An energy harvesting apparatus is deployed on a vehicle and comprises a vehicular shock absorber capable of reciprocating translational movement in response to roadway perturbations. A coil is mounted within the shock absorber. An engine is also mounted within the shock absorber for converting the translational movement into rotational movement. A magnet is coupled to the engine and is configured to be rotated in the vicinity of the coil to produce electrical energy in the coil.

Increasing demands for better fuel economy have lead to improvements and developments in hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and vehicles powered by fuel cells or diesel fuel. Efforts on the part of the automotive industry to increase fuel economy have included, but are not limited to, reductions in mass, improved aerodynamics, active fuel management, direct injection engines, homogeneous charge compression ignition engines, and hybrid engines. Still, other mechanisms, techniques, and energy sources that will improve fuel economy are continually being sought.
It is generally known that vehicles are subjected to vibrations, especially while being driven. These vibrations have typically been considered undesirable. In fact, a great deal of effort has gone into the development of suspension systems that include springs, shock absorbers, and the like, that provide vehicular stability and insulate the vehicle's passenger compartment from vibration caused by, for example, driving on bumpy or otherwise tortuous roadways. Currently, the energy associated with these vibrations is lost. However, harvesting and utilizing this energy would provide an additional source of energy that could be used to increase fuel economy. The ability to tap this additional source of energy while not compromising the benefits of modern vehicular suspension systems would greatly benefit both the automotive industry and their customers.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an apparatus for harvesting the energy associated with vehicle vibrations to produce useable power. Furthermore, other desirable benefits, features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary, detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

Harvesting energy from vehicular vibrations


The present invention features a system for recognizing a string of handwritten characters automatically using a graphic input. This invention is expected to have several applications, such as affecting postal ZIP codes and the dollar amount location on bank checks. For postal applications, the device includes an identification strip for identifying the sender, a receiver, a source or a destination of material such as packages or mail. The identification strip can be part of a postage stamp, label, envelope, etc., and has a reserved region with a plurality of entry guide outlines, each designating one alphanumeric character or digit of a ZIP code. Disposed on each entry guide outline surface is a pattern that is not machine-readable. The pattern includes line segments upon which a letter, number or symbol may be inscribed. The line segment in each entry guide outline acts as a trace-over guide for the inscriber, wherein the letter, number or symbol inscribed conforms to a machine-readable character.

Sorting of mail, whether accomplished within a large company or at the post office, is an extremely labor-intensive task. In the 1960s, the United States Postal Service instituted ZIP codes to simplify the sorting process. ZIP codes have provided a means by which the destination of a piece of mail can be quickly determined, and ZIP codes are now standard throughout the nation. ZIP codes became particularly popular with bulk mailers, because they were entitled to a discount on presorted, ZIP-coded mail.
Recently, the Postal Service increased the number of digits of the ZIP code from five to nine, to provide a more detailed specification of destination. Although the new nine-digit entries are potentially more useful, they place a greater demand upon the sorting process. Obviously, the longer digit codes take longer to read and recognize, whether interpreted by human or machine.
The Postal Service continues to automate its sorting procedures and equipment. It upgraded its ability to process large-volume bulk mail (including catalogues, magazines and direct-marketing envelopes) by installing a new series of bar-code reading scanners. Bar codes are interpreted and the pieces of mail dropped into an appropriate bin. The new scanners were developed by Intermec Corporation, a division of Litton Industries. Unlike earlier postal scanners, the new units are able to read bar codes, regardless of where they are placed on the face of a piece of mail, and regardless of the orientation of the piece of mail. Although most conventional present-day scanners employ lasers, these newer scanners use a high-speed camera and an image processing computer.
While the above-mentioned scanning system is useful in the processing of bulk, bar-code imprinted mail, it is not designed to operate with ordinary pieces of mail. Ordinary mail is still processed using conventional, arabic numeral ZIP codes to perform the sorting procedure. In addition, the new equipment is far too expensive for mail room applications in all but the largest companies.
The problem with the ZIP coding of mail, however, is that not all ZIP codes are machine-readable. Most handwritten and typewritten ZIP codes still must be read by human operators. Furthermore, the low volume of mail at regional and rural post offices cannot justify the installation and use of present-day, expensive, ZIP code reading machinery to read the portion of mail which has machine-printed ZIP codes. These offices continue to use human operators to read and sort all mail.
The present invention seeks to improve the sorting procedure of mail by merging bar code technology with a simple entry guide outline, using handwritten entries of, among other information, ZIP codes. The invention allows the individual addressing a letter to indicate the ZIP code with handwritten numerals making them machine-readable. The invention, therefore, will provide a means by which the above-mentioned, new, high-speed scanners can process regular hand-addressed mail as well as bar coded bulk mail.
The invention can represent information other than ZIP codes. One such application relates to bank checks. Most personal checks are handwritten. Although bank codes, accounting and check number information is normally pre-printed in machine-readable format, the handwritten "dollar amount" information on the check has to be manually processed and entered into the computer by bank employees. Manual processing is mandatory, because bank employees are required by law to verify signatures and resolve occasional differences between handwritten and computerized dollar entries. The invention disclosed herein is expected to be applicable to automated processing of bank checks.
The invention is also expected to apply to industrial applications, including inventory control, part numbering and lot tracking. Bar codes alone are presently used for these applications, but they are awkward for use with low-volume or custom production. ZIPWrite graphics, as presented in this invention, provides a way for personnel to mark such production manually without the complications which attend current bar code marking operations. ZIPWrite graphics allows manual insertion of machine-readable ZIP code on pieces of mail. ZIPWrite is manually readable, as well as machine readable, which provides ease of transition between manual sorting and automated system processing. Therefore, the invention can be easily adapted to all modes of processing and accommodated by upgraded systems.
Although, for simplicity and clarity of exposition, subsequent discussion of the invention refers almost exclusively to mail industry operations, the invention is clearly useful in other applications.

Machine recognition of handwritten character strings such as postal zip codes or dollar amount on bank checks


A rotary joint includes an outer shell segment having the outer shape of a solid of revolution, the outer shell segment having a plurality of openings arranged in the outer surface; an inner shell segment having the outer shape of the solid of revolution of the outer shell segment, the inner shell segment being aligned concentrically with the outer shell segment and spaced apart from the outer shell segment by a compensation gap; and a plurality of strut holding fixtures, the strut holding fixtures having a hollow interior and a flange portion, wherein each of the strut holding fixtures is arranged in one of the plurality of openings and the flange portion extends within the compensation gap between the inner shell segment and the outer shell segment in each case.

Beams, joists and frames for construction work, for example in aeronautics, civil engineering or architecture, are designed to withstand bending forces acting perpendicular to the direction of extension of the respective beams. Conventional beams may be implemented as an integral part with flanges at the edges and a web spanning between the flanges. Alternatively, instead of a web, cutter milled struts may be implemented between parallel running longitudinal support bars, thus leading to decreased weight of the beam due to less material being used to form the beam.
Local load introduction into such beams or frames may, however, lead to torsional moments that are introduced into the attachment joints of the struts with the longitudinal support bars. Such torsional moments may in turn lead to additional moments within the longitudinal support bars that will have to be compensated for by local strengthening means, thereby nullifying some or all of the weight advantages gained.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,447 B1 discloses a modular structural system for building models and structures, using a plurality of connector hub members with spherical symmetry, and a plurality of strut members with longitudinal symmetry, wherein the strut members are removably engageable with the connector hub members placing the strut members in corresponding radial and tangential positions relative to the connector hub members.
Document CA 2 237 020 A1 and DE 38 00 547 A1 each disclose a set of structural elements for producing supporting structures, using supporting bars and cylindrical connecting elements for insertion heads provided on the end sides of the supporting bars.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 8,651,914 B2 discloses a set of construction components that may be assembled by connecting male and female snap-lock connectors. A female snap-lock connector includes a deflectable channel opening into a wider cavity; a male snap-lock connector includes a cylindrical head, a neck, and seat.

Rotary joint, framework construction kit and method for constructing a framework


The present invention refers to a linear compressor based on resonant oscillating mechanism, which is comprised by at least one resonant spring (2) at least one linear motor (3) composed of at least one fixed portion (31 ) and at least one movable portion (32), at least one piston (4) operatively associated with at least one rod (5) and at least one cylinder (6), all these elements being disposed within a housing (7), and the movable portion (32) of the linear motor (3) is physically associated with one end of the resonance spring (2) through a first coupling assembly and the rod (5) is physically associated with the opposite end of the resonance spring (2) through a second coupling assembly. The linear motor (3), the cylinder (6) and the piston (4) are physically arranged within a same end of the housing (7). The rod (5) is disposed within the resonant spring (2). The piston-cylinder assembly (4, 6) is capable of acting at the distal end to the coupling end between the rod (5) to the resonant spring (2).

Oscillatory systems and mechanisms of the mass-spring type comprise coupling a measurable body weight to the end of a spring capable of resilient deformation, the other end of the spring being coupled to an usually fixed reference point. In these types of systems and mechanisms, the mass can be displaced from its equilibrium position (by an external force), causing deformation in the spring (in the line of its length). Once the external force is removed, the mass tends to return to its equilibrium position (due to the spring force) by executing an oscillatory motion.
From the functional point of view, one of the ends of the spring can be coupled to mass and the other end of the spring can be coupled to an external power source. Thus, the external power source begins to integrate the system/mechanism, so that the movement of the mass becomes oscillating and constant.
In resonant arrangements, it is aimed that the system/mechanism to work at maximum efficiency, where the mass oscillates at maximum amplitude from an external minimum force at certain frequencies, which are known as "resonance frequencies".
The current state of the art provides or the application of physical concepts in the construction of linear compressors.
Some functional examples of linear compressors based on resonant oscillating mechanisms are described in the document PI 0601645-6. Such functional examples refer to compressors wherein the piston (which slides within a cylinder, effecting the compression of a working fluid) comprises the "mass", and the linear motor (mainly composed of a fixed stator and a moving magnet) comprises the "source of strength." With reference to the "spring" (which comprises the coupling element between the piston and the magnet of the linear motor) it may comprise a body with resilient characteristics and capable of resonant linear vibration. Described herein are different types of linear assembly of compressors based on the same oscillating resonant concept/functional principle. In any case, all the functional examples described in the document PI 0601645-6 provide embodiments in which the linear motor/piston oscillate, at a resonant manner, at the opposite ends of the spring (or of the body having the function of the spring).
A detailed construction (based on one of the functional examples described in the document PI 0601645-6) is best seen in FIG. 1 which illustrates a linear compressor (based on resonant oscillating mechanism) belonging to the current state of the art.
Thus, the compressor CP illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a linear motor ML and a piston PT (which slides within a cylinder CL), both coupled to a resonant spring MR. The magnet of the linear motor ML is coupled to one end of the ends of the resonant spring MR and the piston PT is located coupled to the opposite end of the resonant spring ML.
All the examples described in the document PI 0601645-6 (also including the example illustrated in FIG. 1) are functional and achieve the objectives to which they are proposed. However, these same examples have a ratio of length/capacity that is subject to optimization.
As is well known to those skilled in the subject, one of the factors which determines the ability of a linear compressor comprises the path of travel of the piston within the cylinder (volume useful for the compression of a working fluid). In the case of examples so far cited and illustrated (and other similar constructions and belonging to the current state of the art), the path of travel of the piston is proportional to the length of the compressor as a whole, thus optimizing the compressor capacity involves the increase in length. Thus, it is noted that the ratio of length/capacity of the linear compressors belonging to the current state of the art prevents the construction of a miniaturized compressor with great capacity of compression.
The current state of the art further comprises linear compressors whose linear motor is arranged among a resonant assembly (springs associated with each other to perform the function of a single resonant spring).
An example of such constructiveness is described in the document WO 2007/098970. In this paper, the linear compressor is also based on oscillating resonant system/mechanism.
In this construction, there is provided a drive motor unit disposed between two resonant springs, wherein only one of these resonant springs is coupled to the piston-cylinder assembly. In this case, the linear motor provides a type of piston connected to a rod which, in turn, is coupled to the piston.
Anyway, the aforementioned limitation (limitation related on the ratio of length/capacity) is also present in this constructiveness.
Based on all the context explained above, it is evident to observe the need of development of a linear compressor free of limitation imposed by its ratio of length/capacity.

Linear compressor based on resonant oscillating mechanism


An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit to image an object, an illuminating unit to irradiate light to the object, the illuminating unit having a first light source and a second light source, and a controlling unit. The controlling unit executes a first imaging process for obtaining a first image acquired by imaging, by repetitively executing an imaging operation by imaging the object in a state in which the first light source is off and the second light source is on, during conveyance of the object, a second imaging process for obtaining a second image by imaging the object in a state in which the first light source is on during the conveyance of the object, and a changing-over process for setting a timing for switching from the first imaging process to the second imaging process, on the basis of the first image acquired by imaging.

Generally, there is a conveying apparatus for conveying an object (work) by using a robot, a belt conveyor, or the like. In many cases, the work is conveyed in a state where there are variations in a position and an orientation to the conveying apparatus. Generally, after completion of the conveyance, a position and an orientation of the work are measured at a place in front of the working position, the position and orientation of the work are properly corrected, and, thereafter, a working operation is started. Also, in an inspection of the work, generally, after the position and orientation of the work were corrected, the work is conveyed to a station for exclusively performing the inspection and, subsequently, the inspection is performed. That is, in a production system, it is necessary to measure a state of the work such as position and orientation of the work, a defect in the work, and the like.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-221381 discloses such a technique that a mark, such as an LED, a retroreflective member, or the like, is put onto an assembling pallet on which a work is mounted and the mark is imaged by a camera, thereby obtaining a position and an orientation of the assembling pallet and obtaining a position and an orientation of the work.

Imaging apparatus, production system, imaging method, program, and recording medium


An apparatus for relative movement of first and second bone segments, such as segments of a skull, includes first and second nodes attachable to first and second bone segments, respectively, and a first rod mechanism flexibly attached to both the first and second nodes. The rod mechanism is either extendible or retractable along an axis thereof. The rod mechanism axis is pivotable with respect to the first and second nodes in at least a first plane parallel to a plane tangent to the skull. The rod mechanism axis also is pivotable with respect to the first and second nodes in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to bone distractive and contractive movements and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for the correction of craniofacial bone deformities.
2. Description of Related Technology
Human children born with skull and facial (craniofacial) bone growth disorders known as craniosynostosis develop profound abnormalities in the shape and function of the craniofacial skeleton. The underlying causative factor is the congenital absence of anatomically normal sutures (lines of open bone) between the various segments of craniofacial bone. This fusion of the normal bone lines, or synostosis, leads to unbalanced bone growth and subsequent deformation. The traditional treatment for these disorders has been surgical exposure, and transfer of the bones to create a more normal architecture. Such surgery requires neurosurgical exposure of the brain and its surrounding tissues. Also, bone grafts, plating, wires, and other rigid fixation implants are required to stabilize the repositioned bones.
Alternative methods for correcting synostotic deformities in young infants without the risk of major intracranial surgery and bone grafts have been introduced. For example, Remmler, U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,358 discloses an apparatus which was utilized to gradually reposition the cranial and fronto-facial bones in a rabbit model by mechanical means to a degree proportionate to that required in humans with craniosynostosis. Stainless steel fixation plates with threaded tubes were attached with screws to the craniofacial bones. Next, threaded percutaneous (through the skin) pins were attached to the plates. The bones were then gradually repositioned over a period of approximately one and one-half months to the desired position using an external jackscrew mechanism.
The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,358 has been used to successfully distract bone segments primarily in one dimension. However, congenital craniofacial anomalies are frequently asymmetric in three dimensions, requiring simultaneous distractive and contractive movements of multiple major bone segments. Thus, a need exists for a versatile, multi-axial apparatus, system, and method for moving multiple bone segments in various directions.

Implantable apparatus, matrix and method for correction of craniofacial bone deformities


Techniques are provided for optimizing storage of address information in switch device databases. A control packet is received from a source host. An address associated with a host is determined. The address comprises a first and second address component. The first address component is stored in a first database and is mapped to an index value that is stored in the first database. The index value is also stored in a second database along with the second address component. The first database may also be examined to determine whether the first address component is stored in the first database. If the first address component is stored in the first database, the index value mapped to the first address component is retrieved. The second database is examined to determine whether the index value and the second address component are stored in the second database.

In data center environments, rack units may house many server devices. Each server device may be configured to host one or more physical or virtual host devices. The servers in the rack units are connected to Top of Rack (ToR) switch devices. The ToR switches, in turn, are connected to other ToR switches via a spine switch or spine fabric. Data communications may be exchanged between host devices (physical and/or virtual) in different rack units. For example, packets of data communications may be sent from a virtual host device in one rack unit to a virtual host device in another rack unit. These packets may be routed between corresponding ToR switch devices and the spine switch. The ToR switches are configured to store address information associated with the host devices in the data center environment.

Increasing internet protocol version 6 host table scalability in top of rack switches for data center deployments


A process is disclosed for producing reinforced twin-sheet thermoformed articles comprising the steps of heating first and second sheets of thermoplastic material; forming the sheets in molds; heating a reinforcing insert of thermoplastic material; placing the heated insert on the first sheet in its mold at the location to be reinforced; pressing the second sheet into contact with the heated first sheet and the heated insert to form the insert between the sheets so that a fusion of the thermoplastic sheets and the insert takes place to produce a reinforced section of the article having a desired shape and thickness. Alternative processes are disclosed wherein a heated quantity of thermoplastic liquid material is extruded or injected between the first and second sheets within the first and second molds either by inserting the liquid material before the molds are closed or by injecting it through one of the molds. Also disclosed are twin-sheet thermoformed articles with reinforced sections which are thicker than the combined thicknesses of the two thermoformed sheets at a particular location. The articles may advantageously be reinforced with plastic identical to the plastic of the two sheets. The articles are also easily recycled as they are entirely plastic with no non-plastic matter included.

The thermoforming process may be used to form plastic articles of all sizes, and is particularly effective when it is desired to form large plastic articles at low cost. Articles thermoformed from a single sheet of thermoplastic material are generally limited in wall thickness to the thickness of the sheet or less, throughout. By utilizing a twin-sheet thermoforming process articles of greater thickness and stiffness may be formed. The overall thickness of an article formed from twin-sheets may be varied by providing a separation between the thermoformed sheets. However, solid portions of the article are limited to the combined thicknesses of the two fused sheets from which the article is formed. Also, portions of the article which are formed more deeply in the mold will tend to be thinner than the full combined thicknesses of the sheets from which the article is formed, because the sheets must be drawn and stretched, with corresponding thinning, to form such portions.
Thus, although it is possible to form large and very stiff articles using the twin-sheet thermoforming process, the strength of the articles is limited to the strength obtained by fusing the two sheets in various configurations. Generally, if it is desired or necessary to increase the strength of a portion of a formed twin-sheet article, it is necessary to increase the thickness of one or both of the entire sheets, which results in higher overall cost of material. A need exists for a twin-sheet thermoformed article having reinforced portions which would stand up to greater wear or abrasion conditions, or facilitate efficient connection of such articles.
It has been common practice to reinforce plastic twin-sheet thermoformed articles with metal, wood, or other reinforcing material. These reinforcements may be costly and detract from the advantageous properties of an all-plastic article, such as low density, fire resistance, and weatherability. Also, the addition of non-plastic reinforcements makes eventual recycling of the article difficult as the non-plastic portions must be separated from the plastic before the plastic may be used again.
Methods for producing uniformly reinforced plastic sheet material wherein reinforcing strands or webs are positioned between bonded sheets are well known. A uniformly reinforced plastic sheet, however, results in an unnecessary increase in the overall weight and material usage of the finished article. A process has also been developed for selectively reinforcing portions of a single-sheet thermoformed article involving the application of powdered plastic to the sheet of thermoplastic material prior to drawing the sheet in the vacuum mold. This process requires complicated forms for retaining the reinforcing plastic on the plastic sheet during the heating step, and does not appear well adapted for twin-sheet thermoforming. Reinforcements employing plastic foams are also known, but articles formed of different types of plastic are also difficult to recycle.
An improved thermoformed article and thermoforming process are needed which retain advantages and efficiencies of twin-sheet thermoforming yet allow localized increases in thickness of the finished article.

Selectively reinforced thermoformed article and process


A first oscillation circuit and a second oscillation circuit are connected to a first pressure sensor and a second pressure sensor, respectively, and oscillate based on the capacity values of the corresponding pressure sensors. The first oscillation circuit and the second oscillation circuit operate in response to instruction from a CPU. The one of the first oscillation circuit and the second oscillation circuit that has received an activation signal from the CPU outputs a signal having a frequency that corresponds to the capacity value of the corresponding pressure sensor. An adjustment circuit is connected to the first oscillation circuit and the second oscillation circuit, and allows one of the frequency signals to pass therethrough, outputting the signal to the CPU.

Blood pressure is one index for analyzing cardiovascular disease. Performing a risk analysis for cardiovascular disease based on blood pressure is effective in preventing cardiovascular-related conditions such as stroke, heart failure, and myocardial infarction. In particular, morning hypertension, in which the blood pressure rises in the early morning, is related to heart disease, stroke, and the like.
Furthermore, among morning hypertension symptoms, the symptom called "morning surge", in which the blood pressure rapidly rises within one hour to one and a half hours after waking up, has been found to have a causal relationship with stroke. Accordingly, understanding the interrelationship between time (lifestyle) and changes in blood pressure is useful in risk analysis for cardiovascular-related conditions. It is therefore necessary to continuously measure blood pressure over a long period of time.
Furthermore, recent study results have shown that home blood pressure, which is blood pressure measured at home, is more effective in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and so on of cardiovascular-related conditions than blood pressure measured at a hospital or during a health examination (casual blood pressure). Accordingly, sphygmomanometers for home use have become widely prevalent, and home blood pressure values have started to become used in diagnoses.
In order to improve the measurement precision of sphygmomanometers, JP H7-51233A discloses an invention in which processing for correcting error in a measurement value that is dependent on the characteristics of the pressure sensor for blood pressure measurement is performed in the electronic sphygmomanometer production stage.
JP H2-19133 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,594,892 disclose techniques for improving the reliability of blood pressure measurement values using two pressure sensors.
According to the electronic sphygmomanometer disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the correction regarding the pressure sensor is performed based on differences in the characteristics of the individual electronic sphygmomanometers during the electronic sphygmomanometer production stage. However, unlike a sphygmomanometer used in a medical facility such as a hospital, a sphygmomanometer for home use is generally not periodically corrected after purchase, except for in certain situations such as a malfunction.
For example, even if the pressure sensor output, which is of utmost importance in blood pressure measurement, deviates beyond a specified tolerance margin, there is no way to know that this has happened, and therefore, it is not clear whether blood pressure measurement values are correct. For this reason, even if there is a large difference between a blood pressure measurement value and the normal blood pressure measurement value or the casual blood pressure measurement value, it is not clear whether the blood pressure values are actually different, or the blood pressure values are different due to error in the pressure sensor of the sphygmomanometer, thus causing concern on the part of the user.
Meanwhile, some sphygmomanometers for medical facilities include two pressure sensors, and pressure is monitored based on the output of these pressure sensors. However, the functions of these two pressure sensors are used for different purposes in such sphygmomanometers. That is, the blood pressure is calculated using cuff pressure information obtained by one of the pressure sensors, and abnormality detection is performed based on the output of the other pressure sensor.
Specifically, an abnormality is detected if the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor greatly exceeds 300 mmHg, for example. In this case, safety is ensured by stopping the pump and releasing the valve. Accordingly, the other pressure sensor is applied as a safety measure specified in the medical standard IEC 60601-2-30, and does not guarantee the precision of the one pressure sensor used for blood pressure measurement.
In light of this, it is necessary for the precision of the one pressure sensor, which is used for detecting blood pressures, to be guaranteed by that pressure sensor itself. There is thus a demand for a high-precision pressure sensor that is not influenced by external disturbances such as temperature changes, that changes little over time, and that is inexpensive. Furthermore, providing two pressure sensors that perform different functions means that the malfunction rate of the sphygmomanometer due to malfunctions in the pressure sensors will simply be double the malfunction rate of a sphygmomanometer that has only one pressure sensor.


Systems and methods for verifying interactions performed on content items are hereby provided. An interaction verifier encoded in a first portion of code of a content item can detect a first interaction event attributed to the content item. The interaction verifier can identify, via execution of a second portion of code of the content item, a registration of a function call to perform a predetermined action. The function call can be configured to be triggered in response to the application passing a second interaction event to the content item. The interaction verifier can determine that an amount of time between the first interaction event and the registration of the function call is less than a predetermined threshold. The interaction verifier can cause the application to perform the predetermined action in response to determining that the amount of time is less than the predetermined threshold.

In computer networked environments such as the Internet, content providers can provide content items to be inserted into an information resource (e.g., a webpage) processed and rendered by an application (e.g., a web browser) executing on a client device. Such content items and the information resource can be interacted with using an input/output (I/O) device connected to the client device.

Controlling the triggering of function calls from content items


A Raman spectroscopy system includes a laser source for providing a laser beam, and an optical probe assembly including a photonic crystal fiber light guide for receiving the laser beam from the laser source and for directing the laser beam toward a specimen of selected material, a lens for receiving the laser beam in the light guide and directing the beam onto the specimen and for receiving reflected light from the specimen and directing the reflected light back through the fiber light guide, and a dichroic beam splitter for directing a portion of the reflected beam out of the optical probe assembly. The system further includes an optical spectrum analyzer for receiving the portion of the reflected beam and for exhibiting a Raman signature of the specimen.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to Raman spectroscopy and is directed more particularly to a Raman spectroscopy system and method including an improved optical probe assembly, and an improved specimen holder for retaining a specimen for examination by a Raman spectroscopy system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Raman spectroscopy is based upon the Raman effect which may be described as the scattering of light from a gas, liquid or solid with a shift in wavelength from that of the usually monochromatic incident radiation.
When a transparent medium is irradiated with an intense source of monochromatic light, and the scattered radiation is examined spectroscopically, not only is light of the exciting frequency, nO, observed (Rayleigh scattering), but also some weaker bands of shifted frequency are detected (FIG. 1). Moreover, while most of the shifted bands are of lower frequency n0−ni, there are some at higher frequency, n0+ni. By analogy to fluorescence spectrometry, the former are called Stokes bands 10 and the latter anti-Stokes bands 12. The Stokes and anti-Stokes bands 10, 12 are equally displaced about a Rayleigh band 14; however, the intensity of the anti-Stokes bands 12 is much weaker than the Stokes bands 10 and they are seldom observed.
If the polarizability of a molecule changes as it rotates or vibrates, incident radiation of frequency n0, according to classical theory, should produce scattered radiation, the most intense part of which has unchanged frequency. This is referred to as Rayleigh scattering.
In addition, there typically are Stokes and anti-Stokes lines 10, 12 of much lesser intensity and of frequencies n0+/−ni, respectively, where ni is a molecular frequency of rotation or vibration. The anti-Stokes lines 12 are always many times less intense than the Stokes lines 10. This fact is satisfactorily explained by the quantum mechanical theory of the Raman effect.
The vibrational Raman effect is especially useful in studying the structure of the polyatomic molecule. If such a molecule contains N atoms it can be shown that there will be 3N−6 fundamental vibrational modes of motion only (3N−5 if the molecule is a linear one). Those which are accompanied by a change in electric moment can be observed experimentally in the infrared. The remaining ones, if occurring with a change in polarizability, are observable in the Raman effect. Thus, both kinds of spectroscopic measurements are usually required in a complete study of a given molecule.
Like infrared spectrometry, Raman spectrometry is a method of determining modes of molecular motion, especially the vibrations, and their use in analysis is based on the specificity of such vibrations. The methods are predominantly applicable to the qualitative and quantitative analysis of covalently bonded molecules, rather than to ionic structures. Nevertheless, they can give information about the lattice structure of ionic molecules in the crystalline state and about the internal covalent structure of complex ions and the ligand structure of coordination compounds both in the solid state and in solution.
Both the Raman and the infrared spectrums yield a partial description of the internal vibrational motion of the molecule in terms of the normal vibrations of the constituent atoms. Neither type of spectrum alone gives a complete description of the pattern of molecular vibration, and, by analysis of the difference between the Raman and the infrared spectrum, additional information about the molecular structure can sometimes be inferred.
Physical chemists have made extremely effective use of such comparisons in the elucidation of the finer structural details of small symmetrical molecules, such as methane and benzene, but the mathematical techniques of vibrational analysis are not yet sufficiently developed to permit the extension of these differential studies to the Raman and infrared spectra of the more complex molecules that constitute the main body of both organic and inorganic chemistry.
The analytical geologist can use Raman and infrared spectra in two ways. At the purely empirical level, they provide "fingerprints" of the molecular structure and, as such, permit the qualitative analysis of individual compounds, either by direct comparison of the spectra of the known and unknown materials run consecutively, or by comparison of the spectrum of the unknown compound with catalogs of reference spectra. By comparisons among the spectra of large numbers of compounds of known structure, it has been possible to recognize, at specific positions in the spectrum, bands which can be identified as "characteristic group frequencies" associated with the presence of localized units of molecular structure in the molecule, such as methyl, carbonyl, or hydroxyl groups. Many of these group frequencies differ in the Raman and infrared spectra.
Thus, Raman spectroscopy is a viable technique for identifying and characterizing a vast array of compounds and materials. Applications of Raman spectroscopy are far reaching in both the scientific and the industrial arenas. Industrial areas of use include medical, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, security, and geology. Recent technology advancements are enabling increasing application reach through a reduction in cost and size. Portable units (FIG. 2) are becoming available for out of lab uses in the measurement and identification of powders, pills, and liquids.
A persistent problem in the design of such systems is the delivery and collection of laser light and the Raman signature from the specimen. It is often desirable to have a flexible light guide for light delivery and collection. It is also often a requirement that such delivery and collection light guide be flexible, rugged, and compact in size.
Traditional optical fibers have been used for light delivery to the specimen. However, the high intensity of optical power and the non-linear coefficients of the optical fiber's refractive index cause the generation of a background Raman signal. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the presence of this background signal reduces the signal to noise of the Raman signature measurement if a single traditional optical fiber, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is used for both light delivery and collection. Thus, two or more light guides 24A and 24B are typically used, as shown in FIG. 4.
Raman spectroscopy works by launching from a laser source 16 a laser light of a particular wavelength, typically in the visible or near infrared, at a specimen 28 and collecting to an optical spectrum analyzer 18 light which has been Stokes shifted to longer wavelengths through vibrational mode interactions. By studying the position in energy of these shifted peaks, a signature of a particular material is obtained.
Traditional optical fibers introduce amorphous glass into the optical path. The amorphous nature of the glass fiber causes a broad Raman peak 38 (FIG. 3) which is collected and superimposed onto the Raman signature of the specimen. The result is a decrease in sensitivity and hence material selectivity.
Another persistent problem with Raman spectroscopy is the interference of the inherent Raman signature of the typical glass vial in which the specimen is contained with the Raman signature of the specimen being tested.
There is accordingly a need for a Raman spectroscopy system and method which includes an optical probe assembly which exhibits a low Raman cross section within the optical probe, thus reducing contamination of the specimen's Raman signature with any background Raman signal generated in the probe.
There is further a need for such a system in which the optical probe is compact, flexible, and rugged.
There is still further a need for a Raman spectroscopy system and method in which amorphous glass does not obstruct the optical path, with resulting improved sensitivity of the system.
There is yet further a need for a specimen holder for conducting Raman spectroscopy in which the Raman signature of the material of the container is configured to avoid interference with the Raman signature of the specimen.

Raman spectroscopy system and method and specimen holder therefor


A method and system for analog video noise detection are provided. A motion metric (MM) value may be determined for pixels in a video image. The MM values may be collected and accumulated for a number of noise level intervals to determine average noise levels for each interval. An early-exit algorithm (EEA) or an interpolation estimate algorithm (IEA) may be utilized to determine the noise level. The EEA may select the noise level based on a first noise level interval with a number of collected samples larger than a threshold. The IEA may determine the noise level based on an average of a plurality of noise levels associated with consecutive noise level intervals with collected samples that are larger than the threshold. A noise level indicator (NLI) may be the noise level of the current image or an average based on noise levels from the current and previous images.

In video system applications, random noise present in analog video signals, such as NTSC or PAL signals, for example, may result in images that are less than visually pleasing to the viewer. To address this problem, noise reduction (NR) operations may be utilized to remove or mitigate the analog noise present. However, some NR operations may result in visual artifacts such as motion trails, jittering, and/or wobbling that may result from excessive filtering. To reduce these effects, consideration may be given to whether the analog video noise is present in a static area or in an area where there is significant motion in the video content.
Some traditional NR operations may be performed independent of the analog noise level. For example, filter coefficients may be set conservatively to avoid over filtering for relatively clean videos. However, conservative filtering may result in many instances where noise remains in the video signal and affects the perceptual quality. Analog noise levels may be determined when conducting other traditional NR operations, however, the analog noise level may be determined by some external methods that do not explicitly operate on the video content. For example, the analog noise level may be estimated by measuring the variance in the blanking levels of the NSTC/PAL signal, usually by a module that is utilized to decode the NTSC/PAL signal. This approach makes the NR operation more tightly coupled with the NTSC/PAL decoding and not a separate or independent operation.
In order to improve NR operations it may be necessary to characterize the noise present in the video signal and select filter coefficients accordingly. However, noise characterization may be difficult to achieve since there may be many different noise sources. While white noise may be generally characterized as a Gaussian distribution in both the spatial and temporal domain, other types of analog noises in the video signals may not be easily estimated.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for analog video noise detection


Binder compositions and methods for making and using same are provided. The binder composition can include at least one polyamidoamine prepolymer and at least one copolymer. The copolymer can include one or more vinyl aromatic derived units, and one or more unsaturated carboxylic acids, one or more unsaturated carboxylic anhydrides, or a combination thereof. The copolymer can be modified by reaction with one or more base compounds.

1. Field
Embodiments described herein generally relate to binder compositions and methods for making and using same. More particularly, such embodiments relate to binder compositions for making composite products.
2. Description of the Related Art
Composite products, e.g., fiberglass and wood products, require certain properties such as tear strength, cure time, internal bond strength, and the like. For example, an important process variable encountered when making commercial and industrial fiberglass insulation products is cure time. Curing composite products can be accomplished, at least in part, by heating a mixture of particles, e.g., fiberglass and/or wood particles, and the binder composition. The speed at which the manufacturing equipment used to produce commercial and industrial fiberglass insulation operates makes it desirable and often necessary to reduce the time required to cure the binder composition to as short a time as possible.
When the binder composition cures, there is a variable temperature profile with the surfaces of the product reaching a greater temperature than a center or core region of the product. As such, the time required to cure a composite product depends, at least in part, on the temperature required to sufficiently cure the binder at the center of the product. Accordingly, binder compositions that cure at a reduced temperature, e.g., 195° C. as compared to 205° C., can be more readily used in the production of composite products such as commercial and industrial fiberglass insulation because the core of the product does not need to be heated to as high of a temperature. By not having to heat the core of the product to as high of a temperature, the time required to cure the binder can be reduced.
There is a need, therefore, for improved binder compositions having reduced cure temperatures for making composite products.


Methods and apparatuses of the invention are directed to correcting errors caused by frequency offsets between clocks in a communication system, for example SFO. According to certain aspects, embodiments of the invention provide for resampling data samples corresponding to a received data symbol immediately prior to performing an FFT. According to certain additional aspects, the resampler operates only on the data samples of a cyclic data block, with a known (and minimized) sample timing error to correct.

In a wireless communications system such as an orthogonal frequency domain multiplexing (OFDM) communications system, the reference clock in the receiver will not in general be common to that of the transmitter. As a consequence, in a sampled system, the transmitter digital-to-analog converter (DAC) sample rate and the receiver analog-to-digital converter (ADC) sample rate will both have arbitrary sampling phase and period. Any error in the reference clocks used to derive the sampling frequency in either or both of the transmitter and receiver will introduce an offset in the sampling frequency at the receiver, which is referred to herein as Sample Frequency Offset (SFO).
With a relatively narrow-band system, or with a low order fast Fourier transform (FFT), the effect of SFO during the block of data (e.g. an OFDM symbol) presented to the FFT is typically not problematic. A drift in sampling time will be apparent and can be corrected post FFT as a phase slope across output FFT bins (i.e. sub-carriers or tones). This drift can be tracked and corrected post FFT during continued reception. This only corrects the SFO on the total sample drift over, for example, an OFDM symbol period (including Guard Interval).
Meanwhile, the present inventors have recognized that when a higher order FFT (for example ≧256 bins) is utilized, and/or higher order modulation schemes are introduced (for example 256QAM), a secondary source of inter-carrier interference (ICI) post FFT becomes increasingly significant. This can be viewed in a number of ways but most simply the sampling point in the receiver is continually drifting compared to that in the transmitter. This drift (or changing phase slope post FFT) will result in an increasing (with distance in frequency from DC) effective subcarrier frequency offset, which further results in a non-flat noise floor post FFT due to ICI.
Conventionally, a possible approach to address such problems in a digital receiver would be to incorporate a resampler in the system before the boundaries of the data block are known. This approach requires a complex design in order to accurately interpolate over all sample timing errors. All sample phases have to be corrected during continued reception. This approach also causes significant issues with feeding back the estimated SFO which may not be known when the data samples are processed by the resampler.
Alternatively, the SFO induced ICI can be ignored. However, this is only a viable option for receivers with low order FFTs, relatively low maximum SFO and lower order modulation (and for example no MIMO). Designing a system which utilizes the latter approach for narrow bandwidth modes of operation and a continuous resampler for wider bandwidth modes is neither desirable nor an efficient use of hardware resources.
As another possible alternative, the sample clock itself can be controlled. However, this approach inherently introduces the complexity of feedback to the analog domain, delay (and uncertainty when it is applied) in the correction and issues with accuracy of control.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for solutions to these and other problems.

Method and apparatus for sample frequency offset correction OFDM and single carrier frequency domain equalized receiver systems

Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd.


A single-event upset tolerant sense latch circuit for sense amplifiers is disclosed. The single-event upset tolerant sense latch circuit includes a first set of isolation transistors, a second set of isolation transistors, a first set of dual-path inverters, a second set of dual-path inverters, and an isolation transistor. The first set of isolation transistors is coupled to a first bitline, and the second set of isolation transistors is coupled to a second bitline. The second bitline is complementary to the first bitline. The first set of dual-path inverters is coupled to the first set of isolation transistors, and the first set of dual-path inverters includes a first transistor connected to a second transistor in series along with a third transistor connected to a fourth transistor in series. The second set of dual-path inverters is coupled to the second set of isolation transistors, and the second set of dual-path inverters includes a fifth transistor connected to a sixth transistor in series along with a seventh transistor connected to an eighth transistor in series. The isolation transistor couples the first and second sets of dual-path inverters to ground.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to integrated circuits in general, and in particular to bi-stable integrated circuits. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a single-event upset tolerant latch for sense amplifiers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In certain environments, such as satellite orbital space, in which the level of radiation is relatively intense, electronic devices that utilize static random access memories (SRAMs) are more susceptible to single-event upsets (SEUs) or soft errors than they would have in terrestrial environments. These SEUs are typically caused by electron-hole pairs created by, and travelling along the path of, a single energetic particle as it passes through the memory cells of the SRAMs. Should the energetic particle generate a critical charge within a storage node of an SRAM cell, the logic state of the SRAM cell will be upset. Thus, the critical charge is the minimum amount of electrical charge required to change the logic state of the SRAM cell. By the same token, other circuits used in conjunction with SRAMs are also susceptible to SEUs. For example, one of such circuits are sense latches within sense amplifiers for SRAMs.
Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a schematic diagram of a conventional sense latch that is commonly used in SRAMs. As shown, a sense latch 10 is constructed with two cross-coupled complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverters. The first inverter includes a p-channel transistor 11 connected in series with an n-channel transistor 12. The second inverter includes a p-channel transistor 13 connected in series with an n-channel transistor 14. The gates of transistors 11 and 12 are connected to the drains of transistors 13 and 14, and the gates of transistors 13 and 14 are connected to the drains of transistors 11 and 12. This arrangement of inverters is commonly referred to as cross-coupled inverters, and the two lines connecting the gates and the drains of the inverters are commonly referred to as cross-coupling lines. The drains of transistors 11, 12 and the gates of transistors 13, 14 are connected to a bitline BL. Similarly, the drains of transistors 13, 14 and the gates of transistors 11, 12 are connected to a bitline {overscore (BL)}. Both BL and {overscore (BL)} are connected to a column of SRAM cells for sensing a logical state of a specific SRAM cell, as it is well-known to those skilled in the art. The cross-coupled inverters are coupled to ground via an n-channel transistor 15 that can be controlled by a SET signal to the gate of transistor 15.
During operation, BL and {overscore (BL)} are equally charged to the positive power supply potential with the SET signal at the gate of transistor 15 held to ground potential. When an SRAM cell in the column above sense latch 10 is accessed, the SRAM cell begins to discharge either BL or {overscore (BL)} by a few hundred millivolts. At which time, the SET signal at the gate of transistor 15 is raised to the positive supply potential, causing conduction in the cross-coupled inverters to begin. The slight imbalance in potential on BL and {overscore (BL)} is amplified by the non-linear conduction behavior of the p-channel transistors at conduction threshold, causing a regenerative amplification to occur that causes either BL or {overscore (BL)} to be discharged all the way to ground potential in order to reflect the same logical as that of the SRAM cell. At this point, the SRAM cell may be disconnected from BL and {overscore (BL)} without changing the logical state of sense latch 10. If, however, an energetic atomic particle intersects any of the diffusion regions of BL or {overscore (BL)} that has remained in the positive logical state, the energetic atomic particle can transiently drives that node below the unity gain point of the inverters within sense latch 10, causing an indeterminate state after recovery from the transient. Such state may be of opposite polarity from the pre-transient state, signifying an SEU event has occurred.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an SEU tolerant sense latch.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a single-event upset tolerant sense latch circuit includes a first set of isolation transistors, a second set of isolation transistors, a first set of dual-path inverters, a second set of dual-path inverters, and an isolation transistor. The first set of isolation transistors is coupled to a first bitline, and the second set of isolation transistors is coupled to a second bitline. The second bitline is complementary to the first bitline. The first set of dual-path inverters is coupled to the first set of isolation transistors, and the first set of dual-path inverters includes a first transistor connected to a second transistor in series along with a third transistor connected to a fourth transistor in series. The second set of dual-path inverters is coupled to the second set of isolation transistors, and the second set of dual-path inverters includes a fifth transistor connected to a sixth transistor in series along with a seventh transistor connected to an eighth transistor in series. The isolation transistor couples the first and second sets of dual-path inverters to ground.
All objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.

Single-event upset tolerant latch for sense amplifiers

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration, Inc.


A self aligning hitch arrangement for attachment to the drawbar of a towing vehicle for lifting and aligning a trailer tongue into place on a towing ball includes a mounting plate attachable to the drawbar and having side members which support a horizontal transverse pivot in front of (i.e. on the vehicle side of) the ball. A ramp member supported by the pivot has a ramp plate with its front edge spaced behind the ball member, and is pivotable between a raised position in which the plate lies at a suitable angle for lifting the trailer tongue onto the ball, and a lowered position in which the plate lies at a steeper angle and allows the tongue to fall onto the ball. The ramp member also has diverging flanges to guide the trailer tongue laterally into position over the ball. A latch carried by the side members can hold the ramp member in its raised position and has an abutment which is struck by the tongue as this becomes located over the ball, causing it to release the ramp member and allowing this to fall to its lowered position while the tongue falls onto the ball.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trailer hitch arrangement for attachment to the drawbar of a towing vehicle and which is suitable for lifting and aligning a trailer tongue in place on a towing ball member mounted on the drawbar.
2. Prior Art
Aligning a trailer tongue with a conventional drawbar, provided with the usual ball member, is often difficult, since the ball member cannot be seen by the driver of the vehicle. Also, with a heavy trailer it may be difficult to lift the trailer tongue to just the right height required to engage the ball member. Various self-aligning and self-connecting hitch arrangements have been proposed to overcome these problems, for example those described in the following U.S. patents:
No. 4,657,275, issued Apr. 14, 1987 to Carroll;
No. 4,903,978, issued Feb. 27, 1990 to Schrum, 111;
No. 5,080,386, issued Jan. 14, 1992 to Lazar;
No. 5,435,587, issued Jul. 25, 1995 to Beddows; and
No. 5,503,422, issued Apr. 2, 1996 to Austin.
All of these patents show mechanisms in which, as the towing vehicle is backed into place, the trailer tongue is lifted to a suitable height to engage the towing ball member by a ramp mounted to the rear of the ball member, while the tongue is guided laterally by flanges or sidewalls which diverge outwardly and rearwardly from near the sides of the ball member. In the Austin patent, the ramp is removed manually when the tongue has reached the desired position over the ball member, and the tongue is then lowered onto the ball member. In the other patents, the ramp is arranged to drop automatically when the tongue has reached a suitable position over the ball member, so as to allow the tongue to fall into place on the ball member.
None of the arrangements shown in these prior patents appears to be in widespread use. It is believed that this may be due to the prior designs having one or more of the following drawbacks:
a) Undue complexity and expense; PA1 b) Awkwardness in use, particularly in requiring dismantling or removal and storage of several parts; and PA1 c) Imposing restrictions on the movement of the tongue.
As indicated, in the Austin patent there is no automatic release or drop of the ramp member, so a series of manual operations are required to remove this and to lower the tongue. The Beddows patent shows a design in which, as the tongue moves into position, the ramp member firstly falls by a short distance, allowing partial engagement of the tongue with the ball member. To complete the connection, the ramp is allowed to drop further, and is then removed and stored separately. This arrangement is complex.
In the other three patents the ramp is hinged behind the ball member, i.e. on the trailer side of the ball member, and drops from an upwardly inclined position to a roughly horizontal position as the tongue moves into position, allowing the tongue to engage the ball member.
In the Lazar patent, the ramp member, having fallen to the horizontal position, remains in this position; this would seem to limit the downward pivoting of the tongue, which would interfere with the ramp member if it were to swing down more than about 10.degree. from the horizontal. Normally, a trailer hitch should allow 20.degree. or more downward pivoting of the tongue relative to the drawbar, from the normal horizontal position. In the Carroll design, parts including the ramp member, the extension which holds the ramp member, and the support which temporarily holds the ramp member, have to be separately removed, which is somewhat awkward. If they were not removed, they would certainly interfere with movement of the tongue. In the Schrum design, the ramp remains in place; this is possible since the ramp pivot is low relative to the ball member. However, this results in a steep ramp angle, of about 55.degree. to the horizontal, and appears to require special anti-friction elements on the trailer tongue; presumably it would not work properly with a conventional tongue. The steep angle seems to result from a need to keep the pivot clear of the tongue, while at the same time avoiding having a large fixed extension behind the ball member.
These drawbacks of the last three patents are related to the placement of the ramp hinge behind (i.e. on the trailer side of) the ball member. Either this hinge will interfere with required movement of the tongue, as in Lazar, or it will require that the ramp and associated parts be removed, as in Carroll, or it will need a very steep ramp, as in Schrum.


The fastener stringer is arranged with at least one printable resin layer to which ink can be fixed on the entire surface of fastener elements. Printing by an inkjet method is carried out at least on the exposed surfaces exposed on the first tape surface side in the tape front- and back direction of the fastener elements, the inner surfaces of the first tape surface side facing the tape inward side, along with the first tape surface of the fastener tape. A desired pattern can thereby be stably formed not only on the fastener tape and the exposed surfaces of the fastener elements, but can also be formed on the inner surfaces of the fastener elements. Therefore, a pattern can be formed in a continuous manner on the fastener tape and the fastener elements, and decorativeness and design unattainable in the past can be obtained.

In general, a slide fastener is manufactured by configuring a fastener stringer by attaching a synthetic resin or a metal fastener element to an opposing side edge portion of a woven or knitted fastener tape, and further, to one set of two fastener stringers that are obtained, a slider is slidably attached to element rows of left and right fastener stringers. In the slide fastener, the opposing fastener elements are coupled with and separated from each other by sliding the slider along the element rows.
Conventionally, various designs have been carried out in clothes or bags using the slide fastener, and further, new designs are required in order to further enhance values of products. Further, in recent years, design has been required even in the slide fastener used in the clothes or bags, and the fastener tape or the fastener element having various patterns or colors have come into the market.
As a method of applying a pattern or a color to the fastener tape or the synthetic resin fastener element, for example, a method is known, in which a heat transfer sheet having a predetermined pattern is attached to the fastener tape and the synthetic resin fastener element in a state of a fastener chain, and thereafter, heat treatment is applied to the fastener chain and thus the pattern is transferred to the fastener stringer.
Further, for example, JP 4-24004 A (Patent Document 1) discloses a method and an apparatus of dyeing a slide fastener by an inkjet method.
In the method of dyeing the slide fastener disclosed in Patent Document 1, an ink droplet is ejected from a nozzle head onto one surface of a fastener chain to which a synthetic resin fastener element is attached to print a desired pattern on the fastener tape and the fastener element, and thereafter, heat treatment is applied to the fastener chain printed with the pattern to dye a dye to the fastener tape and the fastener element.
In particular, in Patent Document 1, the fastener element fixed to the fastener tape is configured by using a synthetic resin of the same type as the fastener tape. As a result, by carrying out printing by the inkjet method, a pattern which is formed in a continuous manner from one tape surface of the fastener tape to the other tape surface of the fastener tape through the surface of the fastener element can be applied to the fastener chain.
In general, when the printing by the inkjet method is carried out on articles made of metal, leather, hard rubber, or the like, ink attached to the surface of the article does not permeate or is not applied on the surface due to the material of the article. As a result, for example, when a printing surface by the inkjet method contacts or grazes the other member, the ink is easily separated from the surface, and as a result, durability of a printed pattern is low.
In order to solve the above problem, for example, JP 2002-187340 A (Patent Document 2) discloses a printing method that improves durability of a printed pattern.
To briefly describe the printing method disclosed in Patent Document 2, first, cleaning process is carried out on the surface of an article to be printed, and a primer layer as an adhesive layer is formed on the cleaned surface. In Patent Document 2, a material of the primer layer is not defined in detail.
Subsequently, an undercoat liquid is ejected or applied onto the primer layer to form an undercoat layer, and printing by aqueous ink is carried out on the undercoat layer. Further, after a printing surface attached with the aqueous ink is dried, a transparent top coat layer is formed at least on an entire printing surface.
By using the printing method of Patent Document 2, for example, the printing by the inkjet method can be carried out on the article made of the metal, leather, hard rubber, and the like, and further, high durability is obtained with respect to the pattern printed onto the article.


A method for configuring a battery for operation of at least two N-phase electric machines, in which a battery includes a plurality of energy modules, and the energy modules each have at least one energy cell and at least two power switches. A respective N-phase electric machine is assigned a respective group of the plurality of energy modules, and the assignment is carried out in accordance with an estimation of a respective energy consumption of the respective N-phase electric machines on the basis of a respective load of the respective N-phase electric machines which load is to be assumed.

Modern electrically operated vehicles typically have more than one drive motor. If, for example, in each case, one electric motor is arranged on a front axle and one electric motor is arranged on a rear axle, the respective electric motors have a separate alternating current system. The reason for this are different effects on the front axle and rear axle, for example during cornering or during unstable driving situations, e.g. when drifting or skidding, and, in particular, different actively set torque distributions at the front and at the rear. Furthermore, a strong acceleration brings about shifting of a center of gravity of the motor vehicle in the direction of the rear axle and strong braking brings about shifting in the direction of the front axle, as a result of which a torque which is to be applied or is applied in the respective electric motor is increased, meaning that, with respect to power flows out of an energy storage element, an increased inflow of power into the electric motor of the rear axle and an increased outflow of power to an energy storage element, so-called recuperation, take place. It can therefore be extremely advantageous to set an unequal torque distribution during braking and accelerating. Moreover, the maximum torques (slip torques) on the front axle and the rear axle are different depending on the driving situation, for example during acceleration as opposed to braking, inter glia owing to the mass distribution which is generated by the driving situation.
Electric motor vehicles usually have a single energy storage element in order to supply the respective electric motors of the front axle and rear axle via a respective power inverter. Generally, a three-phase motor is used as electric motor, wherein a power inverter generates three-phase current for the respective three-phase motor from a direct current, which is made available by the energy storage element. Since inflows of power or outflows of power from the respective three-phase motors act on the same energy storage element, a state of charge of the energy storage element is dependent only on a total amount of energy, which is extracted or fed in.
If a respective energy storage element is also present for a respective electric motor of the front axle and rear axle, the respective state of charge is dependent on a load, which occurs at the respective axle. Since, owing to a center of gravity of the vehicle, an acceleration process mainly gives rise to an outflow of power from an energy storage element which is assigned to the electric motor for the rear axle, and a braking process mainly gives rise to an inflow of power into an energy storage element which is assigned to the electric motor for the front axle, a difference between the states of charge of the respective energy storage elements increases as the duration of the journey becomes longer, which requires an energy transmission system between the energy storage elements. Although such systems are known, they can transmit rather less energy.
Document US 2010/0194318 A1 which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a vehicle which is driven by a plurality of motors and which is provided with a plurality of batteries for supplying the motors. If a fault occurs in one of the batteries, this battery is removed from the supply.
US document US 2007/0200521 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, relates to a battery-operated vehicle, which is driven by a plurality of motors. A control device monitors the voltage supply to a power inverter.
Document US 2009/0033254 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a dual power inverter system, wherein a respective power inverter is allocated to a fuel cell and to a battery. The power inverter system is configured to operate an AC motor.
All these documents describe electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles having a plurality of energy storage elements, if appropriate also, a plurality of motors and the associated control system. However, none of these documents is based on a reconfigurable DC source. DC/DC converters are inevitably used and disadvantageously entail an increase in weight and require space.

Configuration of a battery of a vehicle having a plurality of drive units


In a fabrication method of a SAW device, a first conductive layer, an etch-stop layer made of conductive material and a second conductive layer are formed one atop another in order on a piezoelectric ceramic substrate. A mask is provided on a first portion of the second conductive layer corresponding to a first SAW filter. A second portion of the second conductive layer corresponding to a second SAW filter is selectively removed using the mask. The mask is removed and a photoresist pattern used for forming electrodes of the SAW filters is provided on the first portion of the second conductive layer corresponding to the first SAW filter region and on a first portion of the etch-stop layer corresponding to the second SAW filter region. The first and second conductive layers and the etch-stop layer are selectively removed using the photoresist pattern, and the photoresist pattern is then removed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fabrication method of Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices, more particularly, which can fabricate a multi-band SAW device having electrodes of different thickness formed on a single substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
At the present, SAW devices are fabricated as a device that has at least two SAW filers formed on a single substrate in order to obtain dual band or multi-band filter characteristics. A multi-band SAW device necessarily has electrodes of different mass (which is referred to as mass-loading effect) in order to have filtering ability in various frequency bands. For the purpose of this, there are schemes of providing electrodes of different thickness for various frequency bands.
As a conventional approach, Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-190390, filed on Dec. 25, 1996, Murata Mfg. Co. Ltd., discloses a SAW device fabrication method which forms electrodes of different thickness on a single substrate via photolithography and etching. FIGS. 1A to 1E are stepwise sectional views illustrating a fabrication method of SAW devices for dual band filters disclosed in this document.
According to the above document, as shown in FIG. 1A, a conductive layer 2 which is to form itself into a first electrode of a first SAW filter is deposited on a piezoelectric ceramic substrate 1, and a photoresist pattern 5 in use for forming the first electrode is provided on the conductive layer 2 of the first SAW filter. Exposed portions of the conductive layer 2 is selectively removed with etchant, as shown in FIG. 1B, to provide the first electrode 2a of the first SAW filter 10a on a first region of the piezoelectric ceramic substrate 1. Next, a photoresist pattern 6 in use for forming a second electrode of a second SAW filter is provided on the piezoelectric ceramic substrate 1 as shown in FIG. 1C, and a conductive layer 4 of a thickness corresponding to the second electrode is deposited on the resultant structure as shown in FIG. 1D. Then, a portion 4b of the conductive layer 4 is lifted off along with the photoresist pattern 6 to provide the second electrode 4a of the second SAW filter 10b on a second region of the piezoelectric ceramic substrate 1.
On this wise, Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-190390 forms the first and second SAW filter electrodes 2a and 4a of different thickness on the same piezoelectric ceramic substrate 1 via photolithography and etching to produce a SAW device 10 as a dual band filter.
However, this fabrication method may bring undesirable problems owing to photlithography and lift-off procedures. First of all, the photoresist patterning step can rarely produce a clean side profile in the pattern owing to restrictions of conventional photolithography. This problem degrades the side profile of the photoresist pattern, and thus gives as a drawback a more uneven side profile to the second electrode 4a obtained through the lift-off procedure than the side of the first electrode 2a obtained through the step of FIG. 1B, thereby deteriorating the characteristics of the second SAW filter 10b.
Furthermore, there is a problem in that the electrodes become highly corrodible because they are exposed to a high humidity environment of for example stripping solution during the lift-off procedure. In the meantime, a multi-band SAW device requires at least two lift-off procedures in order to produce at least three SAW filters of different electrode thickness. The repeated lift-off procedures worsen the above problems while excessively complicating the entire process.

Fabrication method of multiple band surface acoustic wave devices


A portable digital communication apparatus including a first housing having a lateral surface and other lateral surfaces disposed adjacently to it; a second housing having a lateral surface and other lateral surfaces disposed adjacently to it; a hinge unit adapted to connect the first and second housings in such a manner that they can be rotated in a direction approaching or away from each other; and first and second sliding/rotational hinge means positioned between the hinge unit and the first and second housings and adapted to position the hinge unit adjacent and parallel to a lateral surface or other lateral surface, both of which are chosen from the lateral surfaces of the first and second housings, wherein the hinge unit has a first hinge axis which is oriented parallel to the chosen lateral surface or the other chosen lateral surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable communication apparatuses, such as cellular phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants), HHPs (hand held phones), and PCS (personal communication service) phones, and more particularly to a portable digital communication apparatus having a hinge means capable of making combined sliding and rotation movements.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a "portable communication apparatus" refers to an electronic apparatus which a user can carry with him/her to perform wireless communication with a desired partner. In consideration of portability, the design of such portable communication apparatuses have become more compact, slimmer, and lighter, but also now include multimedia availability, having a wider variety of functions. In particular, future portable communication apparatuses are expected to incorporate greater multi-functionality and multi-purpose utilization, as well as being more compact and lighter, and also will be designed to incorporate various multimedia environments or Internet environments. Additionally, such portable communication apparatuses are now recognized by some people as a nearly indispensable commodity which must always be carried.
Conventional portable communication apparatuses may be classified into various types according to their appearance, such as bar-type portable communication apparatuses, flip-type portable communication apparatuses, and folder-type portable communication apparatuses. The bar-type portable communication apparatus has a single housing shaped like a bar. The flip-type portable communication apparatus has a flip which is pivotably mounted to a bar-shaped housing by a hinge unit. The folder-type portable communication apparatus has a folder coupled to a single bar-shaped housing by a hinge unit in such a manner that the folder can be rotated in order to be folded to or unfolded from the housing.
Further, portable communication apparatuses may be classified into neck wearable type communication apparatuses and wrist wearable type communication apparatuses according to the position at or the way in which a user puts on the communication apparatus. The neck wearable type communication apparatus is one which a user wears around the neck using a string or lanyard, while the wrist wearable type communication apparatus is one which a user wears on the wrist.
Additionally, portable communication apparatuses may be classified into rotation-type communication apparatuses and sliding-type communication apparatuses according to the manner in which the user opens and closes the communication apparatuses. In the rotation-type portable communication apparatus, two housings are coupled to each other in such a manner that one housing rotates to be opened or closed relative to the other while the housings remain facing each other. In the sliding-type portable communication apparatus, two housings are coupled to each other in a manner that one housing slides to be opened or closed relative to the other. These variously classified portable communication apparatuses can be easily understood by those skilled in the art.
Meanwhile, conventional portable communication apparatuses may now include a function of transmitting data at a high speed in addition to the basic function of performing voice communication. In other words, according to increased demand by consumers, portable communication apparatuses may now provide a service using a wireless communication technology capable of transmitting data at a high speed.
Recent portable communication apparatuses have also been equipped with a camera lens which enables the communication apparatuses to transmit an image signal. That is, current conventional portable communication apparatuses may have an imbedded or external camera lens or a photographing means which enables a user to make an image communication with a desired partner or to take a photograph of a desired subject.
However, conventional portable communication apparatuses have a disadvantage in that, once one type of a portable communication apparatus is purchased, a user has little choice but to keep using that apparatus in a monotonous way until he/she decides to purchase a different type of portable communication apparatus. Conventional portable communication apparatuses cannot combine features in an add-on manner; for example, sliding-type apparatuses cannot be combined with rotation-type apparatuses. Accordingly, a need exists to provide a user with a new type of portable communication apparatus, which combines the advantages of sliding-type and rotation-type portable communication apparatuses.

Portable digital communication apparatus having sliding/rotational hinge means