A method and apparatus for assisting in the location and surgical removal of foreign bodies embedded in the human or animal body. A calibrated grid-forming screen, of a material opaque to X-radiation, is located over the injury site, with accurate reference to a targeting mark naturally or artificially formed near the site. An X-ray image is formed, showing the body part, the foreign object, and a calibrated grid overlay image. Two such images, taken from different angles, typically 90.degree., enable the precise location of the object to be determined in three dimensions by triangulation. With the location of the foreign body in three dimensions, the surgeon is then able to exactly locate the site for incision and to know in advance the depth to which to extend the incision, and to exactly reach the foreign body. The grid-forming screen may be of thin sheet stainless steel, tin-lead, or lead-plated copper, formed with integral, narrow linear elements extending longitudinally and transversely and intersecting to form a calibrated grid of uniform open squares. The screen also has a central open area, formed with a targeting element to facilitate accurate positioning of the screen in relation to the targeting mark, this being the point of entry of the foreign body or an artificially selected point of entry, marked by pen, to be a guide to locating the foreign body. Extraordinary savings in time and effort by the surgeon are possible using the invention, with corresponding benefits to the patient.

One of the most common injuries sustained by humans and animals is the accidental penetration of the skin by foreign objects, such as pieces of metal, glass, wood, needles, pencil lead, bullets, BB pellets, nails, screws, fiberglass, paints and pigments. When part of the foreign body still protrudes outside the skin it can be removed fairly easily. However, when the foreign body has penetrated the skin with substantial projectile velocity so that it is completely embedded beneath the skin in deeper tissues, removal is often difficult. This is due to the fact that there may be variation in the direction and depth to which the foreign body has traveled. The presence of the entry wound is of help. When the entry wound is completely healed, locating the object becomes more difficult.
Utilizing currently available materials and techniques, a surgeon can encounter a great deal of difficulty in finding small embedded objects, often spending as much as one half to one and a half hours, or even longer, in the attempt to locate and remove the foreign body. This is true, even though pre-operative X-rays are taken in an effort to localize the position of the object.
Because of the difficulties described above, many surgeons, veterinarians, and podiatrists require fluoroscopic studies to be done in the operating room during the removal procedures. These often are long, drawn-out procedures, which undesirably subject the patients to prolonged anesthesia and excessive X-ray exposure.
Using the device and method of the invention, a preoperative X-ray study is made of the traumatized area, to precisely pinpoint the location of the foreign body and allow the surgeon thereafter to quickly effect its removal, often reducing to a few minutes procedures heretofore requiring extensive time, patience and effort.
The invention is a novel grid-like screen, formed of a material opaque to X-rays, preferably thin stainless steel but also tin-lead or lead-plated copper, and the method of use of the screen. When a patient presents a history to a doctor suggesting the possible presence of an embedded foreign body, an X-ray is taken to verify its presence or absence. If its presence is confirmed, then the invention comes into play. The screen is carefully placed over the anatomic part with a targeting element directed over the point of injury or entry wound or a marked point, these constituting a targeting mark. It is held in this position or taped in place. The anatomic part is then turned or manipulated so that the screen rests against the cassette holding the film. An X-ray image is taken, which will incorporate the grid pattern and fix the location of the foreign object with respect thereto in a two-dimensional plane. The screen is then re-positioned at right angles to its first orientation with the targeting element again aligned with the previously selected injury or marked point, and a second X-ray image is taken with the screen again positioned against the film cassette. These two X-ray images are used by the surgeon to triangulate the location of the foreign body, and determine and mark where the incision should be made in order to retrieve it. The surgeon can then quickly effect its removal. If, under certain circumstances, it is not possible to manipulate the anatomic part so that the screen rests directly against the film cassette, then the screen can rest between the X-ray source and the anatomic part. This is not the preferred method.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment and to the accompanying drawings.

Apparatus and method for locating foreign bodies in humans and animals


An apparatus and method is provided for finishing surfaces and edges of a stent. The apparatus may be capable of rotating a turning wheel, lowering the turning wheel onto a stent, tilting the stent, and polishing and deburring exterior, interior, and wall surfaces of the stent. An automated method is provided for polishing and deburring exterior, interior, and wall surfaces of a stent. Additionally, the automated method may include rotating a turning wheel, applying magnetic abrasive particles to the turning wheel, lowering the turning wheel onto the stent, tilting the stent, and polishing and deburring the exterior, interior, and wall surfaces of the stent.

Coronary artery disease is caused by plaque forming on the inner walls of troubled blood vessels, thus reducing the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients through the body. In order for the blood vessels to expand and allow normal flow again, biodegradable metallic stents are placed within the troubled blood vessels. The biodegradable metallic stents are designed to be surgically placed within the blood vessel and then are expanded to hold the inner walls of the blood vessel at a fixed diameter, allowing the blood vessel to heal around the stent thus healing the blood vessel. A coating is placed on the biodegradable metallic stents and the effectiveness of the stents depends upon the surface finishing of the stent, as unevenness such as burrs influence the degree of asperity penetration through a coating placed on the stent.
Manufacturing of a mesh stent starts with metallic alloy ingots produced from raw materials. The metallic alloy ingots are initially prepared through induction melting and solution heat treatment. After being prepared the metallic alloy ingots are cut into cylindrical billets. Through a process of repeated cutting and hot extrusion of the cylindrical billets, thin-walled tubes are formed. The thin-walled tubes go through an annealing process followed by cold drawing. Use of a fixed wire mandrel in the cold drawing process increases the accuracy and consistency of the stents' diameter and thickness. Lastly, the tubes are laser cut to form mesh stents. During the manufacturing process of a stent, unevenness forms on all of the surfaces of the stent. The unevenness is in the form of burrs, pits, and semicircular grooves.
Previous methods of surface finishing involved placing the stent and a conductive metal into an electrolyte bath, and then connecting an electrical source to the conductive metal and the stent. As current passed through the now formed closed circuit, a localized anodic dissolution and oxidation generates on the surface of the stent. The resulting process primarily removes material in areas where there are micro-projections, but additionally removes material in other areas. The final results give a smooth and glossy surface, however; the high weight loss of the stent and a large width reduction of the stent strut reduces the real life of the implanted stent.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INCORPORATED


A flexible drive mechanism for a flushing apparatus actuated by movement of a flush handle via an actuation element is disclosed. The drive mechanism includes a housing and flexible drive system in the housing, the flexible drive system including an actuating element operable to move the flush handle between a non-actuating position and a full stop actuating position. The housing further includes first and second bracket halves and first and second removable insert halves for adapting the first and second bracket halves to substantially enclose and engage a bushing and nut and thereby secure said electromechanical flexible actuator to the flush lever of the sanitary fixture.

The present invention relates to automatic flush valve actuation devices for toilet and urinal facilities, and in particular to add-on flush valve operation devices that are adapted to be readily and easily attached to existing flush valve mechanisms for movement of the actuation handle of such flush valve mechanisms.
Public awareness of personal hygiene and water conservation issues has initiated a response by manufacturers of public and private sanitary and water use facilities to develop systems that eliminate human contact with environmental surfaces that may contain disease spreading bacteria and to minimize flush water usage to eliminate waste.
Many present toilet and urinal flush devices for sanitary facilities are operated by a water control valve including a manually operable flush handle adapted to be gripped and moved by a user following use of the sanitary facility. A typical valve arrangement is shown, by way of example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,776,812 and 3,399,860. However, those valve actuation devices present several problems. Among these problems are the fact that with an enlightened awareness that public sanitary facilities may have been previously used by someone having a communicable or other disease that is spread upon contact, individual users of sanitary facilities are becoming reluctant to touch the flush handle and risk becoming ill. Therefore, the sanitary facility may remain unflushed, leaving human waste products in the toilet and urinal, obviously increasing the unsanitary conditions, and fouling the atmosphere in the facility. Therefore, having flush value mechanisms that people won't use can lead to extremely unsanitary and undesirable conditions.
In addition, many present flush handle operated valve mechanisms for sanitary devices are constructed such that the user can hold on to the handle for an excessive time period, retaining the valve mechanism in an open position longer than necessary to flush the toilet or urinal. This obviously wastes water, which can be a major problem in those parts of the world where water is a scarce commodity. Also, excessive water use leads to additional and unnecessary costs for the entity installing and maintaining the washroom facility.
Several systems have been developed in an attempt to address the hygiene arid water control problems of existing manual flush control mechanisms for sanitary facilities. These include structures which totally replace the manually operated flush valve mechanism with an automatic, sensor actuated flush valve operation device that is also connected to the 110 volt electrical system extant in the facility. Such a system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,588. However, the replacement of existing manually operated flush handle devices with such units is costly, particularly in buildings such as hotels, office buildings and the like which presently have installed numerous manual handle operated flush mechanisms in their sanitary facilities. Such replacement would require the work of mechanical and plumbing personnel, and the installation cost of replacing numerous manually operable flush devices with automatic devices of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,588 would be prohibitive. Also, this replacement project would require a shut down of the water supply system or turning off water to the valve until the valve mechanisms could be replaced, which is undesirable in large hotels, offices and other structures. Additionally, building permits would be required for such a replacement project.
Another problem encountered with existing automatic, sensor actuated flush valve operation devices is that they must be installed on facilities having different heights. For example, the flush valve mechanism on a standard toilet is generally positioned lower than the flush valve mechanisms on toilets designed for use by disabled users. For such high mount facilities, the flush valve housing structures are about shoulder height of the user. Due to the placement of the sensor, when the device is mounted on a high mount facility, the sensor may be oriented at an angle that fails to respond to use of the facility and the facility may remain unflushed.
Another attempt to automatically operate a manual flush valve mechanism for a sanitary facility is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,056,143, which discloses a door operated electrical solenoid device for depressing a manual flush handle each time the door to the toilet stall is opened. However, the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,056,143 has many shortcomings. The existing valve housing in the prior art structure would have to be disassembled, reworked and retrofitted to accept the bracket supporting the solenoid. This requires reconstruction of the valve housing. Also, the cantilever nature of the reference mounting structure will result in possible movement of the bracket upon actuation of the solenoid, and improper actuation of the flush handle. Further, the reference device is tied to the electrical system of the building in which the stall is located, requiring added installation costs. The reference device will operate each time the door opens, whereby the flush mechanisms will operate twice for each use. This waste of water could be significant, considering that sanitary facilities are operated 4,000 times per month in many installations. Additionally, in the reference device, the existing flush handle remains exposed, whereby the handle can be manually operated or kicked, as some users are prone to do to avoid touching the handle. This exposure of the handle can also lead to water waste through manual operation.
When designing a device that will automatically operate a flush handle of all existing manual flush apparatus, an important consideration is that as line water pressure increases, the handle stroke of a common flush valve must pivotally extend further from its initial position to actually flush the toilet. For example, flushing may occur with the handle pivoted one-half way through its full extent at a water pressure of 50 psi, but maybe required to be pivoted through 90 percent of its full motion to accomplish flushing at 100 psi. It has been determined that to provide proper flushing facing these variances in handle position, it is necessary to drive the handle to its full movable position, or to a metal-to-metal stop position if no buffer material is placed between the handle and the part of the valve housing through which the handle extends, to ensure that flushing occurs at high water pressures. Due to manufacturing tolerances, the "full down," "full stop," or "metal-to-metal stop" position of the handle varies somewhat between sanitary installations. If the valve operating mechanism is constructed to insure that a flush will occur at a "full down" position on one valve installation, this "full down" position may be beyond the "full down" position of another valve. In this situation, the motor driven cam or other drive mechanism will stall due to "metal-to-metal" contact between the valve handle and the valve housing before the cam has completed a full rotation. Therefore, the cam drive system for the handle must provide a degree of flexure, or "give," to allow for this difference in valve handle operating parameters.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic flush valve actuation apparatus that can be installed and mounted on existing manual flush valve mechanisms without requiring any mechanical work or structural changes to the existing manual flush mechanism.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic flush valve actuation apparatus which can be readily mounted to existing flush valve mechanisms, whereby the rush valve actuation apparatus engages a portion of the flush mechanism housing to prevent rotation of the actuation apparatus during operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery operated flush valve actuation device for a sanitary unit such as a toilet or urinal, which requires no connection to the extant electrical system of the installation in which the sanitary unit is located.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an automatically operated actuation device for existing sanitary unit flush handle mechanisms which can be actuated by sensors responsive to use of the facility, and by timing devices that automatically actuate the flush handle at predetermined time intervals.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatically operated actuation device for existing sanitary unit flush handle mechanisms which can be actuated by sensors responsive to use of the facility, the automatically operated actuation device capable of being mounted on the existing flush valve housing structure at an angle, such that the sensors are responsive to both low and high mount facilities.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automatically operated flush valve handle actuation device in a compact, self contained unit which can readily be attached to an existing manual flush valve mechanism on existing sanitary units without the need to connect the actuation device to any outside power or control sources.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a compact self contained flush valve handle actuation device which is automatically mounted on and aligned with the existing flush valve housing structure, whereby the mounting structure provides the necessary torque to enable the operating mechanism inside the flush handle actuation device to overcome the valve housing spring pressure acting on the flush handle and to depress the flush handle to accomplish flushing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide flexure in the valve handle drive mechanism to prevent the handle drive cam or other drive mechanism from stalling when the handle reaches its "full down" or "metal-to-metal stop" position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a compact, battery operated self contained flush valve handle actuation device that operates on minimum power drain of the batteries, and thus provides long battery life.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a compact self contained flush valve handle actuation device which can be adapted to mount and align with a variety of existing flush valve housing structures.

Automatic flush valve actuation apparatus


A rotor shaft extends axially through an interior cylinder defined by a housing. The shaft is mounted for rotation at one end. A flow of medium consistency stock is introduced axially to the cylinder, while a chemical inlet supplies bleaching chemicals axially to a rotor mounted on the shaft. The head of the rotor has turbine passages which accelerate the impinging bleaching chemicals along radial lines to be thus distributed across the whole aperture of the cylinder. Tapered vanes extend from the rotor adjacent to the rotor head and create circulating vortices which mix the bleach chemicals with the pulp. As the tapered vanes extend radially toward the cylindrical walls of the cylindrical housing, the vortices extend to the housing walls. The finely mixed bleaching chemicals and pulp are then forced through a foraminous cylinder which separates the interior of the cylindrical housing from an outlet volute by vanes which extend to near engagement with the foraminous cylinder. The foraminous cylinder has a porosity of about ten percent, the holes formed in the foraminous being on the order of one inch in diameter. The shear produced between by the radial vanes fluidizes the pulp and completely mixes the bleach chemicals and the pulp.

In the processing of wood to produce paper the wood is reduced to individual fibers. The fibers are produced either by mechanically abrading wood or by chemically processing wood chips to remove the lignin which binds the fibers together in raw wood. The individual fibers are then typically subjected to further mechanical and chemical processing to improve the properties of the fibers and thus produce a better grade of paper.
Recycled fibers are typically freed from recycled paper for fiber board by repulping the recycled material into individual fibers. Again the recycled fiber are subjected to mechanical and chemical processing to clean and improve the properties of the recycled fibers.
Bleaching of the fibers is one very important chemical process to which raw and recycled wood fibers are subjected to lighten and brighten the fibers in order to produce a lighter, more valuable grade of paper. The bleaching of paper pulp today is a complicated, many step process, and can employ numerous bleaching agents, including chlorine, oxygen, ozone, chlorine dioxide and hydrogen peroxide. Many of the bleaching chemicals must be evenly dispersed throughout the mass of fibers, or an undesirable mottled, or uneven, bleaching of the fibers results.
For many of the processes involving wood fibers in the papermaking process, the fibers are handled as so called "medium consistency" stock, consisting of about twelve percent fibers by weight dispersed in eighty-eight percent water by weight. Medium consistency stock contains about the maximum fiber content at which the stock can still be handled as a liquid by pumping. However, medium consistency stock is more like a solid than a liquid, easily holding it's shape if piled on a flat surface. Under normal conditions, medium consistency stock is difficult to mix with any additive.
However, if the medium consistency stock is subjected to high levels of shear, it becomes very fluid, approaching the fluidity of ordinary water, and under the turbulent conditions produced by the high shear levels rapidly mixes. Producing the necessary level of shear in the medium consistency stock requires between five and fifty megawatts per cubic meter, or up to fifty kilowatts per liter of stock. This amount of energy would bring the stock to a boil in about six seconds. In order to keep energy costs to a reasonable level, the volume of fluid flow subjected to high shear must be kept to a minimum. Minimizing the volume subjected to high shear results in the fluids being subjected to the shear for only a small fraction of a second. The problem with using a very small volume for mixing is that the distribution of chemicals and pulp must be uniformly distributed on a scale consistent with the mixing volume which is subjected to high shear.
A number of known devices exist for mixing medium consistency paper pulp stock. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,085 to Luthi et al., which utilizes a disk-shaped rotor rotating between fixed disks. Another device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,321 to Delcourt, discloses mixing between conical rotating surfaces which produce high shear. Yet a further device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,334 to Fredriksson et al., has a toothed roll rotating within a housing and opposed to a toothed plate. These existing devices mix medium consistency pulp stock by providing regions of high shear where mixing can take place.
However, if improved distribution of the chemicals to be mixed with the pulp could be achieved, a smaller region of high shear could be used with the result that less power would be required for mixing and/or greater uniformity of chemical distribution within the pulp could be achieved.


The invention relates to a non-cross-linked copolymer foam with polyamide blocks and polyether blocks, wherein: the polyamide blocks of the copolymer have an average molar mass of from 200 to 1,500 g/mol; the polyether blocks of the copolymer have an average molar mass of from 800 to 2,500 g/mol; and the weight ratio of the polyamide blocks to the polyether blocks of the copolymer is from 0.1 to 0.9. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing said foam and items manufactured from said foam.

Various polymer foams are used notably in the field of sports equipment, such as soles or sole components, gloves, rackets or golf balls, personal protective elements, in particular for the practice of sport (vests, inner helmet or hull parts . . . ).
Such applications require a set of particular physical properties ensuring an ability to rebound, a low compression set and an ability to withstand repeated impacts without deforming and then returning to the initial shape.
Documents EP 0405227 and EP 0402883 disclose foams manufactured from various polymers and their use in shoe soles.
Document EP 1650255 discloses crosslinked foams obtained from polyamide polyether block copolymers.
Cross-linked foams have the drawback of presenting significant constraints from a point of view of the manufacturing method: the manufacturing time is generally high, the manufacturing is generally necessarily in batch mode only, and undesirable chemical products have to be handled.
In addition, crosslinked foams are difficult to recycle after use.
Document WO 2013/148841 discloses a bi-layer extrusion method from various polymers, including polyamide polyether block copolymers.
Document WO 2015/052265 discloses a method for manufacturing expanded thermoplastic particles from any thermoplastic elastomer polymer.
Furthermore, the company Zotefoams commercializes crosslinked foams manufactured from polyamide polyether block copolymers under the name ZOTEK@ PEBA. The disadvantages of crosslinking have been mentioned above. In addition, the durability of the products is imperfect.
There are also many foams manufactured from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or from ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). These foams have a relatively restricted operating temperature range, as well as compression set in a relatively short time which is relatively low and an imperfect durability. Their manufacturing methods are also constrictive.
There is thus a need to provide low density polymer foams, having one or more advantageous properties among: a high capacity to give back elastic energy under low constraint stress; a low compression set; and a high resistance to compressive fatigue.

Copolymer foam with polyamide blocks and polyether blocks


A method for modifying the flow of water in a channel includes creating a flow modifier by first obtaining a plurality of rigid substantially linear posts and obtaining at least one prefabricated brace configured for connection to the posts. The prefabricated brace is configured with two spaced apart rigid anchor ends, one of which has at least two spaced apart anchor sites. A plurality of rigid cross beams connect the anchor ends, with the cross beams and the anchor ends all substantially coplanar. A plurality of vertically extending vanes may also be arrayed across the prefabricated brace. The method also includes driving at least two of the posts into the channel bed and securely connecting at least one prefabricated brace to the posts at the anchor sites. An agglomeration matrix may be positioned against the prefabricated brace for supporting and accumulating materials which amplify the flow modification effect of the prefabricated brace and matrix. The flow modifier modifies the flow of water by creating a weir, by diverting the flow of water, by reinforcing the channel bank, by creating a favorable habitat for plant life, or by some combination of these effects. An apparatus and system for modifying the flow of water in a channel are also disclosed.

Erosion of rivers, streams, canals, ditches, and other water run-off and irrigation carrying channels is a large and expensive problem in the United States and around the world. Many attempts have been made over hundreds of years at reducing the occurrence of erosion in these channels, but after all these years, these attempts still prove unsatisfactory.
Erosion continues to allow channels to shift, to cross property lines, to undercut roads, railways, and buildings, and even to threaten telephone and electric power transmission lines. Erosion creates large gullies which are difficult to cross, inhibiting travel even when the gullies do not carry water. Erosion also alters the paths of rivers and provides the rivers with new access to flood plains which were previously inaccessible and hence were protected against flooding. Erosion also consumes thousands of acres of prime farm land every year.
As used herein, the term "flow of water" denotes a flow of water in a stream, canal, ditch, creek, lake inlet, pond outlet, or other body of moving water. The term "Channel" collectively denotes the bed over which the flow of water moves and the banks between which the flow of water moves. A channel exists regardless of whether or not it carries a flow of water at any particular time. Although many flows are substantially continuous, as in a large river, other flows such as flash floods are intermittent.
Erosion is caused by the force of the flow of water acting against the channel in which the water flows. The amount of force exerted by the flow of water on the banks and bed of the channel is largely dependent on the velocity of the flow of water. Turmoil in the flow of water can also create eddies which eat away at a particular area of the channel. Over time, due to the force of the flow of water, the soil and other materials of the banks and/or bed of the channel are carried away and redeposited downstream, altering the shape of the channel. In many cases, the altered channel guides the flow of water along a substantially different path than the path that was taken before the erosion occurred.
The speed of erosion is also dependent on many other factors. For instance, rocky channels tend to erode more slowly than channels lined only with soil. The presence of trees and other vegetation along the banks of a channel also tends to slow erosion. On the other hand, erosion occurs quickly in arid or semi-arid regions which have sparse vegetation. These same areas are often subject to flash floods which can severely erode the relatively unprotected channels.
Certain portions of the channels also incur greater erosion than other portions of the channels. For instance, much like any moving body, the flow of water tends to exert greater force on the outside of a curve. This force is embodied as a greater velocity of the flow of water, which in turn deepens the channel bed at the outside of the curve. The deeper channel allows an even greater portion of the flow of water to migrate to the outside of the curve, thereby creating even greater erosion on the outside bank and the outer portion of the channel bed.
Prior art attempts at reducing erosion include the placement of a weir in the channel. A weir resembles a dam in that both obstruct the flow of water. Typically, dam blocks substantially all of the water that reaches it, causing the river to overflow its banks directly upstream of the dam and creating a pond or lake. A weir, on the other hand, slows the flow of water without causing substantial overflow of the banks. The portion of the flow of water around the weir is slowed and flows over the top of or around the weir. Thus, the portion of the flow of water around and immediately downstream of the weir is reduced in velocity, thereby decreasing the force of the flow of water acting upon the channel banks and bed. Thus, erosion is diminished immediately adjacent to and downstream of the weir.
The placement of flow diverters in the channel has also been used in attempts to reduce erosion. Flow diverters typically modify the flow of water by redirecting the flow of water thereof away from locations that are particularly vulnerable to erosion.
Attempts to eliminate erosion have also included the reinforcement of vulnerable portions of the channel bank. Various forms of dikes, levees, walls, old car chassis, and other forms of obstructions have been used for this purpose. As used herein, weirs, flow diverters, and reinforcement barricades will be collectively referred to as flow modifiers.
Prior art flow modifiers have been found generally to be expensive, difficult to install, and not aesthetically pleasing. For instance, the construction of rock jetties and walls is time consuming. The construction of wood barricades can also be expensive, and the barricades are short-lived, as wood tends to rot. The rocks, wood, and other materials are also not readily available in many sites. Additionally, the placement of car chassis in rivers and streams is in some cases unlawful.
Furthermore, most flow modifiers are required to be anchored to the stream bed to prevent the flow modifiers from themselves being washed away. Such anchoring can also be difficult and is often ineffective. For instance, when building wood barricades, large diameter wooden posts must be sunk into the channel bed. This normally requires digging a large hole in the channel bed. Digging in the channel bed proves difficult to do, particularly in a rapidly moving flow of water, and can also make the channel bed more susceptible to erosion. The wooden barricades are also undesirable, as the wooden posts are frequently snapped by sudden rushes of water, causing the barricade to be washed away.
From the above discussion, it can be seen that a need exists for an apparatus, system, and method for modifying the flow of water in a channel that is inexpensive, that is easy to install, and that is sturdy and will not wash out. Such an apparatus, system, and method is also needed which is capable of being installed in the stream in a variety of custom configurations in order to modify the flow of water in the channel and thereby reduce erosion in predetermined portions of the channel.

Flow modification apparatus, system, and method


There is provided a production method for producing a biarylalanine compound of formula (4):

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a production method for a biarylalanine, which is useful as an intermediate for a medicament, an agrochemical and the like.
2. Background of the Invention
As conventional production methods for a biarylalanine compound, the following method are known: a method comprising cross-coupling N-(t-butyloxycarbonyl)-O-(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)tyrosine methyl ester, which is a derivative of a natural amino acid tyrosine, with phenylboronic acid in the presence of a palladium catalyst (WO 2001-36376), a method comprising cross-coupling N-FMOC-4-(trimethylstannyl)-phenylalanine tert-butyl ester with a halobenzene in the presence of a palladium catalyst (WO 2001-12183), a method comprising cross-coupling N-(t-butyloxycarbonyl)-4-iodophenylalanine methyl ester with phenyl boronic acid in the presence of a palladium catalyst (WO 2000-43372) and the like.
However, in each of the above-mentioned cross-coulping methods, an expensive palladium catalyst is used. Therefore, an economical production method has been desired.

Abstract: wherein R1 represents a amino protective group and R2 represents an amino protective group or a hydrogen atom, R3 is a carboxy protective group, or the like, andR4 is a substituted or unsubstituted aryl or heteroaryl group, characterized by reacting an aromatic amino acid of formula (1)

Abstract: wherein X is a halogen atom or a trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy group, and R1, R2 and R3 has the same meaning as defined above, with an organic boron compound of formula (2):

Abstract: wherein R4 has the same meaning as defined above, and Q1 and Q2 are the same or different and each is a hydroxy group, an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s), in the presence of nickel catalyst and a base.


An occupant detection device for a vehicle seat is provided. The device includes a sensor and a spring. The sensor is configured to indicate a first state when a seat is not occupied and a second state when the seat is occupied. The spring is configured to urge the sensor toward the first state. The spring is also configured to provide a return force that varies with a temperature of the spring.

It is known to equip vehicle seat assemblies with occupant detection devices in order to, for example, classify the occupant as an adult or a child, or to remind the occupant if the seat belt is not properly fastened. However, it has been observed that the weight threshold applied to the seat that is necessary for an occupant detection device to switch from indicating that the seat is unoccupied to indicating that the seat is occupied varies with ambient temperature. For example, it has been observed that some seat configurations cause the threshold to increase as the temperature decreases. However, it has also been observed that some seat configurations cause the threshold to decrease as the temperature increases.

Occupant detection device with temperature compensation


Computer program products and a mobile terminal for transmitting and receiving video data. Image data of first and second frames of a video signal captured by a camera is used to determine encoded first spatial units of the first frame and encoded second spatial units of the second frame at lower spatial resolution, which are transmitted to the receiver terminal. The second spatial units are unaligned with the first spatial units due to rotation of the camera between the first and second frames, such that each of the second spatial units partially overlaps with at least one first spatial unit. An indication of the angle of rotation of the camera between the first and second frames is detected using a rotational motion sensor and transmitted to the receiver terminal. The receiver terminal combines the first and second spatial units using the indication to reconstruct an image of higher spatial resolution.

In the transmission of a video signal, a video encoder at a transmitter terminal receives input video data comprising a sequence of "raw" video frames to be encoded, each representing an image at a respective moment in time. The encoder encodes each input frame into an encoded frame (e.g. either as an intra frame or as an inter frame). The purpose of the encoding is to compress the video data so as to incur fewer bits when transmitted over a transmission medium or stored on a storage medium.
Each frame of video data may be encoded into one or more spatial units for respective image regions of the frame. When the video data has been encoded and transmitted to a receiver terminal, the receiver terminal decodes the spatial units for each of the image regions of the frames to thereby recover data values (e.g. luminance and chrominance values according to the YUV colour space scheme) representing the image regions. In this way the receiver terminal can recover the frames of the video signal. The recovered frames may be stored at the receiver terminal, transmitted to another terminal or output from the receiver terminal, e.g. to a user of the receiver terminal using a display of the receiver terminal.
In the transmission of a video signal, there is a trade off between the quality of the video signal that can be recovered at the receiver terminal (e.g. the resolution, frame rate and error rate of the video signal) and the amount of data that needs to be transmitted.


A new cultivar of Nemesia plant named ‘Innsunmara’ that is characterized by large red orange flowers and good cold temperature tolerance.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Nemesia plant botanically known as Nemesia hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Innsunmara'.
The new Nemesia is the product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventors in Gensingen, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Nemesia cultivars with unique colors and a compact habit.
'Innsunmara' is a hybrid that originated from a crossing in the Summer of 2003 of the female or seed parent a proprietary Nemesia strumosa identified as Neb Orange III (not patented) and the male or pollen parent a proprietary Nemesia identified as White Dream Typ I (not patented). The resulting seeds were subsequently planted and grown. The cultivar 'Innsunmara' was selected by the inventor in the Spring of 2004 as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross in Gensingen, Germany.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'Innsunmara' first occurred by terminal cuttings in July of 2004 in Gensingen, Germany. Since that time, under careful observation, the unique characteristics of the new cultivar have been uniform, stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.


A semiconductor based Light Emitting Device (LED) can include a p-type nitride layer and a metal ohmic contact, on the p-type nitride layer. The metal ohmic contact can have an average thickness of less than about 25 Å and a specific contact resistivity less than about 10−3 ohm-cm2.

Light emitting diodes and laser diodes are well known solid state electronic devices capable of generating light upon application of a sufficient voltage. Light emitting diodes and laser diodes may be generally referred to as light emitting devices (LEDs). Light emitting devices generally comprise a p-n junction formed in an epitaxial layer grown on a substrate such as sapphire, silicon, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide and the like. The wavelength distribution of the light generated by the LED depends on the material from which the p-n junction is fabricated and the structure of the thin epitaxial layers that comprise the active region of the device.
Typically, an LED includes an n-type substrate, an n-type epitaxial region formed on the substrate and a p-type epitaxial region formed on the n-type epitaxial region. In order to facilitate the application of a voltage to the device, an anode ohmic contact is formed on a p-type region of the device (typically, an exposed p-type epitaxial layer) and a cathode ohmic contact is formed on an n-type region of the device (such as the substrate or an exposed n-type epitaxial layer).
Because it may be difficult to make highly conductive p-type Group III-nitride materials (such as GaN, AlGaN, InGaN, AlInGaN, and AlInN), lack of current spreading in the p-type layer may be a limiting factor in the performance of LEDs formed from such materials. Accordingly, it may be desirable to form an ohmic contact over as much of the surface area of the exposed p-type layer as possible in order to induce current to pass through as much of the active region of the device as possible. However, providing a large anode contact may be detrimental to device performance in some respects. It is typically desirable to extract as much light as possible out of a light emitting diode. Since the anode ohmic contact generally comprises a metal layer, light generated in the active region of the LED may be partially absorbed in the ohmic contact, reducing the overall luminescent efficiency of the device.
In some devices, it may be desirable to form a reflective metal layer over the exposed p-type layer, so that light that would normally exit the device through the p-type layer is reflected back into the device to be extracted through the substrate. However, highly reflective metals such as aluminum and silver do not form good ohmic contacts to p-type nitride materials. Thus, an ohmic contact is typically provided between the p-type nitride layer and the reflector. Reducing absorption in the ohmic contact remains a concern in such devices.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved ohmic contact structures and methods of forming ohmic contact structures on p-type nitride materials.

Ultra-thin ohmic contacts for p-type nitride light emitting devices


A center of gravity of a robot device is estimated without utilization of a force sensor or the like. An information processing device including a center-of-gravity estimation unit that calculates, on the basis of torque applied to one or more joints included in each of a plurality of leg portions, reaction force applied from a ground contact surface to each of the plurality of leg portions, and that estimates a center of gravity of a robot device including the plurality of leg portions on the basis of the calculated reaction force on the plurality of leg portions.

Recently, a legged robot device has been developed as a mobile robot. The legged robot device can move freely even in an environment including a step or stairs and an environment such as an uneven ground in which environments a wheeled robot device has difficulty in moving. Thus, the legged robot device is expected to be a mobile object that can perform transportation of baggage on a mountain road or the like, which transportation has been performed by humans, instead.
Various technologies have been studied as technologies for controlling a posture or walking of such a legged robot device. For example, Patent Literature 1 below discloses a legged robot that includes a force sensor on a sole of a leg portion and that determines a center of gravity in transportation of baggage on the basis of a sensing result by the force sensor.

Information processing device and information processing method


A signal is received (201, 301) via a wireless communication channel, which signal requests initiation of pre-cycle warm-up for one or more components of an internal combustion engine. It is determined (203, 303) whether at least one of the one or more components requires pre-cycle warm-up. When at least one of the one or more engine components requires pre-cycle warm-up, the at least one of the one or more components is warmed up (205, 207, 305, 307).

When internal combustion engines are cold, it is known to engage pre-cycle warm-up processes to help the engine warm up more quickly. For example, fuel injectors that are oil driven have injector coils that receive a series of short pulses to cause them to rapidly move the injector spool back and forth to loosen up the injector spool by warming it up. Similarly, a glow plug is utilized to warm up the cylinders of the engine to aid fuel ignition in a cold engine.
Pre-cycle warm-up processes are often time-consuming, and the engine cannot be started prior to the pre-cycle warm-up. Because the operator must wait for the end of the pre-cycle warm-up to start the engine, the operator will be cold while waiting to start the engine.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of warming up an internal combustion engine with a pre-cycle warm-up process more quickly.

Apparatus and method for pre-cycle warm-up via wireless communication

International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC


The present invention relates to a molded object and a method for manufacturing the same. The molded object according to the present invention has high density and enhanced properties such as flexural strength or tensile strength, has a small weight change caused by moisture absorption even when used for a long period of time, and has small changes in flexural strength, tensile strength and the like, and therefore, is suited to be used as household materials, industrial materials or the like.

Molded objects having a non-woven fiber structure have been widely used from household materials to industrial materials as well as used for sanitation or medical purposes such as disposable diapers.
Such molded objects having a non-woven fiber structure are manufactured using methods such as needle punch or hot air thermal bond, and are thereby flexible and light weight. However, hardness is low, and there have been difficulties when used in various fields from household materials to industrial materials.
In order to improve this, technologies manufacturing a molded object having a non-woven fiber structure that is relatively light while having structural rigidity close to metals by providing hardness using various methods have been diversely studied.
As methods for manufacturing such a molded object, a wet process in which a binder is mixed to a fiber, and then high temperature steam is sprayed for adhering, or the result is impregnated in a solution, and the like, has been used.
However, a molded object manufactured using such a wet process has low density and has poor properties such as flexural strength or tensile strength, and therefore, there have been problems in that the object is readily bent, torn or the like when a strong weight is applied from the outside, and properties sufficient to be used in household materials or industrial materials are difficult to secure.
In addition, in the case of being produced by a wet process, since many fibers are entangled due to the characteristics of nonwoven fibers, water vapor having heat energy is not sufficiently transferred to the interior of the molded object, resulting in a problem that properties are different between the outer surface of the molded object and the inner central portion.
In addition, when using such a molded object for a long period of time under a high temperature and high humidity environment, moisture penetrating into the molded object increases, and accordingly, properties that the molded object has, for example, flexural strength or tensile strength, decline causing a problem.
Furthermore, there has been a problem in that large quantities of moisture are absorbed into the molded object, and an effect of weight lightening may not be secured.

Molded object and method for manufacturing the same


A mounting structure of an air bag module for a vehicle front passenger seat comprises a pillar-to-pillar member extending widthwise of the vehicle in an instrument panel. The pillar-to-pillar member includes a pair of divided pieces which are interrupted at a position in front of the front passenger seat. The pillar-to-pillar member further includes an intermediate module mount which is arranged between and connected to the respective divided pieces. The module mount has an upwardly open recess for fixedly receiving a bottom portion of the air bag module.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the air bag system which is increasingly employed in various cars to improve safety at the time of a car crash. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mounting structure of an air bag module for a vehicle front passenger seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known, the air bag system is a safety device incorporated in a car for preventing the driver and/or front passenger from impinging directly onto front interior parts (the steering wheel and the instrument panel) at the time of a car crash, thereby eliminating or reducing the human injury or death. Indeed, this system is known to compensate for what is lacking in the known safety belt system.
In general, the air bag system mainly comprises a plurality of shock sensors, a controller for generating an actuation signal when one or more of the shock sensors have detected a true crash, a gas generator (inflator) for explosively generating nitrogen gas in response to the actuation signal, and an air bag connected to the gas generator for expanding toward the driving seat or front passenger seat at the moment of the crash. The shock sensors are arranged at different portions of the car body such as the bumper and fenders suitable for detecting a car crash, whereas the controller is typically disposed on the front bulkhead
On the other hand, the gas generator and the air bag constitute a single housed unit called "air bag module" together with other related components. The air bag module is normally arranged in a central portion of the steering wheel in the case of the driving seat air bag system or within the instrument panel in the case of the front passenger seat air bag system.
The air bag module for the front passenger seat is typically supported on a cross member called "pillar-to-pillar member" which extends widthwise of the car within the instrument panel, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2-303948 and 2-303952 for example. The pillar-to-pillar member is a structural part which is used for supporting the instrument panel and the steering wheel.
In either of the above laid-open Japanese patent applications, the air bag module is supported above the pillar-to-pillar member at a position corresponding to the glove box (glove compartment) because the glove box is normally arranged in front of the front passenger seat. Thus, in order to provide a sufficient mounting space for the air bag module, it is necessary to downwardly displace the pillar-to-pillar member from a normal vertical position which is the position of the pillar-to-pillar member when no air bag module is provided.
However, if the pillar-to-pillar member is downwardly displaced, it approaches the glove box and the knees of the driver and front passenger. As a result, the glove box and the instrument panel are mechanically reinforced at portions thereof near the knees of the driver and front passenger by the thus lowered pillar-to-pillar member. Therefore, when the knees of the driver and front passenger impinge on the instrument panel and the glove box at the time of a car crash, a large crash load is applied to the knees, which may result in a serious injury.
Further, the downward displacement of the pillar-to-pillar member inevitably leads to a reduction of the glove box volume. Additionally, if the glove box has no ceiling of its own, the lowered pillar-to-pillar member becomes visible from inside the cabin when the glove box is opened, thus deteriorating the appearance.

Mounting structure of air bag module for vehicle front passenger seat


A rotation detector comprising a housing having an inserting portion for inserting a wheel shaft, a magnet, to be coupled to a wheel mounted to the wheel shaft, into which the inserting portion is inserted such that the magnet is rotated in synchronism with the wheel mounted to the wheel shaft, and a magnetic conversion element arranged at a portion of the housing in the proximity of the magnet.

A conventional rotation detector has been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-2-264817. When such a rotation detector is used as a rotation detector for a two-cycle vehicle (for example, motorcycle), a magnetic conversion element (Hall IC) mounted to a circuit board and a magnet are arranged in a resin case in a substantially cylindrical shape having a detecting face for detecting an object for detection along the detecting face, and the circuit board, the magnetic conversion element and the magnet are sealed by a sealing member comprising epoxy etc. thereby constituting a rotation detector. Further, it is general to install the rotation detector to a transmission case or a sprocket cover for detecting a blade edge etc. of a transmission gear or a sprocket rotating at the inside thereof as the object for detection.
When a tooth, etc. of a transmission gear or a sprocket is detected as the object for detection by using such a rotation detector, more or less clearance is present at the object for detection and therefore, a vibration is caused in the object for detection depending on the rigidity of the body of a vehicle (two-cycle vehicle) or an amount of exhaust etc. whereby a gap between the object for detection and a detecting position of the rotation detector is varied, causing a change in magnetism in the rotation detector. The change produces a noise in detection which gives rise to cause erroneous operation of, for example, an indicating instrument displaying the speed in accordance with output data outputted from the rotation detector.
Further, the shape and the size of the object for detection are varied according to the kind of vehicle and therefore, it is necessary to adjust the gap for detection between the object for detection and the rotation detector which complicates the integrating operation performance.

Apparatus including a wheel coupled ring shaped magnet, for detecting rotation of a wheel in a two-wheeled vehicle


A gas turbine engine probe comprises a housing mounted in a borescope port of the engine. The housing includes at least one coolant passage that conducts coolant through the housing. The probe develops an indication of an engine condition, such as blockage in the engine due to sand and/or other debris.

Gas turbine engines are often subjected to conditions where dirt and sand are ingested into the engine. This condition is particularly prevalent in both the main gas path and coolant streams of turbine engines used for aerospace propulsion. A typical filtration (if employed) comprises of inertial particle separators that involve turning the flow rapidly to centrifuge out the heavier particles. These systems are effective to remove larger particles when there is enough turning of the flow (at the cost of pressure and performance). Generally, the types of particles that find their way into cooling circuits as a result are small because they are immune to these filtration techniques. Such ingestion of these particulates chiefly occurs during takeoffs and landings, although particulate ingestion can occur during other phases of working operation.
Specifically, in a typical aircraft engine, cooling air is routed from the compressor section through combustor bypass passages to inside passages of vanes and blades for convective cooling. The cooling air is then directed through holes in the airfoil surfaces for film cooling. Particles entrained in the cooling air can impinge upon many surfaces and can break up into many small particles and block passages and film cooling holes. When internal cooling passages and film cooling holes are blocked in turbine components, the cooling necessary to maintain component temperatures at reasonable levels cannot be maintained and the particulates are exposed to extremely hot temperatures. This exposure can cause melting of sand particles and adherence of the particles to surfaces defining the coolant passages and/or coolant holes, thereby undesirably thermally insulating the associated part and reducing the overall supply of coolant flow. Furthermore, as the particle temperature rises, the accumulation rate accelerates. The result from this acceleration can range from the creation of a localized hot spot in a component, such as a blade, that can lead to a reduction in service life, particularly in the harsh turbine environment, to thermal runaway and failure of a component.
In the past, researchers have attempted to model engine components and operation in an effort to understand and compensate for the effects of particle transport and deposition. An alternative approach utilizes a dedicated engine operating off-line (i.e., operating in a non-working condition, for example, on a test stand or other rig) with probes and other specialized and complex sensors distributed at selected locations of the engine upstream and downstream of the turbine section. Readings of the sensors are collected and used to develop one or more engine models that can be used to refine the design and/or operation of the engine and to assist in predicting when one or more given operational condition(s) will arise, such as a turbine section blockage. Thus, for example, a model may be used to determine that an engine borescope inspection should take place every X hours of working or total operation, an engine tear down and visual inspection should occur every Y hours of operation, and a complete overhaul be undertaken every Z hours of operation. Ultimately, however, the physics of airflow with entrained particles through an engine and the resulting effects on gas turbine engine components is so complex that characteristic(s) of an engine operating in a working condition (i.e., mounted on and propelling an aircraft) and experiencing real-world environments can only be predicted approximately. In fact, an engine in a working condition may encounter a particular operational condition before the theoretical time predicted by a model or a dedicated off-line engine.
Pressure and temperature readings obtained from the turbine section itself can be used to obtain an indication of a turbine section blockage condition. However, the environment in the turbine is quite hostile with gas temperatures often exceeding common material limits. The turbine components are therefore designed with advanced cooling systems, coatings and materials to survive in the aggressive environment. These components are optimized to maximize performance and minimize life cycle cost. Instrumentation tends to harm both of these goals, i.e., instrumentation disrupts the aerothermal performance of the component and introduces a local vulnerability that can reduce the component life. As a consequence, instrumenting turbine components is typically limited to short duration demonstrators or is omitted altogether.
Some turbine components include a port for borescope access. During inspection the borescope camera is inserted through the casing, through the component borescope port and into the flow path. When not in use, the borescope port is sealed with a metallic plug. The metallic plug is designed such that it seals during engine operation and can be replaced (if needed) during standard maintenance. The borescope port and plugs are about 1 cm in diameter to allow the camera to be inserted and manipulated.
U. S. Published Patent Application No. 2018/0230913 discloses a pressure sensor that is mounted within a component. This sensor does not measure the total conditions and is protected from the turbine environment i.e., the sensor is shielded from high gas temperatures and sand.

Gas turbine engine probes and methods of detecting an engine condition


A backlight unit having a decreased thickness includes at least one lamp which emits light; and at least one light-diffusion plate which diffuses the light emitted from the light, and is positioned above each lamp, wherein the lamp and the light-diffusion plate are fixed and supported by a lamp guide.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and more particularly, to an LCD device having a decreased thickness by providing a light-diffusion member between a lamp and an optical member in a backlight unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
The importance of display devices has recently been emphasized with the development of technology for information communication. In past years, a cathode ray tube (CRT) in this application was widely used. However, the CRT cannot satisfy the latest requirements for the thin profile and lightness in weight. Accordingly, many efforts have been made to research and develop various flat display devices, for example, liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display panel (PDP), and electroluminescent display (ELD) devices, which can satisfy the requisite of the thin profile and lightness in weight.
Among the above-mentioned flat displays, the LCD device has the most attention owing to the advantageous properties of thin profile, lightness in weight and the low power consumption. Thus, the LCD device is widely used in various applications as a notebook computer, a desktop computer and a large-sized television, and there is the increasing demand for LCD devices.
Generally, an LCD device includes an LCD panel; a driving unit, which drives the LCD panel; and a backlight unit, which supplies light to the LCD panel. The LCD device does not emit light in itself, so that the LCD device necessarily requires an additional light source, for example, a backlight unit to emit light to the LCD panel.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of illustrating a related art LCD device.
As shown in FIG. 1, the related art LCD device includes an LCD panel 10 and a backlight unit 20. The LCD panel 10 is composed of first and second substrates 10a and 10b facing each other, and a liquid crystal layer (not shown) provided between the two facing substrates 10a and 10b. The lower substrate 10b includes a thin film transistor (TFT) that functions as a switching element, where the TFT is turned on/off to apply a signal, thereby displaying an image. The LCD panel 10 is connected with gate and source printed circuit boards 15a and 15b, which output video and scanning signals to the LCD panel.
The backlight unit is used as the light source of the LCD device. The backlight unit may be classified into an edge type and a direct type, based on the method of arranging a light-emission lamp. For the edge type, a lamp is positioned at one side or both sides of the backlight unit, and the light emitted from the lamp is supplied to the LCD panel 10 through a light-guiding plate. For the direct type, a lamp is positioned in the LCD panel 10, whereby the light emitted from the lamp is directly supplied to the LCD panel. Generally, the edge type backlight unit is applied to a small-size LCD device, and the direct type backlight unit is applied to a large-size LCD device.
FIG. 1 illustrates the direct type backlight unit 20. Referring to FIG. 1, multiple lamps 21 are positioned under the LCD panel 10. Then, a reflective sheet 22 and a lower case (not shown) are positioned below the lamps 21. In this case, the light emitted from the lamps 21 is supplied to the LCD panel 10 through optical sheets 23. The optical sheets 23 are positioned between the lamp 21 and the LCD panel 10 so as to improve the efficiency of light supplied to the LCD panel 10.
FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of illustrating the direct type backlight unit. As shown in FIG. 2, multiple lamps 21 are positioned in parallel, and the reflective sheet 22 is provided under the lamps 21. Also, the optical sheets 23 are formed above the lamps 21. In this case, the optical sheets 23 are composed of a diffusion sheet, a prism sheet and a protective sheet.
However, the related art direct type backlight unit has the following disadvantages.
To uniformly supply the light emitted from the lamp 21 to the LCD panel 23 through the optical sheets 23, as shown in FIG. 3, it is necessary to adjust the value of an interval between the lamp 21 and the LCD panel 23. That is, if the value of interval between the lamp 21 and the LCD panel 23 is too small, portions of the LCD panel will not receive light emitted from the lamp 21. Thus, defects may occur in the LCD panel due to the non-uniformity of the light supply. Also, if the interval between the lamp 21 and the LCD panel 23 is formed above a predetermined value, the thickness of the LCD device increases.

Lamp guide with optical member holder and liquid crystal display device having the same


A method for forming a gate with a tapered spacer is disclosed. The method includes forming a polysilicon layer on a substrate, and then forming a first oxide layer on the polysilicon layer. A photoresist layer is formed on the first oxide layer, where the photoresist layer defines a gate region, and then portions of the oxide layer and the polysilicon layer are removed using the photoresist layer as a mask, thereby forming a gate. A second oxide layer is formed on the substrate and the first oxide layer. Afterwards, the second oxide layer is isotropically etched so that the slope of the second oxide layer near the upper corners of the gate is reduced. Finally, the second oxide layer is anisotropically etched back to form spacers on the sidewalls of the gate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor integrated circuit fabrication methods and, more particularly, to methods for forming spacers.
2. Background Art
FIG. 1A is a cross sectional view illustrating a gate structure 12 with a spacer 10 for use in fabricating integrated circuit metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). As is well known, a trend in the semiconductor industry is to reduce as much as possible the size of integrated circuit structures. In scaling down the device size, a typical conventional process will cause the spacer 10 around the gate structure 12 to have a substantially vertical profile as shown in FIG. 1A. As is well known in the art of semiconductor integrated circuit fabrication, the vertical profile of the spacer 10 can undesirably result in the formation of "stringers" when etching a subsequent polysilicon layer deposited over the spacer 10. These stringers can detrimentally short circuit adjacent polysilicon lines formed from this polysilicon layer.
For example, as shown in FIG. 1B, a polysilicon layer 14 is subsequently deposited on the gate structure 12 and spacer 10. The polysilicon layer is then anisotropically etched to polysilicon lines 14A and 14B across the spacer 10 and gate structure 12, as shown in FIG. 1C. Because of the substantially vertical profile of the spacer 10, this etching process must be performed for a relatively long period of time (i.e., overetching) so as to ensure elimination of stringers that can be left behind on the spacer 10. Of course, the substantially vertical profile of the gate structure can detrimentally affect the step coverage of the polysilicon layer. In this example, stringers 16 can short circuit the lines 14A and 14B. Although overetching eliminates the stringers, it also reduces the process throughput and also requires that the polysilicon layer 14 have a greater thickness to compensate for the portion of the layer removed during the overetching process.
One solution to this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,810 (the '810 patent) titled "Process For Creating Field Effect Transistors Having Reduced-Slope, Staircase-Profile Sidewall Spacers". In this type of solution, a spacer with a staircase-profile is formed to reduce the slope of the spacer. This type of solution is relatively complex in that it requires the deposition of at least two oxide layers. Further, in this type of solution, these two oxide layers are made to have different etch rates. For example, the aforementioned '810 patent discloses that an additional densification step can be used to create these different etch rates. Of course, it is generally desirable to reduce the number of process steps in the fabrication of an integrated circuit structure. Thus, there is a need for a simple method for forming a tapered spacer with relatively few process steps.

Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation


A chain is connected at its distal end to the pin at the rod end of a cylinder on an implement lift and depth control assembly. An intermediate portion of the chain is trained around a gear which rotates about the axis of the pin connecting the base end of the cylinder to the implement frame. An adjustable length, spring-biased rod is connected to the proximal end of the chain to maintain tension in the chain and operate a single point depth control valve to establish a highly accurate and repeatable depth setting which is dependent directly on cylinder rod extension and therefore less susceptible to looseness in the implement lift system.

1) Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to agricultural implements such as field cultivators and chisel plows, and more specifically to structure for controlling the operating depth of such implements.
2) Related Art:
Single point depth control structures are widely used to control the working depth of an implement. A valve which controls the lift cylinders is actuated by a plunger mounted on a tube and bracket arrangement and controlled by rockshaft rotation. The movement of the plunger is highly susceptible to looseness in the various connections and joints. Unacceptable variations in implement working depth often result from inaccuracies and nonrepeatability introduced the looseness.
Other types devices are available to limit retraction of a cylinder to set working depth, including donut-shaped spacers placed over the cylinder rod or cylinder-mounted valves. However, most of these devices suffer from one or more disadvantages, such as inaccessibility and limited adjustment capability.

Depth control mechanism for an implement


The present disclosure herein relates to a sense amplifier and a semiconductor memory device employing the same. The sense amplifier includes an inverter including a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor, and a switching unit configured to change a connection relationship between the pull-up transistor and the pull-down transistor according to whether an input terminal of the inverter is precharged or a signal applied to the input terminal is sensed.

The present disclosure herein relates to a sense amplifier and a semiconductor memory device employing the same.
A memory such as a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) includes a memory element array for storing data and a sense amplifier for amplifying a signal read from the memory element array into a logic level to convert the signal into a logic signal. A typical sense amplifier is provided with a precharging p-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) for precharging a read bit line (RBL) and an inverter for sensing and amplifying a signal read from a memory element. In general, since a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverter includes a pull-up PMOS transistor and a pull-down n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor, the precharging PMOS transistor and the PMOS for sensing a signal are individually provided to the typical sense element.
However, such a sense amplifier, which individually includes a precharging PMOS and a PMOS for an inverter, is vulnerable to process variation that causes a change in characteristics (e.g., a threshold voltage) of elements of a semiconductor circuit due to variables that occur when the semiconductor circuit is manufactured. This vulnerability may cause malfunction or operation speed degradation.

Sense amplifier and semiconductor memory device employing the same

Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Yonsei University


A disclosed wireless base station forms a cell adjacent to an adjacent cell formed by an adjacent wireless base station in a mobile communication system. A notification unit notifies time difference information into the cell formed by the wireless base station itself. The time difference information indicates a difference between a predetermined frame transmitted from the wireless base station itself and an adjacent predetermined frame transmitted from the adjacent wireless base station.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless base station and a mobile station in a mobile communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mobile communication system includes plural wireless base stations, and each wireless base station forms a cell. A mobile station can perform communications by being within a cell. When the mobile station moves from one cell to another cell, a hand over process is executed between wireless base stations, so that the mobile station can continue communicating while moving from one cell to another.
FIG. 1 illustrates a frame configuration of a signal (e.g., CPICH: Common Pilot Channel, PCCPCH: Primary Common Control Physical Channel) that a mobile station receives from a wireless base station. Each frame corresponds to, e.g., 10 ms, and a system frame or a super frame is formed of 4,096 frames. The CPICH is a channel providing a reference timing in a cell, and the PCCPCH is transmitted in synchronization with the CPICH.
Next, a description is given of movements of the mobile station between cells in a standby status.
When power is turned on, the status of the mobile station becomes a standby status in a cell (serving cell) in which the mobile station is located. The mobile station periodically (intermittently) receives outgoing signals (e.g., CPICH, PICH: Page Indication Channel) from the wireless base station forming the cell. That is, in the standby state, the mobile station does not need to constantly receive signals; while the mobile station is in an energy-saving mode, the mobile station can measure levels of signals in the serving cell with CPICH and check whether a signal is sent to the mobile-station with PICH.
When the mobile station determines that it has come to an edge of the serving cell by detecting a decrease in the reception level of the CPICH of the serving cell, the mobile station executes a three-stage cell search (process of establishing frame synchronization using P-SCH, S-SCH, CPICH).
When the mobile station receives from an adjacent cell a CPICH having a sufficient reception level compared to the CPICH of the serving cell, a transfer process of standby zones is executed. Specifically, the cell to which the mobile station belongs is switched to be the adjacent cell, so that the status of the mobile station switches to a standby status for an adjacent wireless base station (also referred to as switching the cell of standby object).
When the object of standby is switched, it is necessary to acquire standby conditions in the new cell by receiving notification information (information received via the PCCPCH).
FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of transmission information of the PCCPCH.
As shown in FIG. 2, each notification information index and each piece of notification information forms an information block corresponding to one unit of information. Two of the frames shown in FIG. 1 form one information block. For example, a block corresponding to an even number frame shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., #0) and an odd number frame shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., #1) is an information block index (#0). Encoding is performed in units of information blocks, so that one frame number is loaded in each information block. For example, in the information block corresponding to the frames #0 and #1 shown in FIG. 1, only the even frame number #0 is loaded.
Next, information sent to the mobile station is briefly described.
The notification information index indicates the type and the location of information included in the PCCPCH. For example, the notification information indices are sent in information blocks holding frame numbers that are multiples of 8, and are periodically transmitted every 80 ms.
The mobile station receives one information block of PCCPCH starting from a beginning tc of a frame that is detected by cell search, and identifies a frame number included in the information received (in this example, #4). The mobile station then determines whether the identified frame number is a multiple of eight, i.e., whether a notification information index is included. When the frame number is not a multiple of eight, the mobile station calculates a timing (tA) when the first frame (in this example, #8) having a frame number that is a multiple of eight can be received, among succeeding frames. The mobile station receives an information block again at the timing tA.
Based on the notification information index received at the timing tA, the mobile station calculates a timing (tB) when an information block holding information necessary for the standby can be received. The mobile station receives an information block at the timing tB. The information block received at the timing tB holds information about standby conditions, etc. Based on this information, the mobile station can transfer to a standby status for the adjacent wireless base station.
The mobile station synchronizes with frames (CPICH, PCCPCH) sent from the adjacent wireless base station. However, it cannot be determined whether to start receiving a frame of an even number or an odd number. Accordingly, the mobile station might start receiving a frame from a time point t′C.
However, as described above, encoding is performed in units of two frames. An information block cannot be decoded if the mobile station starts receiving a frame from the time point t′C. Thus, the mobile station receives information corresponding to 20 ms starting from t′C, and also receives information corresponding to 20 ms starting from tC, where tC is 10 ms after t′C. Among these two sets of information received, a frame number (even number) is extracted from the set of information that is decoded successfully.
Next, a description is given of a hand over operation by which a mobile station communicating in one cell moves to another cell, with reference to FIG. 3.
In response to a timeout of a timer of a predetermined time, the mobile station executes a three-stage cell search as described above to establish frame synchronization with a wireless base station that is a soft hand over destination. The mobile station receives two frames of PCCPCH from the adjacent wireless base station and acquires a frame number to be prepared for the hand over beforehand. The hand over is not performed until the reception level of CPICH of the hand over destination becomes sufficient. However, it is necessary to be prepared beforehand so that communications are not disconnected when the mobile station is moving at high speed.
The frame number is acquired to adjust the timing of receiving the same data from the hand off source and the hand off destination.
Accordingly, the mobile station calculates a timing difference (t off′) between the received frame and a frame of an outgoing data channel from the wireless base station of the soft hand over source having the same frame number as that acquired via the PCCPCH of the adjacent wireless base station. This time difference t off′ is notified to the wireless base station of the hand off source as offset information. It is assumed that the PCCPCH of the wireless base station of the soft hand over source and the outgoing data channel from the wireless base station of the soft hand over source have an offset of t off.
The wireless base station of the hand off source transfers the offset information (t off′) received from the mobile station to a wireless base station controller (RNC: Radio Network Controller), which is an upper level device. According to instructions from the RNC (according to the time difference t off′), the wireless base station of the hand off destination transmits data such that the transmission timing of an outgoing data channel to the mobile station synchronizes with the transmission timing of the data channel of the hand off source.
Accordingly, the mode of the mobile station changes to a soft hand over mode, in which the same data can be simultaneously received from the wireless base station of the hand off source and the wireless base station of the hand off destination.
As described above, when the mobile station moves to another cell (hand over) in the standby status, or when the mobile station is handed over between cells while performing communication, the mobile station needs to execute a three-stage cell search and acquire a number from a frame received from the wireless base station of the destination. Accordingly, the processing workload is increased.
In order to reduce the processing workload, there is a method of including a reference time difference RTD in the notification information. The reference time difference RTD is the time difference between a frame transmitted in the source cell and an immediate frame transmitted in the destination cell that is the adjacent cell (i.e., a time difference between arbitrary frames).
Specifically, the mobile station receives the RTD from the source cell, obtains a timing that is delayed from a frame of the source cell by the RTD, and applies the obtained timing as the frame timing of the adjacent cell. Accordingly, the three-stage cell search can be omitted. The conventional technology of using the reference time difference RTD for detecting the position of the mobile station is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-262330.
The processing workload of the cell search can be reduced by using the RTD. However, to move to another cell in a standby status, the mobile station needs to actually receive a frame transmitted from the destination cell, identify a frame holding necessary information based on a frame number included in the received data, and receive the identified frame. This processing workload cannot be reduced.
Furthermore, when a hand over is to be performed while the mobile station is communicating, the mobile station needs to actually receive a frame transmitted from the destination cell and measure the difference between a frame of the source cell having the same frame number. This processing workload cannot be reduced.

Wireless base station and mobile station


Disclosed is a network monitoring method including: a predicted amount of rainfall obtaining step of obtaining a predicted amount of rainfall generated in a predetermined time in a current line route; a prediction step of predicting whether or not a line failure occurs in the current line route caused by the predicted amount of rainfall assuming it rains actually in the current line route with an amount of rainfall substantially equivalent to the predicted amount of rainfall in the predetermined time in the current line route; and a change instruction step of instructing the radio communication network to change the current line route into a different line route on which it is predicted that no line failure caused by rainfall occurs and to control the radio communication network to change the current line route into the different line route, before the predetermined time passes.

In mobile communication business, an amount of traffic increases rapidly according to spread of a cellular phone and service diversification thereof. Under such background, a network in which mobile base stations (i.e. the number of cells) increases and a distance between cells is configured. In a microwave communication network which connects mobile base stations with each other, a link in which a transmission distance is short is useful and a large number of frequency channels are used. Accordingly, in the microwave communication network, a high frequency band of no smaller than 10 GHz is mainly used.
Generally, the microwave communication network suffers from degradation of line quality (occurrence of a line failure) caused by fading and reflection. In order to improve the degradation, technique such as frequency diversity and space diversity is applied. However, in communication between the mobile base stations in which the high frequency band of no smaller than 10 GHz is used, the degradation of the line quality caused by rainfall is larger than that caused by the fading and the reflection. Accordingly, the degradation of the line quality (occurrence of the line failure) caused by the rainfall can not be avoided even through a communication method or a system configuration represented by the frequency diversity or the space diversity is used. Consequently, large amount of rainfall causes line disconnect.
Further, in this specification, the line failure is defined to be a generic designation of a failure which occurs in the line, that is, the line disconnect, instantaneous line disconnect thereof or the like.
It is very serious problem that a large amount of rainfall leads to the line failure and the line disconnect as mentioned above with respect to maintaining the line quality and providing a high-value added service.
Patent document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-268977) discloses a radio base station which can detect an actual cluster of water vapor/rain cloud in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 thereof. In the document 1, the radio base station uses an effect that a navigation signal transmitted from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite is received by the radio base station with a certain delay caused by existence of the actual cluster of water vapor/rain cloud. Moreover, the patent document 1 discloses in FIG. 3 thereof that when the radio base station judges that there exists the actual cluster of water vapor/rain cloud by detecting the delay on receiving the navigation signal from the GPS satellite, the radio base station automatically adjusts a transmitting power/an failure correcting capability and prevents disconnect of a wireless line caused by the rainfall. Furthermore, the patent document 1 discloses in FIG. 5 thereof that the whole network shares information on existence of the actual cluster of water vapor/rain cloud which the radio base station obtains by detecting the delay of the received navigation signal from the GPS satellite, a route different from the route suffering from the disconnect of the wireless line caused by the rainfall is set up on the basis of the shared information, and consequently the network avoids the disconnect of the wireless line caused by the rainfall.
Patent document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-203793) discloses in FIG. 1 thereof that a satellite communication station detects transmission loss caused by actual rainfall or the like by detecting that an attenuation amount of a received signal level is not smaller than a predetermined value. Moreover, the patent document 2 discloses in FIG. 1 thereof that when the satellite communication station detects the transmission loss caused by the actual rainfall or the like by detecting that an attenuation amount of a received signal level is not smaller than a predetermined value, the satellite communication station transmits a line change request signal to a control station. Moreover, the patent document 2 discloses that when the control station receives the line change request signal, the control station re-assigns a communication line by changing a transmission frequency of the satellite communication station, reducing a transmission frequency bandwidth and increasing transmission level.
Patent document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-47148) discloses a navigation system which includes a navigation apparatus and an information center as shown in FIG. 1 thereof, and whose information center includes a means for forecasting weather at a predicted arrival time in different places on a traveling road on the basis of a weather forecast in different places to travel. However, the weather forecast (sunny, cloudy, rainy or the like) at the predicted arrival time in different places to travel (as described in the paragraph [0062] of the patent document 3) is only used to search for a predicted average traveling time according to the weather forecast along the road.
Patent document 4 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-37029) discloses a radio communication system which adopts an adaptive modulation method. A transmission apparatus of the radio communication system also includes a rainfall detecting unit and changes modulation method according to an amount of rainfall detected by the rainfall detecting unit. The line failure may occur according to extent of the amount of rainfall, since an actual rainfall during detecting the actual rainfall causes degradation of line quality.
As mentioned above, an apparatus as a network constituent such as the radio base station in the patent document 1, the satellite communication station in the patent document 2 and the transmission apparatus in the patent document 4 includes the rainfall detecting unit and judges degradation of the line quality after it begins to rain actually. If degradation of the line quality is judged after detecting the actual rainfall, the most rainfall except for a light rainfall (that is, usual rainfall, heavy rainfall, squall or the like) may cause the line failure or the line disconnect at the point of time on detecting the actual rainfall. Moreover, there is a problem that a temporary line disconnect may occur before changing line route to a different line route or before changing modulation method.

Network monitoring method, network monitoring apparatus, line failure prevention system and computer program of network monitoring apparatus