A transceiver for a code division multiple access communication system comprises a receiver to receive coded information signals and a transmitter to transmit coded information signals. A local oscillator provides a time and frequency reference for the receiver and the transmitter. A timing controller provides timing signals for the receiver and the transmitter. A signal processor decodes received signals to determine a common error associated with the timing controller. A timing correction circuit smoothly adjusts the timing of the coded information signals transmitted by the transmitter responsive to the timing error to reduce the timing error over a desired time interval.

The invention relates to timing control for high chiprate cellular CDMA systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for smoothly varying timing in response to either open loop or closed loop control mechanisms to correct for timing drift.
It is known in digital transceivers to derive both the transmit and receive frequencies from the same, accurate crystal reference oscillator, such as a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). The standard known as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) for digital cellular systems, for example, specifies that the network base stations shall lock the transmitted bitrate of 13 MHz/48 to the same frequency reference source as the radio frequency channels, which are multiples of 13 MHz/65. Accordingly, 13 MHz is a convenient choice for the reference oscillator frequency.
Mobile terminals use a technique known as automatic frequency correction (AFC) to lock their transmit and receive frequencies to the base station frequency reference. The mobile terminals receive and decode the base station transmissions and derive a frequency error representing the difference between the mobile terminal's frequency standard and the frequency of the received signal. The frequency error is then used to correct the mobile terminal's frequency standard by changing a control voltage applied to the VCO.
In many mobile terminals, the VCO from which all transmit and receive frequencies are derived is also used to generate all digital chiprates and bitrates. In time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frame and slot timing is implicitly controlled since frame and slot periods are simply a specified number of bit periods. The bitrate/chiprate accuracy may need to be higher than radio channel frequency accuracy, in order to avoid the phenomenon of bitslip or mis-synchronization, particularly during periods of temporary signal outage as a result of fading.
Notwithstanding the use of the same frequency reference as both a frequency and timing standard, multipath fading due to motion of the mobile terminal causes Doppler-type frequency errors in the received signal. Due to multipath propagation, the multipath rays can be received from behind or in front of the mobile terminal relative to the direction of movement of the mobile terminal and therefore may be of any sign. As these multipath rays fluctuate, the frequency error perceived by the mobile terminal receiver fluctuates and becomes partially transferred to the crystal reference oscillator resulting in a small frequency error. This frequency error causes the timing to drift from an expected timing standard. For example, a mobile terminal operating according to the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) standard transmits at a chiprate of 3.84 megachips (complex QPSK chips) per second. Experience teaches that the crystal reference oscillator can be corrected by automatic frequency correction (AFC) to an accuracy of about 0.1 ppm. Thus, using the reference oscillator to derive the chiprate causes a timing drift of +/−0.384 chips/sec.
Another source of timing drift is relative motion. At 60 miles/hour vehicle speed, the loop path length is changing at +/−120 miles/hour, or 54 meters/sec. The loop delay is thus changing at +/−0.18uS/sec, which is +/−0.69 chips/sec. In total therefore, the timing drift can be up to +/−1 chip per second. The error induced by multipath fading and relative motion is typically corrected by two additional mechanisms: an open loop timing correction mechanism and a closed loop timing correction mechanism.
The open loop timing correction mechanism comprises determining, at the mobile terminal, the timing at which an assigned slot was received. Since the timing also fluctuates appreciably (several bit periods) due to the multipath propagation, the value is smoothed by a simple low pass filter having a smoothing time constant of several frames. The smoothed timing value is used to control the transmitter timing value in steps of ¼ of a bit period to follow the receiver timing by a specified number of bit periods, referred to herein as the transmitter timing offset.
The closed loop timing correction mechanism comprises the network base station receiving the mobile terminal signal and determining whether the slots are received late or early relative to an expected, ideal time-of-arrival. The base station then determines whether, on average, it is desirable to alter the transmitter timing offset between the mobile transmit and receiver timing. If so, a so-called time-advance command is transmitted from the network to the mobile terminal, thereby completing the closed loop correction mechanism.
In the GSM system, the mobile terminal may alter its transmitter timing according to the open loop mechanism in steps of ¼ of a bit period, or alter its transmit slot timing according to the closed loop mechanism in steps of more than one whole bit period. The timing offset is not critical in GSM. Because multipath propagation can change the propagation delays radically between one slot and the corresponding slot in the next frame, GSM receivers must in any case re-establish the channel propagation characteristics anew for each successive slot. There is thus no attempt to track the propagation channel changes between two successive frames.
In contrast to TDMA systems, code division multiple access (CDMA) systems generally employ continuous transmission, and attempt to track the channel changes due to multipath propagation, since there are no discontinuities at frame or slot boundaries to hinder channel tracking. Channel tracking allows more efficient receivers to be produced that operate at lower signal-to-noise plus interference ratios, which increases the capacity of CDMA systems. Advanced receivers using interference canceling techniques such as subtractive demodulation as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,919 to Applicant, or coherent macrodiversity techniques as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/915,896, filed Jul. 26, 2001, entitled "Communication System Employing Transmit Macro-Diversity" to Applicant, are even more reliant on accurate channel tracking. If step changes are applied to mobile terminal transmitter timing, the accuracy of channel tracking is reduced, reducing the effectiveness of these advanced techniques.
The increase of CDMA bandwidths and chiprates has led to the need for further improvement in timing correction to prevent timing drift between a transmitter and a receiver.

Chiprate correction in digital transceivers


Thermally efficient hydrogen storage systems are disclosed. An apparatus may include an exothermic hydrogen generator, and an endothermic hydrogen generator. In one aspect, the endothermic hydrogen generator may absorb heat from the exothermic hydrogen generator.

Fuel cells that generate electrical power using reactions between hydrogen and an oxidizing gas such as oxygen or air are well known in the art. Such fuel cells require a source of hydrogen, such as a compressed hydrogen gas cylinder, a liquefied hydrogen tank, a hydrogen storage powder, a hydrogen storage alloy, a hydride such as lithium or sodium borohydride, a metal hydride or a reformed hydrocarbon such as natural gas or methane. The typical fuel cell has a single source of hydrogen, which may be produced by either exothermic or endothermic processes.
Depending on their efficiency, present fuel cells may generate more waste heat than usable electrical energy. For applications where fuel cells are used to power small, portable electronic devices such as cell phones, laptop computers, video cameras, flashlights, portable electrical tools, personal digital assistants, etc. the production of large amounts of waste heat can create problems with overheating of the electronic device or with excessively hot hand-held devices. As many electronic devices generate waste heat by their operation, the incorporation of a hydrogen fuel cell that produces additional waste heat creates serious problems with thermal control.


A method of detecting the presence or position of a first component in an article is disclosed. The first component, which has a predefined response to incident light, includes a microporous film of a semi-crystalline polyolefin and a beta-nucleating agent. The method includes irradiating the article with incident light, detecting light received from the irradiated article; and identifying the predefined response of the first component in the light received from the irradiated article to detect the presence or the position of the first component. A method for preparing a mechanical fastening component for use in an article is also disclosed. The method includes stretching a film backing containing beta-spherulites and having upstanding fastening elements to provide a microporous film backing with sufficient porosity to allow it to be detected when subjected to an inspection system comprising a light detector.

Semi-crystalline polyolefins can have more than one kind of crystal structure. For example, isotactic polypropylene is known to crystallize into at least three different forms: alpha (monoclinic), beta (pseudohexangonal), and gamma (triclinic) forms. In melt-crystallized material the predominant form is the alpha or monoclinic form. The beta form generally occurs at levels of only a few percent unless certain heterogeneous nuclei are present or the crystallization has occurred in a temperature gradient or in the presence of shearing forces. The heterogeneous nuclei are typically known as beta-nucleating agents, which act as foreign bodies in a crystallizable polymer melt. When the polymer cools below its crystallization temperature, the loose coiled polymer chains orient themselves around the beta-nucleating agent to form beta-phase regions. The beta form of polypropylene is a meta-stable form, which can be converted to the more stable alpha form by thermal treatment and/or applying stress. It is known that micropores can be formed in various amounts when the beta-form of polypropylene is stretched under certain conditions. See, e.g., Chu et al., "Microvoid formation process during the plastic deformation of β-form polypropylene", Polymer, Vol. 35, No. 16, pp. 3442-3448, 1994, and Chu et al., "Crystal transformation and micropore formation during uniaxial drawing of β-form polypropylene film", Polymer, Vol. 36, No. 13, pp. 2523-2530, 1995.
In other technologies, during the manufacturing of an article it is sometimes desirable to monitor the presence or position of one or more components to be incorporated into the article. For instance, in a largely automated process for manufacturing disposable absorbent products such as diapers and other incontinence products, certain components (e.g., support layers, absorbent pads, elastic components, and fastener components) must be positioned or aligned with respect to each other and/or other components in order to produce an acceptable product. Inspection systems are commonly used to detect the positions of such components during manufacturing. Some exemplary registration inspection systems such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,525 (Weyenberg) employ conventional video cameras for capturing visible and ultraviolet light reflected by and/or transmitted through components in order to produce still video images of such components. After producing a video image of an article and its several components, the image can be analyzed to determine whether the components are properly positioned and registered with one another. Another inspection system described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,927,857 (Koele et al.) utilizes infrared detectors to produce an image from a composite article irradiated with light. One or more of the components of the composite article includes an infrared blocker to enhance the degree to which the component can be detected.

Method of detecting a component of an article and method of preparing a component for detection


An electromagnetic field sensing apparatus includes an optical modulator, a miniature antenna for sensing the electromagnetic field, a light source, a first optical fiber, an optical detector and a second fiber. The optical modulator can vary the amplitude of a light beam propagating therethrough in response to an electric field intensity. The miniature antenna for sensing the electromagnetic field can sense both the electric field intensity and the magnetic field intensity of an electromagnetic field and apply an electric voltage to the optical modulator in response to the sensed electromagnetic field intensity. The light source is used to generate a light beam, the first optical fiber is used for transmitting the light beam to the modulator, and the second fiber is used for transmitting the light beam from the modulator to the optical detector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a miniature antenna and an electromagnetic field sensing apparatus, and more particularly, to a miniature antenna and an electromagnetic field sensing apparatus for sensing an electric field signal and a magnetic field signal of an electromagnetic field.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional sensors for sensing an electromagnetic field (antenna for instance) use a cable to transmit signals. However, the electromagnetic field will be interfered by the cable since the cable itself is conductor, and the so-called optical sensor for sensing the electromagnetic field is developed to solve this problem.
The optical sensor for sensing the electromagnetic field usually uses the Nd:YAG laser as the light source, and uses the LiNbO3 crystal as the substrate on which optical waveguides are made for forming interfering signals (See "IEEE Transactions on electromagnetic compatibility, vol. 34, No. 4, 1992, pp. 391–396"). In addition, the Japanese corporation Tokin has published more than 10 related patents, which primarily relate to technology for designing and manufacturing the optical modulator of the electric field sensing device, and technology about the thermal compensation with the optical fibers (See "EP0664460B1, EP0668506A1 and EP0668507A1"). However, these papers and patents only focus on the electric field sensing device, and the magnetic field sensing device is not discussed at all.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical apparatus 10 for sensing an electric field according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical apparatus 10 for sensing the electric field uses an electric field antenna 12 to sense the electric field signals of the electromagnetic field to be sensed. The output port of the electric field antenna 12 is connected to an optical modulator 14, which comprises one optical input waveguide 16, two optical phase modulation waveguides 18 and one optical output waveguide 20. The optical modulator 14 uses the LiNbO3 crystal, and there are two electrodes 24 and 26 positioned above the optical phase modulation waveguide 18.
The semiconductor laser emitted from the light source is conducted into the optical input waveguide 16 via the first optical fiber 22, enters the optical phase modulation waveguide 18 after light splitting, and is then ultimately merged to the optical output waveguide 20. The voltage difference between the electrode 24 and electrode 26 shall change the refractive index of the optical phase modulation waveguide 18, and the phase of the laser propagating through the two optical phase modulation waveguide 18 is changed, i.e., the phase difference is changed. As a result, the output amplitude of the laser from the optical output waveguide 20 changes with the voltage difference between the electrode 24 and the electrode 26. When the electric field antenna 12 receives electric field signals, its output electric field signals shall modulate the amplitude of the output laser from the optical output waveguide 20. Therefore, electric field signals are converted into light signals on the optical modulator 14, and the optical signal is then transmitted to the optical detector 30 via the second optical fiber 28. Subsequently, the interference problem is solved since there is no cable.
However, a magnetic field sensing device is needed to sense the magnetic field since the electric field signals measured at the near field fail to represent the whole electromagnetic field. In addition, the optical sensor for sensing the electromagnetic field generates the zero drift as the environmental temperature varies. Although the zero drift can be overcome by connecting a temperature sensing device with a conductive wire and controlling the electric field sensing device according to the temperature variation feedback from the temperature sensing device, the conductive wire shall also influence the electromagnetic field to be sensed. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a compensation technology free of conductors.

Miniature antenna and electromagnetic field sensing apparatus

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A forging machine has four forging rams (2) supported by the machine frame (1) for movement radially towards and away from the system axis (5) in an X arrangement at 90.degree. to one another. Piston and cylinder units (12-15) on the machine frame each have a ram (2) as a constituent part and have a stroke corresponding to the working stroke of the ram. A crosshead (16) supports each piston and cylinder unit, and is adjustable (23-25) relative to the machine frame for setting the stroke position of the ram. An adjustable die holder (6) at the radially inner end of each ram adjusts a die (5) thereon in a direction transverse to the radial direction of the ram, so that the dies can be positioned with parts of their working surfaces overlapping side surfaces of adjacent dies to form a closed forging pass contour smaller than the working surfaces of the dies. Radially extending drive shafts (58) external to the rams and gear units (54-59) at the radially inner ends of the shafts adjust the die holders. Each gear unit is attached (57) to the associated ram, and a rotary coupling (60) is provided between each gear unit and a shaft drive device (63) for facilitating the die holder adjustment dependent on ram radial movement.

This invention relates to forging machines having die holder lateral adjustment.
For the forging of workpieces having a distinct longitudinal axis, forging machines are employed which are provided with four rams equipped with dies, arranged in an X arrangement within a plane, offset at 90.degree. from one another, acting radially on the workpiece which is guided along the system axis. A forging machine of this generic type is known from European Patent EP 0 228 030 B1 and also U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,796,456 and 4,831,864, in which the rams guided in the machine frame constitute parts (single-piece or in combination) of piston-and-cylinder units with a stroke corresponding to the working stroke of the ram, and are adjustable in terms of their stroking position by crossheads which are adjustable relative to the machine frame and support the piston-and-cylinder units. The rams with the dies, which are transversely adjustable within their common plane by means of die holders mounted on the rams, are adjustable and fixable by actuator means, acting on the die holders, as a function of the stroke end position setting of the rams, such that the dies form a closed pass contour at their respective stroke end positions, with that part of their working surface protruding beyond the pass contour dimension overlapping a side surface of an adjacent die. The actuator means, the end members (toothed racks, link guides) of which are connected to the holders, are driven via shafts by motors which are secured to the adjustable crossheads, such that only the ram working stroke has to be accommodated in the drive connection from the motor to the end member of the actuator means.
In order to accommodate the shaft provided in the drive connection, the ram and its piston-and-cylinder unit must be provided with central through openings, or the shafts have to be arranged laterally next to the rams. The central arrangement of the shafts requires the provision of hollow shafts in the piston-and-cylinder units in order to be able to seal the piston and cylinder with respect to one another and to the central through openings, in the manner apparent from FIGS. 2, 3 and 6 of EP 0 228 030 B1. The constructional expense is correspondingly high, and accessibility to the components is impaired. Where the shafts are arranged laterally next to the rams, the drive connections between the shafts and end members of the actuator means cause difficulties, with the added problem that these components are exposed to the radiation heat and flying scale from the workpiece, as is apparent from FIG. 7 and 8 of EP 0 228 030 B1.

Forging machine with die holder lateral adjustment


A simple removable plastic heddle comprised of a single monolithic plastic body and a mating insertion tool.

This invention relates to weaving heddles for looms; specifically to removable weaving heddles and a corresponding insertion tool to aid installation of the heddle in a shaft assembly of a weaving loom: a single insertion tool serving to install many loom heddles.
The current trend in heddle design requires the warp to be inserted through the eye of each and every heddle and then through the individual reed elements before the tensioning of each warp element can be implemented. If a mistake is made in this initial process the entire warping sequence is subject to re-threading which is a time consuming process. The average 30″ weaving width loom will have as many as 450 heddles to sequence without making a single mistake. This process is one of the fundamental impediments to attracting new weavers to the hobby of weaving.
The removable plastic heddle solves part of the problem of having to re-thread the entire warp by allowing a heddle to be transferred from one movable shaft to a different shaft or eliminating the heddle entirely. The removal and installation of the heddle must be a simple process that is not, in itself, time consuming.
A further advantage of the removable heddle is the potential for switching shafts during the weaving process which allows changing patterns in adjacent weaving increments. This has the potential of making small looms with limited shafts appear to function as though they had extra shafts. This process can be done without disturbing the sequential warp placement in the reed.

Removable plastic heddle with mating insertion tool for weaving apparatus


A plasma thruster includes a plasma chamber having first and second axial ends, the first of which is open, an anode located at the second axial end, and a cathode. The cathode and anode are arranged to produce an electric field having at least a component in the axial direction of the thruster. A magnet system including a plurality of magnets is spaced around the thruster axis, each magnet having its north and south poles spaced around the axis.

Plasma thrusters are known which comprise a plasma chamber with an anode and a cathode which set up an electic field in the chamber, the cathode acting as a source of electrons. Magnets provide regions of high magnetic field in the chamber. A propellant, typicaly a noble gas, is introduced into the chamber. Electrons from the cathode are accelerated through the chamber, ionizing the propellant to form a plasma. Positive ions in the plasma are accelerated towards the cathode, which is at an open end of the chamber, while electons are deflected and captured by the magnetic field, because of their higher charge/mass ratio. As more propellant is fed into the chamber the primary electrons from the cathode and the secondary electrons from the ionization process continue to ionize the propellant, projecting a continuous stream of ions from the open end of the thruster to produce thrust.
Examples of multi-stage plasma thrusters are described in US2003/0048053, and divergent cusped field (DCF) thrusters are also known.


A method for depositing a coating of a nanostructure material onto a substrate includes: (1) forming a solution or suspension of containing the nanostructure material; (2) selectively adding “chargers” to the solution; (3) immersing electrodes in the solution, the substrate upon which the nanostructure material is to be deposited acting as one of the electrodes; (4) applying a direct and/or alternating current electrical field between the two electrodes for a certain period of time thereby causing the nanostructure materials in the solution to migrate toward and attach themselves to the substrate electrode; and (5) subsequent optional processing of the coated substrate.

In the description of the background of the present invention that follows reference is made to certain structures and methods, however, such references should not necessarily be construed as an admission that these structures and methods qualify as prior art under the applicable statutory provisions. Applicants reserve the right to demonstrate that any of the referenced subject matter does not constitute prior art with regard to the present invention.
The term "nanostructure" material is used by those familiar with the art to designate materials including nanoparticles such as C60 fullerenes, fullerene-type concentric graphitic particles; nanowires/nanorods such as Si, Ge, SiOx, GeOx, or nanotubes composed of either single or multiple elements such as carbon, Bx,Ny, CxByNz, MoS2, and WS2. One of the common features of nanostructure materials is their basic building blocks. A single nanoparticle or a carbon nanotube has a dimension that is less than 500 nm at least in one direction. These types of materials have been shown to exhibit certain properties that have raised interest in a variety of applications and processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,697 to Zhou et al. (entitled "Nanotube-Based High Energy Material and Method"), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, discloses the fabrication of carbon-based nanotube materials and their use as a battery electrode material.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,772 to Bower et al. (based on U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/296,572 entitled "Device Comprising Carbon Nanotube Field Emitter Structure and Process for Forming Device") the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, discloses a carbon nanotube-based electron emitter structure.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/351,537 entitled "Device Comprising Thin Film Carbon Nanotube Electron Field Emitter Structure", the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, discloses a carbon-nanotube field emitter structure having a high emitted current density.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,318 to Bower et al. (entitled "Method for Fabrication of Patterned Carbon Nanotube Films"), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, discloses a method of fabricating adherent, patterned carbon nanotube films onto a substrate patterned with a carbide-forming material, a carbon-dissolving material, or a low melting point metal. Carbon-dissolving materials include elements such as Ni, Fe, Co, and Mn. Carbide-forming elements include elements such as Si, Mo, Ti, Ta, W, Nb, Zr, V, Cr, and Hf.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,939 to Zhou et al. (based on U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/594,844 entitled "Nanostructure-Based High Energy Material and Method"), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, discloses a nanostructure alloy with alkali metal as one of the components. Such materials are described as being useful in certain battery applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,096 to Zhou et al. (based on U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/679,303 entitled "X-Ray Generating Mechanism Using Electron Field Emission Cathode"), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, discloses an X-ray generating device incorporating a nanostructure-containing material.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,965,199 to Stoner et al. (based on U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/817,164 entitled "Coated Electrode With Enhanced Electron Emission And Ignition Characteristics") the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, discloses an electrode including a first electrode material, an adhesion-promoting layer, and a carbon nanotube-containing material disposed on at least a portion of the adhesion promoting layer, as well as associated devices incorporating such an electrode.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,122 to Zhou (based on U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/881,684 entitled "Method of Making Nanotube-Based Material With Enhanced Field Emission") the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety, discloses a technique for introducing a foreign species into the nanotube-based material in order to improve the emission properties thereof.
As evidenced by the above, nanostructure materials, such as carbon nanotubes possess promising properties, such as electron field emission characteristics which appear to be far superior to that of conventional field emitting materials. In particular, carbon-nanotube materials exhibit low emission threshold fields as well as large emission current densities. Such properties make them attractive for a variety of microelectronic applications, such as lighting elements, field emission flat panel displays, gas discharge tubes for over voltage protection, and x-ray generating devices.
However, the effective incorporation of such materials into these devices has been hindered by difficulties encountered in the processing of such materials. For instance, carbon nanotubes are produced by techniques such as laser ablation and arc discharge methods. Carbon nanotubes produced by such techniques are collected, subjected to further processes (e.g.—filtration and/or purification) and subsequently deposited or otherwise incorporated into the desired device. Thus, according to these conventional techniques, it is not possible to directly form carbon nanotubes onto a substrate or carrier material.
Post-formation methods such as screen printing and spraying have been utilized to deposit pre-formed carbon nanotubes on a substrate. However, such techniques pose certain drawbacks. For instance, screen printing requires the use of binder materials as well as an activation step. Spraying can be inefficient and is not practical for large-scale fabrication.
Carbon nanotubes have been grown directly upon substrates by use of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. However, such techniques require relatively high temperatures (e.g.—600-1,000° C.) as well as reactive environments in order to effectively grow the nanotubes. The requirement for such harsh environmental conditions severely limits the types of substrate materials which can be utilized. In addition, the CVD technique often results in mutli-wall carbon nanotubes. These mutli-wall carbon nanotubes generally do not have the same level of structural perfection and thus have inferior electronic emission properties when compared with single-walled carbon nanotubes.
Thus, there is a need in the art to address the above-mentioned disadvantages, and others, associated with conventional fabrication techniques.

Deposition method for nanostructure materials

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


A cyclone dust-collector which filters out dust and dirt from drawn-in air at least two times, comprising a multiple cyclone unit having a first cyclone and a plurality of second cyclones arranged at the outside of the first cyclone, for centrifugally separating the dust and dirt from the drawn-in air; a cover unit connected to the upper portion of the multiple cyclone unit, for allowing the first and the second cyclones to separating communicate with each other; and a dirt-collecting unit connected to the lower portion of the multiple cyclone unit, for collecting therein the dust and dirt centrifugally separated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a cyclone dust-collector which centrifugally separates dust and dirt from drawn-in air and collects the dust and dirt.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an up-right type or canister-type vacuum cleaner comprises a suction brush which is connected to a cleaner body and travels along a cleaning surface. The inside of the cleaner body is divided into a dust-collecting chamber in which a dust filter is detachably mounted and a motor-driving chamber in which a motor for providing a suction force is mounted. As the motor is driven, a suction force is generated at the suction brush. Due to the suction force, the air containing dust and dirt is drawn into the cleaner body from the cleaning surface. The drawn-in air is discharged after passing through the dust filter mounted in the dust-collecting chamber of the cleaner body. The various dust and dirt entrained in the air are separated from the air and collected at the dust filter, and the dust and dirt-free air is discharged to the outside via the motor driving chamber.
However, the general vacuum cleaner with the above construction has to have a consumable dust filter to separate and collect the dust and dirt.
Also, the dust filter has to be periodically replaced with a new one when it is full of the dust and dirt. For the replacement, a user directly touches the dust filter with his or her hands, which causes a problem of inconvenience or is injurious to the health of the user.
In an attempt to solve these problems, a cyclone dust-collector which provides a high dust collection efficiency and can be semi-permanently used after removing the filtered-out dirt, has been proposed and is being now widely used. The cyclone dust-collecting apparatus separates and collects dust and dirt from the air by a centrifugal effect.
However, the cyclone dust-collector adopts a semi-permanent cyclone dust-collecting construction instead of using a conventional dust bag or a dust filter. Therefore, the dust collection efficiency depends on the construction or performance of the cyclone dust-collector, so there may be an occasion where the cyclone dust-collector lets fine particles pass without filtering them completely. Accordingly, there is a need for a cyclone dust-collector that is capable of separating and collecting fine particles efficiently.


A liquid crystal display (LCD) module includes a backlight module and an LCD panel. The backlight module has an illumination device for emitting at least a first, a second, and a third color light. The wavelength of the second color light is between 520 nm and 540 nm. The LCD panel is provided to display an image with the first, second and third color lights provided as light sources. The LCD panel includes a color filter having at least a first, a second, and a third filtering layer for filtering the first, second, and third color lights, respectively. The LCD panel also includes a liquid crystal layer disposed next to the color filter. The peak value of a transmission spectrum of the second filtering layer is between 520 nm and 540 nm, and the full width at half maximum of the transmission spectrum of the second filtering layer is between 90 nm and 120 nm.

A liquid crystal display (LCD) module typically includes a backlight module and an LCD panel. The backlight module includes light sources, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit red light, green light, and blue light. The LCD panel displays an image using the three color light sources. The LCD panel also includes a color filter, an active device array substrate, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the color filter and the active device array substrate.
Light from a light source first passes through the active device array substrate, which has an array of pixel electrodes and associated active devices such as thin film transistor (TFTs). The active device array substrate receives pixel signals for controlling voltages of the pixel electrodes to adjust orientations of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer for controlling the intensity of light passing through the liquid crystal layer. The light eventually produces a corresponding color on the LCD panel due to the filtering function of the color filter if the light passing through a particular pixel electrode can smoothly penetrate the liquid crystal layer under the control of the pixel electrode voltage.
FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating the emission spectra of corresponding LEDs and the transmission spectra of corresponding color filters of a typical LCD module. In FIG. 1 "LCFR" represents the transmission spectrum curve of a low purity red filtering layer in a conventional color filter, "LCFG" represents the transmission spectrum curve of a low purity green filtering layer, and "LCFB" represents the transmission spectrum curve of a low purity blue filtering layer. Each transmission spectrum curve represents a respective range of wavelengths of light that is allowed to pass through the corresponding filtering layer. "LEDR" represents the emission spectrum curve of a red LED, "LEDG" represents the emission spectrum curve of a green LED, and "LEDB" represents the emission spectrum curve of a blue LED. The transmission spectrum of a light source such as an LED represents a range of wavelengths of light emitted by the light source.
Generally, the intensity or penetrability of light passing through the color filter is high if a low purity color filter is used. However, as shown in FIG. 1, besides filtering the light emitted by the corresponding color LED, the transmission spectrum of a particular filtering layer may overlap with the emission spectrum of another color LED, so that it is possible that the light emitted by the other color LED may also radiate through this particular filtering layer. For example, the transmission spectrum curve LCFG of the low purity green filtering layer has a wavelength width that partially overlaps with the emission spectrum curves of LEDB and LEDR (spectrum curves for the blue and red LEDs). This overlap may adversely affect the light filtering effect in the color filter.
In FIG. 1, "HCFR" represents the transmission spectrum curve of a high purity red filtering layer in another conventional color filter, "HCFG" represents a transmission spectrum curve of a high purity green filtering layer thereof, and "HCFB" represents the transmission spectrum curve of a high purity blue filtering layer thereof. To improve the poor light filtering effect described above when low purity filtering layers are used, the purities of the three color filtering layers of the conventional color filter can be increased so that the width of the high purity color filter transmission spectrum and the width of the LED emission spectrum do not partially overlap as is the case with low purity color filtering layers. As a result, when using high purity color filter layers, the light filtering effect of the color filter is improved.
FIG. 2 is a CIE chromaticity diagram of a conventional LCD color filter. It can be seen from FIG. 2 that by increasing the purities (in FIG. 2, purity "HCF" is greater than purity "LCF") of the three color filtering layers of the color filter, the displayed NTSC (National Television System Committee) ratio of the LCD module is increased. The NTSC ratio refers to the ratio of a color area of a color filter to the color area of NTSC.
Although high purity color filtering layers can be used to improve the filtering effect of a color filter, using high purity filtering layers may lead to higher manufacturing costs and decreased light penetrability of the color filter (which in turn reduces the display brightness of the LCD). Thus, even though the current design trend toward higher purity color filtering layers may somewhat increase display quality, manufacturing cost is increased greatly, so that the relative benefit of using higher purity color filtering layers is rather limited.

Liquid crystal display module having a color filter with a filtering layer having a transmission spectrum that does not overlap an emission spectrum of a light emitting diode at a wavelength


Examples of systems and methods are provided for generating an output signal having an output code having less number of bits compared to an input signal having a thermometer code representation. The system may partition the input code bits into non-overlapping clusters. The system may generate a control signal for each of the clusters based on, at least in part, a logical OR operation over all bits in a corresponding one of the clusters. The system may determine a transition cluster comprising a 1/0 transition in the input code bits. The system may determine output code bits based on, at least in part, an input code bit pattern in the transition cluster and an identity of the transition cluster.

Analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) is often used to sample analog signals so that such signals may be digitally represented. The need for digital representation of analog signals arises in a variety of applications such as digital communication receivers.
A variety of techniques to perform ADC are well known in the art. Two common techniques include the successive approximation (SA) ADC and the flash ADC. An SA ADC circuit generally produces a digital representation by processing an input analog signal through successive stages, each stage comprising a comparator configured to get a successively more accurate digital representation of the input analog signal. In a typical flash ADC circuit, an input analog signal value is compared with various reference levels, all at once, using multiple comparators. All other things being equal, because a flash ADC circuit has a single stage of comparators instead of multiple stages of comparators as in an SA ADC circuit, a flash ADC circuit may typically produce a digital representation of an analog input signal with lower latency than an SA ADC circuit. Therefore, the flash ADC technique is generally considered more suitable for a high speed application.
With the increasing demand for high data rates and constellation densities, especially in signals transmitted in the Giga Hertz (GHz) range, the demand for fast, accurate high speed ADC is ever increasing. When using a flash ADC circuit, this in turn may require certain aspects of the flash ADC circuit, such as suppressing errors in a digital representation of analog signals (sometimes called "bubble errors"), to be implemented using an accurate, high speed circuit.
In certain aspects of the disclosure, a better error filtering circuit is needed to meet the increased speed and accuracy requirements.

Thermometer code transcoding and encoding methods and systems


A system includes reception of authorization information associated with one or more database server sessions of a first user, the authorization information associating the first user, a second user, and an authorization period, establishment of a first database server session of the first user, establishment of a second database server session of the second user, reception, from the second user, of a request to debug the first database server session, determination, based on the authorization information, that the second user is authorized to debug the first database server session, and, in response to the determination, attachment of the second database server session to the first database server session, and transmission of debugging information of the first database server session to the second user.

According to conventional database architectures, a client application interacts with a database application executing on a database application server. In response to requests received from the client application, the database application acquires stored data from an underlying database system, performs any necessary processing, and provides the data to the client application.
Development of a database application typically requires some degree of debugging activity. It may be beneficial to allow a second user to debug a database server session of a first user. Efficient systems are desired for authorizing such debugging and for determining whether the debugging is authorized.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Security for debugging of database sessions


A vascular assist device which maintains a static graduated pressure as the minimum pressure at all times during use. At least two inflatable chambers which wrap around selected portions of a limb apply elevated pressure to selected portions of a limb to disgorge blood therefrom. The inflatable chambers also apply static pressure which is graduated from distal to proximal along selected portions of a limb, such as from the ankle to the hip. A separate inflatable foot chamber can be included and is not necessarily utilized in conjunction with the compression phases for the ankle, calf, or thigh inflatable chambers. A desired pressure level is generated and maintained in a pressure accumulator, and a pressure regulator and regulator valve control the pressure in the inflatable chambers. The inflatable chambers between the ankle and hip are inflated to a predetermined and uniform dynamic pressure which is maintained in the inflatable chambers for a predetermined amount of time. The pressure is then decreased to a static pressure level which is graduated in pressure from the most distal inflatable chamber to the most proximal inflatable chamber between the ankle and the hip. The cycle is repeated after maintaining graduated static pressure for about forty five seconds.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for improving vascular blood flow, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for improving venous blood flow from peripheral vessels.
2. The Relevant Technology
Blood clotting is a body's natural response at the site of a cut to help seal damaged blood vessels and minimize blood loss. However, a blood clot can also form in an intact vessel, in an inflamed vessel, or in a vessel that contains fatty deposits. Clots tend to form when blood flow is sluggish or in circumstances where there is a rise in the level of coagulation factors in the blood. Deep vein thrombosis, for example, is a condition wherein such clotting occurs within deep-lying veins, especially of the leg. Deep vein thrombosis is common in people with heart failure and in those who have suffered strokes or who are immobilized for long periods of time. In addition, deep vein thrombosis commonly occurs after knee, hip, or abdomen surgery. Age and obesity are also contributory factors. Symptoms of deep vein thrombosis include pain, tenderness, swelling, discoloration, and ulceration of the skin.
Once a clot has formed, it may provide a site for further clotting along the length of the vein. These clots, known as thrombi, can cause pain and damage to the tissues served by the vessel. A clot, or thrombus, that breaks away from the vessel into the blood stream is called an embolus. A "pulmonary embolism" can occur when an embolus travels from peripheral veins through the heart to the lungs via a pulmonary artery. In the lungs, the emboli can be trapped in the ever-decreasing branches of the bronchi. If the embolus is large enough to block the pulmonary artery, or if there are many emboli, the condition can be life threatening. Physicians have long sought effective procedures capable of averting this condition.
One approach used by physicians has involved the administration of anticoagulant drugs such as heparin. Anticoagulant drugs are given in an effort to reduce the clotting ability of the blood and the chance of more clots occurring. However, anticoagulants may be contraindicated in many patients. For example, these drugs may detrimentally result in abnormal bleeding in different parts of the body of the patient and may hinder necessary clotting at a surgical site.
Physicians have also recommended that a patient become ambulatory, or walk around, as soon as possible after surgery. However, it should be appreciated that this is not always feasible for many post-operative patients. In fact, patients who have undergone serious surgical procedures may not be ambulatory for an indeterminate period of time after the surgery.
Physicians have also utilized special elastic stockings, which apply rather tight pressure at the foot and gradually decreasing pressure up to the thigh or pelvis, in an attempt to avert deep vein thrombosis. These stockings are typically opaque and limit the ability of health care personnel to visualize the limb beneath the stocking, except for small fenestrations at the toe area. Thus, in order to monitor the condition of the limb, the stockings must be removed repeatedly throughout use.
In theory, elastic stockings allow a high degree of mobility for the patient. However, in practice, maintaining the stockings at the thigh or pelvis level during ambulation has presented a problem, and garters are often necessitated to hold the stockings in place. It should be appreciated that male patients are generally displeased, if not completely uncooperative, about wearing stockings with garters.
Yet, stockings that roll down present further problems for the patient. Because the stockings increase in pressure as they approach the foot, a tourniquet effect is created when the stockings roll down. Essentially, increased pressures result when the stockings roll down due to doubling or tripling of compressive layers, which generally has the effect of doubling or tripling the applied pressure. Blood flow actually becomes blocked, which may result in ischemic damage to distal tissues and further clotting of the stagnant blood. Thus, elastic stockings actually necessitate close monitoring by health care personnel in order to prevent the tourniquet effect. Surprisingly, elastic stockings are often given to home care patients where little, if any, monitoring is available.
In addition, elastic stockings are not "one size fits all." An imprecise fit can lead to too much pressure and the tourniquet effect if the stockings are too small, and to a substantially diminished effect if the stockings are too large. Therefore, the effectiveness of the elastic stockings typically depends upon a fitting prior to use. Yet, this may be burdensome for the patient, and requires the physician to determine at-risk patients in advance. It should be appreciated that not all procedures associated with the risk for deep vein thrombosis are planned ahead of time. In addition, the fitting requirement necessitates a large inventory of elastic stockings, which may be an inefficient use of capital and stock space.
Another method employed by physicians utilizes pneumatic compression devices. Such devices are generally attached to the patient's calf area while approximately 50 mmHg of pressure is applied for 10-15 seconds and then reduced to atmospheric pressure for 45 to 60 seconds. These devices are also utilized with compression occurring slowly up the calf and thigh in sequential pressure cycles. Pneumatic devices are generally utilized in higher risk patients with reduced mobility because the device itself limits ambulation.
Physicians have also combined the use of elastic stockings and pneumatic devices. However, such a combination presents the problems inherent in the two methods as well as added defects. The cost is virtually doubled, as is the amount of attention required by the medical personnel. Additionally, the devices in concert are hot and uncomfortable. Furthermore, the stocking may roll down beneath the pneumatic device and, as described above, result in a tourniquet effect which increases stagnation and potential clotting of the blood, the very symptoms the devices intended to prevent.


Methods of the present invention allow for validating eCommerce transactions. An exemplary method for validating an eCommerce transaction may comprise the steps of validating a Hosting Provider, validating a Merchant using the Hosting Provider to host an eCommerce website, and validating a Customer who may purchase goods or services from the Merchant via the eCommerce website. If the Hosting Provider, Merchant, and Customer are validated, an eCommerce transaction may be approved.

A network is a collection of links and nodes (e.g., multiple computers and/or other devices connected together) arranged so that information may be passed from one part of the network to another over multiple links and through various nodes. Examples of networks include the Internet, the public switched telephone network, the global Telex network, computer networks (e.g., an intranet, an extranet, a local-area network, or a wide-area network), wired networks, and wireless networks.
The Internet is a worldwide network of computers and computer networks arranged to allow the easy and robust exchange of information between computer users. Hundreds of millions of people around the world have access to computers connected to the Internet via Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Content providers place multimedia information (e.g., text, graphics, audio, video, animation, and other forms of data) at specific locations on the Internet referred to as webpages. Websites comprise a collection of connected, or otherwise related, webpages. The combination of all the websites and their corresponding webpages on the Internet is generally known as the World Wide Web (WWW) or simply the Web.
Prevalent on the Web are multimedia websites, some run by Merchants, offering and selling goods and services to individuals and organizations (i.e., potential Customers). Websites may consist of a single webpage, but typically consist of multiple interconnected and related webpages. Websites, unless extremely large and complex or have unusual traffic demands, typically reside on a single server and are prepared and maintained by a single individual or entity. Menus and links may be used to move between different webpages within the website or to move to a different website as is known in the art. The interconnectivity of webpages enabled by the Internet can make it difficult for Internet users to tell where one website ends and another begins.
Websites may be created using HyperText Markup Language (HTML) to generate a standard set of tags that define how the webpages for the website are to be displayed. Users of the Internet may access content providers' websites using software known as an Internet browser, such as MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER or MOZILLA FIREFOX. After the browser has located the desired webpage, it requests and receives information from the webpage, typically in the form of an HTML document, and then displays the webpage content for the user. The user then may view other webpages at the same website or move to an entirely different website using the browser.
Browsers are able to locate specific websites because each website, resource, and computer on the Internet has a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. Presently, there are two standards for IP addresses. The older IP address standard, often called IP Version 4 (IPv4), is a 32-bit binary number, which is typically shown in dotted decimal notation, where four 8-bit bytes are separated by a dot from each other (e.g., 126.96.36.199). The notation is used to improve human readability. The newer IP address standard, often called IP Version 6 (IPv6) or Next Generation Internet Protocol (IPng), is a 128-bit binary number. The standard human readable notation for IPv6 addresses presents the address as eight 16-bit hexadecimal words, each separated by a colon (e.g., 2EDC:BA98:0332:0000:CF8A:000C:2154:7313).
IP addresses, however, even in human readable notation, are difficult for people to remember and use. A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is much easier to remember and may be used to point to any computer, directory, or file on the Internet. A browser is able to access a website on the Internet through the use of a URL. The URL may include a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request combined with the website's Internet address, also known as the website's domain name. An example of a URL with a HTTP request and domain name is: http://www.companyname.com. In this example, the "http" identifies the URL as a HTTP request and the "companyname.com" is the domain name.
Domain names are much easier to remember and use than their corresponding IP addresses. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approves some Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) and delegates the responsibility to a particular organization (a "registry") for maintaining an authoritative source for the registered domain names within a TLD and their corresponding IP addresses. For certain TLDs (e.g., .biz, .info, .name, and .org) the registry is also the authoritative source for contact information related to the domain name and is referred to as a "thick" registry. For other TLDs (e.g., .com and .net) only the domain name, registrar identification, and name server information is stored within the registry, and a registrar is the authoritative source for the contact information related to the domain name. Such registries are referred to as "thin" registries. Most gTLDs are organized through a central domain name Shared Registration System (SRS) based on their TLD.
Some Internet users, typically those that are larger and more sophisticated, may provide their own hardware, software, and connections to the Internet. But many Internet users either do not have the resources available or do not want to create and maintain the infrastructure necessary to host their own websites. To assist such individuals (or entities), hosting companies exist that offer website hosting services. These Hosting Providers typically provide the hardware, software, and electronic communication means necessary to connect multiple websites to the Internet. A single Hosting Provider may literally host thousands of websites on one or more hosting servers.
Websites allow individuals and businesses to share their information and conduct business with a large number of Internet users. Many products and services are offered for sale on the Internet, thus elevating the Internet to an essential tool of commerce. Merchants, whether large corporations, small corporations, or individuals, are rapidly creating websites to take advantage of the growing number of Customers using the Internet and customers' increasing willingness to purchase goods and services over the Web. Websites created by Internet businesses may be reached by millions of Internet savvy customers, thereby allowing Internet businesses to offer their products and services to a very large pool of potential Customers.
For Internet users and businesses alike, the Internet continues to be increasingly valuable. More people use the Web for everyday tasks, from social networking, shopping, banking, and paying bills to consuming media and entertainment. eCommerce (i.e., buying and selling products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet) is growing, with businesses delivering more services and content across the Internet, communicating and collaborating online, and inventing new ways to connect with each other.
At least three distinct entities are involved in any eCommerce transaction conducted via a website: a Merchant; a Customer; and the Hosting Provider hosting the Merchant's website. During the eCommerce transaction, each of these entities has access to information about the other entities that may allow for fraud. For example, a fraudulent Merchant and/or Hosting Provider may engage in phishing (i.e., fraudulently acquiring sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication), and a fraudulent Customer may attempt to use an unauthorized credit card. It is therefore important that each entity involved in an eCommerce transaction be trusted by the other entities.
Applicant, however, has noticed that presently-existing methods do not provide adequate means for entities involved in eCommerce transactions to determine whether sufficient trust levels exists to proceed with a transaction. For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for the methods of rating and validating eCommerce transactions and related functionality as described herein.


A phase change optical recording medium having a structure that a phase change optical recording layer and other layers are stacked, wherein the optical recording layer has a microstructure that particles of optical recording material are dispersed in a matrix made from a dielectric, and wherein the optical recording layer meets the condition of Ama<Amc with respect to Maxwell Garnett absorption, where Ama and Amc are the magnitude of Maxwell Garnett absorption of the optical recording layer in the case where the particles are amorphous and crystalline, respectively, so that the optical recording layer meets the condition of Aa*.ltoreq.Ac* with respect to effective absorbance, where Aa* and Ac* are the effective absorbance of the optical recording layer in the case where the particles are amorphous and crystalline, respectively.

The present invention relates to a phase change optical recording medium for recording and reproducing information by irradiating the medium with a light beam.
A phase change optical recording medium, in which recording and reproduction are carried out by irradiating the medium with a light beam, has advantages of large capacity, high-speed access and medium portability. As the recording density of the medium increases, the field of application thereof is expected to be broadened. The operation of the phase change optical recording medium is as follows. In recording, an optical recording layer in a crystalline state is irradiated with a light beam of a recording power level to heat the recording site up to a temperature above the melting point thereof, and then the irradiated site is rapidly cooled in a short period of time less than the crystallization time, thereby forming an amorphous recording mark. In this case, overwriting can be performed by light intensity modulation. The recorded information is readout by utilizing the difference in the reflectance between the crystalline region and the amorphous recording mark.
In order to obtain a satisfactory overwrite performance (including .GAMMA. characteristics and overwrite repeatability), the phase change optical recording medium should preferably have a stacked structure which allows rapid heating and rapid cooling. FIG. 1 shows a typical structure of a conventional phase change optical recording medium which is now in practical use. As shown in FIG. 1, on a substrate 1, there are formed a first interference layer (lower protective layer) 2 made from a relatively thick dielectric having a thickness of 100 to 200 nm, a thin optical recording layer 3 having a thickness of 10 to 30 nm, a second interference layer (upper protective layer) 4 made from a relatively thin dielectric having a thickness of 10 to 40 nm and a reflective layer 5 made from a relatively thick and highly thermal conductive metal having a thickness of 50 to 100 nm.
As a technique which further enhances the recording density of the phase change optical recording medium, pulse width modulation recording (mark-edge detection) and land-groove (L-G) recording are known. The pulse width modulation recording makes it possible to reduce bit pitch by recording data in the edges of recording marks. According to this method, the recording density can be about 1.5 times that of conventional mark position recording. In the land-groove recording, the depth of groove is set to about 1/6 of the laser wavelength so as to reduce cross talk, which allows to record data on both land and groove. According to the L-G recording, the recording density can be about twice that of the conventional method in which data is recorded only in either land or groove.
In the L-G recording, it is required to suppress cross erase, i.e., a phenomenon that the recording mark edges in adjacent tracks are erased. Since the optical recording medium of FIG. 1 has a stacked structure capable of rapid heating and cooling, which effectively suppresses cross erase, there is little trouble in so far as the L-G recording is concerned. Meanwhile, in order to attain the pulse width modulation recording, it is required to minimize fluctuation in mark edge position. However, since the structure of FIG. 1 is likely to cause fluctuation in mark edge position, the pulse width recording is hard to realize. The reason is explained as follows. As to the recording layer alone, the reflectance of an amorphous region is smaller than that of a crystalline region. Besides, in the structure of FIG. 1, light passed through the recording layer is totally reflected by the uppermost reflective layer 5 and returned to the recording layer 3. Taking these conditions into consideration, the effective absorbance (A*) of the recording layer, which is observed from the incident side of light beam, is greater in the amorphous region (Aa*) than in the crystalline region (Ac*). It is problematic to carry out overwriting under the condition of Aa*>Ac*. That is, since the crystalline region is slowly heated up due to the smaller absorption and also requires a latent heat of melting, the region is hard to melt relative to the amorphous region. Therefore, the size of recording mark to be newly formed differs depending on whether the overwritten site is crystalline or amorphous, which means the fluctuation in mark edge position becomes greater.
Accordingly, in order to attain the pulse width modulation recording by suppressing the fluctuation in mark edge position upon overwriting, it has been found desirable that the condition of Aa*.ltoreq.Ac* be met. Under the circumstances, optical recording media having an improved stacked structure so as to satisfy the above condition have been proposed as follows.
(1) A stacked structure similar to that of FIG. 1 except that the uppermost reflective layer is replaced with a semitransparent layer: See, for example, ISOM/ODS-joint international conference proceeding, pp.71 (Th.3.5). This stacked structure meets the condition of Aa*.ltoreq.Ac* by allowing a part of light to transmit through the semitransparent layer.
(2) A stacked structure in which a semi-transparent layer is inserted between the substrate and the first interference layer in addition to that of FIG. 1: See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,978. This stacked structure realizes the condition of Aa*.ltoreq.Ac* by utilizing interference of light.
In the above optical recording media, however, the semitransparent layer reduces heat radiation, which makes thermal response slow. As a result, overwrite repeatability is deteriorated due to increase in thermal load on the recording layer as well as the land-groove recording characteristics is deteriorated due to increase in cross erase.
As stated above, it has been difficult for conventional optical recording media to meet excellent overwrite repeatability and land-groove recording as well as excellent pulse width modulation recording.


A control method for a switched reluctance generator employing dual switched-mode power converters does not require a position sensor. In the excitation stage, the upper tube and lower tube of the main switch of a phase in the power converter are switched on, and the phase current is detected. When the phase current rises to a preset threshold, the upper tube or lower tube of the main switch of the phase is switched off, changing the phase of the switched reluctance generator into a zero voltage natural freewheeling state. When the phase current drops to the valley value, the rotor position is the end position of maximum phase inductance of the phase. This rotor position is used as the switch-off position of the main switch of the phase of the switched reluctance generator, and the upper tube and lower tube for the main switch of the phase are switched off.

In switched reluctance generators, the rotor is made solely by electrical steel sheets stacked together, without brush, winding, or permanent magnet; the stator has centrally arranged windings. Therefore, switched reluctance generators have advantages such as solid and durable construction, low manufacturing cost, and easy maintenance, are suitable for use in harsh outdoor environments, and can achieve a very long service life that is incomparable among other types of generators. However, the existence of rotor position sensor compromises the advantage of simple construction of switched reluctance generators; especially, conventional position sensors often fail in harsh outdoor operating environments, resulting in degraded system reliability. In view of that, it is of great significance to develop a practical position sensorless control method for switched reluctance generators. The rotor position can be obtained by measuring the phase voltage and phase current of switched reluctance generator, and estimating the transient phase inductance of the generator through a state observer; however, a difficulty in the method is that an accurate nonlinear mathematical model of the switched reluctance generator system has to be established. The flux linkage or inductance characteristics of a given generator are measured in online or offline mode, a generator model can be established in the form of a table, fitting function, or neural network and stored in a controller, the rotor position can be deduced with the model through the flux linkage or inductance measured in real time when the generator operates in conjunction with the present phase current; however, the given motor is required to be modeled in advance in this method, the universality of which is limited. The rotor position at the end position of minimum phase inductance can be obtained through phase current gradient method by detecting the peak phase current in the inductance rising zone; that method is not suitable for phase current chopping control; the ON-OFF angle adjustment range is limited, and the speed adjustment range of switched reluctance generator is reduced during angular position control.

Position sensorless control method for switched reluctance generator

China University of Mining and Technology


An electronic device is disclosed with solder bumps treated to improve coplanarity and reduce the effects of poor solder bump surface quality, and a method of constructing same. An electronic device is placed against a flat plate and a controlled amount of force is applied to press together the electronic device and flat plate. The taller solder bumps are compressed, reducing non-coplanarity of the solder bumps. The controlled amount of force exposes the bulk material of a solder bump coated with a foreign material. A layer of abrasive, electroconductive particles that is harder than the foreign material, dispersed on the surface of the flat plate and firmly held in place, may also puncture the foreign material and expose the solder bump bulk material when the controlled amount of force is applied.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional FC package. A pattern of solder bumps 112 is formed on the side of a chip 110 that carries the integrated circuit. A complementary pattern of solder pads 122 is formed on substrate 120. Chip 110 is then flipped upside down to the orientation shown in FIG. 1, its pattern of solder bumps is aligned with the pattern of solder pads formed on substrate 120, and solder bumps 112 of chip 110 are brought into contact with solder pads 122 of substrate 120. Chip 110 and substrate 120 are then heated while in this alignment so that the solder in solder bumps 112 and solder pads 122 flows together. Upon cooling, the solder forms mechanical and electrical joints (i.e., solder joints) that connect chip 110 to substrate 120. As a result, the shape of the solder bump and pad cross-section changes from what is shown in FIG. 1 to the cross-section shown in FIG. 2. Additionally, an underfill 130 is added to the package to increase the package's structural stability.
When the solder in the solder bumps and the solder pads do not contact each other, cold joint defects result due to unsuccessful metallurgical bonding between pairs of solder bumps and solder pads. FIG. 2 is a scanning electron microphotograph of three solder joints with one cold joint in the middle and two good joints on the left and right. Since an electrical connection does not form between the solder bump and the solder pad in the cold joint, the joint fails to perform the electrical function for which it was designed.
Two factors that contribute to cold joint defects are non-coplanarity of solder bumps and poor solder bump surface quality.
First, non-uniformity of solder bump height often results in cold joints. Solder bumps are typically created in a reflow process in which the solder bumps are subjected to a temperature above their melting point so that the solder is in a liquid state, and the surface tension of the molten material pulls the material into a spherical shape. The solder bumps are allowed to cool and solidify, retaining the spherical shape. Due to process limitations, however, it is extremely difficult to ensure that all solder bumps are identical in volume. As a result, when the solder bumps are formed on the chip, the bump tips are not all at a common contact plane. This non-uniformity is further increased by the selective probing of some but not all of the solder bumps. Due to the high degree of electrical redundancy, close physical proximity, and the sheer number of solder bumps on each chip, only selected solder bumps are probed. The probing action invariably depresses the tip of the probed solder bumps, which further increases the non-coplanarity of the solder bumps.
FIG. 3 depicts three solder bumps 302, 304, and 306 of different sizes mounted on a chip 110. Solder bumps 302, 304, and 306 are aligned with solder pads 308, 310, and 312, respectively, on substrate 120. We will refer to a first solder bump as "shorter" than a second solder bump if the second solder bump extends farther from the chip surface than the first, and as "taller" than the second solder bump if the first solder bump extends farther from the chip surface than the second. Solder bump 302, as depicted, is shorter than solder bump 304, so tip 305 of solder bump 304 extends farther from chip 110 than tip 303 of solder bump 302. Since the tallest solder bumps usually determine the contact plane, the shorter solder bumps may fail to contact their solder pads. The lack of contact between the shorter solder bumps and their solder pads may prevent the formation of a physical connection between the shorter solder bumps and their solder pads, which results in cold joints.
Second, poor solder bump surface quality also results in cold joints. FIG. 4 is a photograph of the surface of a solder bump that is coated with a foreign material. This foreign material may have any of several origins. Solder bumps are sometimes coated with residual process material left behind by the reflow process. During reflow, this residual material tends to float to the solder bump tips at which the solder bumps contact the solder pads in the electronic package. Solder bumps can also develop an oxide layer when they are exposed to the atmosphere. Another source for contamination is the probe tips that are used to probe solder bumps on various chips. As the same probe is used to probe solder bump after solder bump, foreign material from one solder bump may be transferred to other solder bumps. These residual materials on the solder bumps are usually of poor electrical conductivity, and generally impede formation of physical connections between solder bumps and solder pads.
When the surface of a solder bump is coated with a material that is different from the material of the solder bump, this foreign material often prevents the material of the solder bump from contacting the material of the solder pad, which results in cold joints. Further, since the foreign material is usually of poor electrical conductivity, any connection between the coated solder bump and its solder pad via the foreign material is usually poor. The foreign material effectively functions as a barrier between the coated solder bump and the solder pad. In FIG. 3, solder bump 306 is coated with a foreign material 314. Acting as a barrier between coated solder bump 306 and solder pad 312 when the chip is packaged, foreign material 314 prevents coated solder bump 306 from contacting and forming a connection with solder pad 312, which results in a cold joint being formed. Referring again to FIG. 2, a gap between the solder bump and the solder pad in the cold joint (middle joint in FIG. 2) is clearly seen as the dark line between the solder bump and the solder pad.
In view of the foregoing discussion, it is highly desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus to prepare electronic devices that reduce cold joint defects resulting from non-coplanarity of the solder bumps and poor solder bump surface quality.

Method and apparatus for reducing cold joint defects in flip chip products


Disclosed are polypeptides for Campylobacter jejuni that are useful as immunogenic agents for vaccine use. Also disclosed are nucleic acid fragments encoding the polypeptides as well as compositions, methods and molecular biology tools derived from or related to the proteins.

C. jejuni is a bacterium commonly associated with poultry, since it naturally colonises the digestive tract of many bird species. Contaminated drinking water and unpasteurized milk provide an efficient means for distribution in human populations. Contaminated food is a major source of isolated C. jejuni infections, with incorrectly prepared meat and poultry normally being the source of the bacteria.
Infection with C. jejuni usually results in enteritis, which is characterised by abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and malaise. The symptoms usually persist for between 24 hours and a week, but may be longer. Diarrhea can vary in severity from loose stools to bloody stools. The disease is usually self-limiting. However, it does respond to antibiotics. Severe (accompanying fevers, blood in stools) or prolonged cases may require ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, azithromycin or norfloxacin. The drug of choice is usually erythromycin. About 90% of cases respond to ciprofloxacin treatment. Fluid and electrolyte replacement may be required for serious cases.
The first full-genome sequence of C. jejuni was performed in 2000 (strain NCTC11168) with a circular chromosome of 1,641,481 base pairs
As mentioned, C. jejuni infections may successfully be treated by administration of antibiotics to patients in need thereof, but that would not prevent acute illness. Further, due to careless or thoughtless use of powerful antibiotics, many pathological germs, including C. jejuni become resistant against antibiotics over time. In particular in hospitals, treatment with antibiotics can prove inadequate: not only will a C. jejuni infection be life-threatening for patients that already suffer from other health problems meaning that treatment with antibiotics may simply be non-effective within the relevant time-span, but in addition antibiotic-resistant C. jejuni strains will also withstand treatment with those antibiotics used as the initial choice in treatment. There is thus a need to provide alternatives to current treatment regimens. Also, infection with C. jejuni is associated with reactive arthritis and Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
Vaccination is considered to be a very effective method of preventing infectious diseases in human and veterinary health care. Vaccination is the administration of immunogenically effective amounts of antigenic material (the vaccine) to produce immunity to a disease/disease-causing pathogenic agent. Vaccines have contributed to the eradication of smallpox, the near eradication of polio, and the control of a variety of diseases, including rubella, measles, mumps, chickenpox, typhoid fever.
Before "the genomic era", vaccines were based on killed or live attenuated, microorganisms, or parts purified from them. Subunit vaccines are considered as a modern upgrade of these types of vaccine, as the subunit vaccines contain one or more protective antigens, which are more or less the weak spot of the pathogen. Hence, in order to develop subunit vaccines, it is critical to identify the proteins, which are important for inducing protection and to eliminate others.
An antigen is said to be protective if it is able to induce protection from subsequent challenge by a disease-causing infectious agent in an appropriate animal model following immunization.
The empirical approach to subunit vaccine development, which includes several steps, begins with pathogen cultivation, followed by purification into components, and then testing of antigens for protection. Apart from being time and labour consuming, this approach has several limitations that can lead to failure. It is not possible to develop vaccines using this approach for microorganisms, which cannot easily be cultured and only allows for the identification of the antigens, which can be obtained in sufficient quantities. The empirical approach has a tendency to focus on the most abundant proteins, which in some cases are not immuno-protective. In other cases, the antigen expressed during in vivo infection is not expressed during in vitro cultivation. Furthermore, antigen discovery by use of the empirical approach demands an extreme amount of proteins in order to discover the protective antigens, which are like finding needles in the haystack. This renders it a very expensive approach, and it limits the vaccine development around diseases, which is caused by pathogens with a large genome or disease areas, which perform badly in a cost-effective perspective.


A multi-purpose portable light includes an elongated body that has a first end and a second end. The elongated body extends from the first end to the second end. A headlight is mounted on the first end of the elongated body and a floodlight panel is located at a front portion of the elongated body. Further, the second end of the elongated body includes a base member. In addition, the elongated member includes one or more of the following elements: a belt clip, one or more magnets, an aperture to attach a fastener, a bottle opener, and a hook mechanism.

There is often a need to enhance area illumination by using portable lighting products. One such portable lighting product is a flashlight or stick light, which may be used in various settings needing light in small spaces, including, but not limited to, repair settings such as an automotive repair shop, construction settings, and other areas where no electrical outlet exists. As described above, conventional portable lighting products are limited to providing more focused and highly-intense light for small spaces and fail to provide a more general lighting such as a floodlight-like lighting feature or a combination of both general lighting and focused lighting. Further, the design of conventional portable lighting products are inefficient in that conventional portable lighting products focus primarily on providing lighting capabilities to a user, thus, leaving a majority of the surface area of the portable lighting product unused. Thus, there is a need for a technology that addresses the above-mentioned deficiencies. Conventional portable lighting products such as flashlights and stick lights can be improved by adding new features to them that offer a variety of multi-purpose functions.


A method is provided for selectively loading a layered service provider (LSP). The method includes registering at least one category for an installed LSP and registering a list of permitted categories of LSPs for an installed application. The application is then loaded, and the list of permitted categories of LSPs for the installed application is read. The installed LSP is loaded only if the at least one category is included in the list of permitted categories of LSPs.

Windows sockets is a popular network programming interface that is widely used by applications. Windows sockets enable third party code (called Layered Service Providers or LSPs) to be inserted in all applications (that use the Windows socket interface) by means of another interface called Service Provider Interface (SPI). There is currently no mechanism available to selectively include/exclude LSPs on a per application/per process basis. This is problematic because ALL LSPs installed on the system get included in ALL applications even though they may be interested only in traffic from certain applications. This also results in instability of the system and much customer pain, since any LSP installed on the system also gets included in System Critical Services (SCS).

Selective exclusion of LSPs on a per-packet basis


Soft and strong fibrous structures and more particularly soft and strong fibrous structures that contains less softwood fibers than known fibrous structures and methods for making such soft and strong fibrous structures are provided.

Historically, fibrous structures, such as fibrous structures that are used to make sanitary tissue products, have been made with softwood fibers and hardwood fibers. For example, softwood fibers have typically made up greater than 20% by weight on a dry fiber basis of through-air-dried fibrous structures. The softwood fibers are longer fibers than the hardwood fibers and they provide greater strength properties to the fibrous structures than do the hardwood fibers. However, softwood fibers negatively impact the softness of the fibrous structures.
Formulators have for years attempted to balance the level of softwood fibers in their fibrous structures to ensure adequate strength of the fibrous structures while at the same time trying to minimize the level of softwood fibers to avoid negatively impacting the softness of the fibrous structures. The problem has been that formulators have been unable to reliably make fibrous structures, especially through-air-dried ("TAD") fibrous structures that are used to make sanitary tissue products that contain less than 20% by weight of softwood fibers on a dry fiber basis of the fibrous structure, due to lower resulting strength in the fibrous structures which can lead to product quality issues and/or sheet breaks during processing. If formulators use less than 20% by weight on a dry fiber basis of softwood fibers to make fibrous structures and/or sanitary tissue products, the softwood fibers would need to have excessive refining and/or chemical strength agents to achieve the desired level of strength needed for product quality and/or reliability (avoid sheet breaks during making and/or processing). Both of these actions negatively impact softness of the fibrous structure and/or sanitary tissue product.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fibrous structure that comprises less softwood fibers, for example a 5% or more by weight reduction on a dry fiber basis, than traditional fibrous structures, especially traditional through-air-dried fibrous structures, without negatively impacting the strength of the resulting fibrous structures and reducing machine reliability, sanitary tissue products comprising same and methods for making same.

Soft and strong fibrous structures and methods for making same