A molded resin product can be produced without shrinkage on the surface by providing a hollow part and foam cells therein. Before molten resin containing a foaming gas is introduced into a cavity between molds, the cavity is preliminarily filled with a gas with pressure high enough to prevent the foaming gas from beginning to foam or expand. While the molten resin is injected into the cavity or after its injection is over, another high-pressure gas is injected through at least one gas injection nozzles into the resin where a hollow part is desired. As the nozzle is retracted from the cavity, the high-pressure gas is removed from the cavity, allowing the foaming gas to begin to foam and expand, forming a hollow part and foam cells inside the molded product.

This invention relates to a method of producing molded resin products having thick-wall parts.
According to the so-called counter-pressure gas method, which is an example of injection molding method for producing a resin product having thick-wall parts, a gas (such as air or nitrogen gas) with pressure increased beyond the atmospheric pressure is preliminarily injected into a cavity between mold pieces before molten resin is injected thereinto. When a molten resin material having an organic solvent (such as alcohol), an inorganic liquid (such as water), an organic gas such as (Cl.sub.3 H), an inorganic gas (such as N.sub.2, CO.sub.2 and CO) or their mixture dissolved therein as a foaming agent is subsequently injected into the cavity, the foaming gas is thereby prevented from beginning to foam or expand. Only after the preliminarily injected high-pressure gas is removed from the cavity and the pressure inside the cavity is sufficiently reduced, the foaming gas begins to foam and expand inside the product being molded, thereby preventing shrinkage on its surfaces.
The so-called gas assisted injection method is another molding method whereby a cavity in a mold is fully or partially filled with a resin material by primary injection and thereafter, or while it is being injected, a gas is injected into the product being molded.
With the counter-pressure gas method, as described above, the occurrence of shrinkage is intended to be prevented by the force of foaming inside the produce being molded. Thus, the shrinkage force in skin layers on the surfaces cannot be overcome by the force of foaming unless the foaming layer is sufficiently thick (as shown in FIG. 6). In other words, products to be formed by this method are under a severe limitation regarding their shape and wall thickness. In order to obtain a molded product with a smooth surface and a foam layer inside, the wall thickness indicated by arrows in FIG. 7 must be over 5-6 mm.
By the gas assisted injection method, by contrast, it is intended to prevent the occurrence of shrinkage by the pressure of the injected gas. Without the use of any foaming agent, thick-wall parts of a product are not cooled quickly and the high-pressure gas does not effectively form any cavity inside the product being molded, as shown in FIG. 8. Instead, the gas is spread throughout the molded product, affecting adversely the strength of the product. In the case of a product having a thick rib on a thin-wall part, such as shown in FIG. 9, the thin-wall part cools quickly and the gas cannot diffuse to such a part in time, making a hollow cavity only in the rib part. Accordingly, the thickness of the wall parts should be at least about 5 mm.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to eliminate the problems of prior art technology described above.
It is more specifically an object of this invention to a method of producing an injection-molded product having both thick-wall and thin-wall parts and fine foam cells and hollow parts formed in the thick-wall part such that occurrence of surface defects such as shrinkage is prevented.
An injection-molded product to be produced according to this invention, may be characterized as having hollow parts where shrinkage would otherwise be likely to occur such as its thick-wall parts, as well as foam cells between its surface layers and these hollow parts and around the hollow parts. Throughout herein, the expression "foam cells" will be used to indicate small bubbles formed inside a molded resin product by the foaming of a forming gas during its production, and the expression "hollow parts" will be used to indicate larger cavities formed inside a molded resin product by injecting a high-pressure gas.
Before molten resin is poured into the cavity in an injection molding apparatus to produce such a product, a foaming gas is already contained in the resin material and a gas with pressure greater than the atmospheric pressure is supplied into the cavity prior to the injection of the resin material. During or after the injection of the resin material into the cavity, another high-pressure gas at pressure greater than the atmospheric pressure is injected at selected positions inside the product being molded, thereby creating hollow parts. These high-pressure gases are kept inside the cavity for a specified length of time so as to prevent the foaming gas from beginning to foam or expand prematurely. As these high-pressure gases are discharged from the cavity as well as the interior of the product being molded, the foaming gas contained in the molten resin starts to foam and expand such that foam cells are formed between the surface layers and the hollow parts, as well as around the hollow parts, of the product.

Method of producing molded resin product


A hydraulically driven hammer has a piston which contains metal piston rings on a constant diameter section. The housing has a plurality of axially spaced apart radial ports that extend through the housing into the bore. A valve supplies fluid to the ports to control reciprocation of the piston.

Hydraulically actuated hammers, also called impact tools or breakers, are used for breaking up rock, concrete and the like. The impact tool is typically mounted to a backhoe which pushes it against the rock to be disintegrated. Hydraulic fluid pressure is supplied to a valve, which causes a piston within the impact tool to cycle to deliver blows to a working tool, such as a chisel. A gas and fluid compression chamber at one end supplies energy along with the hydraulic fluid power to deliver the blow.
Typically the piston fits very closely within a bore of the housing. Normally, there are no seals on the piston because of one or more ports that extend radially into the bore for supplying the hydraulic fluid. The ports would damage any seals located on the piston. Therefore, to provide sealing, extremely close clearances as small as 0.0001 inch are used between the piston and the bore.
The close tolerances add to the manufacturing cost. Also, as the piston wears, it is expensive to replace. In addition, the close clearances cause heat buildup.


An electrical connector mountable to a circuit board is disclosed. The disclosed connector includes a shell which comprises a first plate-like portion, a second plate-like portion and connection portions. The first plate-like portion extends in a predetermined direction and is provided with fixed portions at opposite ends thereof in the predetermined direction. The fixed portion is to be fixed to the circuit board. The second plate-like portion extends in the predetermined direction. Each of the connection portions connects the first and the second plate-like portion. The second plate-like portion is provided with force resist portions at opposite ends thereof in the predetermined direction. The force resist portions are configured so that, when a force is applied to the electrical connector along a direction from the first plate-like portion towards the second plate-like portion, the force resist portions resist the force.

This invention relates to an electrical connector mountable to a circuit board of an electrical instrument or the like. In particular, the present invention relates to an electrical connector which is mounted on a circuit board, being disposed within a recess formed in the circuit board.
In order to reduce the height of an electrical connector mounted to a circuit board, a recess or opening is formed in the circuit board, especially, at an edge thereof, the electrical connector is being disposed within the recess. For example, the aforementioned electrical connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,271, U.S. Pat. No. 7,182,610, or JP 2004-327244 A, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Specifically, a shell of the electrical connector of JP 2004-327244 A has two fixed portions or two wings at opposite sides of the electrical connector; the fixed portions are soldered to the upper surface of the circuit board so that the electrical connector is secured to the circuit board.
However, the electrical connector of JP 2004-327244 A has a problem that its shell may be deformed by unexpected movement of a mating connector thereof. Therefore, there is a need for an electrical connector which has a better deformation resistant structure in comparison with the electrical connector of the JP 2004-327244 A.

Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited


According to the present invention, a water region detecting unit (11) detects, in a determination target region set in an input image captured of a river, a water region covered by water. An area ratio calculating unit (12) calculates the ratio of the area of the water region to the area of the determination target region. A risk level determining unit (13) calculates the level of flooding risk of the river on the basis of the calculated ratio.

In recent years, river flooding has occurred frequently throughout the country due to climate change. In order to minimize damage caused by such river flooding, there is a demand for a device or system capable of determining a possibility of flooding before river flooding occurs.
In a related technique, when a water level of a river exceeds an altitude set in advance, it is determined that there is risk of flooding. In this technology, a water level needs to be detected.
In a river office under jurisdiction of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, a measuring device such as a hydraulic water level gauge and a water-level gauging board is used for detecting a water level. The hydraulic water level gauge mechanically measures change in water pressure received by a pressure receiving unit installed in water. There is also a method of visually confirming a water level indicated by the water-level gauging board installed in a river. However, in either method, there is a possibility that the measuring device is washed away at a time of river rising. In addition, deploying measuring devices in all of 60,000 or more rivers in the whole country is costly and time consuming.
In view of the above, a method of determining a water level by analyzing video of a monitoring camera installed in a river has been proposed. A water level detecting device disclosed in PTL 1 determines a water level, based on a property that a luminance value greatly attenuates at a water surface boundary. Specifically, pixels in a region at the same altitude are extracted from video captured by a monitoring camera, and average luminance of the extracted pixels is calculated. Then, an altitude at which the luminance sharply attenuates is determined as a water level. By comparing the water level determined thereby with a predetermined threshold value, the water level detecting device calculates flooding risk.

River risk level determining device, river risk level determining method, and storage medium


Methods and apparatus to determine vehicle weight information based on ride height are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a weight calculator to determine a relationship between ride height information and weight of a vehicle and a compensation calculator to adjust the relationship based on compensation factors and calculate vehicle weight information for the vehicle based on the adjusted relationship, the compensation factors based on vehicle sensor data. The example apparatus further includes a calculation adjustor to adjust the vehicle weight information calculation of the weight calculator or the compensation calculator based on driver behavior.

Drivers desire to know vehicle weight and/or vehicle weight distribution of a vehicle to improve loading practices and vehicle handling. Vehicle and/or trailer weight and weight distribution information indicates when a vehicle is overloaded, a quantity of material being hauled, how the weight is distributed (e.g., between left and right sides of the vehicle), rate at which materials are being removed from the vehicle, how much more material can be carried by the vehicle, and/or other information that the driver desires when hauling materials. Additionally, the knowledge provided to the driver by the weight and weight distribution information reduces instances of trailer sway, handling degradation, decreased stopping distance, decreased steering performance, and other reductions in driving performance.
The figures are not to scale. Instead, the thickness of the layers or regions may be enlarged in the drawings. In general, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts. As used in this patent, stating that any part (e.g., a layer, film, area, region, or plate) is in any way on (e.g., positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formed on, etc.) another part, indicates that the referenced part is either in contact with the other part, or that the referenced part is above the other part with one or more intermediate part(s) located therebetween. Stating that any part is in contact with another part means that there is no intermediate part between the two parts. Although the figures show layers and regions with clean lines and boundaries, some or all of these lines and/or boundaries may be idealized. In reality, the boundaries and/or lines may be unobservable, blended, and/or irregular.


An example method of operating a device includes using a switching circuitry to a first subset of antennas from an antenna cluster, using the first subset of antennas to receive a first Bluetooth signal, generating a first directional value of the first Bluetooth signal, using a processing element to evaluate at least one antenna of the antenna cluster based at least partly on the first directional value, selecting a second subset of antennas based on evaluation, using the second subset of antennas to receive a second Bluetooth signal, and generating a second directional value of the second Bluetooth signal. Other embodiments of the device and operations thereof are also disclosed.

Computing devices may communicate with each other via networks, such as wireless networks (e.g., Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth networks, etc.). A computing device may communicate with another device (e.g., another computing device) in the wireless network by transmitting radio-frequency (RF) signals to and/or receiving RF signals from one another. Those devices within the wireless network may also utilize the transmitted/received RF signals to generate relative directional data of each other. One of the techniques is using Angle of Arrival (AoA) or Angle of Departure (AoD) estimation to help generate those data. Existing designs and techniques for estimating AoA or AoD face various challenges such as backward compatibility issues and demands to increase accuracy and to reduce cost, footprint, operation time, and power consumption.

Dynamic antenna array pattern switching in wireless systems


An external device configuration apparatus includes a scanner controlling unit that controls a scanner for scanning an image, an external device controlling unit that determines whether the external device is connected, and an integrated management unit that when it is determined that the external device is connected by the external device controlling unit, acquires setting information about the scanner memorized in the external device and configures the setting for scanning of the image by the scanner based on the acquired setting information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an external device configuration apparatus, an external device configuration method and an external device and more particularly to an external device configuration apparatus, an external device configuration method and an external device for use in configuring the setting for a scanner.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, when changing the setting for a scanner or an application, a user generally changes the setting by operating the computer or scanner.
Conventionally, it has been intended to simplify the configuration of the setting for scanner or application by memorizing the setting information of the scanner setting or the application setting used previously or a setting pattern having a plurality of setting items in the computer.
However, according to the conventional method, when a scanner is used by the users, each user needs to confirm whether a preferred setting is configured before scanning or if the setting that the user does not want is configured, the user needs to reconfigure the setting. Further, the conventional method has such a problem that if the scanner is shared by the users, sometimes the application that user wants to use does not exist in the computer to be used.
Particularly, the conventional method has a problem that even if the setting information used previously is memorized in the computer, the user needs to call the setting that the user used previously from memorized history by operating the computer.
When an equipment is shared by the users, a method of storing individual setting in the external memory apparatus can be considered. For example, JP-A-2006-262207 has disclosed a method of controlling image processing corresponding to individual setting in which when the user uses such an equipment by using a USB memory that memorizes the individual setting. Further, JP-A-2005-092745 has disclosed a method in which when the user uses the equipment by using a portable memory apparatus that memorizes an application or the like, a specific program is started up, user authorization is executed and data is stored in the portable memory apparatus when the program is ended.
However, the method described in JP-A-2006-262207 is a method of processing an image distributed from an apparatus having distribution function and the method described in JP-A-2005-092745 is a method of using an external memory apparatus instead of an internal memory apparatus in order to ensure the security and there is a problem that the both methods cannot be applied as a method for autoconfiguration of a connected scanner.

External device configuration apparatus, external device configuration method and external device


Searching encrypted data using encrypted contexts by performing at least the following: configuring a first encryption context that allows access to a first encrypted field, configuring a second encryption context that allows access to a second encrypted field, assigning the first encryption context to a first role and the second encryption context to a second role, assigning the first role to a first user account to allow the first user account to access the first encrypted field, assigning the second role to a second user account to allow the second user to access the second encrypted field, receiving a query request associated with the first user account for a search term, wherein the query request includes instructions to search for an unencrypted version of the search term and a first encrypted value of the search term that is based on the first encryption context.

Cloud computing involves sharing of computing resources that are generally accessed via the Internet. In particular, the cloud computing infrastructure allows users, such as individuals and/or enterprises, to access a shared pool of computing resources, such as servers, storage devices, networks, applications, and/or other computing based services. By doing so, users are able to access computing resources on demand that are located at remote locations in order to perform a variety of computing functions that include storing and/or processing computing data. For enterprise and other organization users, cloud computing provides flexibility in accessing cloud computing resources without accruing up-front costs, such as purchasing network equipment, and investing time in establishing a private network infrastructure. Instead, by utilizing cloud computing resources, users are able to redirect their resources to focus on core enterprise functions.
In today's communication networks, examples of cloud computing services a user may utilize include software as a service (SaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS) technologies. SaaS is a delivery model that provides software as a service rather than an end product. Instead of utilizing a local network or individual software installations, software is typically licensed on a subscription basis, hosted on a remote machine, and accessed as needed. For example, users are generally able to access a variety of enterprise and/or information technology (IT) related software via a web browser. PaaS acts an extension of SaaS that goes beyond providing software services by offering customizability and expandability features to meet a user's needs. For example, PaaS can provide a cloud based developmental platform for users to develop, modify, manage and/or customize applications and/or automate enterprise operations without maintaining network infrastructure and/or allocating computing resources normally associated with these functions.
Within the context of cloud computing solutions, users may be asked to deal with ever increasing amounts of collected data. The amount of data collected in today's cloud computing solutions may be orders of magnitude greater than was historically available. Users tasked with automating enterprise, IT, and/or other organization-related functions (e.g., incident tracking in a help desk context) may need to navigate the ever increasing amounts of data to properly and efficiently perform their job functions while providing robust data security and privacy capabilities. For instance, being able to search and query results from fields stored in tables and/or documents relevant to a user can be beneficial for efficiently managing data stored within a cloud computing environment. However, some data within a cloud computing environment may be sensitive or confidential information that an enterprise desires to restrict access to. As a result, continually improving a user's ability to perform queries that address at least these and/or other issues relating to managing, utilizing, and controlling access to potentially large data sets remains valuable in enhancing cloud computing services.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Searching for encrypted data within a cloud based platform


Switch topology-aware path selection in an information processing system is provided. For example, an apparatus comprises a host device comprising a processor coupled to a memory. The host device is configured to communicate with a storage system over a network with a plurality of switches. The host device is further configured to obtain topology information associated with the plurality of switches in the network, and select a path from the host device to the storage system through one or more of the plurality of switches based at least in part on the obtained topology information.

Storage arrays and other types of storage systems are often shared by multiple host devices over a network such as, for example, a storage area network (SAN). Applications running on the host devices each include one or more processes that perform the application functionality. The processes issue input-output (IO) operations, directed to particular logical storage volumes or other logical storage devices (referred to as LUNs), for delivery by the host devices over selected paths to storage ports of the storage system. Different ones of the host devices can run different applications with varying workloads and associated TO patterns. Various types of storage access protocols can be used by host devices to access the logical storage volumes or other logical storage devices of the storage system.
In a data center implementation, storage to host connectivity is usually via a SAN fabric. SAN fabric configurations can consist of multiple fabric switches (e.g., multiple switches) with LUNs made visible to a host through multiple paths based on zone configuration and physical connectivity. In the event of path failures, TO are retried on a path not likely to exhibit the failure. This is sometimes referred to as TO failover. However, selecting such a path can present significant challenges.

Input-output path selection using switch topology information


A receiver for use in a data channel on an integrated circuit device includes a non-linear equalizer having as inputs digitized samples of signals on the data channel, decision circuitry configured to determine from outputs of the non-linear equalizer a respective value of each of the signals, and adaptation circuitry configured to adapt parameters of the non-linear equalizer based on respective ones of the value. The non-linear equalizer may be a neural network equalizer, such as a multi-layer perceptron neural network equalizer, or a reduced complexity multi-layer perceptron neural network equalizer. A method for detecting data on a data channel on an integrated circuit device includes performing non-linear equalization of digitized samples of input signals on the data channel, determining from output signals of the non-linear equalization a respective value of each of the output signals, and adapting parameters of the non-linear equalization based on respective ones of the value.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the inventors hereof, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted to be prior art against the subject matter of the present disclosure.
Many integrated circuit devices, particularly "systems-on-chip" (SoCs), include high-speed serial links between various device components (such as the individual silicon dice in an SoC). Typical high-speed serial links of that type, commonly known as "SERDES" (serializer/deserializer), may suffer from significant non-linearity or channel impairment in the signal path, as a result of, e.g., insertion loss, inter-symbol-interference (ISI), and, in an optical system, non-linearities such as dispersion loss, or, in a copper (i.e., wired) system, cross-talk, jitter, etc. Various forms of linear equalization typically are used, at the receiver end of such links, to attempt to mitigate such channel impairments. However, linear equalization may not be sufficient to compensate for such non-linearities, particularly when the data levels to be distinguished are close together.

Non-linear neural network equalizer for high-speed data channel


The cement finishing machine (10) has adjustable heat generating assemblies (22, 24), affixed to each side of the finishing machine (10). Each of the heat generating assemblies (22, 24) includes a propane burner that extends into an elongate heating tube. The heat generating assemblies (22, 24) also include a vertical adjustment assembly and detachable heat guards. The heat generated by the propane burner is directed through an opening in the bottom of each of the heating tubes and onto the surface of an unfinished cement slab during the cement finishing process. The heat facilitates the evaporation of excess water generated during the cement finishing process.

Conventional cement finishing machines employ rotating trowel blades to smooth the wet cement slab. Time is lost during the cement finishing process because excess water must be removed from the surface of the slab.
The related prior art includes multiple cement finishing machines that employ various means to heat the surface of a cement slab for one purpose or another. Pertinent examples of such machines are identified and cited in the accompanying information disclosure statement (IDS). However, none of the machines cited and identified in the related art includes adjustable heaters designed to remove excess water during the cement finishing process, as will subsequently be described and claimed in the instant invention.
The need exists for a cement finishing machine that would effectively enhance the removal of excess water from the cement slab during the finishing process. The cement finishing machine of the current invention improves the efficiency of the cement finishing process and advances the state of the art by providing a cement finishing machine that effectively removes excess water from the cement slab during the cement finishing process. In tested applications, cement slab finishing time was reduced by one-third when the heaters of the current invention were employed. The cement finishing machine of the current invention is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing the intended tasks.


An acoustic echo erasing apparatus which generates a pseudo-echo component from an audio reception signal (a vector x.sub.1) using an adaptive filter, and removes the pseudo-echo component from an audio transmission signal (a vector y). The apparatus extracts a feedback component depending only on the audio reception signal from the audio transmission signal, and passes the audio reception signal through the adaptive filter to generate the pseudo-echo component while setting a transfer characteristic of the adaptive filter in accordance with the feedback component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for erasing acoustic echo.
2. Description of the Related Art
In communications apparatuses having a speech amplifying function for use in hands-free telephones, TV conference communications apparatuses and so on, an acoustic echo canceler is well known for canceling acoustic echo possibly generated on the basis of sound radiated from a speaker forming part of a receiver. Specifically, in communications between two speaker sides, sound radiated on one speaker side travels as an input signal to a microphone forming part of a transmitter of the one speaker side and then is included as acoustic echo into sound received by the other speaker side.
The conventional acoustic echo canceler, however, is not capable of appropriately canceling acoustic echo if so-called double talk occurs, where a feedback signal generated by sound radiated from a speaker of one speaker side and a voice transmission signal (also including surrounding sound) of the one speaker side are mixedly input into a microphone of the one speaker side. More specifically, the conventional echo canceler basically generates pseudo-echo for performing waveform processing on an input voice signal to remove echo included therein, and adds the pseudo-echo to an echo return path in opposite phase to erase the echo. Thus, when double talk occurs, the conventional acoustic echo canceler also recognizes a voice transmission signal of the one speaker side as an echo component to generate erroneous pseudo-echo, thereby occasionally failing to stably cancel acoustic echo.
An article entitled "Studies on Echo Canceler Having Duo-filter Using ES Projection Algorithm" by Hada and other three, Transactions of Conference held by Institute of Acoustics Engineers of Japan, March 1995, pp. 595-596 discloses a method as countermeasures to the occurrence of double talk as mentioned above.
According to the article, the echo canceler comprises an adaptive filter for estimating a transfer characteristic of an acoustic echo path; a semifixed filter coupled to receive a filter coefficient generated by the adaptive filter to actually cancel echo; and a convergence state determination circuit for controlling to transfer the adaptive filter coefficient to the semifixed filter when an error of the adaptive filter coefficient is small and when a comparison between the error of the adaptive filter coefficient and a coefficient generated by the semifixed filter determines that the error of the adaptive filter coefficient is smaller. Since the convergent state determination circuit prohibits the transfer of the filter coefficient from the adaptive filter to the semifixed filter when it detects disturbance in the adaptive filter coefficient caused by the occurrence of double talk, the semifixed filter holds a filter coefficient estimated immediately before the double talk occurs. In this way, favorable echo erasure can be carried out event when double talk occurs. Stated another way, since a voice transmission signal during double talk is disturbance added to a transfer path from a loud speaker to a microphone and does not cause any change in the characteristic of the transfer path from the loud speaker to the microphone, a coefficient generated before the disturbance occurs is used to erase echo so that the disturbance, i.e., the voice transmission signal only can be separated.
However, the method disclosed in this article essentially requires the convergence state determination circuit for detecting a disturbed filter coefficient to take countermeasures to double talk and the semifixed filter for holding a filter coefficient in a steady state, an apparatus implementing the method becomes excessively complicated.
Generally, simplification is strongly required for acoustic echo cancelers for use in hands-free telephones and so on, so that further improvements are desired to such acoustic echo cancelers.

Method and apparatus for erasing acoustic echo


A method and an apparatus transmit and receive information in a cable TV network including at least one base station connected to a branching cable network, branching from the base station to at least two subscribers, provided with transmitters. A unique carrier frequency is assigned to each of the subscriber""s transmitters, the carrier frequencies being orthogonal. Signals from the subscriber""s transmitters are transmitted simultaneously, received in the base station as a broadband signal, and separated using a common algorithm.

The present invention concerns an apparatus and a method for sending and receiving information in a cable TV network.
A cable TV network is a branched network in which a base station via an aerial receives TV signals from a satellite, or some other medium, and forwards the signals through a coaxial cable which branches to each individual user. The cable TV network is, second to the telephone network, the network that reaches the largest number of users. Therefore, it would be desirable co use the existing coaxial cable For new broadband services, such as the ordering of pay TV, interactive TV games, mail order services and so on. This requires the network to work in both directions so that the users can both receive information from the base station, called downstream signalling, and transmit information to the base station, called upstream signalling.
These cable TV networks were originally designed for one-way communication through a coaxial cable, but have developed from being merely a point-to-multipoint configuration, with the base station as the only transmitter, to comprising both shorter or longer sections of fiberoptic cable and several transmitters in the net, i.e. a multipoint-to-point configuration.
Choice of components and other dimensioning of the network have been influenced by the requirements that the communication should be one way, point-to-multipoint and inexpensive. With downstream data transmission the levels of noise and disturbance are reasonable and a known protocol may be used for the transmission. In the upstream direction the conditions are different, as the network is not designed to work in this direction. Noise from components and disturbances picked up by defective network elements are added from all branches of the network up to the base stations This problem is caused by the multipoint-to-point configuration and is called noise funnelling. In addition, there are more narrowband disturbances in the upstream band. Owing to this the same protocol cannot be used when transmitting upstream.
Digital information can be transmitted through the TV cable via a modem, which converts the information to a modulation of an analogue carrier wave, with a carrier frequency. Point-to-point configurations with transmission via modems are common in data communication and may even be used in cable TV networks. The disadvantage is however that in the base station one modem per user must be handled. With many users per base station this can become both an expensive and a time consuming solution.
When transmitting via a modem through the same cable, the transmissions must be multiplexed in time or frequency to avoid clashing in the cable, as described in xe2x80x9cCATV Return Path Characterization for Reliable Communicationsxe2x80x9d, Charles A. Eldering et al., IEEE Communications Magazine, August 1995. With time multiplexing the different transmitters can transmit during different time slots to the same receiver, and a multipoint-to-point configuration can be obtained. One problem with this is that each transmitter then uses the whole bandwidth of the utilized cable TV channel, and a narrowband disturbance somewhere in the band may destroy the entire transmission. Time multiplexing also leads to limited flexibility since each transmitter needs the whole frequency band and can only send during specific time slots. Each transmitter can also only be handled during a certain time period in the base station, which may cause problems if the number of transmitters is large. Even with conventional frequency multiplexing the high levels of disturbance in the upstream band cause problems at the receiver. Apart from this, each channel must be filtered out with a large number of filters, and it is difficult and costly to make these filters sufficiently narrowband. This means that the carrier frequencies cannot be placed too close to each other, which limits the number of carrier frequencies that can be used in the cable TV channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,902 describes a multiple carrier wave system, that is, a system for upstream signalling with multiple carrier waves, in the cable TV network. The problem of disturbances can then be solved through the base station monitoring the received signals and selecting a number of carrier frequencies which have the lowest disturbance level. These selected frequencies have no mutual correlation, but are selected on the basis of the current disturbance conditions: As the disturbance conditions vary over the day, the received signals are monitored continually and the frequency of the carrier wave is automatically changed when necessary.
The best carrier frequencies are communicated to the users, who then all send on the same, selected, best frequencies. In this way it is ensured that a number of carrier frequencies having the lowest disturbance level are always used, and the use of several carrier frequencies also makes the transmission more secure, as the probability that one of the signals reaching the recipient in a readable state increases. This method however requires some kind of time multiplexing so that the transmissions do not clash with each other, which would result in the problems described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,548 A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,050 both describe the use of OFDM within cable TV technology, but only for downstream signalling. It has been generally assumed that this solution would not work for upstream signalling. For example, EP 701 351 A2 discards this solution because the burst character of the upstream communication would make it too difficult to determine the phase of the received signals.
One problem when transmitting information in cable TV networks is the large number of modems needed if one modem is placed with each user, and one for each user in the base station. Admittedly, these modems can communicate through the TV cable according to various known protocols, but the result will be a point-to-point configuration, and, since the base station will hold a considerable number of modems, the solution will be expensive and lead to time-consuming handling of the many moderns.
With multipoint-to-point communication the base station must be able to determine which user is transmitting. For example frequency or time multiplexing may be used. Both types of multiplexing lead to a loss in transmission capacity, in time and in frequency, respectively. Time multiplexing gives limited flexibility and conventional frequency multiplexing requires a large number of very narrowband filters.
One object of the invention is to provide a quick, flexible and reliable transmission of information through cable TV networks with multipoint-to-point configuration in the upstream direction, i.e. in the direction towards the base station.
A further object of the invention is to overcome the problems associated with conventional frequency multiplexing, i.e. to reduce the number of filters needed in the receiver of the base station and to achieve a frequency multiplexed transmission with closely spaced carrier frequencies and thus a high degree of utilization of the frequency band used.
Another object of the invention is to compensate for differences in propagation time which may occur between signals from different users.
Further it is an object of the invention to achieve reduced sensitivity to disturbances affecting transmission.
The above mentioned objects are achieved in a method which has acquired the characteristics mentioned in claim 1. Further characteristics and developments of the invention and an apparatus for carrying out the method are stated in the other patent claims.
According to the invention an apparatus and a method for transmission and reception of information in cable TV networks are provided in which each user transmits on a separate carrier frequency. The carrier frequencies are mutually orthogonal, so that the contribution of each carrier wave to the next one equals zero, and the separate channels can be separated through computation of at least one common algorithm, e.g. at least one FFT (Fast Fourier Transform). This FFT decodes all transmitting channels simultaneously so that all users can transmit at the same time. This ensures a fast and reliable transmission in the multipoint-to-point configuration.
According to the invention, the sensitivity to disturbances caused by time multiplexing is reduced. The FFT also reduces the number of different filters that would be needed if each channel was to be filtered out individually, which is the case in conventional frequency multiplexing.
As the frequencies are orthogonal and do not influence each other during separation with the FFT, they may be placed very close to each other in the utilized frequency band.
Carrier frequencies with excessive disturbances may be rejected in the case of changed disturbance conditions, but the frequencies used always maintain their mutual correlation. This correlation is here described as the signals being orthogonal, but they could also have some other kind of correlation enabling a common separation of the different transmission channels with at least one common algorithm.
Further, the invention provides a compensation for differences in propagation time that may occur between signals from different transmitters.

Device and method relating to cable TV networks


A class of benzopyrans, benzothiopyrans, dihydroquinolines, dihydronaphthalenes, and analogs thereof, is described for use in treating cyclooxygenase-2 mediated disorders. Compounds of particular interest are defined by Formula I′

Prostaglandins play a major role in the inflammation process and the inhibition of prostaglandin production, especially production of PGG2, PGH2 and PGE2, has been a common target of antiinflammatory drug discovery. However, common non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are active in reducing the prostaglandin-induced pain and swelling associated with the inflammation process are also active in affecting other prostaglandin-regulated processes not associated with the inflammation process. Thus, use of high doses of most common NSAIDs can produce severe side effects, including life threatening ulcers, that limit their therapeutic potential. An alternative to NSAIDs is the use of corticosteroids, which have even more drastic side effects, especially when long term therapy is involved.
Previous NSAIDs have been found to prevent the production of prostaglandins by inhibiting enzymes in the human arachidonic acid/prostaglandin pathway, including the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX). The recent discovery of an inducible enzyme associated with inflammation (named "cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)" or "prostaglandin G/H synthase II") provides a viable target of inhibition which more effectively reduces inflammation and produces fewer and less drastic side effects.
Recently, there has been significant research into some of the roles of cyclooxygenase-2. It has been found that COX-2 is upregulated in benign and malignant tumors (K. Subbaramaiah et al., Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med., 216, 201 (1997)) including lung cancer (T. Hida et al., Anticancer Res., 18, 775–82 (1998)), Barrett's esophagus (K. Wilson, Cancer Res., 58, 2929–34 (1998)) and skin cancer (S. Buckman et al., Carcinogenesis, 19, 723–29 (1998)). It is expressed in airway cells with implication in asthma (P. Barnes et al., Lung Biol. Health Dis., 114, 111–27 (1998)). Cox-2 also has a role in pre-term labor, angiogenesis (M. Tsujii et al. Cell, 93, 705–16 (1998)), vascular rejection (M. Bustos, J. Clin. Invest., 100, 1150–58 (1997)), HIV induced apoptosis (G. Bagetta et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 244, 819–24 (1998)), neurodegeneration (T. Sandhya et al., Brain Res., 788, 223–31 (1998)), inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, (I. Singer et al., Gastroenterology, 115, 297–306 (1998)), cerebral ischemia (S. Nogawa et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 95, 10966–71 (1998)), hypertension (A. Nasjletti, Hypertension, 31, 194–200 (1997)), among others.
Drugs that inhibit cyclooxygenase affect colon cancer (T. Kawamori et al., Cancer Res., 58, 409–12 (1998)), allergic neuritis (K. Miyamoto et al., Neuro Report, 9, 2331–4 (1998)), dementia, burn infections (M. Shoup, J. Trauma: Inj., Infec., Crit care, 45, 215–21 (1998)), cytomegalovirus infectivity (E. Speir et al., Circ. Res., 83, 210–16 (1998)), lumbago (H. Bosch, Curr. Med. Res. Opin., 14, 29–38 (1997)), among others.
The references below that disclose antiinflammatory activity, show continuing efforts to find a safe and effective antiinflammatory agent. The novel benzopyran, dihydroquinoline, benzothiopyran and dihydronapthalene derivatives disclosed herein are such safe and also effective antiinflammatory agents furthering such efforts. The substituted benzopyran, dihydroquinoline, benzothiopyran and dihydronapthalene derivatives disclosed herein preferably selectively inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 over cyclooxygenase-1.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,843, to Fisher et al., generically describes acid substituted bicyclic moieties as IIb/IIIA antagonists. WO 94/13659, published Jun. 23, 1994, describes fused benzo compounds for the treatment of CNS disorders. Manrao et al. (J. Indian. Counc. Chem., 12, 38–41 (1996)) describes carboxy coumarinimide derivatives and their antifungal activity. U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,976, to Shibata et al., describes amide substituted benzopyrans as antifungals.
WO96/40110, published Dec. 19, 1996, describes benzopyran derivatives as tyrosine kinase modulators. Loiodice et al. (Tetrahedron, 6, 1001–11 (1995)) describe the preparation of 6-chloro-2,3-dihydro-4H-1-benzopyran carboxylic acids.
Clemence et al. (J. Med. Chem., 31, 1453–62, (1988)) describe 4-hydroxy-3-quinolinecarbooxylic acids as starting material in the preparation of antiinflammatories. Lazer, et al. (J. Med. Chem., 40, 980–89 (1997)) describe benzothiopyran carboxylates as starting material in the preparation of antiinflammatories.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,720, to Young et al., describes naphthoic acids as lipoxygenase inhibitors. U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,976, to Shibata et al., describes amide substituted benzopyrans as antifungals. U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,744, to Weissmiller et al., describes 2H-benzopyran-3-carboxylic acid as an intermediate for pesticides. U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,346, to Albert et al., describes 3-phenylbenzopyrans as 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,425, to Girard and Rokach, describes 4-oxo-benzopyrans as leukotriene antagonists. U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,744, to Young et al., describes 4-oxo-benzopyran-carboxylic acids as leukotriene antagonists. U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,849, to Huang et al., describes 4-oxo-benzopyrans as leukotriene antagonists. WO95/07274, published Mar. 16, 1996, describes 2H-benzopyran-3-carboxylic acid as intermediates. WO88/04654, published Jun. 30, 1988, describes 2H-benzopyran-3-carboxylic acid as intermediates. EP412,939, published Feb. 13, 1991, describes substituted chromenes as 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors. JP2-22272 describes benzopyran-3-carboxylic acids. JP59-29681 describes 8-methoxy-benzopyran-3-carboxylic acid as an intermediate. Bunting et al (Can. J. Chem., 62, 1301–07 (1984)) describes the synthesis of 2-hydroxy-1,2-dihydro quinolines. Ukhin et al (Izv. Akad. Nauk. Ser. Khim., 5, 1222–28 (1996)) describe the synthesis of [2-morpholino-6-nitrobenzopyran]-3-carboxylate. Gupta et al. (Indian J. Chem., 21B, 344–347 (1982)) describe chromene-3-carboxylic acid as an intermediate in the preparation of centrally acting muscle relaxants. Rene and Royer (Eur. J. Med. Chem.—Chim. Ther., 10, 72–78 (1975)) describe the preparation of chromene-3-carboxylic acid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,202, to Rimbault et al., describes 2-phenyl substituted flavenes and thioflavenes as 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors. U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,547, to Lochead et al., describes benzopyran derivatives as 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors. Satoh et al. [J. Med. Chem., 36, 3580–94 (1993)] describe substituted chromenes as 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors. U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,130, to Stanton et al. describes substituted chromenes as 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors, and specifically 6-benzyloxy-2H-benzopyran-3-carboxylic acid as an intermediate.
However, compounds of the current invention have not been described as antiinflammatory cyclooxygenase inhibitors.

Substituted benzopyran derivatives for the treatment of inflammation

Abstract: wherein X, A1, A2, A3, A4, R, R″, R1 and R2 are as described in the specification.


An image compensation apparatus and method is provided. The image compensation apparatus includes a power control module which controls a light emitting unit according to a power control input signal input thereto by a user and provides power reduction information corresponding to the power control input signal, a control parameter generation module which determines a threshold based on the power reduction information, an image compensation module which divides input image information according to the threshold and converts the input image information according to image control information, and an output module which outputs image information obtained by the conversion performed by the image compensation module.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to an image compensation apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an image compensation apparatus and method which can reduce the deterioration of the quality of images even when the supplied and/or the consumed power of a display device decreases.
2. Description of the Related Art
A display module is an essential part of a display device which actually displays images. The power consumption of the display module usually accounts for most of the power consumption of the entire display device.
Recently, display devices equipped with a display module that supports colors have been commercialized. In general, color display modules consume more power than black-and-white display modules.
Display modules may be largely classified as emissive type display modules and non-emissive type display modules. Emissive type display modules can self-generate light while non-emissive type display modules require an additional device that can generate light, such as a backlight unit.
Generally, a user may change the brightness of a display device when the display device is too bright or when the intensity of an external light source is too high for the display device. A display device that is too bright often causes eye fatigue, and an external light that is too intense decreases the visibility of images displayed by the display device.
The image properties that affect the visibility of the display device include brightness, luminance, grayscale, and chroma. However, when a user changes the brightness of the display device, the visibility of images is often ignored. Accordingly, the visibility of images displayed by the display device is reduced.
Similarly, when the brightness of a display device varies due to the display device's internal problems, the visibility of images displayed by the display device may also decrease. For example, when there is a shortage of battery power for a display device when a user views images displayed by the display device, the brightness of the images may decrease and result in a decrease in the visibility of the images.
Therefore, it is necessary to develop methods of maintaining the visibility of images even when the brightness of the images is decreased by the shortage of power supplied to the display device.
Korean Patent Publication No. 2004-54118 discloses a related art method of controlling power of a mobile communication terminal to reduce unnecessary power consumption and maximizing battery time. The method determines one or more high-picture quality items that need to be displayed with a high picture quality, determines whether the input data is a high-picture quality item, controls the brightness of the input data to have the same brightness level as that of a predefined high-picture quality backlight brightness level if the input data is a high-picture quality item, and controls the brightness of the input data to have the same brightness level as that of a predefined low-picture quality backlight brightness level if the input data is not a high-picture quality item. This method, however, does not suggest ways of compensating for the decreased quality of an image caused by the shortage of available power for a display device.


Access by a user to a database layer, is governed by modeled authorization checking implemented with authorization objects present in an overlying application layer. At design time, the authorization checking is modeled as part of an existing user interface (UI) model, which may conform to a Model, View, and Control (MVC) design pattern. Authorization objects created during design time, are stored in a meta data repository. At runtime, an authorization engine references the authorization objects and the operations supported by those authorization objects. The authorization check is thus implemented centrally in the UI framework itself using this modeled information. Embodiments avoid complexity, potential lack of internal consistency, and low visibility of conventional de-centralized authorization checking schemes that rely upon a plurality of enforcement points hard-coded at multiple locations within application logic.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to accessing database information in a secure manner, and in particular, to implementation of modeled authorization checking in a user interface framework.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Databases offer an attractive and flexible way of making large volumes of data available to potential users. However, all users are not entitled to the same privileges in accessing data in a database.
For example, while some users may be allowed to create and/or change stored data, other users may be limited to only viewing the data. Still other users may not be granted the ability to view certain types of stored information.
Authorization checks are commonly used to govern access to documents or master data, and thereby control the circulation of information. For example, in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, only a particular subset of employees may be authorized to view and/or edit stored business opportunity data of the sales organization "North America".
In another example, account or financial information may be restricted to employees of a given company. In still another example, creation, deletion, and/or downloading of sales opportunities, may be allowed internally for only a certain number of employees.
Authorization checks are performed by calling authorization objects. Traditionally, such authorization objects rely upon a plurality of enforcement points within the code of the various logic modules making up an individual application (e.g. an ERP system).
This conventional, de-centralized approached to authorization checking can raise certain issues. One potential drawback is difficulty in establishing a compact, comprehensive "where-used-list" or, establishing which authorizations are actually required for a user to perform the daily work or view a screen. This lack of transparency makes it difficult for developers/partners/customers to foresee authorization changes or enhancements, and to maintain authorizations by the administrator.
For example, a particular user may access the database and press an "Export to Excel™" button. Under such circumstances, the conventional authorization checks that are executed are not visible directly from the user interface (UI) meta data. The resulting lack of transparency makes it difficult for partners and customers to foresee authorization changes or enhancements.
Accordingly, the present disclosure addresses these and other issues with the use of a modeled authorization check in a user interface framework.

Modeled authorization check implemented with UI framework


A key input method for diversifying key functions in a mobile telecommunication terminal. The method according to the present invention includes the steps of detecting whether or not a user has inputted a key, detecting whether or not the user has consecutively inputted the same key before elapse of a predetermined time, and if so, performing a function newly set according to the consecutive input of the same key. The method further includes the steps of detecting whether or not the user has inputted a key set for a scroll function, and if so, detecting whether or not the key input state of the corresponding key is maintained for a predetermined period of time, and controlling a cursor positioned at a particular item of a menu screen displayed according to a maintenance of the key input state for the predetermined period of time to be positioned at a next menu item in an opposite direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a key input method in a mobile telecommunication terminal, and in particular, to a key input method for diversifying key functions in a mobile telecommunication terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices for satisfying portability by a user or requiring small size such as a mobile telecommunication terminal necessitate a compact and simplified size and construction of the key pads for inputting Arabic numerals or characters. Accordingly, ten digit keys and other several functional keys are basically provided at the maximum in a mobile telecommunication terminal.
By contrast, diverse additional functions of a mobile telecommunication terminal tend to be in steady development, and thus diverse key input methods are introduced to perform different functions with the limited keys.
Nevertheless, diversification of the key functions, which can be input within the key input period of time, has failed to meet the needs of functional keys for many diverse additional functions. As a consequence, a key input method is needed to avail the conventional limited number of keys to perform more diverse functions.

Key input method in a mobile telecommunication terminal


A method includes providing a pre-optical proximity correction (OPC) layout of at least a portion of at least one reticle. The pre-OPC layout defines a test cell including a first test cell area having a plurality of first target features having a first pitch and a second test cell area having a plurality of second target features having a second pitch. A post-OPC layout of the portion of the reticle is formed on the basis of the pre-OPC layout. The formation of the post-OPC layout includes performing a rule-based OPC process, wherein a plurality of first reticle features for the first test cell area are provided on the basis of the plurality of first target features, and performing a model-based OPC process, wherein a plurality of second reticle features for the second test cell area are provided on the basis of the plurality of second target features.

1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the present disclosure relates to the manufacturing of integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to the creation of reticles for use in photolithography processes that include one or more test cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
Integrated circuits typically include a large number of circuit elements which include, in particular, field effect transistors. Other types of circuit elements which may be present in integrated circuits include capacitors, diodes and resistors. The circuit elements in an integrated circuit may be electrically connected by means of electrically conductive metal lines formed in a dielectric material, for example, by means of damascene techniques. The electrically conductive metal lines may be provided in a plurality of interconnect layers that are stacked on top of each other above a substrate in and on which the circuit elements are formed. Metal lines in different interconnect layers may be electrically connected with each other by means of contact vias that are filled with metal.
For the formation of integrated circuits, techniques of photolithography may be used. In a photolithography process, a reticle (sometimes also denoted as "photomask") is projected to a layer of a photoresist that is provided over a wafer. The wafer may include one or more integrated circuits in a stage of a manufacturing process. Portions of the photoresist are irradiated with electromagnetic radiation that is used for projecting the reticle to the photoresist. Other portions of the photoresist are not irradiated, wherein the pattern of irradiated and non-irradiated portions of the photoresist depends on a pattern of reticle features provided on the reticle.
Thereafter, the photoresist can be developed. Depending on whether a negative or a positive photoresist is used, in the development process, either the non-irradiated portions or the irradiated portions of the photoresist are dissolved in a developer and, thus, are removed from the semiconductor structure.
Thereafter, processes for patterning the semiconductor structure can be performed using the portions of the photoresist remaining on the wafer as a photoresist mask. The processes for patterning the semiconductor structure may include one or more etch processes. Thus, features can be formed on the wafer.
In the formation of small features by means of photolithography processes, optical proximity correction (OPC) techniques may be used. In OPC techniques, shapes of reticle features that are provided on the reticle may be modified compared to shapes of target features that are to be formed in the photoresist mask on the wafer in order to compensate for image errors in the projection of the reticle to the photoresist on the wafer and/or other process errors.
Furthermore, resolution enhancement techniques may be used, wherein assist features, which are sometimes also denoted as "sub resolution assist features" (SRAFs), are provided on the reticle in addition to printing reticle features which are employed for forming photoresist features of the photoresist mask. Assist features may be small reticle features which may, for example, have a bar shape and which are provided on the reticle in the vicinity of the printing reticle features. When the reticle is used in a photolithography process, typically no photoresist features corresponding to the assist features are formed in the photoresist mask. However, the presence of assist features may reduce a sensitivity of the photolithography process with respect to variations of parameters of the photolithography process, which may include, in particular, a focus of the projection and a dose of the radiation used for projecting the reticle to the photoresist.
Techniques for performing OPC include rule-based OPC processes and model-based OPC processes. In rule-based OPC processes, edges of reticle features may be moved relative to edges of target features and/or additional polygons may be added to the reticle features. The movement of edges and/or the addition of polygons may be performed on the basis of a set of rules that is defined by a rule script. The rules may include, for example, an addition of serifs at convex corners of reticle features, a removal of portions of reticle features at concave corners or a modification of a size of reticle features, for example, an increase of a size of reticle features that are provided for forming photoresist features employed in the formation of isolated contact vias.
In model-based OPC techniques, a simulation of a photolithography process, that may include a simulation of the formation of an aerial image by the optical system of the photolithography tool and/or a simulation of the behavior of the photoresist, may be performed, and a modification of the shapes of the reticle features compared to the shapes of the target features may be performed on the basis of results of the simulation so that a better agreement between the shapes of the photoresist features in the photomask with the shapes of the target features is obtained.
An inclusion of assist features may also be performed in accordance with rule-based techniques or model-based techniques.
For monitoring the performance of photolithography processes, measurements of critical dimension uniformity (CDU) may be performed, wherein dimensions of test features on a reticle and/or test features on a wafer that are formed using the reticle are measured for assessing a quality of the reticle and/or a quality of the manufacturing process that was employed for the formation of the test features on the wafer.
The test features may be provided in test cells, wherein one or more test cells may be provided on the reticle. The test cells may include arrangements of test features adapted for reticle CDU measurements, wherein critical dimensions of reticle features are measured on the reticle, and test features adapted for wafer CDU measurements that may be used for forming test structures on a wafer. Critical dimensions of the test structure on the wafer may then be measured. Furthermore, test features for measuring a reticle registration may be provided in the test cells.
Known techniques for providing test cells may have disadvantages associated therewith, which may include a relatively large amount of space required on the reticle and the wafer for the test cells, which may be aggravated by the placement of the test cells in frames. Furthermore, the formation of known test cells may have difficulties associated therewith, which may be caused by limitations of OPC and/or dose mapper (DOMA) compensation techniques in the formation of the reticles by means of electron beam lithography, in particular when techniques of the 28 nm technology node or below are used. Furthermore, known test cells do not allow a process monitoring of etch processes and an erosion monitoring of chemical mechanical polishing processes that are performed in semiconductor manufacturing processes.
The present disclosure provides reticles, systems including a plurality of reticles and methods that may help to overcome or at least reduce some or all of the above-mentioned issues.

Reticle, system comprising a plurality of reticles and method for the formation thereof


A method for regional administration of preparations during the therapy of liver tumor, comprising administering a preparation into a branch of the portal vein with the simultaneous occlusion of afferent and efferent lobe vessels (branches of the portal vein proximal the place of puncture, branches of the hepatic artery and lobar hepatic vein) for 5–15 minutes.

A method is known for administration of preparations, on the example of photodynamic therapy of liver tumors, into the hepatic artery (R. van Hillegersberg, J. P. A. Marijnissen, W. J. Kort, P. E. Zondervan, O. T. Terpstra//Interstitial photodynamic therapy in a rat liver metastasis model. Br. J. Cancer, 1992, 66, pp. 1005–1014). Photophrin was used as the preparation and irradiation was carried out 48 hours after its administration.
A drawback of the method is the spread of the preparations into the systemic blood flow, their rapid reduction in the region of damage and as a result—an increase of the general toxicity.

Abstract: During catalytic therapy, it is preferable to use Teraphtalum as the preparation and to administer ascorbic acid after termination of occlusion.

Abstract: During photodynamic therapy, it is preferable to use photosens as the preparation and to carry out irradiation of the tumor after 10–35 minutes.

Abstract: This method of administration provides for the predominant accumulation of the preparations in the target lobe (tumor carrier lobe) of the liver, their low penetration into the systemic blood flow, which makes it possible to reduce the dose of the preparation and its general toxicity.

Federalnoe Gosudarstvennoe Unitarnoe Predpriyatie Gosudarstvenny Nauchny Tsentr “Nauchno-Issledovatelsky Institut Organicheskikh Poluproduktov I Krasitelei” (FGUP GNTTS “Niopik”)

Gosudarstevennoe Obrazovatelnoe Uchrezhdenie Vysshego Professionalnogo Obrazovaniya Moskovskaya Meditsinskaya Akademiya IM. I.M. Sechenova RF (Gouvpo MMA IM. I.M. Sechenova MZ RF)


A light string includes a printed circuit board made of a soft material and having multiple axial holes defined in one side of the printed circuit board, two connection wires received in the other side of the printed circuit board to be opposite to positions of the axial holes, multiple light emitting diodes (LEDs) respectively received in the axial holes and connected to the two connection wires for electrical connection with one another, a scattering body formed on top of the printed circuit board and on top of the LEDs for scattering light beams from the LEDs and a cladding enclosing the scattering body and the printed circuit board and having an arcuate top face for emission of light beams of the LEDs. Due to the addition of the scattering body and the cladding, the light beams from the LEDs are refracted and scattered to present a soft and continuous lighting effect.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light string, and more particularly to a light string with a cladding outside the light emitting diodes (LEDs) to scatter the light from the LEDs so as to present a neon light effect.
2. Description of Related Art
With reference to FIG. 12, a conventional light string has a core (110), two wires (120,130), multiple axial holes (140) or multiple radial holes (150a,150b,150c,150d,150e) to receive therein multiple light emitting diodes (160a,160b,160c) and connection wires (170a,170b) for interlinking each of the LEDs (160a,160b,160c). The LEDs (160a,160b,160c) are alternately received in the radial holes (150a,150b,150c,150d,150e) such that the connection wires (170a,170b) are sandwiched between two adjacent LEDs (160a,160b,160c) after the connection wires (170a,170b) are alternately received in the radial holes (150a,150b,150c,150d,150e). A transparent cladding (180) is then formed outside the core (110).
If the light string with the core (110) has only axial holes (140) for receiving therein LEDs (160a,160b,160c), the light string is called the Horizontal-Type and if the light string with the core (110) has only radial holes (150a,150b,150c,150d,150e), the light string is called the Vertical-Type.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,317 issued on Aug. 19, 1986 discloses a light string with better safety, packaging, installation, use and maintenance features than any other existing light string. However, the light string can not solve the shortcoming that the light from the LEDs is not continuous. That is, this light string still uses the LEDs as the light source without any modification to soften the dotted-effect from the LEDs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,645 issued on Feb. 13, 2001 discloses a Horizontal-Type light string having the capability to scatter the light from the LEDs. However, the light from the LEDs is not sufficiently softened and thus still does not emit a soft and continuous light when compared with a neon light in the market.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,251 B2 issued on May 20, 2003 discloses a light string having a core and a cladding outside the core. The core and the cladding may have different shapes such as circular, square, oval or even wave-like. At least one axial space may be defined between the core and the cladding so that the at least one axial space may be filled with insulation fluid to improve the light scattering and reflection. Although this light string claims to have the capability to emit a soft and continuous light effect as that of a neon light, there is no definite structure to show how the light is reflected and/or refracted.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide an improved light string to mitigate the aforementioned problems.

Light string having a printed circuit board and using a cladding to scatter light from light emitting diodes to present a neon light effect


Fuel injection equipment is provided which realizes characteristics of fuel injection proper for all over the operation range of an engine, can further reduce nitrogen oxide(NOx) emission, and is high in mechanical durability. The fuel injection equipment for an internal combustion engine comprises an injection pump having a plunger part and a fuel passage equipped with a main electromagnetic valve, a fuel supply part for supplying the fuel to the fuel injection pump, a fuel injection pipe for sending the fuel to an injection nozzle part, and a secondary electromagnetic valve attached to an overflow pipe for returning to said fuel supply part the redundant fuel not to be injected from said unit injector, wherein an orifice is attached to said overflow pipe.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fuel injection equipment of an internal combustion engine, specifically of a diesel engine, which is devised to reduce the generation of nitrogen oxide(NOx) and at the same time to improve mechanical reliability.
2. Description of Related Art
In a diesel engine, the air sucked into the cylinder is compressed in the cylinder and fuel is injected into the compressed air of high pressure and high temperature in the form of spray to self ignite, and the piston is pushed down by the combustion pressure to generate power. It is absolutely necessary to equip the fuel injection equipment to inject the proper amount of fuel into the combustion chamber at proper injection timing.
The structure of conventional fuel injection equipment for injecting fuel into a diesel engine will be explained here with reference to FIG. 13. The drawing shows a fuel injection system using a unit injector 33 in which a fuel injection nozzle part for injecting fuel into the combustion chamber and a plunger part for supplying the highly pressurized fuel to the injection nozzle are integrated. As shown in the drawing, a fuel supply part 10 comprises a fuel tank 11, a fuel supply pump 12, and a volume chamber 13.
The fuel in the fuel tank 11 is pressurized and sent to the volume chamber 13 by the supply pump 12. The pressurized fuel temporarily resides in the volume chamber, then is sent to the plunger part 31 by way of the fuel passage 21 and main electromagnetic valve 41. The fuel is further pressurized in the plunger part 31 and is sent to the injection nozzle part 35 by way of the injection pipe 39 to be injected from the injection holes 38 into the combustion chamber. The redundant fuel not to be injected returns by passing through the injection pipe 39 and overflow pipe 22 by way of the check valve 43 and secondary electromagnetic valve 42 attached to the over flow pipe 22 to the fuel supply part 10. The modes of returning fuel will be described later.
The main electromagnetic valve 41 is attached to the fuel passage 21 to open and close the passage and the secondary electromagnetic valve 42 is attached to the overflow pipe 22 to open and close the pipe passage. The valves 41, 42 are direction control electromagnetic valves of the two-position normally open type, which have an opened position and a closed position. The check valve 43 permits the fuel to flow only from the injection pipe 39 side to the fuel supply part side 10. The opening/closing control operation of the electromagnetic valves 41 and 42 will be described later.
The unit injector 33 is composed of the plunger part 31 and injection nozzle part 35 integrated in an injector body (not shown in the drawing). The plunger part 31 and injection nozzle part 35 are located in series and they are communicated with each other by the fuel injection pipe 39 formed in the unit injector 33.
A roller 51 is attached to the plunger 32 of the plunger part 31. The roller 51 contacts with a cam 52. The cam 52 is driven by the output shaft (crankshaft) of the diesel engine. The plunger 32 reciprocates as the cam 52 rotates. Therefore, if the plunger 32 is lifted by the cam 52 when both the electromagnetic valves 41 and 42 are closed, the fuel compressed by the plunger 32 is sent through the injection pipe 39 to the injection nozzle part 35 from the nozzle 38.
A pressure spring 37 exerts a force on the fuel valve (nozzle needle) 36 in the injection nozzle part 35 to seat it on the nozzle seat. When the force by the pressure of the fuel sent from the plunger part 31 to lift the fuel valve 36 becomes higher than the force of the spring 37, the fuel valve 36 is pushed against the pressure spring 37 to be lifted and the fuel is injected into the combustion chamber in the cylinder in the form of fuel spray.
Next, the injection characteristics by such fuel injection equipment will be explained with reference to FIG. 14 which shows the change of the injection pressure and so on with time (crank angle). FIG. 14(a)˜(f) each shows the following:
FIG. 14(a) . . . injection rate,
FIG. 14(b) . . . fuel valve lift,
FIG. 14(c) . . . fuel injection pressure,
FIG. 14(d) . . . lift of main electromagnetic valve,
FIG. 14(e) . . . lift of secondary electromagnetic valve, and
FIG. 14(f) . . . cam lift.
When the plunger 32 reaches a predetermined lift by the rotation of the cam 52, the main electromagnetic valve 41 is shifted from the open state to the closed state. The pressure of the fuel increases as the plunger 32 is lifted. A spring is incorporated in the check valve 43 attached to the overflow pipe 22, the check valve is opened when the force by the fuel pressure exceeds that of the spring, and the fuel returns to the fuel supply part 10. The fuel valve 36 is lifted more and more as the pressure of the fuel increases resulting in increased injection rate.
When the cam lift of the cam 52 increases further, the secondary electromagnetic valve 42 is shifted from the open state to the closed state. During the period from the perfect closing of the main electromagnetic valve 41 to the opening of the secondary electromagnetic valve 42, a part of the fuel returns through the overflow pipe 22 to the fuel supply part 10 side, so the fuel injection pressure is kept constant. According to the design, the pressure during this period is not constant, it may slightly increase or decrease, however, it is nearly flat.
As the fuel injection pressure during period T1 is flat, the injection rate during this period is suppressed as shown in FIG. 14(a).
When the secondary electromagnetic valve 42 is perfectly closed in the state the main electromagnetic valve 41 is perfectly closed, the fuel injection pressure increases from the flat state, thus the suppression of the injection rate is released and the injection rate increases.
Then, the main electromagnetic valve 41 and secondary electromagnetic valve 42 are shifted from the closed state to the opened state, the fuel injection pressure decreases, and the injection rate decreases to zero.
As the fuel injection rate in the initial part of the injection period, particularly during period T1, can be controlled by controlling opening/closing of the two electromagnetic valves 41 and 42, the fuel is not injected at a dash into the cylinder in the initial period, so the injection quantity in the initial period can be suppressed. As a result, rapid combustion of a large amount of fuel in the initial period of fuel injection is prevented, combustion temperature is suppressed to a low level, and the generation of nitrogen oxide(NOx) is reduced.
A check vale 43 is used in the prior art shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. The check vale 43 comprises movable parts such as a spring and a valve, so mechanical failure has occurred often in use over a prolonged period, which reduces the reliability of the fuel injection equipment.
Further reduction in nitrogen oxide(NOx) by further suppressing the injection rate in the initial injection period is required. However, the prior art has not been able to address such a need.


The present invention provides a maize plant wherein the growth and development of said plant is tolerant of inhibition by a cyclohexanedione herbicide, an aryloxyphenoxypropanoic acid herbicide, or mixtures thereof, at levels which normally inhibit the growth and development of maize, wherein said tolerance is conferred by an altered acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) tolerant of inhibition by said herbicide at levels which normally inhibit the activity of an unaltered ACCase.

1. Weed Control
The use of selective herbicides for controlling specific weeds or plants in crops has become almost a universal practice. The market for these herbicides approaches a billion dollars annually. Even with this extensive use, weed control remains a significant and costly problem for the farmer.
Present day herbicides used singly or in so-called tank mixes require careful management to be effective. Time and method of application and stage of weed plant development are critical to getting good weed control with herbicides. Application of large amounts of preemergence herbicides can result in a commitment to grow the same crop in subsequent years because of chemical persistence in the soil which prevents rotation with a crop sensitive to that herbicide. Furthermore, some weed species are simply resistant to the available herbicides. Therefore, the development of effective herbicides increases in importance every year, especially as other weeds are controlled and thus reduce interplant competition.
Weed control in maize is currently accomplished by soil application of herbicides that are applied before the crop emerges and prior to the observation of a weed problem. The preemergence herbicides currently used adequately control most dicot and monocot (grass) weeds in maize. However, annual grass weeds such as wild proso millet and wooly cupgrass and perennial grass weeds commonly escape preemergence weed control. Preemergence herbicides require rainfall for activation, and under low rainfall conditions they fail to control grass weeds in corn. Furthermore, some preemergence herbicides persist in the soil and several have been detected as groundwater contaminants. The options for controlling these escape grass weeds are very limited. A postemergence herbicide for grass weed control in maize would be very beneficial. An attractive alternative to developing new herbicides to combat this weed control problem in maize and/or to decrease the amount of herbicide carryover and groundwater contamination in maize fields from the existing herbicides is to develop maize hybrids or varieties that are tolerant to other existing herbicides that normally kill all monocot (grass) species. The herbicide POAST.TM. (BASF Corp., Parsippany, N.J.) kills most grasses, and is applied at lower rates than many preemergence herbicides. POAST.TM. is nonpersistent in the environment and therefore does not represent a groundwater contamination threat. POAST.TM.-tolerant maize would provide the producer with increased weed management flexibility because POAST.TM. could be applied when a grass weed problem was detected without risk of damage to the crop and only to the areas with a weed problem. Therefore, postemergence control of local weed problems would further decrease the amount of herbicide applied compared to existing preemergence weed control strategies.

Method for imparting cyclohexanedione and/or aryloxyphenoxypropanioc acid herbicide tolerance to maize plants


A method for backside grinding a bumped wafer is disclosed. A wafer has a plurality of bumps formed on the active surface thereof. Prior to grinding the back surface of the wafer, a hot-melt adhesive layer is formed on the active surface of the wafer so as to be adhered to the active surface and cover the bumps. Also a grinding film is attached to the hot-melt adhesive layer. After grinding the back surface of the wafer, the grinding film is removed but the hot-melt adhesive layer is remained on the wafer for the following wafer-dicing step.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method of backside grinding a bumped wafer. More particularly, the present invention is related to a method of backside grinding a bumped wafer for protecting the devices and the bumps formed on the active surface of the wafer from being damaged at the duration of processing.
2. Related Art
In this information explosion age, integrated circuits products are used almost everywhere in our daily life. As fabricating technique continue to improve, electronic products having powerful functions, personalized performance and a higher degree of complexity are produced. Nowadays, most electronic products are relatively light and have a compact body. Hence, in semiconductor production, various types of high-density semiconductor packages have been developed. Flip chip is one of the most commonly used techniques for forming an integrated circuits package. Moreover, compared with a wire-bonding package or a tape automated bonding (TAB) package, a flip-chip package uses a shorter electrical path on average and has a better overall electrical performance. In a flip-chip package, the bonding pads on a chip and the contacts on a substrate are connected together through a plurality of bumps formed on the chip by a conventional bumping process and then an underfill material is filled into the gap between the chip and the substrate to encapsulate the bumps so as to well protect the bumps. In such a manner, the reliability of such flip chip package is enhanced.
As mentioned above, in order to have a thinner package, the step of backside grinding a wafer in a package process is necessary before the wafer is diced into a plurality of chips. Therein, before the wafer is diced, the active surface of the wafer is placed on a grinding film, and then the back surface of the wafer is thinned under a backside grinding process. However, usually, there are electronic devices formed on the active surface of the wafer, such as bumps, passive components, and metal posts, and are protruded from the active surface of the wafer without appropriate protection, so the electronic devices are easily fell away from the wafer at the duration of removing the grinding film from the wafer.
In order to well protect the electronic devices, there is a backside grinding method for a wafer level packaging disclosed in TW Pat. 516116, which utilizes an organic layer formed on a surface of a bumped wafer and a UV film (ultraviolet film) attached to the organic layer, regarded as a grinding film, to protect the bumps of the wafer at the processing steps. Therein, the organic layer is usually made of a material selected from Benzotriazoles and substituted Benzotriazoles as well known organic solderability preservatives (OSP). Usually, the organic layer is easily fell off from the wafer when the thickness of the organic layer is larger than 1 um. However, in order to well protect the bumps and similar electronic devices, the organic layer is usually required to have a thickness larger than 10 um. Therefore, the organic layer cannot be well adhered to the wafer to keep the bumps from being damaged. Besides, when the grinding film is removed, the organic layer is usually removed off with the grinding film so that the organic layer cannot be regarded as a protection layer when the wafer is diced.
As disclosed in US Publications 2002/0166625, there is disclosed another backside grinding method by using a grinding film with a base and a thicker adhesive layer provided therein. Therein, the thicker adhesive layer is made of a material, such as acrylic adhesive and ultraviolet film (UV film) so as to cover ten to sixty percents of bumps area. However, the interfaces between the bumps and the wafer are not well protected so that the interfaces are easily damaged. Besides, when the grinding film is removed from the wafer, the bumps are easily to be damaged so as to have some bumps fell off from the wafer.
Therefore, providing another method to solve the mentioned-above disadvantages is the most important task in this invention.

Method of backside grinding a bumped wafer

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.