The invention relates to an alignment layer comprising a polymerized liquid crystal material with homeotrophic orientation, to methods of its preparation, to polymerizable liquid crystal compositions and liquid crystal polymers used for the preparation of the alignment layer, to liquid crystal devices comprising the alignment layer, and to a method of controlling the electrooptical steepness of a liquid crystal display comprising at least one alignment layer by varying the surface anchoring energy of the alignment layer.

In liquid crystal displays (LCDs) it is usually required to control the alignment of the liquid crystal medium at the inner surface of the substrates forming the display cell. For example, parallel or tilted orientation of the liquid crystal molecules relative to the plane of the substrate is achieved by applying rubbed polyimide alignment layers to the substrate surfaces. Another common method to induce uniform alignment is for example the oblique evaporation of inorganic materials like silicon-oxide (SiOx) onto the substrate surfaces.
Reviews of conventional alignment techniques are given for example by I. Sage in "Thermotropic Liquid Crystals", edited by G. W. Gray, John Wiley & Sons, 1987, pages 75–77, and by T. Uchida and H. Seki in "Liquid Crystals—Applications and Uses Vol. 3", edited by B. Bahadur, World Scientific Publishing, Singapore 1992, pages 1–63. A review of alignment materials and techniques is given by J. Cognard, Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 78, Supplement 1 (1981), pages 1–77.
Many applications, like for example LCDs of the VA (vertical aligned) or SSCT (surface stabilized cholesteric texture) mode, require vertical or so-called homeotropic alignment of the liquid crystal medium, wherein the liquid crystal molecules are oriented with their long molecular axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of the substrate. In prior art, the following techniques have been suggested to achieve homeotropic alignment:
1. Use materials that intrinsically have very low surface energies, for example fluorinated polymers such as PTFE. In this case the energy of the system is minimized by having the LC molecules in contact with each other rather than with the surface. This leads to a homeotropic alignment, but with rather a weak anchoring energy.
2. Coat the substrate surface with a surfactant that "seeds" the required alignment. For homeotropic alignment one can achieve this by using a layer of hydrocarbon chains tethered at one end to the surface. Just from steric considerations one expects that if the surface coverage is sufficient these chains will pack to be on average normal to the surface. If the interaction between the chains and the LC molecules is sufficiently strong then this alignment should seed a homeotropic alignment in the LC. This is the conventional approach to achieving homeotropic alignment and is the basis of most organometallic chrome complexes and of lecithin which are commmonly used in the research lab. This approach does generate strong homeotropic alignment, but it depends on getting a very uniform, very thin (ideally a monolayer) coating of the material. This is often difficult to achieve. The stability of these materials is often not ideal, and cells do sometimes exhibit ageing presumably because the alignment layers become detached from the surface and dissolve into the LC. In addition these materials are often ionic and so result in an unwanted increase in the conductivity of the LC.
3. Coat the substrate surface with a polymer that induces homeotropic alignment, for example a suitably modified polyimide material. A disadvantage of these materials is that they require a high temperature (typically about 180° C.) bake to cure them. If a plastic substrate is being used this may not be desirable.
4. Inorganic oxides e.g. SiO can give homeotropic alignment when deposited onto the surface at a controlled angle. The disadvantage of this approach is that the deposition can be difficult to control over large areas and requires vacuum deposition.
It has also been suggested in prior art to use liquid crystal polymer layers for inducing planar or tilted alignment in a liquid crystal display. U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,882 describes an orientation layer for inducing planar orientation in a liquid crystal display, consisting of a polymer network in which a low molar mass liquid crystal material is dispersed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,160 discloses a liquid crystalline auxiliary layer for inducing tilted orientation in a liquid crystal display cell, which is formed from an anisotropic gel composition comprising a mesogenic diacrylate and a low molar mass liquid crystal mixture. JP 2000-212310, WO 00/46634 and WO 00/46635 disclose an alignment layer for inducing a preferred pretilt in a liquid crystal medium, which is obtained by photoalignment of a photopolymer or a photopolymer/monomer mixture by photoradiation at an oblique angle or by photoradiation with circularly polarized light.
It was an aim of the present invention to provide an alignment layer that induces improved vertical or homeotropic alignment in a liquid crystal medium, and does not show the drawbacks of alignment layers of prior art as described above.
The inventors of the present invention have found that the above drawbacks can be overcome, and satisfactory homeotropic alignment of a liquid crystal medium can be achieved by using an alignment layer of polymerized liquid crystal material comprising rod-shaped molecules with homeotropic orientation, in particular a layer of homeotropic nematic or homeotropic smectic A liquid crystal polymerized material.
In particular it was found that an alignment layer of homeotropic liquid crystal polymerized material exhibits a particularly high surface anchoring energy and yields strong homeotropic alignment in a liquid crystal medium.
Another aspect of the invention relates to the influence of the alignment force on the steepness of the electrooptical curve of an LCD, in particular of a VA mode LCD. Thus, the inventors have surprisingly found that there is a correlation between the surface anchoring energy of vertically aligned liquid crystals, expressed by the tilt anchoring parameter, and the corresponding steepness of the electrooptical curve in LC displays, especially in VA mode displays. In detail, the steepness of the electrooptical curve was found to increase with decreasing anchoring energy.
Based on this finding it is possible to control the steepness of the electrooptical curve of an LCD, in particular of a VA mode display, by using alignment layers of varying anchoring strength. In practical applications of LCDs it is often desired to reduce the steepness of the electrooptical curve to allow for better grey level differentiation. This can be achieved by using inventive alignment layers which exhibit strong anchoring energy and thus lead to reduced steepness.


Non-volatile memory systems are disclosed. The memory systems include rows of memory holes FC-SGD and SC-SGD, the latter of which may be created by a SHE cutting operation. The SC-SGD include erase speeds slower than those of FC-SGD. In order to overcome the erase speed disparities, SC-SGD are programmed to a higher Vt as compared to FC-SGD. By programming SC-SGD to a higher Vt, the erase speed increases and matches the erase speed of FC-SGD. Further, different SC-SGDs are cut to different amounts, creating different erase speeds among SC-SGD. SC-SGDs with a greater degree/amount of cut have slower erase speeds as compared to SC-SGDs with a lesser degree/amount of cut. However, verify levels among SC-SGDs can differ to produce SC-SGDs with Vt's such that their erase speeds match with each other as well as with FC-SGD.

Semi-circle drain side select gate ("SC-SGD") memory technology offers several advantages, including reduced die size. In order to produce SC-SGD, etching technology is used to cut memory holes, thus giving them their semi-circular shape, and separating a block or row into several strings. Depending upon the process used to form the SC-SGD, certain inefficiencies can occur. For example, if the memory holes are improperly cut, they can be rendered useless, i.e., unable for use during erase operations. Additionally, dummy holes are often found in memory devices that provide a non-function buffer between two regions of a row.
SC-SGD are formed alongside full circle drain side select gate ("FC-SGD"), and accordingly, a block can include both FC-SGD and SC-SGD. However, the respective erase speeds of FC-SGD and SC-SGD are different. For example, the FC-SGD erase speed is faster than the SC-SGD erase speed. In situations when the SC-SGD erase speed is too slow, the SC-SGD memory technology cannot be implemented. In this regard, even when SC-SGD memory holes are functional (i.e., able to store some user data), other issues, such as relative erase speed, remain a problem.

Systems and methods for compensating for erase speed variations due to semi-circle SGD


The present invention provides a cerium oxide-based abrasive ensuring high removal rate, less generation of scratches, high-precision polished surface with small surface roughness, and a safe, simple and low-cost production process. Further, the present invention provides a method for producing such an abrasive. The method of the present invention comprises (a) adding a precipitant to an aqueous cerium-containing light rare-earth salt solution to precipitate a light rare-earth salt, thereby obtaining a first slurry containing a light rare-earth salt particle; (b) adding a fluorinating agent to a slurry containing a light rare-earth salt particle to react the light rare-earth salt with the fluorinating agent, thereby obtaining a second slurry containing a light rare-earth fluoride particle; (c) mixing the first slurry and the second slurry to obtain a mixed slurry; and (d) drying and firing the mixed slurry, and a cerium oxide-based abrasive obtained by this method. The abrasive of the present invention is produced by the method of the present invention.

In recent years, a glass material is being used for various uses. Particularly, high-precision surface polishing for a flat and defect-free surface with small surface roughness is demanded for optical lens; a glass substrate of a recording medium for optical disks or magnetic disks; a glass substrate for display panels such as plasma display panel (PDP), thin-film transistor (TFT) type liquid crystal display (LCD) panel and twisted nematic (TN) type LCD panel; a color filter for liquid crystal TVS; and a glass substrate for LSI photomask. As for these glass substrates, a requirement for a reduction in production cost of the substrate along with high-precision surface finishing is increasing.
Incidentally, the display above is used as a monitor for desktop personal computers, or a monitor for liquid crystal televisions, cellular phones, notebook computers, personal digital assistants, digital cameras and the like; and the magnetic disk above is used as a hard disk for mobile devices.
In order to surface polish various types of glass, materials such as cerium oxide, zirconium oxide, iron oxide and silicon dioxide have been conventionally used. In recent years, a cerium oxide-based abrasive mainly comprising cerium oxide has been predominantly used because of high polishing efficiency.
A cerium oxide-based abrasive can be produced by using an ore such as bastnaesite concentrate as the starting material. For example, in the case of producing a cerium oxide-based abrasive by using bastnaesite concentrate as the staring material, impurities in the bastnaesite concentrate are removed by using physicochemical separation, and the residue is then ground to adjust the particle size and further dried. After firing at 600 to 1,000° C. in a rotary kiln or a shuttle kiln, the particle size is again adjusted through disintegration and classification, whereby a cerium oxide-based abrasive is obtained.
Also, recently, there has been proposed a method of grinding a light rare-earth carbonate as the raw material, forming a slurry, adding thereto hydrofluoric acid to effect partial fluorination, and then performing firing (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-183966); a method of calcining a light rare-earth salt to obtain a rare-earth oxide, and subjecting this rare-earth oxide to grinding, treatment with mineral acid and then with ammonium fluoride, and firing (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-269455); and a method of adding a rare-earth fluoride to a rare-earth oxide, and performing wet grinding, drying, firing and classification (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-224949). Furthermore, in order to not involve the grinding step or greatly simplify the grinding step, a method of adding a precipitant to a cerium-containing light rare-earth salt solution to precipitate fine particles of a light rare-earth salt, thereby obtaining a slurry, adjusting the size of particles in the slurry, subjecting the slurry to fluorination and then to solid-liquid separation, and firing the obtained solid component to produce an abrasive, has been proposed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-371267).
However, in the case of fluorinating a light rare-earth salt or a rare-earth oxide obtained by firing a light rare-earth salt as in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 9-183966, 11-269455 and 2002-224949, such a material generally has a large particle diameter and needs to be ground by a wet ball mill or the like. Also, after grinding, a large number of steps must be passed through for drying, firing, disintegration, classification and the like. In general, these steps are performed by a batch system and troublesome task, and the production cost of the abrasive cannot be reduced.
Furthermore, in the case of partially fluorinating a light rare-earth salt or rare-earth oxide particle by adding a fluorine-containing substance such as ammonium fluoride or hydrofluoric acid as in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 9-183966, 11-269455 and 2002-371267, the fluorination reaction proceeds at an extraordinarily high rate in the subsequent firing step to allow for growth of abnormal particles and formation of coarse particles, and the coarse particle may be mixed in the abrasive.

Cerium oxide-based abrasive, and production method and use thereof


A circuit for reducing duty-cycle distortion in an integrated circuit implementing dual-edge clocking is described. The circuit also comprises a plurality of circuit elements that enable the routing of data generated at outputs of the circuit elements; a plurality of register circuits that store data at outputs of the plurality of circuit elements; a clock circuit routing a clock signal to clock inputs of the plurality of register circuits; and a pulsed-controlled register circuit coupled to an output of a circuit element and generating a pulsed output coupled to a clock input of a register of the pulse-controlled register circuit; wherein the pulsed output is coupled to the clock input of the register to enable the pulse-controlled register circuit to store data at a time that is different than an edge of the clock signal. A method of reducing duty-cycle distortion in an integrated circuit implementing dual-edge clocking is also described.

Clock networks are an important part of implementing circuits in integrated circuit devices. Significant power is consumed by routing clock signals in an integrated circuit. Further, a clock signal can be altered as it is routed in a clock network of the integrated circuit. For example, duty-cycle distortion (DCD) associated with rising and falling edges of a clock signal occurs due to the difference in rising and falling edge signal propagation in the clock network. There is generally a difference between the strength of a PMOS transistor (used for a 0 to 1 transition) and strength of an NMOS transistor (used for a 1 to 0 transition). This variation is largely due to materials used in the device and physical layout variation. Therefore, a rising edge and a falling edge that is driven from a common node will have different propagation times to the next buffer. The difference between rising and falling edge propagation will accumulate at each stage, creating distortion in the duty cycle of the clock signal.
When using both rising and falling edges to register data using a clock signal for example, there is a time penalty (either positive or negative) between consecutive rising and falling edges as a result of duty-cycle distortion. When only using one clock edge, the duty-cycle distortion can be ignored because the clocking functions are aligned with one edge. But with dual-edge clocking, duty-cycle distortion will add time to odd edge clock skew and subtract time from even edge clock skew, or vice versa, depending on rising/falling delay propagation ratio. As a result, duty-cycle distortion reduces the operating speed of the integrated circuit.
Accordingly, improved circuits for and methods of reducing duty-cycle distortion are desired.

Circuits for and methods of reducing duty-cycle distortion in an integrated circuit implementing dual-edge clocking


A pump failure alarm device includes two digital-analog converting circuits (100, 110), a voltage sampling circuit (120), a controlling circuit (130), an I/O controller (U11), and an alarm circuit (140). The digital-analog converting circuits receive digital pulse signals from two pumps (200, 210), and respectively output a DC voltage signal at an output terminal when the pumps run normally. The voltage sampling circuit with two input terminals respectively coupled to the output terminals of the two digital-analog converting circuits, and outputs a first voltage signal when the two pumps run normally and outputs a second voltage signal when either or both of the pumps stop running. The controlling circuit receives the voltage signals from the voltage sampling circuit, and outputs a first control signal when it receives the first voltage signal and outputs a second control signal when it receives the second voltage signal. The I/O controller receives the control signals from the controlling circuit, and outputs an alarm signal when it receives the second control signal. The alarm circuit receives the alarm signal from the I/O controller, and activates an alarm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to alarm devices, and particularly to an alarm device for indicating a failure of pumps in a computer system.
2. Description of Related Art
Developments in today's highly information-intensive society have led to remarkable improvements in performances of electronic devices. During operation of many contemporary electronic devices such as central processing units (CPUs), large amounts of heat are produced. Typically, two pumps are used to facilitate removal of heat. One pump is used to pump water, the other pump is used to drain water. The pumps must be running stably, so as to prevent the device from becoming unstable or being damaged. If either or both of the pumps run unstably or even cease running, heat generated from the CPU will not be dissipated on time and will ruin the CPU.
What is needed, therefore, is to provide an alarm device for when pump(s) stop running in a computer system.

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry ( ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


A mobile furnace apparatus and system configured to process payload is disclosed. A plurality of mobile furnaces may be interconnected to form a modular mobile furnace train. A fire line is an area where heat is applied to the payload, while a service line is an area where loading of payload, unloading of payload, inspection, and ongoing maintenance may take place. The modular mobile furnace train allows separation of the fire line and service line, which may improve worker safety and decrease overall costs.

Metal production has evolved over time from the simple heating of ores to electrolytic processes such as those used in aluminum smelting. In the electrolytic aluminum smelting process, electrical current is applied to aluminum oxide through carbon anodes and cathodes. During the smelting process the carbon anodes, and to a lesser extent the cathodes, are consumed. In this application the term "anode" is used for simplicity, and not as a limitation.
Because electrolytic smelting relies upon the passage of an electric current through the anodes, impurities or defects which increase electrical resistance result in an undesirable increase in electricity consumption. Furthermore, impurities in the anodes can contaminate the melt, resulting in poor quality metals. A high-quality carbon anode typically contains less than 8% of volatiles and is properly baked by uniform heating to a specified temperature range. Improperly baked anodes may have higher than desired electrical resistance as well as physical characteristics such as hardness which are substandard.
In typical aluminum smelting, every two kilograms (kgs) of smelted aluminum consumes approximately one kg of carbon from a carbon anode. Given that worldwide smelting capacity of aluminum exceeds 42 million metric tons, there is a significant and ongoing demand for high-quality carbon products.
Currently, this demand is satisfied using several furnace technologies such as closed top furnaces ("CTF") and more commonly open top furnaces ("OTF"), which are also known as "ring furnaces." Due to operational difficulties including a risk of explosion, CTF's have met with disfavor in the industry and are no longer considered viable. Thus, the majority of current carbon anode production takes place in OTFs.
An OTF is constructed by building fixed pits which are surrounded by flues and headwalls. Refractory ducts at each end of the furnace known as "crossovers" provide a means of reversing gas flow to help create a continuous ring. Unbaked (or "green") carbon anodes are placed into these pits. To prevent slumping and air burning of the anodes, petroleum coke is packed around and on top of the anodes. A flammable material is fed into the flues and combusted, with the exhaust gas drawn off. The pit walls are permeable, and a slight negative pressure in the flues draws the volatile gasses from the carbon anodes into the flues where they may be combusted. Failure to combust these gasses may result in an explosion hazard.
In the conventional OTF, there may be dozens or hundreds of pits arranged in a grid. These pits and the surrounding flues, headwalls, and crossovers are built from thousands of tons of masonry which require large amounts of time and expensive skilled labor. Further complicating design and construction of an OTF facility is the need to accommodate moving large masses such as anodes, coke, and equipment with large, heavy, multi-purpose overhead cranes during production, resulting in expensive buildings with high ceilings and clear building spans.
In operation, each group of pits and flues between a pair of headwalls (a section) may be undergoing a different step in the production process. For example, one section may be heating up, while an adjacent section is performing a fired soak. An adjacent section may be cooling, while the next section is being unloaded. Meanwhile an empty section may be undergoing cleaning and maintenance for the next round of firing.
During carbon anode production in an OTF large "frames" are moved between the sections. Because the sections are fixed and may be at different phases of the production process as described above, a frame is lifted over other frames and placed in the appropriate section. This is one of the reasons why an OTF facility must have a high ceiling with clear spans. There are several different kinds of frames which must be moved, including fire frames, cooling frames, exhaust gas frames, instrument bridges, etc.
Movement of a fire frame is referred to as a "fire move." Because of the noxious fume and dust hazards involved in this highly dangerous environment, non-essential plant personnel are often evacuated during a fire move. Further complicating the production process in an OTF is the requirement to perform a fire reversal. Under the high temperatures experienced during operation, over time the headwalls may begin to lean or shift as the flues move in the direction of the fire. To even out this leaning, the direction of combustion gasses in flues may be changed. This change is known as a "fire reversal." However, given the complicated interconnection of headwalls and flues found in the OTF, performing a fire reversal is difficult. A fire reversal affects every section in an OTF, even though some sections may not require this adjustment. Because each flue reacts differently in operation, this may result in a fire reversal being made in sections where it is not required. In other words, the control over fire reversal in an OTF is too coarse.
The fixed arrangement of the OTF facility makes maintenance to the pits, flues, headwalls, and other equipment difficult. A pit, flue, or headwall in a section in need of repair may be immediately adjacent to a hot section, thus it cannot be repaired until the firing equipment has moved past and this area has been allowed to cool. Because of the operational shortcomings of the OTF, these sections often do not cool adequately. Quite simply, it is difficult and dangerous to make extensive repairs when the section being repaired is hot enough to broil a worker. As a result necessary repairs may be done without due care, or not done at all.
Additionally, the OTF design wastes a tremendous amount of energy. The complicated system of pits, flues, headwalls, crossovers, etc., results in many avenues for heat to escape, cold air to enter, excess heavy refractory that absorb heat, etc. Although energy can be recovered during the OTF process and used downstream, such recovery is severely compromised by these losses. As a result, large quantities of energy, typically delivered by the combustion of fossil fuels, are used. This results in significant outputs of carbon dioxide, as well as volatiles which emanate from the anodes during baking.
The OTF design also results in significant quantities of coke dust and exhaust gas. Loading and unloading of the carbon anodes generates coke dust. For example, loading a pit involves dumping coke into a pit, releasing clouds of coke dust. Unloading similarly stirs up coke dust. Movement of the carbon anodes covered with coke dust through the facility spreads coke dust even farther.
Exhaust gas results from the combustion of volatiles outgassed by the carbon anodes and supplemental fuel. To comply with environmental regulations, in many countries this exhaust gas must be scrubbed, or chemically processed, to remove pollutants. The larger the volume of exhaust air to be treated, the more extensive and expensive the scrubbers must be. The arrangement of pits, flues, and headwalls in an OTF results in a significant amount of air being drawn into the system, resulting in larger volumes of exhaust gas than necessary being produced. Furthermore, failure to combust outgassed volatiles may result in a further explosion hazard, such as occurs in CTFs.
Finally, the refractory and other equipment in an OTF is under constant attack. Constant thermal cycling expands and contracts materials, resulting in cracking. Volatiles outgassed from the carbon chemically attack refractory and other equipment. Movement of frames and the process of loading and unloading anodes results in mechanical damage when equipment hits pit walls, flues, and so forth. Given the combination of harsh environment and difficulty in performing ongoing maintenance, the OTF facility quickly falls into a poor operational state. Productivity drops, as does the quality of the anodes produced. To remedy the problem, the entire facility, or at least a major portion, must be shutdown, cooled, demolished, the rubble removed, and rebuilt. This is dangerous, inconvenient, time consuming, wasteful, and expensive work. This work incurs loss of production, and often includes the need for major repair to support equipment such as conveyors and cranes.
Thus, there is a significant need for a process and apparatus to produce high-quality carbon products without the significant drawbacks currently found in OTFs.


Methods of identifying patients having a susceptibility to obsessive-compulsive disorder resultant from a reduced level of Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) are described. Therapies, utilizing COMT or COMT agonists, or dopamine antagonists in combination therewith, are also envisioned, as well as methods for determining the patients which will benefit the most from such therapies.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common and severe psychiatric condition, which affects 2-3% of the population and is characterized by anxiety-producing intrusive thoughts and performance of anxiety-reducing rituals. Several studies suggest a genetic component in the etiology of OCD, but unlike schizophrenia and bipolar illness, no genome-wide search for genes has yet been reported for this disorder. Very little is known about the pathogenesis of the disorder.
Numerous early studies involving the serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitor clomipramine led to the hypothesis that OCD may be associated with dysregulation of serotonergic neurotransmission. Indeed, serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been established as the first-line pharmacotherapy of OCD. However, approximately one-half of the patients who receive an adequate trial with these agents remain clinically unchanged. Use of dopamine antagonists to augment treatment of patients resistant to serotonin uptake inhibitors appears to be a useful approach for a subset of OCD patients, thus implicating involvement of dopaminergic pathways. However, there has heretofore been no method available to screen patients to ascertain the appropriate course of therapy. Often, it can take weeks, or even months, to establish the inappropriateness of the therapy, resulting in a continuance or worsening of the patient's condition.
Therefore, in view of the aforementioned deficiencies attendant with prior art methods of diagnosing and treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, it should be apparent that there still exists a need in the art for a method which can reliably distinguish between the populations for which therapy with dopamine antagonists is appropriate, so that early treatment can be initiated.

Method of treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder


A data processing device, including a plurality (VP) of elementary processors (EP) which operate in parallel in a so-called common instruction mode acting on multiple data, and means (VSU) for collectively processing data (OB1-OBn) supplied by said elementary processors. The device includes a concatenated data path (DP) enabling an arbitrary elementary processor to communicate with at least one adjoining elementary processor. Input and output controllers (13,19) enable communication with a common input bus (ID). The processing utilizes vector-scalar transformation units (VSU), scalar-vector units (SVCU) and scalar-scalar units (SSU). Each device comprises an interface for connection to either other, identical devices or to external members (memory, controller, data look-up table . . . ).

In a device having such an architecture several processors operate simultaneously on different data by means of a single command and several results are output (this mode is referred to as the Singe Instruction/Multiple Data or SIMD mode). Extensively parallel architectures of this kind are used notably in neural networks. EP 0 322 966 describes a neural network whose architecture can be broken down into several elementary processors, each of which comprises a memory section for synaptic coefficients C.sub.ij, a register for neuron states V.sub.i, and means for calculating contributions C.sub.ij.V.sub.i. All these elementary processors share a common input bus and output in parallel a plurality of contributions C.sub.ij. V.sub.i which are added in an adder tree.
Devices of this kind are conceived to ensure that the data follows a direct path (stream) between the input and the output. This type of architecture is provided so as to increase the execution speed of such data processing devices. Therefore, they are conceived to control at a maximum speed the data streams following parallel paths from the input to the output of said device. While following said parallel paths, the data streams remain independent until the instant at which they are collected so as to be collectively added, compared or otherwise.
Neural networks notably implement operations which become more and more sophisticated as applications become more and more diversified, utilizing more and more complex algorithms. For these diversified applications, a neural network having a given hardware structure must have available a wide range of instructions, enabling the network to implement a maximum number of applications and hence algorithms dedicated to each of these applications. Notably data streams following exclusively parallel paths do not allow for the processing of interactions between these streams in the course of their thus far independent processing.
In a neural network, these streams may be regrouped at the end of processing, but may not be combined before such final regrouping. Such a neural network thus lacks flexibility for adaptation to diversified tasks.

Parallel data processing device having a concatenated data path between elementary processors


A sheet with anti-counterfeit functions for making counterfeiting highly difficult in the case where authentication information is recorded using the properties of cholesteric liquid crystal is provided. A cholesteric liquid crystal layer 110 having a selective reflected wavelength band in at least the visible light region is provided in such a manner that this cholesteric liquid crystal layer 110 is a single layer of which thickness is approximately uniform, and an authentication region 112 of which selective reflected wavelength band is different is provided in at least one place. Preferably, an adhesive layer 130 is provided on one side of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer 110. Preferably, a base 120 is provided between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer 110 and the adhesive layer 130. Preferably, a light absorbing layer 140 is provided on adhesive layer 130 of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer 110.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet with anti-counterfeit functions where authentication information that is difficult to counterfeit for a third a party trying to counterfeit or rewrite with ill intentions or for a third party trying to sell a counterfeit is recorded, and a manufacturing method for the same, as well as an article, an authentication card, a bar code label and an authentication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Authentication information is recorded in credit cards and ID cards, and whether these are authentic or fake is determined by a magnetic recording portion that is provided on the rear surface of the card, or a hologram that is attached to the front surface of the card. Authentication by means of a hologram image is, for example, disclosed in the US Patents that are cited as the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,574,790 and 5,393,099.
In addition, a latent image that cannot be seen with the naked eye without an intervening polarizing plate is formed on a layer that is formed of a polymer liquid crystal material, and a reflective layer is formed on the lower surface thereof in the passport that is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-232978. This is irradiated with polarized light, so that reflected light can be observed via a polarizing plate, and thereby, a pattern that is formed as the latent image is authenticated in accordance with the disclosed method.
In addition, as for means for forming a latent image on a retardation film, as is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-334618, there is a method in which a retardation film is partially heated to a temperature that is no lower than the glass transition point so as to lower the retardation (degree of orientation of molecules) in this portion, as well as a method where a chemical liquid that can dissolve or inflate the retardation film is applied, and thereby, the retardation of this portion is lowered.
Furthermore, there is a method for authentication through observation via a polarizing plate, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-525080, where a latent image is formed by changing the azimuth angle of the optical axis of the retardation layer in an optical element.
In addition, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-42875 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-151877, cholesteric liquid crystal is used as means for authentication. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-42875, selective circular polarized light reflecting properties of cholesteric liquid crystal, and blue shift properties when the angle of view thereof is changed are used, as well as methods for utilizing such cholesteric liquid crystal alone or in combination with a hologram are proposed. In addition, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-151877, a technology is proposed, where a cholesteric liquid crystal layer as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-42875 and a hologram image as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,790 are combined.
In the case of authentication of credit cards or the like as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,574,790 and 5,393,099, counterfeit of the hologram portion has become a problem. A hologram pattern is manufactured by forming a metal thin film having high reflectance, such as one of aluminum, on an uneven surface in the order of μm. In addition, a hologram pattern is visible to the eye, and in some cases, counterfeiting becomes possible with a cutting apparatus.
In the case of the above-described Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-232978, it is disclosed that a latent image is fabricated by carrying out a thermal process on a thermotropic polymer liquid crystal layer. In the case of this system, the means for orienting polymer liquid crystal is an outer force, such as pressure, and therefore, application of high pressure or sufficient shear stress is necessary, in order to gain sufficient orientation. Accordingly, it is necessary for the orientation of liquid crystal to have birefringence within the surface, in order to gain a latent image where the retardant is modified in accordance with the heating pattern, and to do so, it is necessary to apply sufficient shear stress to the liquid crystal, so that the delay phase axis is in a particular direction within the surface in the state of liquid crystal. Therefore, pressure is applied to the base or to the liquid crystal layer while being heated, and thus, problems, such as deformation of the base or the occurrence of damage to the liquid crystal layer, arise, that is to say, a problem arises, where an engraved seal, for example, provides an uneven pattern in such a manner that the latent image becomes visible without using a polarizing plate.
Furthermore, though a latent image can be fabricated in accordance with a method as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-334618, it is necessary to heat the retardation film to a temperature that is no lower than the glass transition point and maintain this temperature for a predetermined period of time or longer, in order to cease the retardation of the retardation film. As described above, the degree of molecular orientation in the retardation film is relaxed by heating the retardation film to a temperature that is no lower than the glass transition point, and a problem arises, where the latent image is made visible due to the occurrence of unevenness in the form of the surface. This is the same in the case where heating is carried out in a state of non-contact, and permanent deformation of the film occurs, due to molecular relaxation, even when there is no pressure.
Furthermore, this is the same also as the case where a chemical liquid is applied, and it is necessary to provide a high level of freedom to the polymer that forms the retardation film, because the degree of molecular orientation of the retardation film is relaxed, and as a result, deformation in the form of the surface occurs as a result of relaxation. In the case of application of a chemical liquid, though this can be controlled through permeation of the chemical liquid, the retardation cannot be made sufficiently small when deformation does not occur, because permeation is only in the surface. That is to say, a problem arises, where contrast in the latent image cannot be made sharp. Furthermore, in the case of swelling as a result of the chemical liquid, expansion of the retardation film in the direction of the width occurs at the same time as permeation into the retardation film in the direction of the thickness, and therefore, a problem arises, where sufficient resolution is not gained in the latent image that is formed of portions where the retardation has changed and portions where the retardation has not changed.
In the case of the method that is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-525080, very complicated steps are required, such that an optical orientation film is formed and irradiated with ultraviolet rays that are polarized in a predetermined direction through a mask or through scanning, and after that, is irradiated with ultraviolet rays that are polarized in another direction, so that polymerizing liquid crystal or a liquid crystal polymer thin film is formed, and then, this is oriented and fixed. At this time, an optical orientation film for determining the direction in which liquid crystal is oriented is expensive, and furthermore, polymerizing liquid crystal and liquid crystal polymers are relatively expensive. Furthermore, it is necessary to prepare two light sources of polarized ultraviolet rays which are uniform and intense and are polarized in different directions, and efficiency is low and the apparatuses expensive. Liquid crystal layers are generally fabricated through an application process, and it is difficult to control the thickness of the thin film when a certain level of retardation is gained, due to the large birefringence of the liquid crystal.
In addition, in accordance with a method for applying cholesteric liquid crystal as that of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-42875, the level of anti-counterfeit is increased by combining liquid crystal and setting of the selective wavelength reflecting band in the circular polarized light with another anti-counterfeit function, such as a hologram image as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-151877. However, a problem arises with the reflecting properties of the cholesteric liquid crystal, where selection of the reflecting properties of the material and the mixture of the materials can be relatively easily reproduced, that is to say, when the mixing ratio of nematic liquid crystal and a chiral agent is identified, this can be easily applied. In addition, even with a combination of a cholesteric layer and a hologram layer, these are simply combined, and therefore, combination becomes easy if counterfeiting of each is easy.
The present invention is provided in view of the above-described situation, and an object thereof is to provide a sheet with highly effective anti-counterfeit functions, where counterfeiting is difficult in the case where authentication information is recorded using the properties of cholesteric liquid crystal.

Manufacturing method for sheet with anti-counterfeit functions


An electronic system of the type comprising:. at least one portable device comprising an electronic storage memory; PA1 at least one device including a transfer module designed to be coupled temporarily with at least a portable object so as to set up a communication link with the memory, PA1 a free access state, PA1 a controlled access state in which the working of the device is conditional upon the coupling, at least occasionally, of one of the portable objects for access control.. wherein the system comprises a set of specialized portable objects for the access control function and wherein the device comprises two states:

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is that of car radios, microcomputers, fax machines, telephones or, again, systems for using up consumption units, for example accounting devices used to count periods of regulated parking. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic system with controlled access.
Generally speaking, the invention relates to any electronic system that can be fraudulently misappropriated, and notably to transportable or portable electronic systems. These electronic systems, which are often considerably valuable, are frequently left where they can be seen by potential thieves: for example they are left inside automobiles. This is thus the case with car radios or car telephones which may be a temptation that often causes windows and doors to be broken.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Another electronic system of this type is constituted by accounting devices, used to count periods of regulated parking, that are designed to be placed behind the windscreens of vehicles. A device such as this is described, for example, in the French patent application No. 87/06776 filed on behalf of the SOCIETE INTERNATIONALE POUR L'INNOVATION. These devices, constituted by a pack cooperating with a prepaid electronic ticket, for example a memory card, to decrement fee units memorized in the card as a function of the parking period, are also a focus of interest for potential thieves. This type of device, which can be used to eliminate the need for fixed individual posts (of the pavement parking meter type) or posts used in common by groups of vehicles (of the type installed at the entrances to parking lots), is hired out or sold by municipalities and has a definite value. Since their function entails their being exposed so that they can be seen by officials entrusted with ascertaining, notably, that the parking time has been properly accounted for, they cannot, at least during operation, be removed from the sight of ill-intentioned individuals.
A solution could be envisaged where access to such electronic systems is controlled by making their use conditional on the knowledge of a confidential code, similar to the codes needed to use cash cards or bank credit cards. The numerous data-processing innovations that have been achieved in fields as varied as those of banking, office automation and domestic automation applications have greatly increased the use of codes of this type. Since these codes are confidential and generally ought not to be written on any document carried by the user, it becomes very difficult to memorize them and, above all to make the association between each code and the nature of the operation that it is supposed to authorize. Furthermore, the fact of forgetting a code totally paralyzes the use for which this code is intended, and it generally becomes necessary, notably in banking applications, to have recourse to a complicated procedure in order to obtain knowledge of this code again.
The aim of the present invention is to propose an electronic system with controlled access that is not necessarily linked to the knowledge of a code.
More specifically, an aim of the invention is to provide a system such as this that deprives thieving of any attendant rewards by making this system unusable without the possession of objects that are solely in the hands of the authorized users.
Another aim of the invention is to provide a system such as this wherein the user can decide whether or not it should work in controlled access mode.
A particular object of the invention is to provide a system for using up consumption units, such as an accounting device, with controlled access, for the counting of periods of parking. The invention is particularly promising for this type of device in that it permits its customization. Thus, manufactures of this kind of apparatus can provide packs which, as desired by the user, may or may not be placed in a controlled access mode of operation. A user making use of his prepaid parking pack in a city where thieving is common can customize his device so that none but himself can use it. A user living in a peaceful city where thieving is uncommon can, for his part, choose to keep his device in a free access mode of operation. Should there be a recrudescence of thefts, he will always have the possibility of switching the system over into the controlled access mode of operation. To achieve this, all he needs to do is to acquire a specific card (an access control card), distinct from the cards bearing the consumption units. The first insertion of this card into the device will irreversibly switch the device over into a state of controlled access while at the same time customizing said device since the controlled access card inserted is the obligatory personal key needed to use the device. If necessary, in particular circumstances, provision may be made for a system wherein a competent authority can bring the device back into the free access state by means of a technical manipulation of a specific "master card". However, this arrangement is a vulnerable aspect of the system since, with its becoming possible for the system to return the free access state, such a return could be done fraudulently.

Portable electronic access controlled system for parking meters or the like


A system for clamping a heat sink that prevents excessive clamping force is provided. The system may include a heat sink, a semiconductor device, a printed circuit board, and a cover. The semiconductor device may be mounted onto the circuit board and attached to the cover. The heat sink may be designed to interface with the semiconductor device to transfer heat away from the semiconductor device and dissipate the heat into the environment. Accordingly, the heat sink may be clamped into a tight mechanical connection with the semiconductor device to minimize thermal resistance between the semiconductor device and the heat sink. To prevent excessive clamping force from damaging the semiconductor device, loading columns may extend between the cover and the heat sink.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is generally related to a system for clamping a heat sink. More specifically, the invention relates to a system for clamping a heat sink that prevents excessive clamping force.
2. Related Art
When performing various functions, integrated circuits tend to generate heat. The integrated circuit may be cooled by dissipating heat into the surrounding environment. Particularly in the audio electronics industry, the market has required manufacturers to provide smaller electronic packages along with improved audio performance and power. To improve heat dissipation, heat sinks or blocks of metal may be connected with semiconductor devices to conduct heat away from the semiconductor device and provide a larger surface area from which to dissipate the heat. The heat sink often include fins to increase the surface area for heat dissipation and may even include a channel that provides fluid cooling. This may be particularly important with regard to power amplifiers and audio circuits, as they can generate a significant amount of heat and may require cooling to maintain audio performance of the electronic component.
When attaching a heat sink to the semiconductor device, it may be important to have a tight mechanical coupling of the surface of the heat sink with the surface of the semiconductor device to minimize thermal resistance when transferring heat from the semiconductor device to the heat sink. Often, the components must be securely attached in a manner that will withstand harsh vibration and shock. For example, harsh shock and vibration are often encountered in an automotive audio environment. However, clamping the semiconductor device with excessive force can cause damage to the semiconductor device. Accordingly, there is a need to control the force used in securely clamping a heat sink to a semiconductor device.

Harman International Industries, Incorporated


The memory has identically constructed memory cells and reference cells. An item of reference information is written into the reference cells by uncoupling the reference cells from the read amplifiers via first switching elements, and by electrically connecting the part of the bit lines that is connected to the reference cells via second switching elements to a potential line carrying the reference information.

The invention lies in the integrated technology field and relates, more specifically, to an integrated memory having memory cells and reference cells, and an operating method for such a memory.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,844,832 and 5,572,459 describe ferro-electric memories (FRAM or FeRAM), which have memory cells of the 1-transistor/1-capacitor type. The storage capacitor has a ferroelectric dielectric, whose polarization is set to different values in order to store different logic states. By setting the polarization of the dielectric, the capacitance of the storage capacitor is influenced. Since the aforementioned memory cells, during a read access, can effect only small potential changes on the bit lines connected to them because of their restricted capacity, these memories have differential read amplifiers, such as are also used, for example, in DRAMs (dynamic random access memories). Each read amplifier is connected to a pair of bit lines. During a read access to one of the memory cells, the latter is electrically connected via one of the bit lines to the associated read amplifier, while the other bit line of the pair of bit lines connected to this read amplifier connects a reference cell electrically to the second input of the read amplifier.
The reference cells are constructed in substantially the same way as the normal memory cells of the FRAM, and are used to generate a reference potential on the corresponding second bit line. The read amplifier then amplifies the potential difference which is established between the two bit lines. In order to generate the desired reference potential on the second bit line, it is necessary to store appropriate reference information previously in the reference cell. To this end, both in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,459 and 5,844,832 the reference cells are modified as compared with the normal memory cells, in that they are connected via additional transistors to potential lines which are used to supply the desired reference information. These additional transistors are connected to a circuit node within the memory cell, the node being located between the respective selection transistor and the storage capacitor of the reference cell.
The aforementioned memory cells modified by means of an additional transistor have the disadvantage that, because of the transistor that is additionally present, they are not constructed fully identically with the normal memory cells. The result of this is that the reference cells are not produced on the same grid as the normal memory cells. This results in a more complicated manufacturing process for the memory.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an integrated memory with memory cells and reference cells which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which whose memory cells and reference cells can be arranged in a regular grid. In addition, it is an object of the invention to specify an operating method for such a memory.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an integrated memory, comprising:
a first pair of bit lines and a plurality of word lines and reference word lines;
memory cells respectively arranged at crossing points of the word lines with a bit line of the first pair of bit lines and each having a selection switching element for connecting the memory cell with a respective bit line and the selection switching element having a control connection connected to a respective word line;
a first differential read amplifier connected to the bit lines of the first pair of bit lines and a second differential read amplifier;
two reference cells respectively arranged at a crossing point of one of the bit lines and a reference word line, having a structure substantially corresponding to a structure of the memory cells, and having a selection switching element for connecting the reference cells via a circuit node to a respective bit line, and the selection switching element having a control connection connected to the respective reference word line;
first switching elements connecting the circuit nodes to the read amplifier;
a first potential line for supplying a first potential to be stored in the reference cells;
second switching elements connecting the circuit nodes to the first potential line;
a second pair of bit lines connected to the second differential read amplifier and, in correspondence with the first pair of bit lines, having memory cells, reference cells, and first and second switching elements;
two third switching elements each connecting a respective one of the bit lines of the first pair of bit lines to a bit line of the second pair of bit lines; and
a second potential line connected to the circuit nodes of the bit lines of the second bit line pair via the second switching elements, the second potential line supplying a second potential to be stored in the reference cells of the second pair of bit lines.
In other words, the integrated memory has identically constructed memory cells and reference cells. The second switching elements are used to supply the reference information to the reference cells. Since the second switching elements are not connected to a circuit node within the reference cell but to a circuit node on the associated bit line, the reference cells do not have to be modified as compared with the reference cells. This permits, firstly, the production of the memory cell array having the memory cells and reference cells in a regular grid, whose extent is predefined by the minimum dimensions of the memory cells. Secondly, there results the advantage that writing and reading the reference information into and from the reference cells is carried out in the same way as the writing and reading of data into and from the memory cells. Since the precise behavior of the memory cells during an access also depends on fluctuations in the manufacturing process, the access behavior of the reference cells, which are constructed identically to the memory cells, is influenced in the same way, on account of such influences, as that of the memory cells. This therefore ensures that the reference information provided by the reference cells is matched to the changed access behavior of the normal memory cells, even for different manufacturing conditions of the memory.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the reference cells and the first switching elements are arranged at one end of the respective bit line opposite the read amplifier. This results in an arrangement which is advantageous in terms of circuitry, in which relatively few control signals are needed to drive the first switching elements. In order to maintain the grid of the cell array, the first switching elements can likewise be arranged in this grid.
According to another development of the invention, the first switching elements are arranged at the end of the respective bit line facing the read amplifier. This has the advantage that there is often sufficient space available in the read amplifiers, and the switching elements can therefore be arranged without problems, even if the grid of the memory cell array becomes very small because of very small memory cells.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, during a read access to a given one of the memory cells of one of the bit lines, the selection switching element of the given memory cell and the selection switching element of the reference cell of the other bit line are turned on and also both first switching elements are turned on and both second switching elements are turned off, and wherein, during a rewriting operation, carried out during the read access, of the information previously read out from the corresponding the memory cell by the read amplifier the selection switching elements of the given memory cell and of the reference cell are turned on and only the first switching element connected to the one bit line and the second switching element connected to the other bit line are turned on.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, there is provided a control unit connected to the first and second potential lines, for generating the first and second potentials with respectively alternating levels.
With the above and other objects in view there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, an operating method for an integrated memory. The method comprises the following steps:
reading out information from two memory cells and transferring the information via two first bit lines to first inputs of two differential read amplifiers;
reading out reference information from reference cells and transferring the reference information via second bit lines to second inputs of the read amplifiers;
amplifying voltages present at the inputs of the read amplifiers with the read amplifiers;
disconnecting the reference cells from the read amplifiers;
connecting the reference cells to potential lines; and transferring potentials from the potential lines via the second bit lines to the reference cells.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the potentials of the potential lines are different, and the method comprises connecting the second bit lines to each other for setting a reference potential.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the signals amplified by the read amplifiers are rewritten into the memory cells via the first bit lines, simultaneously with a transfer of the potentials into the reference cells via the second bit lines.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in Integrated memory having memory cells and reference cells, and operating method for such a memory, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.


A vending machine can include a touch display and a touch controller operatively connected to the touch display and configured to transmit display data to the touch display and receive input data from a touchscreen function of the touch display. The vending machine also includes a secure device operatively connected to the touch display for securing the display by managing touch input information provided to one or more applications based on the input data received from the touchscreen functionality. The vending machine has a processor operatively connected to the secure device for communicating access requests for the touch display to the secure device from the one or more applications along with an indication of whether the one or more applications are signed by an authorized entity. The secure device manages the touch input information provided to the one or more applications further based at least in part on the indication.

Fuel dispensers typically include a controller configured to handle sensitive payment information received from a user to effect payment for fuel dispensed to the user. The sensitive payment information is usually provided to the fuel dispenser via one or more components, such as a card reader and a PIN pad. Any sensitive payment information received by the PIN pad is generally encrypted and forwarded to the controller regardless of whether the PIN pad uses a separate controller. Because the controller is configured to handle the sensitive payment information, it is usually subject to certain security requirements imposed on devices that handle such information, which may include a manual offline certification process.
Some dispensers employ large display screens, not only for prompting the user to enter payment information, select fuel grades, elect a car wash, etc. via a PIN pad or other buttons, but also to display advertisements, loyalty information, menus for a kitchen inside a service station, and other information. Existing touchscreen displays allow user interaction by touching regions on the display. Due to certain regulations, however, such touchscreen displays can be limited in functionality provided to users.

Fuel dispenser user interface system architecture


A clearer device for removing accumulated debris on a draft roller has a clearer pad member mounted in a support frame which pivots so as to permit the clearer pad member to come into and out of contact with the draft roller thereby allowing accumulated wastes to escape. A stopper plate is biased against the draft roller by the clearer pad member thus keeping the clearer pad member in contact with the draft roller. An elastic member protrudes from the support frame and contacts a rotating shaft which has a protrusion. The protrusion periodically engages the elastic member which pivots the support frame disengaging the clearer pad member from the draft roller and releasing accumulated wastes.

This invention relates to a clearer apparatus applied to a draft roller for use as a drafting apparatus for a spinning machine equipment, and more particularly to a clearer apparatus which consists of a clearer in the form of a plate which can remove cotton waste or the like on a draft roller with certainty using a clearer pad member formed from rubber, a synthetic resin material or the like.
A clearer apparatus for a bottom draft roller of a drafting apparatus is already known wherein a clearer pad member comprising of leather, artificial leather, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, laminated non-woven fabric or the like which is cut into a fragment is used and held on a support frame in the form of a plate formed with a length substantially equal to a length between roller stands such that a portion of the clearer pad member is projected outwardly from the support frame until the outwardly projected portion contacts with a peripheral face of a drafting portion of a draft roller. Also the applicant of the present patent application has proposed a clearer of the pad type and a supporting apparatus for a clearer of such construction in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Sho 63-35831 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Application No. Sho 63-24279.
While it is known that such a clearer of the pad type as described above can exhibit a superior cleaning effect comparing with a conventional clearer of the rotary type, the clearer of the pad type has a problem that, after continuous use for a long period of time, cotton waste and so forth will accumulate on a projected portion of the clearer pad member or the like.
In order to prevent such accumulation, various solutions have been proposed including means wherein a support frame or the like is rocked to change the orientation angle of the same and another means wherein the position at which the projected portion of the clearer pad member contacts is moved in a circumferential direction of the draft roller. However, the solution which only involves a change of the angular orientation of the support frame or involves a movement of the contacting position of the projected portion of the clearer pad member cannot remove accumulated substance actively from the draft roller and consequently cannot achieve sufficient removal of accumulated substance.
In addition, the solution which involves a change of the angular orientation of the support frame has another problem that the mounting structure for the support frame and so forth become complicated and the operation for maintenance and so forth are troublesome.


An electrical system includes a bus bar having a plurality of layers including a conductive power layer and a conductive ground layer. The bus bar has a front edge with a plurality of tabs extending therefrom at spaced-apart locations. Each tab includes a power finger extending from the power layer and a ground finger extending from the ground layer. The bus bar also includes a connector shroud coupled to the front edge of the bus bar. The connector shroud has a base, a mating end, and a cavity defined therebetween. The cavity receives one of the tabs through the base. The mating end is configured to mate with an electrical connector. The cavity is configured to receive power and ground contacts of the electrical connector therein for electrical connection to the respective power and ground fingers of the tab.

The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical bus bars having connector shrouds for connecting to mating connectors.
In some electrical systems, power is delivered to a circuit board, an electrical device, and/or other electrical components through a bus bar. A bus bar typically includes one or more planar strips of conductive material, such as copper. One strip or layer may be used to convey electrical power, and another strip or layer may be used as a ground. Bus bars may be preferable for carrying power to electrical components over other components, such as circuit boards or cables, due to a generally higher current carrying capacity and better inductance with bus bars.
The power on the bus bar is distributed to electrical components using connectors. One known type of connector for use with bus bars is a two-piece design in which a first connector is mounted to the bus bar, and a second, mating connector removably mates to the mounted first connector. In two-piece designs, it is often difficult and expensive to mount the first connector to the bus bar. For example, some typical methods of mounting connectors to circuit boards, such as soldering, are not feasible for mounting connectors to bus bars. In addition, the bus bar is typically formed of multiple layers of thin conductive sheets, and the first connector may include contacts that require electrical connection to different layers of the thin conductive sheets.
Another known type of connector involves a single-piece design in which a mating connector mates directly to the bus bar, typically at an edge, such that the edge of the bus bar is received in a space between two sets of contacts. Because the bus bar may be relatively thin and infirm, the forces imparted on the bus bar during mating and un-mating of the connector may damage the bus bar. In addition, often the space between contacts of the connector is not adjustable, so the connector may only accommodate bus bars within a narrow range of thicknesses. As a result, the type and/or size of the connectors configured to mate with the bus bar may need to be specifically selected based on the thickness of the bus bar used in a given application. Furthermore, the contacts of the single-piece connector mate directly to the electrified layers of the bus bar, so when the connector is removed from the bus bar, the exposed area of the bus bar may be hazardous to the touch.
A need remains for an electrical system that allows a mating connector to electrically couple to a bus bar without the problems identified above that are associated with known electrical systems.


A method and system may receive, at an intermediate vehicle, a route request packet from a source vehicle. The system and method may enter a routing entry comprising a path from intermediate vehicle to the source vehicle and a quality metric value in a routing table. The method and system may receive, at a destination vehicle, the route request packet broadcast from one or more intermediate vehicles. The method and system may transmit, along a path from the destination vehicle to source vehicle, a route reply message. The method and system may transfer data from the source vehicle to the destination vehicle along the path. The method and system may monitor one or more quality metric values associated with the data transferred to the destination vehicle along the path.

Many vehicles are equipped with devices to output information to vehicle occupants. Vehicles may, for example, be equipped with devices to display video or images (e.g., video screen, display device, etc.), broadcast audio (e.g., audio system, radio, Internet based radio), display information (e.g., navigation systems), or otherwise output data. Vehicle devices may output content based on data received over a wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi network). Content output based on data received over a wireless network may, for example, include video (e.g., movies, video clips, internet videos), streaming audio (e.g., Internet radio, podcasts), or other information. The quality of video, audio, or other information output in a vehicle may be related to quality of signal received in antennas associated with vehicle. A reliable network connection may, for example, allow for higher quality video, audio and other information to be output in vehicle.
A vehicle may, for example, receive data and information broadcast from antennas associated with infrastructure (e.g., buildings, man-made structures, etc.). Vehicles may often not be in the range of antennas associated with infrastructure. Vehicles, however, may be in the range of other vehicles when not in the range of infrastructure.

Method and system for transferring information in vehicular wireless networks


A refrigerator capable of controlling a fan motor, in which the fan motor rpm is controlled according to a cooling load, are disclosed. The refrigerator comprises a DC fan motor for operating a cooling fan; a controller for determining cooling load according to inner temperature of the refigerator sensed by thermal sensor and for generating a control signal to select an AC voltage according to the detemined cooling load; a transformer for decreasing an input voltage by several AC voltage levels; a switch for selecting a voltage level output from the transformer according to the control signal from the controller; and a rectifier for converting AC voltage to DC voltage and for supplying the DC voltage to the DC fan motor. According to the above, the rpm of the cooling fan can be varied and controlled easily depending on cooling load of the refrigerator using a DC fan motor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fan motor in a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator capable of controlling a fan motor, in which the fan motor rpm is controlled according to a cooling load.
2. Prior Art
Generally, a refrigerator cooling system comprises a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser for condensing the compressed refrigerant radiating heat outward, a capillary tube for changing the condensed refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure state, an evaporator for vaporizing refrigerant by absorbing heat in the refrigerator, and a cabinet having a freezer compartment and fresh food compartment which are partitioned from each other by a wall.
The cooling process of a conventional refrigerator is shown in FIG. 1. The refrigerant is compressed to high-temperature and high-pressure by a compressor 11 and is condensed by radiating heat outward at a condenser 12. The condensed refrigerant in the state of low-temperature and low-pressure passes through a capillary tube 13 and goes into an evaporator 14. The refrigerant is vaporized in the evaporator 14 by absorbing heat from surrounding air. The refrigerant passed through the evaporator 14 is inputted into the compressor 11 completing refrigerant circulation.
During the refrigerant circulation, heat is transferred from surrounding air to the refrigerant at the evaporator 14 and radiated outward at the condensor 12. The air surrounding the evaporator 14 cools by loosing heat, causing the cooling effect of a refrigerator.
The generated cool air is supplied to the freezer compartment and fresh food compartment by a cooling fan 15 for cooling the freezer compartment and fresh food compartment. A fan motor 16 operates the cooling fan 15 by a predetermined rpm, and the rate of cool air supply is controlled by the rpm of the fan motor 16.
An alternating current (AC) motor has been conventionally used to operate the cooling fan which is installed in the rear of the refrigerator. The rpm of the AC motor remains constant, regardless of the cooling load. Hence, the use of the AC motor offer little flexibility in circulating the cool air in the varying condition of the refrigerator.
That is, when the cooling load of the refrigerator increases, it is difficult to cool the refrigerator quickly with the AC motor, and to provide constant temperature environment for foods which are affected by variant temperature. Additionally, the AC motor maintained at high rpm consumes considerable amount of electric power even at the low cooling load of the refrigerator, causing inefficiency of the refrigerator.

Refrigerator capable of controlling fan motor


A life indicator for a component of a machine is disclosed. The life indicator includes at least one sensor operably associated with the machine and configured to sense a property associated with the machine. The sensor is configured to output the sensed property as a data signal. The life indicator also includes a memory element having a first data structure that determines a damage factor for the component of the machine based at least in part on the data signal received from the at least one sensor. A processor executes the first data structure to determine the damage factor.

A typical work machine, such as, for example, a tractor, dozer, loader, earth mover or other such piece of equipment, has a designed work life. The designed work life of the work machine is determined, in part, by the designed work life of each individual component making up the work machine. However, the actual work life of a given component, and thus the actual life of the work machine itself, may vary from machine to machine based on use stresses to which the work machine is subjected. Use stresses that affect the work life of a work machine may include, for example, operating conditions, road layout, weather conditions, road conditions, loading practices, and efficiencies.
The designed work life of a component corresponds to the actual work life only when the actual work site resembles a "typical" or "reasonable" work site, upon which the designed work life is based. However, most work sites differ from a typical site in one or more of the use stresses that affect the component life. Accordingly, the actual work life of a component seldom matches the designed component life.
If a work machine is subjected to use stresses that are more harsh than the factors at a typical work site, then the actual work life of the machine component will be shorter than the designed work life. Failure to recognize that the component has a shorter actual work life can result in failure of the component before scheduled maintenance is performed. Operating the component until it fails often causes secondary failures of other components that are dependent upon the failed component. Further, such failures are often unpredictable in time, and may require performing maintenance in places at the work site where the work machine is not easily accessible, or the work machine may be in the path of other work machines. Thus, failure of a single component may cause increased down time and higher operating expenses for the overall operation.
On the other hand, if a work machine is subjected to use stresses that are less severe than the factors at the typical work site, the actual work life of the machine component may be extended beyond the designed work life. Accordingly, the work machine components may not need to be serviced or maintained as frequently as is normally scheduled. Accordingly, performing the scheduled maintenance may be wasteful because the components do not yet need to be serviced.
One attempt to incorporate operating conditions of a machine into maintenance decisions is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,284 to Parupalli et al. The '284 patent discloses a system for determining when scheduled maintenance, such as an oil change, is due depending on the total number of miles driven, the total amount of fuel consumed, and the amount of oil in the oil sump. However, the '284 patent does not disclose a system for monitoring the actual work life of a machine component.
This disclosure is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems or disadvantages associated with the prior art.


A memory module includes a plurality of buses and a plurality of memory chips arranged close to each other along each of the plurality of buses. An N-th memory chip, where N is an integer, of the plurality of memory chips is connected to any one of the plurality of buses, and each of the other memory chips of the plurality of memory chips, except for the N-th memory chip, is connected to the other one of the plurality of buses.

The inventive concept relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a memory module which may improve signal integrity, and a computer system having the memory module.
As semiconductor devices are gradually made compact, get faster, and are highly integrated, the number of parts, that is, memory chips or memory devices, mounted on a memory module increases so that the configuration of a system of the memory module is complicated. In a semiconductor device performing high speed communications, the operational frequencies of an integrated circuit (IC) such as the memory device are gradually increased. The high frequency signals are designed to be transmitted at a similar frequency between the ICs.
When data is transmitted and received at high frequency through a transmission line between ICs, a problem such as signal reflections or interferences may be generated due to impedance mismatch between the transmission line and parts for transmitting and receiving the data. Such a problem may easily cause noise on the transmission line which changes the waveform of a signal so that signal distortion is increased. Accordingly, in the memory module, signal integrity that is one of important factors in transmitting a signal with reliability in high speed communications may be deteriorated. Thus, there is a demand for a memory module that may improved signal integrity.

Memory module for improving signal integrity and computer system having the same


The present invention relates to navigating in a geographic information system. In an embodiment, a method tours geographic information in a geographic information system. A set of actions for a tour is received. Each action includes a tour time. A tour time of at least one of the actions is defined by a user. Each action in the set of actions is executed to tour geographic information in the geographic information system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to navigating in a geographic information system.
2. Related Art
A geographic information system (GIS) is a system for archiving, retrieving, displaying and/or manipulating data indexed according to the data elements' geographic coordinates. The data element may be a variety of data types such as, for example, imagery, maps, models of buildings and terrain and other geographic features.
A geographic information system may display geographic information to a user from a perspective of a virtual camera. The perspective of a virtual camera may be defined by a position and orientation. By changing the position and orientation of the virtual camera, the user can sightsee within geographic information. For example, the user may "visit" the Eiffel Tower in the GIS by directing a perspective of a virtual camera toward a representation of the Eiffel Tower.
A perspective of a virtual camera may be stored in a language such as Keyhole Markup Language (KML). Interpreting the KML, a GIS may move the virtual camera to a stored perspective to display a sight. Using the stored perspective, a user can return to the sight. Further, KML can store a sequence of perspectives. Interpreting the KML, the GIS may move the virtual camera iteratively from one perspective to the next. This enables the user to view a series of sights, e.g., the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, etc. However, this approach may only provide a limited user experience.
Methods and systems are needed for sightseeing in a geographic information that provide a more satisfying user experience.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Touring in a geographic information system


A universal four-contact plug and jack assembly permits interconnection of microphone and stereo audio signals between an audio peripheral incorporating the four-contact plug and an audio device that includes the four-contact jack. Dimensionally, the interconnecting segments of the four-contact plug are, in terms of overall length, consistent with standard three-contact audio plugs which allows the four-contact plug to be plugged into a three-contact jack intended for use with conventional three-contact audio plugs. Similarly, the four-contact jack has three of its contacts positioned as a conventional three-contact jack but with a fourth contact position to interconnect with the additional contact of four-contact plugs. With this configuration, an audio device including the four-contact plug is compatible with audio peripherals including stereo headsets, monaural headsets with microphones, and others.

The field of this invention generally relates to audio connectors, and particularly relates to four-contact jacks and plugs that retain compatibility with standardized three-contact jacks and plugs.
Standardized audio plugs and jacks are frequently used in consumer audio and telecommunication products. Audio plugs are familiar to most people, with the typical audio plug comprising a series of electrically isolated cylindrical segments ending in a "tip" segment. More particularly, the body of the plug usually includes a sleeve, a ring, and a terminating tip. While generally used in audio applications, the sleeve-ring-tip audio plug nomenclature derives from the time when similarly styled plugs were used by operators of the early telephone switchboards. Indeed, such plugs commonly are referred to as "phone" plugs, although they are most commonly used in audio applications. Many manufacturers, such as SWITCHCRAFT, make standardized 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm audio plugs and jacks. Some of the most common uses for audio plugs include termination of headphone/headset cables, microphone cables, guitar cables and other types of audio "patch" cords.
Audio plugs are commonly used for both stereophonic and monaural devices. For example, a stereo headset, such as might be plugged into a WALKMAN or other portable audio device, typically includes an audio-plug terminated cable. In a common electrical configuration for stereophonic peripherals, the left speaker is wired to the plug tip, the right speaker is wired to the plug ring, and the plug sleeve serves as a ground connection. Of course, the audio device includes an audio jack with internal contacts arranged to selectively contact the sleeve, ring, and tip of the inserted plug.
Telephone headsets, as commonly used for telephony applications, do not require stereo sound. Such headsets typically comprise a monaural speaker for audio output and a microphone for audio input. Again, the headset cable is typically terminated by a standardized 3-contact audio plug with, for example, the microphone wired to the plug tip, the speaker wired to the plug ring, and headset ground wired to the sleeve of the plug. Again, the corresponding audio device will include a standardized audio jack that includes the appropriately arranged internal contacts.
Because the sizes and typical wiring schematics for such audio plug and jack combinations are relatively standardized, cross-manufacturer compatibility exists. For example, a headset manufacturer that adopts an industry standard audio plug for its various headset models can be relatively assured that those headsets will be compatible with audio devices from other manufacturers. Thus, there is a significant impetus for manufacturers to use standardized plug and jack configurations.


An image forming apparatus includes a charging member for charging a surface of a photosensitive member to a first potential, an exposing member for partially exposing the charged surface of the photosensitive member such that a potential of the exposed portions becomes a second potential smaller than the first potential, a developer carrier for feeding developer onto the photosensitive member, a discharging-beam member for irradiating a discharging beam onto the photosensitive member having a developer image, and a control device configured to: control a developing bias to become a third potential larger than the second potential and smaller than the first potential; and control a discharging bias such that a potential of portions on the photosensitive member where the developer image has not been formed becomes a fourth potential not smaller than the third potential and smaller than the first potential.

As an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, there is known a printer which has photosensitive members for carrying developer images, and transfer members for transferring the developer images formed on the photosensitive members onto a sheet.
For example, there has been proposed a related-art color image forming apparatus which has photosensitive drums, a plurality of developing units that is arranged in parallel along peripheries of the photosensitive drums, and transfer rollers that are provided on the downstream sides of the plurality of developing units in the rotation directions of the photosensitive drums such that they face the photosensitive drums.
In this color image forming apparatus, pre-transfer lighting means (PTL) are provided between the plurality of developers and the transfer rollers. Then, before toner images formed on the photosensitive drums are transferred onto a sheet P, infrared beams are irradiated onto the photosensitive drums by the pre-transfer lighting means. In this way, the potentials of the surfaces of the photosensitive drums are generally lowered, whereby the potential difference between portions of the surfaces of the photosensitive drums having no toner attached thereto and portions of the surfaces of the photosensitive drums having toner attached thereto is reduced.


A floppy disk drive controller interfaces a microprocessor system including a microprocessor with a floppy disk drive of the type arranged to receive data bits at any one of 250 or 300 Kbps, 500 Kbps, and 1 Mbps rates. The controller is arranged for providing data bits for the floppy disk drive at a rate corresponding to one of the three rates. The controller conditions the floppy disk drive to receive the data bits at the one rate dictated by the microprocessor and includes a data rate control register for providing a pair of data rate control bits indicative of the one data rate and a decoder coupled to the control register for decoding the data rate control bits and providing a pair of rate control signals to condition the floppy disk drive to receive the data bits at the one data rate. The controller also includes data rate control redundancy for conditioning the floppy disk drive responsive to data rate control signals received directly from the microprocessor.

The present invention generally relates to a floppy disk drive controller for interfacing a microprocessor system with a floppy disk drive. The present invention more particularly relates to such a floppy disk drive controller having an improved density select for use with a floppy disk drive of the type capable of receiving data bits having at least three different data rates, for providing the floppy disk drive with rate control signals to condition the floppy disk drive to receive the data bits from the floppy disk drive controller at one of the at least three different data rates. The floppy disk drive controller of the present invention is also compatible with floppy disk drives capable of receiving data bits at two different rates and further includes a rate controller for receiving data rate control signals directly from the microprocessor to provide data rate control redundancy.
Computer systems generally employ a microprocessor having internal and/or external memory. To interface the microprocessor system to a floppy disk drive, such systems also generally include a floppy disk drive controller. Such controllers are utilized to convert parallel-bits of data from the microprocessor system to serial-bits of data and to provide the floppy disk drive with the serial-bits of data. Along with the serial-bits of data, the floppy disk drive controllers provide the floppy disk drives with various control signals, well known in the art, including density select or data rate control signals to condition the floppy disk drives to receive the serial-bits of data from the floppy disk drive controllers at a rate dictated by the microprocessors.
Floppy disk drives which have been commonly used in the past have been capable of receiving the data bits at two different rates, five hundred kilobits per second (500 Kbps) and two hundred and fifty kilobits per second (250 Kbps) or three hundred Kilobits per second (300 Kbps). Floppy disk drive controllers used in conjunction with such floppy disk drives have provided a single rate control signal, commonly referred to in the art as a density select signal (DENSEL), having one of two levels responsive to commands from the microprocessor for conditioning the floppy disk drives to receive the data bits at one of these two different rates. A high level of the single data rate control signal has conditioned the floppy disk drives to receive the microprocessor data bits at the 500 Kbps rate and a low level of the single data rate control signal has conditioned the floppy disk drives to receive the microprocessor data bits at the 250 Kbps or 300 Kbps rate.
Improved floppy disk drives known as extended floppy disk drives are not only arranged to receive microprocessor data bits at the 500 Kbps and 250 Kbps or 300 Kbps rates, but also at a one megabit rate (1 Mbps). Unfortunately, floppy disk drive controllers have not been able to accommodate these improved floppy disk drives because they have not provided the necessary data rate control signals to activate the 1 Mbps rate of such floppy disk drives.
The floppy disk drive controller of the present invention overcomes this deficiency in prior art floppy disk drive controllers by providing the necessary rate control signals for conditioning the improved floppy disk drives to receive microprocessor data bits at any one of the three data rates of 300 Kbps or 250 Kbps, 500 Kbps, and 1 Mbps. In addition, as will be seen hereinafter, the floppy disk drive controller of the present invention is also capable of providing a single data rate control signal for conditioning the first mentioned floppy disk drives to receive microprocessor data bits at either the 250 or 300 Kbps or 500 Kbps data rates so as to be compatible therewith. The floppy disk drive controller of the present invention also includes a separate data rate control adapted to receive data rate control signals directly from the microprocessor to provide system data rate control redundancy.

Floppy disk drive controller with improved density select


An automatic apparatus for delivering formed, freshly fried potato products from a dehydrated potato granulate. The apparatus includes a frying unit with a frying vessel, heating element, device for controlling dwell time of the potato product, and at least two temperature sensors. The apparatus also includes a control unit for controlling the frying time. The apparatus may also include a dough making unit having a fixed lower plate and a rotary device having four cups.

Several attempts were made to develop an automatic apparatus for providing various fried potato products.
Galockin et al. taught, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,267, a french fry vending machine which dispensed four different types of food stuffs, prepared from frozen potatoes. The need for storing frozen food permitted quite limited use in this case.
Campbell et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,961, disclosed an apparatus for vending french potato strips. This machine operated using fine grain potato powder which was stored in a hopper. The upper part of the machine required refrigeration for controlling humidity of the fine grain powder and for avoiding problems otherwise encountered with dispensing the powder. Similarly, a mixing mechanism (86) was also needed to ensure sufficient homogeneity of the rehydrated dough.
Dover, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,742, disclosed an automatic deep fat cooker. The intermediate dough was made of dehydrated potato powder. Dover noted that this method is very sensitive to deviations in cooking parameters such as time and temperature. As far as the quality of the product, the frying oil was required to be strictly controlled. This, however, was not easy to carry out, especially under varying conditions.

Apparatus and dough making unit for preparing fried potato product from dehydrated potato