An electrical connector module for electrically connecting at least one connector to a printed circuit board of an electronic device includes at least one shielding jack having a top wall, two opposite side walls and at least one common wall. The walls of the shielding jack collectively define at least a slot therewithin for receiving the connectors and a front end and an opposite rear end. The slot is divided by the common wall. The side walls and the common wall have a plurality of press fit terminals extending toward the circuit board. The common wall has a plurality of offset latch arms engaged with different connectors. When the connectors are inserted to the slots, the offset latch arms respectively secure the connectors in the corresponding slots.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant disclosure relates to an electrical connector module; in particular, to an electrical connector module for receiving and transmitting high speed signal in an electronic device.
2. Description of Related Art
Small form-factor pluggable (SFP) connector, XFP connector and QSFP connector are used in optical fiber transmission or signal transmission. The SFP connector acts as a bridge for mutual communication between the power cable and the optic fiber. The SFP connector is typically implemented in telecommunication and printed circuit board and the like. Different industrial standards define different connector types between the computer and transceiver modules, for example, modem, Internet interface. Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) is a common transceiver module between a computer and Ethernet, optic fiber channel or the like.
When the SFP connector is used along with compact electronic device, the connector guiding and fastening are relatively more challenging. The conventional SFP connector may not be easily inserted to its receptacle especially under blind mating. For example, an US application, application number 20060040556A1, disclosed a SFP connector enclosed by a metal shield. The metal shield defines an opening for receiving opposing connector. One or more than one guiding tabs are formed and extending from the opening to the hollow interior. The guiding tabs serve to lead the opposing connector in a correct alignment. However, the opposing connector also requires corresponding grooves in order to mate the guiding tabs. The guiding tabs may be formed at different positions and the corresponding grooves have to be relocated as well. The manufacturing process of the abovementioned SFP connector and the opposing connector is more complicated therefore incurring higher cost. Additionally, choosing to use the specific SPF connectors and its conforming connector is inconvenient. The same issue exists in QSFP connectors and XFP connectors.
To address the above issues, the inventor strives via associated experience and research to present the instant disclosure, which can effectively improve the limitation described above.


A double oven range appliance and a gas burner and floor assembly for an oven appliance are provided. The gas burner and floor assembly includes a cooking chamber bottom panel with a projection defining a plurality of openings. A gas burner is positioned above the plurality of openings. A floor panel is positioned below the cooking chamber bottom panel. An insulation panel is mounted to the floor panel such that the insulation panel is disposed below the plurality of openings. The gas burner and floor assembly can assist with limiting heat transfer along a vertical direction while also providing a suitable flow of air at the gas burner.

Double oven range appliances generally include a cabinet that defines upper and lower cooking chambers for baking or broiling food items therein as well as a cooktop positioned at a top portion of the cabinet for grilling, boiling or frying food items thereon. To heat the cooking chambers, double oven range appliances include heating elements, such as bake heating elements positioned at bottom portions of the cooking chambers and/or broil heating elements positioned at top portions of the cooking chambers. During operation of such heating elements, the cabinet and other components of the double oven range appliance can be heated. Further, flooring beneath the double oven range appliances can be heated during operation of such heating elements.
Flooring beneath such double oven range appliances is preferably maintained below a threshold temperature during operation of the double oven range appliances. Certain double oven range appliances define a large air gap between the lower cooking chamber and the flooring such that the lower cooking chamber is spaced apart from the flooring by a substantial distance in order to limit heat transfer between the lower cooking chamber and the flooring. However, providing a large air gap between the lower cooking chamber and the flooring has certain drawbacks. For example, vertical heights of the upper and lower cooking chambers can be limited or reduced if a large air gap is provided, and consumers generally prefer large cooking chambers.
Relatively small air gaps also have certain drawbacks. For example, gas burners require a certain volume of air to sustain combustion within the cooking chambers. Small air gaps can hinder or limit air flow to the gas burners and impede performance of the gas burners.
Accordingly, an oven appliance with features for limiting heat transfer to flooring below the oven appliance would be useful. In particular, an oven appliance with features for limiting heat transfer to flooring below the oven appliance while maintaining sufficient air flow to a gas burner of the oven appliance would be useful. Further, an oven appliance with features for limiting heat transfer to flooring below the oven appliance while having a small vertical profile and also maintaining sufficient air flow to a gas burner of the oven appliance would be useful.

Double oven range appliance and a gas burner and floor assembly for an oven appliance


In a frequency sharing radio system including a plurality of systems that share a specific frequency, upon establishment of a new system using a frequency that an existing system uses, a receiving station of the existing system receives a signal from a transmitting station of the existing system at a transmission frequency. The receiving station of the existing system transmits a beacon signal indicating a reception range thereof at the transmission frequency. A transmitting station of the new system detects a beacon signal transmitted from a receiving station of another system, and judges whether signal transmission is possible based on a result of the detection.

As an effective conventional technology for realizing effective use of frequency resources, there is, for example, a frequency sharing radio system. This is a method of sharing one frequency among a plurality of systems and performing communication using the frequency when the frequency is not used by other users.
A Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for realizing the frequency sharing radio system. In this Patent Document 1, a channel use state is checked by measuring interference between an own radio communication system and other radio communication systems and a channel is selected based on a result of the check to realize the frequency sharing radio system.
The following three methods can be cited as a method of using the frequency sharing radio system:
1. Frequency allocation to a single user
2. Opening a frequency band as a freely usable frequency band without allocating frequencies
3. Frequency allocation to a plurality of users with priority orders set for use
In a frequency sharing radio system indicated by 2 above, when there is an existing system that is already using a frequency, a newly established system needs to prevent interference with the existing system. In a frequency sharing system indicated by 3 above, when an existing system has a priority order concerning frequency higher than that of a new system, the new system needs to prevent interference with the existing system.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-186019

Frequency sharing method, receiving station and transmitting station


A vehicle seat includes a supporting member that supports a load of a seated person, a cushion frame, a rear pipe that is rotatably attached to the cushion frame, a lifter link that is fixed to the rear pipe, and a bracket that is rotatably attached to the rear pipe. An inclination of the cushion frame changes when the cushion frame is moved up and down by tilting the lifter link. The supporting member is connected to the rear pipe via the bracket.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle seat. More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicle seat provided with a lifter mechanism.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicle seat that employs a lifter mechanism is widely known. One known lifter mechanism serves to raise and lower the frame position of a seat cushion, and is configured to move the cushion frame up and down by tilting four lifter links (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-15116 (JP 2006-15116 A). With the structure described in JP 2006-15116 A, the lifter links are fixed to a rear pipe that extends in the left-right direction, and the rear pipe rotates, sliding with respect to the seat cushion, in response to the lifter links tilting. The technology described in JP 2006-15116 A uses this structure to take the tension of a supporting member that extends between a front panel and the rear pipe and change it into vertical movement of the cushion frame.


Polyester resins are prepared by reacting a lower alkyl ester of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid with an aliphatic diol to form an aromatic polyester, and which includes (i) subjecting to transesterification reaction conditions in the presence of a titanium compound catalyst a transesterification reaction system having the lower alkyl ester of the aromatic dicarboxylic acid, the aliphatic and between 0.02 to 5.0 mole percent, based on the amount of the lower alkyl ester of the aromatic dicarboxylic acid, of an aromatic sulfonic acid compound represented by the following general formula (I): EQU OH--R--O--Ar--SO.sub.3 M (I). wherein Ar is a p-substituted benzene group or a 2,6-substituted naphthalene group, R is a divalent group selected from among --CH.sub.2 CH(CH.sub.3)--, --CH(CH.sub.3)CH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 CH(CH.sub.3)-- and --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, and M is an alkali metal selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium and potassium. The resulting transesterification reaction product is thereafter subjected to polycondensation to obtain the polyester resin. The polyester resin may be blended with an aromatic polyester base resin to yield a moldable polyester resin composition having exceptional crystallization rates.

Aromatic polyesters represented by polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) exhibit excellent heat resistance, chemical resistance and mechanical strength properties and are thereby used widely as engineering plastics. PBT itself has a rate of crystallization sufficiently high to permit it to be injection molded. However, further increases in the crystallization rate for PBT (thereby decreasing the molding cycle times, and increasing productivity) is desireable.
Copolyesters prepared by incorporating other comonomers into PBT or polybutylene naphthalate (PBN) generally exhibit remarkably low rates of crystallization because the comonomer acts as a crystallization inhibitor. However, such copolyesters typically exhibit poor moldability and mechanical strength properties. Furthermore, these copolyesters are problematic due to the propensity of the resin pellets to stick to one another during preparation. Other homopolyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene terephthalate (PPT) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) have a low rate of crystallization in and of themselves, but are unsatisfactory in terms of their processability during molding, as well as their heat resistance and mechanical strength properties.
Many proposals have been made in an effort to enhance the crystallization rate of aromatic polyesters, including the addition of a crystallization accelerator. For example, the separate additions of (i) glass fibers (e.g. as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 18768/1970), (ii) an insoluble solid inorganic substance having a specified particle size (e.g. as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 9470/1970), and (iii) an ionic polyolefin copolymer (e.g., as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 26225/1970) have been suggested as crystallization accelerators for polyester resins. However, these crystallization accelerators cannot homogeneously be dispersed in polyester resins by melt-kneading techniques due to their poor solubility characteristics. Thus, the crystallization-accelerating effects of these conventional additives are still insufficient, particularly for copolyesters which are prepared using numerous comonomers. Adding increased amounts of such accelerators in an attempt to further accelerate the crystallization rate of a polyester resin is also impractical, because it significantly impairs the mechanical strength of the resin.
Another proposal to enhance the crystallization rate of polyester resins is to add an alkali metal salt of an aromatic sulfonic acid as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56180/1985. Such an additive, however, is incompatible with the resin and thus does exhibit a sufficient crystallization-accelerating effect (even though it is superior to inactive powders in terms of dispersibility). It is further known that the high-melting polyester resin disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 149942/1983 has a relatively poor crystallization-accelerating effect, even though it is highly compatible with polyester resins. As described above, however, aromatic polyesters are typically not thought to exhibit satisfactory crystallization rates.
The present invention therefore, is broadly directed towards providing a polyester which exhibits excellent performance characteristics and towards processes for preparing the same. More specifically, the present invention is directed towards an aromatic polyester having a remarkably enhanced rate of crystallization as well as excellent mold-processability and mechanical strength properties which can be achieved by conducting transesterification in the presence of a specified monofunctional compound using a titanium compound as a catalyst, and then polycondensing the transesterification product.
The present invention, in preferred embodiments, relates to a process for preparing a polyester (and the polyester thereby prepared) by reacting a lower alkyl ester of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid with an aliphatic diol to form an aromatic polyester, whereby the transesterification of the lower alkyl ester with the diol is conducted in the presence of between 0.02 to 5.0 mole %, preferably between 0.02 to 1.80 mole %, and most preferably between 0.1 to 5.0 mole %, based on the lower alkyl ester of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, of an aromatic sulfonic acid compound represented by the following general formula (I) using a titanium compound as a catalyst: EQU HO--R--O--Ar--SO.sub.3 M (I)
wherein --AR-- is a p-substituted benzene group or a 2,6-substituted naphthalene group; R is a divalent group selected from among --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2, --CH(CH.sub.3)CH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 CH(CH.sub.3)-- and CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --; and M is an alkali metal selected from among lithium, sodium and potassium.
The transesterified product is thereafter subjected to polycondensation conditions so as to obtain the aromatic polyester resin according to the present invention. When employed as a component in a blend (alloy) which includes a polyester base resin, the aromatic polyester resin according to the present invention serves as a useful crystallization rate accelerator when used, for example, in amounts between 1 to 100 parts by weight.
Further aspects and advantages of this invention will become more clear after careful consideration is given to the detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments thereof which follows.

Process for preparing polyester resin and the polyester resin thereby prepared


A process for preparing a stable zirconium triethanolamine cross-linking agent comprises contacting a solution of a zirconium triethanolamine complex with water at a temperature of 50° C. to 90° C. at a mole ratio of triethanolamine:zirconium in the range of 3.5:5.5 and at a mole ratio of water:zirconium in the range of 20:1 to 1:1. The stable zirconium triethanolamine complex can be used in a cross-linking composition. Further disclosed are methods to use the composition in oil field applications for hydraulic fracturing and plugging of permeable zones and leaks in subterranean formations.

The production of oil and natural gas from an underground well (subterranean formation) can be stimulated by a technique called hydraulic fracturing, in which a viscous fluid composition (fracturing fluid) containing a suspended proppant (e.g., sand, bauxite) is introduced into an oil or gas well via a conduit, such as tubing or casing, at a flow rate and a pressure which create, reopen and/or extend a fracture into the oil- or gas-containing formation. The proppant is carried into the fracture by the fluid composition and prevents closure of the formation after pressure is released. Leak-off of the fluid composition into the formation is limited by the fluid viscosity of the composition. Fluid viscosity also permits suspension of the proppant in the composition during the fracturing operation. Cross-linking agents, such as borates, titanates or zirconates are usually incorporated into the composition to control viscosity.
Normally, less than one third of available oil is extracted from a well after it has been fractured before production rates decrease to a point at which recovery becomes uneconomical. Enhanced recovery of oil from such subterranean formations frequently involves attempting to displace the remaining crude oil with a driving fluid, e.g., gas, water, brine, steam, polymer solution, foam, or micellar solution. Ideally, such techniques (commonly called flooding techniques) provide a bank of oil of substantial depth being driven into a producing well; however, in practice this is frequently not the case. Oil-bearing strata are usually heterogeneous, some parts of them being more permeable than others. As a consequence, channeling frequently occurs, so that the driving fluid flows preferentially through permeable zones depleted of oil (so-called "thief zones") rather than through those parts of the strata which contain sufficient oil to make oil-recovery operations profitable.
Difficulties in oil recovery due to high permeability of zones may be corrected by injecting an aqueous solution of an organic polymer and a cross-linking agent into certain subterranean formations under conditions where the polymer will be cross-linked to produce a gel, thus reducing the permeability of such subterranean formations to driving fluid (gas, water, etc.). Polysaccharide- or partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide-based fluids cross-linked with certain aluminum, titanium, zirconium and boron-based compounds are also used in these enhanced oil recovery applications.
Cross-linked fluids or gels, whether for fracturing a subterranean formation or for reducing permeability of a subterranean formation, are now being used in wells under a variety of temperature and pH conditions, where rates of cross-linking with known cross-linking compositions may be unacceptable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,488 discloses adding water to a cooled solution of a zirconium complex having a mole ratio of triethanolamine:zirconium of 2:1 to 1:1, preferably, 2:1, with the amount of water being added at a mole ratio of water:zirconium of 3:1 to 0.5:1. In one example, in which water is added at 55° C., a hazy product resulted. The cross-linking rates of the triethanolamine zirconium complexes upon addition of water were very fast, generating highly viscous gels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,068 discloses preparing a zirconium complex of triethanolamine under anhydrous conditions, at a mole ratio of triethanolamine:zirconium of 2-3:1. The zirconium complex is activated by addition of large volumes of water, in excess of 600-1000 moles water per mole of zirconium, to provide an active cross-linking agent which cross-links "almost instantaneous" when blended with a polysaccharide (hydroxypropylguar). This patent further discloses that the activated zirconium complexes have poor shelf life.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,052 discloses a process to stabilize zirconium cross-linking complexes in water by adding a large excess of an alkanolamine, such as triethanolamine. The mole ratio of triethanolamine:zirconium for stabilizing in the presence of water is at least 15:1, preferably at least 42:1, if cross-linked gel will be exposed to temperature>200° F. (93° C.). These complexes result in very slow cross-linking. The high loading of triethanolamine also renders these complexes undesirably expensive.
There is a need for compositions which cross-link at a desirable rate, especially within the range of 3-8 minutes, and that such cross-linking compositions are economical and stable in the presence of water. The present invention meets these needs.

Process for stabilized zirconium triethanolamine complex and uses in oil field applications


A communication system, and a construction method and a communication method thereof are provided. The communication system includes a relay server and a plurality of communication nodes. The relay server is in signal connection with the plurality of communication nodes, the plurality of communication nodes respectively store routing links for connection to the relay server, and the relay server stores routing links respectively corresponding to the plurality of communication nodes. The plurality of communication nodes are in signal connection with a plurality of groups of terminals in one-to-one correspondence. The relay server provides communication connections for terminals connected to different communication nodes.

Telephone private branch exchanges (PBXs) are widely used in all industries as a necessary communication means inside enterprises. For example, inside the enterprises, communications between fixed-line telephones can be implemented by directly dialing up a short number through the PBX, so that the dial-up operation is simplified while communication cost of the enterprises can be saved.

Communication system and construction method and communication method thereof


A golf club shaft comprises three interconnected tubular members whose diameters, flexional rigidities, lengths, materials, etc. are selected to make the golf club shaft more flexible near a club head or a club grip or at a middle portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club shaft which comprises at least three successive tubular members axially joined together.
2. Description of the Related Art
One type of golf club shaft that has recently been finding widespread use among golf players comprises a tubular body of fiber-reinforced synthetic resin which extends from a butt end as a grip support toward a tip end as a head support. The golf club shaft that is used generally is of a tapered shape whose diameter gradually decreases from the butt end toward the tip end.
The golf club shaft of fiber-reinforced synthetic resin is manufactured by a sheet winding process. According to the sheet winding process, a partly hardened prepreg sheet which is made of fibers impregnated with synthetic resin is wound around a tapered mandrel, and then heat-set to shape. Because the diameter of the shaft varies in the axial direction, the flexional rigidity of the shaft is progressively smaller from the butt end toward the tip end. The rate at which the flexional rigidity of the shaft varies may be changed by increasing or reducing the taper of the shaft, but cannot largely be changed. This imposes a limitation on efforts to place the bending point, i.e., the point of maximum flexibility of the shaft, near the butt end, making the shaft more flexible near the club grip, or near the tip end, making the shaft more flexible near the club head. Therefore, the golf club shaft has no sufficient freedom for design.
Golf clubs that are more flexible near the club grip or the shaft butt end can store energy upon a swing, and hence can produce a powerful ball hit. On the other hand, golf clubs that are more flexible near the club head or the shaft tip end can hit a ball at a large angle and hence along a high trajectory. For this reason, some golf players prefer golf clubs that are more flexible near the club head. However, the conventional golf club shafts made of fiber-reinforced synthetic resin have failed to satisfy such needs of golf players.
Attempts have been made to manufacture a golf club shaft of fiber-reinforced synthetic resin whose local flexional rigidity is largely changed by introducing, between the butt and tip ends thereof, a shaft portion which is thinner or thicker than the butt and tip ends or a shaft portion which has an abrupt increase or reduction in diameter compared with the butt and tip ends.
The sheet winding process cannot be easily applied to make shaft portions of different diameters because it is difficult to wind a prepreg sheet around those shaft portions of different diameters.
According to another process, a prepreg sheet is wound around a tube of synthetic resin, and then the tube is placed in a mold having a mold cavity in the shape of a golf club shaft. Thereafter, air is introduced into the tube to exert an internal pressure thereto while the tube is being heat-set to shape. This process is, however, disadvantageous in that the tube tends to become lower in mechanical strength in regions where it is largely expanded under the internal pressure, and the tube is liable to suffer shape failures.


The present invention relates to a diverter tool used in a pipe string to lower a liner into a partially cased wellbore. The diverter tool has a diverter body that defines a longitudinal central flow passage and has diverter ports defined therethrough to communicate and redirect fluids received in the liner to an annulus between the diverter tool in casing previously set in the wellbore. The diverter tool has first and second closure members. The first closure member is movable between open and closed positions on the diverter body. The second closure member is detachably connected in the diverter body in its open position and is movable to its closed position to prevent flow through the diverter ports.

The present invention relates generally to a diverter apparatus and methods and more particularly to a drill string diverter tool which will redirect fluids that have entered a casing string while the casing string is run into a wellbore.
In the construction of oil and gas wells, a wellbore is drilled into one or more subterranean formations or zones containing oil and/or gas to be produced. The wellbore is typically drilled utilizing a drilling rig which has a rotary table on its floor to rotate a pipe string during drilling and other operations. During a wellbore drilling operation, drilling fluid (also called drilling mud) is circulated through a wellbore by pumping it down through the drill string, through a drill bit connected thereto and upwardly back to the surface through the annulus between the wellbore wall and the drill string. The circulation of the drilling fluid functions to lubricate the drill bit, remove cuttings from the wellbore as they are produced and exert hydrostatic pressure on the pressurized fluid containing formations penetrated by the wellbore to prevent blowouts.
In most instances, after the wellbore is drilled, the drill string is removed and a casing string is run into the wellbore while maintaining sufficient drilling fluid in the wellbore to prevent blowouts. The term "casing string" is used herein to mean any string of pipe which is lowered into and cemented in a wellbore including but not limited to surface casing, liners and the like. As is known in the art, the term "liner" simply refers to a casing string having a smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of a casing that has already been cemented into a portion of a wellbore.
During casing running operations, the casing string must be kept filled with fluid to prevent excessive fluid pressure differentials across the casing string and to prevent blowouts. In some cases, fluid is added to the casing string at the surface after each additional casing joint is threadedly connected to the string and the casing string is lowered into the wellbore. Well casing fill apparatus have also been utilized at or near the bottom end of the casing string to allow well fluid in the wellbore to enter the interior of the casing string while it is being run.
One purpose for allowing wellbore fluid to enter the casing string at the end thereof is to reduce the surge pressure on the formation created when the casing string is run into the wellbore. Surge pressure refers to the pressure applied to the formation when the casing being run into the wellbore forces wellbore fluid downward in the wellbore and outward into the subterranean formation. One particularly useful casing fill apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,021 to Murray et al., assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Although such casing fill apparatus work well to reduce surge pressure, there are situations where surge pressure is still a problem.
Liners having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of casing that has previously been cemented in the wellbore are typically lowered into a partially cased wellbore and cemented in the uncased portion of a wellbore. The liner is lowered into the wellbore so that it extends below the bottom end of the casing into the uncased portion of the wellbore. Once a desired length of liner has been made up, it is typically lowered into the wellbore utilizing a drill string that is connected to the liner with a liner running tool. The liner may include a well casing fill apparatus so that as the liner is lowered into the wellbore, wellbore fluids are allowed to enter the liner at or near the bottom end thereof.
Because the drill string has a much smaller inner diameter than the liner, the formation may experience surge pressure as the fluid in the liner is forced to pass through the transition from the liner to the drill string and up the smaller diameter drill string. Thus, there is a need for a tool that will reduce surge pressure on the formation while a liner is lowered. A diverter tool which has ports that may be alternated between open and closed positions is also desirable to provide for circulation as the liner is lowered into the wellbore. Examples of such tools are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,082,459 and 6,182,766, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Although such tools work well, there is a continuing need for a diverter tool that can be alternated between open and closed positions, and that can be positively locked in the closed position prior to the time cementing operations begin.


A notification method for providing camp-on capability includes utilizing device-to-device signal exchanges via a data network. As a result, the camp-on capability may be enabled at a called communication device by means of a signal sent from a calling communication device. In the preferred embodiment, the data network is the global communications network referred to as the Internet, but this is not critical. As a response to the determination that the called communication device, such as the telephone, is in an unavailable condition, a first notification signal is transmitted from a calling communication device to the unavailable called device. The first notification signal may be an application program that is automatically executed at the called device. Alternatively, the first notification signal may be a special protocol element that triggers execution of a camp-on program stored at the called device. The first notification signal includes the network address of the calling device. When the executed program determines that the called communication device is available to receive an incoming call, a second notification signal is transmitted to the original calling device. In response, the original calling device reinitiates the process of establishing connectivity with the called device.

The invention relates generally to exchanging telephony signals between communication devices of a data network and more particularly to methods and devices for providing camp-on capability.
There are a number of available telephony features for reducing the inconvenience associated with attempting to contact a person at a telephone or other communication device that is presently unavailable for receiving an incoming call. Typically, the unavailable condition is a result of the telephone being in an off-hook state. One available feature is voicemail capability. The calling party is transferred to a voicemail system that records a message from the calling party for later access by the called party. The message may be information or may be a request for a return call. The voicemail system may be located at the facility of the called telephone, such as the private branch exchange (PBX) of a corporation, or may be located at a central office of a public switched telephone network (PSTN). Acquiring voicemail capability through the central office typically requires a subscriber to pay an amount beyond the basic subscriber fee.
A second available feature is call waiting. This feature is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,084 to Chaput et al. A subscriber who is engaged in a telephone conversation when a second incoming call is received will be notified with a call-waiting tone, typically a 440 Hz tone. The called subscriber then has the option of performing a switch-hook flash that places the original call on hold, while the second incoming call is connected to the called subscriber. When acquired through the central office of a PSTN, the call-waiting feature requires an amount beyond the basic subscriber fee.
A third available feature is referred to as camp-on, and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,111 to Iida et al. When a calling telephone or other communication device calls a second communication device that is in an off-hook state, an exchange system registers the numbers of the two devices. The exchange system monitors the connection of the called communication device. Upon detection that the called communication device is in an available condition, the system establishes connectivity between the two communication devices. The camp-on feature renders it unnecessary for the calling party to repeatedly redial the called party until the connection is established. Instead, the connection is made immediately after the off-hook communication device is available. However, the capability is limited. Signaling between telephone networks allows camp-on callback capability only when the networks are intelligent and bound by a common protocol. For example, if multiple PBXs are provided by a common vendor or all support a common protocol (e.g., the same version of ISDN), camp-on is enabled for communication devices supported by the PBXs. For individual or business subscribers, the camp-on feature often is restricted to a limited geographical area and requires a per-call or monthly additional fee.
In addition to telephone calls over voice networks, data networks may be used to provide connectivity between communication devices. The global data network referred to as the Internet is available for establishing connectivity among communication devices. The communication devices may be personal computers having dialer clients or may be Internet phones that provide analog or digital phone service combined with Internet access (e.g., the Internet Screen Phone sold by Alcatel, which merges Internet access with conventional telephone connectivity in an integrated phone set, screen and keyboard connected to a telephone network). Phone communications via a data network may be achieved using an Applications Programming Interface (API), such as Microsoft Corporation""s Telephone API (TAPI). An API is used to bridge the gap between telephony requirements and data network-based techniques for managing and transmitting data. One API that is designed to achieve particular telephone call control objects across the various computer platforms utilizes the object-oriented programming language referred to as Java, which was originally developed by Sun Microsystems. The Java Telephony API combines Internet and telephony technology components in a platform-independent application.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,412 to Srinivasan describes a method and system for providing a telephony subscriber with Internet information related to a caller attempting to call the subscriber. The Internet information may be the identification of the caller. The information is provided to the equipment of the subscriber during the first and second ring of an incoming call. If the called subscriber elects not to answer the call or is not present during the incoming call, the Internet information may be stored for later access. For example, the Internet information may be stored with a voicemail message. The Internet information may be presented to the subscriber in one or more of different forms, e.g., all text, all vocalized in speech, or a combination of text and vocalized speech. The capabilities are achieved using a combination of hardware and software, which may be at a telephony central office or the premises of the called subscriber. That is, an aspect of the method and system is that the called party""s Internet phone call processing system must be modified to accept and utilize caller Internet identification information provided by the local telephony provider.
Thus, while there have been numerous advances in the industry, call-handling features for reducing the inconvenience of attempting connectivity with a communication device in an unavailable condition continues to require specifically designed hardware and/or software adjunct to the unavailable device. The specifically designed hardware/software may be at the central office of the provider or at a corporate switching system (e.g., PBX) that supports call-handling to the unavailable communication device. In either of these situations, the calling feature is available only at a fee.
What is needed is a cost-efficient method and device for enabling a call-handling feature that is accessed when a called communication device is in an unavailable condition.
A device and a notification method utilize device-to-device signal exchanges via a data network to enable camp-on capability. As a response to a determination that a called communication device is in an unavailable condition (e.g., an off-hook state), a first notification signal is transmitted from a calling communication device to the unavailable called communication device. The first notification signal is transmitted via the data network and includes a network address of the calling communication device. The first notification signal is configured to automatically trigger a transmission of a second notification signal when the unavailable called communication device returns to an available condition to receive the call. The second notification signal is transmitted in a direction opposite to the first notification signal, i.e., from the called device to the originally calling device. After receiving the second notification signal from the called device, the call is reinitiated. Thus, the camp-on capability is available without purchasing specifically designed equipment and without registering for camp-on service.
In the preferred embodiment, the data network is the Internet and the communication devices are Internet-enabled devices, such as personal computers. The first notification signal is stored in memory of the called communication device for access when the called communication device switches from the unavailable condition to the available condition. Also in the preferred embodiment, the first notification signal is formatted as an application program that is specific to directing contact between the called and calling communication devices when the called communication device returns to the available condition. For example, if the two devices are computers having dialer clients that operate in a Java Telephony API environment, the first notification signal may be a Java applet. The application program may run in an executed mode that monitors the availability condition of the called communication device. Detection that the called device is in the available condition triggers the transmission of the second notification signal.
In the embodiment in which the first notification signal is an application program, the called communication device need only be enabled to execute the program. Consequently, if the application program is executable regardless of operating system platform, the called communication device is camp-on ready even though it may not previously have been programmed to provide this feature. One potential platform-independent environment is a Java applet.
As an alternative to transmitting the first notification signal as an application program, the signal may be a specifically designed protocol element that is sent from the calling communication device to the called communication device. Both of the devices may have camp-on reception software that is responsive to the protocol element. The protocol element includes the data network address of the calling communication device and is configured to trigger the transmission of the second notification signal upon a determination that the called communication device has returned to an available condition.
As previously noted, the second notification signal is transmitted from the originally called communication device to the originally calling communication device. This signal may also be an application program, such as a Java applet. Alternatively, the signal is a special protocol element. The second notification signal may be configured to provide a visual display of the available status of the called communication device, or may be configured to automatically execute a reinitiation of the call to the called communication device.
While not critical, the first notification signal may trigger a display at the called communication device. The display may be executed at the time that the user is engaged in the call that causes the called communication device to be unavailable. The display allows the called party to refuse the request for camp-on capability, so that the second notification signal is not sent. Alternatively, the called party has the opportunity to immediately hang up, so that the incoming call is connected.
The communication devices are preferably Internet-enabled devices having dialer interfaces for establishing telephonic connections via the Internet. Each device is preferably a computer having the ability to detect a busy condition at a called remote Internet-enabled device and having the camp-on capability of transmitting the first notification signal to the unavailable device in response to recognizing a busy condition. The original calling device has a monitoring capability for activating the dialer interface to contact the previously unavailable device in response to detecting the second notification signal that indicates that the remote device is available. The notification signals include the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the sending device. Both of the notification signals are transmitted from one device to the other device. Preferably, at least the first notification signal is an application program, but special protocol elements may be used.

Method and device for device-to-device enablement of camp-on capability

Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Inc.


Techniques disclosed herein provide techniques for coordinating host devices to synchronize data copy operations on storage arrays in an active-active storage configuration. For example, a method comprises managing generation of a backup copy of data in each of a set of storage arrays in an active-active storage configuration by causing one or more host devices that access the set of storage arrays to synchronously halt input-output operations associated with the set of storage arrays prior to causing the backup copy to be created in each of the set of storage arrays.

Storage arrays and other types of storage systems are often shared by multiple host devices over a network. Applications running on the host devices each include one or more processes that perform the application functionality. The processes issue input-output (TO) operations for delivery over paths from the host devices to storage ports of the storage system. The storage ports are typically limited in number and each has limited resources for handling IO operations received from the host devices. Different ones of the host devices can run different applications with varying workloads and associated IO patterns. The storage systems can have multiple storage arrays configured in an active-active storage configuration, e.g., data stored in one of the storage arrays can be replicated to another one of the storage arrays utilizing a synchronous replication process. One illustrative reason for an active-active storage configuration is to provide data services with continuous availability to applications which demand high resiliency and cannot afford downtime.
When it comes to protecting data on, for example, a storage system with two storage arrays in an active-active storage configuration, an administrator can choose to create a point-in-time copy (snapshot) on one or the other storage array of the storage system or can create a snapshot separately on each of the storage arrays. The latter choice, however, does not guarantee that both snapshots are the same since the two storage arrays could be in different states when each separate snapshot is taken. In the case of data corruption, when the administrator chooses to restore the data from a snapshot, restore is typically performed from the snapshot of one storage array of the active-active storage configuration and when the snapshot restore completes, the data for the other storage array of the active-active storage configuration is rebuilt from the storage array where restore is performed. This is often called a mirror rebuild and is very time and resource consuming. Currently, even if a snapshot is taken on both storage arrays of the active-active storage configuration, as mentioned above, restore needs to be performed on only one storage array and a mirror rebuild needs to be performed on the other storage array.

Synchronizing data copy operations for storage system with active-active storage configuration


A method and system for producing documents with which the quality of a template conversion is increased by presenting to an operator associations of template elements between a source document template and a destination document template and allowing the operator to correct any erroneous association during the conversion. This includes providing a source document template, parsing the source document template into source parsed elements, converting at least some of the source parsed elements that require conversion for a destination document template and thereby providing destination template elements. This further includes presenting to an operator the source parsed elements and the destination template elements with their association and accepting operator input to correct at least some of the destination template elements. Then generating a destination document template from the destination template elements that include operation corrections and generating documents from the destination document template and a data source containing field data.

A variety of legacy document automation systems (e.g. Calligo, IStream, Mosaic, etc.) are still being used by the industry. These systems produce personalized documents for mass distribution from a single document template by populating specific portions of the template with personalized content data. Although functional, these legacy systems are obsolete and are becoming unmaintainable due to lack of service. Companies using these legacy systems are finding it more and more difficult to produce new templates or modify existing templates and are showing increased interest in migrating to newer systems. However, extensive effort is required for migrating to a modern system as all templates used with the legacy system must be converted for being usable by the newer system. The cost and effort required in generating converted templates while assuring an acceptable conversion quality is known to be challenging.
Depending on the area of application, it may be very important to generate converted templates that are identical to the original template particularly from an insurance perspective. There are numerous examples, in which companies have used an available automated template converter but the converted template still required being manually reviewed and modified for conforming to the original template. The reviewing and modifying process of converted templates is an arduous task that is not fail-proof. In many cases, each converted template must be approved by various departments of an organization. Depending on the number of templates to approve, the whole template conversion process is known to take several months or even several years, making the cost of migrating to a newer document automation system highly expensive.
Therefore there is a need for producing documents from a converted template that are identical to documents produced from an original template and for which the converted template is generated without requiring an extensive amount of effort.

Method and system for producing documents


A BcD mode ultrasound imaging system including a Doppler processor which is configured to receive a Doppler signal having components that are corrupted by residue from color mode interleaving. The Doppler processor is configured to analyze the residue effect and compensate for the residue by filtering the received Doppler signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ultrasound imaging and, more particularly, to a color Doppler ultrasound imaging system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ultrasound imaging devices are known which support simultaneous B mode, color mode, and Doppler mode imaging (referred to as "BcD mode" imaging). In such systems, the B mode ultrasound produces a two-dimensional tomographic image of the object being scanned, and the color and Doppler modes are used to generate an image of blood flow or tissue fluid movement information that is spatially coordinated with and superimposed upon the B mode two-dimensional tomographic image.
Doppler ultrasound is based on the Doppler effect, which is a change in frequency caused by the relative motion of a wave source, a receiver and a reflector. As applied to medical applications, an ultrasound transducer embodying the source and receiver is stationary while blood or tissue fluid is the moving reflector. The change in frequency detected is the difference between the transmitted ultrasound signal frequency and the reflected ultrasound signal frequency. The change is a function of the transmitted signal frequency, the propagation speed of the transmitted signal through the patient's anatomy, the speed of flow in the range gate and the angle of incidence between the ultrasound signal and the direction of blood flow.
In B mode imaging, ultrasonic pulses are radiated to a subject and the radiation direction is scanned in order to obtain the tomographic image. In Doppler mode, ultrasonic pulses are transmitted repeatedly in respective directions in which ultrasonic waves are radiated, and a Doppler shift frequency is detected based on the phase variation of the reflected waves. More particularly, to obtain the blood flow data, an ultrasound probe or transducer is driven to repeatedly radiate ultrasonic waves in a particular direction for a number of times, and the received signal is detected by an orthogonal phase detecting circuit, thereby obtaining a Doppler shift signal on the basis of blood or fluid flow.
The Doppler shift signal is frequency analyzed by a frequency analyzing circuit to find an average value of the Doppler shift, an average power of the Doppler shift, etc. A blood flow velocity color flow mapping image is obtained by a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) circuit and the blood flow velocity color flow mapping image and a B mode image are provided to a digital scan converter. The images are then read out of the scan converter and the two-dimensional blood flow velocity color flow mapping image is superimposed on the B mode display on a monitor.
In BcD mode imaging, color mode transmission vectors are typically interleaved with Doppler vectors or pulses, rather than transmitted successively. The interleaving is defined by an interleave factor, which refers to the number of color vectors sent between the Doppler vectors. Interleaving color mode vectors with the Doppler vectors is necessary in order to increase frame rate (i.e., the rate of image display). However, interleaving the color mode vectors with the Doppler vectors can result in a residue effect, which result from reflections of the interleaved waves that have not yet died out before the Doppler reading occurs. If there is any residue signal due to the color, the Doppler signal will be corrupted. This can result in inaccurate data and what is referred to as broken tone artifacts.
Accordingly, there is a need for a BcD mode ultrasound system in which broken tone artifacts due to the interleaving factor of the color mode on the Doppler spectrum is eliminated. There is a still further need for a Doppler ultrasound system in which Doppler signals are optimized.

Removing beam interleave effect on doppler spectrum in ultrasound imaging


A method for operating a memory includes receiving a command to program a data value at a memory cell, and an indication of which write mode in a plurality of write modes to use. Write modes in the plurality are characterized by different sets of resistance ranges that correspond to data values stored in the memory cell. The method includes executing a program operation according to the indicated one in the plurality of write modes to program the data value in the memory cell. The plurality of write modes includes a first write mode and a second write mode corresponding to shorter data retention than the first write mode. The first and second write modes are characterized by first and second sets of resistance ranges in the different sets of resistance ranges. The method includes periodically refreshing data values in memory cells storing data in the second write mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to phase change memory technology, and more particularly to phase change memory suitable for high density implementations.
2. Description of Related Art
PCM is a promising memory technology. PCM stores data by establishing higher resistance amorphous, and lower resistance crystalline phases in an active region of the cell, which result in a programmable level of resistance that represents data. PCM however can suffer a problem of structural relaxation of the crystalline phase material and recrystallization of the amorphous phase material over time in PCM which limits data retention. To increase data retention, the programming technique can require wide margins for safer long term storage. However, this comes at the cost of slower write procedures. Slow write can limit the usefulness of PCM memory in some high speed applications.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a technology that can expand the types of applications for PCM memory.

Memory with multiple levels of data retention


A non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes a string of memory cells provided for units of a predetermined information storage region and having a plurality of rewritable non-volatile memory cells connected in series. The string of memory cells is divided into a plurality of groups of memory cells. The device further includes a plurality of switching elements each connected in parallel with a corresponding one of the divided groups of memory cells, and a control unit for controlling on/off operations of the plurality of switching elements. Owing to this configuration, even if an invalid block occurs, the memory cells can be utilized effectively as a whole without the need of making the whole block unavailable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device having non-volatile memory cells capable of being electrically programmed and erased. More particularly, this invention is concerned with a NAND-type flash memory having a configuration such that a plurality of non-volatile memory cells are connected in series in units of an information storage region having a given size.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, numerous types of flash memories in which information can be electrically programmed and the whole or part of the information can be electrically erased have been developed as mainstay non-volatile semiconductor memory devices. Above all, a NAND-type flash memory is suitable for a large-capacity file system because <1> although the speed of random access is low, the speed of sequential access is high, <2> writing can be carried out in units of a page, that is, a word line (normally, 264 bytes calculated by adding 8 redundant bytes to 256 bytes or 528 bytes calculated by adding 16 redundant bytes to 512 bytes), <3> that erasure can be carried out in units of a smaller block (normally, 16 pages) compared with a general flash memory referred to as a NOR-type flash memory, <4> that the time required for rewriting data is short, and <5> that since the area of a memory cell is small, a large storage capacity can be attained readily. Markets for this kind of NAND-type flash memory are predicted to expand in the future. The NAND-type flash memory is now attracting attention.
FIG. 1 shows part of the configuration of a memory cell array in a NAND-type flash memory that is an example of a prior art. In the drawing, there are shown word lines WL.sub.1 to WL.sub.16 arranged in units of one block (16 pages), and bit lines BL.sub.1, BL.sub.2, etc. Sixteen non-volatile memory cells (memory cell transistors) (Q1M.sub.1 to Q1M.sub.16 or Q2M.sub.1 to Q2M.sub.16) for storing information are connected in series on each bit line (BL.sub.1 or BL.sub.2) in units of one block, thus constituting one string of memory cells. One terminal of each string of memory cells Q1M.sub.1 to Q1M.sub.16 or Q2M.sub.1 to Q2M.sub.16 is connected with the bit line BL.sub.1, or BL.sub.2 via a selection transistor Q1A.sub.1 or Q2A.sub.1 that responds to the potential on a selection signal line SL.sub.1. The other terminal of each string of memory cells is grounded via a selection transistor Q1A.sub.2 or Q2A.sub.2 that responds to the potential on a selection signal line SL.sub.2.
For storing information in a memory cell, the information is stored as data "1" or data "0." Specifically, data "1" is stored by positively charging the floating gate of the memory cell (that is, by setting the threshold voltage of the memory cell transistor into a negative voltage). Data "0" is stored by negatively charging the floating gate of the memory cell (that is, by setting the threshold voltage of the memory cell transistor to a positive voltage).
For reading information from a memory cell, first, the potentials on the selection signal lines SL.sub.1 and SL.sub.2 are driven high, and the selection transistors Q1A.sub.1, Q2A.sub.1, Q1A.sub.2, and Q2A.sub.2 are all turned on. Consequently, the strings of memory cell Q1M.sub.1 to Q1M.sub.16 and Q2M.sub.1 to Q2M.sub.16 are connected on the bit lines BL.sub.1 and BL.sub.2 and to the ground. Thereafter, 0 V is applied to the control gate of a memory cell from which information should be read (that is, a selected word line), and a high-level voltage is applied to the control gates of the other memory cells (that is, non-selected word lines).
Assuming that information stored in a selected memory cell (=memory cell transistor) is data "1," even when the voltage of the control gate is 0 V, the memory cell transistor is turned on. A cell current flows into an associated bit line. By contrast, assuming that information stored in a selected memory cell is data "0," since the threshold voltage of the memory cell transistor is positive, when the voltage of the control gate is 0 V, the memory cell transistor is turned off. No cell current flows into the bit line. Meanwhile, a high-level voltage is applied to all the control gates of non-selected memory cells. Irrespective of stored information, all the non-selected memory cell transistors are on. A cell current flows into the bit line.
In other words, when information is read, a sense amplifier is used to detect whether or not a selected memory cell causes a cell current to flow into an associated bit line. Thereby, it can be determined whether information stored in the selected memory cell is data "1" or data "0."
As mentioned above, in the NAND-type flash memory, writing or reading is carried out in units of a page (=word line), and erasure is carried out in units of a block (=a plurality of pages). Since a plurality of memory cells are connected in series on each bit line in units of a block, if even one bit location (=one memory cell) within one block or one page is faulty, the operations of memory cells other than the faulty memory cell are affected adversely.
For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 1, assume that one (Q1M.sub.2) of the 16 memory cells (=memory cell transistors) Q1M.sub.1 to Q1M.sub.16 connected in series on the bit line BL.sub.1 is brought to a non-functional state. In this case, when information is read from the nonfunctional memory cell Q1M.sub.2, since the memory cell transistor is off, no cell current flows into the bit line BL.sub.1. Irrespective of original stored information, data "0" is identified.
When an attempt is made to read information from any of the other memory cells Q1M.sub.1 and Q1M.sub.3 to Q1M.sub.16 contained in the same string of memory cells as the broken memory cell Q1M.sub.2, since the broken memory cell Q1M.sub.2 is off, a current flow is cut off. Even in this case, irrespective of original stored information, data "0" is identified.
A block including a faulty memory cell is a block judged as an unavailable block at the time of delivery of a product, and is, for example, referred to as an "invalid block." After a fault is discovered, access to such an invalid block is inhibited. This is because, as mentioned above, since a NAND-type flash memory is programmed or read in units of a page and erased in units of a block, access to an invalid block involves a string of memory cells in which a fault occurs.
As mentioned above, the NAND-type flash memory has a problem that since the NAND-type flash memory includes strings of memory cell each having a plurality of memory cells connected in series, when one bit location (=one memory cell) in a string of memory cells fails, even if the other memory cells contained in the string of memory cells functions normally, the whole block containing the defective memory cell becomes unavailable. In other words, a majority of normal memory cells other than a minority of defective memory cells (which may be one defective memory cell) among all the memory cells arranged in a limited information storage region are wasted. From the viewpoint of effective utilization of memory cells, there is room for improvement.

Semiconductor memory device having non-volatile memory cells connected in series


A tire information transmitter measures ambient information in a tire cavity region including at least pressure to wirelessly transmit to outside the tire cavity region. The tire transmitter comprises: a sensor unit having a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure in the tire cavity region; a control unit for comparing a level of a pressure signal representing pressure measured by the sensor unit with a threshold value and for generating an operation signal indicating that the tire information transmitter is operating; and a transmitting unit for wirelessly transmitting the pressure signal or the operation signal. The control unit controls the transmitting of the transmitting unit and compares the level of the pressure signal with the threshold value continually after a supply of driving power is started, and has a comparing mode in which the transmitting unit transmits the operation signal at a first time interval, and a transmitting mode in which the transmitting unit transmits the pressure signal at a second time interval which is shorter than the first time interval. Further, the control unit irreversibly shifts from the comparing mode to the transmitting mode, once the level of the pressure signal exceeds the threshold value, as a result of the comparing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tire information transmitters which are mounted to vehicles having wheel assemblies, such as trucks, buses, passenger cars and motor-bikes, and transmit ambient information in a tire cavity region, such as, a tire inflation pressure and a tire temperature, and the present invention also relates to tire information acquisition systems using the tire information transmitter. Priority is claimed from JP 2005-37874, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nowadays there have been proposed tire monitoring systems used in vehicles such as trucks, buses, passenger cars and motor-bikes, that are provided with wheel assemblies each including a wheel and a tire, for constantly monitoring a pressure (hereinafter alternatively referred to as the tire inflation pressure) in the tire cavity region surrounded by a tire internal surface and a wheel wall surface and a temperature (hereinafter alternatively referred to as the tire internal temperature) in the tire cavity region, so that an alert indicating abnormal situation is issued if the tire inflation pressure or the tire internal temperature exceeds a predetermined range.
Generally, in conventional tire information systems, a tire information transmitter is provided in the tire cavity region so as to acquire ambient information in the region and wirelessly transmit the ambient information to outside the tire cavity region.
In the conventional tire monitoring systems, the ambient information is received by a receiver provided in the vicinity of a tire house of the vehicle body, and based on the received ambient information, the presence of any abnormality is determined, so that the driver is alerted to any abnormal situation.
In the tire information transmitter of such conventional tire monitoring systems, the transmission of the ambient information is triggered by radio wave supplied from outside. Alternatively, the transmission of the ambient information is triggered by other known methods including: providing a switching device for switching; providing a lead terminal on the tire information transmitter and short-circuiting using the lead terminal; and applying a predetermined voltage to a lead terminal.
There are still other methods as will be described below that have been proposed for triggering the transmission of signals from the tire information transmitter to outside.
PATENT DOCUMENT 1 ((JP 2000-62419 A) discloses a tire air pressure detection transmitter that measures pressure using a pressure sensor and transmits the data on a predetermined period basis. The tire air pressure detection transmitter according to PATENT DOCUMENT 1 operates in a low power consumption mode until the next measuring cycle starts, if the difference between the pressure data measured in the previous measuring cycle and the pressure data measured in the current measuring cycle is not larger than a predetermined pressure difference value, in order to minimize battery power consumption. Accordingly, the tire air pressure detection transmitter of PATENT DOCUMENT 1 transmits pressure data only when the pressure difference exceeds the predetermined value. This contributes to a longer battery life.
PATENT DOCUMENT 2 (JP2002-248914A) discloses a tire condition monitoring apparatus that controls a transmission circuit to transmit data showing the measured tire condition only when the data showing the latest measured tire condition changes more than a predetermined value. In this way, a transmitter of the tire condition monitoring apparatus according to PATENT DOCUMENT 2 transmits the data showing the tire condition only when the tire condition has changed more than a predetermined value. This also provides a longer battery life.
A tire pressure monitoring system disclosed in PATENT DOCUMENT 3 (JP 3,385,529 B) is driven by battery power to wirelessly transmit a monitoring signal including a tire pressure detection value detected by a sensor to a vehicle body through a transmitting section. The system has a control section that compares the detection value provided by the sensor with a predetermined value to enable the transmitting section to wirelessly transmit the monitoring signal, if the detection value exceeds the predetermined value.
In the tire pressure monitoring system of PATENT DOCUMENT 3, the wireless transmission from the transmitting section is stopped when the detection value provided by the sensor is as low as around atmospheric pressure, thereby suppressing unnecessary power consumption of the battery power.
However, in the conventional tire information transmitters, input of radio wave from outside is necessary in order to activate the transmitter, and thereby a receiving circuit is required, causing the system configuration to be complicated. This in turn increases system cost.
In addition, for the conventional tire information transmitters, input of radio wave from outside is necessary in order to trigger the transmission of ambient information, thereby requiring additional work and time.
Further, in the conventional tire information transmitters, it is necessary to provide a switching device for switching in order to trigger the transmission of ambient information, which requires additional work and time.
In conventional tire information transmitters that are provided with a lead terminal, the transmission is triggered by applying a predetermined voltage to the lead terminal, thereby also requiring additional work and time. In addition, as described above, the conventional tire information transmitters require a switching device or a lead terminal, and a circuit for triggering transmission and the like, thereby causing the system configuration to be complicated. This increases system cost.
Further, in both of the tire air pressure detection transmitter of PATENT DOCUMENT 1, and the transmitter of the tire condition monitoring apparatus of PATENT DOCUMENT 2, the operation mode is reversibly changed depending on the measured pressure value, which causes a problem in which configuration of, such as, control circuit tends to be complicated. This increases the system cost.
In the tire pressure monitoring system of PATENT DOCUMENT 3, the transmitting section starts the wireless transmission of the monitoring signal when the detected value exceeds a predetermined value after the system has been mounted on the wheel and the tire has been rimmed and filled with air. This involves a problem in which a failure of the system can only be detected after the tire has been filled with air. For example, in case that a system does not work due to manufacturing problems, operation failure, or shock during transport, in order to replace the system it is necessary to remove the tire that has already been assembled, requiring complicated processes.

Tire information transmitter and tire information acquisition system using the transmitter


The invention relates to a method for the on-line management of energy consumption for multiprocessor systems, the method executing at least one application according to a chart of tasks, wherein the method includes, for each application: a first phase for the off-line characterization of the variation of the potential rate of parallelism of execution of the tasks as a function of time, this characterization being based on the worst-case task execution times; and a second phase for the on-line detection and exploitation of the inactivity intervals and of the potential time excesses. A DPM technique makes it possible to determine the duration of the inactivity interval during which a processor may remain inactive according to the potential rate of parallelism characterized in the worst case.

Multiprocessor systems incorporate increasingly complex and diversified applications which demand increasing computation and storage performance levels. Such increasing performance levels, which are reflected on the one hand by always increasing operating frequencies and on the other hand by an increase in the number of processors and memory circuits, result in an increasingly high energy consumption.
The parallel processing of an application by a set of computation elements, typically processors, requires this application to be subdivided into a number of processing blocks called tasks. These tasks are executed in succession and in parallel. The aim of this subdivision is notably to execute individual computation tasks in parallel and thus speed up the computation, the parallel tasks being assigned to a number of processors. The architectures that exploit this type of parallelism, called multiprocessor architectures, offer great operating flexibility and good performance in terms of computation power. In practice, they are capable of executing a number of applications in parallel, as well as applications that have a strong parallelism at task level. These multiprocessor architectures that make it possible to execute parallel applications that have increasing storage and computation capabilities consume a great deal of energy requiring suitable management of this consumption.
In a real-time context, these architectures are often dimensioned for the worst case according to the applications supported and the time constraints to be observed. The dimensioning phase consists in characterizing each task by a worst-case execution time WCET. Once the WCETs of the various tasks have been calculated, a number of processors making it possible to exploit the parallelism and guarantee that the time constraints are observed is set in the worst case. This number of processors is strongly dependent on the choice of scheduling implemented to set the execution priorities of the tasks while observing the dependencies between the tasks. Inactivity intervals of certain processors may occur at certain task synchronization points, these inactivity intervals being due to the variation of the potential rate of parallelism of the application and may be characterized according to the worst-case execution behavior. If these inactivity intervals occur during actual execution in the same way, idle modes may be determined off-line and implemented during execution, on-line, to reduce the energy consumed. Unfortunately, the variation of the actual execution times AET of the tasks relative to the worst-case execution times WCET alters the order and the times of activation of the tasks. Thus, the off-line prediction of these inactivity intervals becomes difficult. This difficulty limits the exploitation of these opportunities for reducing the energy consumed which occur during execution. The differences between the worst-case behaviors and the actual behaviors become increasingly significant in the applications that are data dependent and that have a lot of control. These differences do, however, offer a great potential for optimizing the consumption. In practice, the variation of the task execution times compared to the worst-case execution times reveals time excesses. These time excesses may be exploited to slow down the execution speeds of the subsequent tasks and therefore locally reduce the consumption while observing the real-time constraints. In a global scheduling context, the difficulty occurs at the level of the distribution of the time excesses, which are obtained during execution, in order to effectively reduce the energy without violating the time constraints.
Solutions dealing with the consumption management problem at resource level are known. These solutions aim to reduce the energy consumed by the computation resources (processors) in an embedded system by being based on so-called DPM (dynamic power management) and/or DVFS (dynamic voltage and frequency scaling) techniques. The DPM techniques consist in exploiting the inactivity intervals by switching to idle modes the resources that are not used for a given time period. The DVFS techniques aim rather to exploit the time excesses and locally or globally lower the frequency and the voltage of certain resources. A first non-optimal variant combines all the methods that implement only the DPM techniques by being based on the off-line prediction of the inactivity intervals of the resources, as is notably described in document D1 by A. Iranli at et al: "System-level Power Management—An Overview", University of Southern California, Dept of Electrical Engineering, Los Angeles. However, the variation of the actual task execution times relative to the worst-case execution times WCET varies on-line the order and the times of activation of the tasks. Thus, the off-line prediction of these arrival times and of the lengths of these inactivity intervals becomes very difficult. The implementation of the DPM techniques which are based on prediction may culminate in certain cases, where the execution profile of the application is more or less deterministic, in interesting results. In a general context in which a number of applications with a number of instances whose arrival times are not known, the implementation of these techniques remains very tricky. In practice, with a poor prediction, these techniques may introduce additional latencies that are likely to violate the time constraints.
A second variant combines all the methods that implement only the DVFS techniques. This variant is notably described in a document D2 by D. Zhu et al: "Scheduling with Dynamic Voltage/Speed Adjustment Using Slack Reclamation in Multiprocessor Real-Time Systems", IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, vol. 14, N° 7, July 2003, and in a document D3 by N. Ventoux: "Contrôle en ligne des systèmes multiprocesseurs hétérogènes embarqués—elaboration et validation d'une architecture", doctoral thesis defended on 19 Sep. 2006 at University of Rennes 1. These techniques may be implemented off-line as well as on-line. In an off-line approach, the pairings (voltage, frequency) for the various processors may be adjusted globally by calculating a global slowing-down factor (according to the global time constraint or deadline of the application) or locally by calculating a slowing-down factor local to each task (according to their contribution to the critical path of the application). In an on-line approach, these techniques aim to detect the time excesses due to the variations of the actual execution times of the tasks and exploit them so as to reduce the energy consumed while guaranteeing that the time constraints are observed.
The difficulty clearly appears at the level of the preparation of an optimal consumption management method which remains compatible with a global scheduling. In practice, in a global scheduling context as presented in the abovementioned documents D2 and D3, the authors make do with sub-optimal excess distribution methods in order to observe the time constraints. In the document D2, a time excess obtained during the execution is shared between tasks assigned to different resources so as to enable the tasks to observe their time constraints. In this method, portions of the time excesses may be disregarded to observe an a priori set task execution order, by being based on the worst-case execution times WCET and a global scheduling policy which executes the longest task first, (Largest Task First) LFT. In the document D3, the method assigns the time excess obtained during the execution to the next task in the precedence chart. This method for distributing excesses according to the data or control dependencies is quite compatible with a global scheduling policy, but it does not make it possible, for example, to exploit all the excesses produced by the various branches of a convergence. In practice, only the smallest excess, out of the excesses produced by the various branches, is implemented to reduce the energy consumed.

Method for managing energy consumption for multiprocessor systems using an offline phase for characterization of a variation of a potential rate of parallelism for task scheduling and an online phase for detection and exploitation of potential inactivity intervals

Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives


A method is disclosed for making a thin-film poly-crystalline silicon solar cell. In the method, there is provided an ITO-glass substrate by coating a glass substrate with a transparent and conductive ITO film. An amorphous silicon film is grown on the ITO-glass substrate. An aluminum film is grown on the amorphous silicon film. The aluminum film and the amorphous silicon film are annealed and therefore converted and interchanged into an aluminum-silicon alloy film and a p+ poly-crystalline silicon film, respectively. In a low-temperature plasma-based deposition process, a p− poly-crystalline silicon film is coated on the p+ poly-crystalline silicon film, and an n+ poly-crystalline silicon film is coated on the p− poly-crystalline silicon film. An ohmic contact is provided on the transparent and conductive ITO film. Other ohmic contacts are provided on the n+ poly-crystalline silicon film. An anti-reflection film is coated on the n+ poly-crystalline silicon film.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a solar cell and, more particularly, to a method for making a thin-film poly-crystalline silicon solar cell on an indium tin oxide ("ITO")-glass substrate at a low temperature.
2. Related Prior Art
Various materials have been used to make solar cells in various processes in various research institutions around the world. For example, there are solar cells based on Si, GaAs, InP, GaInP, CdTe and CuInSe2. The internal quantum efficiencies of the solar cells are different. The silicon solar cells are the most popular among these solar cells in consideration of the internal quantum efficiencies and costs. The silicon solar cells includes single-crystalline, poly-crystalline and amorphous silicon solar cells. The internal quantum efficiencies of the single-crystalline silicon solar cells are about 24.7%, the poly-crystalline silicon solar cells 19.8%, and the amorphous silicon solar cells 14.5%. The internal quantum efficiencies of the single-crystalline and poly-crystalline silicon solar cells are high, but the prices are also high. The prices of the amorphous silicon solar cells are low, but the internal quantum efficiencies are also low. To reduce the costs, there have been devised thin-film poly-crystalline silicon solar cells.
The internal quantum efficiencies of the thin-film poly-crystalline silicon solar cells made in laboratories can be higher than 30%. However, the internal quantum efficiencies of the thin-film poly-crystalline silicon solar cells on the market are lower than 20%. Referring to FIG. 7, a typical thin-film poly-crystalline silicon solar cell includes a laminate 5 including a substrate 51, a conductive film 52 coated on the substrate 51 and a poly-crystalline silicon film 53 coated on the conductive film 52. However, the grains of the laminate 5 cannot reduce the odds of the electrons and holes hitting the crystal boundaries. Because the limited mobility and diffusion length are limited, the internal quantum efficiency of the conventional thin-film silicon solar cell is low.
The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art.

Method for making a thin-film poly-crystalline silicon solar cell on an indium tin oxide-glass substrate at a low temperature


A method for determination of the zero error of a Coriolis gyro. Appropriate disturbance forces are applied to the resonator of the Coriolis gyro such that at least one natural oscillation of the resonator is stimulated that differs from the stimulating and read oscillations. A change in a read signal which represents the read oscillation and results from the stimulation of the at least one natural oscillation is determined as a measure of the zero error.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Coriolis gyros. More particularly, this invention pertains to a method for determination of a zero error in a Coriolis gyro.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Coriolis gyros (also referred to as "vibration gyros") are in increasing use for navigation. They possess a mass system that is caused to oscillate with the oscillation generally being the superposition of a large number of individual oscillations.
The individual oscillations of the mass system are initially independent of one another and can be referred to abstractly as "resonators". At least two resonators are required for operation of a vibration gyro: one (the first resonator) is artificially stimulated to oscillate, and this is referred to below as the "stimulating oscillation". The other (the second resonator) is stimulated to oscillate only when the vibration gyro is moved/rotated. This is because Coriolis forces occur in this case that couple the first resonator to the second resonator, absorb energy from the stimulating oscillation for the first resonator, and transfer it to the read oscillation of the second resonator. The oscillation of the second resonator is referred to below as the "read oscillation".
In order to determine movements (in particular rotations) of the Coriolis gyro, the read oscillation is tapped off and a corresponding read signal (e.g. the read oscillation tapped-off signal) is investigated to determine whether any changes have occurred in the amplitude of the read oscillation, as they represent a measure of the rotation of the Coriolis gyro.
Coriolis gyros may be implemented as both open-loop and closed-loop systems. In a closed-loop system, the amplitude of the read oscillation is continuously reset to a fixed value (preferably zero) by control loops.
An example of a closed-loop version of a Coriolis gyro will be described below in conjunction FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of a Coriolis gyro in accordance with the prior art. The gyro 1 includes a mass system 2 that can be caused to oscillate and is also referred to below as a "resonator". (A distinction exists between this expression and the abstract "resonators" term previously employed for individual oscillations of the "real" resonator. As mentioned, the resonator 2 may be considered as a system composed of two "resonators" (a first resonator 3 and a second resonator 4). Each of the first and the second resonators 3, 4 is coupled to a force sensor (not shown) and to a tapping system (not shown). The noise produced by the force sensor and the tapping systems is indicated schematically by Noise1 (reference symbol 5) and Noise2 (reference symbol 6).
The Coriolis gyro 1 includes four control loops. A first control loop controls the stimulating oscillation (that is to say the frequency of the first resonator 3) at a fixed frequency (resonant frequency). It comprises a first demodulator 7, a first low-pass filter 8, a frequency regulator 9, a VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) 10 and a first modulator 11.
A second control loop controls the stimulating oscillation at constant amplitude. It comprises a second demodulator 12, a second low-pass filter 13 and an amplitude regulator 14.
Third and fourth control loops are employed to reset the forces that stimulate the read oscillation. The third control loop includes a third demodulator 15, a third low-pass filter 16, a quadrature regulator 17 and a third modulator 22 while the fourth control loop comprises a fourth demodulator 19, a fourth low-pass filter 20, a rotation rate regulator 21 and a second modulator 18.
The first resonator 3 is stimulated at resonant frequency ω1. The resultant stimulating oscillation is tapped off, phase-demodulated by means of the first demodulator 7, and a demodulated signal component is supplied to the first low-pass filter 8 that removes the sum frequencies. (The tapped-off signal is also referred to below as the stimulating oscillation tapped-off signal.) an output signal from the first low-pass filter 8 is applied to a frequency regulator 9 which controls the VCO 10, as a function of the signal supplied to it, such that the in-phase component essentially tends to zero. The VCO 10 passes a signal to the first modulator 11, which controls a force sensor such that a stimulating force is applied to the first resonator 3. When the in-phase component is zero, the first resonator 3 oscillates at its resonant frequency ω1. (It should be noted that all of the modulators and demodulators are operated on the basis of resonant frequency ω1.)
The stimulating oscillation tapped-off signal is also applied to the second control loop and demodulated by the second demodulator 12. The output of the second demodulator 12 is passed through the second low-pass filter 13 whose output is, in turn, applied to the amplitude regulator 14. The amplitude regulator 14 controls the first modulator 11 in response to this signal and the output of a nominal amplitude sensor 23 to cause the first resonator 3 to oscillate at a constant amplitude (i.e. the stimulating oscillation has constant amplitude).
As mentioned above, Coriolis forces (indicated by the term FC·cos(ω1·t) in FIG. 2) occur on movement/rotation of the Coriolis gyro 1. They couple the first resonator 3 to the second resonator 4, and thus cause the second resonator 4 to oscillate. A resultant read oscillation of frequency ω2 is tapped off and a corresponding read oscillation tapped-off signal (read signal) is supplied to both the third and the fourth control loops. This signal is demodulated in the third control loop by the third demodulator 15, sum frequencies are removed by the third low-pass filter 16, and the low-pass-filtered signal is supplied to the quadrature regulator 17. The output of the quadrature regulator 17 is applied to the third modulator 22 to reset corresponding quadrature components of the read oscillation. Analogously, the read oscillation-tapped-off signal is demodulated in the fourth control loop by the fourth demodulator 19, passed through the fourth low-pass filter 20, and the low-pass-filtered signal then applied to the rotation rate regulator 21 (whose output is proportional to the instantaneous rotation rate, and passed as a rotation rate measurement to a rotation rate output 24) and to the second modulator 18 that resets corresponding rotation rate components of the read oscillation.
A Coriolis gyro 1 as described above may be operated in both double-resonant and non-double-resonant forms. When operated in a double-resonant form, the frequency ω2 of the read oscillation is approximately equal to that of the stimulating oscillation (ω1). In the non-double-resonant case, the frequency ω2 of the read oscillation differs from ω1. In double resonance, the output signal from the fourth low-pass filter 20 contains corresponding information about the rotation rate. In contrast (non-double-resonant case), the output signal from the third low-pass filter 16 contains the rotation rate information. In order to switch between the double-resonant and non-double-resonant operating modes, a doubling switch 25 selectively connects the outputs of the third and the fourth low-pass filter 16, 20 to the rotation rate regulator 21 and the quadrature regulator 17.
The mass system 2 (resonator) generally has two or more natural resonances (i.e. different natural oscillations of the mass system 2 can be stimulated). One of the natural oscillations is artificially produced stimulating oscillation. Another natural oscillation is represented by the read oscillation, which is stimulated by Coriolis forces upon rotation of the Coriolis gyro 1. As a result of mechanical structure and unavoidable manufacturing tolerances, it is impossible to prevent other natural oscillations, in addition to the stimulating oscillation and the read oscillation, of the mass system 2, in some cases far removed from resonance, from also being stimulated. Such undesirably stimulated natural oscillations change the read oscillation tapped-off signal as they are also (at least partially) read with the read oscillation signal tap. The read oscillation tapped-off signal is thus composed of a part caused by Coriolis forces and a part that originates from the stimulation of undesired resonances. The undesirable part causes a zero error of unknown magnitude. In such case it is not possible to differentiate between the two parts when the read oscillation signal is tapped off.

Method for determining a zero-point error in a vibratory gyroscope


The pedal comprises a pedal body (2) mounted rotatably on a pedal axle (3) and provided with a retainer (7 to 10) of an engagement member fixed below a bicycle shoe, the retainer (7 to 10) comprising a first pair of arches (7, 8) mounted fixedly and a second pair of arches (9, 10) mounted pivoting between the fixed arches (7, 8). A resilient return (12, 13) acts on the pivoting arches (9, 10) to urge them toward a position of retaining the engagement member between a fixed arch (7, 8) and a pivoting arch (9, 10) following relative angular spacing apart of these latter by said engagement member against the action of the resilient return (12, 13). The pivotal axis of each pivoting arch (9, 10) is eccentric to the axis of rotation (A-A) of the pedal axle (3).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic cycle pedal with multiple engagement surfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
The idea of "automatic" is connected to the fact that the shoe carries an engagement member or retaining wedge in the form of a plate fixed below the shoe sole and adapted to engage a hands-free securement by quite simply pressing this wedge against retaining means provided on the pedal. These latter are connected to a pedal body mounted rotatably on a pedal axle adapted to be connected to a pedal crank. They generally comprise a front fixed member for engagement with the wedge and a rear movable retaining member which can be resiliently swung between a position for releasing the wedge and a position for retaining this latter against an engagement surface on the body of the pedal.
Pedals of this type differ from each other essentially by the use of automatic retaining means used to connect the wedge to the pedal body.
There are known such pedals with double face engagement, in which the retaining means are duplicated on two diametrically opposed engagement surfaces on opposite sides of the pedal body.
There is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,885, an automatic pedal provided with quadruple engagement surfaces, which is to say four engagement surfaces at 90° to each other. The retaining means of a wedge fixed below the cyclist's shoe sole comprises, according to this patent, a pair of arches secured to the pedal body and mounted diametrically opposed on opposite sides of this latter, as well as a pair of arches mounted pivotally between the fixed arches, on opposite sides of the pedal body. The pivoting arches are connected rigidly to each other and are mounted rotatably about the pedal axle whilst being urged toward a retaining position for the wedge by resilient return means in the form of a helicoidal spring threaded over a sleeve on the pedal body extending about the axle of the pedal.
This pedal thus has four engagement surfaces for the wedge on the body of the pedal, each engagement surface being defined between a pivoting arch and a fixed arch. The wedge can thus be emplaced on such an engagement surface during an engagement phase by angularly separating a pivoting arch from an adjacent fixed arch located in front of or behind the pivoting arch. The wedge can then be freed from the engagement plane by a rotational movement of the shoe during a disengagement phase of the wedge. This technique is well known in this field and will not be described in greater detail.
However, the pedal according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,885 has a certain number of drawbacks, among them:                the amplitude of relative angular movement of the fixed and pivoting arches is great during engagement and release of the wedge and corresponds to a value of about 30°, which renders the engagement and disengagement operations complicated;        the pivoting arches are arranged so as to rotate about the pedal axle, they are rigidly connected to each other and have between them a bore; because the pivoting arches are disposed within the fixed arches of the pedal body, it is necessary to provide the sleeve mentioned above to support the bearings, which complicates the assembly;        the helicoidal return spring also requires the passage of the pedal axle through its center, which further complicates the assembly;        the relative position of the fixed and pivoting arches relies on the geometry and characteristics of the helicoidal return spring; and the manufacturing tolerances of this latter do not always permit ensuring a correct symmetrical spacing between the fixed and movable arches, which can alter the operation;        because of the large number of rotatable members, the pedal body with its pair of fixed arches has shapes that are complicated and difficult to use, the more so as it is constituted of a very resistance material to withstand the repeated forces and wear, and it is for this reason difficult to machine.

Automatic cycle pedal with multiple engagement surfaces