A gas compressor having a block with two opposed cylinder banks each having at least one cylinder formed therein, each bank having an upper end, a lower end, an inner wall, an outer wall, and opposite side wall, a floor interconnecting the cylinder banks at their lower ends, and a roof interconnecting the cylinder banks at their upper ends, a crankcase formed by the inner walls, roof and floor, the crankcase having a longitudinal axis extending through the roof and floor, first bearing positioned on the floor and aligned with the longitudinal axis for rotatably mounting one end of a crankshaft, an aperture through the roof, a second bearing positioned on the roof and aligned with the longitudinal axis for rotatably mounting the other end of the crankshaft through the aperture, a piston mounted in each cylinder and each having a connecting rod mounted on the crankshaft, the adjacent edge portions of the inner wall, the side walls, the floor and the roof defining an access portal to the crankshaft and to the connecting rods through each side of the block, a drive for the crankshaft for rotating the same and reciprocating the pistons in their cylinders, and suction and discharge valving for admitting the gas to and discharging the gas from the cylinders.

In compressors having opposed cylinders, and especially those having multiple opposed cylinder pairs, the conventional approach is to employ the scotch yoke type or similar drive for the pistons as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,807,907; 3,826,036; 3,401,873; 4,352,640; 4,492,127; 4,316,705; 4,273,519; 4,090,430; 2,815,901; 4,373,876; 4,399,669 and 4,988,269. It can readily be seen from these patents that such drive mechanisms require considerably more complex structure, often, e.g., split compressor housings of considerable complexity, and of course more complex machining operations, than is required by the more conventional type of crankshaft, connecting rod combinations which are employed not only in compressors but also in an enormous variety of internal combustion engines and fluid handling power units, and the like. In this regard, the machining equipment and techniques for such conventional combinations represent, by far, the most efficient and inexpensive mode of construction, as well as producing compressors of maximum efficiency and longevity.
Heretofore, however, in the gas compressor field, the use of opposed cylinders and cylinder banks in concert with the aforesaid crankshaft, connecting rod combination has not been developed to a satisfactory commercial level, due at least in part to manipulatory difficulties encountered in the assembly and disassembly of the pistons within the cylinders and in the affixing of the connecting rods to the crankshaft. Such difficulties, e.g., have necessitated the consideration in research and development of split or otherwise complicated crankcase constructions.
Objects therefore of the present invention are: to provide a novel design for opposed cylinder compressors whereby the use of a crankshaft, connecting rod combination can be employed without the need for complex construction, machining or assembly operations; to provide such design which readily accommodates various types and configurations of head and valving constructions; to provide such design with crankcase structure which affords easy accessibility to the crankshaft, the connecting rod bearings and the cylinders; and to provide such design of a compressor block which is easy to cast and machine and which provides, for its weight, maximum strength and vibration counteraction.

Gas compressor construction and assembly


A projection-type video display in which the entire input video signal is first digitally corrected through digital gamma correction. Then, a subset of the corrected video signal is corrected again through analogue correction techniques. In particular this portion of the digitally corrected video signal corresponds to the subject where slopes of applied voltage-transmissivity characteristic curve (V-T curve) of liquid crystal changes relatively rapidly. The result is a more accurate gamma correction which is also less expensive than conventional, purely digital gamma correction systems. Another feature is the inclusion of three liquid crystal light valves, each having have a plurality of pixels arranged in the matrix and identical shift registers in such a way that pixels of one scanning line are driven selectively and sequentially from the same horizontal direction according to a given set of video signals, a memory where at least video signals for pixels of one scanning line are written and stored, a first drive controller for outputting video signals of one scanning line from memory in the order in which the video signals were written and supplying the video signals to pixels of a scanning line in at least one of light valves, and a second drive controller for outputting video signals of one scanning line from memory in a reverse order in which video signals were written thereto for supplying another light valve. Also disclosed is recognition unit for recognizing different types of input video signal format systems and a write controller for controlling the way of writing input video signals of each scanning line into pixels of horizontal scanning lines in the light valves based on different type of input video signal format system.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a projection-type display apparatus enlarging and projecting color light image onto a screen through a projection lens by decomposing the white light beam from a light source into three-color light beams of red, blue, and green, modulating these colored light beams through a light valves comprising liquid crystal panels according to given video information and recombining the modulated light beams of different colors after modulation. More specifically, the present invention relates to control driving liquid crystal light valves for such a projection-type display apparatus, or the gamma correction of input video signals that are supplied to the liquid crystal light valves.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fundamentally, a projection-type display apparatus comprises a light source, a color separator segregating white light beam emitted from a light source into three primary color light beams, three liquid crystal light valves modulating three color light beams, a light synthesizer synthesizing modulated color light beams and a projection lens enlarging and projecting synthesized, modulated light beam onto a screen.
(a) In general, the three liquid crystal light valves are matrix-type liquid crystal panels having a plural of pixels arranged in the matrix. The characteristic curve of transmissivity and applied voltage for a liquid crystal panel is irregular compared to the characteristic curve showing the relationship between the brightness and the applied voltage of a CRT. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a specific gamma correction to the input video signals, in order to obtain a appropriate projection image for a liquid crystal panel based on input video signals.
There are two types of gamma correction: the analog gamma correction in which input video signals is corrected corresponding to a preset gamma correction curve; and the digital gamma correction in which input video signal corrections are made based upon digital data of gamma correction pre-stored in ROM or other devices.
The former method, the analog gamma correction, in which corrections are applied according to an approximation curve, offers a more cost effective solution compared to the digital gamma correction. The drawback, however, is a lack of detailed correction capacity afforded by digital type gamma correction.
On the other hand, the digital gamma correction is well suited for implementing highly accurate corrections because of its ability to accommodate fine, multi-steps correction values. The drawback, however, is that it requires a large number of pre set correction values in curve-value ranges, thereby requiring significant memory overhead and processing throughput.
FIG. 29 shows the relationship between transmissivity of liquid crystal and applied voltage equivalent to level of video signal. Transmissivity from 0% to 100% are divided into 16 levels of gray scale. Voltage levels of video signal correspond to these gray scale levels. Voltage differences for generating each gray scale levels in the area B are substantially equal. On the other hand, voltage differences for generating each gray scale in the area A are sharply changed because of the uniqueness of the V-T (voltage transmissivity) curve.
Even under this circumstance, as an initial step, conventional digital gamma correction is applied to all range of applied voltage. In this case, however, voltage differences in the area A need more numbers of bit allocation than the area B. Applying a digital gamma correction to the area A requires a large amount of bit allocation. For this example, if digital gamma correction is performed with 256 bits, 100 bits, 40% of them should be allocated to the area A, corresponding only to 20% of all levels of gray scale. But, if a large amount of bits are allocated only to that area, the rest of bits which should be allocated to other area should be reduced. This reduced bits allocation causes coarse correction to affect undesirable accuracy in gamma correction.
Furthermore, input video signals can be of different types of signal format systems, such as the NTSC system or the PAL/SECAM system. Therefore, gamma corrections having fixed values are not capable of applying appropriate gamma corrections to input video signals of different formats.
(b) As described in Japanese laid-open application S62-145218 by the applicants of the present invention, liquid crystal is encapsulated between a transparent substrate and a counter substrate in a matrix-type liquid crystal panel for three liquid crystal light valves. Also, thin-film transistors and transparent pixel electrodes are formed in a matrix pattern on the transparent substrate. Common electrodes are formed on the counter substrate. In such a scheme, the transmissivity of the pixels is controlled by means of voltages that are selectively applied to the pixel electrodes.
As shown in FIG. 19, the white light beam emitted by white light source lamp 805 in the optical system is separated into three light beams of red, blue, and green. They enter liquid crystal light valves 925R, 925G, 925B, are modulated according to video information, and are recombined by prism unit 910, which is a color synthesis system.
Of the light beams of various colors that have passed through liquid crystal light valves 925R, 925G, and 925B, the green light beam G reaches projection lens unit 6 after passing through prism unit 910, whereas the red light beam R and the green light beam G are reflected at a right angle by the X-shaped reflecting surface of prism unit 910 before reaching projection lens unit 6.
Therefore, after passing through prism unit 910, the red light beam R and the blue light beam B that have passed through liquid crystal light valves 925R and 925B undergo a right-left optical image reversal relative to the green light beam G that has passed through liquid crystal light valve 925G.
Therefore, the conventional solution has been to ensure that the resulting optical image is oriented correctly, conventionally, while light valves 925R and 925B could be of the same structure, the remaining light valve, 925G, must be of an inverted structure in which the pixels have a reverse selection drive orientation.
Furthermore, conventional methods employ a drive voltage, for driving the liquid crystal light valves, that alternate in fixed cycles. The transmissivity of liquid crystal may change with the polarity of the applied voltage. Therefore, conventionally, as described in Japanese laid-open application S62-254124 by the applicants of the present invention, R and B liquid crystal light valves are driven in the same polarity (e.g., "positive") and the remaining G liquid crystal light valve with the inverse structure is driven in reverse polarity (e.g., "negative"), in order to smooth out the fluctuations and eliminates the problems. Thus, as shown in FIG. 28, the polarity (phase) of the alternating drive voltage for pixels in video information fields is reversed in the light valves for R and B aco light as compared to those for G light. The arrows in this Fig. show the scanning direction of driving signal for a given light valve.
Thus, as described above, a conventional projection-type display apparatus requires two different structures, namely two different shift registers of which scanning directions are reversed for the construction of three liquid crystal light valves.
(c) Further, in order to obtain a projection image that corresponds to input video signals using a matrix-type liquid crystal panel that composes three liquid crystal light valves, it is necessary to drive the liquid crystal light valves in correspondence with the input video signals. Input video signals is commonly based on the format signal system such as the NTSC system. In this system, as is well known, one frame is composed of two odd-and-even fields, such that the number of scanning lines per frame is 525. On the other hand, the PAL/SECAM system uses 625 scanning lines per frame, leaving 100 more vertical scanning lines for the NTSC system. Consequently, 100 scanning lines of video information can be lost from the video signals in case of NTSC system for liquid crystal projection display.
To avoid this problem, video signals are conventionally compressed in order to display a given image in its entirety. Specifically, a given set of video signals is culled to compress data so that the resulting image will have five-sixths the original number of video signals.
In this method, however, the conventional compression processing causes dropouts of some video signal lines. For example, as shown in FIG. 33, curved figures such as a true circle are rendered as discontinuous displays due to data compression.


A system and method for application monitoring using profile points. An embodiment of a method includes installing an agent in a computer application. The agent will generate an event when there is an entry into a method or when there is an exit from a method. The method further includes running the computer application is run, and monitoring for events that are generated by the agent during the running of the computer application.

In the operations of a computer system, it may be necessary to monitor, profile, trace, and debug applications. Such processes are necessary to develop computer applications, as well as to modify and maintain the applications. A computer application may be stored on a computer-readable medium.
Certain processes and tools are known for application development. In one example, certain languages, such as Java™, provides interfaces to attach agents for application monitoring. Such agents may provide for various different analysis functions. However, a major problem with such interface operations is that poor performance may result once an agent is activated. For this reason, such agents are not normally usable in a productive system, and thus are of limited use in the analysis of an application if actual operating conditions are required.
As an alternative, a developer may modify the code for analysis, such as by adding instrumentation either by source code modification, or, at a higher level, by byte code modification. These processes also have drawbacks. Such processes are inflexible and difficult to modify as needed. For example, any source code modifications will require recompilation if any changes are made or the instrumentation needs to be removed from the application, and the instrumentation generally cannot be added to unknown types of applications. Further, adequate performance of a system is not assured because these processes may still have significant impacts on operations. In one example, it may not be possible to anticipate whether added instrumentation will fall inside a frequently used application loop. Thus, the overall impact of such instrumentation on performance or output volume of an application under test may be unpredictable.

Application monitoring using profile points


A programmable electronic lock with a closing tongue is actuated with an actuating mechanism formed by a mobile knob acting as a button joined to the closing tongue. Actuation of the mobile knob generates a movement of the closing tongue and closure of the lock. Recovery of the mobile knob to its initial position generates an opening of the lock. Furthermore, an electronics board is activated with a transponder key and controls operation of the lock by deactivating and subsequently activating a blocking mechanism formed by a motor that actuates a punch via a gear mechanism. When the punch is in a blocking position it is located against the actuating mechanism. When the punch is in an unblocking position, it is separated from the actuating mechanism and allows the movement of the closing tongue by unblocking the actuating mechanism.

There are currently different types of electronic locks applied in different types of doors, especially in locker doors and the like.
Contactless locks stand out among them, in which by means of transponder technology, a key communicates with an electronics board of the lock through an antenna without needing physical contact. These locks have an actuating mechanism including a knob for handling the mechanism and a blocking system which blocks or unblocks the actuating mechanism, allowing or preventing the movement of the tongue of the lock and therefore its opening or locking.
Patent ES 2 229 929, owned by the same applicant as this application, describes a contactless electronic lock of the previous type in which the blocking system has a motor controlled by an electronics board which allows or refuses the linear movement of the tongue when the actuating mechanism is acted on through the rotation of the knob. It is detected by means of a cell and a magnet arranged in the blocking system that said blocking system correctly blocks or unblocks the rotation of the knob. The drawback of this invention is that the linear movement of the tongue of the lock is only achieved by means of a rotational movement of the knob.
There is another technical solution belonging to the same applicant of this application for achieving the linear movement of the tongue with a linear movement of the knob, as a result of a button joined to said knob, and in which shafts of the tongue are introduced. The pressure of the button with the knob generates the transverse movement of the tongue and the closing of the lock, and the recovery of the knob as a result of a spring generates the opening of the lock. In this technical solution the blocking system has a solenoid actuated by an electronics board, and to which solenoid a shaft is fixed. For the blocking, the solenoid places the shaft against the button and for the unblocking, the shaft is withdrawn from the button. A hold-down plate of a contact at the end opposite the shaft fixed to the solenoid controls the correct operation of the lock. This technical solution has the drawback of a high probability of the solenoid breaking down, which affects the blocking of the actuating mechanism, and therefore renders the lock useless, making it necessary to repair or replace it, with the corresponding associated cost.
An electronic lock providing an efficient control and blocking system is therefore desired, preventing the drawbacks existing in the previous systems in the state of the art.


Embodiments described herein may help to provide a delayed zone-update process. An exemplary method may involve a user entity, which is initially operating in a first of a plurality of multi-coverage-area zones in a radio access network (RAN), subsequently determining that the user entity has moved into a second multi-coverage-area zone of the RAN, wherein the user entity is located in a first coverage area of the second multi-coverage-area zone. In response, the user entity may refrain from sending a registration message to register in the second multi-coverage-area zone until the earlier of: (i) a threshold period of time elapsing and (ii) the user entity moving into another coverage area in the second multi-coverage-area zone that is different from the first coverage area.

In a typical cellular radio communication system (wireless communication system), an area is divided geographically into a number of cell sites, each defined by a radio frequency (RF) radiation pattern from a respective antenna or antenna system. The antennas in the cells are in turn coupled to one or another form of controller, which is then coupled to a telecommunications switch or gateway, such as a mobile switching center (MSC) and/or a packet data serving node (PDSN) for instance. These (and possibly other) elements function collectively to form a Radio Access Network (RAN) of the wireless communication system. The switch or gateway may then be coupled with a transport network, such as the PSTN or a packet-switched network (e.g., the Internet).
Depending on the specific underlying technologies and architecture of a given wireless communication system, the RAN elements may take different forms. In a code division multiple access (CDMA) system configured to operate according IS-2000 and IS-856 standards, for example, the antenna system is referred to as a base transceiver system (BTS), and is usually under the control of a base station controller (BSC). In a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) configured to operate according to Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards, the antenna system is usually referred to as an eNodeB, and the entity that typically coordinates functionality between multiple eNodeBs is usually referred to as a mobility management entity (MME). Other architectures and operational configurations of a RAN are possible as well.
A subscriber (or user) in a service provider's wireless communication system accesses the system for communication services via a communication device, such as a cellular telephone, "smart" phone, pager, or appropriately equipped portable computer, for instance. In a CDMA system the communication device is referred to as an access terminal (also referred to herein by "AT"); in an LTE system the communication device is referred to as user equipment (also referred to herein by "UE"). When an AT or UE is positioned in a cell, it communicates via an RF air interface with the BTS or eNodeB antenna of the cell. Consequently, a communication path or "channel" is established between the AT or UE and the transport network, via the air interface, the BTS or eNodeB, the BSC or MME, and the switch or gateway.
As the demand for wireless communications has grown, the volume of call traffic in most cell sites has correspondingly increased. To help manage the call traffic, most cells in a wireless network are usually further divided geographically into a number of sectors, each defined respectively by radiation patterns from directional antenna components of the respective BTS or eNodeB, or by respective antennas. These sectors can be referred to as "physical sectors," since they are physical areas of a cell site. Therefore, at any given instant, an AT or UE in a wireless network will typically be positioned in a given physical sector and will be able to communicate with the transport network via the BTS or eNodeB serving that physical sector.
The functional combination of a BTS of a cell or sector with a BSC, or of an eNodeB (possibly in combination with an MME), is commonly referred to as a "base station." The actual physical configuration of a base station can range from an integrated BTS-BSC or eNodeB unit to a distributed deployment of multiple BTSs under a single BSC, or multiple eNodeBs under a single MME. Regardless of whether it is configured to support one cell, multiple cells, or multiple sectors, a base station is typically deployed to provide coverage over a geographical area on a scale of a few to several square miles and for tens to hundreds to several thousands (or more) of subscribers at any one time.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Tracking registration buffer in a cellular network


A method for producing an optically active alcohol compound comprising reacting a cyclic ether compound with a phenol compound in the presence of an asymmetric complex obtained by reacting an optically active metal complex represented by the formula (1):

An optically active alcohol compound represented by optically active 1-(4-phenoxyphenoxy)-2-propanol is useful, for example, as a synthetic intermediate of pharmaceuticals and agrichemicals (e.g. JP 60-215671A and JP 5-59718B). As a method for producing an optically active alcohol compound, a method comprising reacting a phenol compound with a cyclic ether compound using an optically active salen metal complex as a catalyst has been known (e.g. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 121, 6086-6087 (1999)). Alternatively, a method comprising reacting a phenol compound with a cyclic ether compound using a complex catalyst obtained by reacting an optically active salen metal complex with a Lewis acid selected from the group consisting of an aluminum halide, a dialkyl aluminum halide, a trialkoxy aluminum, a titanium halide, a tetraalkoxy titanium, a boron halide and a zinc halide has been also known (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,995,110). However, since the optically active salen metal complex is expensive, industrially, a development of a catalyst showing a higher activity has been desired.

Method for producing optically active alcohol compound

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 and R8 are the same or different and each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or the like;one of R9 and R10 is a hydrogen group and the other is a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group or the like;Q represents a single bond, a C1-C4 alkylene group or the like;M represents a metal ion; and when an ionic valency of the metal ion is same as a coordination number of a ligand, A is nonexistent, and when the above-mentioned ionic valency is different from the coordination number, and A represents a counter ion or a ligand, with a zirconium alkoxide or a hafnium alkoxide.


An EEPROM cell is formed in an IC chip by using only three masking steps in addition to those required for the basic CMOS transistors in the chip. A first mask layer is used to define source/drain regions of select and memory transistors within the EEPROM cell; a second mask layer is used to define a tunneling region of the memory transistor; and a third mask layer is used to define a floating gate of the memory transistor and a gate of the select transistor. A control gate of the memory transistor is formed using the same mask that is used to define the gates of the CMOS transistors. The third and fourth mask layers may also be used to form the lower and upper electrodes, respectively, of a capacitor.

It is frequently desirable to include an electrically erasable programmable read-only-memory (EEPROM) in an integrated circuit (IC) chip. Examples are the "smart" analog chips used in antilock braking systems (ABS) and in data converters having an EEPROM-trimming architecture. Such chips typically contain a number of CMOS transistors as well as select transistors and memory transistors for the EEPROM cells. The memory transistors may include a single or double polysilicon layer.
A problem in the fabrication of these devices has been the large number of additional process steps, particularly masking steps, which are necessary in the fabrication of EEPROMS. An EEPROM fabricated with a single conductive (polysilicon) layer minimizes the number of extra processing steps, but this solution comes at the cost of an increased cell size. The density of double polysilicon layer EEPROM cells is typically greater than the density of single polysilicon layer EEPROM cells. In addition, use of two polysilicon layers allows the designer to include interpoly capacitors on the chip. High performance interpoly capacitors are particularly useful in the fabrication of data converters and precision capacitor circuits.
Another problem arises from the continuing reduction in the size of the CMOS devices. An EEPROM is normally programmed at a voltage of 15-17 V. With a 2.0 .mu.m CMOS technology, the gate oxides and junctions of the CMOS devices are generally capable of withstanding such voltages. As the CMOS technology approaches the 1.0 .mu.m scale, however, the CMOS transistors are not able to withstand the relatively high voltages necessary to program and erase the EEPROM cells. Accordingly, chips which contain extremely small scale logic devices typically have separate high voltage transistors to perform the bit line select gate function and otherwise interface with the EEPROM memory transistors. This adds more complexity to the fabrication process.

Memory transistor having underlapped floating gate


This invention relates to a process to make a reaction product UA of at least one multifunctional aldehyde A with at least one cyclic urea U, by mixing the at least one multifunctional aldehyde A with the at least one cyclic urea U in the presence of at least one alcohol R1—OH, and optionally, at least one solvent that has no reactive groups which may react with aldehyde groups, —CO—NH— groups, or hydroxyl groups, to effect an addition reaction to obtain a solution of a product UA, where R1 is selected from the group consisting of linear, branched or cyclic alkyl groups having from one to twelve carbon atoms, to the reaction product obtained by this process, and to a method of use thereof as crosslinker for coating compositions.

Industrial coatings are used to protect the surface of a substrate against deterioration brought about by the action of light, humidity, wear, atmospheric oxygen, and other chemicals, and to impart the desired appearance such as colour, gloss, and surface structure. In many cases, such coatings are based on organic polymers which show good adhesion to the substrate and form a film free from defects such as pores or blisters. Film formation, also referred to as drying, is the transition of the coating composition applied to the solid state. The solid film can be formed from a solution by removal of solvent or from a dispersion by removal of the dispersing agent, or from a melt by cooling. In this case, and if no chemical reaction occurs, this is referred to as "physical drying". In the so-called chemical drying, chemical reactions occur during film formation which lead to crosslinked macromolecules. Such crosslinking may be caused by chemical reaction of low molar mass molecules, oligomers or macromolecules between themselves, such as addition or condensation reactions, or radiation induced or thermally induced polymerisation, or by the action of added polyfunctional molecules, the so-called crosslinkers, which react with functional groups of polymers usually referred to as binder resins.
A well-known class of crosslinkers used in conjunction with binder resins having active hydrogen-containing reactive groups, such as hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, are the so-called amino resins, which are hydroxy functional adducts of aldehydes, generally formaldehyde, and organic amino compounds such as triazines, particularly preferably melamine, and urea or derivatives of these, the hydroxyl groups of which are usually at least partially etherified with lower alcohols such as methanol, and n- or iso-butanol. These crosslinkers suffer from the drawback that formaldehyde, inter alia, is liberated during the curing or crosslinking reaction. Emission of formaldehyde is environmentally undesirable. Additionally, these amino resins need temperatures typically of at least 80° C. to act as crosslinkers. Heating to such elevated temperatures is both time-consuming and energy-consuming.
In our investigations leading to the present invention, it has been discovered that by performing the initial condensation reaction between glyoxal and ethylene urea in the presence of at least one alcohol leads to the preparation of at least partially etherified ethylene urea-glyoxal condensed resin. In the Japanese Patent Publication 53-044567, reaction of glyoxal with cyclic urea (2:1 mole ratio) in presence of a strong acid is disclosed. Our attempts at reacting glyoxal with ethylene urea (at a ratio of the amounts of substance of 1.2:1 mol/mol) in presence of a strong acid led to the formation of a rubbery gel-like solid product unusable for surface coating applications. Surprisingly we have discovered that conducting the condensation reaction of glyoxal with ethylene urea, under acidic conditions, in the presence of any alcohol or a mixture of alcohols eliminates the gel formation and results in a product that provides effective cure with hydroxyl and carboxy functional binders under ambient and heat cured conditions. Thus it was possible to make at least partially etherified mono and mixed ether products by this alternate process, wherein the initial condensation step for reacting glyoxal with ethylene urea is not a pre-requisite, for use in surface coating applications.
In the PCT application W02009/073836 A1, a process is disclosed for the preparation of etherified crosslinkers based on reaction products of cyclic ureas and acetals or hemiacetals of multifunctional aldehydes having at least two aldehyde groups which can be used in coating compositions comprising active hydrogen containing resins, such as hydroxy functional alkyd, acrylic, urethane or epoxy resins, and which coating compositions can be cured with such crosslinkers even at ambient temperature. The coatings prepared therewith showed good stability against solvents, and were not prone to yellowing. This process makes use of a multi-step reaction sequence where in the first step, the aldehyde component is mixed with an alcohol, and reacted under acidic conditions leading to formation of hemiacetals and acetals, and then in the second step, this mixture is reacted with a cyclic urea which may be preformed, or formed in situ. Depending on the reaction time, reaction conditions, and storage time in the first step, the hemiacetals and acetals may undergo oligomerisation, disproportionation and condensation reactions, leading to formation of a mixture of individual compounds such as mono- and diacetals of monomeric, dimeric or trimeric glyoxal, esters of glyoxylic acid, and glycolates. See S. Mahajani and M. M. Sharma in Organic Process Research and Development, 1997, No. 1, pages 97 to 105; and J. M. Kliegman and R. K. Barnes, J. Org. Chem., Vol. 38 (1973), No. 3, pages 556 et seq. The composition of this mixture has been found to be difficult to control. Owing to the presence of aldehyde only in the form of its acetals or hemiacetals, the addition products formed by a process as described in W02009/073836 A1 are different from those obtained by addition reaction of a multifunctional aldehyde and a cyclic urea.
It is therefore of the object of this invention to provide addition products of a cyclic urea and glyoxal and/or other multifunctional aldehydes having at least two aldehyde groups per molecule that can be used as crosslinkers for coating compositions having hydroxyl and/or acid functionality, which do not have the disadvantages mentioned supra.

Process for the preparation of a reaction product of a cyclic urea and a multifunctional aldehyde


A rigid primary conduit directs fluid into an arcuate manifold. The arcuate manifold includes a concave surface having a plurality of spray nozzles directed into the manifold in fluid communication with the primary conduit to direct individual spray applications about the surface of an associated pool filter to enhance cleaning thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to spray apparatus, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved pool filter spray head apparatus wherein the same is directed to the directing of an arcuate spray of water against a swimming pool filter to enhance cleaning of the filter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, swimming pool filters are cleaned utilizing a garden hose and the garden hose directed onto the surface of the swimming pool filter. The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by employing an arcuate manifold directing individual sprays of enhanced flow through the nozzles directed onto the surface of the pool filter.
Prior art nozzle spray attachments are indicated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,497,141; 4,369,921; 4,575,270; and 4,840,313.


A novel image sensor cell structure and method of manufacture. The imaging sensor comprises a substrate, a gate comprising a dielectric layer and gate conductor formed on the dielectric layer, a collection well layer of a first conductivity type formed below a surface of the substrate adjacent a first side of the gate conductor, a pinning layer of a second conductivity type formed atop the collection well at the substrate surface, and a diffusion region of a first conductivity type formed adjacent a second side of the gate conductor, the gate conductor forming a channel region between the collection well layer and the diffusion region. Part of the gate conductor bottom is recessed below the surface of the substrate. Preferably, a portion of the gate conductor is recessed at or below a bottom surface of the pinning layer to a depth such that the collection well intersects the channel region.

CMOS image sensors are beginning to replace conventional CCD sensors for applications requiring image pick-up such as digital cameras, cellular phones, PDA (personal digital assistant), personal computers, and the like. Advantageously, CMOS image sensors are fabricated by applying present CMOS fabricating process for semiconductor devices such as photodiodes or the like, at low costs. Furthermore, CMOS image sensors can be operated by a single power supply so that the power consumption for that can be restrained lower than that of CCD sensors, and further, CMOS logic circuits and like logic processing devices are easily integrated in the sensor chip and therefore the CMOS image sensors can be miniaturized.
Current CMOS image sensors comprise an array of CMOS Active Pixel Sensor (APS) cells, which are used to collect light energy and convert it into readable electrical signals. Each APS cell comprises a photosensitive element, such as a photodiode, photo gate, or photoconductor overlying a doped region of a substrate for accumulating photo-generated charge in an underlying portion thereof. A read-out circuit is connected to each pixel cell and often includes a diffusion region for receiving charge from the photosensitive element, when read-out. Typically, this is accomplished by a transistor device having a gate electrically connected to the floating diffusion region. The imager may also include a transistor, having a transfer gate, for transferring charge from the photosensitive element to the floating diffusion region, and a transistor for resetting the floating diffusion region to a predetermined charge level prior to charge transfer.
As shown in FIG. 1, a typical CMOS APS cell 10 includes a pinned photodiode 20 having a pinning layer 18 doped p-type and, an underlying lightly doped n-type region 17. Typically, the pinned diode 20 is formed on top of a p-type substrate 15 or a p-type epitaxial layer or p-well surface layer having a lower p-type concentration than the diode pinning layer 18. The n-region 17 and p region 18 of the photodiode 20 are typically spaced between an isolation region (not shown) and a charge transfer transistor gate 25 which are surrounded by thin spacer structures 23a,b. The photodiode 20 thus has two p-type regions 18 and 15 having a same potential so that the n− region 17 is fully depleted at a pinning voltage (Vp). The pinned photodiode is termed "pinned" because the potential in the photodiode is pinned to a constant value, Vp, when the photodiode is fully depleted. In operation, light coming from the pixel is focused down onto the photodiode through the diode where electrons collect at the n-type region 17. When the transfer gate 25 is operated, i.e., turned on, the photo-generated charge 24 is transferred from the charge accumulating doped n− type region 17 via a transfer device surface channel 16 to a floating diffusion region 30 which is doped n+ type.
A first problem with these current CMOS Imaging cells with a charge transfer gate 25 (e.g., a "4" Transistor cell) is the definitional problem of controlling the readout of the charge. The p type surface pinning layer 18 is necessary for low dark current, but can create a potential barrier between the n-type charge collection well 17 and the transfer device channel 16. The structure as currently practiced by the industry is also very sensitive to normal manufacturing process variations. Overlay and image size variation of the block masks is critical for cell operation.
For example, in conventional processes for fabricating the pinning layer 18 over the photodiode in the prior art APS cell 10 shown in FIG. 1, it is the case that some amount of p doping 29 overlaps onto the transfer gate 25 which is normally formed of intrinsic polysilicon or low level p-type doped 27. This is a result of mask overlay tolerance or displacement of the mask edge during fabrication. Subsequently, during formation of the n+ type doped floating diffusion region 30, the gate is processed to include a n+ type doped region 28. The presence of this p doping has an effect of reducing the efficiency and dynamic range of the gate, particularly by causing variations in transfer gate voltage thresholds (Vt). This will cause the transfer gate to not turn on completely. Also, because of lithographic alignment issues, the position of the p 'overlap' onto the gate varies, leading to performance variability.
A second problem is that the transfer gate structure 25 as defined takes up a lot of space in the cell leading to lower cell fill factor (the percentage of the cell that functions as a light collection area). One of the reasons for this is that there are multiple block levels whose overlay and image size goes into the minimum transfer gate length. If the n+ type floating diffusion region 30 is implanted on the collection side of the transfer gate, it will create excess leakage. If the p type surface pinning layer is implanted on the drain side of the gate, it will create a series resistance for the device. Both of these layers must abut the transfer gate on one side. The n-type charge collection layer 17 must somewhat overlap the gate or there will be a large potential barrier to charge transfer, but if it overlaps too much, the device will suffer from short channel effects.
Variation in the concentration distribution of the impurity dopant in the n-type collection well region 17, along with alignment, may cause both variation in the properties of the photodiode as well as create a potential barrier to occur immediately under the gate electrode. This effects the charge transfer efficiency of the transfer MOS transistor which in turn may degrade performance of the CMOS image sensor. Prior art teaches the use of oblique-rotating implantation or the use of excessive thermal diffusion to position or move the dopant under the gate structure 25 to minimize the potential barrier. U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,553 describes a method whereby an implant mask is used to form a photodiode which is partly situated under the gate.
Structures and methods that minimize the potential barrier and the parametric variability of the transfer gate are of great value for CMOS sensors.
It would thus be highly desirable to provide a novel image sensor APS cell structure and method of manufacture whereby the transfer gate is recessed such that the charge collection well intersects the bottom of the transfer gate channel.

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of inferring intent in a hybrid network includes monitoring communications in the hybrid network between a plurality of members, triggering an estimation of an intent of one or more members of the hybrid network, estimating the intent, determining a confidence level of the intent, and triggering an action based on the confidence level.

The present disclosure relates to artificial intelligence (AI), and more particularly to a social prosthetic system (SPS) configured to infer the intent of members thereof.
With the advances in cognitive technology, humans and AI agents (e.g., question answering devices, statistics-based answer selection engines, etc.) are forming hybrid social networks. These hybrid social networks have created new environments for data extraction.

Answer support systems for hybrid networks


The visual metronome provides an effective visual tempo signal that is easily discerned by a user without being dominating or harmful. Preferably a user will position the metronome to one side of the center of his expected line of site. The metronome visible within a user's peripheral vision uses an inversing dominant pattern producing two visual states. Each visual state is maintained for one beat of the beat per minute rate set by a user. Each visual state includes a light region and a dark region of similar size and a preferred dominant pattern includes a four region checkerboard pattern.

Metronomes have been commonly used to assist musicians in developing skills with respect to timing and rhythm and are used to assist in coordinating a group of musicians to stay in time. In many musical groups it is the drummer who sets the beat and the remaining members of the group merely follow the set beat.
Metronomes can be generally divided into visual and audible metronomes and in most cases the metronome is capable of operating in either or both of these modes. The most common metronome for a drummer to use includes a loud "click tone" (also called a "click track") such as a cowbell transmitted into an earpiece at a high, potentially dangerous decibel level. This on/off audible sound accurately transmits a set tempo but the sound level must be quite high to distinguish over the sound level of the band.
There are two common problems with the traditional "click track": Firstly, many musicians find themselves needing to turn the volume up very loud in order to hear the click consistently, which opens up the possibility for hearing damage. Secondly, it can be disconcerting—particularly for drummers—that when playing in perfect synchronicity, the click tone can seem to disappear and be difficult to pinpoint.
There are a number of visual based metronomes which vary from a pulsing LED which is turned on and off in time with the tempo, to more sophisticated visual displays which attempt to impart significantly more information than merely the tempo. For example, a progressing graph is used to display an upbeat and a downbeat, and to also provide a visual representation of the time interval remaining before the next beat. These prior art visual display metronomes have not proven as effective in communicating the tempo information to the user without a relatively high level of concentration.
A predominantly visual metronome offers some key advantages. Firstly, the musician can concentrate on the music being produced without audible interference from the metronome. Secondly, there is no decrease in perception of the tempo when a musician is playing along in perfect synchronicity (unlike the audible click track which can "disappear" when the musician is playing in perfect time). Lastly, the musician has greater flexibility in that he or she can effectively receive tempo information only when desired. For example, the musician can look away from or willfully ignore the visual signal, effectively using it on as-needed basis. In contrast it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to willfully ignore an audio based metronome.
The present invention provides an improved visual metronome that transmits the tempo information in an accurate and effective manner.


A method and device for sampling ultra-fast optical signals by generating a sampling signal comprising a train of short pulses and coupling the sampling signal together with an optical data signal to be sampled into a highly non-linear optical fiber. Four-wave mixing (FWM) occurs between the two signals resulting in a secondary signal output from the fiber consisting of pulsed components having energy proportional to the instantaneous power of points along the data signal. An analysis of this secondary signal can be carried out to create a normal trace or eye-diagram of the data signal.

This invention relates to improvements in or relating to the sampling of optical signals and, in particular, but not especially, a device and a method for sampling ultra-fast (ultra-high frequency) optical signals, such as C-band (3.7 to 4.2 GHz) signals, by achieving picosecond resolution.
The need to sample ultra-fast optical signals having ultra-short pulses is rapidly increasing, being of interest in a large number of applications, such as ultra-fast communications, biophotonics, sensing, large system synchronisation, dynamic characterisation and testing of new materials. To date, various optical sampling techniques have been proposed to sample ultra-fast optical signals.
One such technique is the Frequency Resolved Optical Gate (FROG). This is the only technique that can describe both amplitude and phase of an optical signal and does not require any synchronisation circuitry. However, it is a very complex technique and requires a long processing time. In particular, FROG requires a spectrometer to obtain the whole spectrum of the secondary signal obtained from the interaction of an optical signal to be sampled and its delayed replica. Consequently, the amount of data to be processed is large and can take a long time, making the sampling process very slow. Moreover, processing of the secondary signal involves the determination of an integral. However, in certain cases, the integral does not converge, preventing the processing of the secondary signal.
Other techniques require a clock recovery system to synchronise the pulses of the optical sampling signal with the optical signal to be sampled. If the repetition rate is very high, the development of a suitable clock recovery system for synchronisation is critical and can be very expensive. Furthermore, these techniques can typically only analyse limited time intervals, therefore they only allow one to resolve the eye-diagram of an optical data signal not the long bit sequences. Other optical sampling techniques carry out asynchronous sampling, using very high-speed electronics for the generation of a sampling gate. However, besides suffering from the disadvantage of requiring complex and costly electronics, the resolution is limited to tens of picoseconds.


A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named xe2x80x98Eckalekaxe2x80x99, characterized by its inflorescences with pink-colored flower bracts; dark green-colored leaves; uniform and mounded plant habit; early flowering; and excellent post-production longevity.

Euphorbia pulcherrima.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Eckalekaxe2x80x99.
The new Poinsettia a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Encinitas, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Poinsettia cultivars having flower bracts with desirable colors, uniform plant habit and excellent post-production longevity.
The new Poinsettia is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of an unnamed proprietary induced mutation, not patented, that originated by exposing unrooted cuttings of the Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Eckabish, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,200, to gamma radiation. The new Poinsettia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single plant within a population of plants of the irradiated selection on or about Aug. 19, 1998, in a controlled environment in Encinitas, Calif.
Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by terminal cuttings taken at Encinitas, Calif., since October, 1998, has shown that the unique features of this new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Eckalekaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Eckalekaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Inflorescences with pink-colored flower bracts.
2. Dark green-colored leaves.
3. Uniform and mounded plant habit.
4. Early flowering, natural season flower maturity date is November 26 for plants grown in Encinitas, Calif.; response time, about 8.5 weeks.
5. Excellent post-production longevity.
Plants of the new Poinsettia are most similar to plants of the cultivar Eckabish. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Encinitas, Calif., plants of the new Poinsettia differed primarily from plants of the cultivar Eckabish in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Poinsettia had longer leaves than plants of the cultivar Eckabish.
2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Poinsettia had more flower bracts than inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Eckabish.
3. Flower bract color of plants of the new Poinsettia was pink whereas flower bract color of plants of the cultivar Eckabish was red.


Devices for bringing a person that has fallen to the ground to an upright position comprise frames adapted to receive a person's body after a person has achieved a lying position, inflatable bladders attached to the frames on which the person's body rests when the bladders are in an uninflated state, the bladders being inflatable from a first position to a second position, and fittings attached to the inflatable bladders for receiving hoses to allow the inflatable bladders to be inflated from the first position to the second position.

It is estimated that in the United States alone over thirty-six million people experience falls in their homes every year. These falls can cause serious injuries, which can be exacerbated when the individuals that have fallen cannot get up from the fall or otherwise upright themselves. Often, before help can arrive at the home, the individual that has fallen lacks the strength to arise from the fall, and no other individual in the home can help the person upright themselves, especially when the person that has fallen is obese. Even in other environments where there are people that can aid the person that has fallen to get back up, often there is a need to use some device to hoist the person that has fallen from the ground to an upright position.
When a person has fallen, it is urgently necessary to bring the person to an upright position in order to prevent deleterious effects from the fall, and to avoid further injuries. Moreover, if a personal aid or helper is available to assist the person that has fallen to attain the upright position, it is also important that the aid or helper does not get injured as the aid or helper assists the individual that has fallen into the upright position. It will be appreciated that in nursing home environments, for example, where many elderly patients enjoy permanent and comprehensive care, it is often necessary to upright such patients that have fallen. Additionally, emergency medical technicians that are called to a home to help people that have fallen often have to upright and secure these people from the ground to provide emergency medical services quickly, safely, and efficiently.
There exists in the art many devices that lift patients from beds, wheelchairs, and other difficult positions. Some of the earliest of such devices are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,947 which shows a winch arrangement for lifting a patient to rise and move about. Other such devices are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,253 which illustrates the use of a drive mechanism to hoist a patient from a lying or prone position to a sitting position. The use of hydraulics for hoisting patients is also known, for example as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,749,225 and 5,819,338. Yet other examples of generalized lifting mechanisms using suspended mounts are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,288. Such devices may be lightweight and portable as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 9,700,473, the devices of which uses a simple, manual worm gear arrangement to actuate and extend the lifting mechanisms of these devices. These hoist-type devices may also be motorized, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 10,172,756.


An air bearing slider (140) for use in a disc drive (10) is disclosed. The slider includes leading and trailing edges (44,46) and an air bearing surface (48) having a longitudinally extending center line (40). A first leg (102) protrudes from the leading edge end of the air bearing surface on a first side of the center line. The first leg extends longitudinally along a first axis (103) oriented such that it forms an angle relative to the center line which is substantially equal to the skew angle of the slider when the slider is positioned at the inner diameter (36) of the disc.

The present invention relates generally to disc drive data storage systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a slider air bearing surface design which results in improved take-off characteristics and which eliminates the need for a taper at the leading edge end of the air bearing surface.
Disc drive data storage devices are well-known in the industry. In certain types of disc drives, digital data is written to and read from a thin layer of magnetizable material on the surface of rotating discs. Write and read operations are performed through one or more transducers which are carried in a slider body. The slider and transducer(s) are sometimes collectively referred to as a head, and typically a single head is associated with each disc surface. The heads are selectively moved under the control of electronic circuitry to any one of a plurality of circular, concentric data tracks on the disc surface by an actuator device. Each slider body includes a self-acting hydrodynamic air bearing surface (ABS). As the disc rotates, the disc pulls a very thin layer of air beneath the ABS, which develops a lifting force that causes the slider to lift and "fly" several .mu.inches above the disc surface.
Stiction forces adversely affect contact start and stop (CSS) performance of the slider, and may be high enough to prevent the spindle motor from rotating the disc prior to the head slider take-off from the surface of the disc. One method of reducing the stiction and improving CSS performance is to lap a crown along the length of the ABS by pressing the slider against a spherically shaped lapping plate. A crowned ABS reduces collection of lubrication between the slider and the disc. However, more complete solutions to reducing stiction are desired.
Since the introduction of a taper at the leading edge of the ABS, head take-off has improved, thus improving CSS performance dramatically. The air flow entrapped in the taper permits the air bearing film to start forming at the leading edge of the slider. Progressively, the air bearing forms around all of the rails to encompass the trailing edge area. However, machining of the taper region is not a precise process and requires removal of a large amount of material. Tolerances on the taper region impact the fly height mean and sigma of the ABS, rendering some air bearing concepts impractical due to their sensitivity to the taper length and/or shape. The surface finish requirement of the taper region is less stringent than the remaining ABS, raising concerns about head rocking leading to taper-to-media contact during the take-off process. As the size of sliders continues to decrease in the industry, it becomes a greater challenge to control the geometrical properties (for example, taper and crown) of the slider.


An electric connector includes an electrically insulative housing, and a terminal having an engagement section and inserted into a terminal space formed in the housing in a direction from a rear towards a front of the housing. The housing includes a lance protruding in the housing towards an axis of the terminal space, and is able to engage to and disengage from the engagement section of the terminal. A resilient support resiliently supports the lance such that the lance is able to move away from the axis, and a path is provided through which a jig for disengaging the lance from the engagement section is inserted into the housing through a front of the housing towards the lance along the engagement section. The resilient support is formed with a slit communicating with the path and extending towards the lance from an entrance of the path.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electric connector equipped in a wire harness for electrically connecting a circuit board and the wire harness to each other. The invention relates further to a housing employed in the electric connector, and to a jig used for the electric connector and the housing for disengaging a lance from a terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 14 illustrates a conventional electric connector 500, FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the electric connector 500 viewed in a direction of an arrow D shown in FIG. 14, and FIG. 16 is another cross-sectional view of the electric connector 500 viewed in a direction of the arrow D shown in FIG. 14.
As illustrated in FIG. 12, the conventional electric connector 500 includes a housing 50 composed of an electrically insulative material, and a plurality of terminals 60 to be inserted in a direction from a rear to a front of the housing 50 into terminal spaces 51 formed in the housing 50.
Each of the terminals 60 includes a sheath section 61 having a square cylindrical cross-section and formed at a front in a direction in which the terminal 60 is inserted into the housing 50, and a wire compression section 62 formed at a rear in the above-identified direction. A core wire (not illustrated) exposed out of a cover of a cable 63 is fixed in the wire compression section 62 in a compressed condition to thereby electrically connect the cable 63 and the terminal 60 to each other. Each of the terminals 60 is formed at a front end of the sheath section 61 with an engagement section 64 protruding away from an axis 61c of the sheath section 61.
Each of the terminal spaces 51 formed in the housing 50 is formed therein with a lance 53 protruding towards an axis 51c of the terminal space 51, and a resilient support 54 supporting the lance 53 such that the lance 53 is able to be deformed towards and away from the axis 51c of the terminal space 51. As illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, the terminal 60 is inserted into the housing 50 through a rear opening 51b of the terminal space 51 formed at the rear of the housing 50, and then, is pushed into the housing 50. After the engagement section 64 slided along the lance 53 and passed over the lance 53, the engagement section 64 is engaged with the lance 53. Thus, the terminal 60 is fixed in the terminal space 51.
In the case that there occurs a defect in electric connection in the electric connector 500, for instance, the terminal 60 is necessary to be pulled out of the housing 50, in which case, it is necessary to disengage the engagement section 64 and the lance 53 from each other. A jig 70 in the form of a thin plate is used to do so. As illustrated in FIG. 15, the jig 70 is inserted into the housing 50 towards a rear of the housing 50 through an opening 55 formed adjacent to a front opening 51a of the terminal space 51 formed at a front of the housing 50. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the jig 70 is downwardly pushed at a proximal end 70b thereof. The jig 70 lifts up a part of the resilient support 54 through a distal end (an insertion portion) 70a thereof moving in the counter direction under the principles of the lever and fulcrum to thereby cause the resilient support 54 to be deformed upwardly, resulting in that the lance 53 is released from the engagement section 64. Then, the terminal 60 can be pulled out of the housing 50 through the rear opening 51b of the terminal space 51.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-39498 suggested a connector including a lance supported at front and rear ends thereof. A part of the lance forwardly protruding an engagement surface is designed to be branched into two sections.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-247227 suggested a connector including a lance supported at front and rear ends thereof, and designed to be deformable around the front and rear ends. There is formed a space between a terminal and a front of the lance. A disengagement portion of a jig can be inserted into the space.
Recently, an electric connector is required to have a small size and a low height. Accordingly, the partition wall 56 defining the terminal spaces 51 in the housing 50 and the resilient support 54 supporting the lance 53 are designed to be thin, and the opening 55 through which the jig 70 is inserted into the housing 50 is designed to be small.
However, if the opening 55 were designed to be small in response to the requirement of designing an electric connector to be small in both a size and a height, a part for forming the opening 55 in an injection mold used for molding the housing 50 has to be thin, resulting in that the injection mold might be deformed and/or damaged. Furthermore, if the opening 55 were designed to be small, the distal end 70a of the jig 70 to be inserted into the housing 50 through the opening 55 has to be designed to be thin, resulting in the reduction in a strength of the jig 70.
The above-mentioned problems are found also in the above-mentioned Publications, but remain unsolved.

Electric connector having a lance supported by a resilient support with a slit and disengageable by a jig


Disclosed is a semiconductor light emitting device comprising: a substrate; a first semiconductor layer, which is provided on the substrate and has a first conductivity; an active layer, which is provided on the first semiconductor layer and generates ultraviolet light by electron-hole recombination; a second semiconductor layer, which is provided on the active layer and has a second conductivity different from the first conductivity; a first electrode electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer; a second electrode electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer; a second region that includes a plurality of protruded parts of the active layer and the second semiconductor layer protruded from the first semiconductor layer as seen in cross-sectional view and recesses between the protruded parts; and a first region surrounding the second region.

In the context herein, the term "semiconductor light emitting device" refers to a semiconductor optoelectronic device which generates light by electron-hole recombination. One example thereof is Group III-nitride semiconductor light emitting devices, in which the Group III-nitride semiconductor is composed of a compound containing Al(x)Ga(y)In(1-x-y)N (0≤x≤1, 0≤y≤1, 0≤x+y≤1). Another example thereof is GaAs-based semiconductor light emitting devices used for emitting red light.

Semiconductor light-emitting device and manufacturing method therefor


According to an example, an application performance measurement for an application for a current time interval, a performance specification for the application, and a resource consumption metric for a resource of a plurality of resources that are to process the application for the current time interval may be accessed. In addition, the application performance measurement, the performance specification, and the resource consumption metric may be used to determine a resource specification for a next time interval for the resource of the plurality of resources. Moreover, the resource specification may be used to determine, by a processor, a resource weight for the resource of the plurality of resources for the next time interval.

In computing, virtualization is often used to create a virtual version of a hardware platform, an operating system (OS), storage devices, or network resources. Virtualization is also often used to improve the effective utilization of a server's physical resources. A variety of techniques have been used to manage virtual resources. For example, virtual resources, such as virtualized data centers, have been managed by using non-work conserving or work conserving approaches. For the non-work conserving approach, each workload is provided with restricted access to resources that can be used per time interval. The non-work conserving approach may be referred to as a resource capped mode. Thus, for the non-work conserving approach, in order to guarantee workload isolation, the sum of the caps for each resource are set to be less than the overall available capacity for all resources. For the work-conserving mode, a workload may use the excess capacity that is not used by other workloads. The work-conserving approach may be referred to as a non-capped mode. Compared to the non-work conserving approach, the work conserving approach often leads to higher resource utilization.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Fabrication of a latch mechanism is provided for latching a field-replaceable unit within an enclosure. The latch mechanism includes a pivotable latch coupled to the field-replaceable unit via a pivot, at a first side of the unit, and a spring member associated with the enclosure. The spring member is engaged by the latch and deflects with rotating of the latch from an open position to a latched position. The pivotable latch includes the first end and a second end, with the pivot being disposed closer to the first end than the second. The deflecting spring member facilitates provision of positive pressure on the unit directed towards a second side of the unit opposite to the first side to facilitate, for example, fixedly coupling a first connector at the second side to a second connector associated with the enclosure when the unit is latched within the enclosure.

A field-replaceable unit (FRU), also referred to as a customer-replaceable unit (CRU), may comprise a circuit board, part or assembly that can be readily removed from an electronics enclosure (or chassis), such as a computer, mainframe, or other piece of electronic equipment, and replaced by a user or technician without having to send the entire electronics enclosure or system to a repair facility. For example, field-replaceable units allow a technician lacking an in-depth product knowledge of a particular system to fault isolate and replace a faulty component or unit. Field-replaceable units are not strictly confined to computers, but also may comprise part of many higher-end consumer and commercial electronic products.
As the sophistication and complexity of multi-replaceable unit electronics in both commercial and consumer industries has increased, many design and manufacturing organizations have expanded the use of field-replaceable units to, for example, input/output devices, control devices, storage devices, etc. As one example, one or more field-replaceable units may be employed as input/output, control, or storage within an electronic system or rack. In such a field-replaceable unit, a first connector associated with the unit couples to a second connector associated with the enclosure as the field-replaceable unit is docked within the enclosure. Positive pressure or force can be applied on the first connector to the second connector by, for example, mechanical fasteners. However, the use of mechanical fasteners to (for example) ensure positive force on the connectors requires the use of tools, which adds complexity to the field replaceability of the field-replaceable unit.

Fabrication of positive pressure-applying latch mechanism

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A surface forces measuring apparatus (SFA) including miniature rheometers and friction measuring devices. Both static (i.e., equilibrium) forces and dynamic (e.g., time-dependent such as viscous, hysteretic and frictional) forces can be measured between two surfaces in relative motion to each other along the z-direction (normally) or the x- or y-directions (horizontally), or along any desired direction in 3D space. The new instrument uses a novel combination of piezoelectric tubes and N-type bimorphs, and a three-stage mechanical mechanism to produce linear motion of one of the surfaces along any desired direction, and a combination of an optical technique and semi-conductor strain-gauges allows for the force produced on the other surface to be directly measured, also in any direction (which may be in a different direction from that of the first surface which generates the force). Force measuring sensitivity is significantly higher, both in magnitude and time-response, than in previous force-measuring devices, particularly in the x- and y-directions, enabling weaker forces and rapid transient effects to be studied in detail.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Historical developments of Surface Forces Apparatuses (SFA's)
Surface forces apparatuses (SFA's) are instruments that measure the forces between surfaces. They have been in existence since the mid-1950's. Until the 1970's, SFA's measured the forces between two surfaces in air or in vacuum. Gradual improvements in surface sample preparation (e.g., producing smoother surfaces) and in distance-measuring techniques resulted in a series of improved SFA's, and today these can measure the normal force between two macroscopic surfaces (force accuracy: approx. 10.sup.-8 N) as a function of surface separation (distance accuracy: approx. 1 .ANG.). Forces are generally obtained by measuring the deflection of a cantilever spring using an optical or electrical position-sensitive measuring technique, and the separation between the two interacting surfaces, as well as their shape, is measured with a standard optical technique that uses multiple beam interference fringes (known as "FECO".ident."Fringes of Equal Chromatic Order").
In 1969 Tabor & Winterton and later Israelachvili & Tabor developed Surface Forces Apparatuses (SFA's), initially for measuring the van der Waals forces between surfaces in air or vacuum. In 1976, Israelachvili & Adams designed the first apparatus (later known as SFA Mk I) for measuring forces between surfaces in liquids and controlled vapor atmospheres, allowing control and measurement of the surface separation to within 0.1 nm. The SFA Mk 1, and later versions (SFA Mks 2, 3 and 4), enabled the first direct and detailed measurements to be made of the fundamental forces between surfaces in vapors and liquids. Subsequent models, such as SFA Mk 2, SFA 3, SFA Mk 4, and other versions, were essentially incremental improvements on earlier models without introducing new qualitative features.
Current SFA technology--principles of SFA operation : The principles on which current SFA's operate are simple: one of the surfaces (usually the upper) is rigidly mounted at the end of a piezoelectric crystal tube while the lower surface, which faces the upper, is suspended at the end of a cantilever spring system (the force-measuring spring). The surfaces can be moved towards or away from each other using a two to four-stage system of mechanical and piezo controls of increasing accuracy, and an optical technique using FECO fringes is used to measure the separation between the surfaces to .+-.0.1 nm. The force between two surfaces is measured by moving the two surfaces towards or away from each other using one of the above controls, and simultaneously measuring the deflection of the force-measuring spring using the optical FECO technique. This gives the force at any particular surface separation.
The principles used in making direct force measurements are usually very simple, the main challenge has always been in the design of a mechanical device that would successfully apply these principles at the angstrom level.
FIG. 1 shows one of the more advanced basic SFA's, known as SFA 3, designed and used in the laboratory of the inventor at the University of California at Santa Barbara. This SFA will now be described in detail since one of its features--the movement/positioning of the lower surface in the z-direction--is also used in the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows a section through SFA 3. There are four distance controls: normal micrometer (M1), differential micrometer (M2), differential spring control (M3), and piezoelectric tube. The lower surface is mounted at the end of a variable-stiffness double-cantilever force-measuring spring (S) which is connected via the spring mount to the distance controls of the upper (control) chamber via a teflon bellows (B). The wheel and shaft are used for laterally moving the spring clamp and thereby changing the stiffness of the force-measuring spring. The lower chamber is bolted to the underside of the upper chamber from which it is completely sealed by the bellows, as well as being sealed from the outside with teflon O-rings. The main translation stage unit (T) has 4 double-cantilever springs machined out of a single Copper-Beryllium block. This part ensures that the two surfaces move vertically and perfectly linearly relative to each other with no displacement or rotation in any other direction. The main part of the translation stage is bolted to the inside of the control chamber. The second part is bolted to a single-cantilever spring which acts differentially to the helical spring when the differential micrometer M3 is rotated. All springs parts are machined from Cu--Be alloy before they are hardened by heat treated (tempered).
Forces are measured between the two mica or mica coated surfaces supported on two cylindrical silica disks. The upper disk is attached to the piezoelectric PZT-5A crystal tube which is mounted on a support that can be moved laterally and rotated before it is clamped tightly to the top of the apparatus. The apparatus has two separate parts, an upper (control) chamber, and a lower (bathing) chamber. The control chamber handles the four distance controls, the force-measuring spring adjustment, and the positioning and clamping of the two surfaces. Its workings are totally sealed from the lower chamber via the Teflon bellows B. The lower chamber acts as a simple bath that can be bolted underneath the upper chamber and then filled with liquid. It is thus completely sealed both from the outside environment as well as from the mechanical controls of the upper chamber. The lower and upper chambers are made of 316 stainless steel. The lower chamber can also be made of PTFE or some other inert material such as Kel-F. It is easy to clean and can be readily replaced by another bathing chamber. At no point during or between experiments does the control chamber have to be opened or dismantled; indeed, once the control chamber has been assembled it requires no further attention.
The four distance controls of the SFA 3 include three mechanical controls and one piezoelectric control. The three mechanical controls are based on a multiple spring translation assembly, located roughly at the center of the upper (control) chamber. The main part of this assembly is the vertical-motion translation stage, machined from a single block of Cu--Be alloy and consisting of four equal double-cantilever spring systems. This type of design ensures perfectly linear motion, with no possible movement in any other direction. The eight cantilever springs of this unit also ensure that there is no possibility of any wobble or rotation, or any other type of unwanted movement, friction or backlash as occurs with dove-tailed slides or screw-thread drives. To further ensure that there is also no "buckling" of the springs, the vertical force that induces displacement of the 8-spring unit is applied through an axis that passes through the center of the unit.
The full translation spring assembly includes a single cantilever spring that is bolted to the translation stage and whose center also passes through the center of the 8-cantilever spring unit. The assembled unit of these two parts (T) fits inside the control chamber via four bolts. At the bottom of this unit there is a threaded hole to which are attached the PTFE bellows (B) and the force-measuring spring mount. The spring mount protrudes into the lower chamber, and the bellows isolates the two chambers from each other.
Control of Surface Separation to 1 .ANG.: There are three mechanical distance controls (two coarse and one medium) and one piezoelectric (fine) control having the following resolution and workable range. Coarse control: normal micrometer M1 (500 nm over a range of 6 mm); Medium control: differential micrometer M2 (50 nm over a range of 0.1 mm); Fine control: differential spring operated by micrometer M3 (1 nm over a range of 5 mm); and Piezo control: piezoelectric tube (<0.1 nm over a range of 1 .mu.m). The spindle of micrometer M1 and M2 presses against the 8-spring unit T via the short single-cantilever spring that is in series with that unit. When the spindle of micrometer M3 moves a distance D, it compresses a helical spring by this amount which in turn presses against the single-cantilever spring on unit T via the lever arm. The resulting vertical movement of unit T (and the spring mount) is therefore determined by the ratio of the stiffness of these two springs which, being 1,000:1, effectively gears down the motion of the lower surface by a factor of 1,000, viz. from D to D/1,000. The three micrometer controls can be operated manually or by variable-speed DC motors.
Measuring distances and surface profiles using the FECO technique: Surface separations and profiles can be measured to within about 1 .ANG. (0.1 nm) by monitoring the movement of multiple beam interference fringes. This technique is known as "FECO", for "Fringes of Equal Chromatic Order". These sharp interference fringes are produced when a beam of white light is made to pass through the two mica sheets (FIG. 1). The transparent mica sheets are of equal thickness (about 1-3 .mu.m thick) and are each coated with a highly reflecting layer of silver (thickness .about.550 .ANG.) before they are glued, silvered sides down, onto the cylindrically curved silica discs. The interference fringes are produced by multiple reflections of light between the two silvered layers, so that only certain wavelengths (those that interfere constructively) emerge from the other side of the sheets. The emerging beam is focussed onto the slit of a normal grating spectrometer which separates out the different colors (interference fringes). Depending on the shapes of the two surfaces these fringes appear as sharp lines or curves at the exit window of the spectrometer where they can be viewed by eye through a normal microscope eyepiece or recorded on film or a video camera.
From the positions and shapes of the FECO fringes one can determine not only the surface separation but also their shapes and the refractive index of the medium between them. Equations describing how one translates the measured wavelengths to surface separations and refractive indices have been described by lsraelachvili and others.
Measuring Forces: Given the facility for moving the surfaces towards or away from each other and independently measuring their separation, each with a sensitivity or resolution of 1 .ANG., the force measurements themselves now become straightforward. The force is measured by expanding or contracting the piezoelectric crystal by a known amount and then measuring optically how much the two surfaces have actually moved. Any difference in the two values when multiplied by the stiffness of the force-measuring spring gives the force difference between the initial and final positions. In this way, by starting at some large separation where there is no detectable force and working systematically towards smaller separations both repulsive and attractive forces can be measured with a sensitivity of about 10.sup.-6 g (10.sup.-8 N) and a full force-law can be obtained over any distance regime.
Advantages of the FECO technique over other distance-measuring techniques: There are two critical reasons for why the FECO technique is the only one capable of unambiguously measuring surface separations and inter-surface force-laws (force versus surface separation). The first is that the surface separation is measured at the point of closest approach of the two surfaces, i.e., the separation is measured exactly where one wants to know it. All other force-measuring techniques (whether capacitance, optical, electric or magnetic) do not measure the surface separation, that is, the distance between two surfaces, but the displacement of a single spring or balance arm at some point away from the interaction zone. From this displacement the separation is then inferred. In this way any elastic deformations of the surfaces occurring around the contact zone become mixed in with, and inseparable from, the measured force-displacement curves. With the FECO method, the distances between the two surfaces and any deformations of the materials are unambiguously distinguishable and measurable independently of the forces.
The second advantage of the FECO method is that one can measure the surface shape or profile, and in particular the local radius of curvature R of the two interacting surfaces. This is essential for comparing measured forces with theory or with other experiments.
FIG. 2 shows a sliding attachment (or "Friction device") that was developed in 1988 for use with the SFA Mk 2. This Friction Device allows for the two surfaces to be slid or moved laterally past each other (rather than normally as in conventional force measurements). Sliding motion is initiated via a motor-driven micrometer and the friction force is measured from the deflection of a double-cantilever spring system using resistance strain gauges. With this attachment, sliding speeds in the range 0.01 to 100 .mu.m/sec can be attained, and lateral (shear or friction) forces can be measured to an accuracy of about 10.sup.-3 N.
Limitations of the prior art: The systems and phenomena being called upon for study with SFA technology are rapidly growing in complexity: these now include complex polymeric and lubricant fluid systems, the interactions of biological cell surfaces, dynamic and time-dependent interactions over a large range of time-scales, molecular structure and relaxations at surfaces and in confined liquid films, etc. Such studies require greater versatility in the different types of forces that may be measured than has so far been possible. Thus, they require forces to be measured along different directions (axes), a higher force-measuring sensitivity, a greater dynamic range of measuring times and sliding speeds (from very slow to very fast), improved distance resolution, and higher mechanical stability (requiring the elimination of backlash and thermal drift). A whole generation of new phenomena could be studied if only some of these deficiencies or limitations could be overcome. Our primary aim here was the identification of these limitations, and the design and construction of a new device that overcame these limitations. These limitations will now be described in more detail.
(a) Inability to measure "vectorially" coupled interactions in 3-D. Recent research has indicated that normal forces (in the z-direction) and lateral forces (in the x- and y-directions) are generally "vectorially" coupled, for example, where sliding motion of one surface in the x-direction produces a force on the other surface in the y-direction. Existing SFA's cannot measure vectorially-coupled forces or interactions. More precisely, existing SFA's cannot simultaneously induce and/or measure forces along any desired (arbitrary) direction in three-dimensional space. PA1 (b) Inability to simultaneously measure normal and lateral forces accurately. Existing friction-measuring attachments replace, and therefore cannot be used together with, the sensitive piezoelectric tube supporting the upper surface. Thus, normal forces cannot be induced or measured accurately at the same time as shearing, sliding or friction forces are being measured. PA1 (c) Limited dynamic range of sliding speeds. Recent studies on friction and lubrication have indicated that important changes can occur at different sliding speeds, but that measurements have to be made over a very large range of speeds, extending over 10 decades or more, to fully appreciate these effects. Existing friction-measuring instruments or attachments cannot measure lateral forces over a range greater than about four orders of magnitude. PA1 (d) Inability to measure fast transient effects. Recent studies have shown that important short-lived "transient" effects occur during the interaction of two surfaces, and there is an increasing need for SFA's to be able to measure such rapidly changing, non-equilibrium forces. Existing force-measuring techniques are not geared to measuring rapid changes occurring over time-scales much shorter than 0.1 sec. PA1 (e) Inability to measure slowly changing and true equilibrium forces. The two surfaces are prone to thermal drifts which can greatly diminish the accuracy of the forces measured below the theoretically attainable limit of at least 10.sup.-8 N (10.sup.-6 g). These drifts can usually be minimized by thermostating the apparatus or the experimental room to 0.1.degree. C., but they preclude accurate measurements of forces that take a long time to reach equilibrium. Because of difficulties in controlling thermal drifts, existing SFA's cannot accurately measure forces that slowly change with time or forces that take a very long time to stabilize, for example, time-dependent adhesion forces, hysteretic forces, hydrodynamic interactions, etc. Thus, forces and interactions that require more than about 30 minutes to reach equilibrium cannot be reliably accessed by the prior art. PA1 (f) Limited interfacing capabilities, expandability and upgradability. Existing SFA's are not designed for interfacing with other commonly used experimental techniques, such as light scattering or fluorescence microscopy techniques, nor are they easily adaptable for incorporating new attachments that can expand their versatility and scope. PA1 (g) Limited accuracy in measuring normal forces. Currently the detection limit in measurements of normal forces is about 10.sup.-8 N. This is acceptable for most applications, but does not allow certain weak, but nevertheless important, forces to be measured. PA1 (h) Limited accuracy in measuring lateral forces. Currently the detection limit in measurements of lateral forces is about 10.sup.-3 N. This is fairly crude and precludes measurements of any but the strongest friction forces. PA1 (i) Limited accuracy in measuring lateral deflections. Currently the detection limit in measurements of lateral distances is about 500 .ANG.. This precludes measurements of any friction phenomena occurring or varying on the molecular scale. PA1 (a) Ability to measure vectorially coupled interactions in 3-D. The main object of this invention is to provide a multi-purpose force-measuring instrument capable of moving one surface (the driving surface) vectorially along any direction in three-dimensional space (i.e., along any desired x-y-z direction) while simultaneously measuring the static or dynamic force produced in the other (detector) surface and the direction of the induced force (which need not be the same as the direction of motion of the driving surface) and the surface separation and profile. PA1 (b) Ability to simultaneously measure normal and lateral forces accurately. Lateral, shear and friction forces can be measured without sacrificing the highly sensitive piezoelectric positioning-device supporting one of the surfaces. PA1 (c) Increased range of lateral sliding speeds. Sliding speeds can be varied from above 105 .mu.m/sec to below 10.sup.-5 .mu.m/sec--a range of 10 decades (orders of magnitude), which is 6 decades more than the prior art. PA1 (d) Increased time-resolution for measuring fast transient effects. By using friction-force measuring springs that are stiffer and shorter, and by drastically reducing the mass (weight) of the platform supporting the upper surface, the natural frequency of vibrations of the friction-force measuring system has been increased by more than an order of magnitude. Thus, transient events shorter than a few milliseconds can now be measured during sliding by recording the output signal from the strain gauges on the friction springs on or storage oscilloscope or other type of data acquisition system. This is a significant increase in response time resolution--by almost two decades--over the prior art. PA1 (e) Ability to measure slowly changing and true equilibrium forces. With the Balance Attachment, forces that may take hours, days or even weeks to equilibrate can now be measured. Additionally, very slow transient effects can also be reliably studied. In principle, the Balance Attachment can measure any equilibrium force or interaction, regardless of how long it takes to equilibrate and regardless of the thermal drifts present. The only limitation here being the patience of the operator. PA1 (f) Improved expandability, upgradability and interfacing capabilities. The new SFA is readily adaptable for incorporating a number of new attachments for further increasing the scope of force measurements. It is also readily adaptable for interfacing with other established laboratory measuring techniques such as X-ray synchrotron reflectivity and scattering experiments, and fluorescence and other optical microscopies. PA1 (g) Increased accuracy in measuring normal forces. With the balance attachment, the accuracy of measuring the normal forces between two surfaces moving towards or away from each other is increased by two orders of magnitude to 10.sup.-10 N. PA1 (h) Increased lateral force-measuring sensitivity. By using semi-conducting strain gauges and a friction-force measuring spring of variable stiffness, the accuracy of measuring the shear or friction forces between two surfaces moving laterally relative to each other has been increased by two orders of magnitude to 10.sup.-5 N. PA1 (i) Increased accuracy in measuring lateral deflections. The accuracy of measuring the lateral displacement of one surface sliding across another is increased by two orders of magnitude to about 5 .ANG., which now allows for friction phenomena and transient events to be studied at the molecular level. PA1 (j) Studies with opaque liquids. A facility has been introduced for adjusting the height of the light entrance window. This allows for a great reduction in the liquid volume that the light has to pass through (from cm to microns), thereby enabling opaque liquids to be used in SFA experiments. PA1 (k) Great interfacing capabilities with optical equipment. Enlarged objective port hole and <5 mm optical working distance from surfaces to microscope objective allows for objectives with shorter focal lengths and higher magnifications (up to .times.20) to be used as well as certain types of specialized wide-bodied objectives, for example, fluorescence microscope objectives. PA1 (l) Unique features of SFA-FECO experiments: The SFA technique for measuring forces, when used together with the FECO optical technique for visualizing two surfaces, allows for the unambiguous measurements of the following parameters that cannot be independently measured by any other combination of techniques: (i) the static and dynamic forces, both normal and lateral, between the two surfaces, (ii) independent measurement of the separation between the two surfaces at their point of closest approach, (iii) quantitative visualization of the local surface geometry and how it changes, for example, due to force-induced elastic deformations, during sliding or other motions, arid (iv) the ability to visualize contamination and trapped particles between the surfaces from the deformed shapes of the FECO fringes in combination with refractive index measurements.

Instrument for measuring static and dynamic forces between surfaces in three dimensions