A programmable integrated circuit (IC) arrangement includes at least one input/output terminal, at least two receiver/source terminals for selectable electrical connection to the at least one input/output terminal, and a plurality of layers electrically interconnected with one another and providing electrical connection between the at least one input/output terminal and at least one of the at least two receiver/source terminals. At least a sub-plurality of the plurality of layers includes electrically conductive components selectably providable at at least two positions so as to selectably program electrical connection between the at least one input/output terminal and the at least two receiver/source terminals. The selectably providable electrically conductive components include ones of selectably providable vias, switch-contacts and well regions. The plurality of layers can include many different types and constructions.

Although a ROM (read-only-memory) cell and a version number associated with an IC (integrated circuit) will be used to describe examples of both the background and the invention, practice of the present invention is not limited to the same.
Turning first to a background, FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of an integrated circuit IC1. Often ICs include groups of ROM cells which are pre-programmed during IC design, with such preprogramming propagating through manufacturing, to provide desired values or code. For example, in FIG. 1, ICl has an example plurality of ROM cells CA, CB, CC, CD, . . . , having outputs OA, OB, OC, OD, . . . , respectively. Each ROM cell may have a selectably programable physical arrangement which can be arranged during IC design and/or manufacturer, so as to program the ROM cell to output a desired value. For example, FIG. 2 shows an example cross-section of an example ROM cell Cn.
Such ROM cell is typically formed of a plurality of layers, for example, the ROM cell Cn may have layers LA, LB, LC, LD, and some of the layers may be electrically interconnected with other layers using vias layers V. The layers LA, LB, LC, LD may be any of a plurality of different types, for example, semiconductor well, diffusion, polysilicon, contacts, metal conductor, vias, etc. constructions, with such layers being resultant from a plurality of different masks (and other processes) applied during IC manufacturing. One of such layers may have the above-discussed selectably programmable portion P, i.e., so as to be selectably programmable during IC design and/or manufacture so as to configure or program the ROM cell according to at least two possible choices, e.g., to output a logical "1" or logical "0", a first voltage level Vcc or a second voltage level Vss, etc.
As one example of a use of groups of ROM cells on an IC, often times after IC manufacturing, numerous different versions, generations or lots (hereinafter, "versions") of an IC chip will be design modified (e.g., improved) and/or modified during manufacturing in a strive to remove paracitics and/or unwanted behavior and/or improve performance, e.g., often by changing a layout of one or more masks which were used to pattern the IC from one version to another. During subsequent analysis/comparison of the differing version IC chips, often it becomes important to be able to determine to which version a particular IC chip belongs. Accordingly, in order to meet such need, the outputs OA, OB, OC, OD, . . . , of the FIG. 1 example plurality of ROM cells CA, CB, CC, CD, . . . , respectively, could be programmed (i.e., constructed) during design and/or manufacture to output a version number of the IC, e.g., to output a binary value of "0001" for a first version IC, a binary value of "0010" for a second version IC, etc. If desired, such outputs from the ROM cells could then be accessed during analysis/comparison to determine to which version a particular chip belongs.
In addition, several differing groups of ROM cells could be used to separately provide differing information, for example, a first group of ROM cells could be used to provide a unique serial number for the IC chip, a second group could be used to identify the exact masks used for a first type of layer (e.g., metal layer), a third group could be used to identify the exact masks used for a second type of layer, another group could be used to identify a date or manufacturing plant of manufacture. Such information could then be used for IC chip identification purposes, or for verification purposes, e.g., to check to see if the proper sets of masks were used.
Discussion turns next to disadvantages with the FIGS. 1-2 arrangement. More particularly, a first disadvantage with the FIGS. 1-2 arrangement is that such ROM cells are not programmable at each layer. More particularly, assume that after analysis of a first version IC, it is determined that a configuration of the FIG. 2 layer LB should be changed in order to remove a paracitics and/or unwanted behavior and/or improve performance. Accordingly, a mask used to produce this layer LB may be changed. Since any IC manufactured with this changed mask would represent a new version IC, the version number programmed within the ROM cells CA, CB, CC, CD, . . . , should also be changed. However, since the programmable portions P of the ROM cells are not within the layer LB and instead are within layer LD, a mask for the programmable layer L must also be changed in order to change the IC version number. The required change of two masks instead of just one is a disadvantage in terms of increased manufacturing complexity, costs and increased time-to-market (TtM) delays.
As a second disadvantage, a size of the programmable portion P may be larger than other arrangements within the ROM cell and may increase a size of each ROM cell, such that the ROM cells CA, CB, CC, CD, . . . , have substantial wasted die space W (FIG. 1) therebetween. Wasted die space is incompatible with present day trends toward increased miniaturization and lowered IC costs, and therefore is disadvantageous.

Compact, all-layers-programmable integrated circuit arrangements


A device for use in handling a load and a method for producing the device are provided. The device comprises a three-dimensional framework that comprises a plurality of single parts, a cover made of a fiber-reinforced plastics with which the framework is covered, and at least one mounting unit for a handling unit for handling a part that is useable in the production of an object and that forms the load.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for use in handling a load and a method for producing such a device. In particular, the present invention relates to a device for use in handling a load and a method for producing such a device which can be used in a production plant. The production plant is in particular an assembly line for a vessel.
Description of the Prior Art
In production plants for industrially produced objects, like for example cars, media apparatuses, furniture, etc., single components of the object which is to be produced are usually moved from one place to another and/or a component is pivoted around its axis and/or is held for a determined way of handling in a specific position, etc. In the prior art a gripper tool is presently used that both can handle the load of the object and is sufficiently dimensioned to move the object securely and sufficiently fast from a starting position to a desired other position and to also hold the object in this position.
The gripper tools presently used in such production plants are comparatively heavy. As a result, a plant into which the gripper tool is integrated is to be planned for a big load which is to be handled. As a further result thereof, the necessary driving force for driving such a gripper tool is comparatively high. A further disadvantage lies in that a refitting of the production plant between different gripper tools which are each designed for specific gripping tasks is comparatively time consuming. This leads to long downtimes of the production plant.
EP 2 465 651 A1 shows a device for receiving and handling a component and a method for producing such a device. In comparison to the hitherto known gripper tools, the weight of the device is here remarkably reduced by approximately 20% to 50% by implementing the device as lightweight construction material block.
However, there is still a need for a device for use in handling a load, wherein the device has a small net weight but is such stabile that the device can handle a load having a weight which can exceed the net weight of the device many times and that the device is at the same time producible with low costs and flexibly and is adaptable in a simple way and with low costs to varying production conditions in the production plant where necessary.

Device for use in the handling of a load and method for producing such a device


A scanner or other system has an actuator, a mechanical device having three states corresponding to three respective positions of the actuator, and a pedal mechanism. The pedal mechanism comprises: a support structure; first and second slotted arms pivotably mounted to the support structure; first and second latches respectively pivotably mounted to the first and second arms; a pivot part pivotably mounted to the support structure; and a mechanism for converting pivoting of the pivot part into movement of the actuator, e.g., swinging of a lever. The pivot part has first and second extensions which extend in generally opposite directions and which respectively protrude through the slots in the first and second arms. The pedal arms, latches and pivot part cooperate to enable the position of the actuator to be controlled by depressing one pedal at a time.

This invention generally relates to portable battery-powered electronic devices. In particular, the invention relates to such battery-powered equipment used to monitor patients during transport in a hospital or other patient care setting.
Pedal mechanisms for operating the brake and directional wheel lock of standard lever-operated caster wheels, such as those installed on ultrasound systems, have traditionally been cumbersome to operate, requiring that the pedal(s) be pressed from awkward angles. They have also often required the pedal to be lifted by the toe to get back into its original position. This has caused complaints from many operators and especially females using open sandal-like footwear. In addition, in earlier solutions it has been difficult to visually determine which of three positionsxe2x80x94namely, directionally locked, free swivel or brakedxe2x80x94the pedal is in. There have also been complaints about the user interface and that operation of the mechanisms is not very intuitive.
There is a need for the mechanical design of a cost-effective pushxe2x80x94push pedal mechanism for converting the vertical motion of two different pedals to the horizontal activation of the lever of a conventional caster wheel assembly, which design is such that the position of the pedals indicates which of three possible states the pedal mechanism is in.
The present invention is directed to an improved pedal mechanism for operating the brake and directional wheel lock of standard lever-operated caster wheels or other actuatable mechanical devices. Although the invention is disclosed in the context of an ultrasound scanner, the invention has application to other scanners and even other types of equipment having an actuatable mechanical device suited for control via pedal operation. Nor is the pedal mechanism of the invention limited in its application to mechanical devices that are actuated by means of a lever.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment disclosed herein, a scanner or other system has an actuator, a mechanical device having three states corresponding to three respective positions of the actuator, and a pedal mechanism. The pedal mechanism comprises: a support structure; first and second slotted arms pivotably mounted to the support structure; first and second latches respectively pivotably mounted to the first and second arms; a pivot part pivotably mounted to the support structure; and a mechanism for converting pivoting of the pivot part into movement of the actuator, e.g., swinging of a lever. The pivot part has first and second extensions which extend in generally opposite directions and which respectively protrude through the slots in the first and second arms. The pedal arms, latches and pivot part cooperate to enable the position of the actuator to be controlled by depressing one pedal at a time. In particular, the pedal mechanism comprises first and second pedals and is designed to control the position of the actuator in response to depressions of the pedals in accordance with the following sequence: (1) the actuator is moved from a second position to a first position in response to depression of the first pedal while the actuator is in the second position; the actuator is moved from the first position to the second position in response to depression of the second pedal while the actuator is in the first position; the actuator is moved from the second position to the third position in response to depression of the second pedal while the actuator is in the second position; and the actuator is moved from the third position to the second position in response to depression of the first pedal while the actuator is in the third position.
The pedal mechanism disclosed herein offers an easy-to-use user interface, supplying a clear visual information concerning which of the three positions the mechanism and casters are in. It allows for an ergonomically good operation with the line of force close to vertical and without the need for any pedals to be lifted by the system operator using his/her toe. The pedals are easily accessible and there is little risk of putting the mechanism in an unwanted position.
The pedal mechanism itself can be manufactured from cheap materials and components. Manufacture involves some sheet bending, typically in semi-automated machines, but for series production these costs too will be low. The design in accordance with the preferred embodiment allows for generous manufacturing tolerances and requires few welds, so that little heat distortion occurs. The cost of manufacture will be competitive with simpler conventional pedal mechanisms which offer less functionality and fewer features than does the invention. The pedal mechanism disclosed herein is also compact and with a form factor and design to avoid the risk of the operator""s toe kicking into the mechanism while transporting the system.
Other aspects of the invention are disclosed and claimed below.

Pedal mechanism for operating brake and directional lock on lever-operated caster wheels

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


A phoropter comprises two observation channels, in each of said observation channels a plurality of disk-shaped mounts, rotatably seated about at least one axis, for mounting optically effective members and drive means for rotating said mounts. The drive means are piezoelectric motors, each of which is, on the one hand, connected to a base and, on the other hand, provided with a driving end portion, preferably a driven member which executes a rotating motion. The driven member is, compared to the piezoelectric motor, of small design.

The invention relates to a phoropter for determining deficiency of sight of the human eye and the prescription of vision aids, respectively. In known devices for examination of the human eyes spherical lens mounts and frame elements for cylindrical lenses are rotated by means of electrical rotation means, refer to DE 33 31 799 A1, for example, to render them operative in a required combination in a vision window. Typically, synchronous motors or stepper motors are employed as electrical rotation means to operate the mounts and the frames, respectively, via belt-driven guide rollers or gear wheels. The known rotation devices are material and space-consuming and, hence, are responsible for covering a large part of a patient's face by the phoropter used in the course of an examination.
A further known piezoelectric motor (DE 38 33 342 A1) comprises a drive member and a driven member friction coupled to the former; the drive member excites two orthogonal components of motion in the range of the friction contact, one of the components effects the proper drive and the other one the contact. The drive member includes two exciting systems which are electrically and magnetically operated, respectively, and are separated from one another resulting in an unduly large space-consuming mass.
In a further known piezoelectric motor at least two piezoelectric crystal yokes are arranged in a rotatably seated drive drum secured to a frame which yokes abut against the interior face of the drum (DE 41 27 163 A1). These arrangements are very expensive and not applicable for phoropters.

Motorized instrument for the examination of human eyes


A two-sided portable scoreboard for simultaneously displaying a set of two-digit scores both frontally and rearwardly upon a single setting thereof. A pair of disks is sandwiched between a front and rear plate for each set of scores to be displayed. The disks are axially mounted so that a portion of each overlaps a portion of the other, their centers being positioned so that one is slightly more than a radial distance from the other. At least one of the disks has a transparent center section that has a diameter roughly equal to one-half the overall diameter of the disk. A set of scoring symbols are selectively positioned and uniformly spaced around the circumferential portion of both sides of each disk. Windows, or other viewing portions, are placed in both the front and rear plates so as to allow a desired sequence of scoring symbols to be viewed therethrough as the disks are rotated. The symbols placed on the rear side of the disks are phased with respect to those on the front side of the disks so that the same symbols simultaneously appear both frontally and rearwardly. The correct viewing sequence of the symbols is maintained frontally by having the symbol from a second disk, as read left to right from a front view, appear first in the symbol sequence by viewing the symbol through the transparent center section of the first disk.

This invention relates to scoreboards and devices for displaying point totals, tallies, or other indicia associated with sporting events, games, contests, and the like, and in particular to a scoreboard which is portable and simultaneously displays the same score on both sides thereof in response to a single setting operation.
Scoring devices are used during sporting events, contests, games, and the like to remember and display the accumulated points or status of each individual or team.
One of the simplest forms of keeping score involves the use of a pencil and paper. Indeed, even the most sophisticated scoreboardsof this computerized era, still employ an "official scorekeeper" with a pencil and paper (or score pad) to keep track of a wide variety of information and events that transpire during the game or contest, only a fraction of which is ultimately displayed on the scoreboard. However, as the number of spectators increases, it becomes increasingly necessary for the scorekeeper to display the "score," and other selected indicia, associated with the game or contest, in large enough symbols for all to see. Hence, the scorekeeper supplements the use of the simple pencil and paper with a whole spectrum of scoreboard devices--from a simple chalk and chalkboard to the multi-million dollar, computerized, electronic scoreboards.
While the electronic and electric scoreboards of the past few decades have been very successful for the professional and quasi-professional competitive games and contests, such as the inter-school, collegiate, and professional levels, their overall cost and complexity have kept them beyond the reach of the non-professional, recreational type games and contests, such as those of the neighborhood, intra-school, church, and other similar groups. Moreover, games, contests, and the like of these recreational type groups typically take place in varied locations, from a vacant lot or park to a rented gym, thus making the use of the more complex, immovable, electically-dependent, scoreboards impractical.
An important factor associated with the use of any scoreboard is the ease with which the "official scorekeeper," or his designate, can set the scoreboard to display the desired score. In this respect, the elecrical/electronic scoreboards are ideal because they are typically mounted in a highly visible location(s) and are easily controlled by the scorekeeper through the use of a readily accessible control panel. Unfortunately, however, such scoreboards are impractical for the non-professional, recreational type groups, for the reasons stated above--i.e., they are too expensive and are not readily moved from one location to another. Therefore, a critical need exists for a simple, low cost, mechanical, portable scoreboard that is easily and readily set by the scorekeeper to display the desired score, in large enough characters or symbols for all to see.
All prior art methods of displaying scores by a simple, low-cost, portable method with which this inventor is familiar, e.g., chalkboard, flip-charts, peg boards, and the like, suffer from at least one of three defects: (1) the "scorekeeper" does not have direct access to the actual display device, thereby necessitating the use of a third person who must operate the scoreboard at the scorekeepers direction; (2) the scorekeeper must sort through a collection of scoring symbols before finding the one(s) to be displayed, thereby creating undue delays and possibly diverting the scorekeeper's attention from the game or contest underway; or (3) the scorekeeper cannot conveniently position the scoreboard so that both he and the spectators can see it and the game or contest at the same time. Moreover, such prior-art systems typically display relatively small scoring symbols, thus making it difficult for spectator and performer alike to see the score thus displayed.


A sanitizer uses a radiant energy source such as a microwave source to excite a gas contained in a bulb so that the gas produces ultraviolet radiation that can be used to sanitize substances exposed to the radiation. The ultraviolet radiation may also be used to generate ozone from oxygen in air or another gas containing oxygen and the ozone may be used by itself or in combination with ultraviolet exposure to sanitize substances. The bulb for generating ultraviolet radiation can be shaped so that substances to be sterilized are able to pass through the bulb, so that objects (even metal objects) are enclosed by the bulb and shielded from the radiant energy source, or so that the bulb is located at the end of a waveguide and can be positioned to sanitize inaccessible surfaces or substances.

The surface sterilizing effects of ultraviolet radiation has been described in the patent literature. One of the earlier patents to describe such a phenomenon is in U.S. Pat. No. 2,407,379 where an ultraviolet lamp for surface sterilization and general bactericidal use is disclosed.
The concept of using ultraviolet radiation for surface sterilization is well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,364 describes a toothbrush conditioner which has a housing with an ultraviolet source inside for sterilizing a toothbrush. U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,750 describes a method for disinfecting and/or sterilizing small objects wherein the object to be disinfected or sterilized is vibrated at a frequency range of 8 to 300 KHz while being exposed to an ultraviolet source.
While the above-referenced methods of surface sterilization may find some applications, they are expensive, cumbersome, difficult to use, and have not enjoyed wide commercial success. Moreover, external power sources coupled to the ultraviolet lamp through electrical connectors are typically required.
In an attempt to overcome this problem, U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,528 describes an electrodeless ultraviolet sterilizer device excited by a microwave source. The microwave source is a microwave oven wherein a plurality of bulbs are disposed inside the oven for providing an ultraviolet source. In use, the object to be sterilized is placed in the microwave oven. Power is applied causing the bulbs to emit ultraviolet radiation directed at the object.
Alternative methods to sanitize or disinfect substances have been contemplated. Exemplary is the use of ozone which is increasingly being used in water purification, bleaching, and chemical manufacturing processes where a strong oxidizing agent is needed. Typically, ozone is prepared by a device called an ozonizer, which produces ozone by passing an electric spark through a stream of air containing oxygen. Only a small fraction of the air containing oxygen is converted to ozone by this process. The ozone is directed to the surface of an object to be sterilized where it oxidizes the microorganisms on the surface of the object.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an ultraviolet sterilizer having commercial, industrial, medical and personal applications which simultaneously produces ozone as a byproduct of the sterilization product to achieve a synergistic effect in destroying microorganisms.

Electrodeless sterilizer using ultraviolet and/or ozone


Methods for determining the contact position between a pair of relatively rotating refining surfaces are disclosed including detecting the heat radiating from the initial contact between the pair of refining surfaces during relative rotation therebetween in order to generate an output signal and utilizing the output signal to determine the contact position. Apparatus for determining the contact position is also disclosed.

A disc refiner generally comprises two opposed refining discs, which are provided with exchangeable refining elements which constitute the refining surfaces of the refiner. In disc refiners in which wood chips are to be refined into paper-making pulp, the refining is carried out between the two refining discs, which are thus kept at a definite distance from each other. Depending on the type of refiner being utilized, one or both of the refining discs are mounted on a rotary axle. These axles are driven by motors which are intended to rapidly rotate the refining discs, and the distance between the refining discs (gap) is adjusted by means of hydraulics, and is measured by means of specialized measuring systems. Due to faulty functioning during operation, the refining surfaces may contact each other. If this occurs, breakdown may result, or in any event, the refining surfaces will be subjected to considerable wear, which can significantly reduce the operating time for these refiners. It is, therefore, very important to accurately control the gap between the refining discs.
In order to accurately measure the distance between the refining surfaces, measuring systems have been employed which require preliminary adjustment of the zero point; for example, immediately after the refining elements have been exchanged or replaced. In order to so determine the zero point of the measuring system, it is important that the contact position be determined. It has been known that the contact position can be detected by utilizing sound measuring apparatus. This method requires that a transmitter be mounted on one of the two refining surfaces. When the refining surfaces then contact each other, vibrations are propagated through the refining disc to the transmitter, which can constitute a microphone, impact pulsometer or vibrometer.
One disadvantage of this method is that the transmitter also measures other sources of interference, such as the axle bearings. It is therefore difficult to detect a slight contact, and it is necessary for the signal to "drown" out other sources of interference. This technique is also incapable of measuring or determining the phase position of the contact point, i.e., the point or location where the refining surfaces first come in contact with each other. Another disadvantage of these techniques is that they presume that one of the two refining surfaces is stationary. Therefore, there are no present day methods for detecting the contact point in the case of a pair of rotating refining surfaces.

Method and apparatus for determining the contact position in a refiner


A system for making electrical contact between a transmit/receive module and a testing device for the transmission of high-frequency signals includes a mechanically guided, frame-shaped contacting unit having a plurality of contact elements for contacting the TR module. The contacting unit surrounds the T/R module and is positioned relative to the T/R module such that the contact with the T/R module is established in one operation via the contact elements. A line substrate, which is arranged on the contacting unit and electrically connected with it, is constructed as a shielded triplate line by which the high-frequency signals can be conducted to the testing device.

This application claims the priority of German patent application 10 2008 011 240.2-035, filed Feb. 26, 2008, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a system for connecting a transmit/receive (T/R) module to a testing device, particularly in the case of active antennas in the high-frequency range.
According to the state of the art, T/R modules (which in this case constitute a test item) can be contacted and evaluated by installation in special testing mounts. The high-frequency connection to the tester environment is established by coaxial connectors, and the high-frequency connection to the test item is established by adaptors with bonded wires and/or small bands. The supply of direct current and connection to the control signals are effected in a similar manner. After the test has taken place, the bonded connections are removed again, but remnants of the connection and visible traces remain on the connecting pads of the test items.
Alternatively, such mechanically high-expenditure (and also not traceless or residue-free) contact with test items may be provided by needle adapters for the low-frequency control or direct-current supply.
For this purpose, the high-frequency signals are fed via special coaxial test probes (high-frequency probes). In this type of contact, both the needles and the test probes leave traces (scratches) on the connecting pad during the contacting, and such traces (scratches) could impair further processing of the modules (installation into a system by bonding connection). In addition, for reasons of space and high-frequency-related demands, the connecting pads are kept very small. Therefore, in order to ensure secure contact of the modules for the measurement, both the test item and the test probes must be optically aligned manually with one another using a microscope, independently of another. Only this fairly high-expenditure approach ensures that the individual mechanical tolerances of the test items do not disturb the electrical characteristics of the modules. It should further be noted that the quality of the contact has a direct effect on the quality of the measuring results, and qualitatively high-value contacts are achieved only by experienced operating personnel.
In this type of contacting, the respective testing probes must be aligned individually, typically by using optical methods under a microscope, which is very time-consuming. Furthermore, the quality of the contacting is highly dependent on the skill of the operating personnel.
One object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a system for contacting T/R modules which eliminates the disadvantages of the above-described contacting methods.
Another object of the invention is to achieve a high quality contact that is easy to handle and can be reproduced.
These and other objects and advantages are achieved by the system according to the invention, in which the optical alignment of the test item is replaced by mechanically guiding and centering a frame-shaped contacting unit on the frame of the T/R module to be tested, so that all connections can be made in a single operation. A line substrate (constructed as a shielded triplate line) arranged on the contacting unit establishes the connection to the connection ports of the testing device. The contacting unit has contact elements (for example, spring contact pins) connecting the line substrate with the corresponding contact pads of the T/R module.
The requirement for individual alignment of the testing probes with the test item in order to assure secure and reliable connection to the T/R modules, is eliminated by the contacting system according to the invention, as is the need for viewing through a microscope.
All required contacts (i.e., in addition to the high-frequency, low-frequency or DC signals) can be reliably and simultaneously closed in one operation.
With the system according to invention, the quality of the contact is largely independent of the skills of the operating personnel, thereby ensuring that the characteristics of the test items are accurately represented.
Another advantage of the system according to the invention is that calibration of the test setup, for which the same contacting principle can be used, can be carried out very simply. The calibrating elements for this purpose have the same construction as the line substrate, and have co-planar lines of different lengths which are mounted on a metal carrier. The metal carrier has an outer contour that approximates the test item, and can be inserted into the testing mount and contacted equally as easily as the T/R modules. No additional expenditures are required for adjusting and aligning for this purpose. Even the inserting sequence can be predefined by the control program for the operator.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

System for making contact between a transmit/receive module and a testing device


A system and method for data distribution and recovery, including a server that broadcasts data to a plurality of clients and a means for a client to identify and recover broadcast data that the client missed while it was off line. In a representative embodiment, the system includes a transfer server, a plurality of clients in communication with the transfer server, and an archive in communication with the transfer server and the plurality of clients. The transfer server receives data packets from a data source, uniquely identifies each data packet, and broadcasts the data packets to the plurality of clients and the archive. Each client receives the data broadcast from the transfer server, identifies missing data, and communicates with the archive to recover the missing data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the distribution of data, and, in particular, to a system and method for transferring data from one sender location to multiple receiving locations and for enabling a receiving location to recover data previously distributed when the receiving location was disabled.
2. Background of the Invention
The client-server model is a popular technique for efficiently sharing and distributing data among a network of computers. In a typical client-server system architecture, one computer acts as the "back end" or server, which performs complex tasks. Other, smaller computers or terminals act as the "front-end" or clients, which communicate with a user and typically perform other, less complex tasks. The client requests data from the server. A client is defined as a requester of services and a server is defined as the provider of services. A single machine can be both a client and a server depending on the software configuration.
FIG. 1 illustrates a client-server architecture in which a transfer server 100 receives data from a data source 102 and distributes the data to data processing clients 104. Typically, transfer server 100 distributes the data from data source 102 by transferring data files to the multiple clients 104 in separate point-to-point communications 110 using, for example, File Transfer Protocol (FTP). In turn, clients 104 read, manipulate, and analyze the data in different ways to provide network users with various forms of useful information.
As an example of this client-server data distribution, data source 102 could be the network control center (NCC) of a digital wireless packet switching network. As such, data source 102 could provide continuous performance log files including data such as network capacity, regional traffic data, and alarms indicating network areas experiencing overload conditions. Transfer server 100 would copy these performance log files to each of the clients 104, which would then analyze the data in different ways and present network users with different aspects of network performance. After viewing the network performance, a network user (e.g., a systems engineer) could then make operational adjustments to improve the performance of the digital wireless network.
In a sizeable digital wireless packet switching network, large amounts of data continuously enter the network control center. Indeed, it is not uncommon to transfer over a gigabyte of data per day, as is the case with the Mobitex digital wireless data network of BellSouth Wireless Data (Woodbridge, N.J.). Therefore, transfer server 100 must continually copy data in point-to-point FTP transfers to each of clients 104. In addition, although FIG. 1 shows only three clients 104 for simplicity, an actual digital wireless packet switching network requires numerous clients to monitor the many aspects of network performance, as is represented by the labels 1,2, . . . N of clients 104. Thus, transfer server 100 is almost continually occupied with file transfers, burdening not only its resources, but network bandwidth as well.
This method of data distribution further strains the resources of transfer server 100 when a client is unable to accept a data transfer, for example, when a client experiences a catastrophic error and crashes. In such a situation, transfer server 100 cannot copy the data to the disabled client, and instead must create a directory and store the data until the disabled client is back on line. In this manner, transfer server 100 can preserve the integrity of the analyses performed by the client by restoring the disabled client with the data that it missed while it was off line. However, in doing so, transfer server 100 must reserve considerable storage and processing capacity for responding to the disabled client's request for historical data. With one gigabyte of data processed per day, for example, transfer server 100 then risks consuming its own disk space and also crashing.
To reduce network bandwidth consumption and to ease the burden on transfer server 100, many network administrators have turned to broadcast and multicast messaging software to distribute data from a server to a group of clients. A broadcast transmission delivers a message to all clients and servers within a network, and is analogous to a radio station broadcasting audio content to a number of tuned-in radios. A multicast transmission delivers a message to a specific subset of the clients and servers within a network. As used herein, "broadcast" means to transmit a message from a single network component (e.g., a client) to all network components (e.g., clients and servers) with which the single network component is in communication. Also, as used herein, "multicast" is a form of broadcast, in which a single network component transmits a message to a group of network components, but not necessarily all network components.
As shown in FIG. 2, the broadcast and multicast approaches eliminate the repetitive point-to-point communications between transfer server 100 and clients 104. Instead, the broadcast and multicast messaging software enables server 100 to broadcast a single data transfer 200 that is received by all of the clients 104 at the same time. An example of this type of messaging software is TIB Rendezvous™ by TIBCO™ of Palo Alto, Calif. Another example of suitable messaging software is Transaction Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), in which datagrams can be used to broadcast or multicast messages. In addition to broadcast and multicast messaging, these types of messaging software also support the traditional point-to-point communications.
In the example of FIG. 2, messaging software runs on transfer server 100. Correspondingly, client computers 104 run a viewer of the messaging software of server 100. Using the messaging software, server 100 can broadcast a single communication 200 to clients 1,2, . . . N of clients 104 instead of completing multiple point-to-point communications to each individual client. In addition to a broadcast, server 100 could also multicast a single message to, for example, clients 1 and 2 of clients 104, but not to client N.
Overall, this broadcast and multicast messaging technology minimizes the computing and communication responsibilities of the server. Despite serving multiple clients, the server need only process data once and send a single message. In addition, this broadcast/multicast technique reduces network bandwidth consumption by limiting the number of transmissions.
Despite minimizing network usage and the processing responsibilities of transfer server 100, the broadcast and multicast messaging software presents problems with guaranteeing reliable data transfers to the clients. Specifically, because the broadcast transfer is point-to-multipoint, the sender (transfer server 100) does not know whether the message has been received by all of the listeners (clients 104). This condition is analogous to a radio station not being able to recognize how many radios are tuned-in, and, particularly, whether a specific radio has missed a broadcast. (A system administrator could address this problem by having clients 104 return acknowledgement messages for each received message. However, this technique would consume considerable network capacity in just sending acknowledgements.)
Thus, when transfer server 100 broadcasts the message, if one of clients 104 is off line because of, for example, a power failure, a network failure, or some other unforeseen circumstance, that disabled client does not receive the data. Moreover, to preserve the resources of transfer server 100, transfer server 100 broadcasts the data only once and subsequently deletes the data to save its disk space. Thus, if a disabled client misses the single broadcast, the client has lost the data forever. Furthermore, even if the data is stored in a directory as with the traditional point-to-point transmissions described above, when the client comes back on line, it has no way of determining which or how many data messages it has missed. Thus, a client is left with incomplete data, thereby compromising its performance.

System and method for data distribution and recovery


A catalytic one-step process for the production of CF3I by reacting, preferably in the presence of a source of oxygen, a source of iodine with a reactant of the formula:CF3Rwhere R is —SH, —S—S—CF3, —S-phenyl, or —S—Si—(CH3)3. The catalyst may be a metal salt such as salts of Cu, Hg, Pt, Pd, Co, Mn, Rh, Ni, V, TI, Ba, Cs, Ca, K and Ge and mixtures thereof, preferably on a support such as MgO, BaO and CaO, BaCO3, CsNO3, Ba (NO3)2, activated carbon, basic alumina, and ZrO2.

Mechanical refrigeration systems, and related heat transfer devices such as heat pumps and air conditioners, using refrigerant liquids are well known in the art for industrial, commercial and domestic uses. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were developed in the 1930s as refrigerants for such systems. However, since the 1980s the effect of CFCs on the stratospheric ozone layer has become the focus of much attention. In 1987 a number of governments signed the Montreal Protocol to protect the global environment setting forth a timetable for phasing out the CFC products. CFC's were replaced with more environmentally acceptable materials that contain hydrogen or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC's). Subsequent amendments to the Montreal protocol accelerated the phase-out of these CFCs and also scheduled the phase-out of HCFCs. Additionally, it is expected that the European Union member states will shortly recommend banning the use of materials that have a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 50 or more. Thus, there is a requirement for a non-flammable, non-toxic alternative to replace these CFCs and HCFCs. In response to such demand industry has developed a number of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which have a zero or near zero ozone depletion potential.
CF3I is a non-toxic, non-flammable, low global warming potential molecule with almost zero ozone depletion potential. Also the life cycle of the CF3I in the atmosphere is only a couple of days. Thus, there is incentive to synthesize this molecule in a low-cost route for using it as a refrigerant with or without the presence of a known or existing refrigerants. The CF3I is also useful a foam blowing agent and can be used to replace more environmentally damaging foam blowing agent previously employed in the production of polymeric foams.
Prior to this invention the methods known for the production of CF3I have involved or required one or more of expensive and/or not readily available reactants, multi-steps processes, processes with low selectivity for CF3I, processes with low yields, and processes limited to lab scale production quantities. The following are exemplary of such prior art processes.
In the article "Study on a novel catalytic reaction and its mechanism for CF3I synthesis", Nagasaki, Noritaka et al., Catalysis Today (2004), 88(3–4), 121–126, a vapor phase production process has synthesized CF3I by the reaction between CHF3 with I2 in the presence of a catalyst including alkali metal salts, which are supported on an activated carbon carrier. A consideration of the reaction mechanism suggests that the reaction proceeds via CF2 carbenes formed on the catalyst surface as intermediates, followed by carbene disproportionation to CF3 radicals, followed by reaction with I2 to give CF3I.
It has been claimed in JP 52068110 that CF3I is prepared in high yield by vapor-phase reaction of Freon 23 with iodine in the presence of alkali or alkaline earth metal salts. Thus, 200 mL/min Freon 23 is introduced to iodine, the resulting gaseous mixture of Freon 23 and iodine (iodine/Freon=2.2 molar) is passed over 800 mL active carbon containing 7.5% KF for 10 h at 500° C. to give 57.8% CF3I.
In DE 1805457 CF3I and C2F5I have been prepared from the corresponding bromides and KI without solvents. Thus, 0.3 mole CF3Br are passed through a layer of 3 mole KI of 6–8 micron particle size at 500° C. to give 15% CF3I, 0.3% C2F6, and 85% CF3Br, which is then recycled.
CF3Br have also been used as a starting material to synthesize CF3I in a multi-step reaction protocol in "Preparation and properties of ZnBr(CF3) 2 L—a convenient route for the preparation of CF3I", Naumann, Dieter; et al, Journal of Fluorine Chemistry (1994), 67(1), 91–3. ZnBr(CF3) 2 L (L=DMF, MeCN) is prepared by the reactions of CF3Br with elemental Zn in better than 60% yield. The reaction of ZnBr(CF3)2DMF with Iodine monochloride in DMF solution yields pure CF3I in better than 70% yield.
In a similar approach, disclosed in EP 266821 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,200, CF3I is prepared from CF3Br by contact with a metal or an alkali metal dithionite and SO2 in solution followed by filtration and treatment with iodine in a carboxylic or sulfonic acid. Thus, Zn, NaOH, and SO2 in DMF in a Parr app. were pressurized with 3.7 bar CF3Br and the mixture. stirred 2 h whereupon the product was heated at 120° C. over 9 h with iodine in HOAc during which CF3I (32%) was generated and recovered.
A direct synthesis of CF3I by direct iodination of CF3CO2H with iodine has been claimed using a flow reactor over various salt-impregnated catalysts, such as copper iodide on activated carbon, in "Synthesis of CF3I by direct iodination of CF3COOH on solid catalyst", Lee, Kyong-Hwan et al, Hwahak Konghak (2001), 39(2), 144–149. In this experiment, the effects of support types, salt types and salt contents for the manufactured catalysts and also those of reaction conditions such as reaction temperature, contact time and feeding mole ratio of reactant are tested. It has been reported that a longer contact time led to the higher yield of CF3I. The optimized reaction conditions were above 1 of I2/CF3COOH mole ratio and about 400° C. of reaction temp. Active-carbon as a support shows better performance than alumina. For the salt impregnated on support, the best results of both salt content and salt type are 7.5 wt. percentages and CuI type, respectively. In the reaction conditions in this article, the catalyst was readily deactivated.
In "A simple, novel method for the preparation of trifluoromethyl iodide and diiododifluoromethane", Su, Debao et al., Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Communications (1992), (11), 807–8, CF3I has been synthesized in 70–80% yields by treatment of XCF2CO2Me (X=Cl or Br) with iodine in the presence of potassium fluoride and copper (I) iodide. If KI is used instead of KF under similar conditions, CF2I2 is obtained in 50–60% yields with traces of MeI present. Reaction of BrCF2CO2K with KI and I2 in the presence of CuI gave CF2I2 in 50–60% yield without traces of MeI.
In a different approach, in "Synthesis and purification of iodotrifluoromethane, bromotrifluoromethane, trifluoromethane-d1 for laser isotope separation". Chiriac, Maria et al., Revistade Chimie (Bucharest, Romania) (1982), 33(11), 1018–20, CF3I of 99.9% purity have been prepared with yield >80% from Ag-trifluoroacetate.
There is, therefore, a need for an alternative, fairly simple and inexpensive process, and preferably a one-step process, for the production of CF3I that does not require expensive and/or not readily available reactants, and in which the process can be commercially adapted.

Direct one-step synthesis of trifluoromethyl iodide


A multi-joint arm robot apparatus which includes a multi-joint arm in which a plurality of unit arms are connected in tandem through joints, a driver mechanism arranged in the multi-joint arm to drive each of the joints, a state detecting mechanism arranged in the multi-joint arm to detect the state of each of the joints, and a signal processing mechanism for driving the joint driver mechanism to move the multi-joint arm on a proper path responsive to the state detecting mechanism. For the purpose of reducing the number of signal transmission lines in the multi-joint arm, the signal processing mechanism transmits time-division control signals to the state detecting mechanism in each of the joints through a common control signal line arranged in the multi-joint arm, and the state detecting mechanism transmits state detecting signals to the signal processing mechanism in a time division manner through a data transmission line arranged in the multi-joint arm in response to the time-division control signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-joint arm robot apparatus.
2. Discussion of the Background
Since circumstances in facilities such as nuclear reactor, fusion reactor and nuclear fuel reprocessing plants are harmful to human beings, work there is usually done by manipulators. The demand for a manipulator capable of more complicated movement has increased, and multi-joint arm robot apparatuses having a higher degree of freedom in movement have been developed to meet the demand.
Such multi-joint arm robot apparatus is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 418,208, filed Sept. 15, 1982, U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,495, and Ser. No. 545,275, filed Oct. 25, 1983, both being assigned to the same assignee as this application. The multi-joint arm robot has, as roughly shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of unit arms 2 (2a, 2b, 2c . . . ) connected in tandem through joints 1 (1a, 1b, 1c . . . ). However, the movement of the multi-joint arm robot apparatus becomes extremely complicated, and complicated controls are needed to overcome obstacles in guiding the foremost end of the multi-joint arm to a target.
A rotation angle detector 5, obstacle detector 6, and the like are therefore provided in each of the joints 1 of the multi-joint arm robot, as shown in FIG. 1, and signals detected by these detectors 5 and 6 are applied to a control system to control the multi-joint arm movement.
Since the signals relating to rotation angle, rotation angle limit and obstacle detections are separately transmitted to the control system through signal transmission lines wired in the multi-joint arm, many signal transmission lines must be wired in each of the unit arms 2 so that the number of the signal lines in a unit arm increases as the unit arm is arranged nearer to the base end of the multi-joint arm. Therefore, a space wide enough to wire the signal lines is needed in the multi-joint arm. In addition, these many signal lines are tied in a bundle whose bending resistance increases accordingly, thereby requiring each of the joints to have a large driving force. Such a robot with a high degree of freedom in movement as described above will be large and complicated.


A vehicle seat includes a seat frame; and a holding member including a mounting portion that is attached to the seat frame. The holding member is attached to the seat frame via the mounting portion and is disposed and configured to hold a held member; the mounting portion is a tubular part projecting from the holding member toward the seat frame; a fastening member projects from one of the seat frame and the mounting portion and is inserted into the other of the seat frame and the mounting portion such that the holding member is fastened and attached to the seat frame; and the holding member includes five or more flat plate-shaped reinforcing portions projecting from the holding member toward the seat frame, and the five or more reinforcing portions are connected to the mounting portion, and are disposed radially around the mounting portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat including a seat frame serving as a seat framework, and a holding member that is attached to the seat frame and is able to hold a held member.
2. Description of Related Art
As this kind type of a vehicle seat, a vehicle seat including a seat frame serving as a seat framework, a bracket corresponding to a holding member, and a wire harness corresponding to a held member is well known (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-59958 (JP 2000-59958 A)). The wire harness is a cord member disposed inside a seat, and a connector is attached to an intermediate portion of the wire harness. The connector is a substantially cube housing, and a pair of guide pieces bent in a substantially L-shape is formed on both sides of a bottom part of the connector. Further, the bracket is a flat plate-shaped resin molded product that can be folded in half, and includes a stem and guide rails. The stem is an anchor-shaped part projecting from one side of the bracket, and is inserted into a mounting hole in a seat frame top surface so as to engage with a peripheral edge around the mounting hole. Further, the guide rails are parts that can lock the guide pieces of the connector, and is disposed on the other side of the bracket in a state where the bracket is folded in half. In the technique as known in the art, the bracket is folded in half, and then, the stem disposed on one surface thereof is inserted into the mounting hole in the seat frame top surface so as to engage therewith. Subsequently, the guide pieces of the connector are locked by the guide rails. Thus, the wire harness can be held by the bracket disposed on the seat frame top surface.
In the technique as known in the art, the stem that is inserted into the mounting hole to be engaged with the peripheral edge around the mounting hole is made of resin. Therefore, a mounting strength of the bracket is slightly insufficient. In the above configuration, for example, when the wire harness is pulled, the bracket may swing, which may cause the stem to fall of from the mounting hole. In particular, as the bracket becomes heavier due to holding of a plurality of held members such as the wire harness, the possibility that the bracket swings largely and the stem falls off from the mounting hole increases.


Photoresist topcoat compositions, comprising: a first polymer comprising a first repeat unit of general formula (I) and a second repeat unit of general formula (II):

Photoresists are used for transferring an image to a substrate. A layer of a photoresist is formed on a substrate and the photoresist layer is then exposed through a photomask to a source of activating radiation. The photomask has areas that are opaque to the activating radiation and other areas that are transparent to the activating radiation. Exposure to activating radiation provides a photoinduced chemical transformation of the photoresist coating to thereby transfer the pattern of the photomask to the photoresist-coated substrate. Following exposure, the photoresist is baked and developed by contact with a developer solution to provide a relief image that permits selective processing of the substrate.
One approach to achieving nanometer (nm)-scale feature sizes in semiconductor devices is to use shorter wavelengths of light. However, the difficulty in finding materials that are transparent below 193 nm has led to the immersion lithography process to increase the numerical aperture of the lens by use of a liquid to focus more light into the film Immersion lithography employs a relatively high refractive index fluid, typically water, between the last surface of an imaging device (e.g., KrF or ArF light source) and the first surface on the substrate, for example, a semiconductor wafer.
In immersion lithography, direct contact between the immersion fluid and photoresist layer can result in leaching of components of the photoresist into the immersion fluid. This leaching can cause contamination of the optical lens and bring about a change in the effective refractive index and transmission properties of the immersion fluid. In an effort to ameliorate this problem, use of a topcoat layer over the photoresist layer as a barrier between the immersion fluid and underlying photoresist layer has been proposed. The use of topcoat layers in immersion lithography, however, presents various challenges. Topcoat layers can affect, for example, process window, critical dimension (CD) variation and resist profile depending on characteristics such as topcoat refractive index, thickness, acidity, chemical interaction with the resist and soaking time. In addition, use of a topcoat layer can negatively impact device yield due, for example, to micro-bridging defects which prevent proper resist pattern formation.
To improve performance of topcoat materials, the use of self-segregating topcoat compositions to form a graded topcoat layer has been proposed, for example, in Self-segregating Materials for Immersion Lithography, Daniel P. Sanders et al., Advances in Resist Materials and Processing Technology XXV, Proceedings of the SPIE, Vol. 6923, pp. 692309-1-692309-12 (2008). A self-segregated topcoat would theoretically allow for a tailored material having desired properties at both the immersion fluid and photoresist interfaces, for example, an improved water receding contact angle at the immersion fluid interface and good developer solubility at the photoresist interface.
Topcoats exhibiting a low receding contact angle for a given scan speed can result in water mark defects. These defects are generated when water droplets are left behind as the exposure head moves across the wafer. As a result, resist sensitivity becomes altered due to leaching of resist components into the water droplets, and water can permeate into the underlying resist. Topcoats having high receding contact angles would therefore be desired to allow for operation of immersion scanners at greater scan speeds, thereby allowing for increased process throughput. U.S. Patent App. Pub. Nos. 2007/0212646A1 to Gallagher et al. and 2010/0183976A1 to Wang et al. describe immersion topcoat compositions that include a self-segregating surface active polymer which allow for improved water receding contact angles. With the desire for increasingly faster scan speeds on the exposure tool to allow for increased throughput, topcoat compositions having further improved receding contact angles are desired.
There is a continuing need in the art for topcoat compositions exhibiting high receding contact angles for use in immersion lithography, and for photolithographic methods making use of such materials.

Photoresist topcoat compositions and methods of processing photoresist compositions

Abstract: wherein: R1 independently represents H, F or optionally fluorinated C1 to C4 alkyl; R2 represents optionally fluorinated linear, branched or cyclic C1 to C20 alkyl; L1 represents a single bond or a multivalent linking group; and n is an integer of from 1 to 5; a second polymer comprising a first repeat unit of general formula (III) and a second repeat unit of general formula (IV):

Abstract: wherein: R3 independently represents H, F or optionally fluorinated C1 to C4 alkyl; R4 represents linear, branched or cyclic C1 to C20 alkyl; R5 represents linear, branched or cyclic C1 to C20 fluoroalkyl; L2 represents a single bond or a multivalent linking group; and n is an integer of from 1 to 5; and a solvent. Coated substrates coated with the described topcoat compositions and methods of processing a photoresist composition are also provided. The invention finds particular applicability in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.


In a magnetic resonance apparatus having vertically spaced pole shoes with an examination space therebetween and with an illumination system for illuminating at least a part of an examination space, the illumination system includes a light source arranged outside the examination space and a lightguide having a first end optically coupled to the light source. The lightguide extends above the examination space up to a symmetry line of the examination space. Deflection optics are optically coupled to a second end of the lightguide that lies opposite the light source. The deflection optics deflects the light rays emerging from the second end downwardly in a vertical direction. The lightguide is formed by a bundle of optical fibers which are arranged side-by-side in a flat arrangement on the upper pole shoe so as to reduce the height of the examination space only insignificantly.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a magnetic resonance apparatus with an illumination means for illuminating at least a part of an examination space.
2. Description of the Prior Art
German OS 42 25 433 discloses a magnetic resonance apparatus having illumination means in the form of a light source arranged outside the examination space and a lightguide arrangement extending into the examination space, the lightguide arrangement having a first end optically coupled to the light source. The examination space located inside a measurement tunnel is diffusely illuminated by this illumination means in order to reduce anxiety on the part of patients. To that end, a light source, whose light is supplied into a lightguide arrangement via an optical connector, is arranged outside the examination space. The lightguide arrangement is composed of individual optical fibers that have curvatures inside the measurement tunnel. A part of the infed light emerges at each curvature and illuminates the inside of the measurement tunnel. The illumination means, however, is not suitable for making available the high luminance required for surgical procedures.
German Utility Model G 91 01 720.3 discloses a cold-light lamp that, in particular, can be used in the medical field. The cold-light lamp has a lamp housing to which a cable-shaped light waveguide can be connected. This cold-light lamp could be utilized in conjunction with magnetic resonance examinations, but if it were fixed in place in the magnetic resonance apparatus, it would require additional space in what is already a tight examination space. Since the size of the examination space determines the structural and operational specifications of the magnetic and radiofrequency components, the installation of such a conventional cold-light lamp would increase the performance demands made of the components of the magnetic resonance apparatus.

Magnetic resonance apparatus with an illumination means


A method for reconstructing image data during CT imaging is described. In the method, a plurality of independent data records of projection measured data are captured. A combined data record is then determined based on the captured data records. In addition, morphological information is determined based on the combined data record. A target data record is also determined based on the captured independent data records. A target image data record is reconstructed based on the target data record and the determined morphological information. An image data determination facility and a computed tomography system are also described.

The present embodiments relate to a method for reconstructing image data during CT imaging. Furthermore, the embodiments relate to an image data determination facility. Moreover, the embodiments also relate to a computed tomography (CT) system.
With the help of modern imaging methods, two- or three-dimensional image data is frequently generated that may be used to visualize a mapped examination object and furthermore also for further applications.
The imaging methods are frequently based on the capture of x-ray radiation, wherein what is known as projection measured data is generated. Projection measured data may be acquired for instance with the aid of a CT system. With CT systems, an assembly disposed on a gantry (i.e., an x-ray source and an x-ray detector arranged opposite thereto) may circulate around a measuring space, in that the examination object (that, without loss of generality, is referred to below as the patient) is located. The center of rotation (also referred as 'isocenter') coincides here with what is known as a system axis z. In one or a number of circulations, the patient is irradiated with x-ray radiation from the x-ray source, wherein projection measured data or x-ray projection data is captured with the aid of the opposing x-ray detector.
The projection measured data generated, also abbreviated to projection data, is in particular dependent on the model design of the x-ray detector. X-ray detectors may have a plurality of detection units that are in most cases arranged in the form of a regular pixel array. The detection units each generate a detection signal for x-ray radiation striking the detection units, said detection signal being analyzed at specific time instants in respect of intensity and spectral distribution of the x-ray radiation, in order to obtain information on the examination object and to generate projection measured data.
With a series of applications of CT systems, a number of data records or projection data records of independent measurements that relate to the same object are captured. By way of example, the different data records may relate to the same object at different time instants. The different data records may also include image recordings of the object with different recording parameters, such as different spectral parts for example. Such data records are recorded for instance while using recordings having a number of energy thresholds, known as multi-energy scans. With multi-energy scans, data of a quanta-counting detector having one or a number of energy thresholds is captured, wherein different data records are assigned to the respective energy ranges that are separated from the energy thresholds.
With the aforementioned quanta-counting or photon-counting x-ray detectors, the detection signal for x-ray radiation is analyzed in respect of intensity and spectral distribution of the x-ray radiation in the form of count rates. The count rates are made available as output data of what is known as a detector channel, which is assigned to a detection unit in each case. With quanta- or photon-counting detectors having a number of energy thresholds, each detector in most cases generates a set of count rates per projection on the basis of the respective detection signal of the detection unit. With the aid of the set of count rates, data records may be generated for a number of different energy threshold values that are in particular checked at the same time.
The individual different data records have a poorer quanta statistic, i.e. an increased statistical noise, than if the data records were available as a sum. This is then particularly the case if in the case of two energy thresholds, these energy thresholds are arranged closely around the energy value of the K-edge of a material that is used to map this material selectively. A similar problem occurs if, instead of spectrally separated individual images, base material images are to be reconstructed.
The problem overall then is that the statistical quality of the individual data records is significantly poorer than that of the overall data record that results in individual images with artifacts due to noise effects.
One possibility of improving the image quality of the individual images is in using all data records together during the reconstruction of image data, but on this basis, to reconstruct a spectral image or a base material image, wherein the time instant is defined by the system matrix, i.e. by the modeling of the measurement process of the selected spectral component or of the material component. Such an approach is described for instance in W. Huh and J A. Fessler, "Iterative image reconstruction for dual-energy x-ray CT using regularized material sinogram estimates", IEEE (2011), 1512-1515. Attempts are made here to use the statistics generically, i.e. by statistical weighting of the input data. In respect of a precise reproduction of the structures to be mapped, such an approach is ineffective since the approach entails a strong smoothing, i.e. reduction in the spatial resolution. In other words, the morphological information gets lost during the reconstruction of the individual images. Moreover, due to the complexity of the system matrix and its iterative application, such methods require a very high computing outlay.
With another conventional method, a data record with good statistics is used in a spatial frequency-selective manner as a priori information and a spectral or material component is thus optimized. Although a reconstruction method based on this approach is significantly faster than with the approach described above, this method is similarly disadvantageous in that the method fails to obtain morphological information when the individual images are being reconstructed. The morphological information is only retained here for instance with low spatial frequencies, in other words larger object structures, and gets lost with high spatial frequencies. With both conventional approaches, filtering takes place in the reconstruction act without taking into account the structural information.

Structure-compliant noise reduction during multispectral computed tomography imaging


A resonant circuit sine wave power supply in which the resonant circuit thereof is coupled to ground through alternately conducting complimentary emitter followers during the portions of the voltage generation cycle when the resonant circuit is not coupled to a dc supply, whereby a power supply that is substantially non-dissipative of heat is provided.

In recent years, discorotron charging devices have been utilized for depositing charge on an adjacent surface, such as the photoreceptor of a xerographic reproduction system. Such discorotron charging devices employ a corona discharge electrode in the form of a wire coated with a relatively thick dielectric material and connected to an a.c. source of appropriate magnitude. The wire is surrounded on one side by a d.c. biased shield and on the other side by a grounded plane supporting the surface to be charged.
The electrical circuit equivalent of a discorotron charging device includes a resistor representing the corona discharge path, a capacitor, representing the dielectric material, in series with the resistor, and distributed capacitance in parallel with the series RC circuit. Due to the nature of the electrical equivalent, a low frequency square wave drive voltage applied to a dicorotron will be differentiated and therefore increased voltage will be required to achieve a desired square wave output waveform. At higher frequencies, the square wave drive voltage will produce a more square output waveform, but that waveform will contain undesirable current peaks at the voltage transitions. Another problem associated with a square wave drive voltage is that it does not permit power retrieval and hence is inefficient.
A more appropriate drive voltage for a dicorotron is a sine wave. Sine waves can be derived from resonant circuits which are efficient since they permit power retreival from reactive loads.
A classic approach to producing a sine wave power supply is to have complimentary emitter followers drive an LC network connected to the primary of an output transformer. However, the emitter follower approach is power dissipative since the emitter followers are operating in a low power dissipating mode only during the actual power input cycle. During the remainder of the power input cycle, the approximate sine wave function of the current through the inductor of the LC network must be conducted into the emitter followers. Since the emitter followers are connected conventionally to positive and negative dc supplies, the latter current conduction is transformed into heat losses. Thus, a non-dissipative sine wave power supply is desired for dicorotron charging and other devices since heat losses cannot be absorbed by the microelectronic components associated with desired high frequency operation.


An ultraviolet absorbing glass article comprising, as a glass matrix composition in mass % based on oxides, from 66 to 75% of SiO2, from 10 to 20% of Na2O, from 5 to 15% of CaO, from 0 to 6% of MgO, from 0 to 5% of Al2O3, from 0 to 5% of K2O, from 0.13 to 0.9% of FeO, at least 0.8% and less than 2.4% of total iron as represented by Fe2O3, and more than 1% and at most 5% of TiO2, containing from 100 to 500 mass ppm of CoO, from 0 to 70 mass ppm of Se and from 0 to 800 mass ppm of Cr2O3 in a total content of CoO, Se and Cr2O3 of less than 0.1 mass % based on the total content of components in the glass matrix composition, and having an ultraviolet transmittance of at most 2% at a thickness of 3.5 mm.

As rear side glass and rear glass for automobiles, deep gray glass having a remarkably decreased visible light transmittance (so-called dark gray glass or privacy glass) has been practically used. Such privacy glass is excellent in interior comfortability and reduction in air-conditioning load, selectivity of color tone which imparts high-class sense, design properties excellent in view of the design, interior privacy protection, etc., due to a high sunlight shielding performance in a wide wavelength region from an ultraviolet region to an infrared region.
Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose conventional privacy glass.
Patent Document 1 discloses an infrared and ultraviolet absorbing glass article comprising components of soda lime silica glass and in addition, components which act as an infrared absorbing material, an ultraviolet absorbing material and a coloring agent. This glass article is colored green, and has a light transmittance of at most about 60%, a total solar ultraviolet transmittance of at most about 40%, a total solar infrared transmittance of at most about 45% and a total solar energy transmittance of at most about 50%. Patent Document 2 discloses a glass article having a total solar ultraviolet transmittance of at most 1%.


A steam dispersion system is disclosed. The steam dispersion system includes a header, a divider dividing the header into at least two interior chambers that are generally not in fluid communication with each other, and at least two steam dispersion tubes, each steam dispersion tube communicating with only one interior chamber. Each interior chamber includes a separate steam flow valve for independently controlling the amount of steam flow to each chamber based on the difference between a measured humidity value and a predetermined desired humidity value.

In the humidification process, steam is normally discharged from a steam source as a dry gas. As steam mixes with cooler duct air, some condensation takes place in the form of water particles. Within a certain distance, the water particles are absorbed by the air stream within the duct. The distance wherein water particles are completely absorbed by the air stream is called absorption distance. Another term that may be used is a non-wetting distance. This is the distance wherein water particles or droplets no longer form on duct equipment (except high efficiency air filters, e.g.). Past the non-wetting distance, visible wisps of steam (water droplets) may still be visible, for example, saturating high efficiency air filters. However, other structures will not become wet past this distance. Absorption distance is typically longer than the non-wetting distance and occurs when visible wisps have all disappeared and the water vapor passes through high efficiency filters without wetting them. Before the water particles are absorbed into the air within the non-wetting distance and ultimately the absorption distance, the water particles collecting on duct equipment may adversely affect the life of such equipment. Thus, a short non-wetting or absorption distance is desirable.
Steam dispersion systems are configured and sized to accommodate for a design condition, also known as the highest load. The appropriate number of dispersion tubes, number of nozzles, and/or orifice size of the nozzles are chosen to achieve the needed non-wetting or absorption distance and the load at the design condition. Some of the current steam dispersion humidification designs use closely spaced tubes with hundreds, even thousands, of nozzles to achieve a short non-wetting or absorption distance at the highest load. Such designs may undesirably heat the duct air and create significant amounts of unwanted condensate. However, if the number of tubes and/or nozzles is decreased, although the heat gain and condensate is reduced significantly, the non-wetting or the absorption distances are increased dramatically at high humidification loads and steam output may be insufficient when the humidification load is at or near 100%.
It is known that when the humidification loads are at or near 100%, i.e., when the humidification demand is at or near 100%, the non-wetting or the absorption distances are increased greatly. The non-wetting or absorption distances become reduced as the humidification load decreases. Although humidifiers are designed to simultaneously accommodate the highest load and an acceptable short non-wetting or absorption distance, humidifiers spend much of their time at loads significantly below 100%. Therefore, the maximum steam dispersion capacity of a system is not normally required to maintain the desired humidity and the non-wetting or absorption distance. Thus, it would be desirable to control or shut off portions of a dispersion system to reduce the air heat gain and condensate when operating at significantly less than 100% load.

Demand activated steam dispersion system