Methods and systems are provided for a turbocharger. In one example, a method may include bypassing exhaust gases flowing to the turbocharger in response to a catalyst temperature being less than a threshold temperature. The bypassing includes opening a bypass valve and adjusting a position of one or more turbine nozzle vanes.

Engines may use a turbocharger to improve engine torque and/or power output density. A turbocharger may include a turbine disposed in line with the engine's exhaust stream and coupled via a drive shaft to a compressor disposed in line with the engine's intake air passage. The exhaust-driven turbine may then supply energy, via the drive shaft, to the compressor to boost the intake air pressure. In this way, the exhaust-driven turbine supplies energy to the compressor to boost the pressure and flow of air into the engine. Therefore, increasing the rotational speed of the turbine may increase boost pressure. The desired amount of boost may vary over operation of the engine. For example, the desired boost may be greater during tip-ins than during tip-outs.
One solution to control the boost pressure is the use of a variable geometry turbine in the turbocharger. A variable geometry turbine controls boost pressure by varying the flow of exhaust gas through the turbine. For example, exhaust gas may flow from the exhaust manifold through a turbine nozzle and to the turbine blades. The geometry of the turbine nozzle may be varied to control the angle that exhaust gas contacts the turbine blades and/or to vary the cross-sectional area of inlet passages, or throat, upstream of the turbine blades. Increasing the cross-sectional area of the inlet passages may allow more gas to flow through the passages. Furthermore, the angle of incidence of gas flowing across the turbine blades may affect the efficiency of the turbine, e.g., the amount of thermodynamic energy captured from the flow that is converted to mechanical energy. Thus, the turbine speed and boost pressure may be varied by changing the geometry of the turbine nozzle.
The design of variable geometry turbines has been modified to yield various desirable results. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,835,082 by Van Der Wege discloses systems and methods for operating a multi-scroll turbocharger. The multi-scroll turbocharger may include vanes for adjusting gas flow to scrolls of the turbines. The vanes are adjusted to optimize exhaust gas flows based on a desired turbine speed. Other examples in the art may include a wastegate or other form of bypass in combination with vanes to bypass exhaust gases around a single scroll turbine.
However, the inventors have identified some issues with the approach described above. For example, the turbine housing and blade may adsorb a high amount of heat during various conditions, which may prolong a catalyst warm-up or result in a catalyst temperature falling below a desired temperature. Operation of a wastegate during conditions where catalyst heating is desired may be insufficient as catalyst heating is prolonged and emissions are increased during that time.
There are further issues to bypassing exhaust gases in turbine systems with one or more scrolls. Bypass modes thereof may introduce EGR shortfalls due to incorrect throttle positioning. Furthermore, previous methods for the bypass modes may not bypass a sufficient amount of exhaust gas around the turbine to block heat loss to the turbine and its housing. There is thus a demand for a bypass mode configured to rapidly heat an exhaust gas catalyst with minimal heat loss to a turbine housing while maintaining a desired engine combustion stability.
In one example, the issues described above may be addressed by a system for a turbine comprising a bypass and a bypass valve, a first catalyst arranged in the bypass, a second catalyst arranged in an exhaust passage downstream of an intersection between the bypass and the exhaust passage relative to a direction of exhaust gas flow, and a plurality of vanes configured to adjust gas flow through one or more inlets of the turbine. The system further includes a controller comprising computer-readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory thereof that cause the controller to adjust a position of the bypass valve and the plurality of vanes in response to one or more of a first catalyst temperature being less than a threshold first catalyst temperature and a second catalyst temperature being less than a threshold second catalyst temperature. By doing this, an exothermic reaction of the first catalyst may be used to heat the second catalyst.
In one example, the turbocharger is a divided inlet turbocharger or a twin-scroll turbocharger. Exhaust gas flows from separate cylinder banks may be routed to a bypass during a catalyst heating mode in response to the second catalyst temperature. In one example, a first catalyst is arranged in the bypass and configured to oxidize fuel in the exhaust gas flow. In doing so, the first catalyst may generate heat (e.g., an exotherm) due to oxidation of the fuel, wherein the heat generated by the first catalyst is used to heat a second catalyst arranged in an exhaust passage downstream of the bypass and the turbine. By doing this, catalyst temperatures may be maintained, which may decrease emissions.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.


A BLDC motor assembly and method for manufacturing same is disclosed. The motor has a housing, a shaft supported for rotation within the housing, a stator disposed within the housing for generating an electro-magnetic field, a rotor operatively coupled to the shaft and disposed for powered rotation within the stator in response to the electro-magnetic field, at least one temperature sensitive electronic device (TSED) disposed within the housing and electrically connected to the stator for controlling or measuring an aspect of the electro-magnetic field, and a fuel resistant and electrically insulated polymeric material encapsulating the TSED so that the TSED is protected from adverse temperature and chemical agents without the need for a separate internal container or a pre-potting operating. The TSED, which may be carried on a printed circuit board within the housing, is thus overmolded with polymeric material so that the polymeric material fills, or substantially fills, a space within the housing. Not only is the cost and weight associated with a prior art dedicated container for the electronics eliminated, but this invention allows greater design freedom in the location or placement of the various electrical devices within the housing for better motor efficiency and/or protection.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a brushless direct current motor, and more particularly to a motor coupled to a fluid pump having electronic components and circuitry encapsulated in a polymeric material.
2. Related Art
With the introduction of electronic control systems for electric motors, the industry objectives of long life, efficiency, reliability and low EM interference have become achievable. This is in part due to the advent of brushless direct current (BLDC) motor technology. Not only are the problems once associated with the prior art permanent magnet direct current motors overcome, but advances in MOS-FET devices have led to further performance advantages. While prior art BLDC motor designs have achieved their intended purpose, problems still exist. For example, the addition of control circuitry within the motor has increased design and manufacturing complexity of the motor. More specifically, the control circuitry must be appropriately packaged to protect it from the fluid in which the motor is submerged. If the fluid contacts the control circuitry corrosion and malfunctioning of the circuit will occur. The control circuitry includes temperature sensitive components that may be damaged by excessive heat applied during either the manufacturing of the motor or operation of same. Furthermore, the control circuitry is susceptible to radiated emissions from surrounding electrical devices.
Therefore, a need exists to further reduce manufacturing costs of BLDC motors, as well as to protect the control circuitry from the surrounding fluid and radiated emissions. Further, the motor should be configured to protect temperature sensitive electronic devices from malfunction or damage due to overheating, both during the manufacturing process and during subsequent operation of the motor.

BLDC motor and pump assembly with encapsulated circuit board


A hollow cooling box for a steel mill to be used to cool a hot steel work piece as it passes through the cooling box; the box having an interior plenum formed by the members forming the cooling box. The plenum is supplied with coolant under pressure, and the coolant is allowed to pass through curved wedge shaped slots in one of the members which faces the work piece as it passes through the cooling box. The wedge shaped slots are oriented so that the widest part of said slot is on the upstream side of the passage of the work piece.

In any steel mill where a steel workpiece is reduced from a bloom, bar or wire, the hot workpiece increases in temperature as the rolling reduction process continues. Steel mill operators have recognized this phenomenon and have sprayed the hot work product with cold water between the roll reduction stands to reduce its temperature and thus enable the rolling process to continue. The problem with this method of cooling is that as the hot steel rod passes through the cooling medium (usually water) some areas of the hot steel rod are cooled more quickly than others, giving rise to a product which exhibits a phenomenon known as "striping" where there appears on the surface of the steel workpiece areas of darkened stripes interspaced with stripes exhibiting hotter temperatures. These stripes appear along the length of the workpiece and cause problems when the workpiece is subjected to subsequent rolling operations and may lead to the production of a scrap steel product. In this instance the work product has become a steel alloy with varying physical characteristics (such as non-uniform hardness) and is difficult to roll in order to obtain uniform product characteristics.

Spiral cooling of steel workpiece in a rolling process


A process produces a corresponding dicarboxylic acid by subjecting a cycloalkane to an oxidative cleavage reaction with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst in a liquid phase using a continuous reactor, in which a residence time τ (hr) satisfies the following condition: 0.1≦τ≦50/c, wherein c is the proportion (% by weight) of the cycloalkane to the total weight of a charged liquid. The catalyst includes, for example, cobalt compounds, manganese compounds, and mixtures of these compounds, as well as imide compounds having at least one cyclic imide skeleton.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing a dicarboxylic acid. More specifically, it relates to a process for producing a dicarboxylic acid by subjecting a cycloalkane to an oxidative cleavage reaction with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst using a continuous reactor to thereby yield a corresponding dicarboxylic acid. Such dicarboxylic acids are useful as, for example, raw materials for polyamides and polyesters, additives for polymers, and intermediate materials for fine chemicals. Among them, adipic acid is typically important as a raw material for nylon 66 (polyamide 66).
2. Description of the Related Art
Certain processes of oxidatively cleaving a mixture of a cycloalkanone and a cycloalkanol are known as processes for producing dicarboxylic acids. For example, adipic acid, a raw material for polyamides, is produced by a process of converting cyclohexane by oxidation with air into a mixture of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol, and oxidizing the mixture with nitric acid. However, this process invites large amounts of nitrogen oxides, which are believed to be global warming gases, during oxidation with nitric acid and requires enormous facilities and efforts for disposal of the nitrogen oxides.
As a possible solution to the problem, a process of directly oxidizing a cycloalkane with oxygen to thereby yield a corresponding dicarboxylic acid has been investigated as a process without by-production of nitrogen oxides. The process, if feasible, can markedly reduce production process steps and production cost of dicarboxylic acids.
For example, processes of oxidizing cyclohexane in one step to yield adipic acid have been studied since 1960s (e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 49-100022, PCT International Publication No. WO 9407834, Japanese Patents No. 3197518 and No. 3056790). However, no plant has been launched in commercial production. The reasons are as follows. These processes have been conventionally studied mainly using batch-system reactors in which if the conversion from cyclohexane increases for increasing productivity of dicarboxylic acid, a reaction time increases, and the increased reaction time invites increased by-production of glutaric acid, succinic acid, and other dicarboxylic acids than the target adipic acid and increased by-production of esters, lactones, high-boiling compounds, and other by-products. Accordingly, the processes require complicated purification process steps, invite a decreased utilization of cyclohexane to thereby invite increased production cost of adipic acid. In addition, such by-products deteriorate the catalytic activity. Further, the batch-system reactors require excessively large cost of construction and equipment of plants and are low in operability in commercial production.


An object of the present invention is to provide a forming method and a forming machine in which in forming e.g., a round steel pipe, predetermined forming can be performed with less additional deformation imparted to a workpiece without deteriorating the productivity of the conventional roll forming, thereby manufacturing a high-quality product with high dimension precision. To achieve this object, the present invention provides a forming method and a forming machine, which adopt a rotating unit which rotatably moves on an endless track a die train having dies with outwardly directed and swingable forming passes in a breakdown step at an early forming stage, and in which the forming pass of each die holds the edge of the workpiece to rotatably move the die by changing the die to a predetermined angle, thereby realizing bending, so that problems due to twisting onto forming rolls and high locally-caused contact stress can be greatly reduced.

To form a long metal product, roll forming and press forming are mainly used. In the press forming, a workpiece is basically subjected only to two-dimensional deformation in cross section, thereby easily obtaining high product dimension precision, with less additional deformation and residual stress; however, the equipment cost including dies is high, the productivity is low, and there is product length limitation.
In the roll forming, since the edge of a workpiece is hard to pass through a large number of forming roll stands, it is difficult to use a sheet material; however, continuous production using a coiled material is enabled, so that the product length limitation is less, the productivity is high, and the equipment cost is less expensive than the press forming. However, forming rolls as rotors cannot be large due to production ability and cost limitation, additional deformation occurs in a workpiece subjected to three-dimensional deformation typified by twisting thereof onto the rolls, and further, the resistance in the advancing direction is large due to the twisting, thereby making the necessary driving energy large. In addition, the circumferential speed difference in the contact region between the forming rolls and a workpiece is great; therefore, the surface quality becomes a problem often due to product damage caused by the relative slip between both. The contact region between the forming rolls and a workpiece is small, so that the surface pressure between both becomes higher, resulting in the rolls becoming significantly worn, together with the circumferential speed difference.
Typically, an electric resistance welded pipe is manufactured by, with the use of the forming rolls, being subjected to a pre-step of uncoiling a coiled material to supply it to a forming step, an early-stage forming step performed by breakdown rolls, cluster rolls, and fin pass rolls, a welding step of welding the opposite edges of the material at e.g., a high frequency, a sizing step of correcting circularity and straightness of the pipe, and a cutting step of cutting the manufactured pipe to a predetermined length.
For instance, in the breakdown step, as a forming method showing a forming process from a raw plate into a pipe, a roll flower showing an edge track process from a raw plate into a pipe, of an edge bending method in which a material edge track is a cycloid curve, a center bending method in which the track is an involute curve, a circular bending method, a forming method combining these, or a double bending method is appropriately selected; however, basically, a pair of upper and lower convex and concave rolls and side rolls are used to hold a workpiece from the inner and outer surfaces thereof, thereby forming it into a desired cross-sectional shape.


A dispenser apparatus for trays, plates or the like. The dispenser apparatus includes a top member having an opening therethrough for the trays, plates or the like and includes a base. A plurality of post assemblies are provided with each post assembly extending between the top member and the base. The length of each post assembly may be varied between a fully extended and a retracted position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a self-leveling dispenser apparatus which is capable of storing and dispensing multiple items such as trays, plates or the like. In particular, the present invention in directed to a dispenser apparatus that may be varied in length between a fully extended and a fully retracted position.
2. Prior Art
Self-leveling dispensers for trays, plates or the like are widely used in restaurants, cafeterias and various food service establishments. The plates or other items are stacked and then retained in the dispenser for use. Various spring mechanisms have been used to lift the top level of the plates to dispense the items. As plates, for instance, are removed, the remaining plates move upward to the same level as the removed plates. Accordingly, the top of the stack remains at a somewhat constant level at all times. The amount of upward force may be varied depending on the weight of the items to be dispensed. The dispensers will have a length or height at least as tall as the stack of items to be held. The dispenser frame may include a series of posts which extend over the length of the dispenser.
Often times, the dispensers will be retained within and supported from a cabinet or other table. The units are typically self-supporting from a top or upper annular member. This top or annular member will rest upon the table or cabinet. In the field, the height of the dispenser can be no greater than the table or cabinet to be installed in.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to be able to vary the height of the dispenser.
Additionally, the plate dispensers are often installed in a cabinet or table which is beneath an overhead obstruction such as a protruding shelf or a "sneeze guard" used at salad bars and other food service facilities. When installing the plate dispenser, the entire length of the plate dispenser must navigate these overhead obstructions. Accordingly, it is advantageous to reduce the overall length of the plate dispenser during installation but increase the length of the plate dispenser for maximum storage of plates.
Additionally, it would be advantageous to reduce the length of the plate dispenser during transportation and storage, yet increase the length of the dispenser during use for maximum storage of plates.
Accordingly, it is the principal object and purpose of the present invention to provide a plate dispenser having a variable length.
It is a further object and purpose of the present invention to provide a dispenser apparatus having post assemblies that will lock in a fully extended position for use.
It is an additional object and purpose of the present invention to provide a dispenser having post assemblies that will extend and retract in response to downward or upward movement of the stacked items.


A reversible necktie according to one embodiment includes first and second fabric pieces that have matching necktie shapes. Each of the fabric pieces has a finished face side, a wide end, longitudinal edges and a narrow end. The fabric pieces are superimposed in mating relationship with the finished sides facing outward, wherein each of the first and second fabric pieces is formed of a first section that has a first appearance and a second section that has a second appearance that is visually different from the first appearance. The first and second sections are joined together along a seam. The first section of first fabric piece overlies the second section of the second fabric piece and the second section of the first fabric piece overlies the first section of the first fabric piece.

The most commonly used fibers for the manufacturing of neckties are silk, polyester, wool and wool blends, acetate, rayon, nylon, cotton, linen, and ramie. Neckties made from silk represent about 40 percent of the market. Raw silk is primarily imported from China and, to a far lesser extent, Brazil. Domestic weavers of tie fabrics buy their silk yarn in its natural state and have it finished and dyed by specialists. Technological advances have made possible the use of microfiber polyesters, which produce a rich, soft fabric resembling silk and which can be combined with natural or other artificial fibers to produce a wide range of effects.
The design of neckties is an interactive process between weavers and tie manufacturers. Because small quantities in any given pattern and color are produced, and because fabrics can be so complex, tie fabric weaving is seen as an art form by many in the industry.
The main components of a necktie are the outer fabric, or shell, the interlining (both cut on the bias), and the facing or tipping, which is stitched together by a resilient slip-stitch so that the finished tie can "give" while being tied and recover from constant knotting. The quality of the materials and construction determines if a tie will drape properly and hold its shape without wrinkling.
A well-cut lining is the essence of a good necktie. This interlining determines not only the shape of the tie but also how well it will wear. Therefore, it must be properly coordinated in blend, nap, and weight to the shell fabric. Lightweight outer material may require heavier interlining, while heavier outer fabrics need lighter interlining to give the necessary hand, drape, and recovery. Most interlining manufacturers use a marking system to identify the weight and content of their cloths, usually colored stripes, with one stripe being the lightest and six stripes being the heaviest.
It is also known in the art to have a reversible necktie having two sides or faces, each face being suitable for facing outward from the wearer. The materials used in the two sides of the necktie may be of different colors or different types of fabric or can have different imprinted patterns. Both sides are most commonly joined by together as by stitching and the necktie is everted to produce the reversible tie. As a result of this type of construction, some type of stitching is visible along the length of the necktie. This produces an unattractive appearance for the tie and therefore, there is a need for a method of fabricating a reversible necktie in which no visible line of stitching is present in the peripheral seam of the completed necktie.
In addition, there is also a need to provide a more fashionable necktie that includes two different sections providing two different appearances that can be visible when wearing the necktie.

Reversible necktie and method for making same


A method of hair dying is provides that includes applying a polymer based hair dye to hair and emitting light on the applied polymer based hair dye for a duration to cure the polymer based hair dye on the hair. In certain aspects a device is provided that emits polymer curative energy for curing an applied polymer based hair dye that includes a housing, at least polymer curative light source disposed in the housing, and a controller operatively connected to the heat source and the at least one polymer curative light source. In certain embodiments a heat source is disposed in the housing that includes a polymer curative light source.

Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with existing methods and compositions for dying hair.
Currently, hair may be dyed by selecting a premixed hair dye, such a hair dye provided by retail sources (e.g., through an oxidation system or with direct dyes). When a user wants a particular hair color that is not provided premixed and ready to apply, the user may work with a stylist to achieve the particular hair color. The stylist may manually mix different dye ingredients to develop a dye color that may achieve the particular hair color. In some cases, a machine may be used to mix the different dye ingredients.
In direct dye applications, hair dye may be mixed by combining various amounts of colorants having three primary colors (blue, red and yellow). Other dye ingredients may include, for example, an oxidizing liquid, developers, emulsifiers, stabilizers and surfactants.
"Permanent" hair dye (where dyed color may begin to fade, for example, in about 4 to 6 weeks) may include two compositions, including an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide and a hair dye or dye precursor, that are mixed immediately prior to application to hair. Dye precursors in the mixed composition may be able to penetrate into the hair shaft. During a development time, the dye precursors may oxidize and color the interior of the hair shaft. After the development time, the mixed composition may be rinsed from the hair, leaving the dyed hair permanently altered. "Semi-permanent" hair dye may include preformed dye molecules (premixed compositions), and may wash out of the hair, for example, after about 6 to 12 shampooings.


A coupler includes an input terminal and an output terminal which are provided on a substrate, a main line provided on the substrate and having one end connected to the input terminal and the other end connected to the output terminal, and a sub line including a conductive film and a resistive film which are provided on the substrate and electromagnetically coupled to the main line at a part of the conductive film. The conductive film has wiring patterns. The resistive film includes a resistive film pattern having an end portion fitted into between the wiring pattern and substrate and an end portion fitted into between the wiring pattern and substrate. The end portions and each contact the conductive film at least at its upper surface and end surface.

A wireless communication device includes various high-frequency elements such as an antenna, a filter, an RF switch, a power amplifier, a coupler, and a balun. Of these elements, the coupler, which is also called "Directional Coupler", is used for picking up a part of an output of a power amplifier and feeding it back to an input of the power amplifier. The feedback using the coupler allows an output gain of the power amplifier to be maintained constant.
As the wireless communication device using the coupler, there can be exemplified a mobile communication device such as a mobile phone or a mobile terminal, a wireless LAN device, and the like. Because of remarkable progress in size reduction of these wireless communication devices, the coupler is required to achieve further reduction in size and thickness. An example of the coupler used in these devices is disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2.
Recently, in addition to the use in the power amplifier, the coupler comes to be used for the purpose of controlling an antenna tuner. In this case, the coupler plays a role of reducing sensing error or wiring loss in a transmission/reception section of the wireless communication device.
In a case where the coupler is used for the purpose of controlling the antenna tuner, sometimes the coupler is required to incorporate a resistor element serving as an attenuator so as to achieve connection to an element having a different impedance therefrom and to respond to an impedance disturbance. Patent Document 3 discloses an example of the resistor element of such a type (although it is an example of a terminating resistor element, instead of the coupler).

Coupler, electronic component, and manufacturing method for electronic component


To reduce the power consumption of a remote unit in a dispatch system the remote unit enters a dormant state. A base station transmits a forward link broadcast signal and monitors a common access channel. A first remote unit continually receives and decodes the forward link broadcast signal and determines whether said forward link broadcast signal comprises active signals. If the remote unit determines that the forward link broadcast signal comprises no active signals for some a duration T.sub.1, the first remote unit enters a dormant mode. In the dormant mode the remote unit sporadically receives and decodes said forward link broadcast signal. If this remote unit or any other remote unit on the same net presses a push to talk button, it transmits a message on the common access channel. In response, every remote unit on the net which is in a dormant state exits the dormant state and continually monitors the forward link broadcast signal.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to remote unit operation in a multiple access system and, more particularly, to power conservation in a remote unit.
II. Description of the Related Art
In a wireless telephone communication system, many users communicate over a wireless channel to connect to other wireless and wireline telephone systems. Communication over the wireless channel can be one of a variety of multiple access techniques. These multiple access techniques include time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), and code division multiple access (CDMA). The CDMA technique has many advantages. An exemplary CDMA system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,307 issued Feb. 13, 1990 to K. Gilhousen et al., entitled "SPREAD SPECTRUM MULTIPLE ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING SATELLITE OR TERRESTRIAL REPEATERS," assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
In the just mentioned patent, a multiple access technique is disclosed where a large number of mobile telephone system users, each having a transceiver, communicate through satellite repeaters, airborne repeaters, or terrestrial base stations using CDMA spread spectrum communication signals. In using CDMA communications, the frequency spectrum can be reused multiple times permitting an increase in system user capacity.
In the CDMA cellular system, each base station provides coverage to a limited geographic area and links the remote units in its coverage area through a cellular system switch to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). When a remote unit moves to the coverage area of a new base station, the routing of the remote unit's call is transferred to the new base station. The base station-to-remote unit signal transmission path is referred to as the forward link and the remote unit-to-base station signal transmission path is referred to as the reverse link.
In an exemplary CDMA system, each base station transmits a pilot signal having a common pseudorandom noise (PN) spreading code that is offset in code phase from the pilot signal of other base stations. During system operation, the remote unit is provided with a list of code phase offsets corresponding to neighboring base stations surrounding the base station through which communication is established. The remote unit is equipped with a searching element with which it tracks the signal strength of the pilot signal from a group of base stations including the neighboring base stations.
A method and system for providing communication with a remote unit through more than one base station during the handoff process are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,261, entitled "MOBILE ASSISTED SOFT HANDOFF IN A CDMA CELLULAR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM," issued Nov. 30, 1993 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Using this system, communication between the remote unit and the end user is uninterrupted by the eventual handoff from an original base station to a subsequent base station. This type of handoff may be considered a "soft" handoff in that communication with the subsequent base station is established before communication with the original base station is terminated. When the remote unit is in communication with two base stations, the remote unit combines the signals received from each base station in the same manner that multipath signals from a common base station are combined.
In a typical macrocellular system, a system controller may be employed to create a single signal for the end user from the signals received by each base station. Within each base station, signals received from a common remote unit may be combined before they are decoded and thus take full advantage of the multiple signals received. The decoded result from each base station is provided to the system controller. Once a signal has been decoded it cannot be `combined` with other signals. Thus the system controller must select between the plurality of decoded signals produced by each base station with which communication is established by a single remote unit. The most advantageous decoded signal is selected from the set of signals from the base stations and the unchosen signals are simply discarded.
Remote unit assisted soft handoff operates based on the pilot signal strength of several sets of base stations as measured by the remote unit. The Active Set is a set of base stations through which active communication is established. The Candidate Set is a set of base stations chosen from the Neighbor Set or the Remaining Set having a pilot signal strength at a sufficient signal level to establish communication. The Neighbor Set is a set of base stations surrounding an active base station comprising base stations that have a high probability of having a signal strength of sufficient level to establish communication. The Remaining Set comprises all base station in the system which are not members of the Active, Candidate, or Neighbor Sets.
When communication is initially established, a remote unit communicates through a first base station and the Active Set contains only the first base station. The remote unit monitors the pilot signal strength of the base stations of the Active Set, the Candidate Set, the Neighbor Set, and the Remaining Set. When a pilot signal of a base station in the Neighbor Set or Remaining Set exceeds a predetermined threshold level, the base station is added to the Candidate Set. The remote unit communicates a message to the first base station identifying the new base station. A system controller decides whether to establish communication between the new base station and the remote unit. Should the system controller decide to do so, the system controller sends a message to the new base station with identifying information about the remote unit and a command to establish communications therewith. A message is also transmitted to the remote unit through the first base station. The message identifies a new Active Set that includes the first and the new base station. The remote unit searches for the new base station transmitted information signal and communication is established with the new base station without termination of communication through the first base station. This process can continue with additional base stations.
When the remote unit is communicating through multiple base stations, it continues to monitor the signal strength of the base stations of the Active Set, the Candidate Set, the Neighbor Set, and the Remaining Set. Should the signal strength corresponding to a base station of the Active Set drop below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time, the remote unit generates and transmits a message to report the event. The system controller receives this message through at least one of the base stations with which the remote unit is communicating. The system controller may decide to terminate communications through the base station having a weak pilot signal strength.
The system controller upon deciding to terminate communications through a base station generates a message identifying a new Active Set of base stations. The new Active Set does not contain the base station through which communication is to be terminated. The base stations through which communication is established send a message to the remote unit. The system controller also communicates information to the base station to terminate communications with the remote unit. The remote unit communications are thus routed only through base stations identified in the new Active Set.
Because the remote unit is communicating with the end user though at least one base station at all times throughout the soft handoff process, no interruption in communication occurs between the remote unit and the end user. A soft handoff provides significant benefits in its inherent "make before break" technique over the conventional "break before make" technique employed in other cellular communication systems.
In a wireless telephone system, maximizing the capacity of the system in terms of the number of simultaneous telephone calls that can be handled is extremely important. System capacity in a spread spectrum system can be maximized if the transmission power of each remote unit is controlled such that each transmitted signal arrives at the base station receiver at the same level. In an actual system, each remote unit may transmit the minimum signal level that produces a signal-to-noise ratio that allows acceptable data recovery. If a signal transmitted by a remote unit arrives at the base station receiver at a power level that is too low, the bit-error-rate may be too high to permit high quality communications due to interference from the other remote units. On the other hand, if the remote unit transmitted signal is at a power level that is too high when received at the base station, communication with this particular remote unit is acceptable but this high power signal acts as interference to other remote units. This interference may adversely affect communications with other remote units.
Therefore to maximize capacity in an exemplary CDMA spread spectrum system, the transmit power of each remote unit within the coverage area of a base station is controlled by the base station to produce the same nominal received signal power at the base station. In the ideal case, the total signal power received at the base station is equal to the nominal power received from each remote unit multiplied by the number of remote units transmitting within the coverage area of the base station plus the power received at the base station from remote units in the coverage area of neighboring base stations.
The path loss in the radio channel can be characterized by two separate phenomena: average path loss and fading. The forward link, from the base station to the remote unit, operates on a different frequency than the reverse link, from the remote unit to the base station. However because the forward link and reverse link frequencies are within the same general frequency band, a significant correlation between the average path loss of the two links exists. On the other hand, fading is an independent phenomenon for the forward link and reverse link and varies as a function of time.
In an exemplary CDMA system, each remote unit estimates the path loss of the forward link based on the total power at the input to the remote unit. The total power is the sum of the power from all base stations operating on the same frequency assignment as perceived by the remote unit. From the estimate of the average forward link path loss, the remote unit sets the transmit level of the reverse link signal. Should the reverse link channel for one remote unit suddenly improve compared to the forward link channel for the same remote unit due to independent fading of the two channels, the signal as received at the base station from this remote unit would increase in power. This increase in power causes additional interference to all signals sharing the same frequency assignment. Thus a rapid response of the remote unit transmit power to the sudden improvement in the channel would improve system performance. Therefore it is necessary to have the base station continually contribute to the power control mechanism of the remote unit.
Remote unit transmit power may also be controlled by one or more base stations. Each base station with which the remote unit is in communication measures the received signal strength from the remote unit. The measured signal strength is compared to a desired signal strength level for that particular remote unit. A power adjustment command is generated by each base station and sent to the remote unit on the forward link. In response to the base station power adjustment command, the remote unit increases or decreases the remote unit transmit power by a predetermined amount. By this method, a rapid response to a change in the channel is effected and the average system performance is improved. Note that in a typical cellular system, the base stations are not intimately connected and each base station in the system is unaware of the power level at which the other base stations receive the remote unit's signal.
When a remote unit is in communication with more than one base station, power adjustment commands are provided from each base station. The remote unit acts upon these multiple base station power adjustment commands to avoid transmit power levels that may adversely interfere with other remote unit communications and yet provide sufficient power to support communication from the remote unit to at least one of the base stations. This power control mechanism is accomplished by having the remote unit increase its transmit signal level only if every base station with which the remote unit is in communication requests an increase in power level. The remote unit decreases its transmit signal level if any base station with which the remote unit is in communication requests that the power be decreased. A system for base station and remote unit power control is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,109 entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRANSMISSION POWER IN A CDMA CELLULAR MOBILE TELEPHONE SYSTEM," issued Oct. 8, 1991, assigned to the Assignee of the present invention.
It is also desirable to control the relative power used in each data signal transmitted by the base station in response to control information transmitted by each remote unit. The primary reason for providing such control is to accommodate the fact that in certain locations the forward channel link may be unusually disadvantaged. Unless the power being transmitted to the disadvantaged remote unit is increased, the signal quality may become unacceptable. An example of such a location is a point where the path loss to one or two neighboring base stations is nearly the same as the path loss to the base station communicating with the remote unit. In such a location, the total interference would be increased by three times over the interference seen by a remote unit at a point relatively close to its base station. In addition, the interference coming from the neighboring base stations does not fade in unison with the signal from the active base station as would be the case for interference coming from the active base station. A remote unit in such a situation may require 3 to 4 dB additional signal power from the active base station to achieve adequate performance.
At other times, the remote unit may be located where the signal-to-interference ratio is unusually good. In such a case, the base station could transmit the desired signal using a lower than normal transmitter power, reducing interference to other signals being transmitted by the system.
To achieve the above objectives, a signal-to-interference measurement capability can be provided within the remote unit receiver. This measurement is performed by comparing the power of the desired signal to the total interference and noise power. If the measured ratio is less than a predetermined value, the remote transmits a request to the base station for additional power on the forward link signal. If the ratio exceeds the predetermined value, the remote unit transmits a request for power reduction. One method by which the remote unit receiver can monitor signal-to-interference ratios is by monitoring the frame error rate (FER) of the resulting signal. Another way is by measuring the number of erasures declared as received.
The base station receives the power adjustment requests from each remote unit and responds by adjusting the power allocated to the corresponding forward link signal by a predetermined amount. The adjustment is typically small, such as on the order of 0.5 to 1.0 dB, or around 12%. The rate of change of power may be somewhat slower than that used for the reverse link, perhaps once per second. In the preferred embodiment, the dynamic range of the adjustment is typically limited such as from 4 dB less than nominal to about 6 dB greater than nominal transmit power.
The base station should also consider the power demands being made by other remote units in deciding whether to comply with the requests of any particular remote unit. For example, if the base station is loaded to capacity, requests for additional power may be granted, but only by 6% or less, instead of the normal 12%. In this regime, a request for a reduction in power would still be granted at the normal 12% change.
When the original cellular telephone licenses were issued by the government, one of the restrictions on use of the spectrum was that the carriers could not provide dispatching system services. However, because of the great advantages of the CDMA system and the inherent expense and problems of deployment and maintenance of private dispatch systems, the government is re-examining this issue. The government itself would benefit greatly from such services.
Whereas typical wireless and wireline telephone service provides point-to-point service, dispatching services provide one-to-many service. Common usage of dispatch services are local police radio systems, taxicab dispatch systems, Federal Bureau of Intelligence and secret service operations, and general military communication systems.
The basic model of a dispatch system consists of a broadcast net of users. Each broadcast net user monitors a common broadcast forward link signal. If a net user wishes to talk, he presses a push to talk (PTT) button. Typically the talking user's voice is routed from the reverse link over the broadcast forward link. Ideally the dispatch system allows landline and wireless access to the system.
Note that the power control mechanism for remote units acting as point-to-point units described above is not directly applicable to dispatch systems. In a dispatch system, a plurality of remote units are listening to the same forward link signal. In a dispatch system, the majority of the remote units are passive (i.e. just listening) at any one time. Also note that long periods of time may pass where the forward link broadcast channel does not transmit any voice information. The present invention takes advantage of significant quiet time to reduce the power consumption of the remote unit.

Method and apparatus of preserving power of a remote unit in a dispatch system


A seat slider mechanism consists of a U-shaped lower rail provided, on outer left and right sides, with a longitudinally oriented, downward facing first hook portion. An upper rail engages with the lower rail via a second, upward facing hook portion provided longitudinally on both left and right inner surfaces. A seat is mounted on the upper rail and a motor, or other source of driving force may be provided for moving the upper rail relative to the lower rail. The lower rail is secured by mounting brackets which are attached to end blocks by both rivets and welding.

1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to a seat slider mechanism, and, particularly to a power seat slider mechanism which can be implemented for automotive vehicle seats.
2. Description of The Background Art
The seat slider mechanism of the invention is particularly applicable to automotive vehicles, especially vehicles equipped with seat belts which affix to a rear portion of a seat, in a so-called belt-in arrangement, for restraining occupants during accident impact, sudden stopping, etc.
A power seat slider which utilizes a lower rail and rack construction is known in the art. This rack is engaged with a pinion gear and an upper rail is slidably supported on the lower rail. The pinion gear is held by the upper rail and associated with a motor via flexible cable to provide driving force for moving a seat mounted on the upper rail. In the above described power seat mechanism, a belt anchor is affixed to an upper rail for effecting a belt-in arrangement.
However, in the above arrangement, there is a danger of separation or bending of the upper and lower rails should collision, sudden stopping, or other sudden stress be applied to the seat structure. Therefore, in order to completely restrict vehicle occupants in the event of a collision, etc., mutually engaging steel guide members are welded to the upper and lower rails respectively, for slidably and reliably mounting the seat. However, with this arrangement, a seat mounting assembly becomes heavy and bulky, as well as complicated. Furthermore, manufacturing such a mounting involves high cost for both materials and labor.


According to one embodiment, a magnetic memory device includes a stacked structure including a first magnetic layer having a variable magnetization direction, a second magnetic layer having a fixed magnetization direction, and a nonmagnetic layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer. The first magnetic layer includes a first surface in contact with the nonmagnetic layer and a second surface on an opposite side to the first surface, a diameter of the second surface of the first magnetic layer is less than a diameter of the first surface of the first magnetic layer and is 10 nm or more, and a ratio of a height of the first magnetic layer to the diameter of the second surface of the first magnetic layer is 0.9 or more.

Magnetic memory devices (semiconductor integrated circuit device) in which magnetoresistive elements and transistors are integrated on a semiconductor substrate, have been proposed. In particular, for high integration of a magnetic memory device, the magnetoresistive element which has perpendicular magnetization is effective. However, as the size of the magnetoresistive element becomes finer, it becomes more difficult to achieve high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the magnetoresistive element.

Magnetic memory device having an incline side surface


A loop filter of a compensating phase-locked loop contains capacitors formed from transistors with thin gate oxide dielectric layers. Leakage current leaks through the capacitors. To avoid jitter in the output signal of the phase-locked loop that would otherwise be caused by the leakage current, a leakage compensation circuit is provided. The leakage compensation circuit of a first embodiment replicates the leakage current using a replication capacitor and a current mirror. The voltage across the replication capacitor is proportional to the control voltage of a voltage-controlled oscillator of the compensating phase-locked loop. A second embodiment generates the compensation current by controlling the voltage on the gate of a transistor. The gate voltage depends on charge added and subtracted by a charge pump in addition to the charge pumps in the loop filter. A third embodiment applies a leakage compensation circuit to a delay locked loop.

A phase-locked loop (PLL) typically includes a loop filter, and the loop filter typically includes an integration capacitor. Where the PLL is manufactured using complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes, the gate capacitance of an n-channel field-effect transistor (FET) can be used as the integration capacitor. As advances are made in CMOS processing technology, however, gate oxide dielectric thickness is becoming thinner. Significant current leakage can occur from the gate electrode, through the thin gate oxide, and to the inversion channel of the transistor.
FIG. 1 (prior art) illustrates an example of a PLL 10 of the prior art that includes a phase detector 11, a charge pump 12, a loop filter 13, a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) 14 and a frequency divider 15. Phase detector 11 compares the phase of a reference signal REFCLK 16 to the phase of a feedback signal FBCLK 17 and generates phase-error signals. Feedback signal 17 is a "divide-by-n" signal output by frequency divider 15. Frequency divider 15 divides the frequency of a clock signal 18 output by VCO 14. When the phase of feedback signal 17 lags behind that of reference signal 16, phase detector 11 generates an up control signal 19. When the phase of feedback signal 17 leads that of reference signal 16, phase detector 11 generates a down control signal 20. Charge pump 12 adds charge to its output lead 21 upon receiving up control signal 19 and drains charge from its output lead 21 upon receiving down control signal 20.
Loop filter 13 is typically a low-pass filter. Loop filter 13 filters out reference frequency sidebands introduced by phase detector 11 from the output of charge pump 12. Loop filter 13 has an integration capacitor 22 and a much smaller integration capacitor 23 that integrate the charge that is output by charge pump 12. VCO 14 receives the filtered output of charge pump 12. Upon receiving a higher input voltage, VCO 14 outputs clock signal 18 with a higher frequency. Clock signal 18 has a lower frequency when VCO 14 receives a lower input voltage. Thus, the frequency of clock signal 18 is proportional to the charge that accumulates on output lead 21 of charge pump 12. PLL 10 adjusts the frequency of clock signal 18 in response to measuring the phase difference between reference signal 16 and feedback signal 17 and thereby brings feedback signal 17 into phase lock with reference signal 16.
Current leakage across integration capacitors 22 and 23 introduces noise into the voltage signal supplied to VCO 14. Current leakage across integration capacitors can be reduced by using capacitors with metal plates. Realizing a capacitor of a given capacitance using a metal plate structure can require many times more semiconductor die area than realizing the capacitor using the gate capacitance of a FET. Moreover, the capacitance of metal plate capacitor structures can vary considerably from die to die and can be difficult to control.
Current leakage across integration capacitors can also be reduced by using transistors with thick gate oxides. A transistor with a thick gate oxide, however, provides less capacitance per unit of semiconductor die area as compared to a transistor with a thin gate oxide. Moreover, a thick gate oxide transistor typically has a higher threshold ("turn-on") voltage, which limits the voltage range on the node of output lead 21. The limited voltage range on node 21 limits the range of frequencies over which the PLL can be locked.
FIG. 2A (prior art) shows a prior art PLL 25 that has been adapted to be stable over a wide frequency range. Like reference numerals in FIGS. 2A and 1 designate like or similar parts. Integration capacitors 26 and 27 of loop filter 13 are both realized using n-channel transistors. Capacitor 26 is coupled between a first node 31 and ground. First node 31 is the non-inverting input lead of a first voltage follower 28. Capacitor 27 is coupled between a second node 32 and ground. Second node 32 is the output lead of first voltage follower 28 and the non-inverting input lead of a second voltage follower 29. PLL 25 includes a second charge pump 30 that outputs a larger amount of charge onto second node 32 than charge pump 12 outputs onto first node 31. Charge that coarsely adjusts frequency thereby reaches VCO 14 faster than charge for fine adjustment of frequency. This reduces the tendency of clock signal 18 to overshoot the desired phase correction and makes the loop more stable. PLL 25 nevertheless suffers from noise caused by current leakage through integration capacitors 26 and 27.
FIG. 2B (prior art) is a waveform diagram that illustrates noise in the control voltage on a third node 33 of PLL 25 that is coupled to the input of VCO 14. FIG. 2B also illustrates voltage amplitudes for various other signals on PLL 25 when feedback signal 17 lags reference signal 16 by a time period 34. Current leakage through integration capacitors 26 and 27 causes a jitter in the control voltage on third node 33. Without the effects of current leakage, the control voltage on third node 33 would have a relatively stable average amplitude 35.
A method is thus desired that reduces the effects of current leakage through integration capacitors, but that does not negate the advantages of using FET transistors to form those integration capacitors in phase-locked loops.

Leakage compensation for capacitors in loop filters


A transmission apparatus such as a modem has a receiving unit which receives information and a clock-supplying unit which supplies a clock signal to the receiving unit. It further has an instantaneous dropout detection unit which detects the occurrence of an instantaneous dropout on the receiving circuit and a clock supply control unit which stops the supply of a clock to the receiving unit for a prescribed amount of time when the instantaneous dropout detection unit detects an instantaneous dropout, the stopping of the clock supply causing holding of receiving parameters and the restarting of clock supply causing restarting of the receiving operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmission apparatus such as a modulator-demodulator (modem).
A modem has been used in the past by connecting it to an analog circuit and using it to perform data transfer. In this case, while instantaneous dropouts of the circuit can occur, depending upon the condition of the circuit, it is necessary to have a means of preventing such instantaneous circuit dropouts from disturbing the data transfer.
2. Description of Related Art
In a modem in the past, before starting data communication, a training signal is sent and received between a modem and the modem on the other end to perform synchronization lock-in processing which establishes synchronization therebetween. By performing synchronization lock-in processing, the modem is set to a condition which is optimized for the condition of the circuit, enabling normal reception of data. After completion of the synchronization lock-in processing, data communication is started. In the above-noted synchronization lock-in processing, automatic equalizer tap coefficients, AGC circuit coefficients, and the like within the modem are set in response to the condition of the circuit over which the signal is transferred.
There are cases in which the data being communicated is interrupted by what is known as an instantaneous dropout. This instantaneous dropout can occur by a physical breaking of the communication line, by manual twisting of a communication line the covering of which has become deteriorated, and by a poor connection caused by externally applied vibration, temperature variation, or the like. A judgment with regard to the occurrence of this instantaneous dropout can be known in the case of a modem by whether or not a carrier signal is being sent from the modem of the other party.
As methods for handling an instantaneous dropout, a first method is that in which synchronization lock-in is started again immediately after the detection of recovery from the instantaneous dropout, and second method being the recognition of the instantaneous dropout, and the holding of the modulation-demodulation section of the modem in the condition that it was in immediate prior to the instantaneous dropout. Specifically, the values of the settings of each part of the modem which were set by synchronization lock-in are saved in a memory. These values include, for example, automatic equalizer tap coefficients and AGC circuit coefficients. When the carrier signal is detected once again and it is judged that recovery has been made from the instantaneous dropout, the setting values which had been stored in the memory are re-set into the various parts of the modem, and data reception operation is restarted under the conditions which were in effect immediately prior to the occurrence of the instantaneous dropout. In this manner, by temporarily saving the setting value of each part and re-setting these values at the point at which recovery from the instantaneous dropout is achieved, it is possible to restore data communication quickly without having to reperform synchronization lock-in after recovery from the instantaneous dropout.
However, in the above-described methods of the past, the following problems exist.
Because telephones lines in the past were generally analog lines and the modems were also designed as analog modems to suit these lines, instantaneous dropouts occurring thereon were mostly within 1 second, so that it was sufficient for a modem to be able to tolerate an instantaneous dropout of this length. However, with the digitization of telephone lines in recent years, the mode of occurrence of instantaneous dropouts has changed, and because of the framing of data to be transferred on digital lines, instantaneous dropouts of a length from 1 to 4 seconds, caused by loss of frame synchronization often occur.
In addition, in a modem for the analog lines of the past, because the modem was designed for a recovery from an instantaneous dropout of approximately 1 second, if an instantaneous dropout occurs over a period of greater than 1 second, synchronization lock-in will be started once again with respect to the other modem, so that in the first method even if the synchronization lock-in is redone from the beginning a training period of approximately several seconds was sufficient. With the appearance of high-speed modems in recent years, however, the training period is greatly lengthened, so that in the case in which the synchronization lock-in processing is performed once again, up to approximately 20 seconds is required from the time of the occurrence of the instantaneous dropout to the re-establishment of communication. However, a problem occurred in that, when approximately 20 seconds have elapsed from the time of the occurrence of an instantaneous dropout, the network times out, resulting in the network itself going down. In this case, because data communication itself is terminated, it was not possible to quickly restart data communication.
The modulation-demodulation sections of modems in recent years have been implemented by LSI devices, with the settings of the functions thereof fixed, making it extremely difficult to add new functions to or change the functions of such LSI-implemented modulation-demodulation sections. For this reason, in the case of a modem of the past which does not accommodate the above-noted instantaneous dropout countermeasures, if an instantaneous dropout occurred the apparatus would be temporarily reset regardless of the length thereof, making it necessary to perform synchronization lock-in once again.
In the case of the above-described second method as well, it was necessary to provide a memory for the saving of a variety of parameters and the like, resulting in an increase in the scale of the hardware and manufacturing cost, in addition to the problem of a limitation in memory resources in the case of the above-noted LSI-implemented modem. In addition, a problem existed in that the sequential control for the purpose of the processing of saving into memory was complex and difficult.

Transmission apparatus and control method therefor


An adaptor with reflection fins has a seat and a shell. A first channel is defined in a center of the seat. Two slots are respectively defined in two opposed front ends of the body and two inclined holes are defined in an interior of the slots. Two LEDs are respectively mounted in lower ends of the slots. Two light conducting flats are respectively mounted in top ends of slots. The shell is sleeved with the seat and two openings are defined in two opposed front ends of the shell. Two reflection flats respectively have a first fin and a second fin inclined to and connected to the first fin, a first lug is mounted on the second fin, whereby the first lugs are respectively inserted into the openings. Hence, the light via the light conducting plates achieves a high reflection effect.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adaptor, and more particularly to an adaptor with reflection fins.
2. Description of Related Art
With the quick development of computers, all kinds of adaptors with different functions are on the market, such as the adaptor which can connect the computer and its peripheral devices (such as telephones, earphones, microphones or speakers). Such a plug may be inserted in and removed from the respective sockets many times whereby fine contact strips and other elements therein may be damaged. Minor fluctuations in transmission of data may be very serious, especially when inconspicuous due to being intermittent. Furthermore, the status of the adaptor can not be distinguished from its appearance. Hence, a first conventional adaptor has at least one LED (Light Emitting Diode), light of which is conducted via a transparent plate to a visible surface to enable a user to discriminate the operational status of the adaptor. However, because of the light being refracted for at least one time and becoming diffused, the strength and the range of the light are reduced thereby limiting the practicality of the device. A second conventional adaptor comprises a shell securely sleeved with an electrical circuit, and a plug provided in a front end of the shell. An L-like light conducting member, which has a top foot mounted in a top end of the shell and a bottom foot mounted in a bottom end of the shell, is provided on the shell so that the light from the electrical circuit is conducted via the conducting member to a visual surface. However, it is difficult for the user to provide the light conducting member on the shell and the light is diminished in an interior of the L-like light conducting member.
Therefore, the invention provides an adaptor with reflection fins to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.


An aspect of the present invention provides an image processing apparatus including: a people detecting unit that detects image portions of faces of a plurality of people in an image; and an image converting unit that enlarges a portion below a horizontal line segment of the image in a manner that locates the horizontal line segment at a top end of the enlarged image based on upper end positions of the detected faces. The horizontal line segment is on or above the extracted faces and has a lateral width equal to or larger than a lateral width of the faces. The image processing apparatus performs enlargement with reference to the faces so as not to warp the faces.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing system, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in such a situation where a plurality of seated people are photographed by a camera or the like, there can be obtained an image, in which the people are away from the camera at varying distances, or an image, in which sizes of the people in an image vary greatly depending on location of the people in a view field of the camera. In that case, the people can be photographed in unequal sizes such that, for example, a face of one person is clear but a face of another person is indistinguishable. To alleviate such a problem, published Japanese translation of PCT application No. 2008-536238 discloses a technique of enlarging faces of people by continuously enlarging/reducing an image.
However, the conventional technique of enlarging/reducing an image is disadvantageous in being incapable of adapting to different arrangements of people. This is because the technique enlarges/reduces images using a fixed enlarging/reducing method. A technique of enlarging/reducing an image according to locations where people are seated can be employed. However, this technique is disadvantageous in that, when simple enlargement/reduction is performed, image portions of people and a background image portion are deformed discontinuously, resulting in a noticeably-unnatural image.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an image processing apparatus capable of appropriately enlarging an image of a plurality of people.

Image processing apparatus, image processing system, and non-transitory computer-readable medium


A system and method for wirelessly configuring vehicle electronics prior to delivery of the vehicle to a customer. The method carried out by the system includes (a) receiving a notification at a central facility indicating that a vehicle has been delivered to a dealership; (b) receiving a data message from a vehicle telematics unit installed on the vehicle while the vehicle is in a logistics mode (LM); and (c) terminating the logistics mode and/or initiating provisioning of the vehicle telematics unit using the established data connection.

Provisioning is a well known process used to activate and configure a wireless device for use on a cellular network so that it can be used by a customer to place and receive calls. This process includes, for example, assigning a mobile identification number (MIN) or a mobile dialed number (MDN) to the cellular device, whether it be a mobile phone, vehicle telematics unit, or other cellular device. Vehicle telematics units are often installed in the vehicle as an OEM component, which allows the manufacturer to tightly integrate it in with other vehicle systems so as to provide a variety of diagnostic, information, entertainment, accessibility, and safety features as is by now well known. These telematics units can also be provided as an aftermarket device that is later installed by integrating it in with the other vehicle electronics to provide some or all of the same services as the OEM-installed devices.
For various reasons, provisioning of the telematics unit may not be able to be done or preferably is not done at the time of manufacturing, but rather only after delivery to the geographic destination (e.g., dealership) at which it will be delivered to its first customer. This initial destination may be another city within the same country of origin as the vehicle, or may be overseas from where it was manufactured. Although provisioning may not be carried out until the vehicle reaches the dealership, it nonetheless is preferably done prior to delivery of the vehicle to the customer so that the customer will have immediate use of the telematics unit upon taking delivery. By provisioning prior to customer delivery, then upon initial use of the telematics unit by the customer (e.g., by pressing a button on the telematics unit to inquire about or initiate the telematics services available), the telematics unit will ready to deliver services. This provides an improved customer experience and can permit, for example, a welcoming call to be provided to the user upon this first button press of the telematics unit. However, some vehicles may not be properly provisioned before delivery to the customer and as a result the telematics unit could fail to provide the full range of services.

Wirelessly provisioning a vehicle telematics unit


A method and apparatus for determining capacitance of wires in an integrated circuit is described. The capacitance information derived according to the invention can be used, for example, to calibrate a parasitic extraction engine or to calibrate an integrated circuit fabrication process. The capacitance information can also be used for timing and noise circuit simulations, particularly for deep sub-micron circuit design simulations. Briefly, a measurement of both total capacitance of a line and cross coupling capacitance between two lines is determined by applying predetermined voltage signals to specific circuit elements. The resulting current allows simple computation of total capacitance and cross coupling capacitance. Multiple cross coupling capacitance can be measured with a single device, thus improving the art of library generation, and the overall method is free of uncertainties related to transistor capacitance couplings. The capacitance values obtained can then be used to calibrate procedures, processes, devices, etc. Finally specific—parallel wire configurations—can be measured on homogeneous media and the resulting capacitance values can be used to extract high-frequency inductance parameters relevant to the description of wires and their environment in terms of transmission lines.

Timing behavior of integrated circuits traditionally have been dictated by transistor considerations, mostly transistor travel time and the number of logic levels a signal traverses during a clock cycle. Accurate models of transistor device parameters were the key element for the prediction of circuit timing behavior. Wire delay, conversely, was at most 20% of the total delay in the circuit. Consequently, high-precision measurements of wire delay were superfluous.
More recently, with the advent of deep submicron integrated circuits, wire delays have become a major contributor to the total signal delay. For example, up to 75% of the total delay (in the absence of repeaters) can be accounted by wire delay. The are several reasons for this increased importance in wire delays: (1) transistor contribution to wire delay decreases with scaling (i.e., the semi-uniform decrease of transistor, and wire dimensions) and, (2) the capacitance of wires varies slowly with scaling.
The combination of (1) and (2) makes the relative contribution of wire capacitance to the total delay increasingly important with technology scaling. This new technological regime (that emerged when minimal dimensions reached 0.25 microns) increases the need for accuracy in the determination of capacitance. The proper determination of wire delay also requires the knowledge of total capacitance and cross-coupling capacitance to nearest neighbors. The presence of cross-coupling capacitance can impact the delay estimation by nearly 400% in the presence of switching activity by nearby wires.
Another physical effect that impacts the proper behavior of integrated circuits is that due to noise on quite lines. The controllability of the noise on nearby quite lines demands the accurate knowledge of different cross-coupling capacitance terms. It is therefore desirable to come up with a methodology that can determine with high precision and accuracy each one of the cross-coupling capacitance terms that contribute to the total capacitance of a wire.
One approach to accurate wire capacitance measurement is provided by B. W. McGaughy, J. C. Chen, D. Sylvester and C. Hu "A Simple Method for On-Chip Sub-Femto Farad Interconnect Capacitance Measurement," IEEE Electron. Device Letters, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 21–23, January 1997, (hereinafter referred to as "the IEEE paper").
FIG. 1 represents the circuit 10 used in the IEEE paper to measure cross-coupling capacitance between the two wires 30, 32 on the right hand side of the figure. The circuit 10 has a mirror structure formed by two inverter-like configurations 14, 16 for implementing a comparative method of measuring capacitance. The configuration 14 includes a PMOS transistor 18 connected in series to an NMOS transistor 20 with the wire 12 connected therebetween. Gates of the transistors 18, 20 are coupled to input signals V1, V2 for controlling the charging and discharging of the wire 12. An ammeter 22 is also coupled in series with transistors 18, 20 to measure the current needed to charge the wire 12. The second inverter-like configuration 16 is intended to be an exact replication of the first configuration 14. For example, the second configuration 16 includes a PMOS transistor 24 coupled in series with an NMOS transistor 26 and an ammeter 28. A second wire 30 is coupled between the transistors 24, 26 and is charged and discharged by input signals V1 and V2, similar to wire 12. A third wire 32 is placed near wire 30 so that a capacitive coupling occurs between wires 30, 32, wire 32 being grounded.
FIG. 2 shows voltage waveforms used in the circuit of FIG. 1. The voltage waveforms are non-overlapping to ensure no current path exists (except for leakage) between Vdd and ground. Using these waveforms, the charge, Q, on the wire 12 can be measured using the formula Q=(Csubstrate+Cother) Vdd, where Csubstrate is the capacitance between the wire 12 and the substrate of the integrated circuit and Cother includes other capacitances associated with the configuration 14, including the capacitance of the transistor 18.
Similarly, the charge on wire 30 can be calculated as Q′=(Csubstrate+Cother+Ccross-coupling) Vdd, where Csubstrate is the capacitance between the wire 30 and the substrate of the integrated circuit and Cother includes other capacitance associated with the configuration 16, including the capacitance associated with the transistor 24. Ccross-coupling is the cross-coupling capacitance between the wires 30, 32.
By subtracting Q from Q′, theoretically, only the Ccross-coupling remains. However, this determination of the cross-coupling capacitance assumes that the electric field configuration between wire 14 and substrate on the left side of FIG. 1 is identical to the electric field configuration between wire 30 and substrate on the right side. In reality, these two configurations are not identical. In particular, the wire 32 affects the field distribution causing a charge redistribution error in Csubstrate of wire 30. This change in Csubstrate can be significant causing errors in the measurement of the cross-coupling capacitance. Additionally, the transistors 18, 20 are not identical to transistors 24, 26, which introduces additional errors.
FIG. 3 shows a configuration where the measurement of the cross-coupling capacitance using the method described in the IEEE paper can result in a 70% error. In this example, the wires 36, 38 are on the same metal layer as wire 40 and separated by minimum distance and, under these condition, the charge redistribution effect to the substrate is much larger.
The error of the IEEE method, on the other hand, can be made quite small for total capacitance measurements only, with a simple change to the structure in FIG. 1, consisting of eliminating wire 12 on the left hand side of FIG. 1. Transistor inequality errors persist in total capacitance measurements.
Therefore, there is a need for a more effective technique to measure the cross-coupling capacitance in integrated circuits.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Capacitance and transmission line measurements for an integrated circuit


An intelligent light source converts color and luminous flux data to luminous flux levels of individual color sources and automatically compensates for variations in operating conditions.

Light-emitting diode (LED) technology has advanced to the point where LEDs can be used as energy efficient replacements for conventional incandescent and/or fluorescent light sources. One application where LEDs have been employed is in ambient lighting systems using white and/or color (e.g., red, green and blue) LEDs. Like incandescent and fluorescent light sources, the average luminous flux of an LED's output is controlled by the average current through the device. Unlike incandescent and fluorescent light sources, however, LEDs can be switched on and off almost instantaneously. As a result, their luminous flux can be controlled by switching circuits that switch the device current between two current states to achieve a desired average current corresponding to a desired luminous flux. This approach can also be used to control the relative intensities of red, green and blue (RGB) LED sources (or any other set of colored LED sources) in ambient lighting systems that mix colored LEDs in different ratios to achieve a desired color.
One approach to LED switching is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,016,038 and 6,150,774 of Meuller et al. These patents describe the control of different LEDs with square waves of uniform frequency but independent duty cycles, where the square wave frequency is uniform and the different duty cycles represent variations in the width of the square wave pulses. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,016,038 and 6,150,774 describe this as pulse width modulation (PWM). This type of control signal has high spectral content at the uniform frequency and its odd harmonics, which can cause electromagnetic interference (EMI) to sensitive devices, components, circuits and systems nearby.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,016,038 and 6,150,774 also describe a conventional networked illumination system that utilizes a DMX512 protocol to address network data to multiple individually addressed microcontrollers from a central network controller. Using the DMX512 protocol, the relative luminous flux of each individual color in a light source is transmitted from a lighting controller to a light source, as illustrated in FIG. 1A.
In solid-state (LED) lighting, the luminous flux output of each LED at a given operating current decreases as the junction temperature of the LED increases. LED junction temperature can increase due to power dissipation in the LED and/or increases in ambient temperature. This effect, illustrated in the curves of FIG. 1B, can create both luminous flux errors and errors in color mixing because the magnitude of the effect is different for LEDs of different colors.
Another temperature effect in LEDs is a shift of the dominant wavelength of an LED as the junction temperature of the LED changes. Typically, the dominant wavelength increases as junction temperature increases, causing a red shift. This effect can cause additional color distortion independent of the luminous flux effects.
Another effect in LED lighting networks is LED aging. In general, the luminous flux of an LED decreases with accumulated operating time. The rate of decrease is different for different color LEDs and is affected by the operating current and temperature of the LED. This effect can cause luminous flux errors and color distortion independent of the other effects mentioned above.

Method and apparatus for networked illumination devices


An LCD is integrated with the cover glass of a wrist watch radio paging receiver which indicates the time data with a dial plate and hands, and a message is displayed on the cover glass by controlling this LCD. In this message display, the parts of the characters indicating the message are made transparent and the remaining parts intercept light. In this manner, message display is made possible by the difference in light transmissivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a message indicating unit and its method, and more particularly to a message indicating unit and its method for use in a wrist watch type radio paging receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with the spreading use of radio paging receivers, radio paging receivers integrated with wrist watches are proposed. As wrist watch type paging receivers of this kind, paging receivers each having a liquid crystal display screen are described, for instance, in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,604 and the Gazette of the Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 1988-68230(JP-U-63-68230). In these paging receivers, the received message is indicated in the liquid crystal display screen for indicating the time data. If the user likes digital wrist watches which indicate the time data in a digital form, there will be no problem. However, if the user likes analog wrist watches which indicate the time data with a long hand and a short hand, he or she would not use such a paging receiver.
An analog watch type radio paging receiver having a message displaying function is described, for example, in the Gazette of the Japanese Utility Model. Laid-open No. 1992-19038(JP-U-4-19038). This paging receiver is positioned elsewhere than the dial plate, for instance on the wrist band. Therefore, if the user is to look at the received message display, he or she will have to incline the wrist watch into a position different from the usual position for looking at the time data. Another radio paging receiver having a liquid crystal display section on the dial plate is described, for example in the Gazette of the Japanese Utility Model No. 1990-35094(JP-U-2-35094). In this paging receiver, the liquid crystal unit is arranged on the back side of a part of the dial plate and configured as message display screen, whose area accordingly cannot be expanded beyond a certain limit. As a result, the message is indicated in very small characters, too small to be readily read or unreadable if one of the watch hands overlaps them. Furthermore, arranging the message display screen in a part of the dial plate, the design of the watch as such may be affected, and accordingly a paging receiver cannot be readily integrated with a wrist watch of a prestige-oriented design.

Analog wrist watch and pager providing message display on cover glass


A fingerprint image generating method and a fingerprint image recording sheet are provided which can take a clear fingerprint image easily and efficiently, without the process of wiping seal ink, with less chance to generate an unclear fingerprint image even in improper operation. A solution containing an electron-donating dye precursor is applied to a fingerprint face of a fingertip and then the fingertip is pressed against a recording film to which an electron-accepting color developer is applied. The electron-accepting color developer adsorbs the electron-accepting dye precursor to occur a coloring reaction on the recording film. The fingerprint image recording sheet includes a fingerprint image recording portion applying the electron-accepting color developer thereto and the electron-donating dye precursor applied portion to which the solution of the electron-donating dye precursor is applied. The solution containing the electron-donating dye precursor is preferably microencapsulated and applied to the support. It is preferable to form the microcapsules to be ruptured merely by rubbing it lightly with the fingertip.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fingerprint image generating method in which a rising streamline patterned image on a fingerprint face of a fingertip is generated with a transferring technique and to a fingerprint image recording sheet practically which may be employed for the fingerprint image generating method.
2. Related Art
Fingerprints have been used as means for identifying a person, for example, in a field of the judicial office for identifying a suspect of a violation of traffic regulations or a criminal.
Conventionally, such fingerprints (fingerprint images) have been taken in the following manner that the fingerprint face of the fingertip is pressed against black seal ink so that the seal ink can adhere to the fingerprint face, and then pressed against a recording sheet. In other words, the seal ink adheres to a projecting portion (also referred as to a rising streamline) on the fingerprint face which has an uneven pattern so that the pattern of the projecting portion (rising streamline) can be transferred to the recording sheet, thus obtaining the rising streamline patterned image of the fingerprint.
In such a conventional method, the black seal ink remained on the fingertip after taking of fingerprint image needs wiping with a tissue paper or a cloth, but it is too difficult to wipe off because the seal ink filled in hollow portions of the uneven pattern on the fingerprint face can not be easily wiped away. Further, the tissue or the cloth needs preparing for wiping the seal ink and disposing thereof after end operation of wiping, resulting in an increase of incidental work.
On the other hand, the recording sheet to which the seal ink is transferred can not be piled up with other documents until the transferred ink dries or unless the wet and excess ink is removed by pressing with a blotter. For this reason, another problem arises that workability is lowered due to time needed for drying the seal ink after taking the fingerprint. Further, in this method, the image of the rising streamline becomes so bold as to lose the pattern thereof when the seal ink is used to excess for application to the fingerprint face, so that a clear fingerprint image can not be obtained.
Furthermore, when performing improper operation such as to press the fingerprint face excessively against the recording sheet or to slightly move the fingertip while pressing it against the recording sheet, the clear rising streamline patterned image of the fingerprint can not be clearly obtained as well. Thus, it is impossible to make a judgment on finely distinct fingerprint patterns not only in visual inspection, but also in a computing process after reading the fingerprint with a fingerprint reader.

Fingerprint image generating method and fingerprint image recording sheet


A method of fabricating a vertical channel transistor includes: forming a line type active pattern on a substrate so as to extend in a first horizontal direction; forming a vertical channel isolating the active pattern in a second horizontal direction intersecting the first horizontal direction and extending vertically on the substrate; forming a buried bit line extending in the first horizontal direction on the substrate; and forming a word line extending in the second horizontal direction along at least one side surface of the vertical channel.

Embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a method of fabricating a transistor, for example, to a method of fabricating a vertical channel transistor.
In the semiconductor industry, bit lines are generally formed by various fabricating methods. One of the fabricating methods is a method of fabricating a MOS field-effect transistor which includes a horizontal channel. The fabricating method has advanced to improve integration of semiconductor devices with a decrease in a design rule of the semiconductor devices and to improve operational speed and yield. There has been suggested a transistor that includes a vertical channel to improve integration, resistance, and current driving capability over the transistor that includes a known horizontal channel.

Method of fabricating vertical channel transistor


The invention relates to a block copolymer comprising at least one rigid polyamide block and at least one flexible block, characterized in that the flexible block has an NH2/OH ratio of concentrations of amine chain ends to alcohol chain ends which is within the range from 30 to 150, said concentrations being measured by 1H NMR (TFanh./CD2Cl23). The invention also relates to the use of a flexible block for manufacturing a copolymer containing polyamide blocks and flexible blocks that is both hydrolysis-resistant and CO2-permeable, with a permeability to CO2 of at least 10 000 cm3/m2/24 h/atm for a 25 μm film of said copolymer, characterized in that said flexible block has a ratio of amine chain ends to acid chain ends which is within the range from 30 to 150.

In the last decade, copolymers containing polyamide PA blocks and polyether PE blocks (abbreviated as PEBA copolymer in the present description), notably those sold by the company Arkema under the brand name Pebax®, have gradually asserted themselves in the field of high-quality shoes, in particular sports shoes, by virtue of their mechanical properties and notably their exceptional elastic return property.
Other typical applications of PEBAs are found in the motor vehicle sector and more generally in industry, notably conveyor belts and transmission belts, or alternatively in the textile sector with waterproof breathable films. Pebax® products offer an excellent compromise in terms of properties: the lightest thermoplastic elastomer, broad hardness range, the widest flexibility range, excellent dynamic properties and low formation of heat, tear strength and impact strength, flexibility fatigue resistance, and maintenance of the mechanical properties even under extreme conditions, and notably at temperatures ranging from −40° C. to +80° C.
Unfortunately, for some of these applications, the resistance to hydrolysis and the permeability to CO2 of the prior art systems is far from being optimal. Thus, certain PEBA substrates degrade rapidly under the effect of hydrolysis, which is notably manifested by a loss in inherent viscosity typically of at least 75% and a rapid decrease in the elongation at break, for example becoming less than 15%, then it becomes impossible to perform tensile tests on the material, which breaks up.
The aim of the present invention is thus to provide a block copolymer that is hydrolysis-resistant while at the same time having a permeability to CO2 of at least 10 000 cm3/m2/24 h/atm for a film 25 μm thick.
The aim of the present invention is also to provide a block copolymer that is readily extrudable even into large-diameter tubes, having an elongation at break of greater than 350% according to the standard ISO 527 1A: 2012, and a stable inherent viscosity, which does not decrease by more than 25% even when said copolymer is subjected to extreme hydrolysis conditions, for example at the bottom of the sea, or in a tropical or very humid climate.
The Applicant has now developed a novel type of block copolymer, which is particularly hydrolysis-resistant while at the same time being perfectly CO2-permeable.