An apparatus for measuring complex electrical admittance and/or complex electrical impedance in animal or human patients includes a first electrode and at least a second electrode which are adapted to be disposed in the patient. The apparatus includes a housing adapted to be disposed in the patient. The housing has disposed in it a stimulator in electrical communication with at least the first electrode to stimulate the first electrode with either current or voltage, a sensor in electrical communication with at least the second electrode to sense a response from the second electrode based on the stimulation of the first electrode, and a signal processor in electrical communication with the sensor to determine the complex electrical admittance or impedance of the patient.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention. The following discussion is intended to provide information to facilitate a better understanding of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that statements in the following discussion are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is one of the leading causes of admission to the hospital [1]. Studies have shown that patients with dilated hearts have a reduction in the frequency of hospital admission and prolongation of life with the implantation of bi-ventricular pacemakers and automatic implantable cardiac defibrillators [AICDs, 2-6]. Recently, "piggybacking" technology onto AICDs and bi-ventricular pacemakers for sensing the progression of impending CHF to reduce the number and length of stay of hospital admissions for CHF has been proposed [7-18]. There are two clinically tested "piggybacked" heart failure warning systems placed on bi-ventricular pacemakers and AICDs to reduce hospital admissions. First, Chronicle® measures right heart pressures in an attempt to monitor increases that are indicative of heart failure [11-13]. Second, Optivol® and CorVue® use lung conductance measurements as an indication of pulmonary edema [8-10, 15]. However, both are downstream measures of the earliest indicator of impending heart failure—left ventricular (LV) preload or left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV).
Conductance measurements have been available as an invasive tool to detect instantaneous LV volume since 1981 [25, 26]. Conductance tetrapolar electrodes are usually placed on a lead located within the heart chamber to determine instantaneous volume (FIG. 2). Conductance systems generate an electric field (22) using a current source and volume is determined from the returning voltage signal. Prior art shows how to separate the blood and muscle components from the combined voltage signal to determine LV preload from previously implanted AICD and bi-ventricular pacemakers.
Significant improvement in patient care could be achieved by adding the admittance apparatus [19-24] to pacemakers and AICDs, using currently deployed bi-ventricular and AICD leads, to electrically detect either true LV preload, or an increase in LV preload from baseline. Bi-ventricular and the RV AICD leads are already located in the ideal locations—the lateral LV epicardium and the right ventricular (RV) septum (FIGS. 1a, 1b). Since blood has 5-fold lower resistivity than myocardium, the preferential path (22) for a substantial fraction of the current flow will be the LV blood volume. This low-power admittance apparatus can be "piggy-backed" onto implanted AICD and bi-ventricular pacemakers to serve as an early warning system for impending heart failure. Piggy-backed means one can take an existing pacemaker design and add this apparatus to it, without major redesign of the pacemaker itself. This means the admittance circuits need not be included in one of the internal pacemaker chips; rather, it could be added to the system without redesigning the pacemaker circuits themselves. This is particularly true because much of this invention involves a change in software requiring only modest changes in hardware. particular, the apparatus uses the same leads, the same communication channel, and the same power source as the pacemaker. The apparatus can be triggered by the pacemaker or it can run untriggered (i.e., it runs periodically). The output of the apparatus will be a true/false warning signal, or a quantitative measure of heart volume. In this configuration, the apparatus does not alter how the pacemaker operates.
On the other hand, if one wished to design a new pacemaker, this apparatus can also be used to dynamically adjust parameters in the pacemaker itself to maximize heart pumping efficiency. Furthermore, the volume information could be used to improve the effectiveness of ventricular tachycardia detection in an automatic defibrillator.
A version of this apparatus can be implanted in animals (including, but not limited to mice, rats, dogs, and pigs), which includes a pressure channel and a wireless link (FIGS. 5 and 14). The lead is placed in a ventricle (FIG. 2), and the experiment duration can vary from 1 day to 6 months. The duration of the experiment is limited by the animal survival and the storage capacity of the battery, and not the operation of the apparatus. The apparatus measures heart muscle function (left ventricular pressure-volume relationships) in these animals, and can be used for new drug discovery. These animals must be un-tethered and freely roaming so that the transmitted signals are physiologic. The apparatus transmits pressure-volume data (52), and a computer-based receiver collects, displays, and stores the data.
There are two papers describing a technique to detect heart failure [27-28] that may seem similar to the approach herein. In this technique, the current source and sink electrodes are both in the RV, and the sensing electrodes on the LV free wall. This means the electrical field will be confined to the RV. So even though they have sensing electrodes on the LV wall, their signal will have a very weak dependence on the left heart volume, detecting only fringing fields. Their type of measurement is very noise prone, and this problem worsens as the heart enlarges because the septum blocks much of the field from reaching the LV free wall. It is believed that the present invention is superior because 1) the majority of the sensing field goes across the blood pool in the left ventricle due to the relative conductivity of blood being high, and source and sink electrodes being placed on opposite sides of the LV, and 2) because the heart muscle is removed as an artifact of the measurement using admittance. Therefore, it is believed there are no available or proposed technologies that can perform chronic volume measurements of the left ventricle, including LVEDV, LVESV, and LVSV.

Low power apparatus and method to measure complex electrical admittance or impedance

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


A security system is described which includes a base station, at least one calibration unit and at least one sensor module having at least one sensor therein. The calibration unit is configured to provide signals to the at least one sensor module. The signals contain data configured to at least partially enable each sensor module to determine its location within a coordinate system. Each sensor module is further configured to transmit module location data, module orientation data, and sensor status from each sensor to the base station.

This invention relates generally to security systems, and more specifically, to a multifunctional security system for defined areas.
Security systems are widely used to protect property and provide personal safety. Generally, such security systems provide the protection by generating an alarm in response to one or more events, for example, an unauthorized entry, a fire, a medical emergency or a manual alarm activation. Some security systems are remotely monitored. If such a security system generates an alarm, an alarm notification signal is transmitted to a central station. Upon receiving the alarm notification signal, security service personnel at the central station respond appropriately, for example, by contacting a party at the secured location to verify the alarm or by contacting an appropriate entity. If it is appropriate to do so, the security service personnel may, upon confirmation of the alarm, contact an emergency response agency (e.g., the police department, the fire department or an emergency medical team).
However, such security systems are limited in scope to providing security to a well defined area, for example, a building or cluster of buildings. These security systems also may be utilized to provide security to an outdoor area. However, these security systems are intended to be a part of a substantially permanent installation. A need still exists for a security system that is portable and rapidly deployable which still provides the functionality of the above described security systems.

Methods and systems for providing security


A remote multi-touch system includes a pressure-sensitive, multi-touch device, a display separate from the pressure-sensitive, multi-touch device, and a controller communicatively coupled to the pressure-sensitive, multi-touch device and the display. The pressure-sensitive, multi-touch device measures a position at which one or more touches are executed on the pressure-sensitive, multi-touch device and, for each of the one or more touches, a force with which that touch is executed. The controller receives a touch report for each of the one or more touches from the pressure-sensitive, multi-touch device. Each touch report indicates the position at which that touch is executed and the force with which that touch is executed. The controller outputs to the display a pre-touch visualization command for displaying a pre-touch visualization. The pre-touch visualization is displayed at a location of the display mapped from the position at which that touch is executed on the pressure-sensitive, multi-touch device.

Touch screen devices allow a user to control the device by physically touching images presented on the device. For example, a virtual button displayed by the device can be physically touched on the device as a way of actuating the virtual button. Until recently, such touch screen devices have only been able to recognize one touch input at a time. However, advances in touch screen technology have allowed multiple touches to be concurrently recognized. With the development of multi-touch, touch screen devices, powerful multi-touch input modalities are being established. In particular, many multi-touch gestures have been created that are believed to increase user enjoyment and productivity.


A wireless receiving circuit and a wireless control device. The wireless receiving circuit includes a signal receiving module, a Bluetooth signal processing module, a voltage stabilization module, and an output control module. An output end of the signal receiving module is connected with an input end of the Bluetooth signal processing module, and a voltage end of the Bluetooth signal processing module is connected with an output end of the voltage stabilization module. An output end of the Bluetooth signal processing module is connected with an input end of the output control module. The signal receiving module is to receive an external Bluetooth signal and is to transmit the signal to the Bluetooth signal processing module. The Bluetooth signal processing module is to process the external Bluetooth signal and is to transmit a control signal to the output control module.

With the development of electronic technology, the electronic technology is widely applied to various fields so as to be gradually deeply known and increasingly highly required by people. To a wireless control device such as a light strip, a light string and the like, because the light string has complex changes, transmission stability requirements on the wireless control device are higher and higher, but the traditional wireless control device has complex structure, high costs and poor signal transmission stability.

Wireless receiving circuit and wireless control device


Cell counting device A cell counting device and a method of using a cell counting device are disclosed. The cell counting device comprises a chamber for receiving a sample, at least one light source to emit light towards a section of the chamber. The section of the chamber comprises a sub-sample of the sample. The cell counting device also comprises a light detector to receive a light emitted from the section of the chamber and to generate an electronic signal associated with the received light, and a controller. The controller is configured to estimate the number of photoactive cells in the sample by calculating the distribution of variable fluorescence [Fv] values of a predetermined number of sub-samples about the mean Fv value.

The international maritime industry, with more than 70,000 merchant vessels, is responsible for transporting more than 80% of the goods traded in world markets. Accordingly, it can be viewed as a foundation of the global economy. However, commercial shipping requires the use of ballast water, which is taken up when cargo is unloaded and discharged when cargo is loaded. The ballast water can contain marine life. Accordingly, when the water is discharged it can result in the introduction of aquatic invasive species to coastal waters where they can cause enormous ecological and economic damage.
The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, adopted in 2004 but not yet ratified or entered into force, includes a discharge standard to reduce the transport and delivery of potential Aquatic Nuisance Species. Concurrently in the United States, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) developed and finalized ballast water discharge standards (BWDSs) that limit concentrations of living organisms that can be released with ballast water and new regulations that require ship operators to meet those limits. The USCG discharge standard, which is the same as that of the IMO, will begin to apply to ships constructed on or after Dec. 1, 2013 and for ships constructed prior to that date in 2014 or 2016, depending on ballast water capacity.
To address the IMO and U.S. discharge standards, technology developers and manufacturers around the world have designed and built a variety of on-board ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) to achieve the prescribed discharge limits. To date, several dozen BWTS have been tested by independent laboratories and have received type approval certifications from various international administrations in accordance with the IMO convention. These systems include treatment processes such as: de-oxygenation, filtration, ultraviolet radiation, ozonation, and various chemical treatments, including electro-catalytic chlorination, peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, perchloric acid, and chlorine dioxide.
The BWDSs limit the cell concentration within a ballast water sample to 10 live phytoplankton cells per mL, for cells greater than or equal to 10 μm and less than 50 μm in the smallest dimension. This value can be associated with a variable fluorescence which is set as a threshold, and a sample is said to pass or fail the test according to whether or not its variable fluorescence exceeds this threshold. However, variable fluorescence per cell varies by more than a factor of 100, and so the variable fluorescence of the sample cannot be used to accurately determine the number of live phytoplankton cells within a sample (or, in other words, the cell concentration).
At present, known technologies generate a pass or fail result based only on the measured variable fluorescence, as required by the BWDSs. In other words, known technologies may fail a sample that emits a large variable fluorescence, because this gives the impression of a high cell density, but in reality the sample may contain only a few cells that happen to be highly emissive (such as Thalassiosira punctigera). This is a false positive result.
It follows that there are currently no commercially available technologies to reliably monitor the density (or cell concentration) of live phytoplankton cells within ballast water, in real-time.
It would be readily apparent that the same problem of not being able to accurately determine cell density, and consequently cell count for a known sample volume, would be relevant to other fields such as experiments involving cell cultures and assays, or in testing waterways.
Aspects of the present invention aim to address one or more drawbacks inherent in prior art methods and apparatus for detecting photoactive cells, particularly in ballast water.


A machine for polishing semiconductor wafers including a rotatable index table and a drive mechanism for the index table. The index table temporarily accommodates wafers between processing steps. The drive mechanism includes a continuously circulating grooved timing belt that engages gear teeth formed on an outside diameter portion of the index table to effect rotation of the index table. The index table includes a large diameter central opening for accommodating passage of other system components.

Many electronic and computer-related products such as semiconductors, hard disks and CD-ROMS require highly polished or planarized surfaces in order to achieve optimum performance. In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, for example, silicon workpieces are used in the manufacture of integrated circuit components and the like. The workpieces are known in the industry as "wafers" and typically have a flat, circular disk-like shape. The wafers are initially sliced from a silicon ingot and, thereafter, undergo multiple masking, etching, and dielectric and conductor deposition processes to create microelectronic structures and circuitry on the wafers. The surface of a wafer undergoing these processes typically must be polished or planarized between processing steps to ensure proper flatness, permitting use of photolithographic processes for building additional dielectric and metallization layers on the wafer surface.
Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) machines have been developed to polish or planarize silicon wafer surfaces to the flat condition necessary for manufacture of integrated circuit components and the like. CMP processes and machines are known in the art and are described in several U.S. Patents. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,348, issued in February 1989, to Arai, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,522, issued in March 1989 to Gill; U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,614, issued in March, 1992 to Arai et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,732, issued in July, 1994 to Karlsrud et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,414, issued in December 1995 to Masayoshi et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,498,196 and 5,498,199, both issued in March, 1996 to Karlsrud et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,568, issued in September 1996 to Talieh et al.
Known CMP machines and processes typically include loading and unloading stations where wafers are loaded into and unloaded from wafer transport cassettes, as well as a polishing station or table where the wafers are polished. A transition station is ordinarily positioned between the load/unload stations and the polishing station to temporarily accommodate wafers as they are transferred between processing stations. The wafers are usually moved between the load/unload stations and the transition station through the use of precision robotics and transfer flippers, and are transported between the transition station and polishing station through the use of a multiple head wafer transport apparatus.
In conventional CMP machines, the transition station takes the form of a rotatable index table having a plurality of alternating receive and discharge stations for holding wafers. The index table rotates or indexes as necessary to position wafers for transfer to and from the load/unload stations as well as for transfer to and from the polishing station. The wafers may be submerged in deionized water or another similar processing solution while they are present on the index table.
Prior art index tables of this sort, while adequate in most respects, do have several drawbacks. Rotation of prior art index tables is accomplished through use of a motor-driven indexing shaft which extends through an opening formed in the center of the table. The indexing shaft engages gear teeth or bolt patterns formed around the inside diameter of the central opening such that rotation of the shaft effects rotation of the table. In conventional CMP machines, however, the central opening of the table has a small diameter (in the range of five inches) which creates difficulty since other tubing, mechanisms, support structures, drains and so forth must also be passed through the opening. The tight fit of the components passed through the opening can lead to undesirable and destructive chaffing or rubbing between the components and the rotating table. Moreover, if the CMP machine includes a secondary polishing table, the space limitations described above, as well as other control limitations, dictate that the secondary table be driven by belt coupling or otherwise mechanically linking it to the main polishing table drive mechanism. Consequently, there is no independent speed control for the two tables. This is a significant drawback, as it is sometimes desirable to rotate the tables at different speeds simultaneously. One example is where it is desired to polish wafers with the secondary table while simultaneously applying conditioner to the polishing pad of the main table.

Index table and drive mechanism for a chemical mechanical planarization machine


Data storage systems and methods for storing data are described herein. An intermediate storage system is coupled with a High Performance Computing (HPC) system. A plurality of burst engines of the intermediate storage system are directly connected to compute nodes of the HPC. The burst engines are operative to receive file level data from the compute nodes at data transfer rates that at least match to the burst mode output rate of the compute node. The burst engines store the data to high bandwidth storage devices of the intermediate storage system at a data rate that at least matches the burst output rate of the compute node. During a compute phase of the compute node, data is replayed from the intermediate storage devices to a primary storage system at a lower data transfer rate.

High Performance Computing (HPC) systems, sometimes referred to as supercomputers, typically include a plurality of compute nodes each having one or more processing units or cores. More typically, such HPC systems include hundreds or even thousands of cores that may be distributed across a network or placed in a close proximity to one another (e.g., in a computer cluster). Such HPC systems are used for a wide range of computationally intensive applications in various fields, including, without limitation, quantum mechanics, weather forecasting, climate research, oil and gas exploration, molecular modeling and physical simulations.
The multiple compute nodes of a HPC system typically operate independently and periodically output information in a burst mode. The faster the burst, the higher the performance of the application. The burst output is typically stored to an enterprise level storage architecture. Due to the independent operation of the compute nodes, data output to the storage architecture may encounter different levels of congestion. Such congestion may result in variability in the data transfer latency or speed of individual, blocks, packets, or other data units. Should variability exceed specified tolerances, a receiving device (e.g., storage architecture) may experience slower performance or bottlenecking while receiving data. Stated otherwise, the independent operation of the compute nodes can result in jitter, which reduces the data transfer rate to the storage architecture.
One current storage approach for HPC systems is to provide a storage architecture (e.g., parallel file system) that provides enough bandwidth to sustain a 100% duty cycle burst (i.e., simultaneous burst of all compute nodes). This is to ensure that write bandwidth is available when the compute nodes are ready to dump accumulated computations. This approach provides a brute force solution by using hundreds of, for example, conventional 20 GB/S block storage machines behind a parallel file system. The volume of storage machines required to provide the necessary bandwidth causes many infrastructure problems, including management logistics, mean time between failure (MTBF) issues, power infrastructures and cabling.
While such an approach works, it is inefficient and is typically cost prohibitive to design for a desired maximum bandwidth. As a result, users will typically limit their purchase and live with poorer performance.

Centralized parallel burst engine for high performance computing


Method and apparatus for changing the sequential execution of instructions in a pipelined instruction processor by using a microcode controlled redirect controller. The execution of a redirect instruction by the pipelined instruction processor provides a number of microcode bits including a target address to the redirect controller, a predetermined combination of the microcode bits then causes the redirect controller to redirect the execution sequence of the instructions from the next sequential instruction to a target instruction.

Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to general purpose digital data processing systems, and more particularly relates to such systems that employ redirect or jump commands for instruction processors.
Description of the Prior Art
A key requirement of data processing systems is the ability, through instruction commands, to redirect the flow of machine execution. When processing instructions, instruction processors are often faced with a conditional jump to a non-sequential address, where the jump is based on the outcome of a calculation or another result. In addition, an interrupt can result in an instruction processor jumping to an unsequential address for the next instruction to process. Digital data processing systems often utilize a wide variety of non-jump redirection instructions other than conditional jump instructions which redirect the instruction processor execution. For example, the Unisys ITASCA data processing system has eight instructions and forty-three types of interrupts that can result in redirected instruction processor execution. Data processing systems typically utilize specialized "redirection" logic to support this variety of redirect commands.
Often times the redirection logic in data processing systems utilize a "dual path" logic design to redirect instruction processor execution in order to increase the performance of the instruction execution pipeline. In typical digital data processing systems, instructions are clocked out of an instruction cache into a normal instruction incrementation register. This register typically holds the instruction fetched from the cache by incrementing an address used in a previous fetch. The instruction is then gated through a multiplexer into the instruction pipeline. Once in the instruction pipeline, the instruction is gated through additional predecode and decode registers where the instruction decode begins. When an execution redirection occurs, such as with a conditional jump instruction or a non-jump redirection instruction, an alternate instruction path is selected. A feedback line, such as a jump active line, is set which switches the multiplexer to select a jump target register for the alternate instruction path, rather than the instruction normal execution register. Since the jump target register holds the instruction fetched from the jump target address, this new jump target instruction can be gated into the decode register so that execution can begin with a new instruction stream. The execution continues until the execution is once again redirected.
The dual path design has been used due to enhanced system performance and efficiency. For example, once a decision is made to take a jump, both the jump target instruction and the next instruction in the current instruction stream are already available from the instruction processor instruction cache. There are, however, many inherent disadvantages due to the hardware design having to accommodate both conditional jump instructions and non-jump redirection instructions. First, many of the hardware sequences required for normal conditional jump instructions are unnecessary with non-jump redirection instructions. It is often necessary to execute more complex instructions which perform other tasks other than simply redirecting the execution flow. As a result, hardware logic which simply facilitates redirection may not efficiently perform these other tasks which can include the loading of registers. Often times the designated base registers, which are coupled to instruction decodes and which typically are loaded with predetermined data before a jump is executed, can change in unpredictable ways. This unfortunately can invalidate an otherwise valid jump active signal. It may also not be known if a conditional branch instruction will in fact change the normal sequential execution of the instructions until the third stage (the arithmetic operation stage) of the instruction pipeline. A sequence consisting of an operand fetch may be initiated during the second stage of the pipeline in order to determine whether a jump should be taken during the arithmetic operation or third stage. When executing non-jump redirection instructions, the initiation of these sequences are not necessary and can result in the unintentional corruption of the prefetch instruction pipeline. Thus, when executing a non-jump redirection instruction, pseudo jump instructions must be used in order to accommodate the hardware design. Inputs to the instruction decode registers, which determine whether or not a jump is being taken, are forced to mimic a jump instruction to start hardware sequences which redirect execution in the instruction cache and address generation logic. In addition, special logic must be used to block unnecessary hardware sequences initiated by the pseudo jump instruction.

Instruction flow control for an instruction processor


Disclosed herein are compositions and methods for reducing fluid loss in a well bore. Also disclosed herein are methods for wellbore strengthening and increasing the integrity of the borehole of an oil or gas well. In particular, disclosed are methods for artificially increasing the temperature of a subsurface formation in the wellbore to increase the apparent wellbore strength.

Oil and gas well drilling takes place in a variety of different subterranean environments and geological formations. A wellbore may pass through several geological regions having different geo-mechanical properties i.e. formation strengths, pressure gradients, etc. As a result, differing formations drilled in different regions can have differing fracture gradients, and thus differing susceptibility to fracturing. Low fracture gradients are especially problematic for wellbores passing through depleted zones, for instance reservoirs from which substantial amounts of hydrocarbons have been produced. The wellbore strength in such depleted zones is generally lower than in other formations, leading to small differences between the pore pressure and fracture pressure gradient. As a result, wellbore fracturing in depleted zones is a particularly acute problem. In order to have access to the deeper, virgin-pressured hydrocarbon reservoirs, it may be inevitable to drill through depleted zones. Some of the challenges associated with depleted zones include severe mud loss while drilling and poor zonal isolation after cementing of the oil and gas well. As depleted zones are becoming more common with increased production and field maturation, the need to address fracturing due to these challenges is increasing. There is a need for novel methods of strengthening wellbores, especially those present in depleted zones, in order to successfully drill and cement wells.
Circulation losses can occur when the fluid pressure in the wellbore is sufficient to either re-open existing fracture or create new fractures. When a fracture is created or re-opened, wellbore fluids such as drilling fluids, cementing fluids, completion fluids and the like can be lost from the wellbore through these fractures. This "circulation loss" or "lost circulation" phenomenon is a profound problem not only because of the replacement costs of the lost fluids, but also because the loss of fluids leads to drilling rig downtime to remediate the circulation loss problem. This so-called Non-Productive-Time (NPT) can substantially increase the capital cost of the oil and gas well. It has been estimated that NPT can exceed one million dollars a day of additional drilling rig operating cost in some offshore platforms, and that cumulatively, NPT caused by lost circulation accounts for several billion dollars lost annually by oil and gas well operators.
Through thermal conductivity and expansion, the near-wellbore rock stresses, and thereby the fracture gradient, is sensitive to the temperature in the wellbore. According to thermo-elastic theory, variations in near wellbore tangential (hoop) stress due to heating/cooling may be estimated from the following equation:σθθΔT=αtEΔT/(1−ν)
in which,
σθθΔT=changes in tangential stress,
αt=thermal expansion coefficient,
E=Young's modulus,
ΔT=variations in temperature,
ν=Poisson's ratio.
According to the above formula, when the fluid temperature in the wellbore is higher than the formation temperature, the thermal component of the rock stresses is increased, whereby the value of the fracture gradient is increased. This reduces the likelihood of fracturing the wellbore or propagating existing fractures. It thereby reduces or prevents circulation loss. Various attempts have been made to artificially heat wellbore fluids, but to date, the methods disclosed have been cumbersome, inefficient, costly and/or impractical.
There remains a need for improved methods and compositions which can be used to strengthen wellbores. There is a need for improved methods and compositions, which can increase the temperature of a wellbore fluid, thereby reducing the likelihood of fracture formation or fracture propagation. There is a need for methods and compositions which can inexpensively and readily reduce circulation loss in oil and gas wellbores.

Methods for increasing wellbore strength

BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM


A simultaneous paging signal sending system includes at least one mobile unit, a plurality of base stations for performing communication with the mobile unit, and a base station control apparatus for controlling the base stations. The base station control apparatus includes a BAIxe2x86x92output port correspondence table, and a signal copying/distributing section. In the BAIxe2x86x92output port correspondence table, a plurality of simultaneous paging areas, in which simultaneous broadcasting is performed to the mobile unit, are grouped into one simultaneous broadcast area, and information about each base station in the simultaneous broadcast area is stored to be paired with a broadcast area identifier allocated to each simultaneous broadcast area. The signal copying/distributing section reads out information about the base stations corresponding the broadcast area identifier included in a paging signal from the base station information storage means, and copies and distributes the paging signal to the base stations designated by the readout information.

The present invention relates to a simultaneous paging signal sending system, sending method used therefor, and recording medium on which a control program therefor is recorded and, more particularly, to a simultaneous paging signal sending system for performing simultaneous broadcasting with respect to each mobile unit when it moves away, by a predetermined distance or more, from a place where its position has been registered by a distance-based position registration scheme, and a new position is registered, a sending method therefore, and a recording medium on which a control program therefor is recorded.
According to the distance-based position registration scheme, when a terminal (mobile unit) moves away, by a predetermined distance or more, from a place where the terminal has registered its position with respect to the system, the new position is registered with respect to the system.
A base station in which the mobile unit has registered its position notifies each mobile unit of the coordinate information (latitude/longitude expressions) of the position of the base station and distance information about the next position to be registered. That is, the mobile unit is notified of BASE LONG (Longitude: the longitude of the base station), BASE LAT (Latitude: the latitude of the base station), and REG DIST (Distance: position registration distance).
When the mobile unit is powered on for the first time, it stores the position registration distance information and position information (latitude/longitude of a position registration base station) notified from a base station covering the zone in which the mobile unit exists as xe2x80x9cREG_DIST_REGxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cBASE_LAT_REGxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cBASE_LONG_REGxe2x80x9d.
Subsequently, every time the mobile unit moves across a base station area, the mobile unit loads coordinate information (latitude/longitude of a base station into which the mobile unit has moved) notified from the base station covering the zone in which the mobile unit exists, and calculates the distance between the base station in which the position has previously been registered and the base station covering the zone in which the mobile unit exists by the Pythagorean theorem having undergone spherical correction. When the calculation result exceeds the value of the position registration distance stored when the mobile unit has registered its position, it generates a new position registration request to the system.
As shown in FIG. 13, letting (Bace_Long_Reg, Bace_Lat_Reg) (stored in the mobile unit) be the coordinates of a base station BSO in which the mobile unit has previously registered its position, and (Bace_Long, Bace_Lat) be the coordinates of a base station BS1 in which the mobile unit current exists, a distance d between the base stations BSO and BS1 can be obtained by
xcex94Lat=(Bace_Lat)xe2x88x92(Bace_Lat_Reg)
xcex94Long=[(Bace_Long)xe2x88x92(Bace_Long_Reg)]xc3x97cos{(xcfx80/180)xc3x97[(Bace_Lat_Reg)/14400]}
d=[(xcex94Lat)2+(xcex94Long)2]xc2xd/16
In calculation of xcex94Long, (Bace_Long)xe2x88x92(Bace_Long_Reg) represents equatorial conversion, and cos{(xcfx80/180)xc3x97[(Bace_Lat_Reg)/14400]} represents spherical correction using the latitude.
In the above distance-based position registration scheme, as shown in FIG. 15, a place where a mobile unit registers its position is a base station located at a predetermined distance from a base station in which the mobile unit has previously registered its position, and mobile units register their positions in different base stations. This therefore prevents position registration requests from concentrating on specific base stations.
In contrast to this, in the fixed position registration area scheme, as shown in FIG. 14, when a mobile unit moves outside a predetermined area, the mobile unit must register its position in an adjacent area. That is, the mobile unit must register its position in a base station on the area boundary (one of the base stations indicated by the hatching in FIG. 14).
In addition, in the distance-based position registration scheme, as shown in FIG. 17, after a mobile unit registers its position, next position registration is not performed until the mobile unit moves away by a given distance. For this reason, unstable generation of position registration requests on a position registration boundary as in the fixed position registration area scheme as shown in FIG. 16 can be prevented. This is because when the mobile unit registers its position, it looks as if the mobile unit was located in the center of the position registration area.
In the above distance-based position registration scheme, when a mobile unit is to be paged, and a terminating call is sent to the mobile unit, all base stations located within a given distance from the base station in which the mobile unit has registered its position become base stations to which a mobile paging signal (Page) is to be sent.
Since the mobile unit does not register its position unless it moves beyond a notified position registration distance, a mobile unit paging signal must be sent to all base stations within the corresponding range. That is, in the distance-based position registration scheme, a mobile unit paging area (simultaneous paging area) is present for each base station in which a mobile unit has registered its position. For this reason, when a mobile unit paging signal is to be sent to base stations by using the broadcast function, broadcast patterns equal in number to the base stations are required.
Similar techniques are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 5-122136 and 6-78356.
In the conventional distance-based position registration scheme described above, different simultaneous paging areas each set for every base station as a center in which a mobile unit has registered its position must be defined as simultaneous broadcast areas. For this reason, identifiers (broadcast area identifiers) for identifying the respective simultaneous broadcast areas equal in number to the base stations must be prepared. These identifiers occupy the finite address space in the apparatus.
If, for example, a base station control apparatus uses the broadcast function of the ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) to send a mobile unit paging signal to base stations, broadcast tables equal in number to the base stations are required.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems in the prior art, and has as its object to provide a simultaneous paging signal sending system which can perform paging with respect to simultaneous broadcast areas with a small number of broadcast area identifiers, a sending method used for the system, and a recording medium on which a control program of the sending method is recorded.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a plurality of simultaneous paging areas for simultaneous broadcasting to mobile units are grouped into one simultaneous broadcast area, and information about a base station in each simultaneous broadcast area is stored in correspondence with a broadcast area identifier allocated to each simultaneous broadcast area. Information about a base station corresponding to a broadcast area identifier included in a paging signal is read out from a memory, and the paging signal is copied and distributed to each base station designated by the readout information.
More specifically, an MIN (Mobile Identification Number: terminating signal)xe2x86x92LAI (Location Area Identification: position registration area identifier) converting section of a base station control apparatus searches for a position registration area identifier LAI on the basis of a terminating signal MIN and generates a paging signal a to which the position registration area identifier LAI is added.
An LAIxe2x86x92BAI (Broadcast Area Identification) converting section searches the paging signal a for a broadcast address identifier BAI(n*) corresponding to the position registration area identifier LAI added to the paging signal a, and generates a paging signal b to which the broadcast address identifier BAI(n*) is added.
An output port searching section searches for an output port of a base station ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) switch which is made to correspond to a broadcast area identifier BAI(n) having the broadcast address identifier BAI(n*) as a group element on the basis of the broadcast address identifier BAI(n*) added to the paging signal b, and transmits the paging signal b to each base station by using the broadcast function of the ATM switch in accordance with the search result.
Each base station searches for the position registration area identifier LAI on the basis of the broadcast address identifier BAI(n*) added to the paging signal b received from the base station control apparatus, and sends the paging signal a into the air.
With this operation, according to the present invention, since a plurality of position registration area identifiers LAI are allocated to a single broadcast area identifier BAI(n), the number of broadcast area identifiers can be decreased, and the existing broadcast function of the ATM can be used.

Simultaneous paging signal sending system, sending method used therefor, and recording medium on which control program therefor is recorded


In a system where fax messages are directed to a store and forward system when a fax machine is busy: When fax messages are stored and an attempt is made to re-deliver the message, an ID related to the serial number of the storage system is placed in the fax header. When a message is received by the store and forward system, the header is interrogated and if an ID related to the serial number of the receiving machine is detected, the fax is not again stored and the system notes that the transmission to the fax machine was not successful.

Electronic facsimile machines, often called fax machines, are in widespread use. Such machines transfer images from one location to another location electronically over a normal telephone line. Likewise voice mail systems are in widespread use. Such systems answer telephones and store messages for later retrieval.
Recently systems have become available which merge voice mail technology and facsimile technology. Such systems provide what is termed "fax store and forward" services. For example see U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,926 issued Apr. 16, 1991 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,798.
The present invention solves a particular problem which arises when a "fax store and forward" system is connected to a PBX system. In such systems, if a fax machine is busy when the machine is called, the call is re-directed to the fax store and forward system. Later the store and forward system utilizes one of its ports to call the fax machine to deliver the fax. If the fax machine is still busy, the call will be redirected back to a different port of the store and forward system and without the special precautions, the fax would be stored a second time. The present invention is directed to eliminating the problems which arise when the same fax message is re-directed to a fax store and forward system, multiple times.


A loudspeaker includes a box-form structure made from stiff lightweight sheet material to define a plurality of faces, at least one face of the structure forming a panel-form bending wave acoustic radiator, and an electro-acoustic vibration transducer coupled thereto to apply bending wave energy to the radiator to cause it to radiate an acoustic output when an input signal is applied to the transducer. The box-form structure is collapsible, so that the box-form structure can be stored and transported in a flat form and erected as a box when required as a loudspeaker.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to loudspeakers and more particularly to bending wave panel-form loudspeakers, e.g. of the kind generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,029 (incorporated by reference herein in its entirety).
2. Background Art
It is known from W097/09855 to provide packaging comprising a distributed mode panel-form loudspeaker.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A control section with control keys arranged therein is formed, and upper and lower casings for storing a circuit, and holder capable of loading a button battery and sliding within said casing are respectively provided with stopping portion abutting each other when the holder is pulled out, and thereby, it is possible to obtain a remote-control transmitter which is free from dropping or losing of the holder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote-control transmitter used for remote control of various electronic apparatuses such as TV, video, and air conditioners.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, various electronic apparatuses such as TV, video, and air conditioners have been increasingly reduced in size and weight. And, in remote-control transmitters for remotely controlling these apparatuses, card types reduced in thickness and weight are widely used. Many of such remote-control transmitters employ disk-like button battery and are reduced in thickness and weight.
Such a conventional remote-control transmitter will be described with reference to FIG. 7.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional remote-control transmitter. In FIG. 7, control section 2 with a plurality of control keys arranged therein is formed on the surface of casing 1 made of synthetic resin. Also, each control key is protruded so as to be easily pushed. Inside the casing 1 is formed circuit 3. The circuit 3 comprises a printed circuit board and various electronic parts (not shown) mounted thereon. The circuit 3 generates and transmits remote control signals of infrared rays or the like for remote control of apparatuses.
Also, holder 4 made of synthetic resin is stored in the casing 1 and is detachable. Disk-like button battery 5 is disposed in the holder 4. The button battery 5 disposed comes in contact with an electrode (not shown) provided on the printed circuit board in the casing 1 and is connected to the circuit 3.
In the above configuration, when a specific control key of the control section 2 is pushed with the remote-control transmitter faced to an electronic apparatus, remote control signal of infrared ray corresponding to the key is transmitted from the circuit 3 to the electronic apparatus. Thus, for example, the power ON/OFF or the sound volume of the electronic apparatus can be remotely controlled by pushing the power control key or the sound volume control key.
Also, in case the button battery 5 is exhausted through long-time use, the holder 4 is removed from the casing 1 to replace the button battery 5. After that, the holder 4 is again inserted into the casing 1. The conventional remote-control transmitter is configured as described above.
Incidentally, as preceding technical information related to the present invention, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application H10-284030 is well-known.
However, in the above conventional example, when the button battery 5 is replaced, the holder 4 is removed from the casing 1, and the button battery 5 is replaced with the holder 4 removed from the casing 1. Accordingly, in the above example, there arises a problem that the holder 4 might be dropped and damaged or the holder 4 is liable to be lost while looking for new battery.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The invention relates to a method for controlling a safety-critical railway operating process in which the program necessary for the above is divided into a system software (V,PMS) and a software (BO) specific for railway management. External commands (K) and messages (M), which affect the control, are recorded and transmitted to commercial computers (R1,R2) in which the actual process control runs, by means of the system software running in one or several secure signalling computers (SR*), as defined by the relevant railway operating condition. The processing of the program specific for railway management can occur in two channels, parallel or serially, whereby the monitoring of whether the commercial computers have reached the same result is carried out in the secure signalling computers. The output (SB) to the process (BA) for control also occurs from there, so long as the secure comparison recognizes that the commercial computers have provided the corresponding process result at least twice, otherwise the signalling connection to the process elements (W,S) is securely cut. The advantage of the invention is that the same software can always be used for the secure signalling computers and the railway management software can be separately developed and checked without being linked to the system software. Significant cost and time savings can thus be made relative to the state of the art without affecting safety.

Railroad operating processes are processes which are safety-critical because any malfunctions which are not detected in the appropriate time, and whose effect on the process is not prevented, can lead to considerable damage to property and possibly also place people in danger. For this reason, devices which are reliable in terms of signaling technology have been used for controlling such processes. The objective of these devices is to detect malfunctions both within the process to be controlled and within the process control system itself, and to subsequently place the process in a safe state, or leave it in such a state. Such control systems which are reliable in terms of signaling technology can be embodied in different technologies, for example using relay technology or electronic technology. In process control which is reliable in terms of signal technology using computers, expensive special computers have been used which process the waiting/queued processing orders on two channels and continuously compare, by means of signaling technology, processing sequences for correspondence in terms of contents. Control instructions which are produced are output to the process elements of the process to be controlled only if both processing channels have each arrived at the same result; otherwise, the connection to the process is interrupted, unless there is at least one backup computer which can take over, and actually takes over, the functions of the failed computer.
The abovementioned functions of the reliable inputting and outputting of data and the comparison of data with, if appropriate, reliable shutting down of process elements are brought about by the system software of the reliable computers. In addition, the reliable computers have also contained the railroad administration-specific software for the actual process control, for example the signaling cabin operations. The railroad administration-specific software is determined by the operating rules of the respective railroad administration and it describes, for example, the dependencies, predefined by it, of the setting and release of the routes (Signal+Draht [Signal and Wire], 77 (1985) 12, pp. 259–265). The railroad administration-specific software does not only differ from railroad administration to railroad administration, but also at least partially from one piece of equipment to another in the same railroad administration. This means that the software which is to be loaded into a computer, which is reliable in terms of signaling technology, and runs on the computer, differs from one application case to another, it being necessary to prove or make credible the freedom from faults of the loaded software by means of a safety certificate for each application case. As a result of the proliferation of the system software and of the railroad administration-specific software in each computer, this leads to complex software packets which are difficult to manage and which are time-consuming and costly to produce and to test.
FIG. 2 shows a known computer SR which is reliable in terms of signaling technology, for executing a process by means of preferably identical processing programs in two independent processing channels K1, K2. The reliable computer SR stands for any desired number of computers which are reliable in terms of signaling technology. Their number is determined essentially by the magnitude of the process to be controlled. The process to be controlled is a railroad operating process with which a railroad system BA is to be acted on. As representatives for the process elements of the railroad system, a railroad switch W and a signal S are indicated in the drawing. The control and the monitoring of the process elements is carried out by means of control and monitoring circuits which have been developed for that purpose, which are not explicitly illustrated in the drawing and via which control instructions SB are output by the reliable computer SR to the process elements and messages M are input into the reliable computer from the process elements.
The computer SR which is reliable in terms of signaling technology outputs the messages M transmitted to it by the process to an input and display computer EAR via a communications bus KB. The input and display computer EAR serves, inter alia, for monitoring the railroad operating process according to representation rules defined in the respective railroad operating rules. It is preferably embodied as a computer which is process-protected in terms of signaling technology. Using the input and display computer EAR, the commands K for controlling the railroad operating process are also generated and transmitted to the computer SR which is reliable in terms of signaling technology. The inputting can be carried out here by an operator, for example a stationmaster, or else by means of an automatic system, for example for automatic points changing or the transit mode.
The messages and commands are processed in the computer which is reliable in terms of signaling technology, on two channels in accordance with the conditions and dependencies which are defined in the respective operating rules of a railroad operator. The data, addresses and control signals which are respectively present on the buses of the two processing systems are continuously compared with one another in a way which is reliable in terms of signaling technology in order to be able to detect immediately any discrepancies. Test programs ensure that the input/output register of the reliable computer and its program memories and main memories as well as its address registers are checked within predefined minimum time periods to determine whether their memories can assume either the one state or the other. Any malfunctions are thus detected in an event-controlled or time-controlled fashion and lead to the external equipment being reliably shut down: control instructions to railroad switches can then no longer be output and the signals go to the Stop setting.
By virtue of the fact that the conditions and dependencies which are predefined by the respective operating rules of a railroad administration and are represented in the drawing by elliptical place markers BO, are stored in the program memories of the reliable computer SR and mixed up with the system software, the software which is stored in the reliable computers in order to control the railroad operating process is individual software which is very complex and extraordinarily costly both to produce and test.

System and method for controlling a safety-critical railroad operating process


A high shear mixer in a holding tank is used in a continuous flow process. Flow rate of material into and out of the holding tank establishes residence time in contact with shearing elements. A batch shear mixer is used in a tank that has continuous flow into the bottom and out of the top. A level controller controls a valve or a positive displacement pump at the inlet. The mixing chamber is sized for the maximum needed residence time, slowing the flow increases the residence time. In an open tank lower inlet pump and upper outlet pump are coordinated. Incoming flow rate matches outgoing flow for continuous processing.

Many different types of concentrate bases and single strength juices are processed through a homogenizer to reduce pulpy fiber and make a uniform blend or puree. Pulpy juices are often homogenized to reduce particle size of the pulp and thus the apparent viscosity, such as "tight-end pulp" from a juice finisher.
Juice processing often requires both homogenization and high shear to create juice concentrates, concentrate bases, and slurries. Homogenization and high shear are required to reduce viscosity, eliminate undesirable insoluble particles (imperfections), and reduce the size of pulp and other fibers that are present in single strength or concentrate juices. Typically, juice concentrates are shear thinning thixotropic liquids. Reducing the viscosity reduces pressure drops in product pipelines and makes pumping easier. Reduced viscosity assists in the evaporation process and product dispensing, especially when high pectin is present.
Examples in juice and beverage processing include:
1. Reduction of viscosity of orange and grapefruit juices in a taste evaporator while minimizing insoluble imperfections. Current technology uses high-pressure piston style homogenizers placed within the evaporator between stages.
2. Reduction of particle size of pulp and/or fiber in orange and grapefruit juices, as well as a wide variety of concentrate bases and purees. The reduction is normally required for improved appearance and mouth feel. Current technology uses high-pressure piston style homogenizers placed after juice extraction and finishing.
3. Reduction of particle size of pulp in concentrate bases and single strength juices for permitting these products to be heated and/or cooled in a plate type heat exchanger. The plate type heat exchangers are restricted to products containing specifically sized particles.
4. Creation of stable oil/aqueous phase emulsion in blending citrus oils and other flavors as ingredients into a blended recipe. Flavor and minor component ingredient incorporation into blends are often problematic unless high-pressure homogenization is used. Many smaller companies accept a lesser quality product because of the high capital and maintenance costs of the equipment.
In many of the above processes, the current technology typically uses a high-pressure homogenizer. The high-pressure homogenizer uses a high-pressure piston pump to elevate the pressure of the liquid. A homogenizing valve discharges the liquid. The conventional homogenizer is expensive and consumes large amounts of horsepower because the required discharge may be in the approximately 2500 to 5000 psi range.
The use of batch type shear mixers is not practical in most cases because processes must be continuous flow. Replacing the homogenizer with an inline mechanical high shear pumping device is also not usually viable. Although mechanical shearing may be an alternative to the much higher shear homogenizing device, it requires much greater residence times. The inline mixer, even with multiple staging, cannot control the residence time.
While batch mechanical shear mixing and homogenization are easily scaled up from lab tests, it is difficult to predict the results achieved when the scale up involves inline mechanical shear mixing using a shear pumping device.
These same problems extend to the production of chemical solutions, micron-scale polymer beads, emulsions, suspensions, and other products that require blending, homogenizing, solubilizing, dispersion, or reduction of particle size.
Needs exist for improved and less expensive devices and methods to replace costly homogenizers.


A fuel vapor vent valve for a motor vehicle is connected to an upper wall of a fuel tank in vertically depending relationship. The valve has a cover with a vapor exit passage connected to a fuel vapor storage canister and a body depending from the cover. One embodiment has a vapor exit port that communicates with the fuel tank interior adjacent the upper wall of the fuel tank. A vent tube has one end connected to the vapor exit passage and an opposite end that communicates with the vent exit port and defines a valve seat. The vapor exit port is located with respect to the valve seat so as to separate liquid fuel particles from vapor flow during fuel fill. The valve seat is closed by a valve element attached to a float when the fuel tank is full. Several further embodiments of the valve have the body connected to the cover to accommodate side impacts to the fuel tank.

In the typical fuel vapor vent valve for a motor vehicle fuel tank that is adapted to prevent spillage in case of shaking, tilting or rollover of the vehicle, the valve normally opens the fuel tank to an orifice that is connected by a vapor exit passage in the valve body to a vapor hose leading to a fuel vapor storage device. The valve body is commonly made as a one-piece plastic injected molded part that has a simple direct connection between the orifice and the vapor exit passage. However, this connection has a tendency to collect and pass any liquid fuel issuing from the orifice under pressure from the tank on to the vapor storage canister. The latter contains a fuel vapor absorber such as carbon and any liquid fuel delivered thereto will quickly reduce its vapor absorbing ability. An example of such vent valve is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,389 granted to David R. Gimby Sep. 3, 1991 for a high volume fuel vapor release valve and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
It is difficult to configure the top of the molded body with a vapor exit passage connection that would somehow trap this liquid fuel after it passes through the orifice and then drain the trapped liquid fuel back to the tank. This is also the case where the valve is omitted and only venting is provided through an orifice in a vent body that mounts on the fuel tank.
As to any such possible liquid fuel drainage back to the tank in the case of a vent assembly having a valve that blocks the orifice on overfill, vehicle shaking, tilting and/or rollover, adversely affecting the operation of the valve for normal venting operation in an upright position and closure under these various circumstances must be considered. Any drainage path for liquid fuel trapped downstream of the orifice can not provide a path for fuel vapor to vent around the closed valve in the normal upright attitude of the tank or allow liquid fuel to escape from the tank when tipped or inverted.
One solution to such problem is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,137 granted to David R. Gimby May 9, 1995 for a fuel vapor vent assembly with liquid trap; also assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The fuel vapor vent assembly set forth in the '137 patent embodies a fuel impervious insert that is adapted to be mounted in such a vent valve body and defines both a vertically oriented vent orifice and a liquid basin extending about the exit of this orifice. A simple cavity formed in the interior of the top of the plastic body cooperates with the basin in the insert to define an expansive chamber elevated above the orifice with a horizontal vapor exit passage in the plastic body adapted to be connected to a vapor storage device. The expansive chamber forms an elevated liquid trap at the exit of the orifice that traps liquid from the venting fuel vapor while permitting venting to continue therethrough and then drains the trapped liquid in the basin back into the tank through the orifice in the insert when the pressure in the fuel tank is relieved. The liquid trapping chamber has a ceiling directly opposite the orifice dead ending the vapor stream issuing therefrom and the vapor exit passage is connected to the expansive chamber at a point above the basin. These features combine to aid in separating any liquid fuel out from the vapor and down into the basin and prevent it from passing on to the vapor exit passage and thence to the vapor storage canister.
While suitable for their intended purpose, the fuel vapor vent assemblies set forth in the aforesaid prior art Gimby patents do not include provision for venting vapor from the tank as the float is closing at the same rate at which the fuel tank is being filled nor do they provide a predetermined vapor dome space within said tank to accommodate vapor pressure increases when the refueling valve is closed. Further, the unitary body arrangements are configured to locate the valve seat close to the tank top and the fuel vapor openings well below the valve seat so that venting is restricted as the float moves between its normally open position and its normally closed position. Moreover, the valve disclosed in the Gimby '389 patent has a direct path for liquid fuel to splash through the fuel vapor openings of the valve body into the vapor outlet past the valve seat.
Furthermore, the valves disclosed in the aforementioned Gimby patents use a unitary housing that does not accommodate side impacts to the fuel tank that tend to displace the housing portion in the fuel tank in the lateral direction.
In our prior patent application, Ser. No. 08/555,129 filed Nov. 8, 1995 for a vehicle refueling valve, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,756 issued Nov. 18, 1997, we provided several improvements for the vent valves of the type discussed above. However, each of the improved valves also used either a unitary or a two piece housing that did not accommodate side impacts the fuel tank. The two piece housings comprised a cover member that was permanently fixed to the fuel tank and a cylindrical member that was disposed inside the fuel tank. However, in each instance the cylindrical member was secured firmly to the cover member so that the two piece housing was substantially the same as a unitary housing with regard to side impacts.
In our first continuation in part application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/922,772 filed Sep. 3, 1997 we proposed several improvements and enhancements to the refueling valve that is disclosed in the '756 patent. These improvements and enhancements are repeated in this second continuation-in-part application.
In this second continuation-in-part application we also address side impacts to the fuel tank. Regarding this further aspect, an object of the invention is to provide a fuel vapor vent device that has a two piece housing comprising a cover and a body in which the body includes a float containing section and is connected to the cover in such a manner so as to accommodate side impacts within the fuel tank while maintaining the ability to effect closure of the valve.


The provision of a clock chopper, pulse shaper, single-shot circuit with NOR gates a delay path and a set-reset latch. In response to a high input (for example) to a first NOR gate, the circuit output goes high and remains high until the output of the one NOR gate propagates through the delay one input of a second NOR gate whose other input is coupled to a set-reset latch. When the delayed output of the first NOR gate reaches the input of the second NOR gate, the circuit output falls, and the change in circuit output is fed back to reset the latch. The change in latch state changes the output state of the second NOR gate and resets the circuit for next input.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved single-shot circuit that functions both as a clock chopper and pulse shaper to generate a local clock signal from a master clock signal, and more particularly to a single-shot circuit with a fast reset.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In digital logic systems, single-shot circuits can function as a so-called clock chopper to generate on a chip local clock signals from a master clock signal. The master clock signals are generated by a common clock generator and these master clock pulses are distributed throughout the logic system to provide timing signals at a particular time within the repetitive clock cycle established by the master clock. The master clock pulses, however, may not be suitable for the purpose of controlling the operation of the circuits on a given chip in the digital logic system. In this case, a clock chopper circuit on the chip generates a suitable set of on-chip clock pulses from the system master clock input.
The single-shot circuit clock chopper creates an active output pulse of a predetermined width when triggered by an input signal edge. In response to a periodic input signal, the single shot should generate a series of active output pulses each with the same predetermined pulse width. The inactive period required by the single shot to correctly reset without changing the output pulse width determines the minimum period of the input pulses.
Such on-chip clocking circuits for certain logic designs must operate in two modes. The first required mode is a chop mode. The second requirement is that the on-chip clock pulse width must be measured in terms of frequency. The frequency measurement is accomplished by configuring the chopper circuit into a recirculating loop and measuring its characteristic frequency. This Recirculating Loop Frequency (RLF) mode of the chopper is required to improve the accuracy of the pulse width measurement. It is important that the RLF pulse measured is equal to the pulse generated during normal operation. When the time allowed for the delay element to recovery is different during RLF mode and normal mode, error will occur in the measurement of large pulse widths.
Clock Chopper circuits in current logic designs also must function as pulse shapers. The externally generated input clock pulse width is generally designed to be 50% of the cycle time. Since logic function times can often be more than 50% of cycle times, many logic designs require "stretched" pulses. The maximum pulse width that any pulse shaper can create is limited by the minimum time needed to reset the pulse shaper before a new pulse can be generated. The reset delay must be less than the pulse shaping delay in order to make a pulse greater than 50% of the cycle time.
Another concern arises when stretched pulses are being generated. The delay element used to form the pulse must have enough time to recover from making the last pulse before making the next pulse. A lack of sufficient recovery time often causes the first few pulses generated to be of different widths until a stable state is reached. The widest pulse that any pulse shaper can produce is determined by the reset time of the pulse shaper circuit and the recovery time of its delay element. The reset and recovery time becomes a crucial limitation to pulse shaper designs when cycle times become faster.
Several methods have been proposed in the prior art to address the reset and recovery time concern in clock chopper circuits. These include:
a. Two pulse shapers running at a slower cycle time and OR-ing result.
b. Forced reset of a chain of elements after pulse shaping.
c. OR-ing a chain of blocks together (One block high resets chopper).
The maximum width that can be created by these prior art methods is limited by the minimum reset time of the pulse shaper and the recovery time of the delay element. Methods b and c force the reset to be dominated by the recovery time of one delay block in a chain of delay blocks. Method 1, which can be used with a chain of delay blocks or one large delay element, doubles the recovery time allowed by dividing the cycle time in half. Method 1 also takes twice as much space as would Methods b or c and it requires an input clock divide by two circuit.
In a delay circuit that uses capacitive elements of a certain time constant to create a delay after each input signal swing, the delay through the circuit is constant only if the active elements are allowed to fully discharge or charge before switching again. If the circuit input signal is forcing the circuit to switch at a speed that is faster than the time constant of the storage device, then the circuit delay will vary with the switching speed of the input signal. In other words, the value of delay through the chain depends on the input stimulus duty cycle.
The recovery time concern becomes even more important when trying to use the clock circuits in RLF mode to measure array timings. The pulse width generated by the circuit can be varied until the appropriate timing is achieved. The circuit is then reconfigured to oscillate at a frequency that represents this pulse width, in order to do this, the delay chain is configured into a ring oscillator by inverting the output of the delay chain and feeding it back to the first block of the chain. The delay chain will then oscillate at the natural delay of the chain with a duty cycle of approximately 50%.

International Business Machines Corporation


In the formation of a contact hole within highly limited area, the size of the contact hole does not vary. For achieving such purpose, after a first polysilicon pattern is formed, a concave portion is formed by isotropically etching the predetermined depth of an insulating layer. A second polysilicon spacer is then formed at the sidewall of the first polysilicon pattern and the concave portion. Using the etching process employing the first polysilicon pattern and the second polysilicon spacer as a mask, the contact hole is formed by etching the insulating layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for forming a contact hole in a highly integrated semiconductor device. Particularly, this invention relates to a method for forming a contact hole which has a narrower line width than which can be obtained by conventional lithographic technique for a higher degree of integration of a semiconductor device and for forming a contact hole which does not vary in the size.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Following the trend of a highly integrated semiconductor device, the design rule for formation of a contact hole is gradually reduced. Therefore, a contact hole is formed within highly limited area.
With reference to FIG. 1A through FIG. 2E, the conventional method for forming a contact hole will now be described. FIGS. 1A-1E are cross sectional views which illustrate a conventional method for manufacturing a contact hole formed by the first example.
Referring to FIG. 1A, an insulating layer 2 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 1, and a first polysilicon layer 3 of the different etching ratio compared with the insulating layer 2 is deposited on the insulating layer 2. After that, the photoresist pattern 6 is formed. It should be noted that the window 6 has the minimum line width which can be formed by the lithographic technique.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the first polysilicon layer 3 is etched by the anisotropic etching process employing the photoresist pattern 5 as a mask so that the first polysilicon pattern 3' is formed. Thereafter, the photoresist pattern 5 is completely removed.
FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view which illustrates the formation of the second polysilicon layer 4 along the entire surface. The thickness of the second polysiloicon layer 4 is determined by considering the desired line width of a contact hole.
Referring to FIG. 1D, the second polysilicon layer 4 is etched by the blanket dry etching process so that the second polysilicon spacer 4' is formed at the sidewall of the first polysilicon pattern 3'.
As shown in FIG. 1E, the insulating layer 2 is etched by using the first polysilicon pattern 3' and the second polysilicon spacer 4' as a mask until the silicon substrate 1 is exposed. Therefore, a contact hole 8 is formed. During the etching process, the edge portion of the first polysilicon pattern 3' and the second polysilicon spacer 4' are etched out.
In the above first example, because the first polysilicon pattern 3' and the second polysilicon spacer 4', at the sidewall of the first polysilicon pattern 3', are used as a mask, the size of the contact hole 8 is less than the size of the window 6 of the photoresist pattern 5. If the difference between the size of the window 6 of the photoresist pattern 5 and the size of the designed contact hole 8 is increased, the width of the second polysilicon spacer 4' is increased. In order to increase the width of the second polysilicon spacer 4', the thickness of the second polysilicon layer 4 is increased. In case of increasing the second polysilicon layer 4, when the second polysilicon spacer 4' is formed by the blanket dry etching process, the surface of the second polysilicon spacer 4' shows a gentle sloped surface. Because of the gentle sloped surface of the second polysilicon spacer 4', the variation in the width of the second polysilicon spacer 4' occurs during the etching process of the insulating film 2, so that a contact hole 8 with a same size is not easily formed.
To solve the above problem, the second example shows the conventional method for forming a contact hole of a semiconductor device as described in FIGS. 2A-2E.
Referring to FIG. 2A, an insulating layer 12 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 11, and a first polysilicon layer 13 of the different etching ratio compared to the insulating layer 12 is deposited on the insulating layer 12. Thereafter, a photoresist pattern 15 is formed. It should be noted that the window 16 has the minimum line width which can be formed by the lithographic technique.
As shown in FIG. 2B, as the first polysilicon layer 13 is etched by the anisotropic etching process employing the photoresist pattern 15 as a mask, the first polysilicon pattern 13' is formed and the predetermined thickness of the insulating layer 12 is continuously etched. Thereafter, the photoresist pattern 15 is completely removed.
FIG. 2C is a cross sectional view which illustrates the formation of a second polysilicon layer 14 along the entire surface.
Referring to FIG. 2D, the second polysilicon layer 14 is etched by the blanket dry etching process, so that the second polysilicon spacer 14' is formed at the sidewall of the window 17.
As shown in FIG. 2E, the insulating layer 12 is etched by the etching process employing the first polysilicon pattern 13' and the second polysilicon spacer 14' as a mask until the silicon substrate 11 is exposed. As a result, a contact hole 18 is formed.
As the minimum perpendicular thickness "d" in a portion of the second polysilicon spacer 14' is obtained without increasing the thickness of the first polysilicon layer 13 in the second example, the erosion at the edge portion of the second polysilicon spacer 14' is reduced. Therefore, the variation in the size of a contact hole 18 is minimized. However, a defect occurs, in which the thickness of the polysilicon layers 13, 14 at the edge portion of the insulating layer 12 is reduced, during forming a contact hole 18 by the anisotropic etching process. Therefore, the edge portion of the insulating layer 12 is etched out.

Method for manufacturing a contact hole of a semiconductor device

Hyundai Electronics Industries, Co., Ltd.


An adjustable limb restraint mechanism (11) easily attachable to human medical transporting devices to rigidly support a limb (15) of a patient. The limb restraint mechanism has a pad surface (13) for support of the limb, and an adjustable mechanism (14) which allows the restraint mechanism structure to be attached to side rails of the transporting structure so that medical technicians may immobilize a patient's limb to the restraint mechanism for purposes such as performing interveneous injections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to positioning devices for use in the medical profession to restrain a patient's limb to a supporting restraint mechanism. The invention is so constructed that it is applicable to many types of patient transporters currently used in hospitals and ambulances.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is common in the medical environment to provide limb restraints, especially during medical procedures. In the past, many types of limb restraints have been used with a certain amount of success.
Many limb restraints of the prior art are generally fixed to a bed or to a table, especially if the restraint is to be used in association with orthopedic examinations or manipulations of the patient's limb. These types of restraint mechanisms are not easily used in a variety of settings and cannot be easily utilized with beds, tables, stretchers or gurneys which are transportable.
For instance, a restraint clamp is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,138 issued to Heyman et al. which shows an adjustable utility clamp device attachable to a hospital bed frame, or to a standard bed tubular frame member, which allows for easy securing and release of the restraint at desired times. However, this particular device is not applicable to procedures where it is desired to maintain the patient's limb in a stable non-moving situation, especially when it is desired to give the patient an interveneous injection of some sort.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,892 issued to Kreitman, a fixed type of restraint is shown for utilization especially with orthopedic examinations and manipulations. The particular frame shown in this patent is a rigid frame and, while it may be adjustable with respect to the table with which it is to be used, it is not easily utilizable with transportable devices which transport patients. This particular device shown by Kreitman especially does not have a planar surface to which the limb may be strapped.
Other restraint mechanisms which can be used with portable patient transporters typically are not easily used with a variety of types of transporters, or they do not rigidly support the limb of the patient. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,842 issued to Brill discloses a restraining mechanism attached to a hospital bed. The purpose of the device of this patent is to prevent the patient from moving the limbs and to maintain the patient in a supine position. The restraint is flexible and does not limit all motion of the limbs, but generally restrains a patient to a limited movement area.


An optical module for transmitting an optical signal may include a circuit board on which electronic components are disposed, a high-frequency component that is disposed on a main surface of the circuit board and operates at a frequency equal to or higher than a predetermined reference value according to a frequency of the optical signal, a low-frequency component that is disposed on another main surface of the circuit board so as to overlap at least partly with the high-frequency component in a plan view and operates at a frequency less than the reference value, and an electromagnetic wave absorber that is disposed on an upper surface of the low-frequency component.

In an optical communication system, an optical module that converts one of optical signals and electrical signals to the other or bidirectionally is used. With the spread of broadband networks in recent years, the speed of optical modules has been increased, and electrical circuits in the optical modules have portions that operate at high frequencies. Here, the high-frequency circuit emits an unnecessary electromagnetic wave and can generate so-called electromagnetic interference (EMI).
Since a plurality of optical modules are densely mounted on a single network device, it is required to reduce electromagnetic waves emitted from the optical modules so as not to affect the operation of other devices, in addition to downsizing, low power consumption, and low cost. Therefore, in order to shield the electromagnetic wave, an electromagnetic wave absorber may be disposed in the optical module. For example, the electromagnetic wave absorber may be attached inside a case. However, using a large electromagnetic wave absorber contributes to an increase in cost.


Continuously variable slope delta modulation coding uses a thresholder having an analog input and a digital output representing the relationship between a signal amplitude at the analog input and a predetermined threshold. An integrator has an output and one input connected to the output of the thresholder and a second input that receives a step size value, the output of the integrator corresponding to a product of the thresholder output and the step size value. An adder has one input that receives an analog input signal that is to be encoded and a second input connected to the output of the integrator. The output of the adder is coupled to the analog input of the thresholder. A step size controller is responsive to an analog signal level related to the analog input signal for varying the step size value in response to variations in the analog signal level.

1. Technical Field
The invention is related to devices for digitally encoding analog signals for transmission in a digital communication channel. In particular, the invention is an improvement in variable slope delta modulation coding.
2. Background Art
Continuously variable slope delta modulation (CVSD) coding of signals provides relatively low compression ratios but has the advantage of being very robust to errors in transmission. For this reason, it is an ideal way for coding signals in low power radio-based networks of portable electronic devices. Such networks are sometimes referred to as piconets. In fact, a recently proposed industry standard for such piconets relies upon CVSD coding. Piconets are but one example of the application of CVSD coding. In a piconet according to the proposed industry standard, as many as seven electronic devices may be networked together via radio, specifically using transceivers operating in the license-free 2.45 GHz band. Such portable electronic devices may include a portable (notebook) computer, a cellular telephone, an access port to a local area network, a head set, computer peripherals, (printers, etc.). Of course, the cell phone can provide the piconet access to the internet.
CVSD coding is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,644 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,565, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. The first aforementioned patent describes CVSD coding of speech signals. A CVSD encoder operates by comparing the input analog signal with a signal reconstructed from the digital output of the encoder. When the input analog signal amplitude is less or greater than the reconstructed signal, the digital output of the encoder for the next clock period is set to one or the other binary value, respectively. The reconstructed signal is produced by supplying the encoded digital signal to an integrator with a continuously variable slope. The continuously variable slope is adjusted to track more closely the input analog signal. Conventionally, the step size of the integrator is fixed. In the proposed industry standard for piconets, the CVSD encoder has been improved somewhat by adjusting the step size depending upon whether the digital output signal binary value changes over a certain number of samples.
Despite the improvement of the step size adjustment in the proposed industry standard version of CVSD coding, it is recognized by the present inventors that the step size does not change sufficiently fast. As a result, in regions where the input signal is of low dynamic range, the encoded digital output represents a poor approximation of the input analog signal. This is because the step size exceeds the input analog signal amplitude, and the digital output signal cannot decrease sufficiently fast to track the analog input signal. The resulting oscillations in the digital output signal can be reduced only by low pass filtering.
Another problem in CVSD signal coding is that the error between the analog input signal and the encoded digital output signal is signal-dependent. The mean and variance of the error are signal-dependent. This effect is referred to as noise modulation which, at lower bit rates, becomes audible and in any case presents a source of signal distortion that reduces system performance. Thus, CVSD signal coding appears to be hampered by inherent limitations on performance that distort the encoded digital output signal. Such distortion manifests itself as higher error rates in the communication channel. Such errors either overwhelm the error correction capability of the communication system, leading to failure, or require more data overhead for error correction which reduces the maximum data rate of the system. However, it has not seemed possible to overcome such problems in CVSD signal coding.
The invention is embodied in a method and apparatus for continuously variable slope delta modulation coding of signals, the apparatus including a thresholder having an analog input and a digital output representing the relationship between a signal amplitude at the analog input and a predetermined threshold. An integrator has an output and one input connected to the output of the thresholder and a second input that receives a step size value, the output of the integrator corresponding to a product of the thresholder output and the step size value. The apparatus further includes an adder having one input that receives an analog input signal that is to be encoded and a second input connected to the output of the integrator, the output of the adder being coupled to the analog input of the thresholder. A step size controller is responsive to an analog signal level related to the analog input signal for varying the step size value in response to variations in the analog signal level. In addition, the apparatus may further include a source producing noise. A noise amplitude controller is responsive to an analog signal level related to the analog input signal for varying the amplitude of the noise in response to variations in the analog signal level to produce noise having a controlled amplitude sufficient to reduce the correlation with the analog input signal of an error between the output of the integrator and the analog input signal. An adder adds the noise having a controlled amplitude to the analog input signal.
With the step size control being responsive to changes in the input signal dynamic range as described above, the problem of distortion at low dynamic range is solved. In addition, however, the present invention also solves the problem of noise modulation or the dependence of the noise or error on the input signal. This latter problem is solved by adding pseudo-random noise to the analog input signal. The amplitude of the pseudo-random noise is controlled relative to the amplitude of the input signal so that it is relatively small. Specifically, in one implementation it is equal to the least-significant bit of the desired audio resolution. This level of noise is sufficient to transform the signal-dependent error into signal independent error. The effects of signal-independent error are much more benign to the ear (than signal-dependent noise) because it is random noise. At high bit rates, this noise may be below the audible threshold. It is a discovery of the invention that it is advantageous in CVSD coders to reduce (or eliminate) the correlation of the error with the input analog signal at the expense of increasing uncorrelated (random) error.

Method and apparatus for continuously variable slope delta modulation coding of signals


The tamper-evident closure is provided for a syringe with a Luer connection or a Luer lock connection, wherein at least the connection end consists of plastic. A cap which is connected to the syringe via at least one frangible web. The cap and the frangible web together with a fixation component are formed as one piece as a plastic injection molded part and are connected to the connection end of the syringe by way of welding.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a tamper-evident closure for a syringe having a plastic connection end with a Luer connection and a cap and a frangible web formed as a single injection molded part, wherein the cap is fitted to the Luer connection.
2. Description of the Related Art
With syringes, in particular prefilled syringes, one provides a tamper-evident closure which ensures the integrity for the user, i.e. the integrity of the closure and thus of the medium filled into the syringe. Such tamper-evident closures are counted as belong to the state of the art and are known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,496. This document discloses a glass cylinder on whose end there is attached a component consisting of plastic which comprises a Luer connection onto which later the cannula is placed in a manner known per se, or via which the syringe is connected in another manner. This Luer connection is sealingly closed with a plug which completely encompasses the free end on the inside and well as on the outside. This plug is held by a plastic cap which is connected via a frangible web to a ring as a fixation component. This ring comprises a projection which engages into a corresponding recess at the connection-side end of the syringe and firmly holds this here. With this, the cap, the frangible web and the ring are typically formed as one piece as an injection molded part and are pushed over the connection-side end of the syringe until the projection locks on the ring at the connection-side end.
The problem with such tamper-evident closures which are pushed onto the connection-side end of the syringe in a locking manner is that the manufacturing tolerances are relatively tight in order to ensure that on removal of the cap it is indeed the frangible web that breaks and not the connection between the fixation ring and the connection-side end of the syringe. Then specifically the closure may be placed on again without further ado without the integrity and thus the sterility of the product being guaranteed. There further exists the danger that the frangible web breaks by way of buckling or overstretching already when being placed on. Moreover the frangible web is often designed so solid that a removal of the cap by exerting tension forces alone is not sufficient, and that rather the cap is additionally rotated with respect to the fixation ring by way of hand force. However both hands are then required, one for gripping the fixation ring and the other for gripping the cap. Disregarding the fact that this is awkward, with the medical syringes being discussed here there particularly exists the danger that germs may get into this region by way of this. A thinner dimensioning of the frangible web is often not at all possible or only very difficult to realize with regard to tooling technology since specifically the fixation ring during the injection molding procedure as a rule must be filled with plastic via the frangible web, so that for this reason alone a certain minimum cross section needs to be present in order to ensure a complete filling of the fixation ring during the injection molding procedure.

Transcoject Gesellschaft für medizinische Geräte mbH & Co. KG