A color-drift correcting method in an image forming apparatus includes a first and a second color-drift correcting. The first color-drift correcting includes correcting the color-drift amount in a sub scanning direction and a skew relative to the reference color image being based on each color-drift amount of at least three mark-patterns, each of which mark-pattern is formed each color image, so as to decide a corrected-image line as a virtual image line for each color, assumed when the color images are superposed onto a transfer media. A second color-drift correcting includes correcting the color-drift amount in the sub scanning direction so that the virtual image lines corresponding to each of the colors other than the reference color intersect with the virtual image line of the reference color at at least two points.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color-drift-error correcting method by controlling respectively different color-image forming operations so as to minimize a color-drift error. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus such as copying machines, printers, facsimile machines, complex machines and the like, being provided with a controlling unit that controls respectively different color image forming units so as to minimize the color-drift error.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of color image forming apparatus, there has been known a tandem-type image forming apparatus for forming a color image, having a plurality of image carriers such as photoconductors arranged along an endless transfer belt, which is a transfer medium. In the tandem-type image forming apparatus, an electro-photographic process such as development is performed while an electrostatic lateral image is formed for each of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) on a respective image carrier. These images of different colors on the respective image carriers are superposed one another to finally form a color image on a transfer sheet. In the tandem-type color image forming apparatus, it is necessary to accurately position toner transfers of different color toner images to form a high quality image. If there is a positional drift between different color toner images, a high quality color image will not be obtained due to color drift between superposed toner images formed on the transfer sheet.
FIG. 22 is a view for explaining color drift in a vertical scanning direction. FIG. 23 is a view for explaining a skew drift. As such color drift, vertical (sub scanning direction) scanning registration drift which is deviation in the vertical scanning direction from an ideal image formation line (position at which toner image is to be properly formed) indicated by the bold line in FIG. 22, and skew drift, which is inclination in the vertical scanning direction from an ideal image formation line indicated by the bold line in FIG. 23, are exemplified. In view of the above, an apparatus has been proposed in which after forming a mark-pattern for positioning, the position of the mark-pattern is detected by a sensor, and being based on the detection result, the position is corrected by matching drifted image formation line with the ideal image formation line. That is written for example in Japanese Patent application Laid-open No. 1-142671 and JP Patent No. 33514352.
In the patent document mentioned above it is written that a mark-pattern is formed on each end of an intermediate transfer belt. Each mark-pattern includes a series of mark images of different colors of toner arranged in a moving direction of the belt. Each of these mark images of each mark-pattern is detected by a sensor, and a drift amount between the detected position and an ideal position is calculated, and a toner transfer position is corrected.
FIG. 25 is a view for explaining an amount of color drift compared to the ideal image after the color drift is corrected based on the former art. Due to positioning errors of lens, mirror and the like optical devices in an optical writing device, or due to relative positioning errors between an image carrier and an optical writing device, a trajectory of scanning line of laser beam sometimes curves. In such a case, an image formation line in the horizontal scanning direction (main scanning direction) curves like an arch as shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B. In the methods disclosed in the patent documents mentioned above, mark-patterns are formed on both ends of an intermediate transfer belt, and position correction is conducted such that both ends of an image formation line match with the ideal image formation line. Therefore, when the image formation line in the horizontal scanning direction curves in the vertical scanning direction as described above, the middle part of the image formation line after correction will be largely deviated from the ideal image formation line indicated by the bold line in the drawing as shown in FIG. 25. As a result, color drift occurs-in the middle part in the horizontal scanning direction of image, and a high quality color image is-not obtained.

Color drift error correcting method and image forming apparatus


The present invention relates to novel compounds, particularly to compounds comprising a photoactive unit, said novel compounds being particularly suitable for compositions and ophthalmic devices as well as to compositions and ophthalmic devices comprising such compounds.

Cataract is a general term for an affection of the eye that leads to a loss of vision and in the extreme to blindness by clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye. It is the major cause of blindness in the world, affecting more than 100 million people. Due to the fact that its major cause is age and the population's average age is increasing, it is expected that the number of cataracts will continue to increase substantially in the future.
Effective treatment of cataract is only possible by surgical intervention, whereby the natural lens of the eye is removed through an incision in the cornea and replaced with an artificial lens, often also referred to as "intraocular lens". In preparation of surgery current state-of-the-art surgical methods employ eye mapping so as to approximate the refractive power best suited to the respective patient.
Even though cataract surgery is one of the most widely used and safest surgical procedures it is not without specific post-surgery problems. It frequently happens that the refractive power of the implanted intraocular lens (IOL) is insufficient for restoring good vision. Such problems may, for example, be caused by changes in eye geometry as consequence of the surgery as well as irregular wound healing and positioning errors that result in the artificial lens not having the optimal optical properties. As a result the patient will still require corrective vision aids, e.g. glasses, to be able to see correctly. In some cases the resulting refractive power of the implanted artificial lens is so far removed from the required refractive power that further surgery will be required. Particularly for aged persons this is not desirable because the body's capability for healing is reduced with increasing age. Furthermore, there is the risk of attracting endophthalmitis, an inflammation of the eye, which can even lead to a complete loss of vision or worse, loss of the eye.
There is therefore a need in the health sector for optically active devices, and particularly for artificial intraocular lenses, that would allow for non-invasive adjustment of refractive power after implantation of the lens, thereby preferably further reducing the need for post-surgery vision aids.
Some developments in this sense have already been made, as for example evidenced by WO 2007/033831 A1, WO 2009/074520 A2 or US 2010/0324165 A1.
US 2011/0092612 A describes 3- or 4-(2-benzothiophenyl)-1-phenyl acrylates and methacrylates as photoreactive compounds.
CN 105753837 A describes liquid crystal compositions comprising benzothiophene dimethacrylates.
WO 2016/200401 A1 describes liquid crystal materials having photoalignment properties such as 6-(4-(benzofuran-2-yl)phenoxy)hexyl methacrylate.
M. Schraub et al, European Polymer Journal 51 (2014) 21-27 describes the photochemistry of 3-phenyl-coumarin containing polymethacrylates.
C. H. Krauch et al, Chemische Berichte Jahrg. 99, 1966, 1723 describe photochemical reactions on coumaron.
A. Bouquet et al, Tetrahedron, 1981, vol. 37, 75 to 81 describe the photochemical behavior of several benzo[b]thiophenes in neutral solutions or in the presence of primary and tertiary amines.
David L. Oldroyd et al, Tetrahedron Letters, 1993, vol. 34, no. 7, 1087-1090 describe photochemical dimerization reactions of N-Acylindoles.
Mi Sun Lee and Jin-Chul Kim, Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2012, vol. 124, 4339 to 4345 describe poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) having coumarin pendants by reacting the polymer with epoxypropoxy coumarin (EPC) in a strong alkali condition with EPC/PVA molar ratio of 200/1 and an aqueous solution of PVA-EPC (5%, w/v) which became a semi-solid hydrogel by the irradiation of a light for 1 hour. Such chemically crosslinked PVA hydrogels are deemed to become relevant as a vehicle which releases a drug in response to a UV light irradiation. It may be used in the photo anticancer therapy.
However, the compounds disclosed so far suffer from being too stiff and too brittle so that they can't be rolled or folded and are thus not fit to be implanted by state of the art cataract surgical methods, particularly by state of the art micro-incision cataract surgical methods.
Consequently, it is an objective of the present application to provide for novel compounds suitable for ophthalmic devices.
It is also an objective of the present application to provide for compounds, the optical properties of which may be changed, preferably by non-invasive techniques.
It is a further objective of the present application to provide for novel compounds having advantages over currently known compounds, preferably in combination with being suitable for ophthalmic devices.
Advantages such as better flexibility and objectives of the compounds of the present application will be evident to the skilled person from the following detailed description as well as from the examples.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Hydrophilic compounds for optically active devices


A device includes a housing capable of forming an internal space during operation of the device. The device also includes a camera having an optical zoom portion provided within the housing. The optical zoom portion is capable of expanding into the internal space when the camera is in use.

1. Field of the Invention
Implementations described herein relate generally to devices and, more particularly, to a compressible zoom camera for devices.
2. Description of Related Art
A camera module with an optical zoom portion presents problems for a device (e.g., a mobile communication device) because the optical zoom portion consumes valuable space within the device, which may require the size of the device to be increased. For example, a mobile communication device may include a camera with an optical zoom portion to enable a user to zoom in on and/or capture images and video with the device. One reason for not using such optical zoom cameras is the extra space required in the device for the lens and/or lenses of the optical zoom portion to move. However, adding extra space for optical zoom cameras is not desirable in today's world of small, sleek devices.


A method and an apparatus are used to efficiently translate memory addresses. The translation scheme yields a translated address, a memory type for the translated address, and a fault bit for the translation.

A computer processor accesses system memory to retrieve or store data within the system memory. Specifically, the processor uses the physical address of data in the memory to identify and access the data. However, the physical address where data is stored in the memory is not the address that the processor uses to index the data during internal manipulations. Rather, the processor assigns a virtual address to data being processed according to program instructions. Thus, memory accesses often require the translation of virtual addresses into physical addresses.
Many processors use virtual or demand-paged memory schemes, where sections of an execution environment of a program are mapped into physical memory as needed. Virtual memory schemes allow the use of physical memory much smaller in size than the virtual address space of the processor and also provide a mechanism for memory protection so that multiple programs sharing the same physical memory do not adversely interfere with each other.
In a virtual memory scheme, the virtual and physical address spaces are divided into blocks of contiguous addresses, so that virtual and physical addresses belong to at most one block. The blocks can be of a constant size or can have variable sizes as dictated by system and/or program execution requirements.
These blocks are customarily referred to as pages if they are of a constant or fixed size. If variable sized blocks are used, the blocks are referred to as segments. Thus, the virtual address space may be divided into either segments or pages. A typical page size may be approximately 4 kilobytes.

Method and apparatus for translating guest physical addresses in a virtual machine environment


A procedure for the installation of clean room processing tools which require rough pumping equipment located in areas outside of the clean room. Instead of simultaneously installing and testing the pumping equipment and the processing tool, the pumping equipment is installed first along with its associated support services. Foreline piping, terminating in the proximity of the processing tool vacuum port is also installed and capped off at this time. Functional testing and qualification of the rough pumping equipment is done and then the processing tool is moved into place and connected to the pumping line on the clean room floor. This independent and sequential installation procedure reduces perturbations of on-going manufacturing activity in the clean room area and also minimizes the risk of costly damage to the processing tool by faulty, un-tested, pumping equipment. In addition, since the rough pumping equipment can be procured and installed before hand, time can be saved by getting the processing tool on-line faster.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to processes for the manufacture of semiconductor devices and more particularly to the installation and qualification of processing equipment in a clean room facility.
2. Description of Prior Art
The fabrication of integrated circuit chips requires the use of extremely sophisticated and expensive processing equipment. A great many of these processing tools perform their chemical functions on silicon wafers through the use of a gaseous ambient and often require the use of high vacuum and reduced gas pressures. Machines with such diverse functions as chemical vapor deposition(CVD) tools, epitaxial reactors, sputtering tools, metal deposition evaporators, and plasma and reactive ion etching(RIE) tools all require the use of pumping packages which provide and high vacuum and gaseous ambient control.
The designers of semiconductor fabrication facilities necessarily concern themselves with the operation of these pumping stations, in particular with regards to the safe handling of gaseous discharges, noise, vibration, and general maintenance. Pumping equipment used for chamber evacuation and for maintaining flows of processing gases can be identified by two stages. The primary, or roughing stage involves mechanical pumps which have high pumping speed and capacity to preform the evacuation of process chambers from atmosphere down into the milliTorr range of pressure. This primary pumping equipment comprises large motor driven mechanical pumps which produce noise, vibration, and other undesirable disturbances to a clean room facility. They are best located in dedicated locations, apart from the locations of the tools which they service and are connected thereto by piping of appropriate size and construction. They can be contained in areas having a lower degree of cleanliness than that maintained for processing tools on the manufacturing floor. The pumping fluids used by these pumps are often attacked by corrosive elements in the gases resulting in pump damage and fluid deterioration. The pumps, therefore require frequent maintenance of a degree which would be disruptive to the manufacturing process, were they located in the same area as the tools themselves.
The secondary pumping stage, used when high vacuum is required, is typically accomplished by diffusion pumps which operate close to the processing chambers of the equipment they service and are non-mechanical in operation. These secondary pumps are part of the processing tool and are in turn backed up by the remote roughing pumps. Other types of "dry" mechanical pumps known as Roots blowers are sometimes used in series with oil based roughing pumps to achieve high pumping speeds.
An overall design and operation of a modern clean room facility for the fabrication of integrated circuits is dealt with by Wiemer et.al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,491. These authors provide for remote supporting equipment associated with integrated circuit fabrication tools to be located in a floor area below the clean room facility. They specify such equipment as motors, blowers, power supplies, heat exchangers, chemical transfer cabinets, etc. Roughing pump assemblies can also be located in such an area. Earlier clean room designs employed core areas which contained such support equipment and pumping stations and which located on the same floor level as the clean room areas and were isolated from the clean areas by a walled enclosure. Such single level fab designs are not as efficient and practical as the multi-level design outlined by Wiemer et.al. The multi-level facility lends itself particularly well to the maintenance of rough pumping equipment with minimal disturbance of the ongoing manufacturing process.
Suzuki et.al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,640 discuss the configuration of a clean room having areas of different degrees of cleanliness but do not discuss the installation and testing of pumping equipment or processing tools.
The installation, removal, or re-location of processing equipment is of significant concern to the efficient operation of a integrated circuit processing facility, Such operations come into play when older tools are replaced by newer ones, or when fab expansion or process redesign requires re-location or addition of processing tools. Conventionally, a processing tool is installed simultaneously with its support equipment. Such equipment includes electrical and cooling facilities, gas/air ventilation and exhaust facilities, operating gas supply, and primary vacuum pumping equipment. Simultaneous initial leak testing of the roughing pump assembly and the processing tool is not only disruptive to the ongoing clean area processing operations but is also potentially harmful to the processing tool itself. A simple example is backstreaming and damage to diffusion pumping fluids caused by fore line leaks.
The primary or rough pumping equipment, although custom configured for the tool it supports, can be acquired, installed, and qualified prior to the installation of the tool itself. Having the rough pumping equipment installed and tested ahead of time shortens the tool preparation time and greatly minimizes disruptions of process floor operations. It is this procedural sequence that is taught by this invention.

Pre-installation of pumping line for efficient fab expansion

Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation


A method of driving a liquid crystal display in which frames having data values indicate the gray scale for liquid crystal in a display panel including the steps of determining a modulating data value for a first temperature interval within a temperature range, storing the modulating data as look-up table, sensing a temperature of a display panel, and modulating the input signal to the liquid crystal display based upon the sensed temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid crystal display, and more particularly to a method and apparatus of driving a liquid crystal display for improving the picture quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display (LCD) controls a light transmittance of each liquid crystal cell in accordance with a video signal to thereby display a picture on a display panel. An active matrix LCD includes a switching device for each liquid crystal cell of the display panel that is suitable for displaying a dynamic image. The active matrix LCD uses thin film transistors (TFT's) as switching devices.
The LCD can have a slow response time due to inherent characteristics of a liquid crystal, such as a viscosity and elasticity, as represented in the following equation (1):τr∝γd2/Δε|V2a−V2F|  (1)wherein τr is response time of a liquid crystal; d is a cell gap of liquid crystal cells; γ is a viscosity coefficient of the liquid crystal molecules; Va is a starting voltage level of a voltage across the liquid crystal; VF is a target voltage level that is a Freederick transition voltage at which liquid crystal molecules begin to make an inclined motion; and Δε is a dielectric constant anisotropy.
A twisted nematic (TN) mode liquid crystal has a response time affected by the viscosity and elasticity of the liquid crystal, as well as other physical characteristics of the liquid crystal. Typically, a TN mode liquid crystal has response times that includes a rise time of 20 to 80 ms and a fall time of 20 to 30 ms. Since these response times of the TN mode liquid crystal are longer than the interval (i.e., 16.67 ms in the case of NTSC system) of a frame in a moving picture, a voltage charge in a liquid crystal cell for a first frame progresses into a second frame prior to arriving at a target voltage for the first frame. Thus, a blurring phenomenon occurs in which the moving portion of a picture on the display panel is blurry.
FIG. 1 is a waveform diagram showing variation in brightness levels in response to changes in voltage levels of data voltage for a cell of a related art liquid crystal display. The cell of a related art LCD will not display a desired color at a desired brightness, upon implementation of a moving picture, if the display brightness BL fails to reach a target brightness level corresponding to an input of data voltage VD. This failure is due to the slow response time of the liquid crystal in changing from one voltage level of a first data voltage to another voltage level of a second data voltage, as shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, the display quality of the LCD is reduced since the contrast ratio for the moving portions of the picture is reduced or is not commensurate with the input of data voltage VD.
To overcome the problems associated with the slow response time of liquid crystal in an LCD, a strategy of modulating a data in accordance with a change of the data, hereinafter referred to as "high-speed driving strategy" has been suggested. A high-speed driving strategy modulates input data into modulated data. The waveform diagram shown in FIG. 2 is an example of a brightness variation in response to input of a modulated data voltage in a related art high-speed driving strategy. The related art high-speed driving strategy modulates an input data voltage VD to apply a modulated data voltage MVD to the liquid crystal cell, thereby obtaining a desired brightness MBL. This high-speed driving strategy increases the difference of |Va2−VF2| in the above equation (1) such that a desired brightness level BL for the data voltage VD can be obtained in a response time that is less than an interval of a frame. In effect, the modulating the data voltage VD accelerates the speed in which the liquid crystal responds such that the brightness level BL, which is commensurate with the voltage level of the data voltage VD, is reached prior to the next frame. Thus, an LCD using a high-speed driving strategy compensates for a slow response time of the liquid crystal by modulating inputted data values such that the blurring phenomenon is reduced and the moving portion of a picture is displayed at a desired color and at a desired brightness.
Referring to FIG. 3, a related art high-speed driving strategy compares the four most significant bits MSB of a previous frame Fn-1 with those of a current frame Fn and, if there is a change of the most significant bits, selects the corresponding modulating data Mdata from a look-up table to modulate it as shown in FIG. 3. This type of high-speed driving strategy modulates only the first four most significant bits so as to reduce the size of memory needed. A high-speed driving apparatus implemented in this manner is shown in FIG. 4.
Referring to FIG. 4, a related art high-speed driving apparatus includes a frame memory 43 connected to a most significant bit bus line 42, and a look-up table 44 commonly connected to the most significant bit bus line 42 and an output terminal of the frame memory 43. The frame memory 43 stores the most significant bits MSB during one frame interval and supplies the stored data to the look-up table 44. The most significant bits MSB can be, for example, the first four 4 bits of an 8-bit RGB source data representing the voltage level of a data voltage.
The look-up table 44 compares the four most significant bits MSB of a current frame Fn inputted from the most significant bit line 42 with those of the previous frame Fn-1 inputted from the frame memory 43 to select the corresponding modulating data Mdata in accordance with a look-up table, such as Table 1 below. The modulating data Mdata is then combined with the least significant bits LSB from a less significant bit bus line 41 for application to the LCD panel.
TABLE 1Division01234567891011121314150013467910111214151515151510124579101112131415151515201235789101213141515151530123568910111214141515154001246791011121314151515500023578911121314151515600013468910111314151515700012457810111214141515800012356891112131415159000123467910121314151510000012457810111314151511000002356791112141515120000013457810121315151300000123468101113141514000000123579111314151500000001246911131415
In the above table, the left column is the value of the data voltage determined from the MSB of the previous frame Fn-1 while an uppermost row is the value of the data voltage determined from MSB of the current frame Fn. However, the related art LCD high-speed driving strategy is designed based on the operating temperature being at a specific reference temperature, such as at a room temperature of 20° C., to determine the look-up table. Thus, if the temperature of the liquid crystal is at different operating temperature than the reference temperature that look-up table is based upon, the modulated data voltage MVD will not be properly set and the response time of the liquid crystal may be off. As a result, the related art LCD will not have a desired brightness or moving picture that does not blur in an environment having a different temperature than the reference temperature. For example, if a temperature of the liquid crystal is more than the reference temperature, then viscosity coefficient γ of the liquid crystal molecules and a dielectric constant anisotropy Δε of the liquid crystal are increased. However, if temperature of the liquid crystal is less than the reference temperature, then a viscosity coefficient γ of the liquid crystal molecules and a dielectric constant anisotropy Ac of the liquid crystal are decreased. Because response time of the liquid crystal is inversely proportional to temperature, the related art LCD has a higher brightness than a desired brightness when operating at temperatures above the reference temperature and will have a lower brightness than a desired brightness as well as blur when operating at a temperature below the reference temperature.

Method and apparatus for driving liquid crystal display


An etching material comprising at least phosphoric acid, acetic acid, and nitric acid, with chromic acid added therein. Also claimed is an etching process using the etching material above, provided that the process comprises selectively etching, by using the solution, an aluminum oxide layer formed on the surface of a material containing aluminum as the principal component thereof.

The present invention relates to an etching material, particularly, an etchant for use in etching selectively a layer of an aluminum oxide formed on aluminum, and to an etching process using the same.
Known processes for fabricating semiconductor circuits (ICs) include a technology which comprises using aluminum for the interconnection. An example of the technology is described below with reference to FIGS. 1(A) to 1(D) which illustrate a diagram showing a process for fabricating an electrode or an interconnection 101 based on aluminum on an appropriate base made of an insulator, an insulating film, a semiconductor, etc. Referring first to FIG. 1(A), an electrode or an interconnection 101 containing aluminum as the principal component is formed on a base 100 by means of evaporation and the like. Then, an oxidized aluminum layer (oxide layer) 102 is formed by effecting anodic oxidation in an electrolytic solution using the electrode or the interconnection 101 containing aluminum as the principal component as an anode. The oxide layer 102 is utilized to improve the withstand voltage or to form an offset region of a thin film transistor.
After forming the oxide layer 102, a silicon oxide layer or a silicon nitride layer is formed as an interlayer dielectric 103. A proper mask (generally, a resist) 107 is used to form a contact interconnection with the electrode or the interconnection 101, and etching is performed to form a perforated hole 104 as shown in FIG. 1(C).
The step above is effected by using a buffered hydrofluoric acid or pure hydrofluoric acid as an etchant. Upon completion of the perforation, a proper metallic interconnection is formed by means of vapor deposition or sputtering to form a contact for the electrode or the interconnection 101.
In a practical fabrication process, however, etching proceeds as such to yield an etched state 106 as illustrated in FIG. 1(D). This leads to a problem of forming a deeply etched portion on a part of the electrode or the interconnection 101.
The problem above is attributed to the fact that, when etching is performed using a hydrofluoric acid-based etchant, the etching rate of the aluminum oxide layer 102 becomes far lower than that of the electrode or the interconnection 101 containing aluminum as the principal component.
The problem above can be overcome by a technique which enables selective removal of the aluminum oxide layer. For example, a technique capable of selectively removing the aluminum oxide layer by using an etchant is required. A mixed solution of phosphoric acid and water, with about several percents of chromic anhydride and caustic soda added therein is known as an etchant for use in the etching of an oxide layer formed by anodic oxide using aluminum as the anode.
However, the solution above contains water at a large quantity. Accordingly, the composition of the etchant tends to fluctuate during the etching step, because water vaporizes due to heating (in general, the solution is heated to about 65.degree. C.). Therefore, because of the problems concerning reproducibility and stability, the technique above is practically unfeasible in a semiconductor fabrication process where a precise control in the level of several hundreds of angstroms (.ANG.) is required.
Furthermore, there are cases in which a porous oxide layer alone is removed after forming a dense oxide layer and a porous oxide layer around the electrode or the interconnection containing aluminum as the principal component. In such cases, an etchant which enables etching of the porous oxide layer at a higher etching rate is necessary.
Concerning the well-known etchant comprising a mixed solution of phosphoric acid and water with chromic anhydride added therein at a quantity of several percents, the etching rate for a porous oxide layer (aluminum oxide layer) does not considerably differ from that for a dense oxide layer. This requires an etching process under severely controlled conditions, and hence, leads to problems considering the stability and the yield of the operation. Conclusively, it was found practically difficult to selectively remove the porous oxide layer alone.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A line generating device may include a housing having a bottom surface, a top surface, a front surface connecting the top and bottom surfaces, a rear surface connecting the top and bottom surfaces, and a side surface connecting the top and bottom surfaces, a support assembly mounted within the housing. In addition, the device may include a light source mounted on the support assembly, and a lens for receiving light and projecting the light in the shape of a fan within a plane. The light plane exits through the front surface. The device is disposable on a reference surface on the bottom, rear and side surfaces.

In the construction industry, it is well known to use laser levels for marking reference lines to be used in the layout of different features in a room or structure. Most of these laser levels are expensive due to the optics and electronics involved therein.
Less expensive laser levels that generate a laser line have recently entered the market. However, they typically have limited uses. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a line generating device that can be used in multiple situations.


A pneumatic tire includes sipes extending in a tire width direction on a road contact surface of blocks, the sipes having at least one end open to a circumferential main groove. The sipes are positioned at an edge portion of the blocks, and have a first sipe portion open to the circumferential main groove and a second sipe portion positioned at a center portion of the blocks. The first sipe portion has a linear form when viewed as a cross-section from a direction perpendicular to a sipe length direction, and has a pair of mutually mating, opposing first sipe wall faces with a protrusion and a recess respectively disposed thereon. The second sipe portion has a form bent in the sipe width direction when viewed as a cross-section from a direction perpendicular to the sipe length direction, and has a pair of mating mutually opposing second sipe wall faces.

1. Technical Field
The present technology relates to a pneumatic tire, and particularly relates to a pneumatic tire whereby ease of manufacture can be enhanced while maintaining braking performance on ice.
2. Related Art
Pneumatic tires such as studless tires and the like have block patterns wherein a plurality of sipes is disposed for the purpose of enhancing braking performance on ice. While increasing the number of sipes leads to an increase in edge components of the sipes, it also leads to a decrease in block rigidity. Generally, block rigidity must be properly ensured because it affects braking performance on ice.
Conventional pneumatic tires that address this need are described in Japanese Patent No. 3894743 and Japanese Patent No. 4316452. Sipes of conventional pneumatic tires include what are known as "three-dimensional sipes", and, when viewed as a cross-section from a direction perpendicular to a sipe length direction, a wall face thereof has a form that is bent in a tire circumferential direction (sipe width direction).
However, with conventional pneumatic tires, it is necessary to provide an edge of a sipe molding die with a three-dimensional form in order to form the three-dimensional sipes. Producing a siping blade that provides the edge form described above is not generally easy. Therefore, there is a demand to simplify siping blade production and enhance the ease of manufacture of the tire.


An image reader for reading a book document laid on a document table in a spread position by optically scanning the surface of the document. The edge of the document on the side where scanning for reading the document starts, the position of an image on the document, the size of the document, the edge of the document on the side where the leaf of the document begins to be turned over and so forth are detected on the basis of data derived from the optical scanning of the surface of the document.

The present invention relates to an image reader and a book document reader with a page turning capability which are associated with a copier, facsimile transceiver or similar image forming apparatus for reading a document in the form of a book.
A conventional image reader for a book document has a document table on which a book document is laid spread and face up, a glass platen contacting the spread surface of the document, and scanning optics facing the document with the intermediary of the glass platen for optically scanning it (referred to as Prior Art I hereinafter). Another conventional image reader optically scans, or traces, the surface of the book document held in the above-mentioned position by use of a contact type optical read sensor (referred to as Prior Art II hereinafter). The problem with Prior Art I is that a book document has to be moved from a position for turning the pages to a scanning position, resulting in a low scanning efficiency and a bulky construction. Prior Art II is practicable without resorting to a bulky construction. However, since Prior Art II is not provided with means for pressing the spread surface of a book document, it is likely that the surface of the document rises away from the document table and cannot be stably scanned.
In the light of the above, there has been proposed a device capable of reading a book document while turning over the leaves of the document, i.e., a multifunction document scanner (MFDS), as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 193589/1990 by way of example. The MFDS includes a document table having a document loading surface, a belt extending along the document loading surface while being partly spaced part from it, and a page turning and reading unit. The page turning and reading unit has leaf accommodating means, leaf attracting means, leaf separating means, reading means, etc. After a book document has been set on the document loading surface in a spread position, the page turning and reading unit is moved relative to the surface of the document to read the document while sequentially turning over the leaves of the document. The MFDS, therefore, fully automates the time and labor consuming operation for turning over the leaves as well as the document scanning procedure, thereby remarkably enhancing the productivity of, for example, copies.
The prerequisite with the MFDS is that the size of the book document laid spread on the document table be detected to determine a reading area and a page turning area of the document. To meet this requirement, in the MFDS, the edge of the spread book document is detected by an exclusive sensor or by image processing while the page turning and reading unit is in a prescanning movement. Then, the outputs of an encoder mounted on a turn-over roller are counted to determined the size of the document and thereby the reading area and page turning area.
However, regarding a book document or similar relatively thick document, the edge of the surface of the document changes in position with the change in the thickness of the document, pages at which the document is spread, etc. It is, therefore, preferable to adequately set up the position for starting scanning the document and the position for starting turning over the leaf in matching relation to the actual edge of the document surface, actual image position, etc. Otherwise, the page turning operation would become defective and, in the worst case, errors would be introduced in images to be taken in or printed out.

Image reader and book document reader with a page turning capability for an image forming apparatus


Described herein is a road safety warning system and methods of use thereof. The warning system includes a housing; a warning sign comprising a first end and a second end; and a means for extending and retracting the warning sign from the housing, wherein one or more wheels are attached to the second end of the warning sign. The warning sign can be extended from a disabled vehicle or mount in order to warn oncoming traffic.

When a vehicle stops or breaks down along the side of a highway, a hazardous condition is created. The vehicle is either repaired or abandoned near the side of the highway as oncoming motorists continue to speed by. A number of safety devices have been devised that give oncoming motorists an early warning as to the road hazard created by such a breakdown.
Among the types of warning devices commonly used are standard highway safety triangles. These safety triangles are reflective and include a lower base and an upper, frequently collapsible, triangular-shaped device. The triangle is a well-known safety or hazard warning symbol. In many states, it is a legal requirement that trucks be equipped with such deployable safety triangles for use during a breakdown or an accident to warn oncoming motorist of the approaching hazard.
There is also a concern for the safety of the driver of the disabled vehicle when placing the safety triangles along the highway. The driver is placing himself at a heightened risk in order to position the safety triangles behind the disabled vehicle. In addition, the safety triangles may be knocked over after being placed on the ground due to strong winds or due to a passing motorist driving too close to the safety triangles. Therefore, what is needed is a safety warning system that can be easily deployed and provide ample warning to oncoming traffic.

Road safety system and methods of use thereof


A reception device including: an antenna configured to receive a radio signal including a radio frame that includes a plurality of symbols, and a processor configured to perform a first processing for estimating a first interference noise power for one or more first specified symbols of the plurality of symbols, each of the one or more first specified symbols including each of one or more reference signals respectively, and to perform a second processing for estimating a second interference noise power for one or more second specified symbols of the plurality of symbols, each of the one or more second specified symbols including no reference signal, the second interference noise power differing from the first interference noise power.

Channel estimation processing is known in which an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) reception device estimates a communication channel between a transmission device and a reception device on the basis of the reception result of a known reference signal. A channel estimation value is used for demodulation processing of received data. Interference noise power is used for such channel estimation processing and demodulation processing.
In addition, a technology is known by which a radio frame that includes a reference signal and does not include data is transmitted. Such an example is an inter-cell interference control technology that is called enhanced inter-cell interference coordination (eICIC) and is introduced to Long term Evolution (LTE) that is defined on standards of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) that is a standards body.
As a technology in the related art, a base station device is known that performs multi-carrier radio communication in a plurality of subcarriers with a plurality of mobile station devices (for example, see Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-004924). The base station device includes a cell environment determination processing unit that estimates an interference amount from neighbor cells, and a scheduler that allocates resources to a mobile station in a unit of sub-band that is constituted by one or a plurality of subcarriers. The base station device includes an inter-cell interference adjustment processing unit that determines transmission power constraint to constrain allocation enabled resources for each of the sub-bands, on the basis of the interference amount estimation result.
In addition, a mobile communication system is known that includes a first base station and a second base station, and in which a protection subframe group is set in the first base station, and pattern information that indicates the protection subframe group is notified from the first base station to the second base station (for example, see Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-129793). The second base station includes a measurement instruction unit that notifies a user device of a radio subframe group that is a part of the protection subframe group and is used for reception quality measurement in the user device. The second base station includes a scheduling unit that allocates communication resource to the user device on the basis of the reception quality measurement result that is received from the user device and the protection subframe group that is indicated in the pattern information that is received from the first base station. The second base station includes a protection subframe usage state calculation unit that calculates a proportion of the number of protection subframes that are allocated for communication in the user device to which the radio subframe group for the reception quality measurement is notified, in the total number of protection subframes in a specific time interval. The second base station includes a protection subframe usage state notification unit that notifies the first base station of the proportion that is calculated by the protection subframe usage state calculation unit, as a protection subframe usage state.
In addition, a signal processing method in a multi-carrier radio communication system that includes a plurality of subcarriers is known (for example, see Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-283634). The signal processing method that includes allocating resources in a unit of resource block that is constituted by one or a plurality of subcarriers, and notifying base stations of inter-cell interference adjustment control information to each other. In addition, the signal processing method includes determining constraint of transmission power for each of the resource blocks in a cell on the basis of the inter-cell interference adjustment control information, and changing the determination of constraint of the transmission power in order from a resource block the constraint of transmission power of which is different from that of an adjacent resource block.


This invention provides an optical converter suitable for use as the gain medium in lasers, optical amplifiers and other optical devices. The converter consists of at least one and preferable two or more optical converter elements which are sandwiched and separated by inactive dielectric layers. An optical pump beam may be passed to the active converter elements through an anti-reflection layer at one surface of the converter and a high reflection mirror may be provided at the opposite side of the converter to reflect the pump beam incident thereon back into the converter for a second pass. Each converter element has one or more absorber layers, at least one radiation layer receiving energy from the absorber layers and preferably outputting energy at a slightly different wavelength than the wavelength at which the absorber layers optimally absorb, and preferably at least one index-of-refraction compensator (IRC) layer which compensates for changes in index-of-refraction induced by the absorber and radiator layers to provide a low divergence far field optical intensity profile for the converter with no substantial side lobes.

Optical gain mediums are used extensively in optical devices such as lasers and optical amplifiers. While such mediums may be liquid or gaseous, solid state gain mediums are being increasingly utilized in such applications for a variety of reasons including more compact construction and ease of handling.
Heretofore, a solid state optical gain medium has typically been constructed of a single semiconductor material. However, the semiconductor materials typically used for such applications have short absorption depths for optical photons, which depths are generally in the order of 1 to 2 microns. This absorption depth is roughly the same as the wavelength of the photon energy being amplified in such optical converter gain mediums, resulting in a relatively high numerical aperture for optical access to the medium. In other words, light tends to diverge strongly therefrom, making it difficult to couple light into and out of the medium.
Another problem with bulk semiconductor gain mediums is that they absorb and radiate optical energy at nearly the same wavelength. Thus, some of the energy being radiated is also reabsorbed, raising the pump density requirement for optical gain.
As a result of the problems indicated above, existing bulk semiconductor optical gain mediums operate with relatively high losses and relatively low quantum efficiency.
Further, in order to obtain external mode matching, it is desirable that the gain medium provide a particular optical and gain profile. Heretofore, because of strong beam divergence from the medium, heavy, bulky and expensive external optical elements have been required to achieve such mode matching. Such external optical elements are undesirable in all applications, and are a particular problem in applications where weight and space are at a premium, such as in satellites.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved optical converter gain medium which, under optical pumping, provides optical gain with high optical uniformity, controlled gain and optical intensity profile, high quantum efficiency, low loss and low numerical aperture for easy optical access.


A semiconductor storage device includes a level shift unit that shifts level of potential of bit line pair BL, BLB when a sense amplifier starts to read potential of the bit lines. The level shift unit includes level shifting capacitors and a timing generator. Each of level shifting capacitors have one electrode connected to each bit line and form one pair by two level shifting capacitors for each bit line pair. The timing generator is connected to each of the other electrodes of the level shifting capacitors in common, and supplies a shift capacitor drive signal to a common node of the other electrodes, so as to change stored electricity amount of the level shifting capacitors at a predetermined timing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor storage device.
More specifically, the present invention relates to the structure for performing precharge when data is read out in a DRAM which is a semiconductor storage device.
2. Description of Related Art
A DRAM is known as a memory device. In typical, signal charge amount stored in the DRAM is quite small. Accordingly, in order to detect and amplify the signal charge amount of the DRAM and externally read it out, potential change of bit lines needs to be sensed with high sensitivity.
As more and more devices have been miniaturized in recent years, power supply voltage Vcc applied to the devices needs to be lowered in terms of maintaining operation reliability.
By the way, a Vcc/2 precharge system has typically been employed to read out data of DRAM.
This is disclosed, for example, in ISSCC 2002/SESSION 9/DRAM AND FERROELECTRIC MEMORIES/9.3, A 300 MHz Multi-Banked eDRAM Macro Featuring GND Sense, Bit-Line Twisting and Direct Reference Cell Write, FIG. 9.3.2. However, the following problems are raised if the voltage is lowered in a simple way with the Vcc/2 precharge system.
In the Vcc/2 precharge system, when the reading operation is completed, the potential of the bit lines is equalized and is precharged to the potential of Vcc/2 again.
In the DRAM using such a Vcc/2 precharge system, the voltage between gate and source (Vcc/2) in sense amplifier operation of the transistor that forms a sense amplifier inevitably decreases as the power supply voltage is made lower. As a result, the sense operation is greatly delayed, or may not be performed in a worst case.
For example, when Vcc=1.5 V, the voltage between gate and source (Vcc/2) of a sense amplifier transistor is 0.75 V. In practice, it is expected that the voltage decreases due to resistance of a common source line of the sense amplifier transistor, and especially in initial sensing, the voltage between gate and source is further reduced (to about 0.5 V or less).
Meanwhile, an absolute value |Vth| of a threshold voltage Vth of the sense amplifier transistor needs to be at least 0.3 to 0.5 V in order to guarantee cut-off characteristics. Further, in initial sensing, the substantial value of |Vth| is further increased in accordance with the substrate effect of the sense amplifier transistor.
Hence, the threshold voltage and the voltage between gate and source of the sense amplifier transistor in the initial sense operation are extremely close to each other. Then, the initial sense operation is considerably delayed, which is the biggest obstacle for realizing high-speed DRAM.
On the other hand, a ground precharge system has been used in recent years as a reading method by lowering the bias level of the sense amplifier. In case of the DRAM with the ground precharge system, upon completion of reading operation, the potential of the bit lines is equalized and precharged to the potential of GND. In the DRAM with such a ground precharge system, the voltage between gate and source of the sense amplifier transistor can be doubled compared with the Vcc/2 precharge system, whereby high-speed operation and stability can be maintained in the sense operation even when the power supply voltage is made lower.
Now, the configuration of the DRAM according to the related art using the ground precharge system will be described in brief.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a DRAM.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration example of a bit line precharge circuit, a reference cell, and a memory cell.
The DRAM includes a memory cell array 700.
The memory cell array 700 includes a plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines arranged in matrix. Then, a memory cell is arranged at each intersection of the word lines with the bit lines, and memory cells 2 are arranged in matrix.
Note that, in FIG. 5, only one bit line pair is shown for the sake of simplicity.
The DRAM further includes a decoder 600. The decoder 600 decodes control addresses A0 to Am input through an input buffer 500, and generates a memory cell selection signal WL for selecting a specific memory cell. The decoder 600 further includes a function of selecting a word line and a dummy word line connected to the specific memory cell and a reference cell that forms a pair with the specific memory cell, respectively, based on the memory cell selection signal WL, sensing data that is output or rewriting data, and performing reading/writing data from/to the specific memory cell.
The DRAM further includes a sense amplifier 200.
The sense amplifier 200 detects a difference between charge transmitted from a data storing cell capacitor Cs of the memory cell 2 and charge transmitted from a capacitor Cd in the reference cell when performing reading operation of the memory cell 2 that is selected by the decoder 600. Hence, the sense amplifier 200 reads out data in the memory cell 2.
The data read out in the sense amplifier 200 is amplified to a certain level by a main amplifier 300, and thereafter externally output as digital I/O data DQ0 to DQn through an I/O buffer 400.
Next, a precharge circuit will be described.
The bit line precharge circuit is a transistor circuit for precharging a pair of bit lines BL, BLB for selecting a specific memory cell to about a ground level.
Note that BLB indicates a bar signal of the bit line BL.
The bit line precharge circuit is formed of three bit line precharging transistors 210, 220, and 230. The transistors 210, 220, and 230 of the bit line precharge circuit are NMOS transistors. Then, each of a source and a drain of the NMOS transistor 230 is connected to a pair of bit lines BL, BLB, respectively.
Further, a drain of the bit line precharging transistor 210 is connected to one bit line BLB, a drain of the bit line precharging transistor 220 is connected to the other bit line BL, and sources of the bit line precharging transistors 210, 220 are connected to a common node.
To this common node, ground level of output voltage for precharging is applied.
Further, a precharge activation signal φs is input to each gate of the three bit line precharging transistors 210, 220, and 230.
Further, a reference cell precharging transistor Trc is provided to precharge the reference potential storing capacitor Cd to potential of about Vcc/2. Voltage for precharging the reference cell (Vcc/2) is applied to a source (or drain) of the reference cell precharging transistor Trc. Further, the precharge activation signal φs is input to a gate of the reference cell precharging transistor Trc.
Next, a memory cell array will be described.
One given memory cell which is a component of the memory cell array 700 has one transistor and one capacitor. This memory cell is composed of a cell transistor Tc formed of one NMOS transistor and one data storing cell capacitor Cs.
The operation of such a DRAM device will now be described.
The following operation is performed in order to write data "1" or data "0" to the memory cell 2 through the bit lines BL, BLB.
First, boosted voltage is supplied from the word line WL to the gate of the cell transistor Tc to set the cell transistor Tc to the operation state. Then, charge is stored in the data storing cell capacitor Cs in accordance with "0" or "1" of data.
Further, the following operation is performed to read out data by selecting the memory cell.
Boosted voltage is supplied to the gate of the cell transistor Tc and the gate of the reference cell transistor Tr from the word line WL and the dummy word line DWL, respectively, so as to set the cell transistor Tc and the reference cell transistor Tr to the operation state.
Then, charge stored in the data storing cell capacitor Cs and the reference potential storing capacitor Cd is reallocated through a pair of bit lines BL, BLB.
At this time, the potential of the pair of bit lines BL, BLB is changed.
This potential change of the bit line pair BL, BLB is detected by a sense amplifier.

Semiconductor storage device including a lever shift unit that shifts level of potential of bit line pair


Embodiments for enabling traffic content identification by a wireless transmit/receive unit are provided. The WTRU may store interface binding entries in a database associating links in a web page to various traffic content types, such as video, audio, and text. Upon a request to access one of the links, a socket may be created based on a data mobility policy associated with the traffic content type. Alternately, the database may associate the links directly to interface types based on the data mobility policies. The Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) may provide the data mobility policies to the WTRU.

Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) is an entity within an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) of 3GPP compliant mobile networks. Generally, ANDSF assists User Equipment (UE) in the discovery and selection of non-3GPP access networks, such as Wi-fi, or WIMAX, for example, that can be used for data communications in addition to 3GPP access networks (such as HSPA or LTE). ANDSF also provides the UE with rules policing the connection to these networks, such as Inter-System Routing Policies (ISRP), via a management object (MO). For example, various policies provided to the UE are designed to manage UE's inter-radio access technology (RAT) access selection and mobility, including on a per-flow basis. The ISRP provide the capability to identify traffic based on types of information, including extrinsic information available to the UE, such as the APN, and IP packet header information (e.g., transport protocol, destination port, and destination IP address).

Methods, apparatus and systems for traffic identification


Apparatus, and an associated method, for a radio communication system. Asymmetrically positioned downlink data transmitting stations and uplink data receiving stations are positioned defining downlink service areas and uplink service areas. A mobile terminal, when positioned in the downlink service area, is able to receive high speed downlink data. And, when the mobile terminal is stationed within an uplink service area, the mobile terminal is capable of sending data at high data rates to an uplink receiving station.

A communication system permits data to be communicated between separate communication stations, formed, at a minimum, of a sending station and a receiving station. The use of a communication system by which to communicate data is, and shall likely continue increasingly to be, a necessary aspect of modern society. A wide variety of communication systems have been developed and are utilized regularly through which to effectuate many different types of communication services.
Technological advancements, such as advancements in communication technologies, have been implemented in communication systems. Improvements to existing types of communication systems as well as the implementation of new types of communication systems have been made possible as a result of such advancements in technologies.
Radio communication systems are exemplary of communication systems in which technological advancements have been implemented. In a radio communication system, communication channels are defined upon radio links formed between the communication stations thereof. The need otherwise to utilize wirelines to interconnect the communication stations is obviated. Radio communication systems are therefore amenable for implementation as mobile communication systems.
A cellular communication system is a type of radio communication system. Voice, as well as data, communication services are effectuable through the use of a cellular communication system. Access to use of a cellular communication system is generally provided pursuant to a subscription for service therein. In some areas, use of cellular communication systems is increasingly becoming a primary manner by which to communicate telephonically. And, as cellular communication systems increasingly are constructed to permit the communication of increased amounts of data at increasingly high data rates, data-intensive communication services are also increasingly effectuated through the use of a cellular communication system.
Successive generations of cellular communication systems have been developed and implemented. And, successor-generation communication systems are undergoing development that takes advantage of technological advancements in communication technologies. While initial-generation, cellular communication systems provide for limited data services, third-generation and successor-generation communication systems are anticipated to be used, in significant part, to perform data communication services. Various standard-setting bodies are promulgating operational specifications that define the parameters of operation of such successor-generation systems. When data is communicated at high data rates with high user penetration levels, carrier frequencies of higher frequency levels or wider-spectrum bandwidths are required to permit the data to be communicated at the high data rates.
Various problems must, however, be overcome when the higher carrier frequencies and wider-spectrum bandwidths are utilized. Amongst the problems associated with communications at the higher-carrier frequencies and wider-spectrum bandwidths is that transmitted signals exhibit higher levels of propagation loss as well as higher levels of residual noise. Conventionally, compensation is made for the higher propagation loss and higher noise level by increasing the output power of the transmitted signal.
Increase in the output power level of the transmit signal is, however, practically limited. For instance, when the communication station from which the data is to be communicated is powered by a portable power supply, of limited energy storage capacity, increased power output requirements increase the speed at which the battery power supply becomes depleted of stored energy.
While communication services that are communicated at high data rates are conventionally contemplated to be originated at a network part of a communication system, proposed, communication services of successor-generation systems shall likely also be originated at mobile, or data, terminals that are powered by the portable battery power supplies of the limited energy storage capacities. Problems associated with originating data at a mobile, or other data, terminal, powered by a portable power supply, and transmitting the data as uplink data from the data terminal to the network part of the communication system remain to be considered and overcome.
More particularly, a manner is required by which to provide for the communication of uplink data, at high data rates, from a data terminal at power levels that are less than a selected, maximum power level. Communication of the data at the high data rates without a corresponding increase in the power levels at which the data is communicated permits communication services that must be performed at high data rates to be effectuated without a corresponding quick depletion of the stored energy of a battery power supply that powers the data terminal.
It is in light of this background information related to communication of data at high data rates in a radio communication system that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.

Asymmetric radio access network, and associated method, for communicating data at high data rates


The invention relates to a capsule for a valve as well as to a valve comprising such a capsule. The task of the present invention is to provide a valve in which tight tolerances for construction can be achieved and the assembly of the valve is simplified. According to the present invention the above task is solved by a capsule (1) for a valve comprising at least one diaphragm (2), a valve seat (3), a capsule inlet (5) and a capsule outlet (6). The valve seat (3) is openable and closable to permit or stop a fluid flow from the capsule inlet (5) to the capsule outlet (6). The above task is also solved by a capsule (1) for a valve that comprises at least one diaphragm (2), a valve seat (3), a capsule inlet (5) and a capsule outlet (6), wherein the capsule (1) is structured and arranged to control the position of a pilot valve element external to the capsule (1). The above task is also solved by a valve (10) comprising a valve housing (15), wherein a capsule (1) of the above kind is arranged in the valve housing (15).

In many kinds of valves diaphragms are used to separate pressure chambers to allow a partial or complete pressure control of the valve. For example, pilot valves are often at least partially pressure regulated and comprise two or more pressure chambers that are separated by a diaphragm. The diaphragm can either comprise or cooperate with a valve element to close or open a valve seat depending on the pressure difference between the pressure chambers.
The diaphragm is usually fixed between parts of the valve housing when assembling the valve.
However, it can be difficult to achieve tight tolerances in construction and consequently a precise opening behavior this way. Furthermore, the known valves comprising diaphragms usually cannot be serviced and need to be replaced in case of a malfunction.


An open-end spinning rotor has a fiber collecting groove which is provided with fine roughenings. The fiber collecting groove includes additional profilings whose peak-to-valley height is at least five times the peak-to-valley height of the roughenings. This arrangement results in an improvement in yarn quality.

This application claims the priority of German application 196 51 419.3 filed in Germany on Dec. 11, 1996, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to an open-end spinning rotor comprising a sliding surface and a fiber collecting groove whose surface has fine roughenings.
An open-end spinning rotor described in German published patent application 195 09 742 A1 comprises a fiber collecting groove, which has fine roughenings in the micrometer range. In order to produce the roughenings, lasers are preferably used. A roughened surface is hereby produced which has the character of a wrinkled surface. The collecting groove obtains a favorable grip, which results in an improvement in the yarn. In order to increase the wear resistance, the surface of the fiber collecting groove is additionally boronized.
An open-end spinning rotor described in German published patent application 27 57 656 A1 has a sliding surface comprises wavelike profilings. The wave crests formed therefrom are equidistant to one another and have the same wave height. The fiber collecting groove is also preferably wave-shaped. The effective length of the fiber collecting groove is hereby increased, so that in particular long fibers can be deposited without any difficulties. The applicable area of the open-end spinning rotor is thus increased in relation to the staple length. The increase in the effective length is preferably 20%.
It is known from the U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,273 that in order to improve the wear resistance of the fiber collecting groove, an open-end spinning rotor made of steel is hardened by means of lasers. As the hardening can be localized very precisely, material distortion, which can otherwise occur during heat treatment, is avoided.
It is an object of the present invention to design the fiber collecting groove of an open-end spinning rotor in such a way that yarn quality is further improved.
This object has been achieved in accordance with the present invention in that the fiber collecting groove comprises profilings whose peak-to-valley height is at least five times the peak-to-valley height of the roughenings.
It has been shown that just that combination of relatively coarse profilings and fine roughenings result in an improvement in yarn quality. The improvement in yarn quality is marked by a higher yarn strength and a better evenness of the yarn. The fine roughenings ensure that the fibers arriving in the fiber collecting groove take up the rotational speed thereof practically without slip, while the coarser profilings result in an extension of the so-called fiber-integration zone, that is, an extension of the zone in which the single yarn twist is continued in the fiber collecting groove.
In accordance with the concept of the present invention, the peak-to-valley height of the roughenings is in the micrometer range, e.g. about 5 to 8 .mu.. Accordingly, the peak-to-valley height of the profilings is at least 25 .mu..
The profilings can be arranged in circumferential direction of the open-end spinning rotor at large distances to one another or directly adjacent to one another.
It is important that the profilings are arranged equidistant to one another, so that periodical discontinuities do not occur in the fiber collecting groove, which subsequently result in an undesirable moire effect in the fabric. It is furthermore favorable when the profilings are otherwise uniformly arranged or formed, for example, when they have at least approximately similarly dimensions. This results in a further improvement in yarn quality.
A smaller or larger amount of roughenings in the fiber collecting groove can be provided, according to the spinning conditions to which the open-end spinning rotor is adapted. The roughenings should be distributed over the entire circumference of the fiber collecting groove. In an advantageous way, such roughenings are contained on the surfaces of profilings, which roughenings partly or entirely cover the corresponding profilings.
In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the profilings form elevations and/or recesses, which extend transversely to the circumferential direction of the open-end spinning rotor. Transversely extending profilings of this type result in a further improvement in yarn quality, possibly because the extension of the single yarn twist into the fiber collecting groove is less hindered.
In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the profilings are arranged in a wave-like formation and form wave crests and wave troughs extending transversely to the circumferential direction of the open-end spinning rotor. Particularly good spinning results are achieved using a surface of this kind.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the profilings are arranged in a honeycomb shape.
In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the fiber collecting groove is made of ceramic material. The surface form of the fiber collecting groove according to the present invention achieves good spinning results with this very wear-resistant material.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the fiber collecting groove is made of boronized steel. It has been shown that the surface form according to the present invention achieves particularly good spinning results when the fiber collecting groove is boronized. At the same time, a long life for the fiber collecting groove is obtained. Even after many operational hours, the spinning results deteriorate only slightly due to the hardness of the surface. Thus the double requirement of good spinning properties and long life are both fulfilled. These requirements were seen up to now as mutually exclusive. It is practical for the purposes of the present invention to apply the surface form to the already boronized collecting groove. This results in better yarn quality in comparison to collecting grooves which are boronized after the surface of the present invention has been applied.
The profilings and roughenings can be produced in various ways, for example by mechanical means. It is also possible to use material for the fiber collecting groove which already comprises the desired roughenings due to its inherent character.
In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the roughenings and profilings are produced by laser. It has been shown that the specific surface form obtained by means of lasers gives particularly good spinning results. A further advantage is that the laser settings can be adjusted very easily. Thus very varying surface forms of the fiber collecting groove can be obtained, according to the spinning specifications required. Lasers can be applied with good results to all materials used for open-end spinning rotors, in particular to hard materials, such as ceramic or iron boride.
In an advantageous way, the production of profilings and roughenings takes place in the same procedural step.
In an advantageous way, unhardened steel is used for the fiber collecting groove, which is hardened by means of lasers. This can take place, in an advantageous way, in the same procedural step in which the profilings and roughenings are produced by lasers. A good protection against wear can thus be obtained in a cost-effective way. In an advantageous embodiment, the fiber sliding surface also comprises profilings which are directed towards the fiber collecting groove. These profilings are also produced in an advantageous way by means of lasers.

Open-end spinning rotor with a fiber collecting groove and method of making same


A crystal oscillator (31) (Y-cut) has a temperature characteristic in which its oscillating frequency significantly changes with temperature, whereas a crystal oscillator (32) (AT-cut) has a temperature characteristic in which its oscillating frequency is stable with temperature. Crystal oscillators (31, 32) are cut from a raw material of the same type and configured to be substantially equal in shape, material, and size, and provide a combination of oscillation frequencies such that the frequency of a signal generated by a differential frequency circuit (35) will be less than or equal to 10 kHz within a measuring temperature range of 21 to 30° C. The frequency of a signal generated by differential frequency generating circuit (35) is output to a measurement apparatus main unit and a frequency counting circuit (15) measures the frequency of this signal by a reciprocal counting method to obtain at least eight or more significant digits.

A crystal oscillator has its natural oscillating frequency (vibrating frequency) that is determined by its shape or the like. It is known that this oscillating frequency is expressed by the following equation.
                    f        =                              n                          2                                                                                t                                ·                                    Cij              ρ                                                          [                  Equation                                                              1                ]
Variables in the equation are as follows:
f: Natural oscillating frequency
n: Overtone order
t: Thickness of crystal oscillator
ρ: Density
Cij: Elastic constant
In general, a crystal oscillator is used as a frequency source in, inter alia, wireless communication equipment and various measuring instruments, as an oscillation element generating a frequency that less changes with temperature and is regarded as the most stable. However, some crystal oscillator has a characteristic in which its oscillating frequency significantly changes with temperature, which is dependent on a cut angle (cut orientation), which is an angle at which it is cut from a crystal material, as typified by Y cut, LC cut, etc.
Taking advantage of such a characteristic of a crystal oscillator, a temperature measurement apparatus is used that employs a crystal oscillator having a cut orientation giving a linear change of frequency with temperature and makes temperature measurement by measuring the oscillating frequency of the crystal oscillator (for example, refer to Patent Literatures 1 and 2). In addition, a quartz temperature measurement device arranged to make temperature measurement by measuring a differential frequency between two crystal oscillators exists (for example, refer to Patent Literature 3). Since the frequency of an electric signal can be measured with high precision, according to such a temperature measurement apparatus using crystal oscillators, it is achievable to make temperature measurement with measurement precision of 1/10000° C. (one ten-thousandth of 1° C.).
By the way, global environmental changes have recently become an issue of concern. Therefore, in order to make a long-term observation of changes in global environment including monitoring crustal movements, a change in seawater temperature, etc., measuring temperature of groundwater, deep wells, crustal heat, deep sea water temperature, etc. is performed by using a quartz temperature measurement device as discussed above. For weather observation and marine weather observation, quartz temperature measurement device as discussed above is also used for an application in which it is installed in the Pacific Ocean to measure seawater temperature in an unmanned manner.
In such a case of measuring deep sea water temperature or the like, although it is possible to observe environmental changes even on the level of measurement precision of 1/10000 ° C. (one ten-thousandth of 1° C.), it is required to measure seawater temperature or the like with even higher precision in order to measure a minute change in temperature.

Quartz-temperature-measurement probe and quartz-temperature-measurement device


A fail-safe leak detection and flood prevention apparatus includes an induced current, transconductive darlington amplifier and tuned-frequency standing water detector mounted at a lowest point of a potential leak plane for sensing variations of standing water conditions on the potential leak plane, and an induced current amplifier in communication with the standing water detector. A sensitivity control device for controlling sensitivity of the standing water detector for humidity, or dampness, level and for detecting a standing water leak; the sensitivity control device being in communication with the induced current amplifier. A latching relay driver connected to the sensitivity control device with the latching relay driver being able to memorize a leak condition when electrical power is lost. A control rectifier driven by the latching relay driver, with the control rectifier driving a 120-volt AC line voltage load. A normally closed 120-volt AC line operated fail-safe water cutoff device is connected with the control rectifier, so that when the standing water detector becomes wet, the induced current generated by the standing water detector changes the transconductance of the input darlington amplifier causing the induced current amplifier to indicate the leak condition, which removes electrical power from the normally closed 120-volt AC line operated fail-safe water cutoff device for shutting off water flow.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fail-safe leak detection and flood prevention apparatus.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for leak detection and flood prevention that can easily be installed in a residence, a commercial business, or an industrial workplace, to totally eliminate the uncontrolled flooding caused by ruptured pipes, cracked heating system boilers, water heaters and failed inlet hoses connected to devices such as washing machines. The invention further addresses the need for radio-controlled remote sensing of leaks and water shut-offs where the xe2x80x9cleak detector to control unitxe2x80x9d wiring is impractical or otherwise impossible to accommodate.
The present invention allows for the ready prevention of many, if not most, types of common household floods, thereby providing significant economic savings to homeowners and the insurance industry.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art encompasses many leak detection and water flow control devices, however, all such prior art systems are either mechanically complex or are not capable of detecting very small leaks, as can the present invention, and are uneconomical to operate and thereby not readily acceptable to the general public.
Illustrative of the prior art is Quintana, U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,569, which discloses a toilet overflow prevention device wherein a toilet is electrically wired for the detection of possible flooding conditions. Aesthetically, this prior art apparatus has the drawback of having a commode with visible electrical wires connected to it.
Jurado, U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,759, teaches a flood control device having a sensor and means for water removal. The apparatus of this patent uses a sensor to detect standing water, but requires expensive plumbing and water removal pumps to accomplish flood protection. The drawback of the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,759 is that it requires water extraction plumbing that must be installed, in addition to the system""s overall lack of control of incoming flooding water.
Isaacson, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,263, and Simpkins, U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,493, disclose devices that attempt to prevent flood control by means of determining a leak by measuring a flow of water in a supply pipe by using a type of electromechanical flow meter and determining whether too much water has flowed over a specified time, i.e., that a leak or uncontrolled flood is taking place, thereby shutting down the water inlet. The drawback in both U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,782,263 and 5,979,493 is that there is no precise way to predetermine how much water is xe2x80x9ctoo muchxe2x80x9d for any specific application. The practical drawback of these systems is that all of the predetermined water that the systems are set to detect must flow through the pipes in order for the systems to shut down the incoming water, which may already be more than enough water to cause extensive damage. These types of systems have the further drawbacks of not being able to detect small leaks.
By contrast, the present invention offers residential, business and industrial consumers an inexpensive, and fail-safe manner of shutting off incoming water the moment the detector senses an alarm condition. The sensitivity of the inventive system can be adjusted for humidity, or dampness, level and for detecting a standing water leak.
In further contrast to the prior art, the present invention operates on the fail-safe basis of having a water inlet continuously powered xe2x80x9con,xe2x80x9d whereas the prior art operates by powering a water cutoff for stopping the flow of water. This prior art approach, i.e., of powering the water cutoff to stop the incoming flow of water, fails to protect the residence or business intended for protection in the event of a power failure, again, in contrast to the present invention.
Additional benefits of the present invention include the fact that installation can be accomplished by the most inexperienced of home or business owners and their personnel, and requires no special tools for doing so. An important feature of the present invention is that it possesses the ability to provide for radio controlled water detectors where hard wiring the detectors to the main control unit is impractical or impossible.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a simple and economical solution to the prevention of uncontrolled flooding, and to do so at times that no human contact with the system is possible.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a leak detection apparatus by which standing water is detected, along with the ability of the sensitivity of the apparatus to be adjusted so that dampness or high humidity conditions will not cause a false shutoff of the inlet water, and still be able to detect very small leaks in contrast to the prior art.
It is, yet, a further object of the present invention to provide a leak detection apparatus, which includes means for shutting off of a water inlet and recording, or memorizing, the alarm state, even in the event of an electrical power loss.
The fail-safe leak detection and flood prevention apparatus of the present invention includes a modular design that is powered from a standard 120 VAC wall outlet, and requires no special tools or understanding of plumbing to place this system into operation.
The standing water detector is, preferably, a 1-10 microamps darlington amplified circuit (though other circuits may also be utilized), so that when wet, this circuit causes a change in transconductance that is proportional to the level of standing water. The control unit of the invention interprets the transconductance shift caused by the standing water as a standing water condition, and as such, thereby causes the inlet water cutoff to close immediately.
The foregoing transconductance darlington amplifier circuit standing water detectors can be linked to the control system for the invention by a radio frequency transmitter-receiver. This is particularly advantageous where direct wiring of the water detector to the control system is extremely difficult, economically impractical, or, quite literally, impossible.
It is also important that a standing water condition may drain through floor drains and could deceive a lesser system into signalling that an xe2x80x9cerrorxe2x80x9d condition has been repaired. By contrast, the present invention shuts off the incoming water on an alarm state of a standing water condition, and the water inlet will remain off, even if electrical power is lost, or if the standing water condition should drain off. This is in contrast to prior art devices not having such a feature, whereby the inlet water would turn back on if the standing water were to drain off, thereby causing the flooding cycle to repeat over and over again. The present invention shuts off the incoming water on an alarm state of a standing water condition, and will not allow the incoming water line to be reactivated unless the system is manually reset.
The present invention may also include multiple direct-wired and radio-linked standing water detectors for further leak damage control in multiple locations without the need to install additional water cutoffs.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the a fail-safe leak detection and flood prevention apparatus includes a feature for allowing a user to interface with a standard telephone line, and with that connection, call a preset number to alarm the receiver of the flooding condition that has been detected. The control system performs its task by means of a non-human contact; in that the system wiring is not interfaced by the user, either visually or by physical contact. However, it must be stated that exceptional care has been taken in this invention to use power means that provide for ultra-safe operating levels, that should such human contact occur, no possible injury could resultxe2x80x94such as a child or pet touching the standing water detectors or by placing them in their mouths.
The fail-safe leak detection and flood prevention apparatus of the present invention would, preferably, comprise the following:
At least one transconductance darlington amplifier circuit standing water detector on the floor of the lowest point of the leak plane to be protected; the transconductance shift of the darlington amplifier circuit is, preferably, 1-10 microamps. The standing water detector can either be direct-wired or radio-linked to the control unit. The control unit is wired to the water inlet cutoff. The internal power source within the control unit will drive the cutoff when a standing water condition exists. A sensitivity control is included, and appropriately set, for humidity, dampness and/or standing water conditions, for selecting the activation point of the inventive apparatus. A telephone line is connected to the control unit, so that it can automatically pick up on the line and call out to the internally preset phone number and alert the receiver to the flooding condition. A remote acoustic alert device is used for xe2x80x9chearingxe2x80x9d when an alarm is being signaled. The remote acoustic alert can be direct-wired or radio-linked.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent when considered in combination with the accompanying drawing figures which illustrate certain preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should, however, be noted that the accompanying drawing figures are intended to illustrate only certain embodiments of the claimed invention and are not intended as a means for defining the limits and scope of the invention.

Fail-safe leak detection and flood prevention apparatus