A fan speed control adjusts the speed of an electric fan motor without producing audible noise at frequencies above about 60 Hz. A linear slide switch is positionable in each of four discrete positions to connect various capacitances in series with the motor to limit the power provided to the motor from an ac source. An actuator engaging the slide switch includes detents to urge the switch into each of the four positions. The urging force is a maximum approximately half-way between adjacent positions and decreases linearly to a minimum at each position. The maximum force necessary to move the switch from one position to the next is not greater than about 0.8 lb., to avoid overshoot when the actuator is operated by an extended arm.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fan speed controls and, more particularly, to a linear actuator system for adjusting the setting of a fan speed control.
2. Description of the Related Art
Controlling the speed of a fan, of the type used for cooling, circulating, or exhausting air, is often desirable. Varying fan speed can accommodate changing conditions of temperature and humidity and can conserve energy. Fan motor controls have, for a long time, varied fan speed by using switches that connect various portions of the motor armature to a power source. This requires, however, that the motor armature have multiple windings and/or multiple taps, which increases the cost of the motor and decreases its reliability. The mechanism used to switch between the different windings is typically located on or near the motor housing. This can be inconvenient if, for instance, the fan is mounted on a high ceiling, out of reach. For these reasons, it is desirable to provide an external device, which is easily mounted on a wall, to regulate the speed of a fan motor.
Light dimmers have been adapted to control fan speed by controlling the flow of power from an ac source to the fan motor. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,306, issued May 28, 1985 to Kirby, incorporated herein by reference. Kirby discloses a phase control device that incorporates a power semiconductor switch, which alternately connects and disconnects power to the fan motor in each half cycle of power flow from the source. The fan speed is varied by controlling the period of time during which the motor is connected to the source. A drawback of these phase-control devices is that the semiconductor-switched waveform provided to the motor tends to produce audible high-frequency noise.
More recent fan speed controls use circuitry having no semiconductor switches. (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,150, issued Oct. 4, 1983 to Holston et al.) These "quiet" fan speed controls provide several selectable impedances - typically capacitors - in series with the motor armature to provide various reduced levels of smooth (i.e., not switched) power to the motor from an ac source. The power reduction is proportional to the series impedance. The De-Hummer Fan Speed Control, manufactured by Power Controls, San Antonio, Tex., is a wall-mountable device operated by a rotatable switch and actuator. The switch can be positioned to select among four capacitance values, providing four discrete speed settings and a power off setting.
A drawback of rotatable switches is that they do not provide a quickly-discernible indication of their setting, since the rotation has no inherent starting or ending point. A linearly actuable switch overcomes this drawback, since the relative speed setting is easily determined from the position of the actuator relative to its end of travel points.
Conventional linearly actuated switches are designed to be operated by one or two fingers moving relative to a hand that is fixed within a local frame of reference. They are not well adapted for wall-mounted use, where an entire arm may be used to actuate the switch. Specifically, the force required to move the switch from one position to the next typically results in overshoot, due to the feedback control characteristics of the human arm/muscle system, which quickly pushes the actuator past the desired position. This makes a wall-mounted linear switch difficult to use.
The Sunrise Whispurr fan speed control, manufactured by Lightolier Controls, Secaucus, N.J., includes a four-position linear slide switch for selecting among three speed settings and "off." The control requires a large actuation force (between about 1.5 and 2 lb.) to move the slide switch actuator from one position to the next. In addition, the actuator can be set between adjacent positions so that the switch becomes inoperative and power is removed from the fan motor.

Quiet fan speed control with linear adjustment actuator


The invention is directed to a computer implemented system and apparatus for transforming objects in a first data model (source design objects) to objects in a second data model (target design objects) and synchronizing the two data models. The result of the transformation is that at least one of the target design objects is associated with a corresponding source design object. The system associates a unique identifier with each of the target design objects and source design objects, the unique identifier being associated with each map associated with each design object.

The present invention relates to a computer system for manipulating data models, more particularly the invention relates to a computer system for translating objects in one data model to objects in a second data model.
Information data models are used by information management personnel to model business environments and assure efficiency of operations. The computer systems involved in modeling such environments necessarily involve complex computer-level manipulations, since the environment that is being modeled consists of many complex and interrelated objects. Such information systems exploit database management technology to promote efficient design, enhance file maintenance and modification, eliminate data file redundancy, and provide substantial documentation regarding data file structure.
The implementation of an information management system utilizing database management technology involves the concept of dual data representation: i.e., logical representation; and physical representation. Logical representation relates to the form in which the data records are presented to and interact with the system user. Physical representation relates to the form in which individual data records are stored and how the records are manipulated by the computer system. The physical representation of the data is generally of little or no concern to the end-user, since the task of manipulating data storage areas is a function of the system, and as established by systems designers.
Of most concern to the system end-user, however, is the logical representation of the data, since the user's ability to store, retrieve, and modify aggregations of data items, data records, and data relationships is dependent upon the form in which the data base management system presents data to the user.
Information management systems operate in complex environments often consisting of hundreds or thousands of elements, or objects, and relationships, permitting users to manipulate and employ data in many ways. Representation of such elements and relationships to a user presents a set of problems not encountered, and certainly not resolved, by present data base management systems. Instead of being organized into application-oriented files, which are always addressed in the same way, as in database systems, the information may be organized so that it can be addressed in a variety of different ways, and can be used to answer a diversity of queries. Object-oriented systems currently offer the most effective means for handling such information.
Information management systems enable generation and manipulation of data models. In the past few years, different data models have evolved to represent the complex objects and relationships of objects for a given environment by different representations. In one object-oriented system, the Bachman Analyst.TM. system, available from the assignee of the current application, Bachman Information Systems, Inc., Burlington, Mass., the objects of a data model are represented by entities and associated attributes. In that system, the relationships among entities and attributes may be diagrammatically shown in a type of network-structure, Entity-Relationship (E-R) diagram. This type of data model is referred to as an extended entity data model, to describe the representation of objects in the model as entities and attributes. In another system, DB2.TM. system available from IBM Corporation, Armonk, N.Y., the objects are represented by tables and associated columns. This type of data model is referred to as a relational data model, reflecting the fact that the objects are defined by their relationship to other objects in the model.
In a work environment utilizing an information system having such data models, it is often desirable to enable users to work with either, or both, of two different data models representing the same information. There is a need for a system which enables a user to work in more than one data model environment, or design space, and to translate data models developed in one environment into another environment. The process of translation from one data model to another, is referred to as "engineering." In the field, it is known to assign a directionality for translations between two data models, so that translation is said to occur through "forward" or "reverse" engineering. In forward engineering, a term primarily used with respect to the F-R editor of the Bachman Analyst system, objects are translated from an extended-entity data model to a relational data model. In a similar fashion, reverse engineering refers to translating from a relational data model to an extended-entity data model. In such data models, the extended-entity data model is relatively compact while the relational data model is not. As a result, a user may define a model in Analyst design space using a highly efficient methodology, and then may forward engineer that model to the DB2 design space where the model may be fully expressed with great detail. Thus, the advantage of forward engineering from the Analyst design to the DB2 design spaces is that it enables the representation of a relatively large amount of information by user input of a relatively small amount of information. Alternatively, a user could specify a model, or portion of a model, in great detail in the DB2 design space, and then, through reverse engineering, obtain a compact, efficient representation of that model in the Analyst design space.
However, in the prior art, enabling a user to work in two environments, or design spaces, introduces potential inconsistencies and conflicts between the resulting two data models. For example, if a user creates a data model using an extended entity data model, and wants to view the model in a relational data model construct, forward engineering may be performed on the objects. To be effective, the translation, or engineering time must be relatively short, and the user must be able to continue working on the extended entity model. If the relational model is static during changes made to the extended entity model, the changes reflected in the extended entity model will not be reflected in the relational model. As a result of such situations, there is a need for periodic synchronization between the two data models. This synchronization process has not been effectively accomplished in the prior art, so that users can work independently in the two data spaces.
One way prior art systems have approached translation between data models is by associating objects across the design spaces by object name as the object is created. Thus, when an object with an associated name "CUSTOMER" is created in one environment, the name "CUSTOMER" is unique to the named object. During the translation of the object to the other environment, a new object name "CUSTOMER.NEW" is created which is related to "CUSTOMER" via the object name. However, one problem encountered by that prior art system is that if, for example, the user changes the name from "CUSTOMER" to "CUSTOMER2" in the first environment, a different identifier then becomes associated with the newly named object. Thereafter, when the system looks to find the previously translated "CUSTOMER.NEW" and its related object in the first environment, it determines that the object no longer exists
While on an object-by-object basis this poses a technical problem that perhaps could be successfully addressed, in a complex multi-object information system environment the problem is compounded. In such an environment, each object has uniquely associated properties, constraints and rules. Some of the constraints are generated automatically upon creation of the named object For example, in a relational model, when a Table is created called "TABLENAME", it may have a constraint "length=11 characters", or a rule that the contents are alphanumeric. During, for example, reverse engineering from a relational model to an extended entity model, most of the constraints and properties are carried over to the translated object. Thus, if the object in one environment is renamed such that a new identifier is created, the translation and necessary synchronization will be ineffective.
A similar situation arises when an object in either design space is modified. In prior art systems, modification of an object in one design space, whether by name, property or constraint, results in the need for a new translation of that object into the second design space. This effectively precludes a user, or multiple users, from working in two data model design spaces.
In addition, the manager of a complex multi-object information system implementing particular data models must be able to retain some control over the naming of objects in both models. For example, if one user names certain objects in the extended entity model "CUSTOMER", and another user names those same objects in the relational model "NAMES", any subsequent translation between the two models may result in duplicate objects and improper transformations. Thus, there is also a need for a naming standard which is invoked by the computer system to assure naming control over the two data models.

Method and apparatus for transforming objects in data models


A communication terminal generates a notification at the completion of data reception according to the amount of data received or a time period for receiving data. A communication system has a communication terminal and a content data server storing data. On request from the communication terminal, the content data server retrieves the data, converts the data such that a predetermined code is included in the data when an amount of the data is larger than a predetermined amount, and transmits the data including the predetermined code to the communication terminal. The communication terminal receives the data including the predetermined code, detects the predetermined code, and generates a notification at the completion of data reception when the predetermined code is detected. In another communication system having a communication terminal and a content data server, the content server transmits data on request from the communication terminal. The communication terminal receives the data and generates a notification at the completion of data received according to a time period for receiving the data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication terminal. In particular, it relates to a communication terminal suitable for a mobile telephone or a mobile information terminal which performs data communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communication terminals have rapidly become pervasive in today's society. The high functionality and miniaturization is achieved by the advancement of communication and packaging technologies. Conventional communication terminals include a mobile telephone in which a voice call can be received, and a mobile information terminal through which various kinds of information content can be browsed over the Internet. In particular, as to the conventional mobile telephone, not only the number of users is increased, but also reliable service has to be provided. For example, various kinds of data communications such as reception/transmission of e-mails and content data browsing have been achieved by access to data communication networks such as the Internet.
On the other hand, it has been predicted that network congestion will rise with the increasing number of users. In addition, the increasing data load due to the increased data quantities required by high-grade service will also clog networks. Consequently, even if communication speed is increased to a certain extent, the conventional communication terminal seems to take more time in data communications.
In the case where desired data is downloaded or target content data is browsed in the conventional communication terminal by accessing the Internet, a user of the conventional communication terminal recognizes completion of data communications by watching for a message indicating the completion of downloading or browsing of the content data that is displayed on a display screen, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). However, as the time required for the data communications to complete becomes longer, the time when the user must carefully watch the display screen to recognize the completion of the data communications becomes longer as well. Moreover, it is necessary to carefully watch the display screen until the completion of transmission at the time of transmission of data, such as e-mail, from the communication terminal as well as at the time of data reception in the communication terminal.
Furthermore, in the case where a communication charge for the communication terminal is incurred for not a communication data quantity but a line connection time, the user keeps a careful watch on the display screen to end a line connection as soon as the data communication has completed, thereby suppressing extra charges.
In consideration of the characteristics such as portability of the communication terminal, the downloading or browsing operation may be performed when the user is walking or riding in a car. Therefore, it is difficult or dangerous for the user to keep watching the display screen until the completion of the data communications such as downloading or browsing of the content data.
In view of these problems, there have been proposed various techniques relating to conventional communication terminals not requiring that the user thereof to carefully watch the display screen.
Such a conventional communication terminal will be discussed with reference to FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional communication terminal 10 is connected to a host computer 11 via a communication line 12. The communication terminal 10 includes a communication processing controller 13 for controlling communications with the host computer 11, an input unit 14 for inputting various kinds of instructions to the communication processing controller 13, a display 15, and a speaker 16. The communication processing controller 13 includes a data receiver 17 for receiving data from the host computer 11 via the communication line 12 and a speaker controller 18 for controlling a sound output of the speaker 16.
In the communication terminal 10, data from the host computer 11 is received by the data receiver 17 via the communication line 12 connected to the host computer 11 according to an instruction from the input unit 14. The communication processing controller 13 monitors the data receiver 17 as to whether the data from the host computer 11 has completely received. If the completion of data reception is detected, information indicative of the completion of the data reception is displayed on the display 15. Further, an output sound for giving a notice of the completion of the data reception is output from the speaker 16 under control of the speaker controller 18. Consequently, it is unnecessary for the user to keep a careful watch on the display 15 during the data reception, because the user can recognize the completion of the data reception by the output sound from the speaker 16.
This conventional communication terminal is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 10-49491.
However, in the conventional communication terminal, the completion of the data reception is notified by the output sound irrespective of the amount of data received or the elapsed time period of the data reception. In the conventional communication terminal, in most cases, a small amount of data is communicated because of the small display screen. In general, the smaller the amount of data received, the shorter the data receiving period. Therefore, if the notification is performed by the output sound on every data reception, the sound bothers people who may be present around the place at which the communication terminal is used, and further, frequent notifications are undesirable for the user himself. In the conventional communication terminal, the user can preset whether the notification by the output sound is performed. However, if the output sound is preset to not ring for the notification, the data reception cannot be notified by the output sound even if the amount of received data is large.

Communication terminal for data communications


A new and distinct variety of nectarine tree Prunus persica, and which is denominated varietally as ‘Burnectwentyone’, and which produces an attractively colored yellow-fleshed, clingstone, nectarine which is mature for harvesting approximately September 21 to October 2 under the ecological conditions prevailing in the San Joaquin Valley of central California.

The present invention relates to a new, novel and distinct variety of nectarine tree, Prunus persica, and which has been denominated varietally as 'Burnectwentyone' hereinafter.
The present variety of nectarine tree resulted from an on-going program of fruit and nut tree breeding. The purpose of this program is to improve the commercial quality of deciduous fruit and nut varieties, and rootstocks, by creating and releasing promising selections of Prunus, Malus, and Regia species. To this end we make both controlled and hybrid cross pollinations each year in order to produce seedling populations from which improved progenies are evaluated and selected.
The seedling, 'Burnectwentyone', was originated by us from a population of seedlings grown in our experimental orchards located near Fowler, Calif. The seedlings, grown on their own roots, were the result of planting seeds which were derived from the open pollination of the 'Burnectfour' nectarine tree (U.S. Pat. No. 13,477). 'Burnectfour' resulted from a previous cross of the yellow-fleshed clingstone nectarine tree 'September Red' (U.S. Pat. No. 5,664), which was used as the seed parent; and the 'Spring Bright' nectarine tree (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,507) which was used as the pollen parent. The open pollination of the 'Burnectfour' nectarine tree occurred sometime in March 1998. Thereafter seeds derived from this open pollinated seedling tree were planted in September of 1998. One subsequent seedling, denoted as I 10.067, which is the present variety, exhibited especially desirable characteristics, and was marked for subsequent observation. After the 2000 fruiting season, the new variety of nectarine tree was selected for advanced evaluation and repropagation.


A latching system for a double-hung window including upper latches and anti-bow latches where the upper latches and the anti-bow latches are operated by a common activating mechanism for ease of use of the window. A single activating mechanism may be utilized for latches on both sides of a window, or separate activating mechanisms may be used for each side of the window.

Typical double hung windows have at least one vertically sliding window sash with pivots at the bottom corners of the window sash and releasable latches near the top corners of the sash that disengage from tracks in the window frame to allow the window to tilt in for ease of cleaning. These releasable latches are most commonly actuated by means of rotating or sliding levers (commonly known as tilt latches) positioned on the top surface of the sash, which operate to retract the locking points from tracks in the window jamb. The most typical embodiment of this latching arrangement involves a separate lever or similar operator designed to engage and disengage each latch, resulting in multiple operating mechanisms protruding from the window sash and the need to actuate multiple operators in order to tilt in the window.
An established shortcoming of the typical tilt-in style double hung window is that sometimes there is a lack of an adequate seal between the window sash and the jamb of the window frame. In order for the double hung window to tilt in freely upon disengagement of the releasable latches, the portion of the window sash between the pivot points at its base and the releasable latches at the upper end cannot be permanently fastened within the window frame. As a result, high perpendicular forces against the window, resulting from strong winds, for example, can result in inward bowing of the window sash and distortion of the sash and frame sealing edges. This problem is even more pronounced with larger windows having larger gaps between pivot and upper latch points, or windows in multi-story office or apartment buildings, which are routinely exposed to high velocity winds at the upper floors.
To overcome this problem, additional locking mechanisms can be added to the sides of the window sash at an intermediate point between the pivot points and the releasable latches. U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,952 to Cunningham et al. discloses a tilt-in window with two levers at the top of the window sash designed to retract two upper latches, and two levers on the sides of the window sash that retract two additional latches, intended to provide additional stability for the window and an improved seal. While this addresses some aspects of the inward bowing concerns, the multiple levers result in a cumbersome process for locking and unlocking the window sash, as well as an aesthetically cluttered window design.
The inconvenience of operating two release levers to retract upper latches to tilt in the window sash has prompted the development of window designs employing a single, centrally located handle or lever designed to retract both tilt latches, through use of such mechanisms as a linked cam or retracting cables. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,907 to Sheldon et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,750 to Lindqvist, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/041,784 to Marshik. However, the problem of effectively and conveniently retracting both traditional upper latches and intermediate (anti-bow) locking mechanisms has not been addressed. Further, by themselves, the simple mechanical means of retracting these locking latches, as disclosed in the prior art, are not capable of retracting additional locking points that are not horizontally in-line with the lever and upper locking points.

Latching and anti-bow mechanism for a window


A door trim includes an ornament and a trim board. The ornament includes a decoration main body having ornament fitting portions at its peripheral edge portion, and an ornament insertion portion. The trim board includes a trim main body, a receiving portion, and an extending portion. The trim main body has an opening to which the decoration main body is fitted and an opening edge portion on which the fitting portions are located. The receiving portion receives the ornament insertion portion so as to be exposed on a side of the outer peripheral portion of the trim main body. The extending portion extends from the receiving portion to a space in the opening. The extending portion includes a mount seat to which a stopper member is mounted, and the door trim is mounted to a door panel via the stopper member.

A vehicular door includes a door panel and a door trim that is mounted on a vehicular interior side with respect to the door panel. Such a door trim includes a main body that configures a most part of the door trim and an ornament that is assembled to the main body as a separate part. The main body of the door trim has an opening through which the ornament is mounted to the main body from a back-surface side of the main body. The ornaments are mounted in several portions of the door trim according to a design or a function that is required for the door trim.
Such a door trim is mounted to the door panel with using a clip. The main body of the door trim has a clip seat on its back surface that faces the door panel. The clip is supported and held by the clip seat and the door trim is mounted to the door panel via the clip that is held by the clip seat.
The clip seats are arranged along a peripheral edge of the main body of the door trim. The clip seats are arranged in several portions according to a shape of the door trim.


A method and apparatus for performing an administrative function on an object, replicated at a plurality of sites, suspends or "quiesces" replication activities at the granularity of an object group. Each object resides in an object group, and each object group has a status flag that indicates whether replication activities are quiesced. In response to detecting a request to perform an administrative function on an object, replication activities are suspended for the object group. Previous transactions are propagated to other sites. When each site has propagated all the previous transactions, the administrative function is performed and replication activities for the object group are resumed.

Under certain conditions, it is desirable to store copies of a particular body of data, such as a relational table, at multiple sites. If users are allowed to update the body of data at one site, the updates must be propagated to the copies at the other sites in order for the copies to remain consistent. The process of propagating the changes is generally referred to as replication. Various mechanisms have been developed for performing replication. Once such mechanism is described in U. S. patent application Ser. No. 08/126,586 abandoned entitled "Method and Apparatus for Data Replication", filed on Sep. 24, 1993 by Sandeep Jain and Dean Daniels, the contents of which are incorporated by reference.
One problem with prior methods of replication pertains to performing administrative operations relating to data replication. Administrative operations differ from a simple modification of a body of data because they affect "metadata," information about the body of data that is separately stored by the database system. Examples of administrative operations include adding a new table to a database, adding a column to a table, deleting a column from a table, and changing the type of a column in a table. Although there are various kinds of administrative operations, all of them are characterized by the fact that they require an update to metadata, which is separately stored by the database.
It is important to ensure that changes due to administrative operations are propagated to all sites where a body of data is replicated to avoid inconsistent updates. For example, a table may be replicated with copies at three sites. At one site, a user may perform an administrative operation to add a column to a table. Shortly thereafter, that change is propagated to another site, where another user subsequently updates a value in the new column. With asynchronous replication, it is possible for these transactions to be replicated to the third site in an order that does not reflect the order in which the transactions actually occurred. Consequently, the third site may receive the administrative operation after the receiving the replication request for updating a value in column that does not yet exist at the third site.
In addition, it is important to ensure that changes due to other kinds of administrative operations, such as replication administration, be propagated consistently. For instance, a user may add a new replication site, modify conflict resolution rules, change the method of propagation (i.e., asynchronous or synchronous) between sites, or other configuration changes. All of these scenarios require a consistent application across replication sites.
Consequently, before any administrative operations are performed at one site for a particular body of data, any activities requiring replication for that body of data must be suspended, or "quiesced," at all sites. Quiescence allows all previously made replication activities to complete, so that all replicated modifications may be performed consistently with respect to the administrative environment at each site. Thus, replication is quiesced at all sites to prevent inconsistent modifications to replicated data.
In conventional methods, quiescence is performed at the database level. In other words, if an administrative task is to be performed for a particular body of data, the entire database is quiesced, even if that administrative task does not affect the validity of transactions performed on other bodies of data. Thus, a single body of data requiring quiescence is sufficient to suspend system replication activities for the entire database system.
On a large database system with many groups of unrelated bodies of data, quiescing the entire database system can substantially affect system availability. System-wide quiescence effectively places the entire system off-line, even though most of the transactions being performed may be unaffected by the administrative task. For these systems, database administrators have found it necessary to schedule their administrative tasks in advance or during the middle of the night.
Consequently, conventional methods of quiescence limit the usability and availability of database systems. In particular, database level quiescence is inefficient because replication activities are suspended for data objects unrelated or unaffected by the need to perform a particular administrative task. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a method and mechanism for performing quiescence that does not cause the entire database system to become unavailable.

Finer grained quiescence for data replication


An electronic device has a printed substrate having land electrodes and a chip-type electronic component having external electrodes formed on a surface of a component element body. The land electrodes and the external electrodes are bonded via a solder to form electrode bonding parts. A thermosetting resin is filed between the electrode bonding parts. The bonding material contains solder particles having a melting point T1, a thermosetting resin having a curing temperature T2 that is higher than the melting point T1, and an activating agent having an activation temperature T3 that is lower than the curing temperature T2. The viscosity of the contained components except the solder particles at the melting point T1 is 0.57 Pa·s or less, and the melting point T1 and the activation temperature T3 satisfy T1−T3<50° C.

A soldering method is widely used as a technique for bonding the electrodes of different electronic components with each other, such as surface mounting of a chip-type electronic component onto a substrate.
Further, as a bonding material, a solder paste containing a solder, a thermosetting resin, an activating agent, and others is known from the past.
For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a solder paste containing solder particles made of a tin-bismuth-based solder, a thermosetting resin that is cured at a temperature higher than the melting point of the solder, and an activating agent that is activated by the heat at the time of soldering to remove an oxide film on the surface of the solder, wherein the activating agent is activated at a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the solder.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for describing the soldering method disclosed in Patent Document 1, where a chip-type electronic component 101 is surface-mounted on a printed substrate 102. In other words, in this chip-type electronic component 101, external electrodes 104a, 104b are formed on the two sides of a component element body 103. On the other hand, in the printed substrate 102, a pair of land electrodes 105a, 105b is formed on the surface to correspond to the external electrodes 104a, 104b, respectively. Further, a solder paste containing a solder, a thermosetting resin, and an activating agent is used as a bonding material, whereby the land electrodes 105a, 105b and the external electrodes 104a, 104b are bonded via solders 106a, 106b, respectively.
In other words, if the thermosetting resin starts to be cured before the solder particles are melted, the melted solder cannot flow to move sufficiently in the thermosetting resin. As a result of this, the solder particles may not be bonded with each other or the solder may not be bonded to the electrodes, thereby raising a fear of deteriorating the electrical connection property of the electronic components with each other. Furthermore, the activating agent must be melted to be brought into contact with the surface of the solder particles before the thermosetting resin is cured to lose its fluidity.
Therefore, in Patent Document 1, by using a solder paste in which the curing temperature of the thermosetting resin is higher than the melting point of the solder particles or the activation temperature of the activating agent, the solder 106a, 106b being melted is allowed to flow and move sufficiently in a thermosetting resin 107a, 107b, and the activating agent is brought into contact with the solder particles, whereby the activating agent and the solder particles undergo an oxidation-reduction reaction on the surface of the solder particles thereby to remove an oxide layer that is present on the surface of the solder particles.
Also, in Patent Document 1, the activation temperature of the activating agent is made to be equal to or higher than the melting point of the solder particles, thereby to delay the curing action of the thermosetting resin 107a, 107b. In other words, by raising the activation temperature of the activating agent which acts also as a curing agent of the thermosetting resin 107a, 107b, the curing action of the thermosetting resin 107a, 107b is delayed, thereby to prevent the fluidity of the solder 106a, 106b being melted from being hindered by the thermosetting resin 107a, 107b, so as to prevent decrease in the self-alignment.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (JP-A) No. 2006-150413 (Claim 1, paragraphs [0013], [0031], FIG. 1, and others)

Electronic device, bonding material, and method for producing electronic device


A closure system for orthoses that permits a first body member conforming to a portion of a patient's torso to be connected through the closure system, with a second body member conforming to another portion of a patient's torso. The closure system includes a first connector member with a first series of plastic molded channels and a second connector member with a second series of plastic molded channels with an elongated flexible pull member operatively weaving around the respective first and second series of plastic molded channels to provide a mechanical force advantage when tightened by the patient to draw the first body member and the second body member against the patient's torso to exert compression forces. The elongated flexible pull member can comprise a cord such as a polyester cord with an exterior braided configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a closure system for orthoses with an improved pull system to provide a mechanical advantage for applying compression forces to a patient.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of orthotic systems have been suggested to address both injury and degenerate conditions that may occur—for example, a spinal orthosis to effectively stabilize the lumbo-sacral spine. Geriatric patients frequently experience chronic low back pain as a result of vertebral degeneration, discogenic disease and postural deterioration. Orthoses have been proposed to address stabilization of the lumbo-sacral spine and to assist in both pelvic tilt and rotational control. Such orthoses assist the patient in standing, sitting and prone positions by relieving postural stress pain. Various forms of back braces and corsets, both of a flexible and rigid configuration have been proposed, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,072,725, 5,074,288, 4,508,110, 3,927,665, 4,099,524, 4,475,543, and 5,634,891. Frequently, patients with arthritic hands lack the dexterity to tighten and adjust such lumbo-sacral supports and other types of orthoses. Various forms of hook and pile or nap straps and closure systems, including hook and eye closure systems with buckles, are frequently utilized. Conventional corsets with lacing that is respectively looped through eyelets have provided a mechanical advantage when the lacing is tightened for patients. However, friction can be a factor between the lacing and the eyelets.
Other examples of lumbo-sacral orthoses can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,853,378, 5,967,998, 6,478,759, 5,437,617, 6,213,968 and U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,940. In each of these patents, a mechanical advantage is secured by either pulling straps through a conventional buckle system on the '378, '998 and '759 patents, or by using a series of pulleys in the '617, '968 and '940 patents. Still further examples of orthoses with mechanical advantage closure systems can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,529, which uses swivelable eyelets or rings instead of pulleys, and U.S. patent application Publication No. 2002/0068890, which uses support posts instead of pulleys.
There is still a demand for relatively economical orthoses that can be conveniently used by a patient for a mechanical advantage in exerting compression and to provide a simplified and easily manufactured closure system.

Orthosis closure system with mechanical advantage


A redundancy scrubber. The novel scrubber includes fault detection logic for detecting if a circuit has been upset and a mechanism for automatically rewriting data to the circuit when an upset is detected. In an illustrative embodiment, the scrubber corrects for upsets in a circuit comprised of a plurality of redundant circuits, each redundant circuit including a data port for receiving data and a load enable port for controlling when the redundant circuit should load new data. The fault detection logic processes the outputs from each of the redundant circuits and outputs a fault detect signal indicating whether an upset has been detected in one or more of the redundant circuits. The fault detect signal is coupled to the load enable ports, forcing the redundant circuits to immediately reload with corrected data from a voter or with new incoming data when an upset is detected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical and electronic circuits and systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for mitigating single event upset in digital circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Particulate radiation (such as energetic electrons, protons, or ions) in space and airborne environments can cause errors to occur in digital circuits. A single event upset (SEU) is an error that occurs when an energy particle strikes a sensitive node in the circuit and causes a logic level to change state to an opposite value. SEU is an increasing problem in space—and even critical terrestrial—applications, since evolving digital technologies are of ever-smaller features sizes, and smaller feature-sized technology is more susceptible to upset by radiation. In order to use these technologies, methods must be provided to mitigate upset.
A common approach to mitigating these upsets is to use redundancy techniques such as triple modular redundancy (TMR), in which the circuit is duplicated to provide three identical circuits, the outputs of which are then processed by a voter. The voter selects the output that is held in the majority of the circuits. Thus, if one of the three circuits is upset, the other two circuits will mask the error.
This approach works well for circuits that are clocking and updating continuously so that the probability of upsets occurring in more than one redundant circuit is low. If, however, the circuits are not being loaded frequently enough (common with some storage elements such as flip-flops), upsets may accumulate. The total number of upsets that can be mitigated is limited by the quantity of redundant information (TMR, for example, can handle only one upset). Over time, enough upsets can accumulate in the mitigated circuit to saturate the redundancy scheme, resulting in a functional error (e.g., two of the three circuits in a TMR scheme may become upset, causing the voter to select the wrong output).
The standard solution to this problem of upset accumulation is "scrubbing" the storage elements at a frequency high enough to reduce the probability of redundancy saturation to an acceptable level. Scrubbing involves periodically rewriting the correct state to each circuit. The rate at which the circuits are rewritten is chosen to be faster than upsets will accumulate (typically several times a day, depending on the application and environmental conditions). Increasing the scrubbing rate will reduce the probability of a functional error caused by redundancy saturation; however, it will also increase power consumption and consume bandwidth (since scrubbed resources are not available during scrubbing cycles). This can be problematic for power sensitive applications such as space applications.
Hence, a need exists in the art for an improved system or method for mitigating single event upset accumulation that offers lower power and bandwidth consumption than prior approaches.

Fault triggerred automatic redundancy scrubber


A circuit device that is connected to a temperature detection element that detects a temperature of an object via an external signal line and an external signal ground line includes a connector that is connected to the external signal line and the external signal ground line, an internal signal line that is connected to the external signal line via the connector, an internal signal ground line that is connected to the external signal ground line via the connector, a controlling circuit that is connected to the internal signal line and the internal signal ground line and detects the temperature of the object, and a high-frequency filter that is inserted into at least one of a foremost stage of the internal signal line and a foremost stage of the internal signal ground line as viewed from the connector.

In order to detect a temperature of an object, a thermistor is often used. A thermistor element is installed on a surface of or near the object and is connected to a circuit board via a wire harness. For example, in a case where the object is a battery, the temperature detected by the thermistor is used not only for detection of a high temperature abnormality or a low temperature abnormality, but also for temperature correction at a time of calculation of a state of charge (SOC), a state of health (SOH), or internal resistance. Therefore, high accuracy is required for a detection value of the thermistor. In order to improve detection accuracy of the thermistor, it is important to increase noise immunity.
In order to measure the noise immunity, an electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) test is performed. During an EMC test, a strong noise (in general, common-mode noise referenced to chassis ground) is applied to a test sample from outside to test whether the detection value of the thermistor changes. In a case where the detection value of the thermistor changes, when the thermistor is replaced by a fixed resistance, the detection value may stop changing. In this case, the noise is not causing an erroneous detection of a detection circuit on a side of the substrate. The noise enters the side of the thermistor and a resistance value of the thermistor decreases, resulting in a change in the detection value. A thermistor has properties of generating heat when a high-frequency current flows through the thermistor, causing a decrease in the resistance value. When a high-frequency current caused by the noise applied from outside flows into the thermistor element, the thermistor element generates heat and the resistance value of the thermistor element decreases.
As a measure of a thermistor against noise, provision of a noise filter proximately to the thermistor element has been proposed (for example, see PTL 1). However, an addition of a part to an inside of an electric device of a thermistor that is mass produced or provision of a part in a middle part of a wire harness causes an increase in a cost.

Circuit device and temperature detection system


An electric vacuum cleaner with a vacuum cleaner main body that includes a water pan which stores water for removing dust from dust-containing air, and a suction compartment made up with a main casing detachably installed on the water pan compartment, a separator that rotates in the main casing to separate air from the water, and a main fan that rotates in the main casing and sucks in dust-containing air and exhausts air, from which water has been separated by the separator, to the outside of the vacuum cleaner main body; and in this cleaner, the separator is in a round basket shape and ribs are formed in the circumferential direction with slit gaps opened between the ribs, and a reverse jet fin assembly that rotates together with the separator and causes air to jet downward toward the outer surface of the separator is provided on the upper opening of the separator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric vacuum cleaner and more particularly to an electric vacuum cleaner that uses water as a filter to remove dust.
2. Prior Art
In one type of electric vacuum cleaner, air that is sucked in from a suction hose is forced to pass through water, thus removing dust contained in the air using the water as a filter. Such an electric vacuum cleaner typically includes, in its vacuum cleaner main body to which the suction hose is connected, a water pan and a suction compartment. The water pan stores water used as a filter, and the suction compartment sucks in air from the suction hose via the water stored in the water pan and discharges the air from which dust has been removed to the outside of the vacuum cleaner main body. The suction compartment generally comprises a suction fan which sucks in air and a separator which separates the water from the air passing through the water in the water pan and discharge only the dust-free air to the outside as is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H11-32950.
Electric vacuum cleaners that remove dust from air using water as a filter have the advantage that they are efficient in removing the dust and they have high degree of cleanness of the discharged air. However, since the air is sucked in via water, they have some problems. The dust that is filtered out by the water and remains in the water pan adheres as a contaminant to the separator that is used to separate the water from the air. More specifically, the separator is typically a basket-form component, and numerous slit holes that open in the axial direction are formed in the circumferential direction; and this separator is rotated at a high speed by an electric motor when the vacuum cleaner main body is driven. Accordingly, when dust accumulate on the separator or the rotating shaft of the separator, a smooth rotation of the separator is hindered, the separator would become stuck, thus being unable to rotate.
One conceivable method to prevent the separator from being stuck is to introduce air into the interior of the vacuum cleaner main body so that such introduced air removes dust adhering to the separator and gaps between parts installed near the separator. However, since the external air that is introduced into the vacuum cleaner main body most likely contains dust, it cannot be said that the effect of this method to remove contaminants adhering to the separator and the interior of the vacuum cleaner main body is always sufficient.


Carbazole can be prepared by dehydrogenation of compounds of the formula ##STR1## or by aminating dehydrogenation of compounds of the formula ##STR2## at 300.degree. to 600.degree. C. in the presence of hydrogen over an iridium catalyst or an iridium-containing catalyst.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of carbazole by dehydrogenation or aminating dehydrogenation of the compounds of the formulae (I) to (VIII) mentioned below in the presence of iridium catalysts or iridium-containing catalysts on supports.
Carbazole is a starting substance for the preparation of dyestuffs, polymers and insecticides (Ullmann's Encyclopedia, 5th edition, volume A5, pages 59-60).
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that carbazole can be prepared by dehydrogenation or aminating dehydrogenation of compounds of the formulae (I) to (VIII) given below, in which parts of the carbazole skeleton are already preformed, with the aid of platinum catalysts. According to U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,942, platinum on Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 or on SiO.sub.2 as a support is employed in this process. Such catalysts lead to good yields of carbazole at acceptably high conversions, but after a short period of use of only a few tens of hours, even at such low loads as 0.1 g of diphenylamine per ml of catalyst and hour (g/ml.h) or even lower loads, they are already deactivated. As a result, the productivity of the catalyst, that is to say the amount of carbazole formed per hour and per ml of catalyst, even at high conversions of the diphenylamine employed, is so low that large amounts of catalyst and voluminous reactors are required for industrial purposes. Longer service lives between regenerations of the catalyst, that is to say those of several tens of hours, are obtained if magnesium oxide is chosen as the support for the platinum catalyst (U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,349). Nevertheless, the life of this catalyst is evidently only a little longer than about 150 to 200 hours in total (Table II in U.S. '349), since after a somewhat longer service life than in the above U.S. '942, that is to say a service life of about 60 or 62 hours (calculated according to the data of the diphenylamine (DPA) added in U.S. '349) between in each case two regenerations, the time before the next regeneration drops to about 17 hours, which without doubt indicates that this catalyst will soon become completely unusable. Here also, the load is only about 0.1 g/ml.h. Catalysts based on chromium oxide according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,095 likewise rapidly become unusable, although they tolerate somewhat higher loads.
The object of the present invention was accordingly the development of catalysts which result in good conversions and yields of carbazole under high loads and have high service lives between two regenerations, and overall a long life. It has been possible to achieve this object if iridium catalysts or iridium-containing catalysts in which other metals of the platinum metal group are employed, in addition to the iridium, are employed.

Process for the preparation of carbazole


A metal compound obtained by a process comprising the step of contacting, in a specific ratio, a compound represented by the formula BiL1r, a compound represented by the formula R1s-1TH, and a compound represented by the formula R23-nJ(OH)n; a catalyst component for addition polymerization comprising the metal compound; a catalyst for addition polymerization using the catalyst component; and a process for producing an addition polymer using the catalyst.

Since olefin polymers such as polypropylene and polyethylene are excellent in mechanical properties and chemical resistance, and excellent in balance between those properties and economical efficiency, they have been widely used in various fields such as a packaging field. These olefin polymers have conventionally been produced by polymerizing an olefin using a conventional type solid catalyst (multi-site catalyst), which combines a solid catalyst component obtained by using a metal compound of the Group IV such as titanium trichloride or titanium tetrachloride, with a metal compound of the Group 13 represented by an organoaluminum compound.
However, as a catalyst providing addition polymers having less stickiness and more excellent strength than those produced by the conventional catalyst, a so-called single site catalyst prepared by combining a catalyst component such as a metallocene complex or half metallocene complex with a co-catalyst component for activation such as an aluminoxane, and tri(n-butyl)ammonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, was proposed and with respect to the single site catalyst, improvements for using it in an industrial scale have been studied (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,199, U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,126, U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,157).
Further, recently, a compound prepared by contacting diethylzinc and pentafluorophenol has been developed as a co-catalyst component for activation, and a catalyst prepared by contacting said co-catalyst component with the metallocene complex has been proposed as a high activity catalyst (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,356).
However, according to the inventor's studies, when an olefin is addition-polymerized with the above-mentioned catalyst, its polymerization activity is not completely satisfactory.

Metal compound, and catalyst component and catalyst for addition polymerization, and process for producing addition polymer


An apparatus for controlling a vehicle includes: a sensor that obtains vehicle surrounding environment information and vehicle driving information; and a controller that determines whether an engagement of an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) is possible based on the vehicle driving information, performs control for preventing a slip based on the vehicle surrounding environment information upon determining that the engagement of the EPB is impossible, calculates a steering angle for preventing the slip, transmits the steering angle to a portable terminal, receives a steering control command from the portable terminal, and controls steering based on the received steering control command.

An Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) device, which is an electronic parking device, performs a function of maintaining a parking state in which the vehicle does not advance forward even when the brake pedal is not depressed. In case of waiting for a long time, the EPB device is useful to the driver because the EPB device does not allow the vehicle to move forward even if the brake is not continuously applied.
However, in a state where a vehicle is parked on a sloping road, when the EPB device operates abnormally, the brake is not completed and the vehicle slips (slides and moves) along the sloping road, causing a large accident. Therefore, there is a need to develop a technology capable of fundamentally preventing slip when a vehicle is parked on a sloping road.
The information included in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the present disclosure and may not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Apparatus, system and method for controlling vehicle


A headlight control system provides a several automated operational features. A problem with such systems in the past is the possibility of inadvertent operation of the vehicle without headlights under low light or other adverse conditions. Automated control is achieved through use of a finite state machine which defaults from a plurality of transient conditions to a running state which provides operational outputs to the low beam bulbs of the headlights.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to control of headlights on commercial motor vehicles and more particularly to a control system implemented in a finite state machine which affords control flexibility while avoiding unanticipated responses.
2. Description of the Problem
Headlights serve several functions on a motor vehicle including: providing forward lighting for visibility under conditions of limited ambient light; increasing the visibility of the vehicle to other drivers (running light functionality); and affording a means of signaling to other drivers. Local laws governing headlight operation may differ as to time of day the lights are to be on. In addition, some locales require headlights to be illuminated if the windshield wipers have been turned on due to rain. In other locations it may be required that headlights be turned off at a weigh-station. Signaling to indicate an attempt to pass, or to indicate to a passing vehicle that a sufficient interval has opened to allow the passing vehicle to return to a lane may involve turning lights on, or off, depending upon the state of the lights prior to the signal.
Headlights were formerly directly connected to switches installed in the vehicle passenger compartment or cab. Contemporary control schemes for vehicle electrical systems have favored substituting programmable controllers and controller area networks ("CAN") for direct wiring between switches and loads. CAN systems and controllers afford a high degree of flexibility in application, the potential of a richer feature set and a commensurate opportunity for greater automation than direct wired systems. Mechanically CAN systems are much simpler than the traditional wiring harnesses and, possibly more importantly, the basic wiring does not change with the additions of features. However, providing against unanticipated operation stemming from programming omissions or changes in such systems takes on particular importance. Headlights are an example of a system where avoiding unintended operations is important in view of the need for headlights for safe vehicle operation under low ambient light conditions.
Finite state machine descriptions of desired system behavior have recently found favor as a method of programming a system to provide greater assurance of fault-free behavior. It would be desirable to provide a control system for headlights which makes headlight operation for the desired function as simple as possible, which minimizes the chance of accidental illegal operation, which automates functions but automatically ensures headlight operation when legally required or on account of low ambient light conditions.

Finite state machine vehicle headlight controller

International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC


The present invention is a method and apparatus for providing a received signal quality metric which is optimally designed to control the transmission power of a transmitter in a closed loop power control system. The present invention is described in the context of a spread spectrum communication system but it is equally applicable to other types of communication systems. In the present invention, the power control system is described for controlling the power of transmissions from a base station to a mobile station, referred to as forward link transmissions.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel and improved method and apparatus for controlling the transmission power of a remote station in a wireless communication system.
II. Description of the Related Art
The use of code division multiple access (CDMA) modulation techniques is one of several techniques for facilitating communications in which a large number of system users are present. Other multiple access communication system techniques, such as time division multiple access (TDMA) and frequency division multiple access (FDMA) are known in the art. However, the spread spectrum modulation technique of CDMA has significant advantages over these modulation techniques for multiple access communication systems. The use of CDMA techniques in a multiple access communication system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,307, entitled "SPREAD SPECTRUM MULTIPLE ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING SATELLITE OR TERRESTRIAL REPEATERS", assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. The use of CDMA techniques in a multiple access communication system is further disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,459, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING SIGNAL WAVEFORMS IN A CDMA CELLULAR TELEPHONE SYSTEM", assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein.
CDMA by its inherent nature of being a wideband signal offers a form of frequency diversity by spreading the signal energy over a wide bandwidth. Therefore, frequency selective fading affects only a small part of the CDMA signal bandwidth. Space or path diversity is obtained by providing multiple signal paths through simultaneous links from a mobile user through two or more cell-sites. Furthermore, path diversity may be obtained by exploiting the multipath environment through spread spectrum processing by allowing a signal arriving with different propagation delays to be received and processed separately. Examples of path diversity are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,501 entitled "METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A SOFT HANDOFF IN COMMUNICATIONS IN A CDMA CELLULAR TELEPHONE SYSTEM", and U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,390 entitled "DIVERSITY RECEIVER IN A CDMA CELLULAR TELEPHONE SYSTEM", both assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein.
A method for transmission of speech in digital communication systems that offers particular advantages in increasing capacity while maintaining high quality of perceived speech is by the use of variable rate speech encoding. The method and apparatus of a particularly useful variable rate speech encoder is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,796, entitled "VARIABLE RATE VOCODER", assigned to the assignee of the present invention and is incorporated by reference herein.
In a useful method of controlling transmission power of a mobile station in a communication system, the mobile station counts frames which are received in error. If a threshold is exceeded, the mobile station sends a message to the base station. The count is periodically reset. A method and apparatus for controlling transmission power in this fashion is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,109, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRANSMISSION POWER IN A CDMA CELLULAR TELEPHONE SYSTEM", assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein.
A method for providing faster power control is described in copending U.S patent application Ser. No. 08/374,444, filed Mar. 29, 1996, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE FORMATTING OF DATA FOR TRANSMISSION", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,483 assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. In this method, the mobile station sends a bit every Reverse Traffic Channel frame indicating the quality of the previous Forward Traffic Channel frame. The bit is a `0` if the frame were received without error; the bit is a `1` if the frame was received in error. Since these bits are encoded and interleaved, they are received error free. Due to the frame quality indicator on every frame, the mobile station will be able to discard power control bits which are likely to be in error.
These methods of providing power control, however, are limited to feeding back at most one significant bit of information per frame of data received. The fading conditions may require significantly faster feedback of information.

Method and apparatus for measuring link quality in a spread spectrum communication system


A sexual aid device that encircles the base of the penis. The device may be constructed as a single ring, or as a set of rings that can be used together in various conformations. The device includes a size adjustment means that allows the user to vary the size of the central through hole so that a user of the device is always ensured of a proper fit. The device may also include an extension means to directly stimulate the female's clitoral region. Alternatively, the device may be formed with an oval shape as opposed to a round shape to achieve the objective of direct stimulation of the clitoris.

Inasmuch as a healthy sexual relationship is vital to most marriages and to physical personal relationships, there has through the course of time been a great deal of interest in the area of sexual compatibility devices. Many devices have been created to either heighten couples' sexual pleasure or to aid in overcoming problems of impotency.
Due to the physiology involved, nearly all such devices are constructed so as to fit around the male's penis. In order to remain in place during the sexual act, the device must fit snugly on the male member. However, one simple fact of life is that not all male sexual organs are the same size. But due to the psychological implications inherent in size of sex organ, no prior art sexual aid devices are constructed to fit men of differing sizes. Because of this limitation, the prior art devices have not been commercial successes.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sexual aid device that accommodates sexual organs of different sizes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that is variable in the extent of penetration of the woman.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a modular device that can be assembled according to the preference of the user.


A method for localizing a vehicle comprises transmitting first position data related to a first position of the vehicle at a first point in time from the vehicle to a server. The server computes second position data related to the first position of the vehicle at the first point in time based on the received first position data. The server transmits the second position data from the server to the vehicle. The vehicle computes third position data related to a second position of the vehicle at a second point in time based on the received second position data. The second point in time is later than the first point in time.

In order to safely navigate and steer an autonomous vehicle, it is important to precisely locate the position of the vehicle. Highly accurate positioning is a complex task and requires to match the measured position of the vehicle with a digital map. For this purpose, a high-definition (HD) map is generally used, which can be provided for example by a cloud to which the vehicle can connect via a network such as a mobile data network.
The process of producing an HD map is complex and involves many steps including raw data processing, point cloud production, point cloud alignment, generation of a 2D map, HD map labelling, and generation of the final map. Once the HD map has been built, the vehicle needs to be located against the HD map, preferably in real-time.
An HD map for autonomous vehicles generally has to face three critical challenges. First, the map needs to be very precise, typically with a precision on the level of centimeters. Second, it is crucial that the map be continuously updated in order to reflect changes on the roads. Typically, the HD map needs to be updated at least about once per week. Third, the HD map needs to work seamlessly with the autonomous driving system of the vehicle.
Raw data for HD map generation can be obtained in numerous different ways using sensors provided in vehicles. Fresh data can be obtained for example by crowd-sourcing sensor data or by using a dedicated fleet of survey vehicles. A seamless interaction between the HD map and the autonomous vehicle can be achieved for example by using a cloud infrastructure to provide real-time HD map updates to autonomous vehicles.
Matching the position of the vehicle on the HD map requires a relatively high computational effort. Furthermore, a large of amount of data related to the HD map needs to be transferred to the vehicle. Thus, a high bandwidth is needed for the transmission of map data. Another method of precisely localizing the position of a vehicle involves high precision inertial measurement units (IMU) in combination with position data from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as the global positioning system (GPS) or GLONASS. However, such IMUs can be very expensive.


A method of controlling the performance of a radio link between a base transceiver station and a radio terminal for a wireless transmission system is provided. A radio network controller (RNC) monitors a directly observable L-2 parameter, and determines a without explicit L2-L1 signaling a threshold violation by the L-1 parameter for accordingly triggering a status change of the radio link. Namely, a L-2 radio resource management algorithm prompts the radio terminal and the RNC to perform a radio resource management action whenever the L-1 parameter violates a L-1 threshold. Such an action could be directly downgrading or upgrading the transmission rate on the radio link, or a radio link reconfiguration. The L-1 parameter may be the radio block error rate r, and the L-2 parameter may be the PDU retransmission rate R.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wireless data networks and is directed in particular to a procedure for determining a condition of a radio link using radio link control layer observations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Emerging multimedia digital wireless systems, such as Nortel's UMTS (universal mobile telecommunication system) are designed to support higher data rates than the current narrowband digital networks such as the GSM (global system for mobile) cellular communication system. The architecture of multimedia digital wireless systems is somewhat similar to that of the GSM, in that they are also organized into geographically-defined cells, with a base transceiver station (BTS) that controls operation of all mobile radio terminals present in the area covered by the BTS. BTS (also called "Node-B") hosts radio transmission/reception equipment for operating a number of radio channels, maintains authorization and registration of the mobile terminals, handles channel allocations for all active communication sessions, etc.
Typically, a group of base transceiver stations communicate with one or more radio network controllers RNC located throughout a certain territory. A RNC is analogous with what is referred to as a Base Station Controller (BSC) in GSM. Each radio network controller is responsible with controlling operation of the base transceiver stations coupled to it, and hosts for example the radio equipment for a public line mobile network (PLMN), transcoder units (TCU) and portable communication units (PCU). A RNC is in turn coupled to a mobile gateway mobile switching center, which performs switching operations for both circuit-switched and/or packet-switched communications.
Layered architecture is a form of hierarchical modularity used in data network design, where each layer performs a category of functions or services using information from the immediately upper or lower layers. The OSI (Open System Interconnections) model defines a Physical Layer (Layer 1), a Data Link Layer (Layer 2), a Network Layer (Layer 3), a Transport Layer (Layer 4) and one or more Application Layers (Layers 5 to 7).
The Physical Layer (L-1) specifies the standards for the transmission medium, which is a radio (wireless) link in case of wireless networks. A wireless link is characterized by a higher bit error rate than a wired link, due to RF environment such as fading and effects of interference etc, and low transmission power available to the mobile terminal. In addition, the radio link is not symmetrical and the bandwidth of a transmission channel rapidly fluctuates over time. Furthermore, in a wireless environment, the amount of bandwidth available is fixed and scarce. Adding bandwidth to a radio link may be expensive or even impossible due to regulatory constraints. Still further, part of the bandwidth needs to be used in signalling and error correction, which reduce the bandwidth allocated to the payload.
Data Link Layer (L2), which is called the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer for wireless data networks, performs control protocols used to mitigate the effects of impairments introduced by the physical transmission medium. In the case of a wireless network, the RLC protocols are designed to deal specifically with the types of impairments found on the radio link and comprise mechanisms to deal with errors on the link, delays encountered in transmitting information, lost information, bandwidth conservation, and contention resolution.
Layers 3–7 are less relevant to the present invention and as such are not discussed further.
Since the main limitation in the wireless systems is the scarcity of the radio resources (power and spectrum), one of the main objective when designing a wireless system is to best utilize the available resources. Various radio resource management (RRM) algorithms have been designed with a view to maximize the capacity and performance of a wireless system, while efficiently using the available radio resource.
Due to the nature of the RRM (radio resource management) functions, most RRM algorithms are implemented at L-2 or above, and usually reside in the RNC (Radio Network Controller). However, for a RRM algorithm to function properly, it is essential that it has the states of the L-1 radio link as the input information; this information is available at the BTS (Base Transceiver Station) and at the mobile terminal. Since in most wireless systems the RNC and the BTS are not co-located, this architecture results in using an important chunk of the available bandwidth for signalling exchanges between these two entities as well as signalling exchanges between RNC and mobile terminal. For example, for wireless data services, radio rate link adaptation schemes are mandatory. The conventional implementation of link adaptation is to use explicit signalling; this occupies link bandwidth within both the air interface and the lub/backhaul (NodeB/BTS-RNC/BSC interface), as well as adds complexity into the system.
There is a need to reduce the signalling between the user equipment, the BTS, and the RNC, that is necessary for providing the RNC with L-1 operational parameters of the radio link.

Procedure to determine radio link condition using radio link control layer observations


A system for providing information technology (IT) assistance packages enables a graphical user interface that can be launched from a single application icon and that can be customised on an individual user basis to provide a locally-branded system for servicing the user's IT needs. The system includes: a networked plurality of computer processors; computer memory operatively connected to the networked plurality of computer processors, wherein the memory stores computer program code that when executed by the processors is operable for: providing, via a first entity, a software application to a second entity, wherein the software application defines an end user graphical user interface; customising, via the second entity accessing a web portal of the first entity, the graphical user interface; providing, via the second entity, the software application to a third entity device, whereby the software is resident on the third entity device; executing, via the third entity device, the software application, wherein the software application is executed by an executable icon for launching the end user graphical user interface; generating, via the end user graphical user interface, a service request; and lodging, via the third entity device, the service request with the second entity.

A recent trend in information technology (IT) help services is to reduce help desk traffic by promoting direct access to the Internet as a better way for customers, and for example employees within a corporation, to access information regarding IT help services. The Internet is particularly suited for this because of its global reach and relatively easy accessibility.
One Internet based method of providing customer service is by posting a question in a Question and Answer (Q&A) list, and waiting until either service personnel or other customers provide an answer by posting it to the same Q&A list. The answer may or may not be correct.
Another Internet based customer service solution is posting a large frequently asked questions (FAQ) list that answers most common questions.
However, while using the Internet often reduces costs, for most prior art systems it also reduces customer satisfaction. The customer may not feel that he or she is receiving individual attention. Furthermore, there is no assurance that an answer to a particular question is correct for the specific situation in which the customer finds himself or herself.
Another method of providing more interactive customer service on the Internet is a web based help-desk implemented through a web browser, such as the system described in international patent application publication no. WO 01/67286. The customer logs on to a help page that is separate from the area in which the customer had trouble. The customer then fills out a help request, including answering a series of questions regarding the problem. While the customer is connected to this help page on the Internet, the customer's computer system may send configuration information to service technicians. The service technicians evaluate the data from the computer and the help request. The service technicians then call the customer to discuss the problem.
However, the above solution sometimes requires a similar amount of help desk traffic, effort and costs as a direct telephone number help desk. Additionally, filling out the help request is a chore that often takes considerable time. Furthermore, some customers do not like having the contents of their personal computers surveyed, especially if at least some sections of that computer are not relevant to the problem, and contain private information. In addition, the customer must leave the web page on which he or she encountered the problem to log on to the help page to start this help process. This interrupts normal work, and can be a hassle.
There is therefore a need for an improved system and method for providing a customisable graphical user interface for information technology assistance.
Reference to background art herein is not to be construed as an admission that such art constitutes common general knowledge.

System and method for providing a customisable graphical user interface for information technology assistance


In a method for processing a target object, the target object includes a wiring layer having a wiring, a diffusion barrier film provided on the wiring layer, an insulating film provided on the diffusion barrier film, and a metal mask provided on the insulating film and having an opening, and the insulating film has a trench formed at a part of a portion exposed through the opening and a first via hole provided at a part of the trench. The method includes: a first step of forming a sacrificial film on the trench and a side surface of the first via hole of the target object; and a second step of forming a second via hole at a deeper portion than a bottom surface of the first via hole by etching the sacrificial film and the insulating film and removing the sacrificial film from the trench and the first via hole.

Electronic components may use a semiconductor device having a multilayer wiring structure including an interlayer insulating film, a wiring provided in the interlayer insulating film and a via hole. In such a semiconductor device, miniaturization is advancing to improve a switching speed. Along with the miniaturization of semiconductor devices, miniaturization of a wiring trench and a via hole provided in the interlayer insulating film is also advancing, and various techniques for forming a fine trench or the like by etching are being developed (Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2007-123766, 2007-5379 and 2016-21546). Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-123766 discloses an etching method for etching a processing target layer such as an insulating film or the like formed on a surface of a target object such as a semiconductor wafer or the like. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-5379 discloses a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a dual damascene wiring using a low-k insulating interlayer film made of an organic insulating film. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-21546 discloses a substrate processing method for performing a desired etching process while suppressing a bowing shape.
When the miniaturization of the semiconductor devices is advancing, a lithography technique is used for forming a trench and a via hole. Therefore, the lithography technique may have limits in realizing miniaturization of the trench and the via hole while suppressing a dimensional deviation or the like. Further, along with the miniaturization of the semiconductor device, it is required to lower the dielectric constant of the interlayer insulating film. However, it is difficult to realize the miniaturization of the trench and the via hole while suppressing an increase in the dielectric constant of the insulating film. Accordingly, it is preferable to use a technique for forming a fine wiring and a fine via while suppressing the increase in the dielectric constant of the insulating film and the dimensional deviation.


The present invention provides a naphthoquinone derivative represented by the general formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are as defined in the specification. An electrophotosensitive material containing this naphthoquinone derivative as an electron transferring material has high sensitivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel naphthoquinone derivative, and an electrophotosensitive material using the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In image forming apparatuses such as electrostatic copying machines, laser printers and facsimile devices for normal papers, there is widely used an electrophotosensitive material, especially so-called as an organic photosensitive material, comprising a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer containing an electric charge generating material which generates an electric charge due to light irradiation, an electric charge transferring material which transfers the electric charge generated and a binding resin in which these substances are dispersed, the photosensitive layer being provided on the conductive substrate.
The organic photosensitive material is classified roughly into a single-layer photosensitive material wherein an electric charge generating material and an electric charge transferring material are contained in the same layer and a multi-layer photosensitive material comprising an electric charge generating layer containing an electric charge generating material and an electric charge transferring layer containing an electric charge transferring material, which are mutually laminated. Among these, the multi-layer photosensitive material is conventionally employed. In a conventional normal multi-layer photosensitive material, an electric charge generating layer and an electric charge transferring layer having a film thickness larger than that of the electric charge generating layer are generally provided on the surface of a conductive layer in this order in view of a mechanical strength.
The electric charge transferring material include hole transferring material and electron transferring material. Among electric charge transferring materials which are known at present, almost all of electric charge transferring materials having a high carrier mobility are hole transferring materials. Therefore, when the photosensitive material, which is put into practical use, is the multi-layer photosensitive material wherein the electric charge transferring material is provided on the surface side, it becomes a negative charging type photosensitive material.
However, it is necessary that the negative charging type multi-layer photosensitive material is charged by negative-polarity corona discharge which generates large amount of ozone. Thus, there are problems such as influence of ozone on environment and deterioration of photosensitive material itself.
In order to solve these problems, an electron transferring material having a high carrier mobility has been developed and studied. In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1-206349, there is suggested that a compound having a diphenoquinone structure is used as the electron transferring material.
However, diphenoquinones are generally inferior in compatibility with a binding resin and are not uniformly dispersed in the binding resin so that a hopping distance of electrons becomes large and transfer of electrons in the low electric field does not easily arise. Therefore, diphenoquinones themselves have a high carrier mobility. However, when using them for the photosensitive material as the electron transferring material, characteristics thereof are not sufficiently developed and a residual potential of the photosensitive material becomes high, which results in insufficient photosensitivity.
As described above, almost all of organic photosensitive materials, which are put into practical use, are multi-layer photosensitive materials. However, the single-layer photosensitive material has a lot of advantages that it has a simple structure, can be easily produced in comparison with the multi-layer photosensitive material, and can inhibit formation of membrane defects to improve optical characteristics. Besides, when using the electron transferring material and hole transferring material in combination as the electric charge transferring material, one single-layer photosensitive material can be used for both positive and negative charging type photosensitive materials, thereby widening the application range of the photosensitive material. However, the above diphenoquinones have a problem that transferring of electrons and holes are inhibited by an interaction between the diphenoquinones and hole transferring material. Therefore, such a single-layer photosensitive material has never been put into practical use at present.

Naphthoquinone derivative and electrophotosensitive material using same


A 4,9-bis(glycidyloxy)diamantane and a 4,9-bis[(3-ethyloxetane-3-yl)methyloxy]diamantane are novel curable diamantane compounds, and cured bodies thereof are useful as encapsulants exhibiting excellent light resistance and heat resistance, and can be favorably used, for example, as encapsulants for near ultraviolet LEDs and white LEDs.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been vigorously developed in recent years accompanied by the development of aluminum/indium/gallium/phosphorus (AlInGaP) that emits light in red to orange colors and gallium nitride (GaN) that emits light in a blue color as light-emitting materials. There have further been realized LEDs that emit near ultraviolet rays of shorter than 400 nm, such as 365 nm and 370 nm. An LED which emits white light has also been accomplished by combining, for example, a fluorescent material with a blue LED or a near ultraviolet LED.
The LED has many advantages such as a long life, a high temperature stability, easy dimming and a low driving voltage, and has positively been applied to displays, indicator boards, car-mounted illumination, signal lamps, cell phones, video cameras and the like. In particular, a white LED has been developed for illumination purposes and has been very expected as a source of light to substitute for the conventional incandescent lamps, halogen lamps and fluorescent lamps. For its widespread use, however, it is desired to further improve the brightness and efficiency as a source of light.
In these applications, the LED is usually used being packaged. In mounting the LED on a package, in general, the LED is joined to a predetermined position in the package while electrically connecting the electrodes of the package to the electrodes of the LED, and is sealed with a transparent sealant for protecting the LED. A widely used sealant can be represented by an epoxy resin using a bisphenol A-type glycidyl ether on account of its highly adhering property, good operability and low cost.
However, the above epoxy resin sealant cannot meet the shortened wavelengths and high brightness of the LED. When used for sealing the near ultraviolet LED and white LED, therefore, there arouse such problems that the resin is deteriorated and becomes yellow causing the brightness of the LED device to decrease and the color tone to be varied.
Studies have been forwarded to solve these problems without, however, finding any solution. For example, the light resistance can be improved to some extent by adding an alicyclic epoxy compound to a hydrogenated bisphenol A type glycidyl ether. However, the degree of improvement is far from the practicable level and the heat resistance is rather lowered (e.g., see patent document 1). Further, by using a curable adamantane compound which is an epoxy compound using adamantane as a basic skeleton, there can be obtained a resin with a heat resistance higher than that of the hydrogenated bisphenol A glycidyl ether, which, however, is not still of a sufficient level (see, for example, patent document 2). When a phosphorus type antioxidant is added, discoloration due to the heat can be suppressed to some extent causing, however, the light resistance to be deteriorated.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2003-73452
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2005-146253