throughout the imaged volume. Typically a filter, referred to herein as a standard filter, is used which represents a balance between spatial resolution and contrast sensitivity. An improved filtering technique for dealing with subtle contrast changes between features, i.e. improved contrast sensitivity, without compromising spatial resolution is in certain cases desirable. Alternatively, an improved filtering technique for increasing the spatial resolution for selected regions, without compromising contrast sensitivity, may be desirable.

Geometry-dependent filtering in CT method and apparatus


A bird feed holder for a bird cage, the holder comprising a plate, a clip for supporting the plate within the cage, a mechanism for securing a bird treat to the plate, and a shield on the plate for preventing waste separated from the treat from leaving the cage.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to bird feed holders, and particularly to bird feed holders for use in a bird cage.
2. Related Prior Art
As a popular feed for birds, millet comes in a variety of forms. While commonly sold loose as seed, millet is also sold as a bird feed in various molded shapes such as bells, pine cones and elongated "honey sticks". Loose millet can be molded into such solid forms by mixing the millet with an edible adhesive, such as dextrose syrup. Sprays of millet, i.e. bunches of seed still attached to its stem, are also used as a feed for birds. Molded millet and sprays of millet are especially popular as a feed for caged birds and are commonly known as "bird treats."
Bird treats are typically supported within a bird cage adjacent a perch at a relatively high position. One way bird treats are suspended within the bird cage is by a string that extends from the bird treat and that is tied to the cage. A bird treat suspended within the cage by a string swings as a bird pecks seed from the bird treat. It is also known to use a clip that engages a portion of a bird treat to support the bird treat on a wire wall of the cage so that a bird in the cage can eat seed from the bird treat.
One of the problems resulting from these methods for supporting a bird treat within the cage is that a bulk of the waste, such as husks, seeds and pieces of stem, falling away from the bird treat is thrown outside of the cage, which can create a substantial mess.
It is known to provide a mat or drop cloth spread underneath the cage to catch such waste thrown outside the cage. It is also known to provide the cage with solid walls extending from the bottom of the cage partially up the sides of the cage to contain falling waste within the cage.


A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a pressuring rotation body, a drive source, a heat source, detected members, rotation detecting parts, a storing part and a controlling part. The storing part stores standard condition for occurrence difficulty of a slip between the fixing belt and detected members co-rotated with rotation of the fixing belt. The controlling part stops heating of the fixing belt by the heat source on a condition that both rotation detecting parts do not detect the rotation of the detected members within a first time when the drive source rotates the fixing belt in a situation unsatisfying the standard condition. The controlling part stops the heating on a condition that at least one of the rotation detecting parts does not detect the rotation of the detected members within a second time when the drive source rotates the fixing belt in a situation satisfying the standard condition.

The present disclosure relates to a fixing device fixing a toner image on a recording medium and an image forming apparatus including the fixing device.
An electrographic image forming apparatus, such as a printer or a copying machine, forms a toner image on a surface of a recording medium, such as a sheet, and then, heats and pressures the recording medium and toner image by a fixing device, thereby fixing the toner image on the recording medium.
As a manner applied in the above-mentioned fixing device, a manner forming a fixing nip heating and pressuring the recording medium and toner image by a fixing roller and a pressuring roller is known. The above-mentioned fixing roller is formed, for example, by covering the outer circumference face of a cored bar made of metal by a resin having high toner releasability. As a heat source heating the above-mentioned fixing roller, for example, a halogen heater is used. The halogen heater is arranged, for example, inside the cored bar of the fixing roller.
On the other hand, another manner (so-called as an "IH (Induction Heating) manner") using an IH coil as the heat source instead of the halogen heater is known. The above-mentioned IH coil produces magnetic field by conducting electricity. In such an IH manner-type fixing device, instead of forming the fixing nip by the fixing roller and pressuring roller, the fixing nip is often formed by a fixing belt and the pressuring roller. The above-mentioned fixing belt is made of a rotatable endless belt. The magnetic field produced by the above-mentioned IH coil acts on the fixing belt so as to produce eddy current, thereby generating heat in the fixing belt.
As a rotating manner of the fixing belt, a manner rotating the fixing belt together with one or more rollers arranged at an internal diameter side of the fixing belt is known. On the other hand, another manner sliding the fixing belt with respect to a pressuring member arranged at the internal diameter side of the fixing belt is also known.
In the fixing device with such a manner, since temperature rising rate of the fixing belt is high, if the fixing belt is heated in a stopping state, there is a possibility that the temperature of a part of the fixing belt is excessively risen and the excessive risen part receives damage. Then, for example, there is the fixing device including the fixing belt and a rotation detecting part detecting a rotation state of the fixing belt. In this fixing device, in a case where the rotation detecting part does not detect the rotation of the fixing belt for a predetermined time continuously, heating of the fixing belt is suppressed.
In such a fixing device, as a configuration detecting the rotation of the fixing belt, for example, a configuration to attach a detected member co-rotating with the rotation of the fixing belt to an end part of the fixing belt and to detect rotation of the above-mentioned detected member by a rotation detecting part is considered. In a case of applying such a configuration, when the detected member is glued and fixed to the end part of the fixing belt, the detected member may be securely co-rotated with the rotation of the fixing belt. However, if the detected member is glued and fixed to the end part of the fixing belt as mentioned above, the end part of the fixing belt is corrected in a roughly precise round shape by the detected member. Therefore, a shape (an imprecise round shape) of a periphery part of the fixing nip of the fixing belt and the shape (the roughly precise round shape) of the end part of the fixing belt are different from each other, and accordingly, there is a possibility that great stress is added to the fixing belt to break down the fixing belt.
By contrast, when the detected member is not glued to the end part of the fixing belt, the end part of the fixing belt may be deformed in the imprecise round shape in accordance with the shape (the imprecise round shape) of the periphery part of the fixing nip of the fixing belt. Therefore, the stress added to the fixing belt may be reduced and the break of the fixing belt is prevented.
However, if the detected member is not glued to the end part of the fixing belt, there is a possibility that a slip is occurred between the fixing belt and detected member. When the slip is thus occurred, it is impossible to co-rotate the detected member with the rotation of the fixing belt. As a result, there is a possibility that the rotation detecting part cannot detect the rotation of the detected part regardless of the normal rotation of the fixing belt, and then, misdetection indicating abnormality of a rotation state of the fixing belt is caused and the heating of the fixing belt is stopped.
Moreover, in the fixing device using the fixing belt, after the end part of the fixing belt is broken for some reason, a matter of continuously rotating the fixing belt may be caused. With regard to such a point, in the fixing device, the break of the end part of the fixing belt is often detected by a temperature sensor. However, in such a configuration, there is a possibility that the break of the end part of the fixing belt cannot be detected depending on position relationship between an occurrence location of the break and the temperature sensor.

Fixing device including fixing belt, detected member co-rotated with fixing belt and rotation detecting part detecting rotation of detected member and image forming apparatus including the same


A locking mechanism in an image processing device is needed to lock a movable element of the image processing device. In embodiments, the locking mechanism has a support member disposed between the driving element and the movable element, the support member being movable between a first position and a second position, a pivot on the support member about which the support member is able to rotate, and a first rotating member on the support member, the first rotating member rotating when the movable element is moved by the driving element, and the locking mechanism is locked when both the first rotating member is stopped from rotating and the support member is rotated from the first position to the second position about the pivot.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to systems and methods for locking a wiper/printhead using a lock mechanism.
2. Description of Related Art
Certain types of devices, such as printers or copiers, create an image on a medium, such as paper, by ejecting ink through orifices formed in an orifice plate attached to a printhead onto the medium, or a drum that transfers an image formed on the drum to the medium. In devices that use the drums, a latent image is first formed on the rotating drum and ink is then ejected from the printhead onto the drum. The image, which is eventually transferred to the medium, is in the shape of the latent image formed on the rotating drum.
In devices that eject ink from the printhead, repeated use of the device allows contaminants to form. These contaminants may consist of ink or other debris in the orifices and the orifice plate of the printhead. Accordingly, the printheads must be periodically cleaned by a device, such as a wiper, to remove the contaminants and obtain high quality printed images. One such example of a wiper/printhead is found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,117, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirely.
In some devices with the wiper/printhead configuration, the drum and the printhead are positioned so that they face each other with a space defined between them. The wiper is disposed in the space between the printhead and the drum, and the wiper is positioned so that the drum is located on the opposite side of the wiper from the printhead. However, during the printing operation of the device, the wiper must be removed from the space to allow the printheads to eject ink onto the drum. Removing the wiper from the space creates an unhindered path for the ink to make contact with the drum.
The wiper is connected to mechanisms that move the wiper away from the space defined by the printhead and the drum. Therefore, the wiper is able to move from a position between the printhead and the drum to a position such that the wiper is not between the printhead and the drum and vice versa. When the wiper is moved away from the space, the drum and the printhead are allowed to face each other without the wiper between them.
In devices with the wiper/printhead configuration, mechanisms allow the printhead to move closer to the drum. During the printing operation, once the wiper is moved away from the space, the printhead mechanisms allows the printhead to move closer to the drum in order to eject ink onto the drum. The printhead mechanism allows the printhead to move toward the drum even when the wiper is still located in the space between the printhead and the drum. During the cleaning operation, the wiper is not removed from the space but the printhead mechanisms allow the printhead to approach, then contact the wiper for cleaning.
The wiper is generally long and narrow and spans the length of the printhead. During the cleaning operation of the devices, the wiper generally traverses the surface of the printhead, for example, from an upper position to a lower position in the vertical direction. The mechanisms that allow the wiper to move away from the space is used to perform the wiper's traversing movement. The wiper is moved to clean the printhead by a wiping motion.
The wiper is moved during the wiping operation from the upper position to the lower position by a driving motor of the printer/copier. The driving motor also drives all the other mechanical systems of the printer/copier. A clutch of the wiper mechanism selectively engages the driving motor in order to move the wiper mechanism so that the wiper mechanism can traverse the surface of the printhead and move away from and into the space.

Mechanical lock mechanism for locking wiper/printhead


The invention describes a passive-matrix powered display with structured pixels and a structured second electrode based on electroluminescent polymers with the following characteristics: functional polymer coatings, which contact a first electrode, are enclosed by windows of an insulating window coating, at least one additional insulating striped coating, which is located between the windows of the first insulating coating, is located across from the first electrode strips as a partition, a second electrode that contacts the functional coatings is structured through partitions and runs across toward the first electrode strips between the partitions.

The invention concerns a display based on the principle of electroluminescent polymers with a structured matrix of pixels and a structured second electrode as well as the manufacture thereof.
The graphic illustration of information continues to make strides in our every day lives. Increasingly more objects of daily use are equipped with display elements which enable an immediate retrieval of information required on-site. In addition to the conventional cathode ray tube ("Cathode Ray Tube, CRT"), that delivers a high picture resolution, but which has the disadvantage of heavy weight and high power consumption, the technology of flat panel displays ("Flat Panel Displays, FPD's) was specifically developed for use in mobile electronic devices.
The mobility of the devices places a high demand on the display to be placed in operation. The low weight—which throws the CRT's out of the race from the beginning—should here initially be mentioned. The small structural depth is another essential criterion. Many devices require a display structural depth of even less than one millimeter.
Only low power consumption is required for displays based on the limited capacity of batteries or chargers in mobile devices. Excellent legibility is another criterion, even at great angles between the display surface and the observer, as well as legibility under various ambient light conditions. The capacity to also display multicolored or fully colored information is increasingly gaining in importance. And last but not least, of course, the service life of the components is an important pre-requisite for the use in the various systems. The importance of the individual requirement criteria of the displays always varies in significance in regard to the application scopes.
Several technologies, all of which will not be discussed here, have been established on the market of flat screen displays over a longer period of time. So-called liquid crystal displays (LC displays) are generally dominant today. Despite low-cost manufacturing, low electrical power consumption, light weight and small space requirement, the technology of the LCDs, however, also has serious disadvantages. LC-displays are not self-emitting and are only readable or recognizable under very favorable ambient light conditions. In most cases, this requires background lighting, which multiplies the thickness of the flat screen display. Consequently, the major share of the electrical power consumption is used for lighting and a higher voltage is required for the operation of the lights or the fluorescent tubes. This is generally produced using "voltage-up-converters" from batteries or power packs. Additional disadvantages are the greatly inhibited observation angle of simple LCDs, the extensive switching periods of individual pixels, which is typically at several milliseconds, and [the fact that] they are very temperature sensitive. The delayed screen layout, for example, is extremely adverse in transportation use.
In addition to the LCDs, there are other flat screen technologies, such as vacuum fluorescence displays or inorganic thin film electroluminescent displays. These, however, have not yet reached the required technical degree of maturity or are only conditionally usable for application in mobile electronic devices due to higher operating voltages or manufacturing costs. Displays have made a name for themselves since 1987 based on organic light emitting diodes (organic light emitting diodes, OLEDs). These do not have the above-mentioned disadvantages. The necessity of background lighting is omitted due to the self-emissivity that considerably reduces the required space and the electrical power consumption. The response times are within the range of a microsecond, and they are only slightly temperature sensitive which enables their use in video applications. The reading angle is almost 180°. Polarization foils that are required in LC displays are generally omitted so that a greater luminosity of the display elements may be achieved. An additional advantage is the usability of flexible and non-planar substrates as well as the easy and low-cost manufacture.
Two technologies exist in the OLEDs that vary in type and in the processing of organic material. On one hand, low molecular organic material, such as hydroxyquinolene-aluminum-III-salt (Alq3), that is generally raised to the appropriate substrate by thermal evaporation, may be used. Displays based on this technology are already available commercially and are mostly used in automotive electronics at the present. However, since the manufacture of these components is associated with numerous processing steps under high vacuum, this technology holds presents disadvantages based on high investments and maintenance, as well as a relative low turnover.
An OLED technology has therefore been developed since 1990 that applies polymers as the organic material that may be more chemically wet from a solution to the substrate. The vacuum phases required to produce the organic coatings are omitted in this technique. Typical polymers are polyaniline, PEDOT (manufactured by Bayer), Poly(p-phenylene-vinylene), poly(2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl)-hexyloxy-p-phenylene-vinylene) or polyalkylfluorene, as well as numerous derivatives thereof.
The coating structure of the organic light emitting diodes is typically as follows: A transparent substrate (such as glass) is extensively coated with a transparent electrode (such as indium-tin-oxide, ITO). Depending on the application, the transparent electrode is structured with the aid of a photolithographic process that later defines the form of the light emitting pixel.
One or more organic coatings, consisting of electroluminescent polymers, oligomers, low molecular compounds (refer to the above) or mixtures thereof are then applied to the substrate. Polymer substances are generally applied from a liquid phase by spreading or spin coating, as well as by various pressure techniques as of late. Low molecular and oligomer substances are generally separated from the gas phase through evaporation or "physical vapor deposition" (PVD). The overall coating thickness may be between 10 nm and 10 μm and is typically between 50 and 200 nm.
A counter-electrode, the cathode, which is generally of a metal, a metal alloy or a thin insulation coating and a thick metal coating, is applied to these organic coatings. The gas vapor separation, through thermal evaporation, electron beam evaporation or sputtering, is generally used again to produce the cathode coatings.
The challenge in the manufacture of structured displays exists specifically in structuring the above-described coating structure so that a matrix of individual controllable and multi-colored pixels develops. A lithographic technique is available for the first described phase of the OLED manufacture of the structuring of the ITO anode. ITO is extremely insensitive as opposed to the typical spin coatings and developer fluids and may be etched easily by acids such as HBr. Structures with a resolution of a few micrometers may be produced easily by this method.
Structuring the organic coatings and the metal electrode is essentially more difficult. The reason is the sensitivity of the organic material that would be extensively damaged by the subsequent application of aggressive developer fluids or solvents.
The individual functional coatings in OLEDs, based on vaporizable low molecular coatings, may be vaporized on the substrate through a shadow mask so that red, green and blue pixel sections develop. Vaporizing through a shadow mask technique is also available for the striped structuring of the metal cathode (vertical toward the underlying ITO-stripes). This, however, has considerable disadvantages in practical use because of low resolution and the adjustment of the masks over the substrate.
The method of the insulating partitions was therefore developed for this. A series of insulating partitions with a sharp tear-off edge is applied to the substrates directly after structuring the ITO anode. The metal cathode is extensively vaporized after depositing organic coatings (meaning without the use of a shadow mask), whereby the metal film always tears off on the sharp edges of the partitions. This is how separated insulated metal strips (lines) are developed vertically toward the underlying ITO anodes (columns). If a voltage is applied to a particular ITO anode column and a metal cathode line, the organic emitter coating is illuminated at the crossing point between the line and the column. These partitions may have various cross-sections.
Structuring the individual pixels is considerably more difficult for OLEDs based on conjugated polymers that are used up from the liquid phase. Conventional techniques, such as spin coating or spreading, distribute the polymer solution evenly over the entire substrate. A fragmentation into red, green and blue sections with a small structural width, in the event of a color display, is only possible with difficulty, except through subsequent structuring with the assistance of aggressive lithographic methods that considerably damage the polymers.
Several printing techniques have been successfully applied in the past for the structured application of polymers based on this reason. One technique, which has been especially reliable here, is ink jet printing, as well as several versions thereof. However, greater difficulty exists even in these printing techniques to prevent individual adjacent color sections from running into each other. This problem has been circumvented in the past through several solution batches.
European patent 0 892 028 A2 describes a process in which a coating of an insulating material is initially applied onto the ITO-substrate into which windows are inserted in those areas in which the pixels should later be located. This insulating material may, for example, be spin coating that is so modified that it is not moistened by them. The individual drops of the solution (red, green, blue) are also encapsulated at the appropriate points without running into each other and may therefore dry there separately and produce the polymer coating.
This process, however, does not solve the problem of structuring the cathode strips that must be applied onto the polymer as functional coating for passive matrix powered displays. Various technologies have therefore been developed in the past for structuring the cathodes of passive matrix displays. Partitions that are initially applied to the structured ITO substrate were developed in a special process for monochrome displays. The polymer solutions (generally a carrier polymer in a polar solution, followed by an emitter polymer in a polar solution) are spin coated successively onto these substrates. The cathode is then extensively vaporized as a final coating, which tears off from the sharp tear-off edges of the partitions and therefore forms separated cathode strips. This process, however, is initially only suitable for an extensive application and therefore is not suited for full color displays.
An additional coating of the insulating material with "windows" (see above) may be applied as further development of the method of partitions for fully colored displays produced with an ink jet printing process. The insulating windows and partitions are applied to the substrate after applying individual polymer coatings in the process described in European patent 0 951 073 A2. This is again subject to the problems of a treatment of the sensitive conjugated polymers with aggressive developer material, solvents and UV light.
A process is described in patent EP 0 732 868 A2 in which a lithographic treatment of the functional coatings is avoided and a structured cathode is separated at the same time. The partitions for the cathode separation are produced first and then the functional coatings are vaporized in the vacuum through a shadow mask. The serious problem with this method is that the shadow mask does not directly contact the substrate and/or the electrode located on in, but is deposited on the partitions. This considerably reinforces the above mentioned problem of low resolution in the shadow mask technique by vaporizing the mask.
The problem may be summarized in two points. On one hand, a running together of the different colors must be prevented during the structured application. On the other, a structuring of the second electrode must be possible at the same time in passive matrix powered displays.

Organic electroluminescent device and the production thereof


An electric arc welder operated to perform a short circuit welding process between an electrode and a workpiece, where the process comprises a succession of alternate short circuit conditions and arc conditions, with a first current waveform during the short circuit condition and a second voltage waveform during the arc condition. A first waveform generator constructs the first waveform from a series of current pulses controlled by a pulse wave modulator operated at a rate greater than 18 kHz and a second waveform generator constructs the second waveform from a series of current pulses controlled by a pulse wave modulator operated at a rate greater than 18 kHz. The second waveform generator has a circuit to generate the second waveform with a generally constant arc parameter, generally voltage.

Electric arc welding is performed in a variety of processes, such as spray welding, globular welding, and short circuit welding. Irrespective of the process employed, an inverter converts three phase line current to the desired voltage or current. An inverter based power supply for electric arc welding has a digitally based control to produce a desired output current or voltage at the arc welding process. In pipe welding, pulse welding or short circuit welding is preferred for the first weld bead, known as the "root pass", that closes the open gap between edges of adjacent workpieces. For best results, the short circuit electric arc welding procedure is implemented by using the patented STT technology. In this technology, a precise current waveform is outputted by the power supply. Spatter reduction is affected by drastically reducing the current just before the shorted metal separates to create a new arc. Thereafter, the current waveform produces a plasma boost for melting the end of the electrode awaiting the next short. The peak current of the plasma boost pulse is gradually reduced in a current tailout until a set background current is reached. Thereafter, the background current is maintained until the molten metal ball shorts against the workpiece causing the next cycle. In this STT electric arc welding process, the current waveform is accurately controlled by a series of current pulses, the widths of which determine the magnitude of the current at any given time in the waveform. The shape of the waveform is controlled by a waveform generator. By using this technique, the current waveform allows control of the puddle temperature and/or fluidity. Such capability is vital in gap welding applications, such as open root pass in pipe welding. If the puddle is too cold, a lack of metal fusion can result. As a corollary, when the puddle is too hot, a poor internal back bead is possible caused by the weld metal "sucking back" into the root. In the past, STT short circuit welding has been implemented as a current control process. If the operator wants to change heat in the arc and/or puddle, he must adjust current by the machine setting.

Short circuit arc welder and method of controlling same


A structure anchor assembly having a suture anchor, a suture attached to the suture anchor, and an inserter for deploying the suture anchor in bone whereby the suture will extend from, and be anchored to, the bone. The suture anchor has a drill portion, a thread portion and a suture attachment portion. The drill portion is disposed on a distal portion of the anchor and is adapted to penetrate the bone. The thread portion extends proximally from the drill portion along the remainder of the length of the anchor and is adapted to draw the anchor through the bone. A proximal portion terminates in a proximal end surface. The thread portion extends along the proximal portion and terminates adjacent to the proximal end surface. The proximal portion of the anchor is adapted to: (i) be received in a distal end of the inserter prior to insertion of the suture anchor into the target bone, and (ii) be in threaded engagement with bone, once the suture attachment portion is disposed in the proximal portion of the anchor and is adapted to permit a length of suture to be attached to the anchor.

A Self-tapping suture anchors are well known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,100, issued Dec. 30, 1986 to Goble et al., which discloses a cylindrical suture anchor having a drill portion formed at one end and flights of threads formed at the other end. A length of suture is fixedly attached to the suture anchor so as to extend therefrom. The suture anchor may be turned, and hence installed into a target bone, by means of a driver that matingly engages the anchor by means of a splined coupling, with the free end of the suture being stored within the body of the driver. In practice, the drill end of the suture anchor is positioned against the target bone and then the suture anchor is turned by means of the driver. This causes the drill portion of the suture anchor to cut into the bone. As the drill portion of the suture anchor cuts into the bone, thus forming a hole therein, the suture anchor's threads engage the inner surface of the hole. The leading thread flights tap the hole so as to provide a seat for the following thread flights. Once the suture anchor has been seated, the driver is pulled back from the bone, with the stored suture paying out from the interior of the driver.
While suture anchors of the type taught by Goble et al. generally perform well, they are not completely satisfactory for all types of surgical procedures in which suture must be attached to bone. In particular, with the suture anchor of Goble et al., the suture is attached to the anchor by fastening the suture to a disc, which is then fixed in position within a blind hole formed in the proximal end of the anchor. Unfortunately, this arrangement can be cumbersome, particularly where the anchor is to be formed with a relatively small size. Furthermore, with the suture anchor of Goble et al., the splined coupling used to connect the driver to the anchor comprises a polygonally-shaped male portion on the driver and a corresponding polygonally-shaped female portion on the anchor. This construction can present a constraint, particularly where it is desired to form the anchor in a relatively small size. Moreover, when the anchor of Goble et al. is installed in a target bone in the manner taught in the patent, the suture anchor's thread often does not positively engage the cortical layer of that bone. This has sometimes led to less than adequate retention of the suture anchor in the bone, especially where relatively small size anchors have been used.


A test kit for determining the `total compost life`, and chemical stability of a moist compost sample, includes a transparent container for holding the compost sample, and a reactant mass, located within the container in the space not occupied by the compost sample. The reactant mass includes a pH basic reactant material, and a color change indicator material, responsive to pH changes in the atmosphere within the container. After the moist compost sample is charged into the container, the container is sealed and allowed to remain undisturbed for a prescribed time period, e.g., about three (3) hours. During this time, carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) and volatile organic acids are emitted from the sample into the space surrounding the chemically reactant mass. The pH basic reactant chemically reacts with the emitted carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), in ionic form, or the emitted volatile organic acids, so as to produce a color change. The nature of the color change is an indication of the carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) content, or the volatile organic acids content in the compost sample.

The present invention relates to test kits that can be used to determine the `total compost life`, and the chemical stability of a selected compost sample. The test kit comprises a first reactant mass, that exhibits a color change in the presence of varying quantities of carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), whereby the test kit can be used to test for the carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) content in a compost sample. The test kit further comprises a second reactant mass that exhibits a color change in the presence of varying quantities of selected volatile organic acids, such that the kit can also be used to test for volatile organic acids content in a selected compost sample.
The test kit is especially designed for use by operators of facilities where digested sludge, leaves, and other waste products, are being aerobically transformed into useful compost, having value as a low nitrogen-content fertilizer. The test kit enables the operator of the facility to determine the point at which the compost is ready for drying, or curing.
Composting is a process of biological oxidation of organic materials, e.g., digested sludge, leaves, etc., whereby the materials are dewatered and deodorized into a finely divided condition, suitable for use as a fertilizer. The composting operation can be carried out by either the windrow-composting procedure, or the static pile composting procedure.
In the windrow composting procedure, the waste products are formed into elongated windrows, that are normally ten (10) to fifteen (15) feet wide, and five (5) feet, or more, in height. Periodically, a powered composting machine is driven slowly along the windrow, to lift, mix, and shred the organic materials, so that materials near the outer surface of the windrow, exchange places with materials in the interior zone of the windrow. The mixing and shredding action, also aerates the mixture, and redistributes moisture relatively evenly throughout the windrow cross-section. The moisture content is typically greater than fifty (50) percent, based on the weight of the water, in relation to the weight of the wet material.
Usually, the shredding and mixing operation, is performed on a daily basis, for the period required to bring the materials to a biologically stable condition, suitable for curing, i.e., drying to a moisture content less than forty (40) percent. Normally, a period of from between two (2) and four (4) weeks of biological activity, is required to bring the materials to a stable condition. Drying the stabilized material can then be accomplished by laying the material as a thin layer on the ground, or a paved surface, where it can be exposed to the sun.
In static pile composting, an elongated triangular cross-section pile of material is formed over an elongated perforated pipe. Periodically, air is drawn out of the pipe by a fan, whereby new air is forced into the compost pile, by the sub-atmospheric condition produced within the compost pile, around the pipe. Oxygen introduced into the compost pile acts to oxygenate, and biologically attack the compost pile materials.
With either type of composting procedure, the biological activity produces CO.sub.2 gas, and minor quantities of various volatile organic acids, such as acetic acid and butyric acid. The presence of these volatile organic acids in the waste materials is an indicator of undesired anaerobic fermentation and instability. Such acids can be quite odorous and a cause of phtyo-toxicity, associated with poorly composted, or fermented, materials. The presence of a high CO.sub.2 gas content in the compost materials, indicates that the composting process is incomplete, and that the material is biologically unstable.
The present invention relates to low cost test kits, that can be used by the facility operator to determine approximately the volatile organic acids content and the CO.sub.2 content in the composted materials, whereby the operator can then make an informed decision as to ending the composting operation and initiating the drying, or curing, operation.

Test kits for determining the chemical stability of a compost sample


An implantable glymphatic pump configured to flush metabolites from a brain parenchyma of a patient. The implantable glymphatic pump including at least one spinal catheter having a distal end configured to be positioned within an intrathecal space of a spine of a patient, at least one cranial catheter having a distal end configured to be positioned within a brain parenchyma of the patient, and an implantable pump configured to draw cerebrospinal fluid from the intrathecal space of the spine in the patient via the at least one spinal catheter, and reintroduce said cerebrospinal fluid to the brain parenchyma of the patient via the one or more cranial catheters to encourage a flow of the cerebrospinal fluid through the brain parenchyma.

The human brain includes compartments for four types of fluid: cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), interstitial fluid, intracellular fluid, and blood. CSF has a total volume of between about 150 and about 160 mL, which makes up about 10% of the total volume of fluid within the cranial cavity. The brain produces about 500 mL of CSF per day, such that the entire volume of CSF is renewed between about 4-12 times over the course of 24 hours. The volume of CSF within the cranial cavity at any given time is kept constant by circulation and removal of the CSF through the central nervous system.
During circulation, a portion of CSF penetrates the brain parenchyma, where the CSF flows through the spaces between cells. The porous structure of the parenchyma provides a low resistance pathway for influx of CSF. The parenchymal tissue is not believed to absorb any CSF, but simply provides one of several pathways enabling a general flow of CSF fluid to the subarachnoid space.
The physiological system enabling a flow of CSF through the brain parenchyma, where the CSF is interchanged with the interstitial fluid, is commonly referred to as the "glymphatic system." It is believed that the glymphatic system promotes a natural flushing of interstitial solutes from the parenchyma. Clearance of interstitial solutes from the parenchyma is believed to be of particular importance in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.

Means to treat Alzheimer's disease via flushing of brain parenchyma


A second semiconductor region is formed on a first semiconductor region. A third semiconductor region is formed on a part of the second semiconductor region. A trench ranges from a surface of the third semiconductor region to the third semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region. The trench penetrates the third semiconductor region, and the depth of the trench is shorter than that of a deepest bottom portion of the second semiconductor region, and the second semiconductor region does not exist under a bottom surface of the trench. A gate insulating film is formed on facing side surfaces of the trench. First and second gate electrodes are formed on the gate insulating film. The first and second gate electrodes are separated from each other. The conductive material is formed between the first and second gate electrodes on the side surfaces of the trench, with an insulating film intervened therebetween.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor device, in particular a semiconductor device having a vertical MOS (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) gate structure, which requires a high-speed switching property, and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional art, a trench-gate structures formed by using a trench formed at a principal surface of a semiconductor device is applied to semiconductor devices, such as IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) and MOSFET (Field Effect Transistor), and is an advantageous structure in, in particular, use for electricity.
For example, MOSFETS having a trench-gate structure have a high switching speed, a large current capacity, and a capacity of breakdown voltage of tens to hundreds, and thus have come into wide use. For example, they are used as a switching power supply for Pocket mobile communications apparatus and personal computers.
In particular, with increase in speed and efficiency of power supply systems, reducing an on-resistance and a gate-drain feedback capacitance of devices is regarded as important increasingly, in power MOSFETs used for DC—DC converters. FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional structure of a conventional trench-gate type MOSFET (for example, please refer to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Pub. No. 5-7002).
However, in the conventional trench-gate type MOSFET shown in FIG. 1, a gate electrode 101 has a large facing area on an n-type semiconductor layer (drain layer), and thus the MOSFET has a large gate-drain capacitance. Therefore, it has a problem that a Miller charging period at the time of turning on and off the device is long, and that a high-speed switching cannot be achieved. Thus, to achieve high speed (high frequency) and high efficiency of power supply systems, it is urgently necessary to reduce the on-resistance and the gate-drain capacitance.

Semiconductor device having a vertical MOS trench gate structure


A modular video signal matrix switcher is constructed with a midplane architecture. The functional components of the system include a power supply board, a controller board, one or two output boards, an optional control signal generating board, and one or more switching boards. These components are contained within a housing which has a number of non-dedicated board placement slots. The non-dedicated slots can receive any one of a switching board, an output board or a camera control signal generating board. Each type of board component is assigned a respective distinguishing color pursuant to a color coding system. The color coding system facilitates configuration management, assembly and maintenance operations.

It is well known to provide closed circuit television surveillance systems in which video signals generated from a considerable number of video cameras are to be selectively distributed for display among a number of video monitors. In such systems, a video switching apparatus is connected between the cameras and the monitors to perform the signal distribution function.
The number of cameras and the number of monitors which customers desire to include in their surveillance systems are subject to considerable variation. Consequently, it is desirable that the switching apparatus be assembled from modular components, so that the switching capacity of the apparatus, and possibly other features, can be tailored to meet the customer's needs. However, assembly, diagnosis and maintenance of a modular video switching apparatus may present some difficulties. When the apparatus is to be assembled, the factory employee is usually presented with documents such as a configuration table and a bill of materials which are intended to indicate the number and types of components to be incorporated in the apparatus. Such documents refer to the components by designations such as part numbers and/or word descriptions of the components. Often the part numbers convey little or no information about the corresponding component, and the meanings of word descriptions can also be unclear. Moreover, it can be difficult to recognize the components by sight and to correctly match the components with the word or part number designations. As a result, assembling a modular system can be a complex and error-prone task. These problems are exacerbated by the large number of different configurations which may be possible, even when only a fairly small number of distinct components are used.
Other difficulties in identifying and referring to system components may be encountered during trouble-shooting or system maintenance operations For example, it is not unusual for an untrained person at the customer's location to be in telephone communication with a customer service representative. Attempts by the customer service representative to direct the untrained person to manipulate, remove or exchange system components may be seriously encumbered by the untrained person's unfamiliarity with part number and word designations for the system components, and/or inability on the part of the untrained person to match the designation to an actual component in the system. It also may be quite difficult for the customer service representative to provide a physical description of a particular system component in terms which will be understood by the untrained person.
It has been known to provide a video matrix switching device constructed from printed circuit board components contained in dedicated slots in the housing with color-coded designations on the housing to indicate what type of printed circuit board belongs in each slot. Corresponding color code indications were provided on the circuit boards to guide production workers to insert the circuit boards into the correct dedicated slot. However, this arrangement greatly restricted the number of different configurations of switcher that could be produced using a given type of housing.

Modular video signal matrix switcher with color-coded components


Methods, systems, and computer-readable storage media for executing, by a policy controller, a policy custom resource that defines a policy to be applied to target resources within a cluster of a cloud computing platform, the policy custom resource including a policy target defining parameters for identifying a resource as a target resource, a policy condition defining conditions of a target resource that are to be evaluated, and a policy action defining actions that are to be executed in response to the conditions evaluating to true, receiving, by the policy controller, a set of target resources based on the policy target of the policy custom resource, evaluating, by the policy controller and for each target resource in the set of target resources, the policy condition, and in response to the policy condition returning as true for a target resource, executing the policy action for the target resource.

In modern software deployments, containerization is implemented, which can be described as operating system (OS) virtualization. In containerization, applications (or microservices, software processes) are run in isolated user spaces referred to as containers. The containers use the same shared OS, and each provides a fully packaged and portable computing environment. That is, each container includes everything an application needs to execute (e.g., binaries, libraries, configuration files, dependencies). Because a container is abstracted away from the OS, containerized applications can execute on various types of infrastructure. For example, using containers, an application can execute in any of multiple cloud-computing environments.
Container orchestration automates the deployment, management, scaling, and networking of containers. For example, container orchestration systems, in hand with underlying containers, enable applications to be executed across different environments (e.g., cloud computing environments) without needing to redesign the application for each environment. Enterprises that need to deploy and manage a significant number of containers (e.g., hundreds or thousands of containers) leverage container orchestration systems. An example container orchestration system is the Kubernetes platform, maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, which can be described as an open-source container orchestration system for automating computer application deployment, scaling, and management.
At a high level, the Kubernetes platform is made up of a central database containing descriptions of the required states of resources managed in the platform, and a collection of controllers. The controllers monitor the required state of the resources they are tasked to and take any required action to make sure that the actual states of the resources match the required states. The controllers also update the Kubernetes central database with the current resource status. In some instances, a user interacts with the cluster by modifying the required state of a resource and waiting for the relevant controller to modify the actual state of the resource to match.
Kubernetes provides a standard extension mechanism, referred to as custom resource definitions, that enables extension of the set of resources that can be managed. This extension mechanism enables a system to be modeled in the same way as core Kubernetes resources. For example, a set of resources are kept in the central Kubernetes database and a set of controllers monitor these resources and verify that the actual state matches the required state.
In many instances, cluster operators require the ability to fine-tune resources managed by the Kubernetes platform. In some instances, this fine-tuning (also referred to as granular resource management) must consider changes that occur as part of day-to-day occurrences in the system. For example, an operator might require that a certain resource be updated or deleted, if its status changes in a certain way. The conditions on which these resource changes must be evaluated can only be evaluated during the system's runtime. Currently, to achieve this granular resource management, custom controllers need to be developed for each scenario (i.e., scenario-specific controllers). Developing custom controllers is a time- and resource-intensive task. Further, having multiple scenario-specific controllers result in a higher consumption of technical resources (e.g., processors, memory, bandwidth) within the system.


Techniques for identification of a trigger-type leader in a social network are described. According to various embodiments, a specific content item posted by a particular actor of a plurality of actors and interactions by other actors of the plurality of actors with the specific content item are identified. A leadership score associated with the particular actor is then calculated, the leadership score indicating a propensity of the particular actor to stimulate discussion among actors of the online social network service. The particular actor is then classified as an information trigger among the plurality of actors of the online social network service, based on the calculated leadership score.

Online social network services (such as the "LinkedIn" social network) feature a large number of members that can interact with various products and content items associated with the online social network service. For example, members of the LinkedIn social network have profile pages describing information about themselves, and these members can interact with content posted in a content feed (such as the "Network Update Stream") of the online social network service, or they can interact with profile pages of other members and entities of the online social network service, such as groups, companies, universities, and so on.

Identification of a trigger-type leader in a social network


New formulations for the electrodeposition of a dense, reflective tin or tin-lead alloy on a cathode have been developed. Such electrodeposition solutions are partially comprised of an additive which is comprised of at least one nonionic surfactant which is electrolyzed prior to starting the electrodeposition process. The electrodeposition solution is also comprised of an amount of an aliphatic dialdehyde kept low enough so that the solder deposits contain no more than 500 ppm of co-electrodeposited carbon. The additive and the aliphatic dialdehyde is mixed with a solution comprised of an alkane or alkanol sulfonic acid and a tin alkane or alkanol sulfonate or a mixture of a tin and lead alkane or alkanol sulfonate to form an electrodeposition solution. A dense, reflective finish is then electrodeposited on a cathode by using such an electrodeposition solution.

This invention relates, in general, to electrodeposition, including, but not limited to, electrodeposition of a dense, reflective finish on a conductive part.
Methods of electrodeposition, or plating, of a tin or tin-lead alloy (hereinafter referred to as solder or solder deposit) and the compositions of the electrodeposition solutions have been optimized to electrodeposit solder on to a conductive part. In the electronics industry, a conductive part could be the leads of a semiconductor device package, a printed circuit board, or connector.
In particular, in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, the semiconductor device chip is physically and electrically bonded to a leadframe. The semiconductor device is then encapsulated in a package, along with a portion of the leadframe. An electrodeposition process then creates a solder deposit on the leadframe by electrodepositing the solder on all exposed portions of the leadframe.
Following the electrodeposition process, a trim and form press or tool trims away all unwanted metal from the leadframe, singulates the devices, and forms the leads of the device into a predetermined pattern. In the electronics industry it is preferable that the solder deposit have a dense, reflective finish.
The dense, reflective finish is preferable for quality reasons. The higher density and smoothness of a dense, reflective finish reduces the amount of material scraped from the surface of the deposit during the trim and form operations. Scraped material from a normal, matte finish contaminates subsequently processed leads by adhering to the surface of such leads. If a dense, reflective surface is deposited, the need to clean trim and form tools is reduced because the amount of material scraped from the surface of the solder deposit is reduced, and thus productivity is enhanced.
In the past, one problem with electrodepositing a tin or tin-lead alloy having a dense, reflective finish is that such deposits have 800-2000 ppm (parts per million) of occluded carbon (organics). The co-electrodeposition of carbon is not a problem in certain applications. However, in the electronics field, greater than approximately 500 ppm of carbon co-electrodeposited with the tin or tin-lead alloy negatively affects the solderability of the deposit. Therefore, it is desirable to have a method of electrodeposition (and/or use electrodeposition solutions) which produces a dense, reflective tin or tin-lead alloy finish without the co-electrodeposition of greater than approximately 500 ppm of carbon.

Method and solution for electrodeposition of a dense, reflective tin or tin-lead alloy


The invention is directed to a process for producing polyolefins by one or more homogeneous or colloidal polymerization catalyst wherein residual catalyst is removed by using a solid sorbent.

Many activated homogeneous polymerization or oligomerization catalysts are very effective to produce liquid polyolefins for many applications, such as lubricant base stocks, functional fluids, adhesives, as well as intermediates used for further functionalization, etc. For all these applications, the catalyst components must be removed to below certain specification level (usually less than 10 ppm) before its next step or for applications. Catalyst removal is typically accomplished by first deactivating the catalyst followed by multi-stage washing with water followed by one or more separation steps to remove all the catalyst components. The washing step usually includes several stages of mixing with aqueous dilute acid/base wash and further settling/separation steps. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,960,700; 6,706,828, 7,060,768 and 5,705,577. There are also numerous aqueous work up procedures reported in the literature.
These prior art methods suffer particularly by being cumbersome and more importantly are difficult and expensive to scale up for commercial operation. They also generate a large amount of waste. Still more importantly, they are often not effective to reduce the metal content when the product is liquid polyolefins. Generally, when producing solid polyolefins by metallocene or other polymerization catalyst technology the catalyst residual is not an issue and is usually left in the product. However, in liquid polyolefins production, the catalyst residual generally must be removed, especially when the next step in the process is hydrogenation, functionalization, or for typical end use applications of liquid polyolefins, such as for lubrication formulations, personal care products or functional fluids. The presence of catalyst residual deactivates the hydrogenation catalyst, inhibits the functionalization reaction, and introduces impurities in the finished product which maybe detrimental for performance of the finished product.
The present inventors have discovered an efficient and effective method to remove polymerization catalyst residual by using a solid sorbent, which can interact chemically and/or physically with the catalyst components and/or the deactivated catalyst component. The method according to the present invention is particularly effective when scaled up to commercial operations.

Process to produce polyolefins using metallocene catalysts


A vehicle light can be configured to have a depth that is remarkably small. The vehicle light can include a first reflector that is an ellipse group reflector with a major/optical axis thereof inclined, a second reflector that is a parabolic group reflector located below the first reflector so that the second reflector can receive light reflected from the first reflector, and a light source located in the vicinity of the first focus of the first reflector.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a light used for illumination, such as a headlight, a fog light, a signal light, traffic lights, spot lights, and other lights. In more detail, the invention relates to a light for this type of illumination that has a simple configuration with a reduced number of parts and good performance characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows an example of a projector type configuration for a vehicle light 90 (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-23419 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,210, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference). The vehicle light 90 includes an ellipse group reflector 91 such as a revolved ellipsoid, a light source 92, a projection lens 93, and a light shielding plate 94. The light source 92 is arranged to coincide with the first focus f1 of the ellipse group reflector 91. Therefore, light emitted from the light source 92 is converged at the second focus f2 after reflecting on the ellipse group reflector 91.
At this time, the light reflected on the lower half of the ellipse group reflector 91 enters the projection lens 93 as light having an upward facing directionality after converging at the second focus f2. When the light emits from the projection lens 93, there is also a possibility that it might include an upward facing light component which may annoy opposing vehicles.
Consequently, the light shielding plate 94, that extends to the major axis X from the lower portion of the light 90, is provided close to the second focus f2 so as to block the light reflected on the lower half of the ellipse group reflector 91. This allows only the downward facing light reflected on the lower half of the ellipse group reflector 91 to enter the projection lens 93 and, in principle, prevents upward facing light from occurring.
For the case described above, if there is absolutely no upward facing light included, it will be difficult to read road side signs such as traffic signs when they pass on the left (or right) side, for example, when driving in a country that requires traffic to proceed on a left (or right) portion of the roadway. Because of this, a process is performed on the light shielding plate 94 so as to project a moderate amount of upward facing light to the left (or right) side to make it easier to read traffic signs and verify the presence of pedestrians.
However, the conventional vehicle light 90 comprises a light source 92 arranged along the illumination direction, a lengthwise ellipse group reflector 91, a light shielding plate 94 placed near the second focus of the ellipse group reflector 91, and a projection lens 93 that has a focus near the position of the light shielding plate 94, and is assembled with all components in the lengthwise direction. Thus, the vehicle light 90 generally requires a depth of approximately 170 mm to be installed. In addition, if the necessary space for replacing the light source 92 is considered, at least 200 mm or more are required. For example, in the conventional vehicle light 90, there is a problem in which the required space inside the engine compartment increases, which influences the design of the vehicle.

Vehicle lamp with a first reflector, a second reflector, and shielding plate


A communication converter includes: a first communication interface making capable of communicating with a medical control device through a predetermined communication cable; a second communication interface making capable of making a connection to a signal distribution unit which is provided in a housing device capable of housing one or more communication converters, and distributes a signal from the medical control device to each of the communication converters; a switch unit for switching communication lines to either a communication line through the first communication interface or a communication line through the second communication interface; a detection unit for detecting whether or not the signal distribution unit is connected to the second communication interface; a switch control unit for controlling the switch unit based on a detection result; and a third communication interface making capable of performing communications with a medical device.

Recently, surgery is performed using an endoscope operation system having a plurality of medical devices. In an endoscope operation system, when an organization of a living body is removed using an insufflation device for expanding a visceral cavity and a treating device etc. for treating an affected part, and hemostasis is performed using a high frequency cautery device, these treatments can be performed while watching images captured by an endoscope.
The endoscope operation system includes a plurality of medical devices for an endoscope operation, and a system controller for controlling the medical devices, a display operation device, etc. Thus, the endoscope operation system is configured by a plurality of devices, and it is necessary to use a common communication protocol to enable communications between the devices. However, manufacturers of medical devices adopt different communication methods and/or communication protocols for their own medical devices. Therefore, a communication converter is used to convert the communication methods and/or communication protocols to enable communications to be performed between them.
The communication system refers to a system of communications based on the physical or electrical configuration of communications such as infrared communications, USB (Universal Serial Bus) communications, RS-232C communications, Controller Area Network (CAN), or Ethernet communications, etc. A difference in communication system refers to a difference in physical or electrical standards in various communications such as a difference between wireless communication and cable communication, a difference in shape of a connector, etc. (therefore, the difference disables a physical or electrical connection to be performed). A communication protocol refers to a normally adopted communication protocol, that is, a logical connection, as compared with the physical or electrical connection in the above-mentioned communication system.

Communication conversion system for switching first communication lines to second communication lines based on change in voltage state of detection-use pin


An electrodeless discharge lamp has a bulb into which a discharge gas and a mercury, which is controlled at a temperature of a coldest spot are filled. A power coupler generates a high frequency electromagnetic field. A ferrule couples the bulb and the power coupler. The bulb is configured as a substantially spherical barrel formed of a transparent material and has an opening. A sealing member is welded to the opening of the barrel having a substantially cylindrical cavity. A protrusion, which becomes the coldest spot when the lamp is lit in a state that the ferrule is disposed upward, is formed at an apex of the bulb. A protruding portion is formed in a vicinity just above the ferrule of the bulb, that is, in a bulb neck portion, so that the bulb neck portion becomes the coldest spot when the lamp is lit in a state that the ferrule is disposed downward. Thereby, a constant optical output is obtained, regardless of a posture of installation of the electrodeless discharge lamp.

The electrodeless discharge lamp is configured that the discharge gas filled in the bulb is activated by high frequency electromagnetic field generated by supplying high frequency current to the induction coil, and ultraviolet light emitted at that time is converted into visible light through fluorescent material. Since the electrodeless discharge lamp apparatus has a configuration that no electrode inside, non-lighting due to deterioration of the electrode may not occur, and thus, it is relatively longevity life in comparison with generic fluorescent lamp.
In a conventional electrodeless discharge lamp shown in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-272688 or Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 6-5006, for example, uses a bismuth-indium amalgam as a luminescent material. According to this amalgam, it is possible to obtain a higher optical output in a wide range than the optical output at ambient air temperature 25 degrees Celsius, even when ambient air temperature changes. On the other hand, although a high mercury vapor pressure is necessary to realize a high optical output, there, however, is a disadvantage that start-up of the lamp is slower because a time until reaching a temperature value that it is necessary for evaporation of mercury. When the bismuth-indium amalgam was used, a consequence that it is necessary for approximately 1 minute to secure optical output of 60% with respect to optical output at the time of stable lighting was provided.
In contrast, a pure mercury drop is used for the discharge gas to shorten the start-up time in an electrodeless discharge lamp shown in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-325920. According to this document, it is mentioned that the optical output was reached 50% of maximum output within two or three seconds after the lamp was activated. This is because the mercury drop needs a shorter time until reaching the temperature value necessary for evaporation than amalgam. When an input power is much larger with respect to a volume of the bulb, or when the ambient air temperature is higher, temperature value of the bulb rises, and mercury vapor pressure falls down adversely, and thus, the optical output falls.
When an amalgam was used as above, variation of optical output is small regardless of variation of ambient air temperature. In contrast, when mercury drop is used, mercury vapor pressure is largely varied corresponding to variation of ambient air temperature, and thus, optical output fall. Accordingly, when mercury drop is used, it is necessary to secure a coldest spot (a portion of a surface of a bulb where temperature value becomes the lowest) so as to control mercury vapor pressure. The temperature is around 35-45 degrees Celsius.
By the way, in an electrodeless discharge lamp shown in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-325920, when installation posture thereof is changed, the coldest spot of the bulb is changed. For example, when the lamp is lit in a posture that a ferrule or a cap thereof is disposed upward (hereinafter, it is called "base-up lighting"), a protrusion formed at an apex of the bulb becomes the coldest spot. Alternatively, when the lamp is lit in a posture that a ferrule thereof is disposed downward (hereinafter, it is called "base-down lighting"), a portion of the bulb just above the ferrule becomes the coldest spot. When the volume of the bulb is small, a volume of a portion where discharge occurs becomes relatively larger with respect to the volume of the bulb, so that it is difficult to maintain temperature at the coldest point constant regardless of the posture of installation of the electrodeless discharge lamp. Although temperature at the protrusion of the bulb in the base-up lighting can be controlled by changing a diameter and a height of the protrusion, it is a problem to control temperature at a bulb neck portion in the base-down lighting.

Electrodeless discharge lamp and lighting apparatus using the same


A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes photoelectric conversion elements configured to convert incident light to electric carriers, amplifier sections configured to read signals based on the electric carriers generated in the photoelectric conversion elements, transfer sections configured to transfer electric carriers in the photoelectric conversion elements to input units of the amplifier sections, and voltage supply sections configured to set potentials of the input units, arranged in a two-dimensional array. The photoelectric conversion apparatus further includes output lines configured to read signals from the amplifier sections and voltage supply lines configured to supply voltages to the voltage supply sections. Out of the output lines and the voltage supply lines, only one output line and one voltage supply line related to a first photoelectric conversion element are disposed between the first photoelectric conversion element and an adjacent second photoelectric conversion element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion apparatus and an image pickup system using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image pickup apparatuses in which metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) type photoelectric conversion apparatuses are used are actively developed. MOS type photoelectric conversion apparatuses are typical photoelectric conversion apparatuses. Amplifier solid-state image pickup apparatuses are disclosed as an example.
In an amplifier solid-state image pickup apparatus, since the number of MOS transistors, for reading signals or processing signals, that are disposed in the photoelectric conversion area is large, the light receiving area tends to be narrow compared with that of a charge-coupled device (CCD) type solid-state image pickup apparatus.
In such a situation, structures in which the number of MOS transistors is reduced are considered so as to expand the light receiving area of a photoelectric conversion element. For example, a photoelectric conversion apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-355668, in which pixels are selected row by row by controlling the drain potential of a reset MOS transistor. Moreover, another photoelectric conversion apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-005911, in which pixels are selected row by row by controlling, with a pixel power supply drive circuit, the drain potentials of a reset transistor and an amplifier transistor that are commonly connected.
However, although equivalent circuits and reading methods in the structures in which the number of MOS transistors is reduced are considered, layouts in a case where devices are actually formed are not thoroughly considered.
For example, in the photoelectric conversion apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-005911, selection or non-selection of pixels is controlled by supplying a voltage to the drains of the reset transistor and the amplifier transistor using a selection line. However, an actual wiring layout is not thoroughly considered. For example, since a vertical output line for reading signals and a selection line are placed in parallel, correct signals may not be read because the selection line may be affected by a change in the potential of the vertical output line.
In view of such problems, in the present invention, the influence of noise between a line for supplying a voltage to the drain of a reset transistor and an output line is reduced.

Photoelectric conversion apparatus and image pickup system using the same