The subject invention provides a shield for protecting a patient's extremities when positioned on an arm or leg board or other surgical or examination table extension. The shield comprises essentially an inverted C-shaped or U-shaped covering with a channel therein. It may further comprise one or more flanges to aid in supporting and positioning the shield.

Surgical procedures have evolved into a broad range of different types of operations, with patient positioning depending upon the specific procedure to be accomplished. While most general surgery is performed on a supine patient under the influence of a general anesthetic, other types of surgery require the patient to be positioned in other than a supine position, with hands and arms extended beside or tucked along the side of the patient. An example is the lithotomy position, wherein a patient is generally positioned in a modified supine position with the hips and knees flexed and the legs supported by canvas straps or stirrups, the arms and hands being placed beside the patient, often on arm boards, or loosely cradled over the lower abdomen and secured by the lower end of a blanket. Occasionally the patient may incur injury to the hands through improper positioning of the arms and hands, through pressure when a surgeon leans over and inadvertently bears against the hand, or through crush injuries when the leg portion of the surgical table is raised after the surgery is completed. During surgery a patient is unusually very vulnerable, as the patient is under anesthesia and normal pain warning reactions are blocked.
The bones and other structure of the hands are some of the more fragile components of the human body, and oftentimes inadvertent pressure upon one or both hands, can lead to damage to the hands in the form of a broken bone or pulled tendon, soft tissue, or nerve damage, in addition to transient ischemic problems due to loss of circulation. Such problems are, of course, extremely difficult for a patient, who is often bedridden after surgery and who may have no significant ability to perform any physical act other than with his or her hands and arms. Injury to a patient's hands may deprive the patient of the only other physical activity available until the primary surgical healing process is well underway. Of course, such extra incapacity is a distraction to a positive emotional attitude of the patient during recovery. The cost of inadvertent hand and arm injuries to patients during surgery can be considerable, as the medical profession has a duty of great care during such operations, when the unconscious patient is totally at the mercy of the medical staff performing the procedure.
Accordingly, a need exists for a device which may be used to protect or shield an extremity, such as the hand(s), wrist(s), lower arm(s), leg(s), etc., of a patient who is to experience general anesthesia in order to shield the extremities of the patient from compression or other damage due to inadvertent pressure upon these areas as the patient is positioned prior to, during, and/or after a surgical procedure.
In the past certain devices have been known to locate or position a patient's arm and hand during surgery. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,057 to Fischer, titled "Medical Positioning Device," describes various embodiments of a device for immobilizing an arm of a surgical patient. The various embodiments each include a downwardly extending flange, with a lateral flange extending inwardly there from. The lateral flange is placed beneath the mattress of a surgical table, to hold the device (and the patient's arm) immobile during surgery. This positioning device is fixed relative to the surgical table.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,650 issued Omdal et al., titled "Recessed Arm Board," describes a generally trough shaped device having a squared, U-shaped cross section with a flange extending laterally from the upper edge of one side. The flange is placed beneath the patient or a pad on the operating table with the patient's arm being allowed to rest within the trough. Unfortunately, no padding or upper closure is disclosed to shield a patient's arm from inadvertent pressure.
The foregoing noted limitations regarding previously known surgical hand, wrist and forearm positioning and isolating devices, while significant, demonstrate that room for worthwhile improvement remains.

University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.


To readily and safely process the end of a transverse wind shielded cable 1 with simple equipment without damaging the surfaces of the drain wires, the drain wires are caused to expand roughly into the shape of a football. The expanded drain wires are divided by a plate which may be rotated about its axis to widen the separation, thereby exposing the cores of the cable.

In general, a shielded cable comprises a plurality of braided cores having a large number of drain wires wound therearound. The combination is covered with an insulating sheath. Transversely wound cable has linearly extending drain wires twisted circumferentially around the cores. A variety of methods and apparatuses for, e.g. peeling the sheath at an end of such transversely wound shielded cable and separating the cores from the drain wires, are known.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 1/177810 discloses a method wherein the shielded cable is peeled to expose the drain wires, which are than brushed; however, the surface of the drain wires needs to be brushed many times. As a result, the surfaces of the drain wires are likely to be damaged or the plating may be abraded off.
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 64/81608 and 64/26316 disclose methods for processing drain wires using pressurized air. These devices necessitate large equipment for supplying the pressurized air, leading to increased cost and space requirements.
It is desirable to easily and securely process the end of the shielded cable using simple equipment without damaging the surfaces of the drain wires. However, the art disclosed in the aforementioned publications cannot meet this requirement. Therefore, it is an object of the present Invention to provide an improved method for processing the shielded cable without damaging the surfaces of drain wires, in particular by the use of simple equipment.


A minimally invasive hip replacement surgical procedure that is also tissue preserving is disclosed. By making a superior incision, rather than a posterior incision, neither the posterior hip capsule, nor the gluteus medius or minimus are dissected. This results in improved post-operative results in the form of less dislocations and better healing.

The move towards minimally invasive surgical ("MIS") procedures for hip arthroplasty has begun and continues. To date, some of the proposed MIS procedures incorporate some similarities to the traditional open procedures. For example, posterior incisions and approaches may be used, the hip may still be dislocated during the bulk of femoral and acetabular preparation, the short external rotators may be dissected, or the gluteal muscles and in particular the gluteus medius and minimus may be dissected. In other words, the MIS methods still result in the dissection and disruption of important soft tissue; even if in an amount less than in conventional open techniques.
These similarities with traditional open methods resulted in MIS procedures that have similar post-operative results as open-methods, e.g., longer recovery times and increased dislocations. Thus, the only real benefit obtained by using these MIS techniques was the smaller incision. Accordingly, there is room for improvement within the art.

Tissue preserving and minimally invasive hip replacement surgical procedure


A step portion is formed on a lower casing of a process cartridge, and a film member composed of flexible resin film is fixed to a step portion such that a front portion can bend. The film member guides a sheet to a photosensitive drum. In this manner, a thin sheet which lacks firmness is adhered on an upstream side of a transfer position in a rotational direction of the photosensitive drum, thus preventing electrical discharges, while a thick sheet which has firmness is bent by the front portion of the film member in a direction in which a leading edge of the sheet is headed, thus guiding the sheet such that operating abnormalities are prevented and an appearance of ghosts is prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming device, and more particularly to a process cartridge provided in the image forming device.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, an image forming device such as a laser printer is detachably provided with a process unit having a photosensitive drum on which toner images are borne by developing electrostatic latent images.
The photosensitive drum is disposed in confrontation with and in contact with a transfer roller such that, when a sheet of paper passes between the photosensitive drum and the transfer roller, an image is formed on the paper by transferring the toner image onto the paper.
For example, Japanese patent-application publication (kokai) No. HEI-11-338279 proposes to dispose a transfer nip forming member in proximity to the transfer nip position in low-moisture conditions, while placing the transfer nip formation member separated from and even farther upstream than the transfer nip in high-moisture conditions, electrical discharges and toner scattering would be prevented in high-moisture conditions, and transfer efficiency would be improved.

Process cartridge having a guide member with a flexible portion


Disclosed herein is a system and method for generating a BIM geometry breakdown structure. The system includes a geometry breakdown system (GBS) range setting module, a GBS geometric object coding module, and a GBS geometric object coding module. The GBS range setting module sets the range of a GBS based on BIM framework variables. The GBS element definition module generates “standard information breakdown property information” that is used to manage work-type breakdown and location breakdown, “project numbering system (PNS) property information” that is used to manage a work breakdown system (WBS), a cost breakdown structure (CBS), and a standard-method-of-measurement (SMM) breakdown structure (MBS), and “GBS property information” that is used to define geometric information. The GBS geometric object coding module matches geometric objects to the “standard information breakdown property information” and the “PNS property information”, and assigns numbers corresponding to the “GBS property information” to the matched geometric objects.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for generating a building information modeling (BIM) geometry breakdown structure and, more particularly, to technology for generating a geometry breakdown structure, which enables a breakdown structure for associating geometric information with non-geometric information to be set in the geometric information and associates the geometric information with the non-geometric information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among various efforts to accomplish construction informatization, recently, the utilization of BIM has rapidly advanced and become more common, and the form of the utilization has gradually trended toward "high-level utilization" and "high efficiency." In spite of this, it has been pointed out that the burden of the vast amount of additional work that is required to put BIM to practical use is the principal obstacle to the practical application of BIM.
In the early 1990s, integrated construction informatization was materialized via the concept of computer integrated construction (CIC). In general, CIC is implemented as an integrated system that is comprehensive and has high completeness in terms of its life cycle and work functionality, in large-scale construction organizations or projects.
Meanwhile, it is appreciated that BIM has been developed in the direction of expansion in such a way that it started with the utilization of three-dimensional (3D) geometric information in relatively small organizations, has expanded its integration range to encompass the integration of design/construction/maintenance, and has been provided with a wide variety of analysis functions (see Jung, Y. and Joo, M. (2011). "Building Information Modeling (BIM) Framework for Practical Implementation.", Automation in Construction, 20(2), pp. 126˜133).
In both the above-described "comprehensive CIC and expandable BIM," one of the important element technologies is a method of associating geometric information (e.g., 3D computer-aided design (CAD) data) with non-geometric information (e.g., schedule information). In such integration, physical integration can be handled by commercial software, but logical integration requires a project management viewpoint-based effort to make a method that is suitable for project characteristics.
In general, to associate geometric information with non-geometric information, a large amount of effort is required. The amount of association work is dependent upon "the diversity of construction business functions" and "the degree of details of an association target." That is, five-dimensional (5D)-CAD that performs the association of schedule and cost information requires a larger amount of more complicated work than four-dimensional (4D)-CAD that associates 3D geometric information with only schedule information. Furthermore, the complexity of a structure is proportional to the degree of details of association target data (for example, schedule activity association with cost data for each member, not for each story).
Another consideration is that from the viewpoint of "the variety of construction business functions," the task of logically associating non-geometric information, other than geometric information, itself is a very complicated task that requires much effort (e.g., a cost and schedule integration structure). The fact that a scheme for the efficiency of Earned Value Management Systems (EVMSs) is still being discussed actively confirms this (see Jung, Y. and Woo, S. (2004). "Flexible Work Breakdown Structure for Integrated Cost and Schedule Control", Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 130(5), pp. 616-625).
The above-described complicated logical association of geometric information with non-geometric information is performed basically based on a breakdown structure, such as a work breakdown structure (WBS). A lot of BIM-related research deals with schemes for the association of geometric information and non-geometric information, but the schemes are not main topics and are dealt with from a secondary viewpoint.
Representative examples of comprehensive WBS research in the BIM field include a case that proposes a scheme for associating geometric information with non-geometric information from the viewpoint of system development (see Chau, K. W. Anson, M. and Zhang, J. P. (2005). "4D Dynamic Construction Management and Visualization Software: 1. Development." Automation in Construction, 14(4), pp. 512˜524), and a case that effectively associates 3D-CAD with the schedule, the cost, and the safety from a project management-oriented viewpoint and applies the association to railroad construction (see Ding, L. Y. Zhou, Y. Luo, H. B. and Wu, X. G. (2012). "Using nD Technology to Develop an Integrated Construction Management System for City Rail Transit Construction", Automation in Construction, 21(1), pp. 64˜73).
However, both of these two examples of research are limited in that they fail to distinguish themselves from the previous pieces of research, because the application of the numbering system of the two examples employs a method of starting with non-geometric information (that is, with a WBS and a cost breakdown structure (CBS)) and then associating the non-geometric information with geometric information.
Meanwhile, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2011-0099151 entitled "Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)-based Architecture Object Standardization Method" relates to an IFC-based architecture object standardization method, and discloses technology that fabricates standardized logical 3D shapes, that is, architecture objects, through the formation of IFC-based relationships using information (hierarchical space information, location information, and object characteristic information) necessary for architecture objects input at the same time that modeling starts and automatically configures those as physical shapes using various programs.
However, the technology disclosed in the above-described preceding patent application is problematic in that it does not take into consideration the interoperability between various characteristics, various processes, and users having various businesses in the field of the construction industry, and is disadvantageous in that it is difficult for a single integrated vendor solution to integrate information in various separate fields.
The reason for this is that each company uses unique and distinctive design, analysis and maintenance tools in its building process.
Additionally, there is another reality in that since each building is unique in terms of design concept, material and a project team's requirements, a project team is usually disbanded after a building has been constructed, and design elements, a combination method and the use of project participants are limited in a subsequent project.
Existing structure definition breakdown structures, such as a WBS and a CBS, that have been used in practice and research up to now assign numbers chiefly to "non-geometric data," such as scope, schedule, and cost management. Although these non-geometric data breakdown structures have been popularly put into practical use and have been widely utilized, the direct application of the WBS or CBS to geometric data (e.g., 3D-CAD data) has many limitations because of the characteristics of non-geometric data.
In contrast, CIC or BIM research based on the integration of "geometric data" and "non-geometric data" (nD-CAD data) mostly employs a method of association with the WBS and CBS of non-geometric data using mechanical association functionality and an interface provided by existing software, and thus does not propose an active and systematic association method.

System and method for creating building information modeling geometry breakdown structure

Myongji University Industry and Academia Cooperation Foundation


A technique for realizing a fault tolerance of an integrated services digital network private branch exchange (ISDN PBX), includes: dualizing main control devices of the ISDN PBX into an operating section and a waiting section so as to sustain a subscriber service in progress even when the ISDN PBX has an unexpected problem; allowing the operating section to transfer to the waiting section various information required for performing a section switching to sustain an identical status between the operating section and waiting section, while providing a service requested by a user; and allowing the waiting section to perform the section switching so as to sustain the service as a new operating section when the operating section has an error.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) private branch exchange (PBX), and more particularly to a technique for realizing a fault tolerance capable of sustaining a subscriber service in progress even when an ISDN PBX has unexpected troubles.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ISDN PBX has a data communication function as well as the existing voice communication function. Recently with the development of text and image communication, the ISDN PBX also includes a multimedia function which can process voice, data, text, and images. Further, with the diversification of the services in such an ISDN PBX, it becomes very important to secure a reliability of the exchange system.
The reliability of the exchange system refers to a capability of performing a function without trouble. In order to improve the system reliability, there have been proposed a few approaches: one is a fault prevention, and another is a fault tolerance. The existing fault prevention is to realize the system prepared for the worst by using high reliability elements, to prevent all expected errors in advance. However, the fault tolerance realizes the system by using standard elements. Thus, although there may be a possibility of errors, the fault tolerance dualizes the system by using additional elements, to cope with the errors.
Since the fault tolerance method has an increased cost due to the duality of the system, many conventional systems adopt the fault prevention method to increase the reliability of the system. However, it is almost impossible to realize a perfect system that takes all of the expected errors into account in advance. Further, since the fault tolerance method, which deals with an error that has already been generated in the system, and does not require a perfect system, the system may be realized with inexpensive standard elements. However, the fault prevention method uses the high reliability expensive elements in order to prevent for sure the error generation, so that the cost may increase undesirably. Namely, fault prevention has a limitation of preventing the errors and has a high cost. Thus, fault tolerance has recently been used for improving the reliability of the system.
The fault-tolerant system refers to a system that can sustain the normal operation without external assistance, even when the system has an error during operation. In order to realize such a fault-tolerant system, the main elements of the system are dualized. Thus, if an element has an error, a corresponding element will take the place of the fault element to sustain the normal operation. Further, if applied to a large-sized exchange system, the fault tolerance system has a very high cost. Accordingly, it is preferable to apply the fault tolerance for a private branch exchange (PBX). Moreover, although the system can be dualized into several modules, it is preferable to dualize the system into two modules, i.e., an operating section and a waiting section, taking the cost into consideration.
The following patents each disclose features in common with the present invention but do not teach or suggest the specifically recited technique for realizing a fault tolerant ISDN PBX as in the present invention: U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,617 to Iwasaki, entitled Data Communication System Having Means For Switching Between Main And Stand-By Apparatuses, U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,569 to Madonna et al., entitled Telecommunications Switch With Inproved Redundancy, U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,698 to Bitzinger et al., entitled Multi-Processor Cential Control Unit Of A Telephone Exchange System And Its Operation, U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,333 to Bitzinger et al., entitled Error Protected Central Control Unit Of A Switching System And Method Of Operation Of Its Memory Configuration, U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,039 to Holden, entitled Master-Slave Microprocessor Control Circuit, U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,503 to Butensky et al., entitled Method For Resynchronizing Secondary Database And Primary Database With Preservation Of Functionality Of An Automatic Call Distribution System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,252 to Nakano, entitled Video Telephone System And Method For Transmitting And Receiving Signals When There Is A Failure In The System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,452 to Andrews et al., entitled Communications System Using A Central Controller To Control At Least One Network And Agent System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,429 to Kawada et al., entitled Backup Apparatus Against Line Defect And Backup Method Against Line Defect, U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,396 to Kusano, entitled Redundant System Having Signal Path Operation Function, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,065 to Fitzgerald, entitled Dual Span Monitoring System For Maintenace Shelf Control.

Technique for realizing fault-tolerant ISDN PBX


In one embodiment, a method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a first porous semiconductor layer over a top surface of a substrate. A first epitaxial layer is formed over the first porous semiconductor layer. A circuitry is formed within and over the first epitaxial layer. The circuitry is formed without completely oxidizing the first epitaxial layer.

Generally, semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications, such as computers, cellular phones, personal computing devices, and many other applications. Home, industrial, and automotive devices that in the past comprised only mechanical components now have electronic parts that require semiconductor devices, for example.
Semiconductor devices are manufactured by depositing many different types of material layers over a semiconductor workpiece or wafer, and patterning the various material layers using lithography. The material layers typically comprise thin films of conductive, semi-conductive and insulating materials that are patterned and etched to form discrete devices or integrated circuits (ICs). There may be a plurality of transistors, memory devices, switches, conductive lines, diodes, capacitors, logic circuits, and other electronic components formed on a single die or chip, for example.
There is a trend in the semiconductor industry towards reducing the size of features, e.g., the circuits, elements, conductive lines, and vias of semiconductor devices, in order to increase performance of the semiconductor devices, for example. To continue this trend, innovative process solutions have been developed that overcome some of these limitations. For example, transistors are being built with increasing stress or strain. However, increasing stress results in many deleterious effects on other processes resulting in yield loss during fabrication or a reduction in product lifetime.
Hence, what are needed are method and devices that minimize stress related yield loss during semiconductor manufacturing and devices that are immune to stress induced failure.

Methods of forming epitaxial layers on a porous semiconductor layer


An object of the invention is to provide a diagnosis method for standby systems in an optical ring network having a redundant configuration, which can confirm normal states of standby systems in all optical transmission apparatuses on the network, even during operations of active systems. To this end, in the present diagnosis method for standby systems, when a diagnosis start command is given to an arbitrary optical transmission apparatus on the network, the optical transmission apparatus provides a false signal to a standby system unit to diagnoses an operation state thereof, and transmits the result to the optical transmission apparatus on the downstream side by utilizing overhead information in the active system optical channel. The optical transmission apparatus on the downstream side confirms a normal operation on the upstream side, thereafter, diagnoses the operation state of the standby system by utilizing the false signal, and updates the overhead information of the active system optical channel corresponding to the diagnosis result, to transmit the updated information to the optical transmission apparatus on the further downstream side. According to the overhead information of the active system optical channel, which has made a round of the ring network, normal operations of the standby system units in all optical transmission apparatuses on the network are confirmed, to thereby finish the standby system diagnosis.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for diagnosing whether or not optical lines and optical transmission apparatuses operate normally, in an optical ring network having a redundant configuration including an active system and a standby system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of diagnosing a state of the standby system during operation of the active system, and an optical ring network using the same.
(2) Description of the Related Art
For example, in an optical transmission apparatus corresponding to, such as, a synchronous optical network (SONET), which is known as one of the high-speed digital communication systems using optical fibers, line relief at the time of failure occurrence can be performed instantaneously, by using a redundant configuration including an active system and a standby system to transmit an optical signal.
The redundant configuration in an optical network constructed using such optical transmission apparatuses, has two main meanings. One is the redundancy of an optical fiber transmission line itself, and the other is the redundancy of a signal processor in the optical transmission apparatus. In the optical network having the redundant configuration, it is important to always confirm that the optical line and the optical transmission apparatus in the standby system are in normal states, in order to prepare for a situation in which a failure occurs in the optical line or the optical transmission apparatus in the active system.
However, in the conventional optical network, there is not provided a function for diagnosing the state of the standby system during operation of the active system. Therefore, after a failure has occurred in the active system, a relief function is activated on the standby system, and then, the states of the optical line and the optical transmission apparatus in the standby system are confirmed. As a result, even if the switching over from the active system to the standby system is performed, if a failure such as disconnection or breakdown has occurred in the standby system, an optical channel under operation cannot be actually relieved, thereby causing a problem.
In order to deal with such a problem, for example, a technique has been proposed for the optical transmission apparatus having the redundant configuration, in which at the time of confirming the state of the standby system, test data is sent to the standby system without affecting the communication with the active system, to confirm the normal operation of the standby system without switching between the active system and the standby system (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-15757).
However, the diagnosis of the standby system in the conventional technique as mentioned above is performed in a state where the standby system is closed in each optical transmission apparatus constituting the optical network. Therefore, it is difficult to confirm the normal states of the optical line and the optical transmission apparatus in the standby system for the whole optical network. Particularly, in a ring type optical network such as a bidirectional line switched ring (BLSR) supported by the aforementioned SONET, if the normal state of the standby system is not confirmed at the level of the whole network, it is difficult to reliably relieve the optical channel under operation, at the time of failure occurrence in the active system.
Further, for example, in the case of an optical network employing a protection channel access (PCA) system which also passes data signals through the optical line in the standby system during the operation of the active system, to increase the transmission capacity, it is not easy to detect a failure in the standby system without interrupting the data signals transmitted through the PCA circuit during the normal operation. Therefore, the detection of failure in the standby system becomes more difficult.

Diagnosis method for standby system of optical ring network


A power management system coupled to a speaker module includes a monitor module for measuring a current signal and a voltage signal of the speaker module to obtain a real-time impedance information of the speaker module; a reception module for receiving a time-domain audio analogy signal to be transformed into a frequency-domain audio digital signal; a prediction module for generating a power prediction information according to an initial audio information, the real-time impedance information and the audio digital signal; a control module for generating a control signal according to the audio digital signal and a human hearing model information; and a power adjustment module for outputting an adjustment audio signal to the speaker module according to the power prediction information, the audio digital signal and the control signal, so as to perform a broadcast operation of the speaker module.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power management system and method thereof, and more particularly, to a power management system and method thereof which can measure a real-time impedance information of a speaker module and adaptively control the power.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As technology advances, personal module devices and household televisions have been developed to have higher output power and better music quality of speaker modules. Especially for those thinner/lighter mobile devices, an output efficiency of the installed speaker module has been seriously focused on by the industry. Traditionally, if the speaker module is necessary to output higher decibel (dB) volume, a common solution may be increasing an output voltage of the speaker module or lowering a corresponding impedance of the speaker module. Since sizes of the speaker modules installed inside the module devices may be small, playing higher dB volume of an audio signal may result in generating a larger passing current or a higher temperature of the speaker module, such that rubber coating of an internal coil of the speaker module may melt. When a user wants to play intensively mega bass, a drum coating of the speaker module may also be loosened or broken due to excessive vibration of the drum membrane, which can restrict operations of the user.
Therefore, it has been an important issue to provide a power management system and method thereof to adaptively measure a real-time impedance information of a speaker module and adaptively control the power to correspondingly output higher dB volume of an audio signal without sacrificing quality thereof, so as to maintain functional operations of the speaker module.

Power management system and method thereof


A device for connecting a camera lens to a movie camera has a camera housing with a lens mount and a device for acquiring data relating to the camera lens connected to the lens mount. Said device further comprising a miniaturized electronic system with data memory for storing data relating to the camera lens such as lens type, serial number, conversion tables and the like, and with a contact region that is arranged on a data interface between the lens mount of the movie camera and the lens fastening means of the camera lens and which is aligned with the contact region arranged in the lens mount of the movie camera is integrated in the lens fastening means of the camera lens or in a modified lens fastening means connected to the lens fastening means of the camera lens or replacing the latter.

The invention relates to a device for connecting a camera lens to a movie camera.
EP 0 942 305 A1 discloses a control system for a camera lens that is fastened on a lens mount of a movie camera with the aid of its lens fastening means. The control system includes a number of drive units for automatically setting desired positions of three lens rings via which the picture definition (focus), the shutter aperture of the iris diaphragm and the focal length (zoom) of the camera lens can be set. The lens rings are provided with an apparatus for determining the actual state of the positions of the lens ring, which determines the actual position of the lens rings relative to the camera lens, converts them into output measurement signals and, in particular, is designed in a contactless fashion as an optoelectronic angle sensor with a coding disk that is connected fixedly in terms of rotation to the respective lens ring and has a number of coding tracks and optotransmitters and optoreceivers arranged on both sides of the coding disk, or is designed as a magnetoresistive magnetic sensor and is integrated in the camera lens.
Transmitting the determined actual states of the lens ring positions to the movie camera via a standardized electric interface with a standardized lens fastening means and a standardized lens mount (PL mount) is known from the company publication "ARRIFLEX 435 ADVANCED" of Arnold & Richter Cinetechnik.
For the purpose of processing the acquired actual state of the lens ring positions and thus of the values, set at the camera lens, for the focus, the iris setting and the zoom, as well as of inputting desired values and outputting control commands to the drive units that can be coupled to the lens rings, EP 0 574 105 A1 discloses a modular control system for a movie camera in the case of which a control and regulation part with a position encoder is integrated in each drive unit and is connected via a digital data input and data output as well as a serial control and data bus to a manual control unit that has a memory module for recording setting values for prescribable camera and lens functions, such as shooting frequency, focal length, range, shutter, zone boundaries and scaling, as well as adjustment profiles of the frequency, zoom, focus and/or iris settings, in which setting values or adjustment profiles can be read, and from which they can be read out for a reproduction sequence or to restore previously noted settings.
Instead of a serial control and data bus for connecting the drive units and position sensors, which are coupled to the lens rings, to the manual control units for the purpose of inputting desired values, it is possible, in accordance with EP 0 910 814 B1 for a camera-side control and data acquisition unit that is electrically connected to a number of devices that control and detect camera and/or recording functions to be connected via a bidirectional radiotransceiver unit to operator-side control units for inputting control data and transmitting control signals for the purpose of controlling the camera and/or recording functions and thus also for setting a camera lens.
Since the application of the control system known from EP 0 942 305 A1 for a camera lens of a movie camera requires a camera lens with an integrated data memory and position sensors for detecting the actual states of the zoom, focus and iris settings of the camera lens, and a corresponding evaluation of the actual states and a standardized electric interface with a standardized lens fastening means and a standardized lens mount (PL mount) of the movie camera, camera lenses without these position sensors and data memory integrated in the camera lens cannot be used to the full extent for the control system, and so they remain capable of only limited application to control systems such as are known from EP 0 574 105 A1 and EP 0 910 814 B1 in the case of which the actual values of the lens settings are detected via the drive units that can be pivoted on the lens rings of the camera lens and include position sensors, and are processed in the control and regulating units together with the prescribed desired values.

Device for connecting a camera lens to a movie camera

Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG


An optical signal quality monitoring apparatus includes an optical detector for directly receiving an optical signal modulated in an optical path and converting the optical signal to an electric signal, an asynchronous sampling unit for asynchronously sampling the electric signal of the optical detector at a reduced speed, and a digital signal processor for monitoring an optical signal quality by finding a synchronized amplitude histogram of data sampled in the asynchronous sampling unit. An optical signal quality monitoring method includes (a) a step of allowing an optical detector to directly receive a modulated optical signal and to convert the optical signal to an electric signal; (b) a step of allowing an asynchronous sampling unit to asynchronously sample the electric signal; and (c) a step of allowing a digital signal processor to monitor an optical signal quality by generating a synchronized amplitude histogram of sampled data.

In recent years, a high-level modulation signal such as a quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) signal or a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signal is extensively used to increase a transmission capacity per optical fiber.
In order to efficiently manage a next-generation optical network in which the high-level modulation signal is widely used, there is a need to directly monitor a quality of an optical signal in an optical layer. To this end, Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-0553814 (published on Feb. 14, 2006) discloses a method for checking the distortion of an optical signal based on a data distribution change caused by a reference voltage variation and a method for monitoring an optical signal-to-noise ratio Q of an optical signal using a non-synchronized amplitude histogram.
Such a conventional method can be realized without having to use a clock signal for synchronization and a high-speed sampling circuit. Thus, the conventional method is economical and applicable regardless of a transmission speed of an optical signal. Recently, it was reported that the conventional method can be applied to a high-level modulation signal such as a QPSK signal, a 16QAM signal or a 6QAM signal. Use of the conventional method makes it possible to monitor not only an optical signal-to-noise ratio but also failure factors of a transmission link, such as a chromatic dispersion (CD) and a polarization-mode dispersion (PMD).
However, an optical signal is asynchronously sampled in the method that makes use of a non-synchronized amplitude histogram. For that reason, the sampled data contains no timing information. Therefore, the signal samples differing in amplitude overlap with each other. This poses a problem in that it is difficult to analyze the non-synchronized amplitude histogram and to extract a suitable parameter indicating a signal quality.
If chromatic dispersions are accumulated in an optical signal, constructive interference and destructive interference occur between continuous symbols. Thus, an increased number of peaks are generated in the non-synchronized amplitude histogram. This makes it difficult to analyze the non-synchronized amplitude histogram.
The method of monitoring a quality of an optical signal using a non-synchronized amplitude histogram is capable of monitoring an optical signal-to-noise ratio and different system failure factors such as a chromatic dispersion and a polarization-mode dispersion. In order to analyze the non-synchronized amplitude histogram, however, the method is applicable only when the optical signal-to-noise ratio is equal to or higher than about 20 dB.
Since data are acquired even in a region where symbol conversion occurs, the distribution of the non-synchronized amplitude histogram varies depending on the rise time of a system and the optical filter existing on a transmission link. Accordingly, the monitoring accuracy is also affected by this factor.
In contrast, if a synchronized amplitude histogram is used, data are acquired at the center of a symbol. This makes it possible to significantly increase the monitoring accuracy. However, a high-speed sampling circuit and a clock-extracting circuit need to be used in order to obtain the synchronized amplitude histogram. For that reason, this method is costly and is not widely used in the art.

Optical signal quality monitoring method and apparatus using a software-based synchronized amplitude histogram

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


A light-emitting diode 10 showing stable temperature characteristics achieved by reliably preventing stimulated emission regardless of temperature changes, comprising:. a pair of clad layers 12, 14 and a pair of block layers 16, 17 formed on said substrate 11; PA1 an active layer 13 formed, between said clad layers 12, 14 and between said block layers 16, 17, surrounded jointly by said layers 12, 14, 16, 17, PA1 wherein in said continuous active layer 13, light-emitting portions 13a, 13b for emitting light when receiving injected carriers, and a light-absorbing portion 13c for absorbing the light coming from said light-emitting portions 13a, 13b are formed continuously.

The present invention relates to a light-emitting diode and a manufacturing method therefor, and more particularly to an edge-emitting light-emitting diode for outputting light from its end facet and a manufacturing method therefor.
In a light-emitting diode, when facet reflection occurs in its optical waveguide, the stimulated emission of light caused by the facet reflection makes the emission of stable natural light difficult. For this reason, it has been proposed to form an active layer serving as the light-emitting portion at one end of the facet radiation type light-emitting diode and also form a light-absorbing portion made of an active layer aligned with the active layer serving as the light-emitting portion(Japanese Publication No. 7-97661).
According to the light-emitting diode including the light-absorbing portion, out of all the light emitted from the light-emitting portion, the light traveling through the light-emitting diode to the light-absorbing portion is absorbed by the light-absorbing portion with the result that the facet reflection of the light can be prevented, making it possible to suppress the stimulated emission of light.
In the conventional light-emitting diode, however, between the active layer serving as the light-emitting portion and the active layer serving as the light-absorbing portion, there is the intervening InP block layer having a refractive index different from that of the InGaAsP active layer.
Accordingly, the light is refracted at the interface between the active layer and the block layer, and consequently all the light going from the light-emitting portion to the light-absorbing portion cannot be securely guided to the light-absorbing portion. For this reason, conventionally, a refracted portion of the light is likely to cause stimulated emission by facet reflection, and the emission characteristics are liable to deteriorate during operation at low temperature.

Method of manufacturing a light emitting diode to vary band gap energy of active layer


In a through anchor, a side face on a piece side of a groove portion is configured by a piece side inclined face, with the piece side inclined face being inclined in a direction such that an angle formed between the piece side inclined face and a slide face of the piece is an obtuse angle. During molding of a molded portion, an apex portion of a rib of a mold is disposed on or abuts the piece side inclined face of the piece. Movement of the piece in a length direction thereof is accordingly suppressed by the rib of the mold. The molded portion can accordingly be molded with the piece in a well-positioned state by injecting a resin material for the molded portion into the mold in this state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a through anchor through which occupant restraint webbing is inserted.
2. Related Art
In a seatbelt guide anchor (through anchor) described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2002-103386, a guide piece (piece) is assembled to a guide plate (main body portion), and the guide piece and the guide plate are insert molded with a mold resin. A guide piece outer peripheral groove is formed at a boundary portion between the guide piece and the mold resin, and the guide piece outer peripheral groove extending around the entirety of an outer peripheral edge of the guide piece. A mold used to form the mold resin is provided with a rib for forming groove that forms the guide piece outer peripheral groove, and clearance is provided between this groove forming rib and the outer peripheral edge of the guide piece. The (groove forming rib of the) mold is accordingly suppressed from interference (impinging) on the guide piece when forming the resin molding, thereby preventing the scratches and dents from occurring in the guide piece. Note that a through anchor is also described in JP-A No. 2011-56968.
However, since in the seatbelt guide anchor described above, the clearance is provided between the (groove forming rib of the) mold and the outer peripheral edge of the guide piece, there is therefore a possibility of positional displacement of the guide piece in the guide piece length direction during molding of the mold resin. An issue accordingly arises of being unable to position the guide piece well during molding of the mold resin.


Ionic organosilicon compounds comprising siloxane units of the formula EQU A.sub.a R.sub.b X.sub.c SiO.sub.(4-a-b-c)/2 (I),. in which. R is an identical or different, optionally halogenated hydrocarbon radicals having 1 to 12 carbon atoms or radicals of the formulae EQU --R'--((NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.o --(N.sup.+ H.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.p --N.sup.(x+q-2)+ H.sub.x R".sub.q).sub.d-1 (II) EQU --R'--(SH).sub.d-1 (III) PA1 R', R", Z, R'", o, p, q, x, d, X and A have the meaning given in claim 1 and PA1 a is 0 or 1, PA1 b is 0, 1, 2 or 3, PA1 c is 0, 1, 2 or 3 PA1 and the sum a+b+c is.ltoreq.4,. or EQU --R'--(Z--C (O)--CR'"=CH.sub.2).sub.d-1 (IV). in which. with the proviso that at least one radical A is contained in each molecule, and, optionally, non-bonding counter-ions from the group consisting of alkali metal, alkaline earth metal and ammonium ions of organic amines are present to compensate the negative charges and non-bonded counter-ions from the group consisting of organic anions, such as, for example, acetate ions, are present to compensate the positive charges,their preparation and their use.

According to M. Litt and T. Matsuda, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 19 (1975) 1221, zwitterionic sulfonate-containing siloxanes are obtained by reaction of aminoalkyl functional silanes/siloxanes with .omega.-alkyl sultones. Although .omega.-alkyl sultones are reactive, as a rule they are also toxic and carcinogenic. Such compounds can be used only in special plants with high safety regulations. Use of the zwitterionic siloxanes obtained by this process is highly undesirable because of the residual content of .omega.-alkylsultones.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,399 (Wacker-Chemie GmbH, issued on Jul. 2, 1996), ionic siloxanes are prepared by first producing via a nucleophilic substitution by sulfite ions on chloropropylsilanes and simultaneous hydrolysis, a sulfonate-functional siloxane hydrolysate, from which a sulfonic acid-functional siloxane hydrolysate is formed by acidification, which finally can be equilibrated with amine-functional silanes/siloxanes and further siloxanes to give a zwitterionic siloxane which carries ammonium and sulfonate groups.

Ionic organosilicon compounds and their preparation and use


A power output apparatus (20) of the present invention includes a clutch motor (30), an assist motor (40), and a controller (80) for controlling the clutch motor (30) and the assist motor (40). The clutch motor (30) includes an outer rotor (32) linked with a crankshaft (56) of a gasoline engine (50) and an inner rotor (34) connecting with a drive shaft (22). The assist motor (40) includes a rotor (42) connecting with the drive shaft (22). When the residual capacity of a battery (94) is less than an allowable minimum value, a control CPU (90) of the controller (80) controls a first driving circuit (91) to enable the clutch motor (30) to carry out the power operation and apply a first torque to the drive shaft (22) in the direction of rotation of the drive shaft (22). The control CPU (90) concurrently controls a second driving circuit (92) to enable the assist motor (40) to carry out the regenerative operation and apply a second torque to the drive shaft (22) in the reverse of the rotation of the drive shaft (22). The second torque is substantially equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the first torque. The electric power regenerated by the assist motor (40) is supplied to the battery (94) to supplement the electric power of the battery (94). The power output apparatus (20) of the invention can thus make the torque output to the drive shaft (22) approximately equal to zero.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power output apparatus having an engine, a first motor, and a second motor and also to a method of controlling the same. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a power output apparatus, which can make the output torque of a drive shaft substantially equal to zero, as well as a method of controlling such a power output apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some proposed power output apparatuses for outputting power generated by an engine transmit the power through mechanical-electrical-mechanical conversion. For example, a power output apparatus disclosed in JAPANESE PATENT LAYING-OPEN GAZETTE No. 53-133814 couples an output shaft of an engine with a rotating shaft of a d.c. motor via an electromagnetic coupling to make the rotating shaft work as a drive shaft. The engine drives one rotor on the side of d.c. field winding of the electromagnetic coupling, while the other rotor on the side of a.c. armature winding drives the rotating shaft of the d.c. motor or the drive shaft. Electric power produced by a slip between the two rotors of the electromagnetic coupling is supplied from the rotor on the side of a.c. armature winding to the d.c. motor via a rectifier. The d.c. motor also receives electric power from a battery to rotate the drive shaft. Unlike conventional fluid-based torque converters, this proposed structure substantially has no energy loss due to the slip. It is accordingly possible to make the energy loss in the power transmission means relatively small by enhancing the efficiencies of the electromagnetic coupling and the d.c. motor.
In the proposed power output apparatus discussed above, however, the drive shaft is driven by the electromagnetic coupling and the d.c. motor, so that a certain magnitude of torque is continuously output from the drive shaft. The proposed structure does not take into account the operations when the output torque of the drive shaft is made approximately equal to zero.

Power output apparatus and method of controlling the same


A toner image transfer method for transferring a toner image formed on a latent image carrier onto a transfer image carrier. A reference running speed of the latent image carrier VA and a reference running speed of the transfer image carrier VB are set substantially as VA=VB=V. A relative speed ΔV between the latent image carrier and the transfer image carrier is changed in vibration at a high speed to positive and negative sides around the reference running speed V, thereby to carry out an image transfer.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner image transfer method, a toner image transfer device, and an image forming apparatus.
2) Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus forms an electrostatic latent image onto a latent image carrier, develops the electrostatic latent image to obtain a toner image, and transfers the toner image onto a paper and fixes the toner image, thereby to obtain an image. A digital copying machine, an optical printer, an optical plotter, and a facsimile machine or the like are the example of the image forming apparatus. Color image forming apparatuses capable of forming color images have also appeared on the market.
A one-drum type and a tandem type are the major types of the color image forming apparatuses.
The one-drum type color image forming apparatus has a single drum-shaped latent image carrier. The one-drum type color image forming apparatus forms and develops electrostatic one-color latent images of three or four colors on the latent image carrier. The colors are selected from magenta, yellow, cyan, and black. The one-color latent images are transferred and superimposed onto one paper thereby obtaining a full color image.
The tandem type color image forming apparatus has a drum-shaped latent image carrier for each of the three or four colors. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to a predetermined color is formed on a corresponding one of the latent image carrier. The latent images are then developed with a toner of corresponding color, thereby to obtain color toner images. The color toner images are then transferred and superimposed onto a paper thereby obtaining a full color image.
Two transferring methods are known for transferring the toner images onto the paper: direct transfer and intermediate transfer. In the direct transfer, color toner images are directly transferred from the latent image carriers to the paper. In the intermediate transfer, the toner images on the latent image carriers are first transferred to an intermediate transfer medium such as an intermediate transfer belt and then transferred onto the paper.
In both types, a toner image is transferred and superimposed on the toner image that is transferred earlier. However, many times the toner image transferred earlier is not completely fixed. If a toner image is superimposed over an earlier not-fixed toner image, toner of the not-fixed toner image gets adhered to the latent image carrier. This phenomenon is called reverse transfer.
The reverse transfer disturbs the toner image that is transferred earlier, and this becomes a cause of degrading the quality of the color image that is finally obtained.
One approach is to clean residual toner from the latent image carrier before transferring a new image. The residual toner may be collected and reused. However, the toner recovered contains a mixture of toners of different colors so that the toner recovered can not be used as it is, or if used, color reproducibility of a color image or a multi-color image is lost substantially.
As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H9-146334, one approach to reduce the reverse transfer is to set a contact angle of the latent image carrier relative to water equal to or more than 85 degrees. However, this approach is insufficient to reduce the reverse transfer.
As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H7-271201, another approach to reduce the reverse transfer is to run the intermediate transfer medium faster than the latent image carrier.
The inventor has also confirmed the effect of this method by experiment. FIG. 1 is a graph of a reverse transfer rate of a yellow toner image (at the right ordinate) and a transfer rate of a magenta toner image (at the left ordinate), when the running speed of the intermediate transfer medium (i.e., the intermediate transfer belt) is different from that of the latent image carrier (i.e., a drum-shaped photoconductive photosensitive member).
The abscissa of the graph shown in FIG. 1 represents a linear velocity ratio that is defined as (Vb−Va)/Va)×100 (%), where Va is the running speed of the latent image carrier, and Vb is the running speed of the intermediate transfer medium. The linear velocity ratio is zero when Vb is equal to Va, that is, when the running speed of the latent image carrier is equal to the running speed of the intermediate transfer medium.
When an absolute value of the linear velocity ratio becomes larger, a reverse transfer rate 1-1 of the yellow toner image decreases, and a reverse transfer rate 1-2 of the magenta toner image increases.
Thus, when the running speed of the latent image carrier is different from that of the intermediate transfer medium, the transfer rate improves and the reverse transfer rate decreases. This is considered for the following reason. When the running speeds are set different, a relative displacement occurs between the latent image carrier and the intermediate transfer medium. The toner image that is in a stable state on the latent image carrier becomes in an unstable state, and Van der Waals' forces between the toner image and the latent image carrier decrease. Electrostatic adhesive force to the latent image carrier effectively decreases when a distance between the toner and the latent image carrier increases. Therefore, the transfer rate increases, and the reverse transfer rate decreases.
However, if the running speed of the latent image carrier if different from that of the intermediate transfer medium, although the reverse transfer does not occur, the image quality lowers.
In other words, a transfer section where the toner image is transferred from the latent image carrier to the intermediate transfer medium is formed as a nip section where the latent image carrier and the intermediate transfer medium are brought into contact with each other. During a period when the toner image that is transferred onto the intermediate transfer medium passes through the nip width of the transfer section, the side of the toner image that is in contact with the intermediate transfer medium and the side of the toner image that is in contact with the latent image carrier receive mutually opposite forces in the running direction because of the difference in the running speeds.
Therefore, when the toner passes through the transfer section, the toner image is deformed to be extended to the running direction.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory graph of a change or an extension in the length of a two-dot line image due to the linear speed rate, when the two-dot line image (i.e., an image of two dots) that is formed on the latent image carrier in a direction orthogonal with the running direction is transferred onto the intermediate transfer medium (i.e., the intermediate transfer belt).
The abscissa represents a linear velocity ratio. When the linear speed rate is zero, that is, when the running speed of the latent image carrier is equal to that of the intermediate transfer medium, a value of 140 micrometers on the ordinate is the length of the two-dot line image on the latent image carrier, where one dot has 70 micrometers.
It is clear that when an absolute value of the linear speed rate in both the plus and minus sides increases, the length of the transferred two-dot line image increases, where a dot mark represents an actual measurement value, and straight lines 2-1 and 2-2 represent theoretical values.
The extension of the transfer toner image is determined based on a relative moving distance brought by the running speed difference. In other words, when the transfer toner image passes through the nip width of the transfer section at a constant speed difference Δv (=Vb−Va), the relative moving distance difference between the latent image carrier and the intermediate transfer medium becomes a product of a transmission time Tn and the speed difference Δv, that is, Tn times Δv.
The extension of the transfer toner image is not so conspicuous when the resolution of the image forming apparatus itself is low. However, under the recent situation that high resolution and a high-precision image are progressing, the extension of the transfer toner image becomes a serious problem.
The extension of the transfer toner image occurs due to the difference in the running speeds when the transfer toner image passes through the nip width of the transfer section. Therefore, in order to reduce the extension, the difference in the running speeds can be made smaller or the nip width can be made smaller. However, there is a physical limit to a reduction in the nip width. When the difference in the running speeds is made smaller, the effect of reducing the reverse transfer also decreases.

Toner image transfer method, toner image transfer device and image forming apparatus


The present disclosure relates to a method of determining an offset between a detector and a point on a motor, the movement of the point on the motor being impeded in at least one direction. In particular, this disclosure relates to a method of determining a commutation offset for an encoder that works in conjunction with a synchronous motor. The commutation offset is an offset between the detector and the north pole of a permanent magnet within the motor. The method comprises setting a test value for the offset, causing a displacement of the detector based on the test value and measuring that displacement. The method further comprises repeatedly increasing the test value, and causing and measuring a displacement for each so increased test value until it is determined that the test value has crossed a threshold.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Motors are used to power the operation of a wide range of devices from very small scale machines to much larger assemblies such as elevators (also known as "lifts"). One of the most common forms of motor used, particularly in industrial applications requiring a constant motor speed, are synchronous motors. Synchronous motors synchronise the rotation of a shaft of a motor with a frequency of an Alternating Current (AC) electrical supply used to power the motor.
In general terms, a synchronous motor comprises a stator and a rotor. The stator includes a number of coils or windings through which electric currents can be fed. The rotor comprises at least one pair of magnets which may be electromagnets or permanent magnets. When an AC current is fed through a winding of the stator, the winding generates a changing magnetic field. Therefore, in a three-phase motor, when the three-phase components of a three-phase AC current are fed through three respective windings, a rotating magnetic field is created in the stator. The rotating magnetic field created in the stator causes rotation of the rotor and, when the load driven by the motor is low, the speed of rotation of the rotor is synchronous with the frequency of the three-phase AC current. The angle between the rotor and the stator produces a resultant net torque, which dictates the net rotational movement of the rotor.
In order for the net rotational movement of the rotor to be in a desired direction and at a desired speed at any given time, the net torque of the rotor must be controlled. The position and phase at which current is injected into the windings of the stator relative to the magnets of the rotor will determine the configuration of the magnetic flux produced by the stator. This will affect the rotational movement imparted by the winding on the rotor, which in turn determines the net torque exerted upon the rotor.
In order to determine and control the torque produced by a motor, the relative position between the stator and the rotor should be determined. Only current that has a component perpendicular to the rotor's magnetic flux will cause torque to be exerted upon the rotor. For a stator which has three windings, the current vector resulting from the three currents in combination should be perpendicular to the rotor's magnetic flux in order to maximise torque; if instead the current vector and the magnetic flux are parallel, then no torque will be produced. Therefore, maximum torque can be achieved for a synchronous motor by controlling the phase and timing of currents supplied to the stator.
A detector such as a rotary (or shaft) encoder may be used to provide information on the position of a rotor relative to a stator. A rotary encoder encodes information about the relative angular position or motion of a shaft in an analogue or digital manner. One type of rotary encoder is an incremental rotary encoder, which provides an output only when the encoder is rotated. Another type is an absolute encoder, which produces a unique code for each distinct angular position of the shaft.
Rotary encoders can comprise a rotatable disc having a plurality of apertures and being mounted on the shaft of the rotor and one or more light emitting devices (LEDs) and photodetectors coupled to the stator. Light emitted from the LED(s) is received by a given photodetector only when a corresponding aperture in the disc is aligned with that photodetector. Accordingly, rotation of the shaft will cause the photodetectors to receive a series of signals from which the relative positioning between a point on the rotor and a point on the stator can be determined.
An encoder can comprise memory on, for example, an electronic chip and a processor and/or it can provide feedback to another device that comprises a processing means. In a drive system, the controller or "drive unit" includes a processor which can receive and process information from the encoder. Primarily, an encoder operates as a feedback device to enable the drive unit to use the relative rotor and stator positions to determine the timing, phase and angle of current to be supplied to the stator windings. Encoders are not always mounted on rotor shafts in a predetermined manner and so there may be a 'commutation offset' angle between the actual zero position of a given encoder on a shaft and the zero position of the rotor with respect to the stator. For example, the commutation offset may be measured as the angle between the zero position of the encoder and the north pole of a magnet on the rotor.
Aspects and features of the present disclosure are set out in the appended claims.

Method and system for determining an offset between a detector and a point on a motor


A metering apparatus for metering a strip of film along a film transport path in a camera. The apparatus provides for the initial positioning, metering, and rewinding of the filmstrip. A movable metering member has at least one tooth adapted to engage a perforation disposed on the strip of film. A first and second tracking pin disposed on the metering member engages a first and second track, respectively, for slidable and pivotable movement therealong. A resilient member biases the metering member toward the film transport path.

A strip of film is incrementally advanced in a camera to position an unexposed frame relative to an exposure gate for exposure. The accurate advancement and registration of each frame relative to the exposure gate is critical to ensure correct frame-to-frame spacing and avoid an overlap of exposed images.
Various ways have been employed to meter a filmstrip. A common practice of achieving accurate metering is to utilize perforations disposed in the filmstrip, which can be detected to determine the correct positioning for a frame. A well-known conventional system uses a mechanical claw or pawl that detects a perforation corresponding to a next frame, and establishes registration for that frame when the perforation reaches a desired stopping point. Once registration is achieved, it is desirable to provide means to maintain the registration until the advancement of the filmstrip to the next frame so that the filmstrip does not creep out of alignment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,943 relates to a film tracking mechanism having a track and a tracking member moving in a cyclic manner to engage and advance a filmstrip. While such a film tracking mechanism may have achieved a certain degree of success in its particular application, a need continues to exist for a metering apparatus which provides for the thrusting (i.e., initial positioning) of the filmstrip, the metering of the filmstrip, and the rewinding of the filmstrip, without independent mechanisms being required for the retraction of the metering apparatus. Such a metering apparatus should be simple in design and provides for a reduction of the number of mechanical components required within a camera.


A hood for mounting a unidirectional lamp adjacent a window, such as a windshield, of an emergency vehicle and within a passenger compartment of the vehicle for directing light through the window. The lamp includes a housing having a forward portion defining an opening therein, a light source within the housing, and a lamp lens adjacent the forward portion of the housing and covering at least a portion of the opening for directing light from the light source through the opening. The hood comprising a hood body mountable adjacent the window having a rearward end defining a first open port dimensioned for receiving the forward portion of the housing, a forward end defining a second port opposite the first port, and a light pathway between the first and second ports for transmission of a beam of light from the light source through the body. A hood lens is within the body for optically altering the beam of light transmitted along the light pathway. The hood lens is moveable between an aligned position within the light pathway in which the beam of light being transmitted along the light pathway is transmitted therethrough and is optically altered thereby, and a nonaligned position in which the beam of light being transmitted along the light pathway is not transmitted through the hood lens.

This invention relates generally to lamp assemblies and, more particularly, to hoods for holding emergency warning lamps used in emergency vehicles.
Some lamps used in emergency vehicles are capable of operating in both a steady-burn mode and in a flashing mode. Such a lamp generally has a housing, a light source within the housing, a suitable reflector for reflecting light from the light source through an opening in the housing, and a lens covering the opening. The lamp may be releasably mounted to the dashboard of the emergency vehicle so that light from the lamp may be transmitted through the windshield. If the lamp is to be used as an emergency warning lamp, the lens will preferably be colored red, blue, or amber, and the user will generally operate the lamp in the flashing mode. If the lamp is to be used as a searchlight, the lens will preferably be clear so that the lamp transmits white light, and the user will generally operate the lamp in the steady-burn mode. A disadvantage of such lamp is that it cannot be readily switched from use as an emergency warning light (e.g., having a lens of a particular color and/or with refractive elements) to a searchlight (e.g., having a clear smooth lens). Thus, in operation, such lamp is generally used as a dedicated warning light or a dedicated searchlight.


A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, read circuit, program circuit, read voltage generating circuit, memory circuit and switching circuit. The read voltage generating circuit generates and supplies a read voltage to the read circuit. The memory circuit stores information which changes the temperature characteristic of a memory cell in the memory cell array. The switching circuit changes the temperature dependency of read voltage generated from the read voltage generating circuit based on information stored in the memory circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory and a data read method and more particularly to the technique for compensating for temperature dependency of a memory cell current.
2. Description of the Related Art
With increasing miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuit devices, the width and thickness of wirings are becoming smaller and the wiring resistance becoming higher. For example, in a semiconductor memory device, with increasing miniaturization of the wiring, the resistance of bit lines is made higher. Generally, a sense amplifier for sensing and amplifying data read from a memory cell is connected to the bit lines. In the data read operation, a memory cell current is set to "Cb1×ΔVb1/tb1" in a portion near the sense amplifier (that is, in a portion in which the resistance of the bit line is low) if it is required to change the potential of the bit line by ΔVb1 in a preset read period tb1 and the bit line capacitance is set to Cb1. On the other hand, since the resistance of the bit line becomes higher in the end portion of the bit line which is farthest apart from the sense amplifier, a larger memory cell current is required.
Therefore, the memory cell current varies according to the distance of a portion of the bit line from the sense amplifier (the distance from a sense point). If the memory cell current varies according to the distance from the sense point, the temperature characteristic of the memory cell is changed and the threshold voltage thereof fluctuates according to temperature variation. If the threshold voltage fluctuates, the distribution of the threshold voltages spreads and the data holding characteristic thereof is degraded (for example, refer to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-217287 and Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-011671).
Further, the semiconductor memory device will be further miniaturized in future, and it is predicted that the temperature characteristic of the memory cell varies and the threshold voltage fluctuates according to the difference in the etching rate due to the difference in the environment of the surroundings, aberration and distortion of the optical system of an exposure device caused by a difference in the pattern of peripheral portions such as regions in which the wirings are densely and coarsely arranged in a single chip or a difference in the position of a wafer, for example, the central portion or peripheral portion of the wafer in which chips of the semiconductor memory devices are formed.
Therefore, there occurs a possibility that the distribution of the threshold voltages will spread due to a difference in the position of the memory cells in the chip or a difference between the chips and the data holding characteristic is deteriorated.

Nonvolatile memory cell having current compensated for temperature dependency and data read method thereof


Estimating the spectral distribution of an object requires not only the time of image sensing by a multi-spectrum camera but also, in order to process all band information acquired, large amounts of memories for storing all the band information of all pixels, and the processing time for processing all the band information. In this invention, when the spectral distribution data of a total wavelength region is to be estimated from color data and a plurality of spectral distribution data different in wavelength region, the color data is acquired, and, on the basis of the configuration of spectral distribution data defined in accordance with the acquired color data, spectral distribution data necessary for the estimation is acquired. In this way, the spectral distribution data of the total wavelength region is estimated.

The method most often used in apparatuses which acquire spectral distribution data is to divide into bands a wavelength region (to be referred to as a "total wavelength region" hereinafter) to be measured such as a visible light region, acquire the spectral distribution information of each band, and acquire the spectral distribution information of the total wavelength region from the results.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a multi-spectrum camera 207 for acquiring spectral distribution data.
A plurality of filters having spectral characteristics different in wavelength are arranged along the periphery of a disk-like rotary filter 202 in order of band wavelength. Reflected light from an object to be sensed passes through an optical system 201 and through one filter on the rotary filter 202, and is decomposed into light indicative of band information. By rotating the rotary filter 202 placed before a CCD sensor 204 by a driving motor 203, filters facing this CCD sensor 204 are switched, and input light is decomposed into light indicating each set of band information (that is, the information for each band).
The intensity of the light indicating band information is converted into a digital signal value by the CCD sensor 204 and an A/D converter 205, and stored as data in units of pixels into a data storage unit 206.
Generally, the smaller the number of filters of the rotary filter 202, the shorter the processing time required for sampling and the higher the speed of image sensing. Therefore, the number of filters is minimized.
As indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 2, the spectral distribution data acquired by the multi-spectrum camera 207 is the information of each band decomposed by the corresponding filter. Hence, this data cannot be directly used as the spectral distribution data of the total wavelength region. Therefore, it is necessary to acquire the spectral distribution data of the total wavelength region by interpolating the information of each band. Note that the spectral distribution data of the total wavelength region will be called "multi-spectral distribution data", with respect to band information acquired by the multi-spectrum camera 207.
In this interpolation, as shown in FIG. 2, an intensity value corresponding to the intermediate wavelength of each band is defined as band information (indicated by ● in FIG. 2). These pieces of band information are connected by a curve (indicated by the broken line in FIG. 2) to obtain multi-spectral distribution data as the spectrum interpolation result. FIG. 2 shows the spectral characteristic acquired by the multi-spectrum camera 207 having six filters. In this case, multi-spectral distribution data must be estimated by using band information having six fixed filter characteristics.
Methods other than the above interpolation process are available by which the spectral distribution data of the total wavelength region is obtained by using band information. One method will be explained below.
A function for obtaining an output value at a wavelength λ of the spectral distribution data information of each decomposed band is defined as Ln(λ) where n=1, 2, . . . n corresponds to the information of each decomposed band. Spectral distribution data R(λ) of the total wavelength region is calculated as a linear sum at different wavelengths of Ln(λ) given by
                              R                                (            λ            )                          =                              ∑            λ                                          {                                          a1                ·                                  L1                                                        (                    λ                    )                                                              +                              a2                ·                                  L2                                                        (                    λ                    )                                                              +              …              +                              a                                                                                n                  ·                                      Ln                                                              (                      λ                      )                                                                                }                                              (        1        )
where a1, a2, . . . , an are arbitrary coefficients which can be different from one wavelength λ to another
In addition to the above method, methods represented by the KL expanding method are known by which the spectral distribution data of the total wavelength region is obtained from band information. Accordingly, an optimum method is properly used in accordance with, e.g., the characteristics of band information.
A technique which realizes perfect color matching between environments differing in environmental illuminating light, i.e., environments having illuminating lights different in spectral distribution is disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-172649. Since this technique uses spectral distribution data, it is necessary to acquire the multi-spectral distribution data of illuminating light by using the multi-spectrum camera 207 as shown in FIG. 1, i.e., to estimate the spectral distribution of illuminating light.
Estimating the spectral distribution requires not only the image sensing time of the multi-spectrum camera 207 but also, in order to process all band information acquired, large amounts of memories for storing all band information in units of pixels and working buffer memories. In addition, a processing time for processing all the band information is necessary.
Furthermore, to avoid errors produced by the interpolation process described above, it is necessary to use complicated interpolation and increase the number of band information. This increases the load (time) of image sensing and processing.

Image processing apparatus and method that use sample spectral distribution data selected based on color data from an object to estimate spectral distribution of a wavelength region


A semiconductor memory device comprising memory cells having stacked capacitors has a stacked structure formed by the selective removal of a polycrystalline silicon film (15; 20) and a silicon oxide film (18a; 18), employing the same mask (14). A field effect transistor connected to a stacked capacitor has a gate electrode (20) formed of the above described polycrystalline silicon film. This polycrystalline silicon film (20) is formed on the major surface of a semiconductor substrate. The above described silicon oxide film (18) as an upper layer insulating film formed on the gate electrode (20) has a residual stress not more than 10.sup.9 dyn/cm.sup.2. No notches occur in the polycrystalline silicon film (20) in the process of selectively removing the polycrystalline silicon film (15) and the silicon oxide film (18a) deposited thereon, employing the same mask (14), thereby not decreasing the operation speed of the field effect transistor having the gate electrode (20) formed of the polycrystalline silicon film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices and a manufacturing method thereof-, and more particularly to semiconductor devices each having a stacked structure formed by selectively removing a polycrystalline silicon film and a silicon oxide film, employing the same mask, and to a manufacturing method thereof. The present invention is particularly applicable to a dynamic type random access memory having memory cells of stacked capacitor structures.
2. Description of the Background Art
Since the present invention can attain the most desirable effect when applied to a dynamic type random access memory (hereinafter referred to as a DRAM) having memory cells of stacked capacitor structures, a DRAM having memory cells of the stacked capacitor structures will be described. The DRAM has been already well known. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating one example of the entire configuration of the conventional DRAM.
Referring to FIG. 3, the DRAM comprises a memory cell array 100 including a plurality of memory cells, which are of a storage portion, a row decoder 200 and a column decoder 300 connected to their respective address buffers selecting addresses of the memory cells, and an input/output interface portion including a sense amplifier connected to an input/output circuit. The plurality of memory cells being the storage portion are provided in a matrix of a plurality of rows and columns. Each of the memory cells is connected to a corresponding word line connected to the row decoder 200 and to a corresponding bit line connected to the column decoder 300, thereby constituting the memory cell array 100. A memory cell is selected by the respective one of the word lines and bit lines selected by the row decoder 200 and the column decoder 300 in response to a row address signal and a column address signal externally supplied. Data is written in the memory cell selected, and the data stored in the memory cell is read. Instructions of the data reading/writing are carried out by read/write control signals applied to a control circuit.
The data is stored in the memory cell array 100 of N (=n.times.m) bits. Address information of the memory cell in which read/write are carried out is stored in the row and column address buffers, and by selection of a particular word line by the row decoder 200 (selection of one from n word lines), m-bit memory cells are coupled to the sense amplifiers via the bit lines. Next, by selection of a particular bit line by the column decoder 300 (selection of one from m-bit lines), one of the sense amplifiers is coupled to the input/output circuit to carry out read or write according to the instructions of the control circuit.
FIG. 4 is an equivalent circuit diagram of one memory cell 10 of the DRAM illustrated for the description of write/read operations of the memory cells. According to this figure, the memory cell 10 comprises a field effect transistor Q and a capacitor Cs. The field effect transistor Q has a gate electrode connected to the word line 20, one source/drain electrode connected to one electrode of the capacitor Cs, and the other source/drain electrode connected to the bit line 30. In data writing, since the field effect transistor Q is rendered conductive when a prescribed voltage is applied to the word line 20, a charge applied to the bit line 30 is stored in the capacitor Cs. In data reading, the field effect transistor Q is rendered conductive when a prescribed voltage is applied to the word line 20, the charge stored in the capacitor Cs is taken out via the bit line 30.
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating a planar arrangement of a memory cell array portion of the DRAM of a folded bit line scheme. FIG. 5 illustrates four memory cells, and typically illustrates two of the memory cells respectively formed of two sets of field effect transistors and capacitors, Q1 and Cs1, Q2 and Cs2 which are formed on an operation region Al separated from the adjacent memory cells. The gate electrodes of the respective transistors Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 are connected to the word lines 20 corresponding to the respective memory cells. The bit lines 30 are formed on the word lines 20 to be insulated from and intersecting the word lines 20. The bit lines 30 are connected to the memory cells through contact holes C1, C2, C3. A cross section taken along the line VI--VI of FIG. 5 is illustrated in processing steps in the FIGS. 6A-6M. A method of manufacturing the DRAM having conventional stacked capacitors will now be described. The DRAM having the stacked capacitors is, for example, disclosed in IEDM Digest of Technical Papers (1978), pp. 348-351 by M. Koyanagi et al. Further, a manufacturing method thereof is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 63-44756.
First of all, referring to FIG. 6A, an underlying oxide film 12 is formed on a P type silicon substrate 1 such as by a thermal oxidation method. A nitride film 13 is formed on the underlying oxide film 12 such as by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method.
Next, referring to FIG. 6B, after a resist film is deposited on the nitride film 13, the nitride film 13 is selectively removed following a prescribed pattern. With the patterned nitride film 13 used as a mask, P type impurity ion, eg. boron ion is implanted into the P type silicon substrate 1 in a direction shown by arrows, at an acceleration voltage of approximately 10-200keV.
Furthermore, referring to FIG. 6C, by the thermal oxidation process performed with the nitride film 13 used as a mask, a field oxide film 4 for isolation is formed on the ion-implanted P type silicon substrate 1, and a P type impurity diffusion region 5 for channel stopper is formed beneath the field oxide film 4 for isolation by thermal diffusion of the implanted P type impurity ion.
Referring to FIG. 6D, the nitride film 13 and underlying oxide film 12 are then removed by etching.
As shown in FIG. 6E, an insulating film 17a made of an oxide film is formed by thermal oxidation, for example.
As shown in FIG. 6F, a polysilicon film 15 is deposited on the entire surface such as by the chemical vapor deposition method. Further, by employing SiH.sub.4, N.sub.2 O as a raw gas, a silicon oxide film 18a as an upper layer insulating film is deposited on the polysilicon film 15 at a temperature of 850.degree. C. by the chemical vapor deposition method. The silicon oxide film deposited by this method is called a high temperature oxide film (an HTO film).
As shown in FIG. 6G, a resist film 14 is then formed on the silicon oxide film 18a according to the prescribed pattern.
Referring to FIG. 6H, with the resist film 14 used as a mask, the silicon oxide film 18a, which is a high temperature oxide film is removed, such as by dry etching employing an etching gas including a CHF.sub.3 gas as its principal material, and the polysilicon film 15 is removed by dry etching employing an etching gas including CCl.sub.4 gas as its principal material. As described above, an upper layer insulating film 18 and a word line 20 as a gate electrode are formed. However, notches 20a are formed in the lower part of the word line 20 by the above described etching.
The resist film 14 is then removed as shown in FIG. 6I.
As shown in FIG. 6J, N type impurity diffusion regions 61a, 62a of low concentration are formed by implantation of N type impurity ion with the word line used as mask, and thereafter, a sidewall insulating film 19 is formed on the sidewall of the word line 20. N type impurity diffusion regions 61b, 62b of high concentration are formed by implantation of the N type impurity ion again, with the word line 20 and sidewall insulating film 19 used as masks. An N channel type MOS transistor having a LDD structure is formed as described above. That is, N type impurity diffusion regions 61, 62 are formed which are constituted by the N type impurity diffusion regions 61a, 62a of low concentration and the N type impurity diffusion regions 61b, 62b of high concentration to be source/drain regions.
Next, referring to FIG. 6K, a storage node 8 made of a conductive material such as polysilicon is selectively formed to connect with each of the N channel type MOS transistors.
Referring to FIG. 6L, a capacitor dielectric film 11 made of a silicon oxide film, a nitride film etc. is formed on the storage node 8. A cell plate 9 made of a conductive material such as polysilicon is formed on the capacitor dielectric film 11. As mentioned above, a stacked capacitor constituted by the storage node 8, the capacitor dielectric film 11 and the cell plate 9 is formed to connect with one N type impurity diffusion region 61 of the N channel MOS transistor.
Finally, as shown in FIG. 6M, after an interlayer insulating film 21 made of such as an oxide film, a contact hole C is made to connect with the other N type impurity diffusion region 62 of the N channel type MOS transistor. A bit line 30 made of such as an aluminum layer is formed to connect with the N type impurity diffusion region 62 through this contact hole C.
The DRAM having memory cells of the stacked capacitor structures is formed as described heretofore.
In the DRAM having memory cells of the conventional stacked capacitor structures, when the word line as a gate electrode and the upper layer insulating film formed thereon are selectively removed by employing the same mask, portions of the lower part of the word line are cut out to form notches therein. There is a problem that as the notches exist in the word line as a gate electrode, channel resistance increases in the operation of the MOS transistor. This results from the fact that since no impurity diffusion region is formed in a region directly beneath the notches formed in the lower part of the gate electrode, the region becomes a high resistance portion in the operation of the transistor, so that an inversion layer is hard to be formed. Therefore, there is a problem of decreased operation speed in the MOS transistor.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a stacked structure formed of polycrystalline silicon film and silicon oxide film


A method and system for providing a representative phrase corresponding to a real time (current time) popular keyword. The method and system may extend a representative criterion word, determined by analyzing morphemes of words in documents grouped into a cluster, and may combine the extended representative criterion word and the popular keyword, thereby providing the representative phrases. The method and system may display the popular keyword and the representative phrases on a web page, or the like.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and system for providing a representative phrase with respect to a real time popular keyword, and more particularly, to a keyword that may be displayed as a real time keyword on a web page.
2. Discussion of the Background
A popular keyword may be displayed on web pages that provide a keyword search. Popular keywords are words that were searched for or inputted into a keyword search that have rapidly risen in popularity in real time (current time). A selected popular keyword and a ranking of the popular keyword may be displayed on a web page. The popular keyword displayed on a web page may, for example, be names of celebrities, or names of international or domestic organizations, etc.
If a user desires to know the content a popular keyword may include, the user may select a predetermined popular keyword by clicking the popular keyword using a mouse, etc. and an article, a document, etc. associated with the selected popular keyword may be displayed on the web page.
It may be inconvenient for a user to select a popular keyword, and read the multiple documents associated with the selected popular keyword if the user desires to know a brief outline of the contents of the documents, such as a reason why the popular keyword is popular, etc.
There is a need for a method that may provide the reason for why a word is a popular keyword in real time without a phased selection of a popular keyword and the documents associated with the popular keyword.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form any part of the prior art.

Method and system for providing representative phrase