A remotely controlled, magnetic wheeled vehicle having a high pressure spray head for cleaning ferromagnetic surfaces. An articulating CHASSIS supports a variable frequency motor, gear reducers, drive axles, a servo motor steering linkage and multiple, laminated permanent magnet wheels. Resilient bushings and split, spring biased torsion hubs independently support the drive axles and each wheel to accommodate changes in surface contour. An adjustable tool head gantry mounts to either the fore or aft axle to support a rotary, multi-orifice sprayer. Control switches and a passive, magnetic anchor and tether protect the equipment while in use. In a second configuration, a sectional chassis framework surrounds the motor and a pair of drive chains transfer power through geared reducers to each axle. Springs are mounted to the aft frame section to provide a torsion suspension at the aft wheels.

The present invention relates to a vehicle having a magnetic drive for conveying a variety of tool heads over ferromagnetic surfaces to accommodate the treating of the surfaces (e.g. cleaning or painting). In a particular CHASSIS construction, a number of laminated, permanent magnet wheels are mounted to independent suspensions at each axle to convey a drive CHASSIS and tool head over the support substrate.
Maintenance activities for a variety of ferromagnetic or metal surfaces, such as found in ships and at the interior and exterior surfaces of storage tanks, are normally performed manually after a system of scaffolds and other work supports are erected. The manual nature of such operations and the extensive setup and disassembly activities are very time consuming and economically costly
A variety of magnetic vehicles have been developed to reduce the foregoing setup and disassembly activities. Examples of various of these vehicles are shown a U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,682,265; 3,777,834; 3,960,229; 4,789,037; 4,890,567; and 5,285,601. Common to all of these vehicles is a track driven vehicle which contains a series of either electromagnets or permanent magnets mounted to the tracks or to the vehicle. The magnets rotate with the tracks and progressively engage and disengage the work surface. A variety of metal surface conditioning tool heads are also fitted to the vehicles.
Although track drives provide a number of magnet elements which simultaneously contact the support surface to enhance the magnetic attraction, a variety of shortcomings exist. The vehicles frequently include separate drive assemblies at each track which increases the cost and weight of the vehicle. Reduced magnetic attraction is also experienced when working on surfaces having tight curvatures or surface transitions as the magnets span the curvatures and transitions with reduced surface contact. Difficulties also frequently occur in steering or maneuvering the separate tracks. Steering adjustments are most commonly made through independent braking and speed adjustments to the tracks.
In appreciation of the foregoing deficiencies of known magnetic vehicles, the wheeled vehicle of the invention was developed to provide a light weight chassis which is driven by a single motor and supported from a number of permanent magnet wheels. An articulating chassis and independent, resilient suspensions support each of the wheels to optimize wheel contact with the surface and especially upon encountering elevation changes. The chassis is remotely steered and able to support a variety of tool heads at either end of the chassis.

Articulating wheeled permanent magnet chassis with high pressure sprayer


This optical disk device includes a pickup head, a spindle motor, a signal generation unit, a runout amount calculation unit, and an out of balance disk detection unit. The signal generation unit generates a tracking error signal. The runout amount calculation unit controls the rotational speed of the spindle motor to first and second disk rotational speeds, and obtains, at these rotational speeds, runout amounts TE1 and TE2 of a tracking error signal, and runout amounts FE1 and FE2 of a focus error signal. And an out of balance disk detection unit detects that this optical disk is an out of balance disk, if the absolute value of (TE2×FE2)/(TE1×FE1) is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

Devices which record data upon optical disks (hereinafter simply termed "disks") are widespread nowadays. When data is recorded at high speed upon an optical disk whose center of gravity is displaced from its rotational center (hereinafter termed an "out of balance disk"), serious vibration occurs. Thus, with a disk recording device according to the prior art, for example with a DVD recording device, before performing recording upon a disk, a decision is made in advance as to whether or not this disk is an out of balance disk.
As one method for deciding whether or not a disk is out of balance, the method of providing a vibration sensor has been considered. Furthermore, a method of making this decision from the tracking error signal (hereinafter termed the "TE signal") which is used for performing detection for keeping the pickup upon a predetermined track of the disk, or from the focus error signal (hereinafter termed the "FE signal"), has been proposed (refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2000-182317, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2004-95079, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2005-310328, and so on). With this type of method of detecting the TE signal or the FE signal, a structure which is primarily required for keeping the pickup upon the predetermined track may be used. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide any additional structure such as, for example, a vibration sensor, in order to detect whether or not a disk is out of balance. With prior art methods such as those disclosed in these patent documents of using the TE signal or the FE signal to decide whether or not a disk is out of balance, individual threshold values have been set separately for the TE signal and for the FE signal, and these threshold values have been used for making the decision as to whether or not the disk is out of balance.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2000-182317, there is disclosed a disk device which is endowed with an auto balancer function for corresponding to disk deflection. In this patent document the concept is described of, in order to decide whether or not to deploy the auto balancer function, detecting the TE signal and the FE signal, and comparing them separately with their individual threshold values. The auto balancer function does not manifest any advantageous effect below a certain stipulated rotational speed. On the other hand, when the disk is temporarily rotated at a high speed above the stipulated rotational speed, its advantageous effect is sustained even below the stipulated rotational speed. Accordingly, in this patent document, the concept is described of first detecting the TE signal and the FE signal during a process of raising the rotational speed to a high level, and subsequently detecting the TE signal and the FE signal while lowering the rotational speed to an intermediate level, thus sustaining the advantageous effect of the auto balancer.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2004-95079, the concept is described of deciding whether or not a disk is out of balance by using whether or not the slope of (the TE signal which is detected at some rotational speed (corresponding to the runout amount of the TE signal in the present application)) with respect to (disk rotational speed) is less than some threshold value.
And, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2005-310328, there is disclosed an optical disk device which is equipped with a means for making a decision by comparing together the amplitude of TE (corresponding to the runout amount of the TE signal in the present application) in the state when tracking is ON and the amplitude of TE in the state when tracking is OFF, and for changing the recording speed based thereupon, and with a means for making a decision by comparing together the amplitude of the FE signal in the state when tracking is ON and the letter-S shaped amplitude of the FE signal obtained during starting, and for changing the recording speed based thereupon.
However, with methods such as those implemented in the above described prior art devices for deciding whether or not a disk is out of balance by using the TE signal and the FE signal, there has been the problem that the threshold values for the TE signal and the FE signal have each been set individually, so that it has been difficult to define a boundary line with the threshold values for deciding whether or not the disk is out of balance. In other words, since there is some directionality variation in the oscillation of the disk, if one only (or one at a time) of the runout amount of the TE signal, which indicates the amplitude of the error in the horizontal direction with respect to the track position, and the runout amount of the FE signal, which indicates the amplitude of the error in the vertical direction with respect to the track position, is compared with its threshold value, the relationship between these runout amounts and the amount by which the disk is out of balance (in concrete terms, the stability of the servos or the number of errors which are detected when recording or reading data) is not necessarily linear, so that there has been a problem of difficulty in definition of the boundary line in terms of the threshold values.
The present invention has been conceived of in order to solve this type of problem, and it takes as its object to provide an optical disk device which can accurately detect, using the TE signal and the FE signal, whether or not a disk is out of balance.


A method and apparatus for depositing a material layer onto a substrate is described. The method includes placing the substrate in a process chamber, delivering a mixture of precursors for the material layer into the process chamber, delivering a hydrogen gas into the process chamber to improve water-barrier performance of the material layer, controlling the temperature of the substrate to a temperature of about 100° C. or lower, applying an electric field and generating a plasma inside the process chamber, and depositing the material layer on the substrate. The material layer can be used as an encapsulating layer for various display applications which require low temperature deposition process due to thermal instability of underlying materials used. The encapsulating layer thus deposited provides reduced surface roughness, improved water-barrier performance which can be applied to any substrate type including wafer, glass, and plastic film (e.g., PET, PEN, etc.) and any substrate size in the flat panel industry.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to the deposition of thin films using chemical vapor deposition processing. More particularly, this invention relates to a process for depositing thin films onto large area substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
Organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays have gained significant interest recently in display applications in view of their faster response times, larger viewing angles, higher contrast, lighter weight, lower power and amenability to flexible substrates, as compared to liquid crystal displays (LCD). After efficient electroluminescence (EL) was reported by C. W. Tang and S. A. Van Slyke in 1987 practical application of OLED is enabled by using two layers of organic materials sandwiched between two electrodes for emitting light. The two organic layers, in contrast to the old single organic layer, include one layer capable of monopolar (hole) transport and the other layer for electroluminescence and thus lower the required operating voltage for OLED display.
In addition to organic materials used in OLED, many polymer materials are also developed for small molecule, flexible organic light emitting diode (FOLED) and polymer light emitting diode (PLED) displays. Many of these organic and polymer materials are flexible for the fabrication of complex, multi-layer devices on a range of substrates, making them ideal for various transparent multi-color display applications, such as thin flat panel display, electrically pumped organic laser, and organic optical amplifier.
Over the years, layers in display devices have evolved into multiple layers with each layer serving different function. FIG. 1 shows an example of an OLED device structure built on a substrate 101. After a transparent anode layer 102, such as an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer, is deposited on the substrate 101, a stack of organic layers are deposited on the anode layer 102. The organic layers could comprise a hole-injection layer 103, a hole-transport layer 104, an emissive layer 105, an electron-transport layer 106 and an electron injection layer 107. It should be noted that not all 5 layers of organic layers are needed to build an OLED cell. For example, in some cases, only a hole-transport layer 104 and an emissive layer 105 are needed. Following the organic layer deposition, a metallic cathode 108 is deposited on top of the stack of organic layers. When an appropriate voltage 110 (typically a few volts) is applied to the cell, the injected positive and negative charges recombine in the emissive layer to produce light 120 (electroluminescence). The structure of the organic layers and the choice of anode and cathode are designed to maximize the recombination process in the emissive layer, thus maximizing the light output from the OLED devices.
The lifetime of display devices can be limited, characterized by a decrease in EL efficiency and an increase in drive voltage, due to the degradation of organic or polymer materials, the formation of non-emissive dark spots, and crystallization of the organic layers at high temperature of about 55° C. or higher, e.g., crystallization of the hole transport materials can occur at room temperature. Therefore, a low temperature deposition process for these materials, such as at about 80° C. or lower is needed. In addition, the main reason for the material degradation and dark spot problems is moisture and oxygen ingress. For example, exposure to humid atmospheres is found to induce the formation of crystalline structures of 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum (Alq3), which is often used as the emissive layer, resulting in cathode delamination, and hence, creating non-emissive dark spots growing larger in time. In addition, exposure to air or oxygen may cause cathode oxidation and once organic material reacts with water or oxygen, the organic material is dead.
Currently, most display manufacturers use metal-can or glass-can materials as an encapsulation layer to protect organic materials in the device from water (H2O) or oxygen (O2) attack. FIG. 2 illustrates the conventional packaging of an OLED device 200 on a substrate 201 with glass or metal encapsulating materials 205. The device 200 includes an anode layer 202 and a cathode layer 204 with multiple layers of organic materials 203. The metal or glass materials 205 are attached to the substrate 201 like a lid using a bead of UV-curved epoxy 206. However, moisture can easily penetrate through the epoxy 206 and damage the device 200.
Other materials, such as inorganic materials, e.g., silicon nitride (SiN), silicon oxynitride (SiON) and silicon oxide (SiO), prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), can also be used as an effective encapsulation/barrier layer against moisture, air and corrosive ions for such devices. However, it is very difficult to generate water-barrier inorganic encapsulation materials using a low temperature deposition process because the resulting film is less dense and has high defect pinhole structures. It is important to note that the presence of residual moisture in the organic layers may also promote the Alq3 crystallization process even in encapsulated devices. Therefore, a good encapsulation/barrier film also requires low water vapor transmission rate (WVTR).
Thus, there is still a need for methods of depositing low temperature encapsulation/barrier films onto large area plastic substrate with improved water-barrier performance to protect the devices underneath.

Method to improve water-barrier performance by changing film surface morphology


Methods, systems, and devices for operating a memory array are described. A memory controller may be configured to provide enhanced bandwidth on a command/address (C/A) bus, which may have a relatively low pin count, through use of a next partition command that may repeat an array command from a current partition at a different partition indicated by the next partition command. Such a next partition command may use fewer clock cycles than a command that includes a complete instruction and memory location information.

The following relates generally to memory devices and more specifically to efficient memory access techniques in memory devices with multiple partitions.
Memory devices are widely used to store information in various electronic devices such as computers, wireless communication devices, cameras, digital displays, and the like. Information is stored by programing different states of a memory device. For example, binary devices have two states, often denoted by a logic "1" or a logic "0." In other systems, more than two states may be stored. To access the stored information, a component of the electronic device may read, or sense, the stored state in the memory device. To store information, a component of the electronic device may write, or program, the state in the memory device.
Multiple types of memory devices exist, including magnetic hard disks, random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), read only memory (ROM), flash memory, phase change memory (PCM), 3D cross-point (3DXP) memory, and others. Memory devices may be volatile or non-volatile. Non-volatile memory, e.g., PCM, may maintain their stored logic state for extended periods of time even in the absence of an external power source. Volatile memory devices, e.g., DRAM, may lose their stored state over time unless they are periodically refreshed by an external power source. Improving memory devices may include increasing memory cell density, increasing read/write speeds, increasing reliability, increasing data retention, reducing power consumption, or reducing manufacturing costs, among other metrics.
Memory devices also may store data in a number of different partitions within the memory device. Each partition may include memory cells and other logic, such as controller logic and data buffers, for example. Each partition may read or write independently, allowing multiple partitions to be accessed concurrently. When accessing a memory device, a memory controller may use a memory address for one or more memory cells in a partition along with a command, such as a read command, write command, refresh command, etc. Memory devices that are used for relatively long term storage (e.g., a solid state drive, hard drive, optical drive, etc.) are often referred to as "storage" subsystems, and a lower bandwidth bus having a relatively small pin count may be used to couple such storage subsystems with a processor. Memory devices that are used for relatively short-term storage (e.g., cache or random access memory) are often referred to as "memory" subsystems, and a higher bandwidth bus having relatively a relatively large pin count may be used to couple such memory subsystems with a processor. In some systems, a command may be sent to a storage subsystem over multiple clock cycles using a lower bandwidth bus, and a similar command sent to a memory subsystem may use fewer clock cycles over a higher bandwidth bus.
Phase change memory and 3DXP memory are a relatively new memory class, may be non-volatile, and may offer improved read/write speeds and endurance compared to other memory devices. Such memory devices may, in some cases, be used in memory subsystems or storage subsystems. In some cases, providing phase change or 3DXP memory devices having different bus architectures may be technologically unfeasible or cost prohibitive. Instead, other techniques for command and data transfer may reduce memory device cost or increase performance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Memory access techniques in memory devices with multiple partitions


Applicant has disclosed a rotating cleaning tool to clean chimneys, ductwork, venting and pipe. In the preferred embodiment, the tool includes a cylinder having: two curved channels in its bottom or proximal face; and two curved channels in a distal or upper surface. Separate strands of monofilament line and/or wire can be placed in the channels with the ends of the strands sticking out from both ends of the channels and the cylinder. An animal nest remover—a flat (or round) bar with upturned ends—can be mounted onto a central post extending from the cylinder. The remover can be used with or without the strands. Upon bolting the tool together, the strands and/or bar are held in place. By attaching the tool to a pole or rod, and rotating the rod after being inserted into the chimney, creosote and other unfriendly materials can be removed from chimneys.

While using a fireplace, a layer of creosote, ash and soot builds up on the inside of the chimney restricting the flow. Creosote is a byproduct of the incomplete combustion of wood. If not properly cleaned, the fireplace or chimney can catch fire.
Sometimes animals nest in chimneys, where chimneys have not been used for a while. For example, birds, vermin and insects make nests in chimneys/flues and ducting. Those should be removed to avoid unwanted guests in the home.
Typically, to properly clean a chimney one would use a professional chimney sweep. A chimney sweep uses a brush (or other tool) attached to a long pole, rod or chain that is inserted into the top of the chimney down through to the bottom of the chimney or, in the alternative, a pole or rod that is inserted from the bottom to the top. The brush is then used to scrape and remove the layers of creosote, ash and soot (or foreign materials) that has built up over time.
Years ago, chimney sweeps used rags attached to poles. That eventually progressed to various tools (e.g., wire brushes, scrapers or retrievers) attached to poles or rods.
Recently, releasable coupling devices have been utilized to attach various chimney sweeping tools to rods. Then the rods are rotated by hand-held power drills. One such coupling device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,800 to David Wayne Kresge ("Kresge"), issued Feb. 10, 2004.
A problem arises where chimneys are not straight, such as the multi-angled chimneys in some old European homes. Those are difficult to clean, especially if the tool is rigid and cannot pass through all the angles.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved chimney sweeping tool for cleaning both straight and angled chimneys.
It is another general object to provide an improved cleaning tool which can be used to clean chimneys, ductwork or flues.
It is a specific object to provide a tool, commensurate with the above-listed objects, which can be attached to a rod by a releasable coupling device.


An optical disc recording device includes: an optical disc device to record optical recording data onto an optical disc; a recording data assigning unit to divide a recording region on the optical disc into multiple divisions, part as a data region, assign optical recording data thereto; a redundancy data calculating unit to calculate redundancy data for restoring recorded data; a redundancy data assigning unit to take divided regions other than the data region as a redundancy region, and assign the corresponding redundancy data thereto; a recording/playing device having a recording capacity greater than the data region; and a recording control unit configured to record optical recording data in the data region and also at least a part thereof in the recording/playing device, cause the recording/playing device to play the optical recording data recorded therein at the time of calculating redundancy data, and record calculated redundancy data in the redundancy region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disc recording device, a data recording method, and a data recording program, which can be suitably applied to an optical disc device, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical disc devices capable of recording music data, user data, and various types of data used with computers and the like, to optical discs such as CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), DB (Blu-ray Disc), and so forth, and playing or reproducing such data from the optical discs, are in widespread use.
Also, a proposal has been made to record data to and play data from multiple dispersed optical discs, in the same way as with a RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) which is configured of multiple hard disk drives, in order to improve the recording speed of information at the optical disc device, i.e., data transfer speed, while also increasing redundancy (e.g., see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-342204 (FIG. 10)).
With this optical disc device, each recording layer is handled in the same way as a single hard disk drive, with information signals given data and redundancy (hereafter referred to as "redundant data") being recorded and played.

Optical disc recording device, data recording method, and data recording program


The present disclosure provides a display panel, a display apparatus and a method for manufacturing the display panel. The display panel includes a driving circuit, a light-emitting device, and a fingerprint recognition unit. The light-emitting device includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and an organic function layer disposed between the first and second electrodes, and the first electrode is a reflective electrode. The driving circuit includes a light-emitting control transistor and a first initialization transistor that are connected to the first electrode via the first through-hole. The driving circuit includes at least a first driving circuit, and a minimum distance between the first through-hole of the first driving circuit and a first gate signal line connected to the first initialization transistor is smaller than a minimum distance between the first through-hole and a second gate signal line connected to the light-emitting control transistor.

At present, the full screen is favored by more and more consumers, and there is no more space for a fingerprint recognition module on the front side of the display apparatus. Therefore, the under-screen fingerprint recognition technology is used in the display apparatus. The under-screen fingerprint recognition can achieve fingerprint recognition on the front side, without occupying the space on the front side of the display apparatus. The principle of the under-screen fingerprint recognition is in that the display panel itself or the light source under the display panel emits light, and the light is reflected by finger to a photosensitive device for fingerprint recognition. However, in the display panel, there is a pixel circuit under each pixel for controlling light emission of the pixel and an opaque pixel electrode, so that the overall transmittance of the display panel is relatively low, so that the photosensitive device for the fingerprint recognition cannot receive sufficient light, thereby resulting in a low signal-to-noise ratio and an insensitive fingerprint recognition.


A complex is described that is deliverable to a cell comprising inserting a nucleic acid or other cargo into a reverse micelle. The reverse micelle has the property to compact the nucleic acid for easier delivery.

Biologically active compounds such as proteins, enzymes, and nucleic acids have been delivered to the cells using amphipathic compounds that contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains. Typically these amphipathic compounds are organized into vesicular structures such as liposomes, micellar, or inverse micellar structures. Liposomes can contain an aqueous volume that is entirely enclosed by a membrane composed of lipid molecules (usually phospholipids) (R. C. New, p. 1, chapter 1, "Introductiont" in Liposomes: A Practical Approach, ed. R. C. New IRL Press at Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1990). Micelles and inverse micelles are microscopic vesicles that contain amphipathic molecules but do not contain an aqueous volume that is entirely enclosed by a membrane. In micelles the hydrophilic part of the amphipathic compound is on the outside (on the surface of the vesicle) whereas in inverse micelles the hydrophobic part of the amphipathic compound is on the outside. The inverse micelles thus contain a polar core that can solubilize both water and macromolecules within the inverse micelle. As the volume of the core aqueous pool increases the aqueous enviromnent begins to match the physical and chemical characteristics of bulk water. The resulting inverse micelle can be referred to as a microemulsion of water in oil (Schelly, Z. A. Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science, 37–41, 1997; Castro, M. J. M., Cabral, J. M. S. Biotech. Adv. 6, 151–167, 1988).
Microemulsions are isotropic, thermodynamically stable solutions in which substantial amounts of two immiscible liquids (water and oil) are brought into a single phase due to a surfactant or mixture of surfactants. The spontaneously formed colloidal particles are globular droplets of the minor solvent, surrounded by a monolayer of surfactant molecules. The spontaneous curvature, H0 of the surfactant monolayer at the oil/water interface dictates the phase behavior and microstructure of the vesicle. Hydrophilic surfactants produce oil in water (O/W) microemulsions (H0>0), whereas lipophilic surfactants produce water in oil (W/O) microemulsions. When the hydrophile-lipophile properties of the surfactant monolayer at the water/oil interface are balanced bicontinuous-type microemulsions are formed (H0=0).
Positively-charged, neutral, and negatively-charged liposomes have been used to deliver nucleic acids to cells. For example, plasmid DNA expression in the liver has been achieved via liposomes delivered by tail vein or intraportal routes. Positively-charged micelles have also been used to package nucleic acids into complexes for the delivery of the nucleic acid to cells. Negatively-charged micelles have been used to condense DNA, however they have not been used for the delivery of nucleic acids to cells (Imre, V. E., Luisi, P. L. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 107, 538–545, 1982). This is because the previous efforts relied upon the positive-charge of the micelles to provide a cross-bridge between the polyanionic nucleic acids and the polyanionic surfaces of the cells. Micelles that are not positively-charged, or that do not form a positively charged complex cannot perform this function. For example, a recent report demonstrated the use of a cationic detergent to compact DNA, resulting in the formation of a stable, negatively-charged particle (Blessing, T., Remy, J. S., Behr, J. P. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 95, 1427–1431, 1998). A cationic detergent containing a free thiol was utilized which allowed for an oxidative dimerization of the surfactant to the disulfide in the presence of DNA. However, as expected, the negatively-charged complex was not effective for transfection. Reverse (water in oil) micelles has also been used to make cell-like compartments for molecular evolution of nucleic acids (Tawfik, D. S. and Griffiths, A. D. Nature Biotechnology 16:652, 1998). Cleavable micellar systems was not used in this system.
In addition, Wolff et al. have developed a method for the preparation of DNA/amphipathic complexes including micelles in which at least one amphipathic compound layer that surrounds a non-aqueous core that contains a polyion such as a nucleic acid (Wolff, J., Budker, V., and Gurevich, V. U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,487).
Cleavable Micelles
A new area in micelle technology involves the use of cleavable surfactants to form the micelle. Surfactants containing an acetal linkage, azo-containing surfactants, elimination of an ammonium salt, quaternary hydrazonium surfactants, 2-alkoxy-N,N-dimethylamine N-oxides, and ester containing surfactants such as ester containing quaternary ammonium compounds and esters containing a sugar have been developed.
These cleavable surfactants within micelles are designed to decompose on exposure to strong acid, ultraviolet light, alkali, and heat. These conditions are very harsh and are not compatible with retention of biologic activity of biologic compounds such as proteins or nucleic acids. Thus, biologically active compounds have not been purified using reverse micelles containing cleavable surfactants.
Complexation of Nucleic Acids with Polycations
Polymers are used for drug delivery for a variety of therapeutic purposes. Polymers have also been used for the delivery of nucleic acids (polynucleotides and oligonucleotides) to cells for therapeutic purposes that have been termed gene therapy or anti-sense therapy. One of the several methods of nucleic acid delivery to the cells is the use of DNA-polycation complexes. It was shown that cationic proteins like histones and protamines or synthetic polymers like polylysine, polyarginine, polyornithine, DEAE dextran, polybrene, and polyethylenimine were effective intracellular delivery agents while small polycations like spermine were ineffective. As a result the main mechanism of DNA translocation to the intracellular space might be non-specific adsorptive endocytosis which may be more effective then liquid endocytosis or receptor-mediated endocytosis. Furthermore, polycations are a very convenient linker for attaching specific receptors to DNA and as result, DNA-polycation complexes can be targeted to specific cell types.
There are a variety of molecules (gene transfer enhancing signals) that can be covalently attached to the gene in order to enable or enhance its cellular transport. These include signals that enhance cellular binding to receptors, cytoplasmic transport to the nucleus and nuclear entry or release from endosomes or other intracellular vesicles.
Nuclear localizing signals enhance the entry of the gene into the nucleus or directs the gene into the proximity of the nucleus. Such nuclear transport signals can be a protein or a peptide such as the SV40 large T ag NLS or the nucleoplasmin NLS.
Other molecules include ligands that bind to cellular receptors on the membrane surface increasing contact of the gene with the cell. These can include targeting group such as agents that target to the asialoglycoprotein receptor by using asiologlycoproteins or galactose residues. Other proteins such as insulin, EGF, or transferrin can be used for targeting. Peptides that include the RGD sequence can be used to target many cells. Chemical groups that react with sulfhydryl or disulfide groups on cells can also be used to target many types of cells. Folate and other vitamins can also be used for targeting. Other targeting groups include molecules that interact with membranes such as fatty acids, cholesterol, dansyl compounds, and amphotericin derivatives.
Size of a DNA complex may be a factor for gene delivery in vivo. Many times, the size of DNA that is of interest is large, and one method of delivery utilizes compaction techniques. The DNA complex needs to cross the endothelial barrier and reach the parenchymal cells of interest. The largest endothelia fenestrae (holes in the endothelial barrier) occur in the liver and have average diameter of 100 nm. The trans-epithelial pores in other organs are much smaller, for example, muscle endothelium can be described as a structure which has a large number of small pores with a radius of 4 nm, and a very low number of large pores with a radius of 20–30 nm.(Rippe, B. Physiological Rev, 1994). The size of the DNA complex is also important for the cellular uptake process. After binding to the target cells the DNA complex should be taken up by endocytosis. Since the endocytic vesicles have a homogenous internal diameter of about 100 nm in hepatocytes, and are of similar size in other cell types, the DNA is compacted to be smaller than 100 nm.
Compaction of DNA
There are two major approaches for compacting DNA:
1. Multivalent cations with a charge of three or higher have been shown to condense DNA. These include spermidine, spermine, Co(NH3)63+,Fe3+, and natural or synthetic polymers such as histone H1, protamine, polylysine, and polyethylenimine. One analysis has shown DNA condensation to be favored when 90% or more of the charges along the sugar-phosphate backbone are neutralized (Wilson, R. W., Bloomfield, V. A. Biochemistry 18, 2192–2196, 1979).
2. Polymers (neutral or anionic) which can increase repulsion between DNA and its surroundings have been shown to compact DNA. Most significantly, spontaneous DNA self-assembly and aggregation process have been shown to result from the confinement of large amounts of DNA, due to excluded volume effect (Strzelecka, T. E., Rill, R. L. Biopolymers 30, 803–14, 1990; Strzelecka, T. E., Rill, R. L. Biopolymers 30, 57–71, 1990). Since self-assembly is associated with locally or macroscopically crowded DNA solutions, it is expected, that DNA insertion into small water cavities with a size comparable to the DNA will tend to form mono or oligomolecular compact structures.
Micelles and Reverse Micelles
Reverse micelles (water in oil microemulsions) are widely used as a host for biomolecules. Examples exist of both recovery of extracellular proteins from a culture broth and recovery of intracellular proteins. Although widely used, recovery of the biomolecules is difficult due to the stability of the formed micelle and due to incomplete recovery during the extraction process. Similarly, purification of DNA or other biomolecules from endotoxin and plasma is difficult to accomplish. One common method employing Triton results in incomplete separation of the DNA or biomolecules from the emulsion.
Reverse micelles have been widely used as a host for enzymatic reactions to take place. In many examples, enzymatic activity has been shown to increase with micelles, and has allowed enzymatic reactions to be conducted on water insoluble substrates. Additionally, enzymatic activity of whole cells entrapped in reverse micelles has been investigated (Gajjar, L., Singh, A., Dubey, R. S., Srivastava, R. C. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 66, 159–172, 1997). The cationic surfactant cetyl pyridinuim chloride was utilized to entrap Baker's yeast and Brewer's yeast inside a reverse micelle.
Micelles have also been used as a reaction media. For example, a micelle has been used to study the kinetic and synthetic applications of the dehydrobromination of 2-(p-nitrophenyl) ethyl bromide. Additionally, micelles have found use as an emulsifier for emulsion polymerizations.
Micelles have been utilized for drug delivery. For example, an AB block copolymer has been investigated for the micellar delivery of hydrophobic drugs. Transport and metabolism of thymidine analogues has been investigated via intestinal absorption utilizing a micellar solution of sodium glycocholate. Additionally, several examples of micelle use in transdermal applications have appeared. For example, sucrose laurate has been utilized for topical preparations of cyclosporin A.


A measurement system for taking a reading in a test zone on a surface of a substrate. A chamber forms an environment, a surface treatment station dispenses a stabilizing chemical in the test zone, a charge deposition station deposits a charge in the test zone, and a QV measurement station takes a QV based measurement in the test zone. Where the surface treatment station, the charge deposition station, and the QV measurement station all interact with the substrate within the chamber. In this manner, reliable QV measurements are taken on the substrate by controlling charge spreading with the stabilizing chemical. QV measurement stability is also improved by reducing the influence of the time trending on substrates with reactive dielectrics, such as on silicon oxynitride and high-k surfaces.

Integrated circuits are often formed on substrates, such as substrates of semiconducting material. Such substrates can hold as few as one or many as thousands of the integrated circuits. As the term is used herein, "integrated circuit" includes devices such as those formed on monolithic semiconducting substrates, such as those formed of group IV materials like silicon or germanium, or group III-V compounds like gallium arsenide, or mixtures of such materials. The term includes all types of devices formed, such as memory and logic, and all designs of such devices, such as MOS and bipolar. The term also comprehends applications such as flat panel displays, solar cells, and charge coupled devices.
Integrated circuits are subjected to many different tests and analyses during the fabrication cycle, to determine whether the materials and structures of the integrated circuits are formed correctly. Such tests typically include charge-voltage (QV) tests of the substrates on which the integrated circuits are formed.
A typical QV test runs in the following sequence:                (1) Move position A of the substrate under a corona gun,        (2) Deposit a charge Q at position A,        (3) Move position A under a voltage probe,        (4) Measure at least one of the surface voltage (V) and the surface photo voltage (SPV) at position A, and        (5) Repeat the steps as desired at additional positions.
There are at least two problems with this method, which are generally referred to as lateral spreading and time trending. The first problem is lateral spreading of the deposited corona charge. The deposited charge in step (2) tends to spread out on the substrate surface before the surface voltage is measured in step (4). The degree of the spreading is especially severe when the surface electrical conductivity is appreciable and the deposited area is small (such as less than about one millimeter in diameter). Unfortunately, the degree of spreading is difficult to predict quantitatively, and generally depends upon several factors, such as:    (1) Type of dielectric. The degree of spreading is tends to be generally greater in high-k materials than it is in silicon oxides. In addition, silicon oxynitride materials can also exhibit significant spreading.    (2) Prior processing of the substrate. For example, a silicon oxynitride layer without a final anneal tends to exhibit a significant degree of charge spreading. In contrast, a final anneal on the same layer generally reduces the charge spreading significantly. In general, any process that alters the surface structure and chemistry of the substrate would also tend to affect the degree of the charge spreading. Such processes include any heating, light illumination, and plasma processes.    (3) Ambient environment. The degree of spreading also generally depends on the environment in which the substrate is disposed. For example, the humidity of the environment significantly affects the degree of charge spreading. When the relative humidity is greater than about sixty percent, charge spreading is so great that a reliable QV measurement is typically not possible. Airborne molecules in the environment other than water can also affect the degree of charge spreading.
The second problem is time trending. Here, the QV measurement trends with the queue time of the substrate, which is defined as the length of time between the formation of the dielectric and the QV measurement. Silicon oxide exhibits a relatively lesser degree of time trending, but silicon oxynitride and high-k materials tend to exhibit a relatively greater degree of time trending. Similar to the problem of charge spreading, time trending also degrades the repeatability of QV measurements.
What is needed, therefore, is a system that overcomes problems such as those described above, at least in part.

Substrate conditioning for corona charge control


A forward converter useful in a power supply utilizing an isolation transformer includes a crowbar circuit and control such that turn-off by discharging an output capacitor is made advantageously faster than conventional circuits. The forward converter has a push-pull arrangement of two switching devices. For operation in the output voltage-on mode, the forward converter transfers energy in a peak forward converter mode with the first switching device being turned on and off. For output voltage turn-off, the crowbar circuit is activated by turning on the second switching device which results in a reverse voltage at the secondary winding of the isolation transformer. The reverse voltage is superimposed on the converter output voltage, the sum of the converter output voltage and the reverse voltage being imposed across the crowbar circuit. If the sum of the converter output voltage and the reverse voltage exceeds the breakover voltage of the crowbar circuit, the output capacitor discharges rapidly through the crowbar circuit and the transformer secondary winding.

The present invention relates generally to power supplies utilizing transformer isolation and requiring very fast isolated voltage turn-off, such as may be useful in electron tube applications, such as x-ray tubes or electron beam guns, for example.
As an exemplary application, gridding circuits for controlling x-ray tubes reduce radiation exposure associated with decaying x-ray tube current. For fast x-ray beam turn-on and turn-off, the gridding voltage must be applied and removed rapidly. In typical gridding circuit arrangements, the grid voltage turn-off (i.e., x-ray beam turn-on) is accomplished by discharging an output capacitor through a bleeder resistor. Due to the time needed to discharge the output capacitor, as well as a practical limitation on the power loss allowable in the bleeder resistor, the output capacitance value is limited. As the output capacitance is limited, a high-gain path is formed between the output capacitance and the parasitic capacitance of the grid with respect to ground for the ac ripple from the high voltage generator. The modulation caused by the ac ripple across the grid and cathode during x-ray exposure tends to shorten filament life, and hence tube life, and also tends to degrade image quality.
Low output impedance gridding circuits are available but are limited in dynamics, e.g., by the time required to reset or discharge the parasitic impedances introduced by the isolation transformer magnetizing inductance and winding capacitance. Other low impedance gridding circuit arrangements disadvantageously require that the power control and gating arrangement be supplied from the filament drive, typically resulting in reliability problems.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a simple gridding circuit with a low output impedance which does not restrict grid dynamics, e.g., in terms of time and speed. It is furthermore desirable to provide a gridding circuit which overcomes reliability issues associated with existing gridding circuit arrangements.

Push-pull power converter with crowbar circuit for very fast output voltage turn-off


An ink tank includes: a first liquid storage chamber; a second liquid storage chamber communicating with the first liquid storage chamber through a communication passage; an injector having an opening supplying liquid to the first liquid storage chamber; a cap movable between an open position and a closed position with respect to the injector; a slide member which is inserted so as to be vertically movable with respect to the opening of the injector, the slide member being moved downward by the cap in the closed position; a valve body which is vertically movably inserted in the communication passage and includes a first sealing member opening the communication passage by moving downward together with the slide member moved downward by the cap in the closed position; and an urging member always urging the valve body upward.

In a recent year, there is an image recording apparatus having an ink tank capable of filling and refilling ink. FIG. 1A illustrates an example of an image recording apparatus 300. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the image recording apparatus 300, which is an example of the inkjet recording apparatus, has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The image recording apparatus 300 includes a scanner above the image recording apparatus 300, which reads an image recorded on a document such as paper by an image sensor (not illustrated) and acquires image data. Further, a printer for recording an image on a sheet is provided in a lower part of the image recording apparatus 300. The printer includes an inkjet recording type recording head 310 as an example of a liquid consumption device.
In the following description, an up-down direction is defined with reference to a posture (the posture illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B and it may be referred to as "usage posture") in which the image recording apparatus 300 with an ink tank 303 mounted is installed in a horizontal plane for use. Further, a front-rear direction is defined with a side on which an opening and closing cover 307 is provided as a front side and a left-right direction is defined when the image recording apparatus 300 is viewed from the front side. In the illustrative embodiment, in the usage posture, the up-down direction corresponds to a vertical direction and the front-rear direction and the left-right direction correspond to a horizontal direction.
In the image recording apparatus 300 of FIG. 1A, the opening and closing cover 307 which can be opened or closed is in an open position. In the image recording apparatus 300, three ink tanks 303 in which three colors of CMY (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) ink are stored are arranged on a front left side of the device. Of these three ink tanks 303, a cap 304 of the leftmost ink tank 303 is in an open position and caps 304 of the other two ink tanks 303 are in a closed position. On the other hand, an ink tank 303 containing BK (Black) ink is arranged on a front right side of the image recording apparatus 300. A cap 304 of the ink tank 303 for BK is in the closed position. When the opening and closing cover 307 is in the open position, a user can access these ink tanks 303, that is, supply or replenish ink. FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of a front portion 302 of the three ink tanks 303 arranged on the front left side.
Next, a schematic structure of the ink tank 303 of the related art mounted on the image recording apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4B. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the ink tank 303. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating only a link mechanism 200 used in the ink tank 303 by extracting it. FIG. 4A is a schematic view illustrating the ink tank 303 in a state where a sealing member 209 of a valve body 207 seals a communication passage 220 which communicates a first ink chamber 301 and a second ink chamber 401 with the cap 304 in an open position and FIG. 4B is a schematic view illustrating the ink tank 303 in a state where the sealing member 209 of the valve body 207 opens the communication passage 220 which communicates the first ink chamber 301 and the second ink chamber 401 with the cap 304 in a closed position. However, FIGS. 4A and 4B do not show the second ink chamber 401 provided below the first ink chamber 301.
In the ink tank 303, the cap 304 is rotatably attached to an ink tank body 306. The cap 304 is able to seal an injection cylinder 305. The cap 304 is always urged from the closed position to the open position by an elastic body (rubber O-ring as an example) (not illustrated). When an engagement that holds the cap 304 in the closed position is released, the cap 304 rotates by itself from the closed position in which the injection cylinder is sealed to the open position. Further, the cap 304 includes a protrusion 201 which extends downward when in the closed position. When the cap 304 is in the open position, the protrusion 201 is separated from a slider member 202 described below. However, when the cap 304 is in the closed position, the protrusion 201 presses the slider member 202 downward.
Next, the link mechanism 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The link mechanism 200 is a mechanism for connecting the cap 304 and the valve body 207 in order to link an operation of the cap 304 with an operation of the valve body 207 described below.
The link mechanism 200 is composed of the slider member 202, a second lever arm 203, a first lever arm 206, a compression spring 204, a plurality of rubber O-rings, and the like.
The slider member 202, the second lever arm 203, and the compression spring 204 are arranged on the outside of the ink tank 303, that is, on a right wall of the ink tank 303. Further, a rotation shaft 205 of the first lever arm 206 penetrates a through hole 205A provided in the right wall forming the first ink chamber 301 from the inside of the first ink chamber 301 toward the outside of the ink tank 303. The through hole 205A is provided with an O-ring or the like (not illustrated) so that the ink in the first ink chamber 301 does not leak from the through hole 205A. Then, the first lever arm 206 can rotate in the first ink chamber 301 with the rotation shaft 205 as a center of rotation in conjunction with a rotation operation of the second lever arm 203 arranged on the right side wall of the ink tank 303.
The valve body 207 includes the seal member 209 which seals a communication passage 220 which communicates the first ink chamber 301 and the second ink chamber 401 and is rotatably coupled to the first lever arm 206. Then, the valve body 207 moves up and down as the slider member 202 moves, the second lever arm 203 rotates, and the first lever arm 206 rotates as the cap 304 opens or closes. As a result, the seal member 209 sits or separates from a valve seat 210 to open or close the communication passage 220 which communicates the first ink chamber 301 and the second ink chamber 401.
In addition, the ink tank 303 includes an ink outlet 360 for supplying ink to a recording head 310 and an atmospheric communication port 370 for communicating the inside of the second ink chamber 401 to the outside of the ink tank 303. The ink outlet 360 is provided in the second ink chamber 401. Although the atmospheric communication port 370 is provided at an upper portion of the ink tank 303, an atmospheric communication passage 371 for communicating the atmospheric communication port 370 with the inside of the second ink chamber 401 extends to the second ink chamber 401.
Further, the ink tank 303 is provided with a visual recognition portion 350 on a front side of the ink tank body 306. Since the ink tank body 306 is made of a resin which transmits light rays or a translucent resin, a user can check a remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 303 simply by looking at the visual recognition portion 350. The visual recognition portion 350 is provided with an upper limit indicator 351 and a lower limit indicator 352. The upper limit indicator 351 displays a liquid level height of a maximum capacity of ink which can be stored in the ink tank 303. On the other hand, the lower limit indicator 352 displays a liquid level height which encourages a user to inject ink into the ink tank 303.


A method and system for reading machine-readable label devices and searching resources bases responsive to the context in which the reading took place provides versatility and intelligence that insures users will obtain real value from their use. For example, the system may be used to obtain information about a product fitted with a transponder. The system goes beyond monolithic information-gathering and transaction automation by exploiting context information and flexible search engine technology and by using natural language parsing to make searching to make creation and maintenance of resource bases more economical.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to systems that employ machine-readable labels to store data and deliver them to readers when scanned. Examples include one- and two-dimensional bar-codes, memory buttons, smart cards, radio-frequency identifier (RFID) tags, smart cards, magnetic stripes, micro-chip transponders, etc.
2. Background
Various devices for encoding data currently exist and are under development. These take many different forms, from optical devices such as two-dimensional bar-codes to radio devices such as transponders. These devices generally permit objects to be tagged or labeled to permit machines to read data associated with the object. One-dimensional bar-codes have been used widely for this purpose, but they are limited in terms of how much information they can store. For example, they can identify classes of objects, but not individual objects.
A recent entrant to this field, radio-frequency identifier (RFID) tags, delivers information by radio signals to a reader just as a transponder does. One of the attractions of RFID devices is their potential to carry a large quantity of information. This is in contrast to conventional bar codes whose data capacity is much more limited. Another alternative to conventional bar-codes are two-dimensional bar codes. These are two-dimensional symbols that are capable of encoding much more data than a conventional bar-code. Another encoding device is the iButton(copyright), a small token that stores information that can be read by a reader that makes electrical contact with the iButton(copyright). Still other devices for storing information include printed and non-printed (e.g., etched) machine readable symbols (e.g., using a pattern recognition process) and digital watermarks.
Commercial applications of RFID technology are expected to be highly successful. Supply chain management is one of the biggest. Plans are for manufacturers to register each product""s serial number in a database that could be accessed during the product""s journey through the supply chain. By keeping the data on a network resource such as a server, a service provider could enable stores or warehouses to use a portable scanner to check the history of the product. Retailers thus could check for authenticity or theft, as well as monitor out-of-stock and out-of-demand trends. RFID tags may be programmable and may also include sensors that can record, right in the tag, various environmental factors such as the amount of time a crate of fruit was held at a given temperature.
An obvious model for a future consumer market for RFID tags is the present consumer market for bar-code readers. While bar-code readers have been widely adopted by commercial and industrial users, so far, attempts by manufacturers and vendors to develop consumer markets have met with very limited success. Some examples of consumer applications, current and future, are discussed below.
One example of a bar-code reader product aimed at consumers is the Cue Cat(copyright), a reader designed to be installed on a computer and used to read bar-codes printed in catalogues, magazine advertisements, and product labels. When a user scans a bar-code, the code is automatically conveyed through the Internet to a server that points the user""s browser to a web site for that particular bar-code. The user is saved the trouble of typing in a web address, which could conceivably be a long one if every product had its own web address, but the benefit is not much greater than that. Also, web addresses can be generated for existing products (like a year-old can of peaches in the cupboard) without the user having to look one up (such as by searching with a search engine). If the maintainer of the Cue Cat(copyright) service fails to provide a link for a product, users can suggest a web address. Another similar proposed application is bar-codes on coupons that take the user to a xe2x80x98bonus couponxe2x80x99 section on a web site.
Another proposed application is recipe books with bar-codes that a user can scan and automatically generate a shopping list for the grocery store. The user chooses what to purchase by scanning bar-codes on labels of products at home. From this, a service generates a shopping list to take to the store and use as a dietary guide. Using a cordless barcode scanner the user scans barcodes on boxes or wrappers of grocery items to add them to the user""s shopping list. The scanner is synched to a computer before shopping, and by means of an Internet connection, the personalized shopping list is generated and printed out. The shopping list includes healthy suggestions for the items on the list that are identified as similar to what was originally scanned, but more consistent with the user""s specified dietary goals. Categories such as less fat, less sodium, fewer calories or other options are provided for. The list is broken down into two columns, one containing suggested choices and one with the items originally scanned. An explanation of why this food item is better is provided for each item. An indication is also provided for how close the original item is to the system""s best choice for the class of product. A recipe icon next to some items cues the user to click on links for recipes that use the items on the shopping list and conform to the nutritional profile. For grocers that subscribe to a service, coupon offers can be entered on the shopping list and even downloaded to the user""s shopper""s loyalty card file.
Portable readers are used, or proposed to be used, in various other applications. For example, a consumer can maintain an inventory of bar-coded valuables, such as bicycles, camcorders, cars, etc. Another application allows users to scan items at participating retailers and build a xe2x80x9cwish listxe2x80x9d that they can post to a personalized web page. The list can be organized and emailed to others for gift-related occasions. Shoppers register at a mall kiosk, set up a password, and check out a scanner. Shoppers then build their xe2x80x9cwish listxe2x80x9d by simply scanning bar codes of items. The data is then downloaded to the kiosk when the scanner is returned and the wish list is posted to the web site. Yet another application, which is very similar to the Cue Cat(copyright) is the idea of placing a bar-code on a movie or sporting event ticket stub. The bar-code, in Cue Cat(copyright)-fashion, brings the user to a website automatically, allowing the user to purchase products relating to the event, such as sports memorabilia or movie sound-tracks. Yet another, offered by AirClic(copyright), uses bar-codes attached to print articles to bring the user to a web site giving access to updated information, purchase opportunities, or other web features relating to the article. The technology is envisioned as being incorporated in handy appliances such as a cell phone, so the user does not need to be near a computer to use it.
The above examples illustrate various attempts to find consumer applications for their products. Most of these are one-off (specialized) ideas and confer little benefit over traditional ways of accomplishing their respective tasks. The wish list application is highly specialized, as are the grocery shopping list application and the home inventory application. With bar-codes being as pervasive as they are, it is surprising that nobody has come up with truly useful ways of using them, at least for consumers. As discussed above, one component of a breakthrough may be to increase the amount of data that can be stored on bar-code or other types of data storage vehicle. While this, by itself, will not make xe2x80x9ckiller applicationsxe2x80x9d roll off the tops of designers"" heads, many benefits arise in connection with the increased data capacity of RFID tags and other technologies for storing larger quantities of data than traditional bar-codes.
Unlike bar-codes, which can encode only enough data to correlate a small amount of information, some machine-readable label (MRL) devices can store enough information to accomplish some very interesting things. For example, if attached to a product, it can uniquely identify that particular product, which could be tied in a central database to its date of manufacture, the shipment vessel it was conveyed in, its date of shipment, the retailer to whom it was shipped, to whom it was sold, how it was manufactured, when, etc. Also, some MRL devices can also be programmed to change the data stored in them, as, for example, does the temperature sensing supply chain application mentioned above. Another advantage is that some are capable of being scanned by holding a reader some distance away and without precisely aiming the reader with respect to the MRL device. Some readers are capable or reading many MRL devices at once, for example RIFD readers.
Generally, MRL devices have been rather expensive, so few applications have been developed for the consumer market. An example of a system aimed at consumers, which is not greatly affected by cost, is a supermarket system for promoting products. In this system, a user picks up a shopping cart equipped with a portable radio terminal. As the user browses the aisles, he/she passes certain radio transmitting stations that have been set up to promote products shelved near those stations. As the user nears each such station, the portable radio terminal receives a message from the station and begins to play a promotional graphic and/or text message with attending sound. The graphic and text/audio messages are derived from some other source, such as a network server to which the terminal is wirelessly connected. The station transmits a unique identifier that prompts the terminal to deliver the graphic and text/audio message corresponding to the identifier. Similar applications are expected to appear in a greater range of contexts as the costs of high density MRL devices come down.
Research projects, such as at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, have explored using RFID tags to automate many activities. For example, one project resulted in the construction of a coffee machine that could read the identity of the owner of a coffee mug placed for receiving coffee. Using this information, the machine made the particular type of coffee favored by the mug""s owner and played music preferred by him/her. Another application proposed by the Media Lab is a refrigerator which reads the RFID tags of its contents, thereby maintaining an inventory. Another example was a microwave oven that gave instructions to the user and programmed itself for the type of food (given by an RFID tag) that was to be cooked. These systems are envisioned as being part of a household network with all manner of input and output devices, all of them intelligent and environment-responsive. The refrigerator knows what the oven is doing. Ovens, sinks, etc., all know their contents, status, and are enabled to act on objects both physically and digitally. The cupboards can advise a user as to whether s/he has all the ingredients you need to make a recipe. The kitchen observes the user making the recipe and gives advice synchronized with the user""s activity.
A white paper written by Joseph Kaye of MIT Media Lab proffered a number of concepts relevant to the environment of the current invention. One concept is for everything to be connected. For example, the RFID tag on a Tupperware container informs a reader in the sink that the container is being washed and is therefore empty. The food that had been stored in the container was removed and the container emptied. A particular food had previously been associated with the container""s RFID tag by the refrigerator which xe2x80x9casked,xe2x80x9d when the container was put into the refrigerator, for information on the container""s contents. The contents were thereafter part of the food inventory until the container was emptied. A smart kitchen envisioned by MIT Media Lab helps a user cook by guiding the user through a recipe, recommending substitutions, and telling the user where to find ingredients. Mr. Kaye also suggests identifying all products uniquely and providing each with an individual web page, available from which is every detail of that particular product""s history.
There is a need in the current state of the art for applications of code-reading devices which provide real benefits that consumers will want and to provide these benefits with a minimum of hassle so consumers will adopt the applications.
The invention is designed for an environment in which inexpensive machine-readable label devices (xe2x80x9cMRL devicesxe2x80x9d) appear in a great variety of contexts, as do bar-codes presently. In the future, high data-density MRL devices may appear on purchasable products, ticket stubs, advertising media, shipping containers, delicatessen containers, etc. Readers of MRL devices may also proliferate. For example, they may be found in portable devices such as personal information managers (PIMs), cell phones, or cross-over devices. They may also be found incorporated in many common fixed appliances such as cash registers, publicly-accessible kiosks, domestic appliances, TV remote controls, etc.
Although a world full of high data-density MRL devices and readers is forecast by many technology-watchers, this will only happen if such devices provide real value to users. The present invention is concerned with several barriers to reaching this goal. One barrier is the demands any new technology makes on users. Users do not like to adopt new ways of doing things, unless there is a big payoff. Making technology that is easy to use as well as useful often means complex programming. Another barrier to widespread consumer acceptance is the difficulty of providing information and/or services that are truly useful to the user in a wide array of different contexts rather than simply a small number of narrow contexts.
One way to make MRL applications easy to use is to insure that they only present to the user those pieces of information and services that are relevant to the user. That way, the user is not required to navigate menus or enter additional information to get to something useful. To do this, preferably, the user""s immediate circumstances and preferences need to be taken into account. Most wireless applications are built with very little capacity for personalization, although this is an important design element for web portals that users return to again and again. The goal of the present invention is to provide a system that users will turn to repeatedly in many contexts, including new ones, because they have the experience that the system usually provides valuable information and/or services with a minimum of hassle. At the back end, another goal of the system is to provide this utility with a minimum of difficulty for programmers to provide the services.
The invention provides mechanisms by which a MRL reader may deliver highly relevant information or processes relating, in some way, to an article to which a MRL device is attached, taking into account other circumstances relating to the user such as the user""s personal preferences, the user""s environment, etc. The invention also provides mechanisms for sifting through the large quantity of potentially relevant information or number of resources and identifying those that are most likely to be the best choices for the user, thereby avoiding making demands on the user. Further, the invention provides mechanisms for insuring that the reader never produces useless responses even when confronted with requests that are impossible to predict, such as a user scanning a cereal box with a table-saw reader. Still further, the invention provides mechanisms by which a portable reader can still provide utility even when not connected to a database that can decode the MRL data.
Making intelligent use of many available sources of information about the user and his/her status and context of use at the time a request is made (compactly, the xe2x80x9cuser statexe2x80x9d) is an onerous programming task because of the many possible system responses. In addition, even without the issue of how to connect the many possible user states to many possible responses, it can be difficult on its own to provide the large numbers of responses that are connectable with the possible user states.
To this end, the invention leverages advances in search engine technology. New search engine technologies allow users to specify requests in natural language in order to access large unorganized corpuses of data (web pages). These technologies have the potential for being adapted to use in MRL systems. This makes it possible to create response data in a relatively unstructured format, relying on sophisticated search engine technology to determine how to connect requests to the most appropriate information or services in a resource database.
With a robust and flexible strategy in place for leveraging all available user state information, it is easier for new functionality to be added. For one thing, a service provider who creates a resource database does not need to script a response for each anticipated situation. This makes the task of adding new responses to a response database less onerous. For another thing, a single situation may admit of a variety of different responses. The usual way of handling that is to give the user a choice. By using the robust strategy suggested here, the system can filter the multiple of potentially applicable responses, avoiding the need for the user to make the choice in subsequent steps. The user receives the desired response faster and with less hassle. Readers affixed to a particular object, such as a home appliance, may transmit information identifying the particular object to the information resource. For example, the microwave oven may identify its make and model number to the information resource before receiving programming instructions. By providing the information resource with specific details about the context of the request for information (e.g., xe2x80x9cI am a microwave oven, located in a residence, and I am requesting information about this particular frozen dinner.xe2x80x9d), the information resource can make its response as relevant as possible (xe2x80x9cYou must want programming instructions.xe2x80x9d) Without the particulars of the context, it might take several exchanges between a user and the information resource before the relevant information was simply want to know something about the product in anticipation of purchasing it. Without the context, the situation is much like visiting a worldwide web (WWW) site today, where it is necessary to navigate a menu tree before the desired information can be found.
Given that additional information supplied to the information resource can increase the relevance of responses, readers may be programmed to deliver information regarding the requesting user. For example, a personal reader may store a user profile or access a user profile stored on a network (or Internet). The benefit of the latter is that it further allows the responding information provider to personalize its response, increasing the odds the user will act on the information supplied. This personalization data can be transmitted from the reader or derived by the information provider from another server storing such data according to a unique identifier for the personalization data.
Other sources of information that may be used to increase the relevancy of responses include stored historical use patterns/preferences, general data such as news, weather, time of day, season of the year, and information from other resources such as an inventory stored on a local network server. Here is an example of how such data could be used. An individual scans a MRL device affixed to a frozen dinner with a microwave oven reader. The local time of day is 8:00 AM, so it is less likely the user is planning to cook the frozen dinner at this time. Historical use patterns indicate that the user has never programmed the microwave oven to cook frozen dinners in the morning. The household inventory, stored on a server to which the microwave oven reader is connected through a network, indicates current level of frozen dinners is one unit. It is currently winter, and historical use patterns indicate that frozen dinners are cooked frequently during the winter months. The microwave oven reader transmits relevant information to an information resource, in this case an Internet server indicated in the MRL device, and receives a menu with several options, responses to each of the options being included in the transmission. The options include an identification of a local store at which frozen dinners are on sale, similar products the user may want to try, and instructions on how to heat a large number of frozen dinners for a dinner party. If it had been dinnertime, the information resource might have returned simply cooking instructions.
Another issue that relates to the potential for widespread acceptance of MRL devices is that people are less likely to adopt the habit of using new technology, especially when its use requires adaptation, when the technology is usable in only certain circumstances. So, for example, if only some products purchasable at a supermarket were fitted with MRL devices and others not, consumers would require two different ways of performing the tasks that the MRL devices otherwise automate: one for articles fitted with MRL devices and one for articles not so fitted. Thus, for example, MRL devices have the potential to automate the tracking of food inventory, the making of shopping lists, and the determination of the sufficiency of on-hand goods for making a recipe. If, however, only part of a shopping list can be made, or only half the requirements for a recipe automatically determined, the utility of such automation is greatly diminished. Thus, according to certain features of the invention, MRL devices may be provided for articles that are not prepackaged, such as consumables like delicatessen goods, produce, meat, etc.
While it has been proposed that MRL devices and bar-codes be used to connect users to web sites for purchase of goods, this degree of automation merely avoids the need for the user to enter a web address. This idea is basically the same as the Cue Cat(copyright) system. Since machine-readable symbols like MRL devices can bring users to a web site quickly, they have the potential to facilitate impulse-purchasing. There is a much greater likelihood of a sale when a user is provided an opportunity to buy a movie soundtrack just as the user leaves the movie with the music still fresh in his/her mind. This could be done by placing an Internet terminal in a self-service kiosk at the theater. The smaller the number of steps involved, the more likely a sale will be completed. In an embodiment of the invention, a MRL device is attached to a ticket stub. The device may contain an address at which the movie soundtrack can be purchased. Moreover, the device contains sufficient data density to correlate or store account, authorization, shipping, and authentication information to allow the purchase to be completed without any prompting from the user aside from the selection and confirmation of an item to be purchased. If a theatergoer purchases tickets using a credit card, the account can be linked temporarily to data on the MRL device on the ticket stub. This data can further link an order process to preference information contained in user-profile database and the purchase used to augment that database. To protect the user""s account, the connection between the user""s credit account and the ticket data may be given a predefined expiration period, say 2 hours after the movie or other event is over. As an inducement for the user to purchase at the theater, the user can be given a discount incentive such as lower price on his/her next ticket purchase, discounted price for the goods ordered, or a free gift. Precisely the same functionality can be provided through a portable terminal rather than a kiosk terminal or a home computer connected to the network; or even a portable computer or terminal.
The invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, with reference to the following illustrative figures so that it may be more fully understood. With reference to the figures, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice.

Machine readable label reader system with versatile response selection


A partially automated transmission system (100) and method for controlling same is provided. The system includes a manually shifted transmission (10), preferably a compound transmission having a splitter and/or range auxiliary section (14) and a manually shifted main section (12). The main section is shifted by a manual shift lever (57). In a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary section is controlled by an auxiliary section actuator (116) under control from a system ECU (146). A sensor (56) is provided for sensing the position of the shift lever and for providing a signal indicative thereof. A control parameter having a value indicative of the rate of change of shift lever position (d/dt (lever position)) is determined and used as a system control parameter.

The present invention is related to the following co-pending U.S. patent applications, all assigned to EATON CORPORATION, the assignee of this application:
Ser. No. 08/439,908 faied May 12, 1995 AUTOMATIC AND MANUAL SPLITTER SHIFTING CONTROL ASSEMBLY PA1 Ser. No. 08/649,829 filed Apr. 30, 1996 SYNCHRONIZING AND GEAR ENGAGEMENT SENSING LOGIC FOR AUTOMATED MECHANICAL TRANSMISSION SYSTEM PA1 Ser. No. 08/649,830 filed Apr. 30, 1996 SEMI-AUTOMATIC SHIFT IMPLEMENTATION PA1 Ser. No. 08/666,164 filed Jun. 19, 1996 AUTOMATED TRANSMISSION SYSTEM CONTROL WITH ZERO ENGINE FLYWHEEL TORQUE DETERMINATION


An airfoil is provided with a seamless control surface which comprises upper and lower skins fixed to a spanwise extending spar and extending chordwise to a trailing edge and having an outer surface which is substantially a continuation of the upper and lower surfaces of the airfoil. A joint mechanism proximately attaches together the bailing edges of the upper and lower skins while permitting relative chordwise movement therebetween. Actuating devices are operable for selectively altering the curvature of the upper and lower skins to cause deflection of the seamless control surface between an extreme raised position through a neutral position to an extreme lowered position. In this manner, the outer surface curvature of the airfoil and of the seamless control surface is smooth and continuous over substantially the entirety thereof at all positions of the seamless control surface. The actuating devices may be hydraulic, pneumatic, or solid state and the upper and lower skins may be of composite material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to aircraft control surfaces and, more particularly, to a seamless control surface for an airfoil so constructed that the outer surface curvature of the airfoil and of the seamless control surface is smooth and continuous over substantially the entirety thereof at all positions of the seamless control surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional control surfaces are attached to the wing by hinges and typically operated by hydraulic or pneumatic actuators. When flaps are deployed, there exists a discontinuity in slope resulting in flow separation. The following disadvantages are observable with respect to conventional flaps:
hinged control surfaces drastically reduce aerodynamic efficiency of the control surfaces due to flow separation along the hinge line; PA1 edge or tip vortices reduce lift; PA1 hydraulic actuators are heavy and their frequency response characteristics are low. Because of this, hydraulic actuated control surfaces encounter `buzz` in transonic flight regimes and have a reduced flutter speed; PA1 control surface stiffness must be increased to increase aeroelastic stability characteristics; this increases net weight of the control actuator system (including weight of the hydraulic or pneumatic actuator) as well as the net weight of the vehicle; PA1 agility of the aircraft is limited due to reduced aerodynamic effectiveness of the hinged control surface; and PA1 limited applicability of the active flutter suppression algorithm due to the slow response of hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
A number of patents disclosing typical inventions pertinent to the present invention will now be presented. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,407 to Austin et al., a plurality of translational actuators capable of extending and contracting are used to control the shape of a structure having one or more surfaces by means of a plurality of internal actuators. The shapes of the surfaces are controlled by computing the actuator strokes or loads required for achieving specified surface deflections. Two disclosed methods accomplish this control. In the actuator stroke-control method the surface deflections or deflection errors for closed-loop control are multiplied by a stroke-control gain matrix which is a function of the properties of the structure with the actuators absent. In the actuator load-control method, the surface deflections or deflection errors for closed-loop control are multiplied by a load-control gain matrix which is a function of the properties of the structure with the actuators absent. The control gain matrices minimize the surface shape errors. Ratios of stresses to allowable values are continuously monitored throughout the structure and corrective action is taken to prevent an overstressed condition. Unfortunately, in actuality, a desired airfoil shape cannot be derived by pushing and pulling the surfaces. Moreover, an excessive amount of power would be required to change the shape of a wing structure which is designed to carry heavy loads. In addition, there is no point in changing the wing shape in the center section since it would be aerodynamically undesirable. Leading and trailing edges are the optimum regions for making adjustments; they are the easiest to shape in order to achieve aerodynamic advantages and are also the most cost effective.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,011 to Lazanis et al. discloses an adaptive sheet structure with distributed strain actuators which is controlled by a dynamic compensator that implements multiple input, multiple output control laws derived by model-based control methodologies. An adaptive lifting surface is controlled for maneuver enhancement, flutter and vibration suppression and gust and load alleviation with piezoceramic elements located within, or enclosed by sheets of composite material at a particular height above the structure's neutral axis. Sensors detect the amplitudes of lower order structural modes, and distributed actuators drive or damp these and other modes. The controller is constricted from an experimental and theoretical model using conventional control software, with a number of event recognition patterns and control algorithms programmed for regulating the surface to avoid instabilities. The number of control states of the compensator is then reduced by removing states having negligible effects on the plant, and a smaller set of control laws are optimized and then adjusted based on analytical models bench and wind-tunnel testing.
While the device of this patent may work well on test models, it is not practical for aircraft configurations. First, there is weight penalty, and secondly piezoceramic strains are very small such that the desired deformation cannot be achieved. Indeed, any actuator system which employs piezoelectric or terfenol concepts must be built with mechanical magnification factors in the order of 100 or more. There is no indication in the patent that this has been considered.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,699 to Albach et al., the inventive concept is based on use of a warped airfoil shape to eliminate the gaps and abrupt changes that occur at the hinged area of a conventional control surface, and an elastomeric transition session to provide a smooth transition between the warped and undetected shapes of the fixed wing or tail surface sections. The warped shape of the control surface is achieved by mechanically shortening or lengthening either one of the surfaces (upper or lower) of the control surface while the other surface defects to the warp shape. Air loads are supported by the warped surface skins which act as a truss. In addition, the upper and lower skins are connected by elastomeric spars which provide a tension connection but very low shear connection between the skins. An aft facing seal is provided on the surface that is shortened or lengthened to prevent airflow into the airfoil interior area.
Although it is a thought provoking idea, its application to real aircraft would necessarily involve extensive manufacturing considerations and require a costly drive mechanism to achieve.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,864 to Roglin et al. discloses an airfoil camber control apparatus which utilizes a cable of shape memory alloy affixed at its ends to a front interior portion of the airfoil. A tensioning system is connected to a rear interior portion of the airfoil and to the cable. When electrical current is applied to the cable to heat it, it returns to its remembered, shorter length, thereby applying tension to the tensioning system to alter the position of the rear portion of the airfoil relative to the front portion.
While this concept may work well for slow shape changes, in that the rate of operation is limited by the heating and cooling cycle, it is inadequate, for flight maneuvers of high performance aircraft, failing to take into account aeroelastic considerations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,207 to Tulinius discloses a system for controlling an aircraft by aeroelastic deflections of the wings which is effective beyond control surface reversal. The system includes flexible wings, leading and trailing edge control surfaces attached to the wings, sensors to measure selected aircraft flight parameters, an information processing system to receive and process pilot command signals and signals from the sensors, and control mechanisms in the wing that respond to processed signals from the information processing system. The control mechanisms selectively position the control surfaces to produce loads such that the wings are deflected in a desired manner for aircraft control. The system can be used for aircraft control (including maintaining stability), optimum cruise, and maneuver performance. Augmentation can be added for maneuver load control, gust load alleviation, and flutter suppression.
This invention utilizes modern active flight control technology in which a number of smaller conventional control surfaces are activated to redistribute the air load so that desired roll rate and flutter suppression can be achieved within the domain of flight envelope. However, the specific mechanisms utilized are not described.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,898 to Greenhalgh discloses a remotely piloted vehicle provided with single surface membranous airfoils controllable in flight. The airfoils are selectively deployed from a stowed position on either side within the fuselage by spars attached to the leading edges. Pivotal members attached to the root edges of the airfoils are positioned to regulate twist distribution, angle of attack, root camber ratio and root camber distribution.
This invention provides a deformable camber surface such as those used in handgliders and remotely piloted models and micro airplanes but is not reasonably applicable to conventional aircraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,066 to Frost et al. discloses an airfoil device and method providing smooth, continuous, variation in airfoil camber and surface curvature over substantially the entire length of the device by use of a trusslike bendable beam as an airfoil rib having the airfoil skin surfaces flexibly slidable relative thereto. The beam is divided chordwise into upper and lower beam members each formed of a plurality of articulated sections.
The beam members are connected by a bendable jackscrew which upon rotation causes one member to move chordwise, and its curvature to be changed, relative to the other thereby effecting deflection of the airfoil with concomitant variation in its camber and the curvatures of its outer skin surfaces.
This device appears to be heavy and cumbersome and requires a thicker airfoil to accommodate it. Moreover, because of the weight increase in the control surface area, it is susceptible to control surface flutter. Furthermore, the actuation rate of any mechanical device is slow hence these devices are not applicable to aeroservoelastic control which enhances the flutter speed margin.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,626 to Croswell, Jr. discloses a control surface provided with structural wires generally extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge on both the upper and lower surfaces, or closely adjacent thereto, so that upon selectively heating either the upper or lower wires, they will expand to a greater extent than the unheated wires on the opposite surface to warp or curve the surface generally over its entire extent from its leading edge to its trailing edge. With this structure, it is seen that the upper and lower surfaces will at all times be smooth and there will be no abrupt transition portions, and the general thickness of the wing may be maintained.
Although the concept is sound theoretically, it lacks practicality and has not been put into practice over the many years since it first appeared.
Performance characteristics of any aircraft are based on the quality and distribution of air flow on the lifting surfaces. By nature, birds are able to configure their wings in such a manner that the air flow quality is good and their flying efficiency is optimized. To simulate birds like flying characteristics the lifting surfaces must be able to deform smoothly at appropriate locations. In mid 1980s, Air Force sponsored a mission adaptive wing (MAW) project to study aerodynamic and maneuver performance characteristics of tactical aircraft. An F-111 aircraft was selected and fitted with hydraulic actuators to deform the wing. This aircraft was test flown for various mission performance evaluations. The test results showed overwhelming aerodynamic performance benefits and agility characteristics. However, the actuation system was heavy and expensive to operate, hence, practical implementation of this concept could not be realized at that time.
Recent wind tunnel studies sponsored by ARPA and Air Force show how smoothly contoured control surfaces promote incremental growth in suction pressure near the leading edge. This has beneficial effect on control surface effectiveness leading to enhanced aircraft maneuver performance.
Today with the advent of new materials technology, it is possible to design smoothly deforming lifting surfaces. Solid state actuators, in particular, are being developed which can output large forces at any desired rates. These can also be built in relatively small sizes and light weight. Since, these actuators are small and light, a large number of these actuators can be used on the lifting surface so that any desired lifting surface deformation shape can be commanded for any given flight mission maneuver.
It was with knowledge of the foregoing state of the technology that the present invention has been conceived and is now reduced to practice. The actuation and deployment concept embodied by this invention is different from all of the devices reviewed above. Furthermore, this system can easily be implemented in existing as well as in new aircraft without significant alterations in the design.

Seamless mission adaptive control surface


A utility vehicle includes a utility body, a chamber formed in the utility body, a framework movable into and out of the chamber, and at least one utility device located on the framework.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to utility vehicles, such as emergency vehicles and public utility vehicles.
2. Technical Considerations
Utility vehicles, such as those based on light to medium duty truck chasses, are becoming more and more popular. This increased popularity is due, at least partly, to increased vehicle affordability and versatility compared to larger, more conventional vehicles. These utility vehicles are typically outfitted for specialized functions. Examples of such functions include hauling and dumping, firefighting, salt-spreading, and rescue vehicles, just to name a few. Depending upon the particular function, the vehicle is manufactured with a particular type of body to perform that function.
In many of these utility vehicles, the center section of the vehicle (above the frame rails) may go unused due to the difficulty in accessing this area from a position at the side or rear of the vehicle. It may be difficult, if not impossible, for someone to stand along the side of the vehicle and reach to the center section due to the presence of side walls, shelving, or simply because of the distance involved. Thus, this center section of the vehicle may be underutilized. This underutilization decreases the storage capacity and overall versatility of the vehicle.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a utility vehicle that reduces or eliminates this problem.

Utility vehicle with integrated pull-out framework