This is a method and system to lock and release modules on computing devices. The system may include: An automatic lock system for modules on a computing device, the system comprising: a processor connected to a system bus; an input means connected to the processor by the system bus; an output means connected to the processor by the system bus; and a module that inserts into the computing device and is connected to the system bus; a module controller that controls the module and is connected to the system bus; a latch that locks and releases the module to and from the computing device; and a subsystem that controls the latch. The system may also include a basic input/output system (BIOS). The subsystem may include: a means to determine whether the module is being accessed by the processor; a means to communicate to the module controller to terminate input/output activity; a means to remove a plurality of device drivers for the module from the BIOS; and a means to inform an operating system that the module is removed. The module may include: a battery system, a media bay module, a CD-ROM, a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, and a magneto-optical drive. Other devices, systems and methods are also disclosed.

Although this invention is described in relation to a computer, and specifically a notebook computer, it may be implemented into any device that has locking system controlled by a computer software program.
Today, computer computers may include anything the user may dream of from CD-ROM players to 2 gigabyte hard disk drives, to fully accessoried docking stations. However, in order to reduce the size and weight of the computer, the computer manufacturer must be choose what items the user must have and what items the user can do without in a computer that the size and weight that the user wants.
A method to provide the user the most flexibility and lightest and smallest computer, is to provide a media bay with swapable options. A computer may include a Media Bay that allows the user to customize the computer for different applications or environments. A customizable Media Bay could include options for a number of peripherals. For example, the media bay could include: a CD-ROM drive, a secondary hard disk, a floppy diskette drive, a magneto optical (MO) drive, or an additional battery. With these type of options, the user could dynamically change the computer to accommodate multimedia applications, more storage, lighter weight, removable mass storage, or longer battery life.
When used with a Plug and Play (PnP) operating system, a computer will provide the user with seamless insertion and removal of the media bay options; peripherals can be "hot plugged" into the media bay while the computer is running. However, while this hot plugged feature is advantageous, it is also very dangerous. Even though the computer may allow the user to remove or insert the media bay module at anytime, it may not be wise to do so. Users may damage the hardware or lose data if the swap is not handled carefully.

System for controlling insertion, locking, and removal of modules by removing plurality of device drivers for module to be removed from BIOS and informing BIOS of module removal


A system and method for performing flexible workflow process compensation in a distributed workflow management system is described. A computer network includes a plurality of interconnected computers. Each computer includes a processor, memory and input/output facilities. The distributed workflow management system operates over the computer network. A plurality of resources perform the workflow process is performed with each resource operatively coupled to at least one of the computers. A process definition diagram includes computer-readable instructions stored in the memory of at least one of the computers and contains a role specification of process activities for performing the workflow process. A resource manager maps the role specification of process activities to at least one of the resources at runtime. A workflow process engine executes each process activity using the mapped resource and compensates a failed process activity responsive to the process definition diagram.

This invention relates to the field of workflow process management and more particularly to a system and method for performing flexible workflow process compensation in a distributed workflow management system.
Workflow process re-engineering, that is, the fundamental rethinking and re-implementation of workflow processes to achieve never-before-possible levels of quality, cost, throughput and service, is emerging as one of the crucial business strategies of the 1990s. The need for re-engineering is especially significant in an era of workforce downsizing coupled with greater demands for shortened time to market and faster customer response. Moreover, the need is pervasive. Organizations are currently engaging in workflow process re-engineering in many domains, including financial services, telecommunications services, healthcare services, customer order fulfillment, manufacturing procedure automation and electronic commerce.
While workflow process re-engineering provides a business management concept, workflow process management (WFPM) software-or more accurately, middleware-provides the enabling technologies for actually performing workflow process re-engineering. WFPM supports flexible solutions for the management of enterprise-wide operations, including workflow process control, automation and monitoring; resource allocation, authorization and authentication; task initialization and data exchange; and end-to-end communication and security. However, while WFPM offers an overall environment and approach to unifying, automating and measuring workflow processes, it is not limited to supporting workflow process re-engineering and can be used to manage existing nonautomated legacy or work processes.
In general, WFPM systems perform a wide range of tasks. For instance, they can provide a method for defining and managing the flow of a work process or support the definition of resources and their attributes. In addition, they can assign resources to work, determine which steps will be executed next within a work process and when they will be executed and can ensure that the workflow process continues until proper termination. Moreover, they can notify resources about pending work, enforce administrative policies, such as access control and track execution and support user inquiries of status. Finally, they can provide history information in the form of an audit trail for completed workflow processes and collect statistical data for process and resource bottleneck analysis, flow optimization and automatic workload balancing.
Moreover, given the trend towards open systems and standards, a WFPM system must coexist with and take advantage of standards-based commercial products for network communication, legacy application invocation and system monitoring. In particular, these standards include the Object Management Group's Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), the Open Software Foundation's Distributed Computing Environment (OSF DCE), Hewlett Packard's OpenView and the International Standards Organization Open Systems Interconnection (ISO OSI) X.400 technologies.
In a WFPM system, some applications require the selective use of transactional properties for individual tasks or entire workflow processes to meet consistency or reliability requirements of the business. Compensation is a useful way to ensure these transactional properties for workflow processes. Although compensation is also used in database applications, the compensation of workflow processes is very different from compensation of database transactions for the following reasons. First, a workflow process is structurally more complex than a database transaction. For instance, a workflow process usually accesses multiple independent databases and other resources and systems. Additionally, it is difficult to implement a workflow process as a single transactional unit or as a simple sequence of transactional units. As a result, specifying the compensation scope for a workflow process becomes a non-trivial task.
Second, while a database transaction typically consists of a sequence of database read and write operations, a workflow process can include a set of arbitrarily complex process activities that can be expensive to compensate and re-execute. This complexity makes workflow process compensation difficult to perform in terms of specification and implementation.
Third, the purpose of workflow process compensation is quite different than the purpose of database system compensation. Instead of "undoing" previously completed operations, the idea of compensation in workflow systems is to bring the process execution back to a crucial state where the cause of the failure can be identified. Thus, the purpose is to fix or avoid the problem so that the execution can be resumed and successfully complete.
There is a need for a system and method for flexibly and efficiently compensating a structurally complex workflow process. Such a workflow process could consists of an arbitrarily complex sequence of tasks and involve a plurality of databases, resources and systems.
There is a further need for a system and method for compensating a workflow process which can minimize compensation scope and thereby avoid unnecessary compensation efforts to significantly reduce compensation overhead.
There is still a further need for a system and method for compensating a workflow process which provides flexible specification and implementation strategies.

System and method for performing flexible workflow process compensation in a distributed workflow management system


A device having a switch comprises a chromium layer and an adjacent semiconductor layer. The fraction of voids in the chromium layer is less than 10%, preferably less than 2%. The chromium layer in the device comprises traces of neon with a concentration of less than 0.1 at. %. Chromium layers are deposited on a substrate by means of a sputter deposition process. By using neon as the working gas at pressures of less than 1 Pa, preferably in the range from 0.2 Pa to 0.5 Pa, the sputter-deposited chromium layers are substantially free of internal stress and have a density which is approximately equal to that of bulk chromium.

The invention relates to a device having a switch comprising a chromium layer and an adjacent semiconductor layer.
The invention also relates to a method of depositing chromium layers by means of sputtering in a working gas atmosphere comprising a group VIII element.
Chromium layers are used as a contact layer (at the bottom) of a semiconductor layer, for example an .alpha.-SiN.sub.x --H layer, in a switch in a device, for example in a device such as a LCD-device or plasma-device. The switching voltage of the switch in the device is preferably as low possible.

Device having a switch comprising a chromium layer and method for depositing chromium layers by sputtering


A convex lens assembly including a back board holding a convex lens, a mounting frame fastened to a support of a building, a ball socket fastened to the back board, a socket cover fastened to the back board to hold down the ball socket, and a ball head connecting rod having a ball head at one end coupled to the ball socket and a threaded rod at an opposite end fixedly connected to the mounting frame, wherein the back board is integrally molded from impart resisting plastic and mounted around the ball head connecting rod, having an annular groove at a front side near the border which receives a flanged border area of the convex lens, a plurality of locating rods pressed at the flanged border area of the convex lens to hold down the convex lens, a circular mounting hole at the center of its back side which receives the ball socket, and a plurality of locating notches equiangularly spaced around the circular mounting hole; the socket cover has a plurality of threaded locating strips perpendiculary raised from the border and respectively inserted through the locating notches of the back cover within the circular mounting hole and then fixed in place by a lock nut, one locating strip being made greater than the other locating strips for directioning in installation.

The present invention relates to a convex lens assembly designed for use in a supermarket, shop, etc., for monitoring a particular area, and more particularly to such a convex lens which is easy to install and inexpensive to manufacture, and can be conveniently adjusted to the desired angle.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a convex lens assembly according to the prior art. This structure of convex lens assembly comprises a back board holding an acrylic convex lens, and a mounting frame adapted for securing the back board to support means of a building. This structure of convex lens assembly is somewhat functional, however it has numerous drawbacks as outline hereinafter.
1. The assembly process of the back board and the acrylic convex lens is complicated because it is done by: marking four equiangularly spaced through holes at the back board around its border, then mounting a packing rubber around the border of the convex lens and the back board, then attaching four clamping plates to the convex lens and the back board to hold down the packing rubber, and then fastening screws to a respective through hole of the clamping plates and the through holes of the back board to secure the clamping plates in place.
2. The back board must be made with four equiangularly spaced through holes at the center so that four screws which are mounted with a respective washer can be inserted through the through holes from the inner side of the back board to its outer side and then through four locating holes in corners of a ball socket and then fastened up with a respective nut to fix the ball socket in place. When the ball socket is installed, three screws are respectively fastened to three screw holes of the ball socket to fix a socket cover to the ball socket, permitting a ball head connecting rod to be retained to the ball socket. However, when fastening the socket cover to the ball socket, the direction of the radial opening of the socket cover must be accurately confirmed so that the ball head connecting rod can be turned to the desired angle. If the radial opening of the socket cover is not set in the correct direction, the socket cover must be disconnected from the ball socket and installed in the correct position again.
3. When the mounting base and supporting bar of the mounting frame are fixedly connected together, an extension bar may be used and connected between the ball head connecting rod and the supporting bar to extend the space between the back board and the support means of the building. However, because the mounting holes of the supporting bar and the mounting holes of the extension bar and round holes, two hand tools must be used to hold a screw and a nut respectively so that the screw and the nut can be fastened up to fix the supporting bar and the extension bar together.
4. The whole assembly of the convex lens assembly is complicated because it is comprised of a big number of parts including the back board, the convex lens, the ball socket, the ball head connecting rod, screws, the socket cover, the rubber packing strip, the clamping plates, screws, washers, screws, nuts, mounting base, supporting bar, extension bar, screw, and nut. Processing the back board with holes is also a complicated job.
5. When a screw drops to the inside the ball socket must be disconnected from the ball socket cover so that the fallen screw can be taken out.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide a convex lens assembly which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the convex lens assembly comprises a back board holding a convex lens, a mounting frame fastened to a support of a building, the mounting frame comprised of a mounting base, an extension bar, and a supporting bar connected between the mounting base and the extension bar, a ball socket fastened to the back board, a socket cover fastened to the back board to hold down the ball socket, and a ball head connecting rod having a ball head at one end coupled to the ball socket and threaded rod at an opposite end fixedly connected to the mounting frame, wherein the back board is integrally molded from impart resisting plastic, comprising an annular groove at its front side near the border which receives a flanges border area of the convex lens, a plurality of locating rods equiangularly spaced along therannular groove and pressed at the flanges border area of the convex lens to hold down said convex lens, a circular mounting hole at the center of its back side which receives the ball socket, and a plurality of locating notches equiangularly spaced around the circular mounting hole of the back board; the socket cover comprises a plurality of threaded locating strips perpendicularly raised from the border of its circular base and respectively inserted through the locating notches of the back cover within the circular mounting hole of the back board and then fixed in place by a lock nut. According to another asepct of the present invention, the mounting holes of the supporting bar of the mounting frame and the mounting holes of the extension bar are square holes; the screws which are used to fix the supporting bar to the mounting base and the extension bar have a square shoulder fitting the respective mounting holes of the supporting bar and the extension bar. By means of this arrangement, the nuts can be conveniently threaded onto the screws to fix the extension bar and the supporting bar together without using a hand tool to hold the screws. According to still another aspect of the present invention, one locating notch of the back board has a relatively greater size than the other locating notches of the back board; one locating strip of the socket cover has a greater size than the other locating strips of the socket cover, the bigger locating strip of the socket cover being aimed at the notch of the socket cover and fitting the bigger locating notch of the back board. Therefore, the socket cover can be quickly installed in the correct direction.

No. 7-2, Alley 2, Lane 45, Kuang Chen Street


A method for providing wireless online access comprises: establishing a wireless access signal space wherein a wireless communications link is established between a secondary wireless unit and at least one primary wireless unit, thereby providing a corresponding secondary subscriber with online access by data packet transmission between the primary wireless unit and the secondary wireless unit; and receiving, from an online access provider, a credited revenue amount in return for providing online access for the secondary subscriber.

The field of the present invention relates to wireless telecommunications. In particular, apparatus, systems, and methods are described herein for providing distributed wireless online access, along with business methods for deploying such a system.
With the recent explosive growth of the Internet and accompanying demand for high-speed online access, the so-called "last-mile problem" has assumed great importance in the telecommunications industry. The "last-mile" problem refers to the technical and economic difficulties associated with bringing high-speed online access and/or data transmission to each and every business, residence, and other location. High-speed data transmission is already provided on the Internet backbone, and many large entities (corporations, telecommunications companies, universities, research institutions, computing facilities, online service providers, electronic commerce providers, and so on) have direct connections or links to the Internet backbone, thereby enjoying data transmission rates of up to 100 Mb/s. Most residences and smaller businesses rely on direct connections using modems and standard telephone lines for online access, typically at maximum data transmission rates of 56 kb/s. There has been some headway made in providing more widely deployed and higher speed online access, mainly through television cable systems and digital subscriber lines (DSL's) provided by phone companies, but high-speed online access is still quite limited, and may never be deployed in some areas. The potential infrastructure development required to widely deploy high-speed online access may prove to be enormous, and may be particularly problematic in established neighborhoods.
Wireless communications technology may provide alternative solutions to the "last mile problem". Relatively low-cost devices are available for wirelessly linking devices, and if these were widely deployed a wireless network could be formed breaching the gap between the Internet backbone and a multitude of individual local users. This could be accomplished without significant infrastructure development or disruption of existing systems or structures. Wireless network connections also offer the possibility of mobile connections to the network, or even the network itself being mobile.
It is therefore desirable to provide apparatus and methods for widely deploying/providing high-speed wireless online access that does not entail substantial infrastructure development and/or investment. It is therefore desirable to provide apparatus and methods for widely deploying/providing high-speed wireless online access that may be readily implemented in existing neighborhoods without substantial disruption of existing structures, facilities, and/or services. It is therefore desirable to provide apparatus and methods for widely deploying/providing high-speed wireless online access that may be readily expanded into un-served geographic areas. It is therefore desirable to provide apparatus and methods for deploying/providing high-speed wireless online access that is affordable for users and that may generate substantial revenue streams with minimal initial investment. It is therefore desirable to provide apparatus and methods for deploying/providing high-speed wireless online access having mobile network elements and/or links, thereby enabling implementation of a mobile network.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Distributed wireless online access system


An aqueous dispersion comprising composite colloidal particles having an average particle size of 0.05 to 1.0 micrometer each of which comprises a core made of a copolymer comprising 99-100% by weight of tetrafluoroethylene and 0 to 1% by weight of a fluorine-containing olefin which is copolymerizable with tetrafluoroethylene and a shell made of at least one thermoplastic polymer resin selected from the group consisting of ethylene/tetrafluoroethylene base copolymers, ethylene/chlorotrifluoroethylene base copolymers and vinylidene fluoride/hexafluoroisobutene base copolymers, from which composite fluorine-containing polymer particles having good dispersibility in other polymer are prepared and from which an organosol of the composite fluorine-containing polymer particles is formed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aqueous dispersion, composite powder and an organosol of a fluorine-containing polymer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Organosol
An organosol of polytetrafluoroethylene (hereinafter referred to as "PTFE") is known as a coating material which provides a coating film having good sliding and stainproofing properties and corrosion resistance. It is prepared by adding an organic medium having a boiling point higher 100.degree. C. to an aqueous dispersion comprising colloidal particles PTFE, which in turn is prepared by emulsion polymerization and then removing water from the mixture by heating (an azeotropic method. see Japanese Patent Publication No. 18775/1974).
Since the PTFE colloidal particles prepared by the emulsion polymerization are hardly redispersed once they are coagulated, a large amount of a surfactant is added to the aqueous dispersion to prevent coagulation.
To the same end, a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and hexafluoropropylene (HFP) (this copolymer being referred to as "FEP") which coagulates less than PTFE is used (cf. U.S. Pat. No. 2,937,156, GB Patent No. 1,094,349 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 17548/1973).
To prepare the organosol of PTFE, Japanese Patent Publication No. 17016/1974 discloses a phase transfer method which comprises adding PTFE to a phase transfer agent such as a water-soluble organic solvent or an aqueous solution of an electrolyte, and stirring the mixture to transfer PTFE particles to a phase transfer liquid such as an organic solvent which is insoluble or hardly soluble in water. In this method, the PTFE particles should be mixed to prevent coagulation of the particles.
The coating film prepared from the aqueous dispersion containing a large amount of surfactant tends to suffer from blisters or discoloration. The coating film prepared from the aqueous dispersion comprising FEP has inferior wear resistance so that its sliding property is greatly deteriorated during use.
In general, the colloidal particles of the high molecular weight PTFE having a molecular weight of, for example, about 1,000,000 or larger are easily fibrillated under small shear force, and the fibrils tangle together and cause coagulation. As such, it has been impossible to form an organosol from an aqueous dispersion of colloidal particles of PTFE having a high molecular weight by the phase transfer method or by redispersion of PTFE powder from the aqueous dispersion, which powder is often referred to as fine powder, in the organic solvent.
The formation of an organosol of PTFE particles may be made easy by decreasing of the molecular weight of PTFE to several thousand to several hundred thousand. This is done by using a large amount of a chain transfer agent during polymerization or by irradiation of the fine powder. However, when PTFE is used for lubrication, low molecular PTFE wears heavily.
Blending of PTFE with thermoplastic or thermosetting resins or elastomers
Due to the good properties of PTFE such as heat resistance, flame retardance, non-tackiness, low friction, chemical resistance, low dielectric characteristics and the like, PTFE is used to modify other thermoplastic or thermosetting resins or elastomers through blending. However, PTFE has little compatibility with other resins or elastomers, and PTFE particles are usually not sufficiently dispersed in a molded article of the blend. Thus, for a long time, it has been desired to increase the blending ability of PTFE without deteriorating the good performances of PTFE.
Low molecular weight PTFE which is a so-called "wax" is the most widely used for blending. The PTFE wax can be blended with other polymers to some extent, however, it has insufficient mechanical properties. An aqueous dispersion or powder of high molecular weight PTFE may be used for blending but has poor dispersibility in other polymers so that dispersion in a submicron order can hardly be expected.
To produce a milky molded article of a thermoplastic or thermosetting resin or the elastomer, an inorganic white pigment such as quartz fine powder, alumina hydrate, aluminum hydroxide and calcium carbonate is usually added and mixed in the base polymer. Since the inorganic pigment is harder than the base polymer, it often appears on the surface of molded article and deteriorates the surface smoothness when the pigment and the polymer are simply mixed. To keep the surface smoothness of the molded article, a special technique is required. When the amount of the inorganic pigment increases, the molded article itself becomes harder resulting in a decrease of impact resistance.
Since PTFE powder is white and heat resistant, it is preferred as an organic white pigment which is a substitute for in-organic white pigment. However, as described before, its addition and mixing is difficult.
As composite PTFE colloidal particles, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 232109/1984 discloses composite particles each comprising a core of PTFE and a shell of a fluorine-containing elastomer, and Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 109846/1987 discloses composite particles each comprising a core of PTFE and a shell of a copolymer of TFE and chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE).
When the shell is made of the fluorine-containing elastomer, the composite particles have poor redispersibility in an aqueous medium or an organic solvent or poor ability to form the organosol. In particular, when blended with other polymers, the sliding property of the molded article is poor.
When the shell is made of the TFE/CTFE copolymer, the particles do not have good two-layer structures, and the molded article made from the blend of such composite particles and other polymer has poor wear resistance.

Aqueous dispersion and composite powder of fluorine-containing polymer


A comparator with hysteresis in which a reference voltage of the comparator is easily adjustable. A resistor for dropping the reference voltage and a current source are coupled to a reference voltage terminal, and function to adjust the reference voltage in response to the level of an output voltage. Thus, the hysteresis voltage of the comparator can be easily adjusted by varying the current flowing through the resistor.

The present invention relates to a comparator and more particularly, to a comparator with adjustable hysteresis using a current mirror circuit.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional comparator with hysteresis using resistance ratio comprises a differential amplifier including a pair of transistors Q1 and Q2, the emitters of which are connected to each other and also connected to a resistor R2. An input terminal VIN and a reference voltage terminal (node A), whose reference voltage value is determined by the ratio of resistance values R3-R5, are connected to the differential pair of transistors Q1 and Q2. A transistor Q3 is connected to the common node between the resistors R4 and R5 through a resistor R6, and a transistor Q5 the base of which is connected to the collector of the transistor Q1, is connected between the base of the transistor Q3 and the power supply Vcc. Also, a transistor Q4, the base of which is connected to the base of the transistor Q3, is connected between load resistor R11 and the ground terminal (GND).
When the voltage of the output terminal VOUT of the comparator is low, that is, the voltage of the input terminal VIN is higher than the reference voltage at the node A, the reference voltage is defined as VthL. On the other hand, when the voltage of the output terminal VOUT of the comparator is high, that is, the voltage of the input terminal VIN is lower than the reference voltage, the reference voltage is defined as VthH. The hysteresis voltage V.sub.hys is VthH-VthL.
The hysteresis voltage VY, ca be calculated as follows: ##EQU1##
As described above, the conventional comparator with hysteresis shown in FIG. 1 achieves hysteresis using the resistance ratio, thereby complicating the calculation of the hysteresis voltage. That is, in order to satisfy Eq. (1) , when the transistor Q3 is turned on, the collector-to-emitter voltage of the transistor Q3 must be zero. Accordingly, the hysteresis voltage has some error depending on the saturation voltage Vsat of the transistor Q3. Also, in order to increase the hysteresis voltage, the value of the resistor R6 has to be reduced. But, the reduction of the value of the resistor R6 increases the collector current of the transistor Q3, resulting in an increase of the saturation voltage Vsat of the transistor Q3. Thus, the error in the hysteresis voltage is increased.
Based upon the above, it can be appreciated that the conventional comparator with hysteresis has some disadvantages in that the accuracy of the hysteresis voltage is limited and the adjustment of the hysteresis voltage is difficult. Thus, it is evident that there presently exists a need for a comparator with hysteresis which has a hysteresis voltage which is both accurate and easily adjustable.
The present invention fulfills this need.


The present invention relates to a manual brake release mechanism for an electromagnetic brake of an electronic motor. The manual brake release mechanism includes a cam and lever assembly operable to move an armature plate away from a friction disk, thereby, disengaging an electromagnetic brake. The cam and lever assembly is coupled to a field cup and provides an even pull over both sides of the armature plate.

Electromagnetic disk brakes are widely used in a variety of applications such as dynamic brakes for motor input shafts and/or output shafts and as static or "holding" brakes for motors and the like. A typical electromagnetic disk brake of this type includes a friction disk that is coupled with the shaft so as to be movable axially relative to the shaft but to be rotationally fixed relative to the shaft. In static braking applications, the brake is applied by compressing the friction disk between a stationary reaction plate and an axially movable armature plate to provide the desired holding action, and the brake is released by energizing the electromagnet to retract the armature plate to allow the friction disk to rotate freely. In dynamic braking applications, the brake is applied while the shaft is rotating, either by energizing an electromagnetic actuator to overcome the force of a compression spring or by de-energizing a normally energized actuator to permit the compression spring to apply the brake.
Electromagnetic disk brakes designed specifically for use with electric motors exhibit several disadvantages. Specifically, brakes of this type require a mounting plate for attaching the brake to the motor's end shield. This mounting plate necessarily increases the size and weight of the brake, limiting the brake's usefulness in some applications. Attachment of the brake to the motor end shield often requires modification of the existing end shield structure to accept the mounting plate, which tends to be labor intensive. Furthermore, when adding a brake to motors employing an internal fan for cooling, the brake is often mounted to the fan housing. Thus, the fan is positioned between the brake and the motor, preventing cooling to the brake. The heat produced by the brake during normal operation has a deleterious effect on the stopping and starting capacity of the brake. Additionally, the heat on the brake has a deleterious effect on the life of the brake and the motor.
Conventional manual brake release mechanisms typically have significant rotational play when the brake is actuated, leading to rattling and possibly to false actuation of indicator switches which are intended to be closed only upon manual brake release. Furthermore, the manual release mechanisms typically employed in electromagnetic brakes either utilize a two step process for providing an even pull on the armature plate or a one step process which only provides a pull on one side of the armature plate.
Therefore, there is an unmet need in the art to facilitate the integration of electric motors with electromagnetic brakes for decreasing cost, size and weight of the brake, while increasing efficiency of the brake.

Integral motor brake manual release mechanism


A separate read/write magnetic head of the present invention includes a magnetoresistive head 11 having a magnetoresistive film 25 disposed between a lower shield 23 and an upper shield 28, both of which are formed on a substrate 21, and a pair of electrodes 26 electrically connected to the magnetoresistive film 25; and an inductive magnetic thin film head 12 having a coil 33 between a lower pole piece 31 and an upper pole piece 35, both of which are disposed on the upper shield 28 of the magnetoresistive head 11 with a separation film 29 being sandwiched therebetween, and through a magnetic gap film 32 and an interlayer insulating film 34. Reduced protrusion of the read head element toward the air bearing surface due to heat deformation caused by changes in ambient temperature can be achieved by configuring the lower shield 23 and the upper shield 28 so that the sum of their thicknesses is 0.4 μm or more and less than 3.4 μm.

The present invention relates to a separate read/write magnetic head for use in a magnetic disk device.
In order to meet the demand for greater capacity in magnetic disk devices, recording density has been increased over the years. There has also been a demand for smaller and high-speed magnetic disk devices. In order to satisfy the demands, a GMR (Giant Magnetoresistive) film is used in currently available magnetic disk devices as a magnetoresistive film of a separate read/write magnetic head, so that the recording track width is reduced to 0.4 μm and a gap (hereinafter referred to as flying height) between the magnetic head and a recording medium is reduced to about 15 nm.
The reduction in flying height of the head is essential for the achievement of high-density recording. However, the reduction in flying height may entail a problem of deformation of the head. Since the thin film magnetic head element is constituted of a plurality of components that differ from each other in thermodynamic property such as a coefficient of linear expansion, the head element is subjected to heat deformation that is caused by changes in ambient temperature. A partial protrusion is generated on the air bearing surface of the thin film magnetic head that faces the recording medium due to heat deformation, and the protrusion may make contact with the recording medium and therefore damage the magnetic head element.
FIG. 7 illustrates the configuration of a conventional separate read/write magnetic head 1 wherein an upper shield and a lower pole piece is separated from each other by a separation film that is an insulator. A GMR read head 2 has an upper shield 28 and a lower shield film 23 for eliminating magnetic fields brought by signals other than a desired signal, a GMR film 25 for detecting the desired signal, electrodes 26 for feeding a current to the GMR film 25, an upper gap film 27, a lower gap film 24, and the like. An inductive thin film magnetic write head 3 has a lower pole piece 31 and an upper pole piece 35 for generating a recording magnetic field, a magnetic gap film 32, coils 33 for applying a signal current, an interlayer insulating film 34, and the like. These films constituting the head 1 are formed on an insulating film 22 that is laminated on a substrate 21. Further, the overall head element is covered with a protecting film 36.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-306215 (pages 4 to 6, and FIGS. 1 to 3 and 6) discloses a method of preventing an air bearing surface from being deformed during operation by forming at least an upper insulating layer (insulating interlayer) of an inductive magnetic thin film head from a resin having a low glass transition point of 70 to 100° C., a porous material, and polyimide to reduce heat deformation when high humidity is present or by polishing the air bearing surface of the head at a temperature as high as that generated during operation.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan, Ltd.


A microreactor system that can mix fluids at precise timing has two inlets into which fluids are introduced and merges, in a channel, a first fluid introduced from a first inlet and a second fluid introduced from a second inlet, a first pump that sends the first fluid toward the inlets, and a second pump that sends the second fluid toward the inlets, a first fluid detector that detects an arrival of the first fluid at the first inlet, and a second fluid detector that detects an arrival of the second fluid at the second inlet.

In recent years, the use of microreactors has been promoted in the fields of biotechnology and manufacture of pharmaceuticals, chemical products, and the like. The microreactor is a flow-type reactor having a micrometer-order microchannel, and is used for mixing and reacting fluids. The microreactor is generally manufactured by utilizing a microfabrication technique such as molding and lithography, and a replaceable, detachable type and a single-use type intended for disposal have also been considered.
The microreactor uses a microchannel as a reaction field, and can rapidly mix fluids by molecular diffusion. Further, as compared with a conventional batch method using a large-sized reactor, an effect of a surface area on a volume of a fluid is increased. Thus, efficiency of heat transfer, heat conduction, chemical reaction, and the like is increased. Due to these characteristics, an application of the microreactor is expected to reduce reaction time and improve a reaction yield in various fields.
Further, the microreactor provides a small reaction field in a closed system, and thus is suitable for handling corrosive substances, reactive substances, other dangerous substances, and reactions involving danger. In addition, flexibility in numbering up is high due to a small occupied volume, and a mass production of substances can be achieved with simplified consideration of chemical engineering. Therefore, the application of microreactors in a wide range of fields is expected to accelerate further.
In general, the microreactor is systemized together with a pump, a pipe, a temperature controller, and the like, and various operations are semi-automated for use. In the field of manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and the like, it is required to comply with the good manufacturing practice (GMP: standards for manufacturing control and quality control of pharmaceuticals). Thus, the microreactor system is also required to comply with the regulation.
Specifically, in addition to a design, assembly, maintenance, and the like of the microreactor itself, sterility and non-elution properties for the entire liquid contact part such as piping are required to be assured, and a performance is required such that no deterioration or contamination of raw materials, intermediates, or the like occurs. Further, reproducibility of the processing is required, and it is necessary to cope with validation of control software and troubleshooting such as leak countermeasures.
Conventionally, a fluid transfer (liquid feeding) in the microreactor systems has been considered.
For example, PTL 1 describes a microfluidic device including a microfluidic chip as an example of a microreactor system. In the microfluidic device, after a temperature adjustment of the microfluidic chip is completed, the processing proceeds to a liquid cueing process, and solution feeding is performed under a predetermined condition (see paragraph [0063]).
Further, PTL 2 describes a liquid reactor having a microreaction space as an example of a microreactor system. In the liquid reactor, after a temperature of a substrate is adjusted and a channel is washed, a pump is operated to feed a raw material solution by pressure into a processing channel (see paragraph [0263] and the like). PTL 2 describes that two systems of a mixed substrate and a reaction substrate are used (see paragraph [0279] and the like), a mixing promoting substance is used (see paragraph [0346] and the like), and a backwash pump is used (see paragraph [0416] and the like) when reaction products are easily precipitated in the microreaction space.


A system for filtering data according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a data module configured to access vehicle data in a database according to a query input, a display module configured to display the vehicle data in an environment, and a query module configured to generate the query input according to an interactive list of filter statements. Each filter statement in the interactive list of filter statements is selectable from a group of filter types. The group of filter types is configured to dynamically update in response to at least one selection from the group of filter types. A method of filtering data is also disclosed.

This disclosure relates to data filtering, and more particularly, to filtering health and usage management system (HUMS) data in a computing environment.
Some vehicles, such as military and commercial aircraft, can be equipped with various sensors to measure conditions of various sub-systems of the aircraft during operation. Significant amounts of HUMS data can be generated from the sensors during operation of the aircraft. The data generated from the sensors may be stored onboard the aircraft and archived in one or more data locations for later retrieval.
Personnel may desire to view the archived data in one or more HUMS tools or utilities. For example, maintenance personnel may desire to view data collected from the sensors for diagnostics and troubleshooting activities. Other personnel, such as engineering and test personnel or fleet management staff, may desire to view the data collected from the sensors to determine various performance characteristics of the aircraft for development or logistics purposes.

Deep filtering of health and usage management system (HUMS) data


A structure and method are provided for correcting the optical proximity effects on a tri-tone attenuated phase-shifting mask. An attenuated rim, formed by an opaque region and an attenuated phase-shifting region, can be kept at a predetermined width across the mask or for certain types of structures. Typically, the attenuated rim is made as large as possible to maximize the effect of the attenuated phase-shifting region while still preventing the printing of larger portions of the attenuated phase-shifting region during the development process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a phase-shifting mask, and in particular to a structure and method of correcting proximity effects in a tri-tone attenuated phase-shifting mask.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photolithography is a well-known process used in the semiconductor industry to form lines, contacts, and other known structures in integrated circuits (ICs). In conventional photolithography, a mask (or a reticle) having a pattern of transparent and opaque regions representing such structures in one IC layer is illuminated. The emanating light from the mask is then focused on a photoresist layer provided on a wafer. During a subsequent development process, portions of the photoresist layer are removed, wherein the portions are defined by the pattern. In this manner, the pattern of the mask is transferred to or printed on the photoresist layer.
However, diffraction effects at the transition of the transparent regions to the opaque regions can render these edges indistinct, thereby adversely affecting the resolution of the photolithography process. Various techniques have been proposed to improve the resolution. One such technique, phase-shifting, uses phase destructive interference of the waves of incident light. Specifically, phase-shifting shifts the phase of a first region of incident light waves approximately 180 degrees relative to a second, adjacent region of incident light waves to create a more sharply defined interface between the first and second regions. Thus, the boundary between exposed and unexposed portions of a photoresist illuminated through a semiconductor mask (or reticle) can be more closely defined by using phase-shifting, thereby allowing greater structure density on the IC.
FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified, phase-shifting mask 100 fabricated with an attenuated, phase-shifting region 101 formed on a clear region 102, wherein a border 103 of attenuated, phase-shifting region 101 defines a single IC structure. Clear region 102 is transparent, i.e. a region having an optical intensity transmission coefficient T>0.9. In contrast, attenuated phase-shifting region 101 is a partially transparent region, i.e. a region having a low optical intensity transmission coefficient 0.03<T<0.1. The phase shift of light passing through attenuated phase-shifting region 101 relative to light passing through clear region 102 is approximately 180 degrees.
As known by those skilled in the art, increasing the intensity transmission coefficient of attenuated phase-shifting region 101 could increase the performance of structures formed by the photolithographic process. In fact, optimal performance would be theoretically achieved by providing an attenuated, phase-shifting region with an optical intensity transmission coefficient approaching T=1 (in other words, the region would be transparent) yet having a phase shift of 180 degrees relative to clear region 102. In this manner, assuming partially coherent illumination, amplitude side lobes from each region would substantially cancel, thereby creating a substantially zero-intensity line at the transition between these two regions. Current material technology typically provides this phase shift with an attenuated, phase-shifting region having an optical intensity transmission coefficient of approximately T=0.4, although a higher transmission is theoretically possible and preferable.
Unfortunately, the use of this higher transmission phase-shifting material increases the risk of printing certain portions of attenuated phase-shifting region 101. Specifically, to ensure complete removal of residual photoresist, the actual dose used to remove the photoresist is typically at least twice the theoretical dose needed to remove the photoresist. This over-exposure can result in increasing the risk of printing certain larger portions of attenuated phase-shifting region 101.
To solve this problem, some masks, called tri-tone attenuated phase-shifting masks, include an opaque region within the larger portion(s) of the attenuated, phase-shifting region, wherein the opaque region blocks any unwanted light transmitted by the attenuated phase-shifting region. FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified, phase-shifting mask 200 fabricated with an attenuated phase-shifting region 201 formed on a clear region 202 and an opaque region 204 formed on attenuated phase-shifting region 201, wherein a border 203 of attenuated phase-shifting region 201 defines a single IC structure. In this embodiment, clear region 202 has an optical intensity transmission coefficient T>0.9, attenuated phase-shifting region 201 has an optical intensity transmission coefficient 0.3<T<0.9, and an opaque region 204 typically has an intensity transmission coefficient of T<0.01. Note that the phase shift of light passing through attenuated phase-shifting region 201 relative to light passing through clear region 202 remains approximately 180 degrees.
Thus, forming an opaque region on an attenuated phase-shifting region advantageously allows for the use of a significantly higher optical intensity transmission coefficient for isolated structures. Unfortunately, a tri-tone phase-shifting mask exhibits strong optical proximity effects, thereby making it difficult to utilize this mask in a single common exposure for both isolated as well as crowded patterns.
Therefore, a need arises for a structure and a method for correcting optical proximity effects on a tri-tone, attenuated phase-shifting mask.

Structure and method of correcting proximity effects in a tri-tone attenuated phase-shifting mask


The present invention relates to a power controlling method in a mobile radio communication system using Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) scheme, and more particularly to a power controlling method of response (ACK/NACK) signals for transmitting the ACK/NACK signals in different power based on the permissible probabilities of reception error that the system requires. When the ACK/NACK signals are transmitted and received in the automatic repeat request (ARQ) system, since the ACK/NACK signals can be transmitted in accordance with the transmission power satisfying an error rate required in each signal by differentiating the transmission power of the signal according to each ACK/NACK, the power consumption required in the transmission of the ACK/NACK signals can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to acknowledgement signals, and more particularly, acknowledgment signals in mobile communication.
2. Background of the Related Art
Mobile radio channels are often characterized by the unpredictability of the channel due to, inter alia, Rayleigh fading and long term shadow fading. The channel quality may degrade as a result of several factors such as, for example, co-channel interference, adjacent channel interference, propagation path loss, and multi-path propagation (i.e., rayleigh fading). Transmission errors typically occur in bursts when fading causes the signal level to go below the noise or interference level. Therefore, explicit measures often need to be taken to maintain an acceptable level of quality of the transmission over a radio channel.
The quality of the transmission over a radio channel connection may be measured by the reliability with which the receiver receives the transmitted data. This channel reliability may, for example, be defined in terms of the bit-error-rate (BER) experienced at the receiver.
Specifically, forward error correction (FEC) and automatic repeat request (ARQ) are two well-known error control techniques commonly used for noisy and fading channels. In a system that uses FEC for error control, for example, the transmitter encodes the data using a given redundancy code, while the receiver, which has been informed of the code used, decodes the data at the receiving end. Many such systems using conventional block or convolutional codes have been explored and/or employed.
In a system that uses ARQ, the receiver returns (i.e., transmits back to the transmitter) an acknowledgement which indicates whether the given transmitted packet was received free of errors (in which case an acknowledgement signal, or "ACK" is sent), or whether it was received erroneously (in which case a negative acknowledgement signal, or "NACK" is sent). If the packet was not received error-free (i.e., if the transmitter receives back a "NACK" signal), the transmitter then retransmits the same packet again, anticipating that the packet will be successfully received on this (or else on a further, subsequent) transmission.
Transmission of multimedia applications such as high quality audio, images and real-time video, for example, require very low bit-error-rates, typically 10−6 or less. Obtaining such low BERs in wireless environments is challenging, even in the presence of very low rate forward error correction codes.
ARQ techniques, however, provide very reliable communication, albeit at the expense of variable and sometimes large delays. But hybrid ARQ schemes, in which both FEC and ARQ techniques are employed simultaneously, are particularly attractive because they combine the fixed delay error correction capability of FEC techniques with the low BER of basic ARQ schemes.
Though several ARQ schemes are utilized, the ACK or NACK signal should be transmitted from the receiver to the transmitter. Usually, one bit signal is used for the ACK signal or the NACK signal. In other word, the transmitter recognizes that the transmitted packet is received by the receiver in correct when the receiver transmits an ACK signal of one bit (for example 1 (one)), and recognizes that the packet is not received correctly by the receiver and retransmits a corresponding data packet when the receiver transmits a one bit NACK signal (for example −1 (minus one)).
A system using a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (hereinafter referred to HSDPA) of UMTS of an IMT-2000 standard of Europe defines that user equipment transmits an uplink ACK/NACK signal of 1 (one) bit for a downlink data packet transmission of a base station (Node B).
In a mobile radio communication system that uses packet type data transmission scheme such as above system, the ACK/NACK signal transmitted by the receiver is designed to be transmitted in a high power and energy without any specific protection such as channel coding for the purpose of rapid recognition of the acknowledgement. For example, the HSDPA system that is presently under standardization defines that the user equipment should transmit 1 (one) bit ACK/NACK signal without channel coding through the uplink so that the transmitter may be informed whether the corresponding data packet was received or not.
FIG. 1 illustrates how the background art receiver utilizes the one bit to transmit the response signals, which are complementary. The threshold power level is moved to the direction of ACK determination region from 0- at the transmitter which receives the acknowledgment signal from the receiver, for the transmitter to determine (DTX: discontinuous transmission, that is, no acknowledgement is transmitted) as NACK. However, in the receiver, the actual transmission power for the NACK signal is substantially same as the actually transmission power for the ACK signal in absolute power level (ΔA).
Since the receiver (for example, the user equipment using High Speed Downlink Packet Access scheme (hereinafter referred to as HSDPA)) uses one bit to transmit the ACK/NACK signal, the actual transmission power level for the one bit is intentionally set at high power and energy for the purpose of rapid recognition of the data packet acknowledgment.
In this particular case, the actual transmission power of the ACK signal is substantially equal to the required power such that there is a ΔA power difference relative to 0. Similarly, the actual transmission power of the NACK signal is substantially equal in opposite polarity with the ΔA power difference relative to 0. The power level is a relative value from the reference value of the radio channel floating according to the channel condition.
Though the transmitter transmits a data packet to the receiver, such a case may occur that the receiver does not send any acknowledgement (ACK/NACK signal) because it did not detect the existence of data packet to be received.
In this case (DTX: Discontinuous Transmission), if a system is designed to assume that the data packet is received or not within a specific time period after the transmitter transmits the data packet and the receiver did not send any acknowledgement (ACK or NACK signal) within the time period, and if the threshold power level is 0 at the transmitter, the transmitter is forced to determine the absence of acknowledgement to be one of the ACK signal or the NACK signal.
If no response (DTX) is determined as the ACK signal, the transmitter considers that the receiver has received the corresponding data packet in correct and transmits the next data packet, so that there occurs a data loss. To prevent the data loss, the transmitter should consider the DTX case as the case that the NACK signal is received. To achieve this, a threshold for determining whether the ACK/NACK signals are received may be shifted to a polarity of the ACK signal, as shown in FIG. 1.
In a fading radio channel circumstance of a radio communication system, the possibility of determining error of the acknowledgement signal such that the ACK signal transmitted from the receiver is determined as the NACK signal (ACK_NACK error) or the NACK signal is determined as the ACK signal (NACK_ACK error) may be greater than that of a wired channel circumstance of a wire-line communication system. The effects of the two types of errors to the system performance are not same to each other. So, the acceptable possibilities of the determining error are being defined in the course of standardization of HSDPA. Unfortunately, the background system inefficiently uses the same transmitting power for both the ACK signal and the NACK signal.

Method and apparatus for transmitting acknowledgement signals


Various methods, apparatuses, and systems in which a residential gateway is located at the network interface device and is powered with a remote power source inside the residence. In another embodiment, bi-directional data communication between the residential gateway and the remote power source is also enabled.

Typically, telecommunication systems used to provide broadband access to residential customers contain a residential gateway which consists of an xDSL (any type of digital subscriber line) modem or xPON (any type of passive optical network) interface combined with various local area networking (LAN) technologies to enable sharing the broadband access with other computers or devices within the residence. 802.11 wireless and home phone line networking (HPNA) are examples of LAN technologies. In addition, some telecommunication systems may provide a voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) feature to allow telephone calls via the broadband link. Some systems may, in addition to broadband access sharing, need to distribute broadband media content such as video streams into various locations within the residence.
Typically the residential gateway is located inside the house. However, it is desirable to locate the residential gateway at the Network Interface Device (NID) outside the house. A NID is the point of demarcation between the Unbundled Network Element (UNE) loop and the end user's inside wire. Reasons for desirability of locating the residential gateway at the NID include the ability to provide simplified installation wiring and to eliminate the need to have the user home when the bulk of installation occurs. Further, as fiber to the neighborhood rolls out, integration will be easier if the active electronics are already present at the NID. Also, installation practices can be merged between xPON and xDSL systems such that the primary network termination is the only difference.
However, a significant problem in trying to locate the residential gateway at the NID is the problem of providing power. There is often no source of Alternating Current (AC) mains power accessible at the NID location. Consequently, powering from inside the house is the only viable option. The use of existing phone wiring would be the most desirable way, since the cost of installing new wiring is prohibitive. However, the existing phone wire must be reserved for voice band telephony including its requisite Direct Current (DC) signaling. This constraint appears to preclude its use for supplying power to the NID.
It is thus desirable to use existing phone wiring to power the residential gateway.

Network interface device with a remote power source


A system and method for controlling the flow of air to an intake port of an engine is described that includes a flexible intake manifold runner comprised of helically wound braids. In one example, the length and cross-sectional area are mechanically interlinked. In this way, the flexible intake manifold runner can be tuned over a wider operating band while maintaining a lower cost design.

Intake manifold runners include pipes designed to deliver a flow of air to combustion chambers within an engine. However, during certain parts of the engine drive cycle, intake valves are closed and prevent the air from flowing. When one or more intake valves open, a pressure wave develops within the runner and may increase the amount of air entering the open cylinder chamber. Therefore, under some operating conditions (e.g. at certain RPMs), the time when the propagating pressure wave encroaches upon the intake valve may align with intake valve opening, which causes a significant improvement in the volumetric efficiency and thereby the performance of the engine. For this reason, the airflow may depend on the geometry of a runner. For instance, the time for a pressure wave to propagate through a long manifold runner and back to an intake valve is longer compared to the length of time in a short manifold runner. As such, an engine with longer runners may have a torque peak at a lower RPM range than an engine with short intake runners, which may instead have a power peak at a higher RPM.
In an attempt to accommodate a range of engine conditions, intake manifolds with variable length runners spread out the torque curve into a broad, more manageable profile. Previous variable runner length designs may include continuously variable and discretely variable lengths. Continuously variable intake manifold runners vary the length of a runner with no substantial change to the runner shape or cross-sectional area. Because of the constant cross-sectional area, under some engine conditions, the variable length runner may degrade torque output and thereby decrease fuel efficiency. On the other hand, discretely variable runners typically have preset long and short runner configurations and so often have a pronounced valley of low torque output. An example intake manifold system with continuously variable runners that couple a change in length to a change in cross-sectional area is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,684 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,036. However, the manifold assembly described therein includes parts with intricate groove-like features and non-symmetrical shapes that may be fabricated by a time consuming injection mold process.
The inventor has recognized the disadvantages of the approaches described above and herein discloses a manifold assembly encased in a plenum chamber that includes flexible intake manifold runners coupled to an actuator shaft on one end and to an intake port of an engine on the other end. The flexible manifold runner may be comprised of a helically braided tube. This design allows for a continuously variable runner length, cross-sectional area and tube shape with reduced artificial obstructions to the flow of air to an intake port.
The present description may provide several advantages. In particular, extension of a biaxially braided tube causes a decrease in the cross-sectional area, with the reverse occurring as the tube is compressed. Therefore, an intake manifold runner can be tuned over a wide operating band from low RPM torque to high RPM power in a manner that depends on the operating conditions of the engine. As such, the method allows a cost-effective measure to control the flow of air to the engine based on engine speed and load. Furthermore, because the change of runner length can be calibrated to the change in cross-sectional area, the method may be implemented in various engine systems for optimal engine performance based on the speed and load on the engine, which thereby increases fuel efficiency.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.


A liquid delivering apparatus including a piezoelectric sheet which is opposed to liquid chambers and is polarized in a direction of thickness thereof; a restrictor sheet which is opposed to the liquid chambers, restricts a deformation of the piezoelectric sheet, and functions as a first electrode; and second electrodes which are opposed, via active portions of the piezoelectric sheet, to restrictive portions of the restrictor sheet, respectively, and are opposed to the liquid chambers, respectively. When an arbitrary one of the active portions of the piezoelectric sheet is deformed by an electric field which is generated in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of polarization of the piezoelectric sheet, the arbitrary one of the active portions of the piezoelectric sheet and a corresponding one of the restrictive portions of the restrictor sheet are curved in a direction to increase a volume of a corresponding one of the liquid chambers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid delivering apparatus and, in particular, to such a liquid delivering apparatus employing a sheet-stacked body in which a piezoelectric sheet and a restrictor sheet are stacked on each other and which is deformed or curved in a direction to increase a volume of a liquid chamber which accommodates a liquid.
2. Related Art Statement
There has conventionally been known a liquid delivering apparatus which delivers a liquid from a liquid chamber to an external location, by deforming a piezoelectric element and thereby applying a pressure to the liquid in the liquid chamber to which the piezoelectric element is opposed. An example of the liquid delivering apparatus is an ink jet recording head disclosed by, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-34341. The ink jet recording head includes a cavity sheet having a plurality of groove-like ink chambers that communicate with a plurality of ink ejection nozzles, respectively; and a piezoelectric element which is stacked on the cavity sheet so as to close the ink chambers. The piezoelectric element includes an elastic sheet located on the side of the ink chambers; and a piezoelectric sheet stacked on the elastic sheet. The piezoelectric sheet is sandwiched by a single common electrode located on the side of the elastic sheet, and a plurality of individual electrodes located on the opposite side (i.e., on an upper surface of the piezoelectric sheet) and corresponding to the ink chambers. An electric voltage is applied to the common electrode and an arbitrary one of the individual electrodes.
In the ink jet recording head constructed as described above, when a drive device applies a positive voltage to a desired one of the individual electrodes and a negative voltage to the common electrode, a portion of the piezoelectric sheet that corresponds to the one individual electrode is shrunk in directions parallel to opposite major surfaces of the piezoelectric sheet, and a portion of the elastic sheet that corresponds to the one individual electrode restricts the shrinkage of the piezoelectric sheet. Consequently the respective portions of the piezoelectric sheet and the elastic sheet are so deformed or curved as to project into a corresponding one of the ink chambers. This deformation applies a pressure to the ink accommodated in the one ink chamber, and accordingly a droplet of ink is ejected from a corresponding one of the ink ejection nozzles in a so-called "fill-after-fire" manner.


A vibronic measuring device for determining at least one process variable of a medium. Included are: an oscillatable unit; a transmitting/receiving unit, which, by means of a transmission signal, excites the oscillatable unit to execute mechanical oscillations and receives the mechanical oscillations and converts such into an analog, electrical, received signal; and a control/evaluation unit (MC), which receives the analog, received signal, digitizes such and determines the process variable therefrom and which produces the transmission signal. Between the transmitting/receiving unit and the control/evaluation unit, a controllable amplifier is arranged, which receives the received signal and produces an adapted, received signal, and that the control/evaluation unit determines an amplitude of the received signal and, as a function of the determined amplitude, controls the amplifier in such a manner that the amplitude of the adapted, received signal is adapted to a digitizable voltage range predetermined by the control/evaluation unit.

Vibronic measuring devices for determining fill level, density, and/or viscosity of a medium are known in the form of oscillatory forks, membrane oscillators and single rods. Common to these vibronic measuring devices is that they possess an oscillatable unit, which is excited to execute resonant oscillations. The excitation occurs, most often, via piezoelectric elements. Drive elements and the oscillatable unit together form the sensor unit. The mechanical oscillations are converted into electrical, received signals and their frequency, amplitude, and/or phase shift evaluated relative to the excitation signal. This is done advantageously digitally in a microcontroller, which is fed the received signal via an analog-digital converter. The excitation signal can be produced likewise in the microcontroller with a predetermined phase shift relative to the received signal and, for example, fed via a digital-analog converter to the drive elements of the oscillatable unit. The amplitude of the received signal varies as a function of the damping of the oscillations of the oscillatable unit. The sensor unit of vibronic measuring devices possesses, consequently, as a rule, a very high dynamic range. The analog-digital converter must possess a correspondingly high resolution, in order to be able to digitize all signals. The resolution of analog-digital converters integrated into microcontrollers is, however, limited and insufficient for such a high dynamic range, so that the range, in which the measuring device can determine the process variable reliably, is limited.


An electromagnetic relay having contacts formed as integral parts of the core and armature of the relay. The contacts are formed by electroplating or cladding ferromagnetic core and armature parts with low resistance material such as copper, silver, gold or platinum.

Electromagnetic relays are widely used in electrical circuits to control the operation of many electrical and mechanical devices. Briefly, electromagnetic relays generally include a coil which is energized to move an armature relative to a core. Movement of the armature causes spring contacts attached to the armature to move causing the contacts to open or close depending upon their orientation. The armature and core are separate and distinct parts of the relay from the contacts.
Examples of prior art relays are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,087 which discloses a relay having pins and leads which are fashioned from a single sheet of flat stock by stamping and forming to reduce the cost of the relay. The relay also includes a core and pole pieces which are energized to move an armature and actuator to cause the pins and leads to open and close. Another example of an electromagnetic relay assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,216 wherein a core is energized to move an armature which causes arms to engage contacts which are again formed from a single sheet. Another example of an electromagnetic relay is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,537 in which a flat coil is secured to a pole piece which is used to attract an armature. A plurality of flat, spring-like contacts are mechanically fastened to the armature and engage stationary contacts on the core support member when the coil is energized to attract the armature in contact with the pole pieces.
In a specialized form of a relay known as a reed relay, switch elements are repulsed or attracted depending upon a magnetic field induced by a coil which is formed about a spring-like contact elements. Examples of reed relays are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,974,468 and 3,889,098. In each of these disclosures, there are magnetic portions of the contact carriers provided by plating or otherwise providing a layer of ferromagnetic material on a non-ferromagnetic substrate. Such reed switches are specialized devices having limited application.
Reed switches in electromagnetic relays such as those provided above are relatively expensive to manufacture and may incorporate the use of costly raw materials and manufacturing process.
Generally, the size of the contact is very small which causes charges to be concentrated and results in arcing as the contacts are open and closed.
The present invention is directed to solving one or more of the above problems and other problems, as will be understood in view of the following description of the invention. The basic nature of this invention will suggest a multitude of potential applications wherein the advantages of the invention relating to low cost and simple manufacturing techniques can be used.

Electromagnetic relay with integral contacts


An MVA liquid crystal display device for displaying motion pictures includes a polymer layer formed on a surface of a vertical alignment film so as to tilt liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer slightly from a direction perpendicular to the plane of the liquid crystal layer. Further, the MVA liquid crystal display device of such a construction is subjected to overdriving.

The present invention generally relates to liquid crystal display devices and more particularly to a liquid crystal display device of vertical alignment (VA) mode.
A liquid crystal display device is a display device having the feature of compact size and small electric power consumption. Thus, a liquid crystal display device has been used extensively for various portable information processing apparatuses, particularly laptop computers or cellular phones. On the other hand, much progress has been made with regard to the performance of liquid crystal display device in the past, including the response speed and contrast ratio, and a liquid crystal display device is used nowadays also for replacing conventional CRT display apparatuses of desktop computers and workstations.
Further, in recent years, there are increasing instances in which a liquid crystal display device is used for displaying images in a television set ranging from a large screen television set to a compact portable television set. In the case of using a liquid crystal display device for a television set, there is imposed a demand that the liquid crystal display device is capable of displaying a motion picture with high speed.
Meanwhile, a liquid crystal display device of the vertical alignment mode, particularly the liquid crystal display device of MVA mode is used extensively for the display devices of computers and cellular phones in view of its excellent contrast ratio and wide viewing angle characteristics. It should be noted that the liquid crystal display device of MVA mode or MVA liquid crystal display device is a liquid crystal display device in which there are formed plural domains of different tilting directions of liquid crystal molecules in a single pixel region.
Thus, there is a natural demand of using such a liquid display device of MVA mode also for the display of television images.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the principle of a MVA liquid crystal device 10 proposed by the inventor of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A shows the liquid crystal display device 10 in the non-activated state in which there is applied no driving electric field to a liquid crystal layer 12, while FIG. 1B shows the same liquid crystal display device 10 in an activated state in which a driving electric field is applied to the liquid crystal layer 12.
Referring to FIG. 1A, the liquid crystal layer 12 is held between a glass substrate 11A and a glass substrate 11B, wherein the glass substrate 11A and 11B form a liquid crystal panel together with the liquid crystal layer 12.
On each of the glass substrates 11A and 11B, there are formed respective alignment films not illustrated, wherein the alignment films control the pointing direction of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 12 such that the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a direction generally perpendicular to the liquid crystal layer 12 in the non-activated state in which no drive electric field is applied to the liquid crystal layer 12.
In this state, the optical beam incident to the liquid crystal display device undergoes no substantial rotation of its polarization plane as it passes through the liquid crystal layer, and thus, the optical beam incident to the liquid crystal layer 12 through a polarizer is interrupted by an analyzer, provided that the polarizer and the analyzer are disposed above and below the liquid crystal panel in a crossed Nicol relationship.
In the activated state of FIG. 1B, on the other hand, the liquid molecules are tilted as a result of the applied electric field, and because of this, the optical beam incident to the liquid crystal layer undergoes rotation of the polarization plane thereof. As a result, the optical beam incident to the liquid crystal layer 12 through the polarizer passes also through the analyzer.
Further, in the liquid crystal display device 10 of FIGS. 1A and 1B, there are formed projecting patterns 13A and 13B respectively on the glass substrates 11A and 11B so as to extend parallel with each other, wherein the projecting patterns 13A and 13B impose localized constraint with regard to the tilting direction of the liquid crystal molecules particularly at the time of transition from the non-activated state to the activated state. With this, the response speed of the liquid crystal display device 10 is improved.
By forming such projecting patterns 13A and 13B, not only the response speed of the liquid crystal display device 10 is improved, but there are also formed plural domains of different tilting directions of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer. Thereby, the viewing angle characteristics of the liquid crystal display device are improved significantly.
[Patent Reference 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2002-107730 gazette
[Patent Reference 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2002-357830 gazette

Liquid crystal display device and television receiver set


Systems and methods for aggregating, distilling, and analyzing large scale data sets are disclosed. In some embodiments a task object is generated based on inputs received via a user interface defining actions to perform on one or more data sets. In some embodiments, the task object is forwarded to a pipeline processor configured to invoke a distributed computing cluster to process the data sets according to the defined actions.

Companies are increasingly struggling to operationalize the vast amount of data they generate and retain. Such data may provide invaluable insight into business operations and customer behavior, however the process of operationalizing the data quickly hits a bottleneck for many companies (particularly companies not focused on information technology) in that collection, storage, and preparation of the large amounts of data is highly technical, typically requiring the skills the company's IT professionals. Assuming a company's IT staff has the capacity to assist in operationalizing the company's data, the process may still typically take many weeks to perform, thereby jeopardizing the company's ability to quickly act on the business intelligence gained through the data.
To facilitate the analysis of large sets of data, systems and methods are disclosed herein that may provide a "turnkey" solution for enterprises and organizations seeking to manage and make use of the large amount of data they generate.

Aggregating, distilling, and analyzing large-scale data sets


Disclosed herein is an improved process for preparing methyl dithiocarbazinate by reacting carbon disulfide and hydrazine in an effective ratio to form hydrazinium dithiocarbazinate, followed by methylating the hydrazinium dithiocarbazinate with methyl bromide. The improvement resides in conducting the reaction of the carbon disulfide and hydrazine in the presence of a specified amount of a non-alcoholic solvent to reduce dithiocarbazinate buildup.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved process for preparing methyl dithiocarbazinate. More specifically, the invention relates to an improved process for improving the yield and/or purity of methyl dithiocarbazinate.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The prior art disclosures of the processes for preparing methyl dithiocarbazinate are limited by the paucity of information on reported experimental procedures and the excessive cost of commercial scale procedures. Laboratory reports present little information on how reaction temperatures would affect production of undesirable by-products, yield and purity, impact on waste treatment operations and the like. Commercial scale procedures are expensive because they involve the use of expensive reagents and/or expensive techniques such as separation of intermediate products and recrystallization of the final product.
Audrieth et al., J. Organic Chem., Vol. 19, pp. 733-741 (1954) discloses a process for preparing methyl dithiocarbazinate and converting it to thiocarbohydrazide. The process comprises a dropwise addition of 1.04 moles of carbon disulfide to 1.18 moles of potassium hydroxide and 1.1 moles of 85% hydrazine in 200 ml. of ethanol, in an ice bath. A heavy yellow oil containing potassium dithiocarbazinate separates during the addition. The resulting mixture is stirred and chilled and two volumes of ether are added to cause separation of more of the desired product (potassium dithiocarbazinate).
The oily layer is separated from the ether-alcohol layer and filtered to remove a small amount of an unidentified solid that is formed. The clear yellow solution is then dissolved in 300 ml. of water. The resulting solution is cooled in an ice bath and 1.05 moles of methyl iodide are added in approximately 10 batches. The reaction vessel is shaken and cooled alternately after each such addition until the methyl iodide is consumed. The reaction mixture is allowed to stand for several hours, being shaken occasionally to permit complete reaction. The methyl dithiocarbazinate is collected and recrystallized from ethanol.
Methyl dithiocarbazinate (24.4 gm., 0.2 mole) was dissolved in 200 ml. of absolute ethanol and 18 ml. (0.3 mole of hydrazine) of 85% hydrazine hydrate was added. The resulting solution was refluxed until no more solid thiocarbohydrazide precipitated (about 45 minutes). A small amount of 3-hydrazino-4-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole that had formed was removed as follows. The reaction mixture was chilled, and the resulting solid product was collected and recrystallized from water acidified with a few drops of hydrochloric acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,938 discloses a process for preparing and using methyl hydrazinecarbodithioate as an intermediate in the preparation of 6-aryl-pyridine thiosemicarbazones. Methyl dithio-carbazinate is prepared as follows. Hydrazine hydrate (150 g) is added to a cooled (0.degree. C.) solution of potassium hydroxide in water (240 ml.) and 2-propanol (200 ml.). Pre-cooled carbon disulfide (182 ml.) is then added dropwise to the stirred reaction mixture, while maintaining an internal temperature below 10.degree. C. After the addition is complete, stirring is continued for a further one hour. Cooled methyl iodide (426 g) is added dropwise over 11/2 hours. The resulting white precipitate is collected by filtration and washed with cooled water. The crude product is recrystallized from methylene chloride.
To form 6-aryl-pyridine thiosemicarbazone, methyl dithiocarbazinate is reacted in a suitable solvent such as alcohol. The reaction product is treated with selenium dioxide in a suitable ethereal solvent such as tetrahydrofuran or 1,4-dioxane.
S. Losanitch, J. Chem. Soc., Vol. 119, pp. 763-765 (1921) discloses a process for preparing methyl dithiocarbazinate by first obtaining ammonium dithiocarbazinate and reacting it with methyl iodide. The ammonium dithiocarbazinate is obtained as follows. A solution of hydrazine hydrate in alcohol, containing a large excess of ammonia, is slowly treated with cooling with the corresponding quantity of carbon disulfide. The methyl dithiocarbazinate is formed by treating the ammonium salt in a dilute alcohol solution with methyl iodide.
Sandstrom et al, Arkiv For Kemi, 4(1952) 297, discloses a process for preparing ethyldithiocarbazinate. The process involves the separation of hydrazinium dithiocarbazinate from an ethanol-water mixture and the reaction of the hydrazinium dithiocarbazinate with ethyl bromide in an ethanol-water mixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,284,482 discloses a process for preparing chlorobenzyl esters of dithiocarbazinic acid as follows. To a solution comprising 85% hydrazine, 25% sodium hydroxide and 300 ml. of water is added carbon disulfide, dropwise at 10.degree. to 15.degree. C. over 20 minutes. External cooling is removed and the reaction mixture is stirred for an hour at 25.degree. to 30.degree. C. Then, trichlorobenzyl chloride is added in one portion to the reaction mixture which is stirred for 24 hours at 25.degree. to 30.degree. C. to produce the corresponding trichlorobenzyl dithiocarbazinate. The product is then extracted with ethyl ether. The ether solution is washed with water until it becomes neutral, is dried over sodium sulfate, and the ether is removed in vacuo.
British Patent Specification 1,274,521 discloses dithiocarbazinic ester derivatives by reacting dithiocarbazinic acid esters with an oxo compound. The dithiocarbazinic acid is prepared by reacting hydrazine hydrate with carbon disulfide in alcohol medium in the presence of potassium hydroxide, ammonia or excess hydrazine hydrate.
After isolation, the dithiocarbazinic acid salt is converted into an ester by an alkylating or aralkylating step. This step is carried out in water, a mixture of water and alcohol or in alcohol. Alternately, the ester can be prepared in a single reactor. The alkylating or aralkylating agent is added to the dithiocarbazinic acid salt solution prepared by the above method. The alkylating or aralkylating agents disclosed by the patent are: dimethyl sulfate, diethyl sulfate, allyl chloride, n-butyl iodide, n-octyl ester, n-dodecyl bromide, cetyl bromide, benzyl chloride, p-chlorobenzyl chloride, p-isopropylbenzyl bromide, p-n-butylbenzyl bromide, and alpha-methylbenzyl chloride.
As would be realized from the foregoing, there is a need for an economic process, i.e., a more facile and cost efficient process for preparing methyl dithiocarbazinate. By the present invention, there is provided such an improved process for preparing methyl dithiocarbazinate.

Process for reducing dithiocarbazinate buildup in the preparation of methyl dithiocarbazinate


An iris detection device includes a candidate detection unit, a candidate narrowing-down unit, and an iris specifying unit. The candidate detection unit detects circular regions as iris candidates from images captured by an infrared camera. The candidate narrowing-down unit narrows down the detected iris candidates into a predetermined number of iris candidates with use of data items of images of surroundings of each of the iris candidates. The iris specifying unit specifies one of the predetermined number of iris candidates obtained by the narrowing-down as an iris by matching between gradients of a contour of each of the predetermined number of iris candidates and iris templates.

As a method of assisting a driver in driving to operate in-vehicle devices without forcing the driver to release a steering wheel, a method including using lines of sight of the driver has been proposed. In this regard, as a method of detecting the lines of sight of the driver, a method of detecting an iris of the driver has been proposed.

Iris detection device, iris detection method, and recording medium onto which iris detection program is recorded


The present invention provides an organopolysiloxane having acryloyl groups or methacryloyl groups at both terminals thereof, where silicon atoms at both terminals of the organopolysiloxane are each independently added to double bonds each of acryloyl groups or methacryloyl groups of compounds each having at least two acryloyl groups or methacryloyl groups; a curable resin composition comprising such an organopolysiloxane; and a process for producing such an organopolysiloxane comprising adding a compound having at least two acryloyl groups or methacryloyl groups to an organopolysiloxane having SiH groups at only both terminals thereof. The curable resin composition has distinguished transparency, luster, peelability, surface lubricity and water and oil repellency, and therefore is useful as a resin for mold-releasable paper, a coating agent, an anticorrosive agent for printed substrate, etc.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel organopolysiloxane, a process for producing the same and a curable resin composition containing the organopolysiloxane as an effective component. A curable resin composition containing the novel organopolysiloxane as an effective component has distinguished transparency, luster, peelability, surface lubricity and water and oil repellency, and therefore is useful as a resin for mold-releasable paper, a coating agent, an anticorrosive agent for printed substrates, etc.
2. Related Art Statement
Organopolysiloxanes having acryloyl groups or methacryloyl group (both groups together being hereinafter referred to as (meth) acryloyl groups) at the terminals thereof and/or as side chains are distinguished in polymerization reaction and UV curing, and thus are used as a resin for mold-releasable paper, a coating agent, an anticorrosive agent for printed substrates, etc.
It has been known that these organopolysiloxanes can be produced by reaction of, for example, a tri(meth)acrylate compound having --COH groups with an organopolysiloxane having SiZ groups, where Z is an alkoxy group, a hydroxy group or a chlorine atom (U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,268).
However, the organopolysiloxanes so produced have SiOC-- bonds and thus are liable to be hydrolyzed.
A process for producing an organopolysiloxane by reaction of (meth) acrylic acid with an organopolysiloxane having epoxy groups in the molecule has been also known (JP-A-2-45533). However, the process has a difficulty in reaction control due to a very large heat of reaction.
It has been also known to produce organopolysiloxanes by hydrosilylation reaction of an organopolysiloxane having SiH groups with (meth)acryloyl groups of a compound having a plurality of (meth)acryloyl groups (the compound being hereinafter referred to as (meth)acrylate compound) in the presence of a platinum catalyst [Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 47, 1309-1314 (1993)]. However, the hydrosilylation reaction is applied to a dimethylsiloxane-methylhydrogen siloxane copolymer as shown by the following formula (IV) (which will be hereinafter referred to as PDMHMS), that is, an organopolysiloxane having SiH groups as side chains: ##STR1## Thus, the hydrosilylation reaction produces only organopolysiloxanes having (meth)acryloyl groups as side chains and further has the following problem.
That is, the starting material PDMHMS is a copolymer and the number and positions of the SiH groups in one molecule are largely fluctuated, and thus it is hard to control the hydrosilylation reaction and also to control the properties of the resulting organopolysiloxanes. Furthermore, the PDMHMS used in the hydrosilylation reaction is less compatible with the (meth)acrylate compound, and thus a relatively large amount of the catalyst is required for satisfactory hydrosilylation reaction. Particularly when a trimethylolpropane triacrylate (which will be hereinafter referred to as TMPTA) useful for endowing the resulting organopolysiloxanes with various properties is used as the (meth)acrylate compound, it is necessary to use an organic solvent besides the large amount of the catalyst. In that case, the resulting organopolysiloxanes often become white turbid and thus are very inconvenient for use, for example, as a coating material.


A system and method for operating a big-data platform that includes at a data analysis platform, receiving discrete client data; storing the client data in a network accessible distributed storage system that includes: storing the client data in a real-time storage system; and merging the client data into a columnar-based distributed archive storage system; receiving a data query request through a query interface; and selectively interfacing with the client data from the real-time storage system and archive storage system according to the query.

Developments in technology have led to an increasing amount of available data. Such data has numerous useful applications and many companies could benefit from being able to analyze that data. Specialized systems have been developed to work with large datasets. The data platform commonly known as HADOOP™ is one exemplary platform designed for large datasets that leverages MapReduce. However, many websites and applications are built on system infrastructures that differ greatly from those that can take advantage of large quantities of data. To take advantage of platforms such as the data platform commonly known as HADOOP™, a system would have to be re-engineered for the new platform. Such infrastructure changes are time and cost prohibitive. Additionally, a platform designed for large datasets requires highly specialized and knowledgeable personnel. Many of the people working on existing websites and applications do not have such skills. Thus, there is a need in the data-intensive distributed systems field to create a new and useful system and method for integrating with a data-intensive infrastructure. This invention provides such a new and useful system and method.

System and method for operating a big-data platform