The present invention relates to a Bell state measurement apparatus capable of increasing a probability in which a determination that a Bell state measurement fails by using an optical fiber.

A single-photon quantum information technology utilizes each photon which is the smallest unit of light as an information transfer medium. Quantum information stored in a photon is represented by a unit called a qubit, and the qubit is a concept corresponding to a bit (0 or 1) which is the smallest unit in modern information technology. The quantum information technology has an advantage in that a quantum entanglement existing between two or more photons is used, that is, a quantum mechanical correlation is used, as compared to a conventional information processing technology. The quantum entanglement is a strong correlation that may not be explained by classical physics, in which a qubit of each photon may be used for storing and calculating complicated information which may not be expressed by using a simple bit (the smallest unit of information) and may be used in a quantum teleportation that transmits quantum information between different photons or different quantum information media.
A Bell state is the most basic quantum entangled state between two photons. Two qubits are in a Bell state and each qubit may be expressed by a polarization of a single photon. For example, a qubit is encoded in such a way that a case where a photon has a horizontal polarization is regarded as |H> and a case where a photon has a vertical polarization is regarded as |V>. Whether or not two photons are in a Bell state needs to be measured in order to experimentally verify a quantum entanglement of a Bell state or to realize a quantum teleportation protocol by using a quantum entanglement between multiple photons. Such a measurement is performed by a projection measurement in a Bell state. Usually, in quantum mechanics, four Bell states |Φ+>, |Φ−>, |Ψ+>, and |Ψ−>, each represented by equations such as |Φ+>=|H>|H>+|V>|V>, |Φ−>=|H>|H>−|V>|V>, |Ψ+>=|H>|V>+|V>|H>, and |Ψ−>=|H>|V>−|V>|H>, respectively, of which the Bell state belongs to is found.
A method of measuring a Bell state between photons is performed by combining a non-polarizing beam splitter (NPBS) and a polarizing beam splitter (PBS). The original combining structure of NPBS and PBS was proposed by Braunstein and Mann in 1995. A manner of using a structure of one NPBS, two PBSs, and four single-photon detectors which is implemented by Mattle et al. in 1996 is currently widely used. However, this manner has two following limitations. First, an input may be measured in a case of |Ψ+> or |Ψ−>, but may not be measured in a case of |Φ+> or |Φ−> because the inputs are not distinguished from each other. Outputs for two inputs of |Φ+> and |Φ−>—may not be used at all because they are not distinguished from a case where a photon is lost in the way or a photon detector may not detect the photons. In other words, it is not determined that the input is any one of |Φ+> or |Φ−>. Therefore, the overall measurement success probability is 50% or less. Second, since elements used are free space optical elements that occupy a certain volume, an unrealistically large space is required when the number of qubits is increased or when an additional setup is made for determining a state where inputs are not distinguished. In addition, a complex alignment of beams is required and a performance is relatively and greatly degraded due to a temperature and an ambient noise such as a vibration.

Bell state measurement apparatus based on single-mode optical fiber

Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science


An IPS-mode transflective LCD device includes an array of pixels each including a reflective region and a transmissive region juxtaposed. The reflective region operates in a normally-white mode, and the transmissive region operates in a normally-black mode. A common data signal is supplied to the reflective region and transmissive region, whereas the common electrode signal in the transmissive region is an inverted signal of the common electrode signal in the reflective region, to thereby obtain similar gray-scale levels.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transflective liquid crystal display (LCD) device including a transmissive area and a reflective area in each pixel of the LCD device.
(b) Description of the Related Art
LCD devices are generally categorized in two types: a transmissive LCD device having therein a backlight unit as a light source; and a reflective LCD device having therein a reflection film which reflects external light incident onto the LCD device and thus functions as a light source. The reflective LCD device has the advantages of lower power dissipation, smaller thickness and lighter weight compared to the transmissive LCD device, due to absence of a backlight source in the reflective LCD device. On the other hand, the transmissive LCD device is superior to the reflective LCD device in that the transmissive LCD device can be well observed in a dark environment.
There is another type of the LCD device, known as a transflective LCD device, which has the advantages of both the reflective and transmissive LCD devices. Such a transflective LCD device is described in Patent Publication JP-A-2003-344837A, for example. The transflective LCD device includes a transmissive region (or transparent region), and a reflection region in each pixel of the LCD device. The transmissive region passes light emitted from a backlight source, and uses the backlight source as a light source. The reflective region includes a rear reflective plate or reflection film, and uses external light reflected by the reflection film as a light source.
In the transflective LCD device, the image display is performed by the reflective region in a well-lighted environment, with the backlight source being turned OFF, thereby achieving a smaller power dissipation. On the other hand, the image display is performed by the transmissive region in a dark environment, with the backlight source being turned ON, thereby achieving an effective image display in the dark environment.
In general, a variety of modes are used for operating LCD devices, including an in-plane-switching (IPS) mode, a twisted-nematic (TN) mode, and a fringe-field-switching (FFS) mode. Each pixel of the IPS-mode or FFS-mode LCD device includes a pixel electrode and a common electrode which are disposed on a common substrate to apply the liquid crystal (LC) layer with a lateral electric field. The IPS-mode or FFS-mode LCD device using a lateral electric field rotates the LC molecules in a plane parallel to the substrate to perform the image display, and achieves a higher viewing angle compared to the TN-mode LCD device.
If the IPS mode or FFS mode using a lateral electric field is to be employed in the transflective LCD device as described above, there arises an image-inversion problem in the LCD device, as described in the patent publication as mentioned above. More specifically, in a normal driving technique of the LCD device, if the transmissive region operates in a normally-black mode wherein absence of the applied voltage corresponds to a dark state, the reflective region operates in a normally-white mode wherein absence of the applied voltage corresponds to a bright state. The reason of the image-inversion problem will be described in detail hereinafter.
FIG. 34A schematically shows a pixel of a transflective LCD device, which includes therein a reflective region 55 and a transmissive region 56. The transmissive region 56 is configured by a first polarizing film 51, a first substrate (counter substrate) 61, a LC layer 53 having a retardation of λ/2, a second substrate (TFT substrate) 62, and a second polarizing film 52, which are arranged in this order as viewed from the front of the LCD device 50, wherein λ is a wavelength of the light. The reflective region 55 is configured by the first polarizing film 51, first substrate 61, LC layer 53 having a retardation of λ/4, an insulation film 63, and a reflection film 54, as effective constituent elements. In FIG. 34A, polarizing axis of the polarizing films 51, 52, longer axis of the LC molecules in the LC layer 53 are depicted in the state wherein the LCD device is rotated by 90 degrees along a plane normal to the sheet of the drawing in the counterclockwise direction as viewed from the left of the drawing.
FIG. 34B shows polarization of light in the respective regions 55, 56 in FIG. 34A for the case of presence (Von) and absence (Voff) of the applied voltage, in the portions wherein the light passes through the first polarizing film 51, LC layer 53 and second polarizing film 52. In FIG. 34B, an arrow means linearly-polarized light, "L" encircled by a circle means counterclockwise-circularly-polarized light, "R" encircled by a circle means clockwise-circularly-polarized light, blank elongate bar means the director of the LC, i.e., longer axis of the LC molecules. FIG. 35 shows a sectional view of this type of the practical LCD device, the principle of which is shown in FIGS. 34A and 34B, including a backlight source 57.
In the LCD device 50a shown in FIG. 35, the reflective region 55 uses the reflection film 54 as the light source, whereas the transmissive region 56 uses the backlight source 57 as the light source.
The first polarizing film 51 disposed at the front side of the LC layer 53 and the second polarizing film 52 disposed at the rear side thereof have respective polarizing axes, which are perpendicular to one another. The LC layer 53 includes LC molecules having a director which is 90 degrees deviated from the polarizing axis of the second polarizing film 52 upon absence of the applied voltage. Assuming that the polarizing axis of the second polarizing film 52 is directed at a reference direction (zero degree), for example, the polarizing axis of the first polarizing film 51 is directed at 90 degrees and the longer axis of the LC molecules in the LC layer 53 is also directed at 90 degrees. The zero-degree direction is shown as the lateral direction in FIG. 34B, and the 90-degree direction is shown as the vertical direction in FIG. 34B. The cell gap of the LC layer 53 in the transmissive region 56 is adjusted such that the retardation Δnd is equal to λ/2, whereas the cell gap of the LC layer 53 in the reflective region 55 is adjusted such that the retardation Δnd is equal to λ/4, given λ, Δn and d being wavelength of the light, refractive-index anisotropy and cell gap, respectively. As for λ, if the wavelength of green light is used as a reference, λ is 550 nm.
Operation of the LCD device shown in FIGS. 34A, 34B and 35 will be described hereinafter, for each case of absence and presence of the applied voltage in respective regions 55, 56.
(1) Reflective Region Upon Absence of Applied Voltage:
In the left column (Voff) of the reflective region 55 shown in FIG. 34B, a linearly-polarized light polarized at 90 degrees, i.e., 90-degree linearly-polarized light is incident onto the LC layer 53 after passing through the first polarizing film 51. Since the optical axis of the linearly-polarized light incident onto the LC layer 53 is aligned with the longer axis of the LC molecules, the 90-degree linearly-polarized light passes through the LC layer 53 as it is, and is then reflected by the reflection film 54. The linearly-polarized light does not change the state thereof in general after the reflection, as shown in FIG. 34B, and is again incident onto the LC layer 53 is as the 90-degree linearly-polarized light. The 90-degree linearly-polarized light passes through the LC layer 53 as it is, and is incident onto the first polarizing film 51, which has a polarizing axis at 90 degrees, passes the 90-degree linearly-polarized light as it is. Thus, absence of the applied voltage allows the reflective region to assume a bright state.
(2) Reflective Region Upon Presence of Applied Voltage:
In the right column (Von) of the reflective region 56 in FIG. 34B, the 90-degree linearly-polarized light passed by the first polarizing film 51 is incident onto the LC layer 53. The voltage applied to the LC layer 53 directs the longer axis of the LC molecules from zero degree to 45 degrees within the plane parallel to the substrates. The deviation of polarized direction of the incident linearly-polarized light from the longer axis of the LC molecules in the LC layer 53 by 45 degrees and the retardation of λ/4 change the 90-degree linearly-polarized light into a clockwise-circularly-polarized light after the reflection, which is incident onto the reflection film 54 and reflected thereby. The reflected light shifts to a counterclockwise-circularly-polarized light and is incident onto the LC layer 53. The counterclockwise-linearly-polarized light is changed by the LC layer 53 into a zero-degree linearly-polarized light and incident onto the first polarizing film 51. The polarizing film 51 having a polarizing axis at 90 degrees blocks the incident light, thereby representing dark state.
Thus, the reflective region 55 operates in a normally-white mode wherein absence of the applied voltage provides a bright state, whereas presence of the applied voltage provides a dark state.
(3) Transmissive Region Upon Absence of Applied Voltage:
In the left column of the transmissive region 56 shown in FIG. 34B, a zero-degree linearly-polarized light is passed by the second polarizing film 52 and incident onto the LC layer 53. Since this incident light has a polarized direction normal to the longer axis of the LC molecules in the LC layer 53, the incident light is passed by the LC layer 53 as it is, and is incident onto the first polarizing film 51 as the zero-degree linearly-polarized light. The first polarizing film 51 having a polarizing axis at 90 degrees blocks the incident light, thereby representing a dark state.
(4) Transmissive Region Upon Presence of Applied Voltage:
In the right column of the transmissive region 56 shown in FIG. 34B, a zero-degree linearly-polarized light is passed by the second polarizing film 52 and incident onto the LC layer 53. The voltage applied to the LC layer 53 directs the longer axis of the LC molecules from zero degree to 45 degrees within the plane parallel to the substrates. The deviation of polarized direction of the incident linearly-polarized light from the longer axis of the LC molecules in the LC layer 53 by 45 degrees and the retardation of λ/2 of the LC layer change the zero-degree linearly-polarized light into a 90-degree linearly-polarized light, which is incident onto the first polarizing film 51. The first polarizing film 51 having a polarizing axis at 90 degrees passes the incident light, thereby representing a bright state.
Thus, the transmissive region operates in a normally-black mode wherein absence of the applied voltage provides a dark state whereas presence of the applied voltage provides a bright state.
The image-inversion problem is a general problem common to the lateral-electric-field modes (IPS mode, FFS mode) and other LCD modes. However, as to the TN mode, horizontal-orientation mode (ECB mode) or vertical-alignment mode (VA mode), for example, the image-inversion problem may be solved using a circularly-polarized light as the incident light to the LC layer. For this purpose, the orientations of the first polarizing film and λ/4 wavelength film are deviated by 45 degrees from one another. However, if the incident light is a circularly-polarized light, the circularly-polarized light looses the sensitivity to the rotation of the LC molecules parallel to the substrates, and thus passes through the LC layer as the circularly-polarized light. Accordingly, the LCD device using the lateral electric field represents a dark state at any time irrespective of presence or absence of the applied voltage in either of the reflective mode and the transmissive mode. That is, the lateral-electric-field-mode LCD device cannot represent the image thereof by using such a λ/4 wavelength film.
As described above, the transflective LCD device has the problem that both the absence and presence of the applied voltage provide reversed images of bright state and dark state in each pixel. The patent publication as mentioned above solves this problem without using the λ/4 wavelength film, by using the arrangement shown in FIG. 35, wherein the polarizing axis of the first polarizing film 51 is 45 degrees deviated from the longer axis of the LC molecules in the LC layer 53, as shown on the left side of the drawing. In this case, the reflective region 55 operates in a normally-black mode, whereas the transmissive region 56 operates in a normally-white mode. In order for changing the transmissive region 56 to operate in a normally-black mode, a λ/2 wavelength film 58 is interposed between the second polarizing film 52 and the LC layer 53, the λ/2 wavelength film 58 having an optical axis at 135 degrees, which is perpendicular to the longer axis of the LC molecules in the LC layer 53.
By using the above configuration, in the front viewing angle, the λ/2 wavelength film 58 compensates the polarizing effect on the light by the LC layer 53 having a retardation at λ/2. Thus, the combination of the LC layer 53 and λ/2 wavelength film 58 provides a substantially similar polarized state for both the incident light and the reflected light. Accordingly, the light passed by the second polarizing film 52 and assuming a 90-degree linearly-polarized state remains in the same polarized state after passing through the λ/2 wavelength film 58 and LC layer 53, and thus cannot pass through the first polarizing film 51. In short, the λ/2 wavelength film 58 interposed between the LC layer 53 and the second polarizing film 56 allows the transmissive region 56 to operate in a normally-white mode.
In the LCD device 50a shown in FIG. 35, the polarized direction of the light incident onto the LC layer 53 is deviated from the parallel or normal direction of the longer axis of the LC molecules in the LC layer 53. This involves a significant leakage of light during display of a dark state, due to the wavelength dispersion characteristic of the retardation of the LC layer 53. In addition, the λ/2 wavelength film 58 itself has a wavelength dispersion characteristic, which also causes leakage light during display of a dark state.
It is to be noted that the image-inversion problem, wherein the transmissive region 56 and the reflective region 55 operate in reverse normal modes, can be solved by inverting the polarity of the applied voltage between the transmissive region 56 and the reflective region 55. The inversion of the voltage polarity as used herein is such that absence of the applied voltage in the transmissive region 56 and presence of the applied voltage in the reflective region 55 are concurrently performed. However, this configuration is not known in the field of LCD devices. In addition, the problem encountered in such a configuration and the technique for solving the problem are also not known.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Transflective liquid crystal display device


A suction conduit assembly mounting has a plurality of retaining tabs located at the open end of the suction conduit assembly which mates with a plurality of slots located in a motor cover of a compressor. The plurality of tabs are aligned with the plurality of slots, the suction conduit assembly is assembled to the motor cover and rotated into position. An integral annular sealing ring is located on the open end of the suction conduit assembly spaced inward from the plurality of retaining tabs. The assembly of the suction conduit assembly elastically deflects the annular sealing ring to effect a seal between the motor cover and the suction conduit assembly as well as eliminating any type of noise or rattle caused by relative movement of the two components.

When designing high efficiency compressors, it is important to provide relatively unrestricted suction gas flow to the compressor. This compressor suction process results in the generation of substantial noise due both to the rapid flow of suction gas into the compressor as well as the operation of the intake valving. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide some form of noise attenuating means in the suction gas flow path. When providing this noise attenuating means it is also important to overall compressor efficiency, as mentioned above, to insure a relatively free unrestricted flow of suction gas to the compressor. Accordingly, the use of various baffles and forms of restrictions in the main flow path is undesirable in that these device may create excessive flow losses requiring larger conduits to be utilized to prevent compressor suction starvation.
Currently, design parameters require the compressor to be as compact as possible, thus limiting the available space within the assembly for a suction muffler. This limited available space imposes several constraints on the physical size of the suction mufflers. Further, because of these space limitations, it is often necessary to extend the suction gas conduit in close proximity to the compressor's discharge muffler and the compressor's discharge conduits. Accordingly, as the discharge gas is relatively hot due to the compression process, the transfer of heat from the discharge gas to the suction gas can occur. It is desirable to minimize this heat transfer to the suction gas so as to maintain a high volumetric efficiency.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a refrigerant compressor having an improved suction gas muffler which effectively attenuates noise generated from the above-mentioned sources while still enabling relatively free unrestricted flow to the compressor. The suction gas muffler of the present invention is of the side branch type and comprises a relatively large diameter conduit having a housing secured thereto which defines a pair of side branch chambers each of which may be tuned to a different fundamental frequency. A pair of longitudinally spaced openings provide communication with each of the respective chambers and serves to define an impedance tube therebetween which may be tuned to attenuate a third fundamental frequency. Integrally formed baffles and ribs within each of the chambers further aid in noise attenuation by eliminating standing waves within the chambers as well as enhancing the rigidity of the muffler. The muffler is preferably fabricated from a polymeric composition so as to minimize heating of the suction gas being supplied to the compressor. Further, the use of such polymeric materials enables the suction conduit and muffler to be very inexpensively fabricated by suitable forming means such as, for example, injection molding.
The suction muffler is mounted to the motor cover using a twist lock design which incorporates a novel formed-in ring which creates a lip seal between the motor cover and the suction muffler. This integral sealing ring eliminates the need and associated costs of having an O-ring and snap-on sleeve mounting system common to assignee's prior art design as shown in assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,793.
Other advantages and objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the subsequent detailed description, appended claims and drawings.


Embodiments of systems and methods for managing performance optimization of applications executed by an Information Handling System (IHS) are described. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, a method may include: identifying, by an IHS, a first application; assigning a first score to the first application based upon: (i) a user's presence state, (ii) a foreground or background application state, (iii) a power adaptor state, and (iv) a hardware utilization state, detected during execution of the first application; identifying, by the IHS, a second application; assigning a second score to the second application based upon: (i) another user's presence state, (ii) another foreground or background application state, (iii) another power adaptor state, and (iv) another hardware utilization state, detected during execution of the second application; and prioritizing performance optimization of the first application over the second application in response to the first score being greater than the second score.

As the value and use of information continue to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store it. One option available to users is Information Handling Systems (IHSs). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
IHSs can execute many different types of applications. In some IHSs, an optimization engine may be used to improve application performance by dynamically adjusting IHS settings. Particularly, an optimization engine may apply a profile to its IHS to thereby adjust the operation of certain components of the IHS's Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), drivers, and/or Operating System (OS) layer, thus maximizing performance of a given application.
In a traditional optimization engine, profiles are: (i) manually selected by the end-user of the IHS; or (ii) automatically selected depending upon IHS resource utilization. The optimization engine detects when the end-user begins using a particular application and then adjusts the IHS's system settings as prescribed by that application's profile.
As the inventors hereof have recognized, however, in most IHS deployments different applications may need to be optimized at different times, and having the end-user manually select a desired application for optimization can produce an undesirable customer experience. Moreover, IHS resource utilization levels associated with an application can vary over time, and often an end-user would benefit from a performance boost with respect to applications that have low resource utilization.

Managing performance optimization of applications in an information handling system (IHS)


In providing an image processing apparatus having a browser, it is aimed to improve the operability of the web browser and enhance access restriction. In order to solve conventional problems, an information processing method according to the present invention has the following steps. That is, an information processing method for a browser which operates in an image processing apparatus communicably connected to a network and receives and displays a content from the network includes a detection step (step S902) of detecting whether link information to another content included in a content permitted to be displayed by the browser is selected, and a restriction step (steps S903 and S904) of restricting access to another content in the case the link information to another content is detected to be selected in the detection step.

Conventionally, a web browser which accesses a web server on a network and receives and displays various contents in the web server has been widely known. Generally, various user-friendly functions are added to a web browser. Examples of such functions are a favorites function (bookmark function), access restriction function, and the like.
A favorites function makes easy access to a specific web page by registering information (e.g., URL) for access to the specific web page and invoking the registered information when access to the web page is made again.
An access restriction function limits accessible (displayable) web pages. By using the function to limit access, unauthorized use can be prevented and security can be improved. Particularly, when many and unspecified persons use the web browser, this function is very effective.
Furthermore, in addition to these functions, a function of downloading and displaying a favorites content from a web server when the web browser is activated (e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-82746), and a function of reading information of a user from a card or the like to inhibit access to a charged site (e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-172923), and the like have been proposed.
While functions of a web browser improve, recently, demand has arisen for an image processing apparatus such as a printer or copying machine to retrieve information on the Internet or download a content on the Internet. Therefore, a web browser is considered to be installed in an image processing apparatus.
However, installing a web browser in an image processing apparatus is different from that in an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer) since many and unspecified users or a user unfamiliar to web browser operation may use the web browser on the image processing apparatus. These users need to be taken into account.
For this reason, in order to prevent one user from occupying and using the browser for a long period, a web browser in an image processing apparatus is demanded to enhance access restriction compared to a PC. Also, a UI is demanded to be configured so that a user unfamiliar to web browser operation can readily operate it.
Accordingly, as described above, a function of downloading and displaying an initial display window from a web server and a function of inhibiting display of a charged service web page are not enough as functions to be implemented in the web browser of an image processing apparatus.

Image processing apparatus, information processing method, program, and storage medium


The present invention provides a fixing structure and a fixing member for a stationary induction apparatus, which can easily and inexpensively be assembled with a small number of constituent elements, and which are capable of reliable fixation. A fixing portion 4 which fixes the core 2 of a reactor to a case 1 is provided. The fixing portion 4 has a slide block 40 in contact with the core 2; a fixing bolt 42 which fixes the slide block 40 with respect to the case 1; and a slide base 41 provided between the slide block 40 and the case 1, and fixed to the case 1 together with the slide block 40. The slide block 40 and the slide base 41 have inclined faces 40d, 41b in mutual contact, and the slide block 40 has a first impelling portion 40a which impels the core 2 in a vertical direction and a second impelling portion 40b which impels the core 2 in a horizontal direction, according to fastening by the fixing bolt 42.

Various stationary induction apparatuses, such as reactors, voltage transformers, current transformers, and similar, comprising a coil and a core, are in use today. For example, reactors are connected to step-up circuits, inverter circuits, active filter circuits, and various other electrical circuits, in which the inductive reactance is used; reactors with various structures have been developed for diverse applications. Many reactors have a coil and core housed within a metal case with other insulating members or similar, in a structure which is packed with resin.
When a reactor housing a core and coil in a case is to be packed with resin, the core and coil must be reliably fixed with respect to the case. As one such mechanical structure, devices using a plate-shape spring member are known. For example, in the technology of Patent Document 1, a leaf spring with a U-shape cross-section is inserted between one side face of the core and an inner side face of the case, and by impelling one side face of the core in a horizontal direction by means of this leaf spring, the core is pressed against the case inner wall and fixed. And, in the technology of Patent Document 2, a plate-shape fitting called a retainer is positioned so as to press from the upper portion of the core in the vertical direction, and is fixed by connection of both ends with bolts to the case.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-72198
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-241475
However, in the above-described technologies of the prior art, the direction in which the core is fixed is a single direction, so that there is the possibility of shifting or similar in directions in which the core is not fixed. In order to address this problem, it is conceivable that, in Patent Document 1 for example, a member may be provided separately for fixation from the vertical direction, and in Patent Document 2, a member may be provided separately for fixation from the horizontal direction. However, these methods entail an increase in the number of components and an increase in the number of assembly processes.
In particular, when a leaf spring or similar is to be reliably fixed with respect to the case, bolts must be fastened at a plurality of locations. However, in this case a plurality of bolts are necessary, and moreover a plurality of boss shapes for bolts must be provided in the case.
Further, in the above-described technology of the prior art, the core and coil are housed within a case, and after fixing with a leaf spring, packing with resin is performed. However, because the leaf spring has a thin plate shape, there is a large amount of space within the case other than the leaf spring, and the amount of resin packed is increased. Such an increase in the amount of packed resin results in increased manufacturing costs when the resin is comparatively expensive (as in the case of urethane resins, for example). In particular, when using a design in which there is pressing from above by a retainer as in Patent Document 2, there is still more space within the case, and costs are increased.
Further, when using a leaf spring for pressing, there is contact with the core in a linear area or a narrow area. Hence when using a laminated core or similar, manufactured by laminating silicon steel sheets or other materials, there is the possibility of local concentration of excessive force along the lamination direction.

Stationary induction apparatus fixing structure and fixing member


A method of depositing Ge on a Si substrate in a reaction chamber includes the steps of: precleaning the substrate; evacuating the chamber to a pressure below 10.sup.-7 Torr; heating the substrate to 300.degree.-600.degree. C.; and providing a GeH.sub.4 /B.sub.2 H.sub.6 /He mixture of gas with a GeH.sub.4 partial pressure of 2-50 mTorr and a B.sub.2 H.sub.6 partial pressure of 0.08 to 2 mTorr.

Germanium (Ge) has many characteristics which render it a highly desirable material for integration into semiconductor structures. Some of the useful properties of Ge are that it has a smaller bandgap than silicon (Si), yet is has about three orders of magnitude higher intrinsic carrier concentration and therefore a higher conductivity. It has a low dopant activation temperature and doesn't require special processing for activation. It can be used as a dopant source and it is optically active. For these reasons, Ge has many potential uses, such as a replacement material in many applications where polycrystalline silicon has previously been utilized. A potential disadvantage of Ge, however, is that it exhibits intrinsically selective growth over Si. In other words, Ge will grow on Si but will not grow on a number of other mediums, such as oxides.
A number of techniques have emerged for depositing Ge on substrates, including chemical vapor deposition (CVD), laser induced chemical vapor deposition (LICVD) and ultra high vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHV/CVD).
Examples of prior deposition methods for growing Ge utilizing CVD are disclosed in the following publications.
Maenpaa, et al., "The heteroepitaxy of Ge on Si: A comparison of chemical vapor and vacuum deposited layers", J. Appl. Phys. 53(2), (February 1982), 1076-1083, (Maenpaa et al.) describes a CVD experiment performed utilizing GeH.sub.4 as a carrier gas with a pressure of 2-13 Torr and maintaining the Si temperature between 500.degree.-900.degree. C.
Hitoshi Ishii, "Manufacture of Semiconductor Device and Equipment Therefor", Japanese Patent publication 62-179113, application no. 61-20283, (Ishii) discloses the deposition of Ge using GeH.sub.4 as a carrier gas in a CVD chamber at 450.degree. C.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,978 (Jackson), entitled "Epitaxial Growth of Germanium", teaches a method for the nucleation and growth of monocrystalline germanium on a Si substrate which comprises epitaxially growing a layer of monocrystalline Si at a temperature of at least 900.degree. C., then cooling the Si below 670.degree. C., followed by the nucleation and growth of Ge.
An example of a LICVD technique for depositing Ge is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,640 (Stanley) wherein polycrystalline Germanium films are formed by irradiating germane related compounds with CO.sub.2 laser energy at pressures above 3.5 Torr.
Examples of UHV/CVD techniques for depositing Ge.sub.x Si.sub.1-x alloys are disclosed in the following references.
Meyerson, Uram and LeGoues, "Cooperative growth phenomena in silicon/germanium low-temperature epitaxy", (Appl. Phys. Lett. 53 (25), 19 Dec. 1988, 1988 American Institute of Physics), (MEYERSON ET AL.), which teaches deposition of alloys of composition 0.ltoreq.Ge/Si.ltoreq.0.20 using UHV/CVD and a temperature of 550.degree. C.
Racanelli and Greve, "Growth of Epitaxial Layers of Ge.sub.x Si.sub.1-x by UHV/CVD", (Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 198, 1990 Materials Research Society), (RACANELLI et al.), which teaches a method of growing epitaxial layers of a Ge.sub.x Si.sub.1-x composition on Si at temperatures between 577.degree. and 665.degree. C.
None of the aforementioned CVD or UHV/CVD references, however, describes a practical method for growing Ge on monocrystalline Si in a manufacturing environment. In addition, all of the prior methods teach growing Ge over only Si related semiconductor mediums. A practical method for growing Ge nonselectively over other materials, such as oxides in a high throughput manufacturing environment is highly desirable.

Nonselective germanium deposition by UHV/CVD

International Business Machines Corporation


A rate nephelometer of the type useful in automated chemical analyzers is provided. The nephelometer includes a laser for generating a polarized laser beam having an S-wave component and a P-wave component. The beam is split by a beam splitter specially constructed so that a known proportion of one of the two polarized portions of the beam is directed to a reaction container. In the reaction container, a first polarized component of the laser beam is used in a nephelometric chemical analysis. The remainder of the laser beam passes through the beam splitter to a laser control light detector. Before the remainder of the laser beam reaches the laser control light detector, however, the polarized component which is not used in nephelometric chemical analysis is filtered out. The laser control detector uses the non-filtered portion of the laser beam to control the output of the laser.

A number of different automated clinical chemical analyzers are known in the art. Such analyzers range from simple, largely manually-operated instruments to highly complex, nearly fully automated instruments. One class of clinical chemical analyzer which has proved very successful is a class of clinical chemical analyzers which employ a nephelometer and/or a turbidimeter as the operative analytic instrument. Such chemical analyzers have been found to be highly efficient in analyzing a wide variety of liquid chemical solutions, especially liquid chemical solutions of interest to medical hospital facilities and medical research laboratories.
In both nephelometry and turbidimetry, a light source is projected through a liquid sample retained within a transparent sample container. Particulate matter or other sources of turbidity within the liquid sample cause some of the incident light to scatter. The quantity of such scattered light can be closely correlated to at least one parameter of the sample. Generally, nephelometry uses a light source having a relatively short wave length (e.g., 500 nm-800 nm) and is effective in detecting very small particulate matter. Turbidimetry, on the other hand, generally uses light sources having longer wave lengths (e.g., 800 nm-1100 nm) and is effective in detecting particulate matter of larger size. The theory of nephelometry and turbidimetry as used in automated chemical analyzers is discussed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,195, which is incorporated herein by reference.
As sophisticated and efficient as modern automated chemical analyzers using nephelometry and turbidimetry combinations have become today, several problems continue to exist. A first problem is control of the laser commonly used in such machines. Typically, such laser produces a light beam which is highly polarized, having a P-wave component and an S-wave component. In most cases, scattering from only one of these polarized components is measured in the analysis machine. Unfortunately, prior art machines have attempted to regulate the power output from the laser by controlling the total energy from the laser beam, including both polarized components. Attempting to control the laser in this way has proved unsatisfactory because a variation in the relative percentage of the two polarized components within the total beam is not perceived by the controlling mechanism. Thus, the light energy of the polarized portion actually used in the analysis machine may vary from test to test. This adversely affects the reliability and accuracy of the analytical process.
A second problem with such automated analyzing machines of the prior art arises because some of the polarized light from the laser is commonly reflected off of the turbidimeter light receptor focusing lens back into the analysis container. Some of this polarized light is scattered by the sample in the analysis container and is measured by the nephelometer light receptor. This may result in the nephelometer receptor registering a falsely high reading. This phenomenon also adversely affects accuracy and reliability of the analytical process.
Accordingly, there is a need for a nephelometer analyzing system and a nephelometer/turbidimeter combination which is more accurate and more reliable than systems of the prior art.


A personal care composition comprising a multi-active system for down regulating cytokines comprising: bis-abolol and ginger extract, and a surfactant derived from a triglyceride such as olive oil, and methods of use.

Currently there are a number of personal care compositions which can be used either during the shaving process or before/after shaving. These compositions include pre-shaving moisturizers and balms as well as skin and facial cleansers; shaving oils, foams and gels; and post-shave moisturizers and lotions. Many of these compositions focus on moisturizing the skin and hair prior to shaving to decrease the cutting force required to shave the hairs and lubricating the skin to reduce irritation which may occur from contact with the razor blade. Numerous shave preparation and cosmetic compositions have been described. See e.g. U.S. Patent Publ. Nos. 2008/0069784 and 2005/0019356A1, see also U.S. Patent Publ. 2009/0197939A1, 20090117061, 20090220625, and 20080253973; and WO 10/073278; 09/093104; and Ser. No. 09/094,238. Despite the many attempts to create personal care compositions which can be used for shave preparation, there remains a need for compositions which reduce skin irritation.

Personal care compositions comprising a multi-active system for down regulating cytokines irritation


A process for plasma etching metal films comprising the steps of forming a noble gas plasma, then transporting the noble gas plasma to a mixing chamber. An organohalide is added to the noble gas plasma in the mixing chamber. The organohalide is selected to have a vapor pressure allowing the formation of activated complexes to etch the metal films and form organometallic compounds as the etch byproducts. The activated complexes thus formed are transported downstream to an etching chamber. In the etching chamber the selected substrate is exposed to the activated complexes, causing the substrate to be etched and organometallic compounds to be formed as byproducts from the reaction of the activated complexes and etching of the substrate. The organometallic byproducts can then be removed from the etch chamber.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to integrated circuit manufacturing processes and, more specifically, to a novel process using organohalide compounds for the etching of metal films to produce organometallic etch byproducts.
2. Background
In order to build an integrated circuit, many active devices need to be fabricated on a single substrate. The current practice in semiconductor manufacturing is to use thin film fabrication techniques. Etching, in semiconductor applications, is a fabrication process used to produce patterns by which material is removed from the silicon substrate or from thin films on the substrate surface. A mask is typically used to protect desired surface regions from the etchant and this mask is stripped after the etching has been performed. The composition and uniformity of these thin layers must be strictly controlled to facilitate etching of submicron features.
As the pattern dimensions approach the thickness of the films being patterned, it is increasingly required that a dry etching process be selected. A number of dry etching process types exist The process that has many applications in the fabrication of integrated circuits and that is widely used is plasma dry etching.
The basic concept of plasma dry etching is rather direct A plasma is defined to be a partially ionized gas composed of ions, electrons, and a variety of neutral species. A glow discharge is a plasma that exists over a pressure range of 1 mtorr to 10 torr, containing approximately equal concentrations of positive particles (positive ions) and negative particles (electrons and negative ions). In plasma etching applications the glow discharge can be used to produce energetic ionic bombardment of the etched surface. However, the glow discharge has another even more important role, that of producing reactive species, such as atoms, radicals and ions from a relatively inert molecular gas, for chemically etching the surfaces of interest. A radical is an atom, or collection of atoms, which is electrically neutral, but which also exists in a state of incomplete chemical bonding, making it very reactive. The radicals, in fact, are responsible for most of the actual chemical etching phenomena that occur at the surface of the material being etched.
The characteristics of different etch processes vary widely with the process parameters, especially the gas composition. The gases adopted for plasma etching processes have traditionally been selected on the basis of their ability to form reactive species in plasma, which then react with the surface materials being etched and lead to volatile products. Traditionally molecules like carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and carbon tetrafluoride (CF4) have been used because in a plasma reaction they produce the desirable reactive species which, in various combinations with other gases, etch silicon, silicon oxides, and other materials used in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Whereas heavily hydrogenated, organic analogs of these molecules, like methyl chloride (CH3Cl) or methyl fluoride (CH3F), have been considered to be undesirable starting materials because they tend to form polymers which interfere with the desired etch reaction.
The fluorine-containing gases used to etch Si and SiO2, however, are not suitable for etching aluminum since the etch byproduct, AlF3, has an unacceptably low vapor pressure. The etching of aluminum and aluminum alloy films is a very important step in the fabrication of integrated circuits. Other inorganic halide etch byproducts of aluminum (Al), such as AlCl3, have sufficiently high vapor pressures to allow plasma etching of Al, and thus chlorine-containing gases have been exploited to develop dry-etch processes for aluminum films. There are drawbacks to using chlorine containing gases to etch aluminum, however, as they are all either carcinogenic or highly toxic and possess other disadvantages in the fabrication process, such as destroying the efficiency and life span of the pumps and other hardware used for plasma etching.
The deposition of the AlCl3 etch byproduct on the plasma chamber walls also has deleterious effects on the etch process, so minimizing its deposition is important Techniques used to manage AlCl3 in plasma etching applications have traditionally included maintaining the temperature in the etch chamber above 35xc2x0 C. (as the AlCl3 evaporation rate at such temperatures is high enough to assist in removing it from the chamber), and using large gas flow rates to keep its partial pressure low. In general, the inorganic etch byproducts produced by the dry etching of aluminum and other metals are very stable with high heats of formation and relatively low vapor pressures, leading to low etch rates and lower production throughputs.
The economics of integrated circuit fabrication demand the highest throughput obtainable within a given set of production standards. On the whole, the demands of high throughput require the highest etch rate consistent with good results. What is still needed is a dry plasma etch process that allows for an improved, higher etch rate of metals for the semiconductor fabrication etch process.
The present invention provides a dry plasma etch process for metal that allows for an improved, faster etch rate of the metals for semiconductor fabrication processes.
In one preferred implementation, the present invention is a process for plasma etching metal films comprising the steps of forming a noble gas plasma, then transporting the noble gas plasma to a mixing chamber. An organohalide is added to the noble gas plasma in the mixing chamber. The organohalide is selected to have a vapor pressure allowing the formation of activated complexes to etch the metal films and form organometallic compounds as the etch byproducts. The activated complexes thus formed are transported downstream to an etching chamber. In the etching chamber the selected metal substrate is exposed to the activated complexes, causing the substrate to be etched and organometallic compounds to be formed as byproducts from the reaction of the activated complexes and etching of the metal substrate. The organometallic byproducts can then be removed from the etch chamber.
Additional advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention.


A device for cryoablating exposed tissue having a contoured contact surface includes a tube-shaped shaft and a flexible, thermally conductive enclosure that is attached to the distal end of the tube-shaped shaft. The enclosure is formed with a wall having an outer surface for contacting the target tissue and an inner surface which establishes and surrounds a cryochamber. A shapeable element is attached to the distal end of the shaft and extends into the cryochamber. The element can be permanently deformed into a pre-selected shape to cause a portion of the enclosure wall to conform to the contour of the target tissue. A high-pressure tube in the shaft passes a refrigerant through the shaft for expansion into the cryochamber. This expansion cools the wall of the enclosure, which in turn, extracts heat from the target tissue resulting in the cryoablation of the target tissue.

Cryosurgical probes have been selectively used in the treatment of a variety of diseases. Functionally, cryosurgical probes have the capability of reducing the temperature of a targeted body tissue to thereby destroy, remove and/or inactivate the tissue. Because of this ability, the use of cryothermal treatment has been prescribed in the treatment of various cancers, including breast cancer and prostate cancer, as well as to remove various tumors, cysts and in the treatment of cataracts. More recently, the use of cryothermal treatment has been shown to be effective in destroying specific conductive tissues of the heart. This technique can be used to block abnormal electrical signals as a treatment for various heart arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation.
In a typical cryoprobe procedure, the tip of the probe is cooled by a cryo-fluid (e.g. Nitrous Oxide) and the cooled tip is placed in contact with the tissue. This contact causes heat to flow from the tissue and into the probe tip. Because the heat transfer rate is proportional to the contact area between the tissue and probe, it is generally desirable to contact as much of the target tissue as possible. However, in most procedures, the exposed surface of the target tissue is contoured and this contour often precludes the establishment of large or extended contact areas when using a conventional cylindrical probe.
Typically, the exact contour of the target tissue is only known after an internal organ, such as the heart, has been exposed. Once an internal organ such as the heart has been exposed, the procedure must be performed quickly to minimize trauma to the patient. With a standard cylindrical probe tip, multiple contacts are often required to cryoablate even a mildly contoured target tissue. This requirement of multiple contacts is time consuming and can present an increased risk to the patient due to the lengthy duration of the procedure. In addition, the use of multiple contacts can often result in the non-uniform ablation of tissue that can undermine the success of the procedure.
Another case in which a standard cylindrical probe may be inadequate is when the target tissue cannot be adequately exposed for contact with the conventional cylindrical probe. In still other cases, adequate exposure for contact with a conventional cylindrical probe may be possible, but an unreasonable amount of time may be required to effect such an exposure. On the other hand, a probe tip that is reshapeable may be able to access tissue that is otherwise inaccessible or hard to access with a conventional cylindrical probe.
In addition to having an adequate contact area between the probe and tissue, proper heat transfer requires that an unimpeded flow of refrigerant pass through the probe tip. With this in mind, refrigerant flow is an important factor that must be considered when contemplating the reconfiguration of a probe tip to conform with a contoured target tissue.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide devices and methods suitable for the purposes of cryoablating exposed tissue in cases where the surface of the exposed tissue is contoured. It is another object of the present invention to provide a tip for a cryoprobe that can be quickly reshaped to conform to the surface of a contoured target tissue, allowing the tip to be reshaped after the target tissue has been exposed. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a tip for a cryoprobe that can be quickly reshaped with minimal interference to the flow of refrigerant through the tip. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a reshapeable tip for a cryoprobe and a method for its use that is relatively easy to implement and comparatively cost effective.


A float-operated switch assembly is mounted in an opening in the top of a tank. It includes a vertical non-magnetic pipe having a pair of floats normally hanging beside it. Each of the floats has a magnet thereon normally in a position proximate the pipe when the float is down. A magnetic field between this magnet and a switch operator support magnet inside the pipe normally holds the latter magnet in a set position. The floats are located at a height such that, when the liquid has risen to the desired upper limit, the rising liquid has caused the floats to swing up and outward from the pipe, pulling their respective magnets out of supporting relationship to the switch operator support magnet whereupon the support magnet drops and a switch is operated for activating a signal circuit. A manual test knob is provided to remotely, manually lift the floats. A fiber optic rod is associated with an indicator on the switch actuator to show when the switch operator has been actuated during a test procedure or as a result of rising liquid level.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to liquid level sensors and alarms for containers of liquids, and more particularly to a sensor and alarm useful in the holds of barges and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is important that large containers of liquid not be overfilled, for several reasons. In the past, it was acceptable practice to leave open the top access hatches in large containers such as the holds of tankers and barges, particularly during filling operations, to avoid generation of pressures in the holds during the filling operations as the volume of liquid content increases and the remaining tank volume for vapor decreases. The vapor was simply permitted to escape to atmosphere. Because the vapors of many types of materials are considered environmentally objectionable, even if not particularly dangerous in the sense of flammability or corrosive nature, governmental authorities have imposed restrictions such that the holds of vessels must be sealed closed during filling operations. Accordingly, if provisions made for removing vapor during filling operations are inadequate, the pressure in the hold will rise. Many, if not most, large volume liquid cargo tanks cannot withstand very significant internal pressures. For some of them, three pounds per square inch is the maximum tolerable internal pressure.
Although spill valves have been employed to enable contents to spill out from openings in the top of such tanks if they are filled excessively, or if the vapor pressure rises too much, it is preferable to employ some means to determine the amount of fill in such a tank. One method for doing so has been to employ a cylindrical float in the tank and which rises and falls with the level of the liquid therein. As the float rises and falls, it is centered and guided on an upstanding cylindrical pipe fixed in the tank. A magnetic reed switch is mounted inside the pipe Magnet means of one or more varieties are mounted in the float so that, if the float rises to a certain level it will close the reed switch and turn on some kind of signaling device. There are several disadvantages with this type of system. The float performance is influenced by the viscosity of the material in the tank and/or any accumulation of dirt, foreign matter, degraded cargo content or other impediment which may have accumulated either on the guide hole in the float or on the guide pipe itself. Due to the gap necessary (although small) between the pipe and the float to permit the float to reasonably freely move up and down on the pipe, and since the reed switch is inside the pipe and the magnet is inside the float, and due to the wall thicknesses of the pipe and float, the distance between the magnet and the reed switch is fairly significant. Consequently, a comparatively large magnet must be used to properly operate the switch. But it is possible that prolonged influence of the comparatively large magnet on the switch will magnetize the switch so that it will remain actuated even when the float has moved away from the switch.
With the above-mentioned conventional system, testing in the field is usually done by means of a test rod which engages the float and lifts the float to see if the switch is operated at some point as the float is lifted. But it is difficult or impossible to test the assembly for performance of the float itself. It may appear to be functioning properly when using the test rod; however in actual conditions the device may be inoperative for many reasons. The float may have enough gummy material between it and the shaft that it cannot rise due to the bouyancy alone, although the test rod will move it. The float may have a hole in it so that it is actually sunk and has no bouyancy. The float may be partially filled with fluid and will rise too late. The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

Liquid level sensor using float and magnetic means


Included are: a gain chip having a gain unit and a phase control region; a current supply for causing a positive current to flow to the phase control region; a voltage supply for applying a bias voltage to the phase control region; and a control unit for selectively driving the current supply or the voltage supply depending on a direction of the wavelength shift. The control unit drives the current supply when a laser wavelength is to be shifted to a shorter wavelength side from a wavelength with the current supply and the voltage supply being turned off, and drives the voltage supply when the laser wavelength is to be shifted to a longer wavelength side from a wavelength with the current supply and the voltage supply being turned off.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an external-cavity wavelength tunable laser apparatus used for optical communications, and to a wavelength control method thereof.
2. Descriptions of Related Art
The transmission capacity of optical communications is acceleratingly increasing year after year. Wavelength division multiplex (WDM) communications have been realized as an economical, high-speed and large-capacity technique to meet the demand from the increase in the transmission capacity. WDM is a technique which simultaneously uses multiple beams (tens to one hundred wavelengths) of monochromatic light each with a wavelength not longer than a 0.01-μm interval, and which transmits mutually-different signals with their respective wavelengths. WDM is capable of increasing the transmission capacity for each fiber more than tens times. This makes it possible to cut back on costs for fiber installation to a large extent.
In a conventional practice, the light source for WDM needs: various types of semiconductor laser diodes with their respective wavelengths different from one another; and apparatuses, each constructed as a module, for driving the respective semiconductor laser diodes (hereinafter referred to as "modules"). When a semiconductor laser diode is intended to be manufactured, a crystal needs to be made for each wavelength, and a module is manufactured for each wavelength. This is problematic in terms of costs. Against this background, a wavelength tunable module has been developed, which includes a gain unit (light emitting unit) and a phase control region, and which is capable of freely tuning wavelengths. This type of module is capable of tuning optical wavelengths in a range of approximately −0.02 μm shorter than the center wavelength of the light emitting device to approximately +0.02 μm longer than the center wavelength. For this reason, it suffices that light emitting devices each with several wavelengths and corresponding modules are manufactured. It is possible to supply modules of this type economically. As a result, modules of this type present a chief method of realizing WDM.
Proceedings of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers International Conference Spring, 1991. C-149 has disclosed a technique for tuning wavelengths while maintaining a narrow spectrum by applying a positive or negative voltage to a DBR mirror having a diffraction grating in a DBR laser.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2006-245346 is an example of the related art.

Wavelength tunable laser apparatus and wavelength control method


The locking V hinge tool of this invention comprises three or more pieces. The first two pieces are fundamentally identical and reversed, comprised of three main sections in optional order of, a jaw end, a common axle, and a arc-like cam, assembled together and rotate through the common axle, allowing the jaw ends to open and close. A third pin holding piece holds a pin that rides in and moves, the criss-crossing arc-like slots in the other pieces, at or near an angle aimed at the corners of a diamond like opening where the two arc-like slots intersect. Any external force exerted on the jaw ends, attempt to force the pin in the arc-like slots to rise to an upright position but are blocked by the walls.

It is known to use various tools for holding and locking work objects in place. There are other tools which utilize connecting parts that are rotatable upon a common axis. Some of these tools are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 682,701; 644,825; 1,026,270; 1,401,931; 1,450,875; 1,717,726; 2,370,308; 2,574,909; 2,787,925; 3,126,775; 3,257,878; and 4,633,558; 5,005,450; 6,662,690 In U.S. Pat. No. 682,701 (Howland) a locking pliers is disclosed having a plurality of pieces movable along a multitude of pivot points. There is a central pivot A having 5 or 6 separate pieces movable thereabout. When the pliers of Howland is in the locked position an object is held between jaws B and C which are in turn pivotally connected to D, H, J and r. Howland's device is relatively complex in usage and construction. Both handles of Howland's also must be held at all times during use in order to maintain an object locked in position. Also, Howland requires a high friction surface to function properly.
U.S. Pat. No. 644,825 (Jensen) discloses a wrench having handle means that can be locked in place by a spring means n. The spring is positioned on the bottom portion of one of the handles. When pin g of Jensen is pressed out of the socket h, it is slid into the socket g and spring n holds it in place. The holding device of Jensen is again relatively complex in construction and would be relatively expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,026,270 (Leonard) discloses a pipe wrench with a holding device to permit the wrench to be applied to a pipe or rod. A spring 15 in Leonard engages the handle 13 and its opposite end is secured to the shank of the wrench. The spring 15 locks the handle in position between the jaws 5 and 6. As in many locking tools, Leonard relies upon a spring means to provide the locking mechanism in his device.
In Whelan U.S. Pat. No. 1,401,931 an adjustable pipe wrench is disclosed which uses a quadrant attachment element together with two jaws to hold an object in position. The wrench of Whelan holds pipes or the like of various diameters with a three point grip, each of the three elements having a gripping surface. McGill U.S. Pat. No. 1,717,726 and Burrows U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,909 each disclose wrenches having holding means to tightly hold items. Each discloses a wrench having several parts and several focal points for each part. Included in both patents are adjusting means to tighten or loosen objects held within the jaw assemblies of the respective wrenches.
In Teselsky U.S. Pat. No. 1,450,875 a pliers is disclosed having a third jaw section that will co-act with the other two jaws of the pliers to prevent the article gripped from slipping. Handle means 5 and 6 of Teselsky each terminate with a jaw section, these jaw sections have a shank mounted around the exterior portion of one of the jaws. This shank acts as a third jaw which co acts in a gripping operation.
Hanson U.S. Pat. No. 2,370,308 has a circular cam that can wedge a nut and hold it in position with handles grasped or under moderate pressure.
Buchanon, U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,925, has used rotational sliding cams for movement of socket like wedges,
Ramge, U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,775. Uses a Rotational wedge for temporary hold using cams.
Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,878 a crescent wrench with rack means of locking a jaw with axle motion and with means to further adjust the jaw, not necessarily in a locking manor.
Spaulding, U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,558, discloses a tool for applying a spring clamp to an object. Spaulding utilizes a cam which is carried by one of the jaws and a pair of side plates pivotally supported by the other of said jaws having cam control tracks therein for affecting and controlling radial movement of said cam to complete closure of said clamp. There are means on a jaw for controlling rotation of the cam and the cam is engaged to a hook portion to the spring clamp to effect closure.
Ford U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,450 Self-locking tool locks both the pin and radial around an axle point only and locks by angle of pins in cams included in the handle pieces. Curved slots being expensive to produce.
Ford U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,338 Self-locking Device locks both the pin and radials around an axle point only in a pliers or socket like manor, where part of the locking mechanism is one of the handles which in turn is used as leveraged pressure to move the jaw section, and in that way angle and lock the pin in position using all three plates. The movement or rotation of the plate is from an external motion not the force of the jaw.
In Ploeger U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,690 Discloses a Pliers for clamping a hose or tube which moves a pin only to a radial angle, using a tan genial slot wall to hold it temporarily. It allows for a very limited movement around a central axle with limited stability.
All of the above prior art devices are relatively complex in structure, most require springs for a locking effect and several are complicated to use. There is a need for a relatively simply-constructed tool that will lock an object in position without the need for springs or other such means.


A tire molding system includes a mold having a surface defining a cavity for receiving and shaping an uncured tire. The uncured tire is pressed against the surface defining the cavity. Fluid is evacuated from between the uncured tire and the surface defining the cavity. A recess extends from the cavity for forming a marking on the sidewall of the tire. A passage fluidly communicates the recess with the exterior of the mold. The passage includes a first end portion adjacent the recess and a second end portion adjacent the exterior of the mold. The second end portion extends for a distance less than one-half of the total length of the passage. A restrictor is located entirely within the second end portion of the passage for restricting fluid flow through the passage during the evacuation of fluid and before the recess is sealed off from the cavity by the uncured tire when the uncured tire is pressed against the surface defining the cavity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vacuum molding a vehicle tire. In particular, the present invention relates to venting to atmosphere a recess in a tire mold for forming a marking on the tire, such as a raised white letter or a white sidewall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vacuum molding systems for a vehicle tire are known. One such vacuum molding system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,929. The vacuum molding system disclosed U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,929 includes a mold having a surface defining a cavity for receiving and shaping an uncured tire. An inflatable bladder presses the uncured tire against the surface defining the cavity. As the uncured tire is being pressed against the surface defining the cavity, a vacuum source is actuated. The vacuum source removes air from between the external surface of the tire and the surface defining the cavity. The tire is then cured by heat and pressure.
There are often relatively deep blind pockets or recesses extending from the cavity. The deep recesses are for forming some marking on the side of the tire, such as a raised white letter or a white sidewall. If air is not sufficiently evacuated from each recess, a blemish in the marking may result. The blemish occurs when the uncured tire is pressed against the surface defining the cavity and seals off the recess from the vacuum source. When the recess is sealed off, evacuation of air from the recess is blocked. The air in the recess prevents a portion of the marking from completely filling the recess and engaging all of the surfaces defining the recess. Thus, proper curing of that portion of the marking may be prevented which can result in a buildup of deposits in a portion of the recess.
One resolution to the problem of a sealed recess is to fluidly connect the recess with the vacuum source through a passage. A vent plug is inserted in the passage adjacent the recess to limit the flow of rubber into the passage. The vent plug often becomes clogged with cured rubber and must be removed from the passage to provide effective venting of the recess. However, the vent plug is often difficult to access and removal is a cumbersome and labor intensive operation.
Another resolution to the problem of a sealed recess is to vent the recess to the exterior of the mold and to atmosphere through a passage. However, if the flow of air from atmosphere through the passage is not restricted during the evacuation cycle, before the recess is sealed off by the uncured tire, too much air can enter the cavity. This burdens the vacuum source and reduces the effectiveness of the vacuum molding system. One way to minimize the flow of air into the cavity is to insert a vent plug in the passage. However, the problems associated with clogging and accessibility of the vent plug occurs, as described above. Furthermore, the opening in known vent plugs are relatively large and do not sufficiently limit air flow into the cavity. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,497 discloses a vent plug having an opening with a diameter of approximately 0.024 inch. Other vent plugs are known which have an opening with a diameter of approximately 0.015 inch. This size opening yields an area for air to flow through of approximately 0.00018 square inch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,168 discloses a restrictor located in a passage which communicates the sidewall area of the tire mold with the exterior of the mold. The restrictor extends substantially the entire length of the passage. The restrictor must be removed from the mold in a direction toward the cavity and not toward the exterior of the mold. The head of the restrictor forms a recess in the exterior of the tire which may be visually objectionable.

Restrictor for tire mold vent passage and method of use


A memory accessing system for vector data processed, or to be processed, by a vector processing apparatus comprising plural vector processing units, each unit performing vector data processing for a corresponding portion of vector data elements, the elements being ordered and the vector data processing being carried out in the order of the elements. The system comprises plural memory access units corresponding to the plural vector processing units, each thereof accessing a predetermined portion of the elements of vector data in a main memory. Each memory access unit includes an address generator which receives information defining, and, based thereon, generates addresses for the respective, predetermined portion of the elements of vector data and a priority controller which receives the thus generated addresses from the respective address generators of the plural memory access units and selects an access to an address, from among the received plural addresses, as allowable based on a predetermined order of the elements of vector data and then outputs a memory access signal including the address for which access is selected as allowable by the priority controller, to the memory. The system operates for both direct and indirect addressing modes and, in the latter, address data for the indirect addressing for the predetermined portion of the vector data elements, when read out from the main storage by a corresponding memory access unit is temporarily stored in a vector register thereof and supplied to the address generators of all of the memory accessing units.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory accessing system for a vector processing apparatus which carries out a vector calculation and to a vector processing apparatus incorporating the memory accessing system.
In scientific or technological calculations, loop calculations are frequently carried out. The loop calculations can be transformed into vector calculations, e.g., A(i)+B(i)=C(i), (i=0.about.n-1).
To increase the speed of vector calculations, computer systems carrying out high speed calculations, such as supercomputers, are equipped with a vector processing apparatus for carrying out vector calculations, in addition to a scalar data processing apparatus.
In a vector processing apparatus, a plurality of vector processing units are provided, and each vector processing unit carries out a share of a vector calculation concurrently with the other vector processing units. For example, a vector calculation A(i)+B(i)=C(i), (i=0.about.n-1) is shared by first and second vector processing units in such a manner that the first vector processing unit takes a half share of the vector calculation for half of the elements, A(4m)+B(4m)=C(4m), and A(4m+1)+B(4m+1)=C(4m+1), and the second vector processing unit takes the other half of the vector calculation for the other half of the elements, A(4m+2)+B(4m+2)=C(4m+2), and A(4m+3)+B(4m+3)=C(4m+3), where 0.ltoreq.4m, and 4m+3.ltoreq.n-1, and n is the total number of elements, and the first and second vector processing units concurrently carry out respective shares of the vector calculation, for further increasing calculation speed.
In the above vector processing apparatus having a plurality of vector processing units, each of the plurality of vector processing units independently request access to the main storage, and also each of the scalar unit (CPU) and an input and output processor (IOP) independently requests access to the main storage. Therefore, arbitration regarding access to the main storage between the plurality of vector processing units, the scalar unit (CPU), and the input and output processor (IOP), must be carried out to avoid a conflict. In addition, the order of the elements of the vector data must be maintained in the result of the arbitration between accesses from the plurality of vector processing units.
(2) Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows an outline of the construction of an example of a conventional vector processing apparatus having a plurality of vector processing units.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a vector processing controller, 2 and 3 each denote a vector processing unit, 4 denotes a main storage, 5 and 9 each denote an address generator, 6 and 10 each denote a priority controller, 8 and 12 each denote a data buffer, 7 and 11 each denote a vector register, and 13 denotes a route for a control signal.
In this example, the vector processing unit 2 carries out calculations of the (4m)-th and (4m+1)-th elements, and the vector processing unit 3 carries out calculations of the (4m+2)-th and (4m+3)-th elements, where 0.ltoreq.4m and 4m+3.ltoreq.n-1, and n is the total number of elements.
When the vector processing controller 1 receives a vector instruction from a scalar unit (CPU) (not shown), the vector processing controller 1 supplies control data including a start signal, an operation code, which defines the action to be performed, e.g., writing or reading, a leading address (LA, an address of a top element of vector data), a distance (D, a distance between addresses of successive elements), and a vector length (the number of elements in a vector data), etc., to the address generators 5 and 9.
The address generator 5 in the vector processing unit 2 generates addresses for accessing the main storage 4 for the calculations of the (4m)-th and (4m+1)-th elements, and the address generator 9 in the vector processing unit 3 generates addresses for accessing the main storage 4 for the calculations of the (4m+2)-th and (4m+3)-th elements, based on the above control data.
The priority controller 6 in the vector processing unit 2 carries out an arbitration between requests for accesses to the main storage 4 for the (4m)-th and (4m+1)-th elements, requests from the scalar unit (CPU), and requests from the input and output processor (IOP), and gives allowance to one of the above requests (for the (4m)-th and (4m+1)-th elements) from the vector processing unit 2, based on the addresses generated in the address generator 5, and the order of the elements. The highest priority is given to the request from the input and output processor (IOP), the next highest priority is given to the request from the scalar unit (CPU), and the allowance is given in the order of the elements, i.e., the (4m)-th element has priority over the (4m+1)-th element.
Similarly, the priority controller 10 in the vector processing unit 3 carries out an arbitration between requests for accesses to the main storage 4 for the (4m+2)-th and (4m+3)-th elements, requests from the scalar unit (CPU), and requests from the input and output processor (IOP), and gives allowance to one of the above requests (for the (4m+2)-th and (4m+3)-th elements) from the vector processing unit 3, based on the addresses generated in the address generator 9, and the order of the elements. Similarly, the highest priority is given to the request from the input and output processor (IOP), the next highest priority is given to the request from the scalar unit (CPU), and the allowance is given in the order of the elements, i.e., the (4m+2)-th element takes precedence over the (4m+3)-th element.
Further, to maintain the order of the elements of the vector data across both the vector processing units 2 and 3, before allowing the access for an element (i), one of the vector processing units 2 and 3 must know whether or not the access for the element which must be allowed before the element (i) (i.e., an element designated by a smaller number than (i)) in the other vector processing unit, has been already allowed. For example, before allowing the access for the element 4m, the vector processing unit 2 must know whether or not the access to the main storage 4 for the element 4m-1 has already been allowed in the vector processing unit 3.
To assure the above order, in the construction of FIG. 1, the status of allowance in each vector processing unit is transmitted to the other vector processing unit through the route 13. However, in practice, each of the vector processing units 2 and 3 is formed on an individual circuit board, and therefore, the propagation delay time through the above route 13 is large compared with the clock cycle of high speed computers when reporting the status of allowance across the different circuit boards.
In addition, in the construction of FIG. 1, to avoid competition between requests from both the vector processing units 2 and 3, predetermined alternative accessible timings are respectively assigned for the (4m)-th and (4m+1)-th elements in the vector processing unit 2, and the (4m+2)-th and (4m+3)-th elements in the vector processing unit 3.
Usually, a main storage is comprised of a plurality of portions (banks or memory units), where each portion can be concurrently accessed, for example, the main storage 4 in the construction of FIG. 1 is comprised of four memory units, SU-0, SU-1, SU-2 and SU-3. For accessing these memory units, SU-0, SU-1, SU-2 and SU-3 from the vector processing units 2 and 3 without competition, the alternative timings as shown in FIG. 2, are assigned.
As mentioned above, in the conventional vector processing apparatus, each vector processing unit must wait to receive the status of allowance of access to the main storage from the other vector processing unit(s), before carrying out the arbitration. In addition, since, in the conventional vector processing apparatus, predetermined (fixed) alternative timings are assigned for a plurality of vector processing units as mentioned above, each vector processing unit cannot access the main storage at a time other than the above predetermined (fixed) time, even when objective portion of the main storage is not busy at that time. Namely, in the conventional vector processing apparatus, the accesses to the main storage from a plurality of vector processing units are not effectively carried out, and therefore, the total access time to the main storage for performing and completing a vector calculation is long.

Memory access system for vector data processed or to be processed by a vector processor


A light source device has a semiconductor laser element, a collimator lens, a lens barrel for holding the collimator lens, first and second lens barrel support member and a laser support member. The lens barrel support members are formed of the same type of material as that of the lens barrel and engage the lens barrel at a surface parallel to the optical axis of the collimator lens. The laser support member is formed of a different type material from that of the lens barrel support members, and joins the lens barrel support members at a surface perpendicular to the optical axis of the collimator lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light source device and a laser scanning device used as an optical writing unit such as a laser beam printer (LBP), digital plain paper copier (PPC) or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional image writing performed by laser beam printers and digital plain paper copiers is accomplished using a laser scanning device. In the light source device comprised of a laser light source and collimator lens for confining the laser light in parallel rays and which is among the structural components of this laser scanning device, the laser light source generates heat which causes thermal expansion of the members which retain heat, thereby causing fluctuation of the distance between the collimator lens and light generation point of the laser light source. When a semiconductor laser element is used as a laser light source, the wavelength of the output laser beam fluctuates in accordance with the temperature fluctuation. As a result, the convergence state of the laser beam emitted from the light source changes, and causes changes in the spot diameter of image formation of the laser beam on the scanned surface, thereby precluding the formation of fine detail images.
Means have been proposed to rectify the aforesaid disadvantage, such as, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. HEI 4-320079, which discloses a light source comprising a laser support member which supports a laser light source, and a lens support member which supports a collimator lens connected to said lens support member. In this light source, expansion of the laser support member due to heat elevation, and fluctuation of the oscillation wavelength of the laser light source mutually cancel one another, such that the spot on the scanned surface does not change regardless of temperature fluctuation.
Another conventional construction is known wherein the change in the focal length induced by spatial change between the semiconductor laser element and the collimator lens is compensated for by a plastic lens. This solution utilizes the heat-induced change in the shape and refractive index of the plastic lens.
FIG. 23 briefly shows the construction of a light source device used in the aforesaid conventional laser scanning devices. This light source device 120 comprises a laser light source 121, collimator lens 122, support member 123, and lens barrel 124.
In general, when a semiconductor laser element is used as a laser light source 121, the emission position inescapable varies during manufacture. Accordingly, in order to maintain errors arising from discrepancies in the laser emission position which affect the focal length of the entire optical unit within a permissible range, the distance separating the laser light source 121 and collimator lens 122 must be individually adjusted during assembly.
Therefore, a light source device 120, which includes a support member 123 for stationary support of laser light source 121 and a lens barrel 124 for supporting a collimator lens 122, normally comprises at least two or more members. The support member 123 and lens barrel 124 have different required characteristics (e.g., hardness, processing characteristics, thermal conductivity and the like), and therefore are made of different materials.
In the conventional light source device 120 shown in FIG. 23, the support member 123 and the lens barrel 124 formed of different types of materials are joined at a surface 125 parallel to the optical axis 126 of collimator lens 122. In this construction, when laser light source 121 generates heat, the support member 123 and lens barrel 124 are subject to thermal expansion at respectively different linear thermal coefficients of expansion, such that the joining surface 125 between the support member 123 and lens barrel 124 is subject to both rubbing and smooth sliding. That is, support member 123 and lens barrel 124 may adversely affect reproducibility due to thermal variation.
When the positional relationship between support member 123 and lens barrel 124 is not displaced with excellent reproducibility in conjunction with temperature variation, the actual amount of change cannot be accurately predicted relative to temperature fluctuation regardless of a calculated value of change even when the change in the distance between the laser light source 121 and collimator lens 122 induced by temperature fluctuation is calculated using a linear thermal coefficient of expansion.
Accordingly, when a conventional laser light source device 120 is used as a light source of a laser scanning device, it cannot be predicted how the total focal length of the laser scanning device will be changed by temperature, such that the change in the total focal length of the optical unit induced by temperature fluctuation of said part is extremely difficult to correct by moving the other lenses in the optical unit or changing the properties of a specific lens.

Laser scanning device and light source thereof having temperature correction capability


A bumper assembly for a loading dock includes a bumper that is moveable between an operative position and a stored position. In the operative position, the bumper extends well above the dock platform to prevent excessively high trucks, trailer beds, and cargo containers from being parked over the top of the dock platform. In the stored position, the bumper is positioned so as not to obstruct loading and unloading of cargo. In some cases, the bumper is biased to the operative position to encourage operators to normally leave the bumper in that position. In some embodiments, the bumper is selectively moveable away from the vehicle or container that the bumper is blocking to facilitate subsequently moving the bumper to its stored position.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to dock bumpers and more specifically to a moveable dock bumper.
2. Description of Related Art
A loading dock provides a platform of a height roughly equal to that of an average truck trailer bed. This allows forklifts and other pallet carriers to readily transfer cargo between the dock and the trailer bed. Since trailer bed heights vary, the loading dock usually includes a dock leveler that provides an adjustable ramp to accommodate the various heights. When a truck backs into the dock, bumpers mounted adjacent the dock leveler are often used to help prevent the rear of the trailer bed from damaging itself or items associated with the dock, such as a door or door frame. Such bumpers create a gap between the dock and the rear of the trailer bed, thus dock levelers usually include a lip extension that bridges the gap.
In some cases, a truck or trailer bed may be excessively high, or a truck may deliver a swap body or similar cargo container to the dock. A swap body is a large container designed to be carried upon the trailer of a truck, or on a ship or railroad car. Swap bodies often have four self-supporting legs that store when in transit, and deploy when left at a loading dock. When delivered to a dock, swap bodies are often too high to catch a conventional dock bumper whose top is generally flush with the dock platform. Thus, the delivery of swap bodies are known to damage docks as well as the swap bodies themselves. The same is true for trucks and trailer beds that are excessively high.
A dock-mounted bumper extending several inches above the platform could prevent such damage, but the raised bumper could also obstruct loading and unloading. Although forklifts and pallet carriers themselves are capable of avoiding a raised bumper, the presence of pallets and/or their load on the fork truck may limit this capability, as they may need to be lifted up and over the bumper in order to be placed to either rear side of the trailer bed or swap body. If there is sufficient head clearance within the truck or swap body, a forklift can lift a pallet up and over a raised bumper. However, many pallet carriers can only lift a pallet a couple of inches off the floor, thus the rear sides of the trailer bed or swap body can become virtually inaccessible.
Some raised bumpers are moveable, such as those disclosed in French Patent 2686913 and German Patent 29804117; however, they have their drawbacks. Although the ""913 bumper raises and lowers, its support frame remains extended above the dock platform, thus the bumper""s frame remains an obstruction. The ""117 reference discloses a raised bumper that can slide off to one side. However, once a swap body is leaning tightly up against the bumper, it may be difficult to overcome the friction between the swap body and the face of the bumper, thus making it difficult to reposition the bumper. The same problem could occur if a truck backs its trailer bed tightly up against the bumper.
To accommodate truck trailers and swap bodies of various height, a loading dock is provided with a bumper that is moveable between an operative position and a stored position, wherein upon moving from the operative position to the stored position, the bumper moves in a direction that traverses an abutment face of the bumper.
In some embodiments, the bumper lowers upon moving from its operative position to its stored position.
In some embodiments, the bumper is able to swing away from a truck, trailer, or container that may be parked up against the bumper.
In some embodiments, the bumper swings about a substantially horizontal axis.
In some embodiments, the bumper swings about an axis that traverses a horizontal plane.
In some embodiments, the bumper can rise above a frame that supports the bumper.
In some embodiments, the bumper is mechanically urged toward its operative position.
In some embodiments, the movement of the bumper is foot-actuated.