An integrated circuit (IC) that includes multiple clock domains is provided. Each clock domain operates at a user specified data rate, and the data rates of at least two of the clock domains are related by a common base clock. The specified data rate of each clock domain is controlled by a modulating signal. Each clock domain includes reconfigurable circuits that operate on the common base clock, and the modulating signal controls the data rate of the clock domain by modulating reconfiguration of the reconfigurable circuits. The reconfigurable circuits reconfigure when the modulating signal enables the reconfiguration.

Modern integrated circuit (IC) designs often require the design to be implemented with different clock domains. The circuits in these different clock domains often operate at unique clock frequencies in order to fulfill the different data rate requirements. Modern IC designs also often require signals to travel from one clock domain to another clock domain. While it is possible to send signals across different clock domains asynchronously, i.e., assuming the clocks driving the different clock domains are not related in any particular way, it is often not desirable to do so because asynchronous interface requires specialized circuitry that cannot be easily and predictably verified. Synchronous data transfer between clock domains on the other hand can be easily and predictably verified and does require specialized circuitry. It is almost always preferable to design synchronous domain crossings whenever possible.
In order for signals to successfully cross from one domain to another domain based on predicable, synchronous timing relationships, the two clocks driving the two domains must be related to a common base clock. Conventional approach to creating related clocks involves using either phase lock loops (PLLs) or clock dividers. FIG. 1A-B illustrates signals crossing different clock domains in an IC 100 that operate on related clocks. FIG. 1A illustrates related clocks (clock 1 and clock 2 driving clock domains 1 and 2, respectively) that come from different PLLs. Based on the reference clock, PLL 121 produces clock 1 and PLL 122 produces clock 2. Clock 1 directly drives the circuits (e.g., registers/flip-flops) in clock domain 1 while clock 2 directly drives the circuits in clock domain 2. In this instance, clocks 1 and 2 are related because the PLLs 121 and 122 are both operating off the same reference clock 105. Some ICs have PLLs capable of producing multiple, different outputs from a same reference clock. The different outputs of one of these PLLs are also related.
FIG. 1B illustrates related clocks that come from different clock dividers. The clock divider 171 produces clock 1 as a divided clock of the base clock 150, while the clock divider 172 produces clock 2 as a divided clock of the same base clock 150. In this instance, clocks 1 and 2 are related because the clock dividers are operating on a same base clock 150.
Though the different clock domains in FIGS. 1A and 1B are able to communicate synchronously, they are not in a same clock distribution network that is balanced to minimized skew. As a result, the clock skew between clock 1 and clock 2 will be appreciable. The skew between clock 1 and clock 2 makes the timing relationship between the two clock domains less predictable. The skew also limits the clock rates that the circuits in the two clock domains can operate on.
Therefore, there is a need for an IC in which related clock domains can synchronously communicate with each other by utilizing clocks from the same clock distribution network.


A fuel tank and a method for producing a fuel tank for a motor vehicle. The fuel tank is designed as a blow-molded hollow plastic member, into the interior of which a functional component support is introduced. The support, to which functional components, such as a fuel pump, a level indicator or valves can be secured, includes at least one supporting leg to be supported on an inner face of the hollow plastic member delimiting the interior thereof. The supporting leg of the functional component support is designed to include a connection point to which a functional component can be connected.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fuel tank for a motor vehicle and to a method for producing such a fuel tank.
Description of the Background Art
According to conventional practice, such fuel tanks can be produced from a thermoplastic resin, for example by extrusion blow molding or by welding injection-molded half-shells made of thermoplastic resin. In the interior of such a fuel tank, functional components of the fuel system can be accommodated, as a result of which the space requirement outside the fuel tank is reduced and, in addition, the number of required tank openings is reduced, which is advantageous with regard to emissions from the fuel tank.
DE 102 60 953 A1, which corresponds to US 2004/0129708, and which discloses a generic fuel tank which is designed as a blow-molded hollow plastic member, into the interior of which a functional component support is inserted. Various functional components, such as a fuel pump, a level indicator or valves, can be attached to the functional component support. In addition, the functional component support has supporting legs, by means of which the carrier is supported on opposite sides on the inside of the fuel tank.
In the production of the fuel tank, the functional component support is first fitted with the functional components by forming a pre-assembly unit, which is separate from the fuel tank. The assembled functional component support is then inserted into the interior of a tubular fuel tank preform made of thermoplastic resin. Subsequently, a blow molding process takes place, in which the preform is expanded to its final outer contour in a blow molding tool using blown air and application of heat. During the blow molding process, the functional component support is also welded or glued to the inside of the fuel tank in the region of its supporting legs. Accordingly, at least the supporting legs of the functional component support are made of a plastic material which is compatible with the plastic material of the fuel tank with regard to weldability.
The precisely positioned arrangement of the functional components in the interior of the fuel tank is of great importance in order to ensure the functional reliability of the fuel tank even in extreme driving situations, such as an extreme curve position or an extreme acceleration. The functional component support must therefore be rigidly connected to the plastic container by means of the supporting legs so as to ensure a torsion-proof, tilt-proof and non-slip positioning in the fuel tank.
As mentioned above, the functional component support is manufactured in common practice from a thermoplastic resin with a comparatively low material thickness. The functional component support is thus designed to be elastically compliant (i.e., with low inherent stiffness), so that overall a relatively compliant arrangement of the functional component support is achieved, which can be disadvantageous with regard to a secure positioning of the functional components.


A thermoplastic vehicle trim or molding member includes a preferably elongated slot or cavity in one side. A stud or mounting member having an elongated base is inserted into the cavity, heated and rotated such that the elongated portions of the base locally melt, traverse through, and embed themselves into, the surrounding thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic is allowed to cool to form a secure, interlocking attachment to the molding member.

The invention relates generally to the attachment of one member to another member and more particularly, in the preferred embodiment, to the attachment of a metallic stud or mounting member to a thermoplastic body.
It is frequently desirable to attach a mounting member, such as a threaded fastener for example, to one side of a thermoplastic member such as a vehicle trim or molding member. Frequently such studs or mounting members are molded into a thermoplastic member when the thermoplastic material is formed in a die apparatus. Although generally effective, such a method is costly and necessitates the accurate positioning of the mounting member at the time that the thermoplastic member is manufactured. Thus, once the thermoplastic member is formed, the position of the mounting member is fixed and the assembly may only be used in applications where the location of the mounting points coincide with the fixed positions of the previously molded-in mounting members.
According to the present invention, a mounting member may be secured to a thermoplastic member after the thermoplastic member is formed. A slot or other cavity is cut or otherwise formed in the thermoplastic member at the desired location of attachment of a mounting member. The mounting member includes an elongated, laterally-protruding base portion preferably at one of its ends. The base portion is inserted into the slot or cavity in a non-interfering relationship with the thermoplastic member. The base portion is heated either before or after being inserted into the cavity and rotated or otherwise moved so that its elongated portion locally melts and embeds itself into the thermoplastic material surrounding the slot or cavity. The melted material is cooled and allowed to harden and reform around the base portion in order to form an interlocking engagement between the mounting member and the thermoplastic member.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Stud attachment method for vehicle molding


A method for fabricating an exposure mask includes steps of: forming a layered body comprising a substrate, a membrane transparent to an X-ray and provided on the upper major surface of the substrate, and an X-ray absorbing film provided on the membrane; adhering a support ring on a lower major surface of the substrate; carrying out etching on an area on the lower major surface of the substrate until a lower major surface of the membrane is exposed, the area corresponding to an inside of the support ring block; and patterning the X-ray absorbing film into a desired semiconductor pattern. The step of adhering the substrate to the support ring includes steps of placing an adhesive layer between a lower major surface of the layered body and the upper major surface of the support ring; and adhering the layered body to the support ring by applying a gas pressure on an upper major surface of the layered body so that the layered body is pressed via the adhesive layer against the support ring and adhered thereto by the adhesive layer.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for fabricating an exposure mask, such as an X-ray exposure mask, which is used for manufacturing semiconductor devices; and more particularly to a method for fabricating an exposure mask which includes a step of adhering a substrate to a supporting block.
(2) Description of Related Art
FIG. 1A is an end view showing an X-ray exposure mask, FIG. 1B is a top view showing the X-ray exposure mask, and FIGS. 2A-2E illustrate a conventional method for fabricating the X-ray exposure mask.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, an X-ray mask 1 has a reinforcement block 2 (a supporting block), a silicon ring 3, a membrane 4 that is transparent to X-rays, and an X-ray absorbing pattern 5. The reinforcement block 2 serves for mechanically reinforcing the X-ray mask 1. The reinforcement block 2 may be made of SiC. The reinforcement block 2 is ring-shaped. The silicon ring 3 is adhered to an upper main surface of the reinforcement block 2 by an adhesive 6. The membrane 4 which is made, for example, of SiC, is provided on the silicon ring 3. The X-ray absorbing pattern 5 which is made, for example, of Ta, is formed on the membrane 4. The X-ray pattern 5 is patterned according to the desired semiconductor pattern as usual.
The X-ray mask 1 having the above structure is formed in accordance with a process shown in FIGS. 2A-2E.
In the step of FIG. 2A, the membrane 4 is deposited on an upper major surface of a silicon wafer 7 by a CVD process. The membrane 4 is made, for example, of Sic as already noted. Then an X-ray absorbing film 8 which is made, for example, of Ta is deposited on the membrane 4 by sputtering.
In the step of FIG. 2B, the adhesive 6 which is a sheet-shaped thermosetting adhesive is provided on the reinforcement block 2, and a layered body 107 shown in FIG. 2A is placed on the adhesive 6 so that the adhesive 6 is sandwiched between the reinforcement ring block 2 and the silicon wafer 7.
In the step of FIG. 2C, a structure formed of the reinforcement block 2, the adhesive 6, the silicon wafer 7, the membrane 4, and the X-ray absorbing film 8, shown in FIG. 2B, is set in a concave part 11 of a heater plate 10 which contains a heater 9 therein. Then, a pressure device 12 is brought into contact with a fringe area on the upper major surface of the X-ray absorbing film 8 directly or via sheet of soft material such that the pressure device 12 presses the stacked structure against the heater plate 10 for a predetermined time (e.g. 5 min.). That is, the silicon wafer 7 is pressed via the adhesive 6 to the upper major surface of the reinforcement block 2. During this process, electric power is supplied to the heater 9 so that the adhesive 6 is heated at its curing temperature (e.g. 180.degree. C.). As a result, the silicon wafer 7 is firmly adhered to the upper major surface of the reinforcement block 2 by the adhesive 6.
In the step of FIG. 2D, an etching process is carried out on a lower surface of the silicon wafer 7 until a lower surface of the membrane 4 is exposed, so that the silicon ring 3 is formed from the silicon wafer 7.
In the step of FIG. 2E, an etching process is carried out on the X-ray absorbing film 8 so that the X-ray absorbing pattern 5 is formed on the membrane 4.
In accordance with the above process, the X-ray exposure mask shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is formed. The above X-ray absorbing pattern 5 can be also formed on the membrane 4 before the silicon wafer 7 is adhered to the reinforcement block 2.
In the above conventional method for fabricating the X-ray exposure mask, the pressure device 12 is employed in direct contact with the layered body 107 including the silicon wafer 7 to press the layered body 107 against the reinforcement block 2 when the layered body 107 is adhered to the reinforcement block 2 (the supporting block) by the adhesive 6. Thereby, there is a risk that unwanted dust particles present on the pressure device 12 may be transferred to a surface of the X-ray absorbing film 8. When such dust particles exist on the surface of the X-ray absorbing film 8, there is a substantial risk that the mask pattern may be damaged upon the proximity exposure process that is conducted by using the mask. Once present, it is difficult to remove these particles from the surface of the X-ray absorbing film 8 (the X-ray absorbing pattern 5) by washing.

Method for fabricating an exposure mask including a step for adhering mask body substrate to a supporting block


A first wireless communication device stores identification display information representing at least one other wireless communication device in a memory, and a second wireless communication device controls a display unit of the second wireless communication device to display information based on the identification display information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless communication system and method for connecting a wireless-communication host device to a wireless-communication slave device after authenticating the slave device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless network or Bluetooth as a short range wireless system have been introduced to the market and used in homes and offices thanks to usability, mobility, and flexibility.
In addition, as a wireless networks, there are ad hoc wireless networks and infrastructure wireless networks. In the ad hoc wireless network, peer wireless devices, such as a wireless PC, a tablet, a wireless printer, or a personal digital assistant (PDA), communicate directly with each other without going through a wireless access point (AP). On the other hand, in an infrastructure wireless network, plural wireless terminals on the wireless network can communicate with each other through a wireless access point.
Further, in the ad hoc wireless network and the infrastructure wireless network, a technique of encrypting wireless communication data such as Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) authentication key has been adopted.
In communications between personal computers (PC), a method of transferring setting parameters of a local area network between PCs using a removable storage medium, such as a floppy disk, has been known.
In recent years, a USB flash memory in which a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector is attached to a storage as a flash memory, has been used as an alternative to the floppy disk. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-248534 discusses a device capable of indicating a communication state with light emitted by a light emitting diode (LED) added to a USB flash memory.
The wireless network should secure an encrypted wireless communication path between wireless devices communicating with each other. Therefore, it is necessary to set a network name that specifies a wireless network, or identification information (so-called Extended Service Set Identifier SSID)) and set a WEP key as an encryption key at each wireless terminal. In some wireless networks, an encryption scheme should be set as well. Such a setup is not easy for a general user, which may hinder safe, widespread use of the wireless network.

Wireless communication system and method


An angular position measurement system including a rotatable mechanism, a potentiometer coupled to the rotatable mechanism and adapted to produce a first output signal indicative of the angular position thereof; a graduated element retaining a plurality of annularly distributed graduations representing different angular positions of the rotatable mechanism, and a detector for producing second output signals in response to alignment thereof with any of the graduations. Also included is a drive for producing relative movement between the graduated element and the detector in response to rotation of the rotatable mechanism so as to render the second output signal indicative of an angular position of the rotatable mechanism and a comparator for comparing the angular positions indicated by the first and second output signals.

This invention relates generally to angular position measurement apparatus and, more particularly, to a system for automatically calibrating a potentiometer controlled angular position control device.
A well known angular position control mechanism employs signals obtained from potentiometers as position-sensing means. In a typical system a turntable base is driven by a cable means attached to a winch and a potentiometer is coupled to the winch. The potentiometer senses the angular position of the winch(and thus the turntable position), and produces a signal that is fed into a control device, servomechanism that controls angular position of the turntable.
A potentiometer sensing arrangement is inexpensive to produce, engineer, manufacture and maintain because of readily available, low-cost potentiometers and conventional signal processing schemes. A drawback of this arrangement, however, stems from an inherent characteristic of potentiometers. As the system is used, the potentiometers wear physically and the signal output from them deviates from an original, factory signal output. This wear leads to drift in the rotary positioning of the turntable and requires routine recalibration. An example of a potentiometer controlled system of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,044.
Other known systems employ optical encoders to measure and control angular position. For instance, an encoder disc having slots cut into its rim at predetermined intervals may be mounted on a turntable base and used to control rotary motion thereof. Each slot represents a unique turntable rotary position. An optical encoder aimed at the edge of the disc may be used to detect these slots. In the simplest incarnation of a device of this type, a software counter can merely count the number of slots on the position disc detected by the optical encoder as a drive motor moves the turntable through its rotary movement. If the turntable starts its movement at a known "home" position, the software counter may be set to zero and the number of counts obtained by the counter will thus be indicative of the angular position of the turntable. An example of an optical encoder controlled system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,157.
Optical encoder systems, however, also have limitations. To sense position at a high degree of accuracy, the slots cut into the disc must be placed very close together. This is so because the number of rotary positions the system can detect is exactly equal to the number of slots, or "indices", on the position disc. In addition, the number of possible slots on the disc is physically restricted to a finite number, limiting the positional resolution of the system.
The above described limitations of optical encoder systems can be overcome to a degree by using more than one locating disc on the turntable. For example, an assembly of concentric discs (each having a plurality of graduated slots located at the periphery) can be mounted in a stacked fashion on the turntable base. Each disc has an optical encoder aimed at the edge to detect its slots. By varying such details as the arrangement of the slots on each disc and the number of discs used, a unique and less finite arrangement of index readings from all encoders reporting to the controlling device can be created. The result is that when the turntable is commanded to travel to a particular location, it will be sent to a locating disc "address" which is based on the combination of zeros and ones read from the optical encoders aimed at each locating disc.
Although arrangements of this type have benefits because of the use of the accurate optical encoders, they are expensive to manufacture because of the use of the encoders. Also, the controlled turntable using multiple locating discs requires more engineering and material and is thus also expensive to manufacture.
The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an improved angular position measurement and control apparatus.


There is provided a process for the selective combustion of hydrogen using a membrane structure containing metal oxides, such as bismuth oxide, that can selectively oxidize hydrogen in the presence of hydrocarbons by virtue of their lattice oxygen. A hydrocarbon/hydrogen containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas, such as air, are passed on separate sides of the membrane. The lattice oxygen is continuously being replenished by air oxidation. The selective hydrogen combustion reactor can be used in dehydrogenation processes as an interstage heater and as a hydrogen scavenger for olefin yield maximization.

There is provided a selective hydrogen combustion reactor and processes for using the same. There is further provided a process for the net catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes to produce alkenes. The process involves simultaneous equilibrium dehydrogenation of alkanes to alkenes and selective combustion of the hydrogen formed to drive the equilibrium dehydrogenation reaction further to the product alkenes.
Developments in zeolite catalysts and hydrocarbon conversion processes have created interest in utilizing light aliphatic feedstocks for producing C.sub.5 + gasoline, diesel fuel, etc. In addition to chemical reactions promoted by medium-pore zeolite catalysts, a number of discoveries have contributed to the development of new industrial processes. These are safe, environmentally acceptable processes for utilizing aliphatic feedstocks. Conversions of C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 alkenes and alkanes to produce aromatics-rich liquid hydrocarbon products were found by Cattanach (U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,024) and Yan et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,150) to be effective processes using the zeolite catalysts. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,960,978 and 4,021,502, Plank, Rosinski and Givens disclose conversion of C.sub.2 -C.sub.5 olefins, alone or in admixture with paraffinic components, into higher hydrocarbons over crystalline zeolites having controlled acidity. Garwood et al. have also contributed to the understanding of catalytic olefin upgrading techniques and improved processes as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,150,062; 4,211,640; and 4,227,992. The above-identified disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.
Catalytic dehydrogenation and aromatization of light paraffinic streams, e.g., C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 paraffins, commonly referred to as LPG, is strongly endothermic and typically carried out at temperatures between 540.degree. and 820.degree. C. (1000.degree. and 1500.degree. F.), the problem of transferring sufficient heat to a catalytic reaction zone to carry out the paraffin upgrading reaction remains as a serious challenge to commercialization of these processes.
Dehydrogenation of paraffins to olefins has recently generated increasing interest as the market value of olefinic intermediate feedstocks continues to rise. Light olefins, particularly C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 olefins, enjoy strong demand as building blocks for a wide range of valuable end products including fuels and specialized lubricants as well as thermoplastics.
Methods for supplying heat to an endothermic reaction zone include indirect heat exchange as well as direct heat exchange. Indirect heat exchange is exemplified by a multi-bed reactor with inter-bed heating or a fluid bed reactor with heat exchange coils positioned within the catalyst bed. Direct heat exchange techniques include circulation of inert or catalytically active particles from a high temperature heat source to the reaction zone, or the coupling of a secondary exothermic reaction with the primary endothermic reaction in a single catalytic reaction zone. Examples of such secondary exothermic reactions include (1) oxidative dehydrogenation of a portion of the feedstream, (2) sacrificial co-combustion of a part of the alkane/alkene mixture, and (3) combustion of carbonized species (e.g., coke) on the catalyst.
Currently known techniques for oxidative dehydrogenation are unfortunately not selective enough to achieve sufficiently high levels to allow for commercial practice and at least a part of the valuable product is over-oxidized, usually to the waste products, CO, CO.sub.2, and H.sub.2 O.
Examples of such sacrificial co-combustion processes include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,136,713 to Miale et al. which teaches a method for heating a reaction zone by selectively burning a portion of a combustible feedstream in a reaction zone. Heat is directly transferred from the exothermic oxidation reaction to supply the endothermic heat for the desired conversion reaction.
A process for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,032 to Mazzocchia et al.
Heat balanced reactions are also taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,254,023 and 3,267,023 to Miale et al. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,150 to Yan and Zahner teaches a heat balanced process for the aromatization of hydrocarbon streams by combining the exothermic aromatization of light olefins with the endothermic aromatization of saturated hydrocarbons in the presence of a medium-pore zeolite catalyst.
Turning now to chemical reaction thermodynamics, it is well recognized that the extent of reaction may be increased by removing reaction products from contact with the reactants as the reaction products are formed. This principle finds application in U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,500 to Setzer et al. which teaches a process for reforming hydrocarbon feedstocks and withdrawing the hydrogen product from contact with the feedstock driving the equilibrium to favor increased hydrogen production. Articles by Shu et al. and by Ziaka et al. teach that the extent of reaction for equilibrium dehydrogenation reactions may be further driven to product olefin by the concomitant removal of the hydrogen formed with hydrogen selective membranes. The article by Shu et al. appears in the Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 69, 1036-1060 (1991); and the article by Ziaka et al. entitled "A High Temperature Catalytic Membrane Reactor for Propane Dehydrogenation" appears in the Journal of Membrane Science, 77, 221-232 (1993).
Similarly, British Patent Application GB 2190397A describes a process for producing aromatic hydrocarbons by catalytic paraffin dehydrocyclodimerization. The process upgrades C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 paraffins, i.e., ethane, propane, butane or a mixture thereof to a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons and hydrogen by-product in a reactor provided with a membrane capable of selective, in-situ transfer of at least a portion of the hydrogen in the mixture across the membrane. Catalysts useful in the paraffin upgrading process are said to include zeolites, and in particular gallium-containing zeolites.
It is believed that the paraffin dehydrogenation reaction is equilibrium limited when carried out in a conventional reactor due to the thermodynamics of equilibrium dehydrogenation. For example, at 550.degree. C. the equilibrium propylene from propane dehydrogenation, irrespective of catalyst, is limited to 33%. Thus, the state of the art of endothermic hydrogen-producing paraffin upgrading processes would clearly be advanced by a process and apparatus for increasing the extent of reaction while also providing a high temperature heat source to supply at least a portion of the endothermic heat of reaction.


A developing device includes a developing member including a magnet member on which plural magnetic poles including a developing main magnetic pole are magnetized in a circumferential direction and a developer holder that faces an image supporting member, receives the magnet member, and holds a developer, wherein a distribution of a magnetic attraction force in a circumferential direction has a gradient that increases toward a downstream end from an upstream end of a developing area in a developer transport direction of the developer holder, and the magnetic poles are magnetized on the magnet member so that the amount of the increase of the magnetic attraction force between the upstream end and a middle position of the developing area is larger than that between the middle position and the downstream end.

(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a developing device and an image forming apparatus.
(ii) Related Art
A two-component developer, which includes toner and a magnetic carrier, is often used in an image forming apparatus that forms a visible image by transferring toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on an image supporting member.
Such a two-component developer is magnetically adsorbed on the peripheral surface of a roll-shaped developing member of a developing device, that is, a developing roll, and is transported to a position facing the image supporting member. Further, toner is transferred to an electrostatic latent image, which is formed on the image supporting member, in an electric field that is formed by applying a developing bias voltage between the image supporting member and the developing roll. As a result, a visible image is formed.

Developing device and image forming apparatus having magnetic poles to control the distribution of a magnetic attraction force


A method and apparatus for balancing a statically unbalanced system, particularly useful in balancing X-ray and mammography systems having an X-ray source and detector mounted to a rotational arm, includes a linear actuator coupled to a drive mechanism which synchronizes the activation of the linear actuator with the rotation of the arm of the mammography system. The drive mechanism can include intermeshed gears, wheels or gears coupled together with a chain or belt, or other types of synchronizing drives. The balancing mechanism reduces the amount of force necessary to rotate the arm and decreases the overall weight of the system by eliminating the need for counterweights to maintain balance of the system.

In a number of clinical applications, X-ray apparatuses which include an X-ray source and X-ray detector mounted to a rotational arm are common. These systems provide the ability to rotate the X-ray source and detector to varying angles to obtain images without requiring the patient to move. A mammography system, for example, typically comprises an X-ray source, an X-ray detector, a breast support plate, and a breast compression plate. The source and detector are mounted to opposing ends of an arm, such as a C-arm, and the arm is disposed to rotate around the breast support and compression plates. The breast is positioned between the breast support and breast compression plates to hold the breast in place during mammography, and is arranged between the source and the receiver on the opposing ends of the C-arm. During mammography, the C-arm is rotated about the breast plates such that images of the breasts are acquired from varying angles.
For construction reasons, and due to the varying weights of the components, the center of mass of the rotatable C-arm is typically spaced apart from the axis of rotation, and is therefore "unbalanced" about the axis of lateral rotation. In an unbalanced system, a significant torsional force must be applied to rotate the arm to a desired position. It is desirable, however, to reduce the amount of force required to rotate the arm, to simplify use of the equipment for medical personnel.
To balance the system, counterweights are typically used to provide a counteractive torsional force. While counterweights significantly reduce the torsional force that must be applied when rotating the arm, they add significantly to both the weight and cost of the system. Furthermore, the counterweights make it very difficult to move the mammography system from place to place when desired. It is desirable, therefore, to provide alternate methods for balancing a mammography or other imaging system comprising an arm in which the torsional force required for rotation is reduced.

Method and apparatus for balancing a statically unbalanced arm in an X-ray system

General Electric Company Medical Systems Group


Embodiments are directed to restricting access to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag information based on location. Access to RFID tag information may be restricted at the reader level, at the requester level, and at the network level. When reader-level restrictions exist, devices may be prevented from inventorying tags and retrieving information from tags. When requester-level restrictions exist, a requester or device may be prevented from receiving tag information from inventoried tags or a network. When network-level restrictions exist, a network may discard or otherwise restrict tag information received from devices.

Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) systems typically include RFID readers, also known as RFID reader/writers or RFID interrogators, and RFID tags. RFID systems can be used in many ways for locating and identifying objects to which the tags are attached. RFID systems are useful in product-related and service-related industries for tracking objects being processed, inventoried, or handled. In such cases, an RFID tag is usually attached to an individual item, or to its package.
In principle, RFID techniques entail using an RFID reader to inventory one or more RFID tags, where inventorying involves at least singulating a tag and receiving an identifier from the singulated tag. "Singulated" is defined as a reader singling-out one tag, potentially from among multiple tags, for a reader-tag dialog. "Identifier" is defined as a number identifying the tag or the item to which the tag is attached, such as a tag identifier (TID), electronic product code (EPC), etc. The reader transmitting a Radio-Frequency (RF) wave performs the interrogation. The RF wave is typically electromagnetic, at least in the far field. The RF wave can also be predominantly electric or magnetic in the near or transitional near field. The RF wave may encode one or more commands that instruct the tags to perform one or more actions.
In typical RFID systems, an RFID reader transmits a modulated RF inventory signal (a command), receives a tag reply, and transmits an RF acknowledgement signal responsive to the tag reply. A tag that senses the interrogating RF wave may respond by transmitting back another RF wave. The tag either generates the transmitted back RF wave originally, or by reflecting back a portion of the interrogating RF wave in a process known as backscatter. Backscatter may take place in a number of ways.
The reflected-back RF wave may encode data stored in the tag, such as a number. The response is demodulated and decoded by the reader, which thereby identifies, counts, or otherwise interacts with the associated item. The decoded data can denote a serial number, a price, a date, a time, a destination, an encrypted message, an electronic signature, other attribute(s), any combination of attributes, and so on. Accordingly, when a reader receives tag data it can learn about the item that hosts the tag and/or about the tag itself.
An RFID tag typically includes an antenna section, a radio section, a power-management section, and frequently a logical section, a memory, or both. In some RFID tags the power-management section included an energy storage device such as a battery. RFID tags with an energy storage device are known as battery-assisted, semi-active, or active tags. Other RFID tags can be powered solely by the RF signal they receive. Such RFID tags do not include an energy storage device and are called passive tags. Of course, even passive tags typically include temporary energy- and data/flag-storage elements such as capacitors or inductors.
As Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) applications become more mainstream, RFID tags and readers will become more widespread. Currently, many consumer portable devices such as smartphones already include near field communication (NFC) devices, operable to communicate with other NFC devices and tags over relatively short range (e.g., less than or equal to about 10 cm). Commercial handheld RFID readers with relatively long range (e.g., greater than about 10 cm) are also common, used primarily for inventorying applications in retail and wholesale settings. It is likely that future consumer portable devices will also implement long-range RFID reader capability. However, increases in the number of portable long-range RFID reader devices will be accompanied by concerns about interference and privacy.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Location-based access to RFID tag information


A mesh chair back includes a loop-shaped frame, an elastic mesh part, a waist support unit, and a smooth separating plate; the loop-shaped frame has left and right upright portions; the elastic mesh part is positioned over and secured on the loop-shaped frame; the waist support unit is arranged behind the elastic mesh part, and connected to the left and the right upright portions of the loop-shaped frame at two ends in an up and down displaceable manner; the smooth separating plate is positioned between the mesh part and the waist support unit for preventing the waist support unit from rubbing and causing wear to the mesh part while the waist support unit is being adjusted in height; the waist support unit props the separating plate and the mesh part forwards such that the separating plate and the mesh part each has a forwards protruding portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mesh back of a chair, more particularly one, which has a smooth separating plate positioned between an elastic mesh part and an adjustable waist support unit thereof for preventing the waist support unit from rubbing and causing wear to the mesh part while the waist support unit is being adjusted in height.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Chair backs are usually made by means of wrapping leather or cloth around wooden or plastic main bodies thereof. Such chair backs are likely to make the sitters feel hot and uncomfortable at their backs, especially in summer, because air cannot travel through them. Another chair back is provided, which is comprised of a loop-shaped frame, and a mesh, which has large elasticity, and which is positioned over and secured to the frame. Such mesh back of a chair allows air to travel through it therefore sitters won't feel uncomfortably hot at their backs even if they have been sitting on the chair for a long time in summer. However, one is prone to have sore waist and painful back after having been seated in the chair for a long period of time because the mesh of such chair back can't support their backs in a proper position effectively.
To overcome the above disadvantages, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an improvement 10 on a chair is provided, of which the back includes a mesh 1, a loop-shaped frame 11, and a waist support 2 connected to the frame 11. The mesh 1 is positioned over and securely connected to the frame 11. The loop-shaped frame 11 has two vertical slots 111 at left ad right upright portions thereof, and two stick-shaped portions 112 next to the slots 111. The waist support 2 has two fitting hooks 21 at two ends thereof. The waist support 2 is connected to the frame 11 with the fitting hooks 21 being passed through respective ones of the vertical slots 111, and tightly gripping respective ones of the stick-shaped portions 112 of the frame 11; normally, the waist support 2 is steady on the frame 11, and it can be relocated to a different height to suit the sitter. Therefore, one can't have a painful back or sore waist after having been seated on the chair for a long time.
However, because the mesh 1 is rough, and the waist support 2 touches the mesh 1, the waist support 2 will rub the mesh 1 when it is up and down displaced for adjustment of the height. Consequently, the waist support 2 can't move smoothly, and it will cause wear and breakage of the mesh 1.


There is described an electrical energy conversion system comprising: at least a first inverter (1) and at least a second inverter (2), whose outputs are connected in parallel; at least a first DC voltage source (PV1) connected to the input of the first inverter (1) and a second DC voltage source (PV2) connected to the input of the second inverter (2); a ground connection of the first inverter (1) and a ground connection of the second inverter (2). The ground connection of said inverters comprises a ground connection branch (1G; 2G) with a current sensor (5/1; 5/2) which supplies a signal proportional to a leakage grounding current (Ileak) measured in said ground connection branch (1G; 2G). Through the signal proportional to the leakage current measured a feedback signal is generated to control the leakage current (Ileak).

PWM (pulse-width-modulation) electric energy conversion devices are electrical devices adapted to transfer electrical energy from an input source, generally a DC voltage source, to an output, generally with AC voltage. Inverters of this type are for example used to convert DC voltage electrical energy supplied by a renewable energy source into AC electrical energy to be fed into a distribution grid, for example a 50 Hz or 60 Hz grid. In other applications, the inverter can be used to supply a load, for example an electric motor, at AC voltage.
In general, inverters used to convert energy coming from a renewable source, such as a photovoltaic panel or the like, can supply AC voltage electrical energy to be fed alternately into a distribution grid or to supply a local load, according to need and as a function of the quantity of electrical energy available from the DC source.
The electrical energy source can for example be a photovoltaic panel or a field of photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine generator or a group of wind turbine generators, or even a source with fuel cells or the like.
In many applications it is necessary to ground the DC voltage energy source. For example, in the case of photovoltaic panels, the positive or negative terminal of the panel or of the series of photovoltaic panels, is usually grounded to prevent degradation of the panel caused by the accumulation of charges on stray capacitance to ground. In other situations, for example in the case of supplying power to electric motors, the motor casing is grounded to prevent phenomena of erosion caused by leakage currents.
Grounding of a single machine or of a single inverter is normally a simple operation, but some problems may occur in the case of a plurality of devices which share the same AC voltage output. In this case each inverter has a ground connection and the outputs are connected in parallel with one another.
If, for example, the inverters are connected to a distribution grid, the neutral of which has a different potential to the potential of the ground connection point of the inverters, strong leakage currents are generated, which flow through the electronic switches of the inverters with the risk of destroying them.
Inverters are normally connected in parallel on a LV/MV (Low Voltage/Medium Voltage) transformer. To avoid the recirculation of high ground currents on several inverters, it is necessary to use multiple windings output transformers on the low voltage side, so as to obtain galvanic isolation between the inverters and therefore avoid the recirculation of high intensity currents through the ground connection. A configuration of this type is very onerous.
The problem of leakage currents in the case of a system with several electrical energy sources connected to a plurality of inverters connected in parallel to one another to an electrical distribution grid will be better illustrated with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. However, it must be understood that similar problems can occur not only in the case of connection to the distribution grid, but also, for example, when two or more parallel inverters supply a common load.
FIGS. 1 and 2 refer in particular to a system, in which two photovoltaic inverters are each connected to a respective photovoltaic panel or to a field of photovoltaic panels, while the outputs of the two inverters are connected in parallel to a three-phase electrical distribution grid. PV1 and PV2 indicate the two fields of photovoltaic panels connected respectively to a first inverter 1 and to a second inverter 2. In the example illustrated, each inverter 1, 2 is a two-stage inverter and comprises a DC/DC stage and a DC/AC stage. The three-phase outputs of the two inverters 1, 2 are connected in parallel to a three-phase grid GR, the neutral of which is indicated with N.
On the input side each inverter has a plurality of bulk capacitors in series. In the case illustrated, four bulk capacitors are provided, indicated with C1/1, C2/1, C3/1 and C4/1 for the inverter 1 and with C1/2, C2/2, C3/2 and C4/2 for the inverter 2. The DC voltage electrical energy source is connected across the series arrangement of the two central capacitors. More precisely, the positive pole of the source PV1 is connected between the capacitor C1/1 and the capacitor C2/1, while the negative pole of the source PV1 is connected between the capacitor C3/1 and the capacitor C4/1. Moreover, the positive pole of the source PV2 is connected between the capacitor C1/2 and the capacitor C2/2, while the negative pole of the source PV2 is connected between the capacitor C3/2 and the capacitor C4/2. T1 and T2 indicate the central points of the series of bulk capacitors of the two inverters 1 and 2. Each inverter is therefore an inverter with four voltage levels. Each DC/DC stage charges the capacitors C1/1 and C4/1 of the inverter 1 and the capacitors C1/2 and C4/2 of the inverter 2. For the inverter 1 the capacitor C1/1 and the capacitor C4/1 are charged using energy drawn from the capacitor C2/1 and C3/1, respectively. Likewise, for the inverter 2 the capacitor C1/2 and the capacitor C4/2 are charged using energy drawn from the capacitor C2/2 and C3/2, respectively.
It shall be noted that, in general PV1 and PV2 can be different sections of a same field of photovoltaic panels, or different fields of photovoltaic panels also separated spatially. The dimension of the two fields of photovoltaic panels and/or the conditions of solar irradiation or other parameters can be different for the sources PV2 and PV2, so that the voltages V1 and V2 at the output of the two electrical energy sources will in general differ from one another.
For the aforesaid reasons, each inverter is grounded. In the example illustrated the ground connection is made in the point E1 for the source PV1 and the related inverter 1 and in the point E2 for the source PV2 and the related inverter 2. In the example illustrated, the ground connection points are on the negative terminal, but this is only an example, it being understood that the ground connection could also be made on the positive terminal. The considerations set forth below are also valid in this second case.
As the two voltages V1 and V2 are generally not identical, the voltages VC3/1 and VC3/2 across the capacitor C3/1 for the inverter 1 and across the capacitor C3/2 for the inverter 2 will normally also be different and equivalent to ½(V1) and ½(V2) respectively. Due to the ground connection, if the aforesaid two voltages are different, in the absence of appropriate measures there will be a leakage grounding current, as can be understood from the equivalent circuit represented in FIG. 2. Ileak indicates the leakage current. As a result of the connection in parallel of the AC output of the two inverters, then the voltage between the neutral N of the three-phase networks Gr and the central point T1 (isolated ground point) of the series of bulk capacitors of the inverter 1 is equal to the voltage between the neutral N and the central point T2 (ground) of the series of bulk capacitors of the inverter 2. In other words, the following relation is valid:VNT1=VNT2  (1)
This condition, which is represented here for a system with two inverters, is valid for all the inverters connected to the same network transformer, for example a same LV/MV transformer.
The current which can flow through the ground connection is virtually unlimited, i.e. limited only by the stray resistance and can cause damage to the inverters as well as constituting a serious risk for the correct operation of the system.
As mentioned above, to avoid the occurrence of a leakage current to ground Ileak in the state of the art a LV/MV transformer is normally used, provided with a plurality of low voltage windings galvanically isolated from one another, each of which is connected to one of the inverters of the system. This implies very high costs.

Control of leakage currents in systems with a plurality of parallel inverters


Network links are exercised by transmitting network frames across the links at a threshold level of network traffic by filling unutilized bandwidth with test frames. By increasing network traffic across the links, errors are increased and easier to detect. The test frames can be given lower priority than customer traffic so as not to impact the test traffic. The test frames can be designed such that they are dropped upon receipt by another network switch.

Traffic on the Internet has quickly grown and continues to expand at unprecedented rates. Network devices, such as network switches, play a critical role in sustaining that growth. Data to be passed by switches is generally divided into a series of packets that can be transmitted between devices. Packets include control information and payload data. The control information includes information used to deliver the payload data. For example, control information can include source and destination network addresses, packet sequencing identification, error detection codes, and the like.
Generally, network devices have two primary planes: a control plane and a data plane. The control plane is a management plane that configures the data plane. The data plane receives packets on input ports and transmits the received packets to output ports based on the configuration. Communication between the control plane and data plane can be accomplished through a communications bus (e.g., PCIe).
A network link includes a physical interconnection (e.g., a cable) between network devices, as well as layer 1 hardware (e.g., an Ethernet card) and possibly other hardware in the data plane of the network device (e.g., layer 2 and layer 3 hardware).
Network traffic monitoring can be used to check for errors in the network links by requesting error information from network devices and checking if the errors exceed threshold levels. However, if network traffic on the link is low, it is difficult to test the network links efficiently and errors often go unnoticed.


A removable panel-illuminating module is provided wherein the module comprises an array of light-emitting diodes. The module is quickly and easily installed and de-installed from standard panel circuitry connections without having to rotate the planar surface of the module.

This invention relates generally to removable devices useful in illuminating panels, and specifically to panels useful in illuminating modules which are removable and reinstallable via bayonet and/or other socket-style mounts.
Panels such as automobile dashboard panels are commonly illuminated by small, incandescent light bulbs. Such bulbs can be installed into the dashboard circuitry by a threaded male assembly (as used in large household light bulbs), but for speed and ease of installing and de-installing, the bulbs are most usually connected to the dashboard circuitry via a bayonet connection.
Light bulbs, unfortunately, have a relatively short life span. Because of vibration and environmental stresses inherent in the use in automobile dashboards, light bulbs frequently burn out after only 500 to 1,000 hours.
A light-emitting diode ("LED") typically has a life span greater than about 500,000 hours. The problem with using LEDs as panel illuminators is that the light emitted from an LED is projected in only one direction (whereas the light given off by a light bulb is emitted in all directions). Consequently, to illuminate a panel area, a plurality of LEDs spaced about the panel area must be employed.
Panel illuminating modules comprising an array of LED units have been found to provide panel area illumination equivalent to that provided by incandescent light bulbs. However, the use of such panel illuminating LED arrays has been inhibited by the difficulty in installing and de-installing such modules in the cramped panel circuitry area. Unlike the light bulbs commonly used to illuminate panels areas--which are relatively narrow--LED arrays have a relatively large surface area. This large surface area makes it difficult to install such modular arrays in the female connector element (or elements) traditionally used in panel circuitry, because the size of such arrays inhibits their rotation.
There is therefore a need for a removable panel illuminating module which can be installed and de-installed without having to rotate the module itself.


Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a latent image carrier; a charging unit; a latent image forming unit; a developing unit; a transferring unit; and a control unit that performs an image forming process by controlling the latent image carrier, the charging unit, the latent image forming unit, the developing unit and the transferring unit, wherein, during execution of the image forming process, the latent image carrier circulates by passing through the charging position, the developing position and the transferring position in a state in which at least one of toner, which is charged with a polarity opposite to the regular charging polarity, and external additive agent, which is separated from the toner and charged with a polarity opposite to the regular charging polarity, is distributed and adhered to the surface of the latent image carrier.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method of forming an image by developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a latent image carrier with a charged toner carried in a toner carrier.
2. Related Art
In an image forming apparatus and an image forming method where an electrostatic latent image on a latent image carrier is developed as a toner image and the toner image is transferred to a transfer medium, since a transfer efficiency from the latent image carrier to the transfer medium is 100% or less, a small amount of toner may remain on a surface of the after-transferring latent image carrier. In addition, generally, a toner (so-called fogging toner) adhered to a non-image portion of the electrostatic latent image, to which any toner is not originally to be adhered, is also not transferred but remains. In order to remove such a remaining toner, in a general image forming apparatus, a cleaning member is designed to abut the surface of the after-transferred latent image carrier (refer to JP-A-2006-091566). In addition, as another example, JP-A-2007-316135 discloses a technology where charges are suitably applied to the remaining toner on the latent image carrier and the remaining toner is electrostatically recovered into a developer by a developing roller that abuts the latent image carrier.
Such a remaining toner occurs when an image forming process is performed. Therefore, in the configuration of removing the remaining toner, a consumed amount of a wasteful toner that does not contribute to the image forming is increased. In addition, in the configuration of recovering the remaining toner into the developer, such waste of toner does not occur. However, a deteriorated toner after being used is increased in the developer, so the image quality may be gradually reduced.
In addition, recently, in order to implement a highly accurate image, a high speed process, and a low fixing temperature, it has been considered to employ a toner having a smaller diameter than that of a currently-provided toner. In the toner having such a small diameter, due to an increase in a mirror image force or a van der Wall's force, an adhesive force of the toner to the latent image carrier is larger than that of the toner having a large diameter. Therefore, it is difficult to remove the remaining toner from the latent image carrier. Particularly, an AC jumping developing scheme where the latent image carrier and the toner carrier are disposed to face each other without contact and the development is performed by flying the toner by using an alternating electric field, during the reciprocating movement of the micro-diameter toner, the toner is trapped in the latent image carrier by the aforementioned force, and thus, the toner having a charged polarity that is originally not to be adhered is adhered to the latent image carrier. Therefore, the problems of the occurrence of ground fogging and the increase in the toner consumption caused by the fogging become very serious.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method


Doping of IIIB-VB semiconductor crystals grown by the liquid encapsulated Cyochralski techniques is improved by introducing a metal to the crucible. The metal is characterized as having a lower melting temperature and a lower free energy of oxide formation than the dopant element.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement in the liquid encapsulated Czochralski crystal pulling technique of forming highly conductive semiconductor crystals.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It is known that high dopant levels of IVB or VIB elements are difficult to achieve in a IIIB-VB semiconductor crystal grown by the liquid encapsulation Czochralski technique (LEC). As a result, carrier concentrations above 3.times.10.sup.17 per cubic centimeter are not common. One reason for this problem is that the boric oxide used as the barrier or encapsulating liquid is highly hygroscopic and cannot be maintained absolutely moisture free. When used as an encapsulant for growing doped semiconductor crystals, the dopant acts as a gettering substance and hence some of the dopant forms an oxide rather than doping the semiconductor crystal as the crystal is grown. One method used to increase the amount of dopant in the melt, is to add a greater excess of the dopant. While this may increase the dopant concentration in the final crystal, it is difficult to achieve uniform concentrations within the crystal, and difficult to control exactly how much dopant will end up in the crystal.
Other techniques for increasing the dopant level include pre-drying the boric oxide with or without a gettering substance, and the use of magnetic fields. The prior art usually requires changes in equipment or additional processing steps to achieve the desired results.

Process for improved doping of semiconductor crystals


A method for segmentation of 2D structures in CT and MR images is provided. The method is based on 2D ray propagation by mean-shift analysis with a smoothness constraint. Ray propagation is used to guide an evolving curve due to its computational efficiency and shape priors are incorporated for robust convergence. The method includes the steps of receiving 2D image data; visualizing the 2D image data on a display device; selecting a structure in the 2D image data by placing a seed in the structure; initializing a plurality of rays from the seed to form a curve; determining a speed function of each of the rays; evolving the curve by propagating the rays based on the speed function of each of the rays; converging the rays on a boundary of the structure; and segmenting the structure when all of the rays have converged on the structure's boundary.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer vision and imaging systems, and more particularly, to a system and method for segmentation of 2D medical structures by mean shift based ray propagation. More specifically, the present invention relates to segmentation of vessel cross-sections in contrast enhanced CT (computerized tomography) and MR (magnetic resonance) images.
2. Description of the Related Art
Images produced by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) are becoming an increasingly important tool in the field of medicine. In the CE-MRA imaging protocol, a contrast agent, usually based on the rare-earth element Gadolinium (Gd) (a highly paramagnetic substance), is injected into the bloodstream. In such images, blood vessels and organs perfused with the contrast agent appear substantially brighter than surrounding tissues. In CTA, a contrast agent is injected into the bloodstream which increases the radio-opacity of the blood making the vessels appear dense.
The goal of the majority of CTA/CE-MRA examinations is diagnosis and qualitative or quantitative assessment of pathologies in the circulatory system. The most common pathologies are aneurysms and stenosis caused by arterial plaques. The modern clinical workflow for the reading of these images increasingly involves interactive 3D visualization methods, such as volume rendering for quickly pinpointing the location of the pathology. Once the location of the pathology is determined, quantitative measurements can be made on the original 2D slice data or, more commonly, on 2D multi-planar reformat (MPR) images produced at user-selected positions and orientations in the volume. In the quantification of stenosis, it is desirable to produce a cross-sectional area/radius profile of a vessel so that one can compare pathological regions to patent (healthy) regions of the same vessel, i.e., to segment the vessel from the background of an image.
There is an extensive body of work on the segmentation of structures (such as air-ways) from CTA and MRA images. This work is based largely on deformable models such as snakes, balloons, levels-sets, and region-competition.
Active contours, or snakes are deformable models based on energy minimization of controlled-continuity splines. When snakes are placed near the boundary of objects to be segmented, they will lock onto salient image features under the guidance of internal and external forces. For example, let C(s)=(x(s),y(s)) be the coordinates of a point on the snake, where s is the length parameter. The energy functional of a snake is defined as                               E                                (            C            )                          =                              ∫            0            1                                                        [                                                                    E                    int                                                                          (                                          C                                                                    (                        s                        )                                                              )                                                  +                                                      E                    image                                                                          (                                          C                                                                    (                        s                        )                                                              )                                                  +                                                      E                    con                                                                          (                                          C                                                                    (                        s                        )                                                              )                                                              ]                                                  ⅆ              s                                                          (        1        )            where Eint represents the internal energy of the spline due to bending, Eimage represents image forces, and Econ are the external constraint forces. First, the internal energy,Eint=w1|C′(s)|2+w2|C″(s)|2,  (2)imposes regularity on the curve, where w1 and w2 corresponds to elasticity and rigidity, respectively. Second, the image forces are responsible for pushing the snake towards salient image features. The local behavior of a snake can be studied by considering the Euler-Lagrange equation,                     {                                                                                -                                                                        (                                                                                w                              1                                                                                C                              ′                                                                                )                                                ′                                                              +                                                                  (                                                                              w                            2                                                                                C                            ″                                                                          )                                            ″                                                        =                                      F                                                              (                      C                      )                                                                      ,                                                                                C                                                        (                    0                    )                                                  ,                                                      C                    ′                                                                          (                    0                    )                                                  ,                                                      C                                                              (                      1                      )                                                                                and                                                                                C                      ′                                                                                (                      1                      )                                                                                given                                ,                                                                        (        3        )            where F(C) captures the image and external constraint forces. Note that the energy surface E is typically not convex and can have several local minima. Therefore, to reach the solution closest to the initialized snake, the associated dynamic problem is solved instead of the static problem. When the solution C(t) stabilizes, a solution to the static problem is achieved.                     {                                                                                ∂                      C                                                              ∂                      t                                                        -                                                            (                                                                        w                          1                                                                                C                          ′                                                                    )                                        ′                                    +                                                            (                                                                        w                          2                                                                                C                          ″                                                                    )                                        ″                                                  =                                  F                                                        (                    C                    )                                                                                initial                                +                                  boundary conditions                                                                                (        4        )
Snakes perform well when they are placed close to the desired shapes to be segmented. However, a number of fundamental difficulties remain; in particular, snakes heavily rely on a proper initialization close to the boundary of an object of interest and multiple initializations are required when multiple objects are to be segmented, i.e., one per object of interest.
To overcome some of the initialization difficulties with snakes, a balloon model was introduced as a new deformable model based on the snakes idea. This model resembles a "balloon" which is inflated by an additional force which pushes the active contour to object boundaries, even when it is initialized far from the initial boundary. However, the balloon model, like snakes, cannot perform topological changes, i.e., balloons can not merge with other balloons and balloon can not split.
Since snakes and balloons cannot easily capture topological changes, the snake or balloon methods require extensive user interaction for images with multiple objects. This problem can be resolved by the use of the level set evolution, as is known in the art. Under the level set approach, consider a curve C as the zero level set of a surface, φ(x, y)=0. The zero level set of the function φ,{xεR2:φ(t,x)=0}, evolves in the normal direction according to                                                         ∂              ϕ                                      ∂              t                                =                                    g                                            (                                  x                  ,                  y                                )                                                                                              ∇                ϕ                                                                              (                                                div                                                        (                                                                  ∇                        ϕ                                                                                                                      ∇                                                                                ϕ                                                                                                              )                                                  +                v                            )                                      ,                            (        5        )            where             g                    (                  x          ,          y                )              =          1              1        +                              (                                          ∇                                                                                G                  σ                                            *              I                        )                    2                      ,v is a positive real constant, Gσ*I is the convolution of the image I with the Gaussian Gσ, and φ0 is the initial data which is a smoothed version of the function 1−XΓ, where XΓ is the characteristic function of a set Γ containing the object of interest in the image. The gradient of the surface ∇φ is the normal to the level set C,{overscore (N)}, and the term div   div        (                  ∇        ϕ                                      ∇          ϕ                              )  is its curvature K.
Unlike snakes, this active contour model is intrinsic, stable, i.e., the PDE (partial differential equation) satisfies the maximum principle, and can handle topological changes such as merging and splitting without any computational difficulty. A key disadvantage of the level set method is its high computational complexity, due to the additional embedding dimensional, even when the computation is restricted to a narrow band around the curve. To overcome the computational complexity, narrow band level set evolutions have proposed. However, these methods are still not fast enough for real-time image segmentation.

Vessel detection by mean shift based ray propagation


The present document relates to a wireless device in a digital cellular telecommunications network. For example, the present document relates to the request of an access channel from a wireless device to a base station of the digital cellular telecommunications network. Example methods for controlling one or more transmissions between a wireless device and a base station are described. The one or more transmissions include at least an initial transmission. One example method comprises determining the quality of a radio uplink between the wireless device and the base station, the quality being based on at least one parameter associated with a previous transmission; setting a control parameter for controlling the transmission between the wireless device and the base station based on the determined quality of the radio uplink; and transmitting the initial transmission.

In GERAN (GSM (global system for mobile communications) EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution) Radio Access Network), a random access channel (RACH) is used by the mobile station (MS) to request a channel from the network, e.g. in order to exchange information, to perform location updating or to start a connection. The RACH, which is a logical channel, is transported over the physical channel via access bursts. Typically, within a GERAN network at least one physical channel (which may be characterized by a time slot number and may be referred to as a timeslot) of a carrier frequency in the uplink direction (i.e. from the MS to the base transceiver station (BTS)) is attributed to the RACH. The corresponding channel on the downlink direction, i.e. from the BTS to the MS may be the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) which is used by the BTS to describe the identity, configuration and available features of the BTS to the MSs served by the BTS.
Currently, the output power used for the access burst sent over the RACH is set to the maximum available output power of the MS, in order to maximise the probability that the access burst reaches the appropriate BTS or base station (BS) of the network. The details regarding the implementation of the RACH and the structure of the access burst is provided in the technical specification 3GPP TS 45.008 which is incorporated by reference.
The above mentioned approach for selecting the output power has the effect that the MS uses full power, even when the MS is close to the BTS to which it tries to connect. This may result in unnecessarily high output power when an MS is close to the BS, thus causing additional interference on the radio interface, increasing the power consumption of the MS, and causing potential receiver issues in the base station (due to the very high received power level).
Machine type communication (MTC) devices, e.g. stationary devices such as smart meters, may be located relatively far from their serving base station (which may be the nearest base station of the telecommunications network, but which is not always the case). In addition to the geographic distance, the MTC devices may be placed at locations which are shielded from the radio network, e.g. in the basement of a building. As such, the "distance" of a device to the BS (from a radio link point of view) may be due to the geographical distance, as well as due to obstacles on the radio path between the device (MS) and the BS. As a result of such greater "distances", MTC devices may have the disadvantage of a lower received signal level for the RACH at the receiving base station compared to devices located relatively near to the same base station. This imbalance typically results in a lower probability for a successful channel access for stationary MTC devices.
The present document addresses these issues. In particular, the present document addresses the issue of balancing the probability of a successful channel access for different mobile stations which are served by a particular base station within a wireless telecommunications network such as GERAN.

RACH procedures and power level for MTC devices


A solid body having extremely narrow passages formed therein for the separation and conveyance of gases by surface diffusion. Because of the relatively high flow resistance resulting from the extremely small cross sections of the passages, the gas conveyance through the solid body can be performed substantially exclusively by surface diffusion. Only those gas particles which are adsorbed on the solid body or on the wall of the passages will be conveyed through the solid body. The surface diffusion can be controlled by suitable selection of the gas/solid body combination. The diffusion is influenced particularly by the temperature of the solid body. When, in the case of a two-gas mixture, the solid body is heated to a temperature above the desorption temperature of one of the gases and below the desorption temperature of the other gas, only the gas particles of the adsorbed gas are conveyed on the passage walls by surface diffusion.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a method and a device for the separation of gases in gas mixtures and of gas molecule fragments generated by dissociation on surfaces, by use of surface diffusion, and a method and a device for conveying such gases or gas molecule fragments by use of surface diffusion.
2. Description of Related Art
Methods and devices for the separation of gases by use of filters or with the help of centrifuges are known. Separation of gases by use of filters is substantially based on the fact that the filter has the gas mixture flowing therethrough while certain gases are retained by the filter whereas others flow through the filter. Separation of gases with the help of centrifuges, in contrast, is based on the mass differences of the gases to be separated. Occurences of surface diffusion do not play any role in either of the two methods. However, depending on the respective composition of the gas mixture, the separation of gases can be carried out very effectively by means of surface diffusion which with different gases takes place with varying speeds in dependence of the surface.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method and a device for the separation of gases and/or of gas molecule fragments generated by dissociation on surfaces by use of surface diffusion phenomena.

Method and device for the separation and conveyance of gases and/or of gas molecule fragments generated by dissociation on surfaces by surface diffusion

Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fur Luft- und Raumfahft, e.V.


A fixing device for thermally fixing an unfixed image on a recording sheet, comprising: a heating rotor including a cylindrical resistance heating layer, and fixing an unfixed image on a recording sheet by thermal fusion bonding using heat generated by the resistance heating layer supplied with power; a power supply unit supplying power to the resistance heating layer; an elongated heat sensitive resistor extending along an entire length of an axis of the resistance heating layer, located to face a portion of a circumferential surface of the resistance heating layer, and exhibiting a change in resistance according to a temperature of the portion of the resistance heating layer; and an abnormal heat determination unit determining whether the temperature of the portion has reached an abnormal temperature by detecting the change in resistance of the heat sensitive resistor, the abnormal temperature possibly causing damage to the resistance heating layer.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fixing devices provided in image formation apparatuses such as printers and copiers, and relates in particular to technology of detecting abnormal heat generated in a fixing device that utilizes a resistance heating layer as a heating element.
(2) Related Art
In recent years, fixing devices that utilize a resistance heating layer as a heating element have been commonly used as fixing devices for image formation apparatuses such as printers and copiers. The resistance heating layer generates Joule heat when supplied with power. In such a fixing device, the resistance heating layer is directly supplied with power to generate heat. Therefore, such a structure improves the heat usage efficiency and reduces the time period required for warming up.
The resistance heating layer is formed by dispersing conductive material, such as metal, in a body made of insulative material, such as heat-resistant resin. In addition, the resistance heating layer is usually coated with an insulative layer, since direct contact with the layer may cause electric shock. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-109997 discloses a fixing device utilizing a resistance heating layer coated with an insulative layer, which serves as a heating element.
Meanwhile, since the insulative layer is very thin (e.g. on the order of several hundred micrometers), the insulative layer may be damaged due to entrance of foreign objects or contact with recording sheets. If the damage reaches the resistance heating layer, particularly in the event of the occurrence of a flaw in a non-parallel direction to the current flow (in particular, the perpendicular direction to the current flow), the current will detour around the flaw and be concentrated at the edges of the flaw. As a result, the current density locally increases in areas around the edges of the flaw. This leads to abnormal heat generated in the areas with the locally-increased high current density in the resistance heating layer.
Such abnormal heat, if left without any treatment, may damage the fixing device, and can be a cause of overheating of the fixing device or catching fire. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the occurrence of abnormal heat without overlooking it, and when the abnormal heat is detected, it is necessary to prevent further damage to the fixing device by taking a necessary measure such as cutting off the power supply to the fixing device.
A fixing device is provided with temperature detector elements such as a thermistor and a thermostat. However, the detection range of such temperature detector elements is usually narrow. Therefore, there is a problem that the occurrence of abnormal heat in the resistance heating layer is overlooked, depending on the location of the abnormal heat.
Several approaches can be conceived of as solutions to this problem. For example, the number of temperature detector elements may be increased to cover the entire surface of the resistance heating layer. It is also possible to configure the temperature detector elements to be movable, and detect the temperature of the entire surface of the resistance heating layer by moving the temperature detector elements.
These approaches expand the range of the abnormal heat detection by the temperature detector elements, and reduce the frequency of overlooking the occurrence of abnormal heat.
However, the first approach above has a following problem. That is, since the number of temperature detector elements that can be provided is limited in light of reduction of the manufacturing cost, it is difficult to sufficiently expand the detection range of the abnormal heat, and it is therefore difficult to sufficiently increase the detection sensitivity of the abnormal heat.
The second approach is also problematic, because it takes a long time to move the temperature detector elements across the entire surface of the resistance heating layer, and accordingly the period of the detection cycle at each detection point will be long. That is, when abnormal heat occurs, it takes a long time before detecting it. It is therefore impossible to promptly take a necessary measure when abnormal heat occurs, and the damage to the fixing device could progress during this delay.

Fixing device and image formation apparatus


A conductive material is provided to an open end of a penetrating hole penetrating through at least a semiconductor element, on the side of a first surface of the semiconductor element. The conductive material is melted to flow into the penetrating hole. The conductive material is made to flow into the penetrating hole in a state that an atmospheric pressure on the side of a second surface of the semiconductor element opposite to the first surface is lower than an atmospheric pressure on the side of the first surface.

Japanese Patent Application No. 63650/2001 filed on Mar. 7, 2001, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
This invention relates to a wiring board and a fabricating method thereof, a semiconductor device and a fabricating method thereof, a circuit board and an electronic instrument.
A form that electrically connects both surfaces of a semiconductor chip by boring penetrating holes in the semiconductor chip, forms an insulating film and then forms either wet or dry an electrically conductive film, or filling penetrating holes with molten solder is known. Since this method eliminates the necessity for disposing wires, a compact semiconductor device can be acquired even when a plurality of semiconductor chips is stacked one upon another.
However, the process step of filling penetrating holes with a conductive material is often time consuming and troublesome. A method that forms a film by means such as photolithography and renders the resulting film electrically conductive needs a large number of process steps, a long time and a high cost of production. A method of filling penetrating holes of a wiring board with a conductive material is also known, but the method needs a long time and troublesome procedures.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
providing a conductive material to an open end of a penetrating hole penetrating through at least a semiconductor element, on the side of a first surface of the semiconductor element; and
melting the conductive material to make the conductive material flow into the penetrating hole,
wherein the conductive material is made to flow into the penetrating hole in a state that an atmospheric pressure on the side of a second surface of the semiconductor element opposite to the first surface is lower than an atmospheric pressure on the side of the first surface.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a stacked type semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
forming a plurality of semiconductor devices each of which is formed by: providing a conductive material to an open end of a penetrating hole penetrating through at least a semiconductor element, on the side of a first surface of the semiconductor element; melting the conductive material to make the conductive material flow into the penetrating hole; and causing the conductive material to flow into the penetrating hole in a state that an atmospheric pressure on the side of a second surface of the semiconductor element opposite to the first surface is lower than an atmospheric pressure on the side of the first surface;
stacking the plurality of the semiconductor devices; and
electrically connecting the semiconductor elements of the stacked semiconductor devices through the conductive material.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device or a stacked type semiconductor device fabricated by any of the above methods.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising:
a semiconductor element having a pad and a penetrating hole penetrating through the pad and the semiconductor element; and
a conductive material that is provided in an area including an inner surface of the penetrating hole and is electrically connected to the pad, wherein part of the conductive material forms a bump protruding from a surface of the semiconductor element opposite to a surface having the pad.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stacked type semiconductor device comprising a plurality of stacked semiconductor devices each of which includes:
a semiconductor element having a pad and a penetrating hole penetrating through the pad and the semiconductor element; and
a conductive material that is provided in an area including an inner surface of the penetrating hole and is electrically connected to the pad,
wherein part of the conductive material forms a bump protruding from a surface of the semiconductor element opposite to a surface of the semiconductor element having the pad; and
wherein the semiconductor elements of the stacked semiconductor devices are electrically connected through the conductive material.
A circuit board according to a sixth aspect of the present invention comprises the semiconductor device or the stacked type semiconductor device described above.
An electronic instrument according to a seventh aspect of the present invention comprises the semiconductor device or the stacked type semiconductor device described above.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a wiring board comprising the steps of:
providing a conductive material to an open end of a penetrating hole penetrating through at least a board, on the side of a first surface of the board; and
melting the conductive material to make the conductive material flow into the penetrating hole,
wherein the conductive material is made to flow into the penetrating hole in a state that an atmospheric pressure on the side of a second surface of the board opposite to the first surface is lower than an atmospheric pressure on the side of the first surface.
A wiring board according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is fabricated by the above described method.

Wiring board and fabricating method thereof, semiconductor device and fabricating method thereof, circuit board and electronic instrument


The invention relates to a jet regulator (100) having a jet regulator housing (2), in the housing interior of which a flow straightener is provided, said flow straightener having at least one insert part (8, 9) that is insertable into the housing interior, said insert part (8, 9) having a grid structure which is formed from a set of radially oriented webs (13, 13′) which intersect or are in contact with a set of concentrically encircling webs (15) at intersection points (14) or contact points, and having at least one aeration opening (4) which passes through a housing circumferential wall (3) of the jet regulator (100). The jet regulator (100) according to the invention is characterized by the fact that the flow straightener has at least one insert part (8) with radially oriented webs (13), the free web end of which protrudes beyond the outer encircling web (15) and ends at a distance from the housing inner circumference of the jet regulator housing (2) (cf. FIG. 1).

The invention relates to a jet regulator having a jet regulator housing, in the housing interior of which a flow straightener is provided, said flow straightener having at least one insert part that is insertable into the housing interior, said insert part having a grid structure which is formed from a set of radially oriented webs which intersect or are in contact with a set of concentrically encircling webs at intersection points or contact points, and having at least one aeration opening which passes through a housing circumferential wall of the jet regulator.
Various jet regulators have already been created, which can be mounted at the water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting in order to form the water emerging there from the outlet fitting into a homogeneous, non-splashing water jet. A distinction is drawn here between non-aerated and aerated jet regulator embodiments. In aerated jet regulators, the water flowing therethrough is intermixed with ambient air in the regulator housing of the jet regulator, in order to allow the water to emerge as a gentle bubbling water jet.
To this end, such aerated jet regulators have a jet splitter in their jet regulator housing, said jet splitter dividing the water flowing in into a multiplicity of individual jets. These individual jets have their speed increased in the jet splitter, such that a negative pressure arises on the outflow side of the jet splitter in accordance with the Bernoulli equation. Aeration openings are provided in the circumferential wall of the jet regulator housing on the outflow side of the jet splitter, said aeration openings passing through the circumferential wall. The negative pressure that arises on the outflow side of the jet splitter draws in the ambient air, which passes through the aeration openings and into the housing interior of the jet regulator housing and is intermixed with the individual jets there, before the individual jets intermixed with air in this way are formed into an aerated overall jet in a flow straightener.
This flow straightener usually is formed of at least two insert parts which are insertable in the housing interior of the jet regulator housing. These insert parts each have a lattice or grid structure which initially divides the aerated individual jets flowing therethrough even further. However, the lattice- or grid-like insert parts that form the flow straightener also represent an obstacle to flow, upstream of which the water flowing through can back up. Undesired noises occur occasionally in the process. These disruptive noises, which are perceptible as gurgling or groaning noise, are caused by the build-up at intervals of a film of water in the aeration openings, which are briefly closed by this film of water. Due to the negative pressure on the outflow side of the jet splitter in the region of the aeration openings, this film of water breaks down again immediately after it has formed and is drawn into the throughflow region of the jet regulator. The constant high-frequency build-up and breakdown of the film of water results in these flow noises or disruptive noises. The insert parts of the flow straightener, which at the same time form an obstacle to flow, result in a flow backup at the outer attachment of the lattice or grid structure in the region of the external retaining ring. A kind of "ramp" forms there, which causes the water to back up upstream of the aeration openings. During the build-up and breakdown of the film of water in the housing interior upstream of the aeration openings, small quantities of water also regularly emerge from the aeration openings in the form of aerosol water or splashing water. This emerging water can result in increased limescale formation and in external soiling of the jet regulator or of the outlet nozzle that accommodates the jet regulator.

Aerated jet regulator having a flow rectifier in the form of a network structure