The present invention relates to an antenna module for installation on a wireless telecommunications tower at a transceiver site. The antenna module comprises a frame adapted to be installed on the upper end of the tower, containing a means for mounting, and adjusting the alignment of, one or more panel antennas for optimal signal transmission and reception. A radio frequency energy transparent cover surrounds the antenna module, extending height-wise of the frame, enclosing it, the mounting means, and the panel antennas mounted thereon, thereby reducing wind loading on the antenna module.

This invention relates to a system for allowing several different wireless telecommunications service providers to co-locate multiple dual polarization antenna panels on a common monopole or lattice-type tower, reducing the number of such towers needed to service a given market area. More particularly, the system allows for each service provider to independently adjust their respective antenna panels for optimal signal transmission and reception without interfering with the antenna panels of the other co-located service providers. The antenna panels are arranged in a small-footprint stackable configuration, designed to minimizing back lobe emissions and improving the overall visual appearance of the tower or pole.
With the recent growth of wireless cellular communication systems, many telecommunications service providers are constructing proprietary networks of cellular antenna sites spaced optimally over their service areas so as to provide continuous coverage for their subscribers. Each of these sites typically includes a monopole or lattice-type tower rising up to 175 feet above ground level, enclosures and equipment boxes housing radio, telephone and power connections, and perimeter security fencing. A Typical prior art transceiver antenna tower is shown generally in FIG. 1.
Optimal spacing of transceiver sites is dependent upon several factors including the type of service provided, nearby geographic features which may block signals (hills, tall buildings, etc.), the type of equipment used, and the amount of communications traffic handled by the site. Of course with proprietary systems, if two or more wireless service providers compete in the same market area, each requires their own network of transceiver sites, generally doubling the number of towers required to optimally service the area.
With the advent of personal communication systems (PCS), there will be a significant increase in the number of transceiver sites located in each market area. The operating frequencies of PCS, between 1850 and 1990 MHz, require two to four transceiver sites to cover the same area currently serviced by a single cellular transceiver site. Additionally, it is expected that each market area will be serviced by two to four times as many PCS providers as it is currently by cellular service providers. Clearly, if each PCS provider establishes a proprietary PCS transceiver network, the number of transceiver sites in a community will increase significantly.
Communities often strongly object to the initial installation or subsequent installation of additional transceiver sites because of the ungainly visual appearance of the current tower and antenna designs. With many conventional cellular transceiver sites, the tower is either a lattice-type tower constructed of steel angles and braces, or in the more recent sites, a monopole tower. The monopole tower designs are currently more favored, as they are easier to erect, and have a less objectionable appearance than the lattice-type towers. However, regardless of the type of tower used, one type of conventional antenna used with such towers may consist of six or more flat panel antennas employing three pairs of panels in a spatial diversity receive configuration. Each spatial diversity receive pair is located on the outer end of horizontally aligned elongated arms such that the antenna panels are mounted or spaced in a triangular array. Three or more transmit antenna panels are then mounted in a more closely packed triangular array adjacent the upper end of the tower and central to the spatial diversity receive array, such as is shown in FIG. 3.
Heretofore, spatial diversity receive antenna technology requires individual antenna panels to be separated by several feet for optimal signal reception, and requires the supporting framework to be fairly large. It is known that this large antenna separation allows undesired radio frequency energy emissions, known as side and back lobe emissions, to propagate out from the sides and rear of each antenna panel. Side and back lobe emissions cause deterioration in the overall performance of the transceiver site by interfering with the desired front lobe emissions of the surrounding antenna panels. Additionally, these large and ungainly horizontal antenna support frames contribute significantly to the perceived unattractiveness of transceiver sites, and are the source of many complaints raised by citizens at community zoning meetings held prior to zoning approval for transceiver sites.
It has been a long-standing objective of cellular and PCS service providers to allay community concerns by enhancing the visual appearance of transceiver sites and reducing the number of sites required to service a given area. A dramatic reduction in the number of transceiver sites can be obtained through co-location, i.e. allowing multiple wireless service providers to locate their antenna equipment on a common tower at a single transceiver site. The actual reduction in the number of transceiver sites realized through co-location is dependent on the number of different service providers' antenna arrays which may be placed on the common tower.
The maximum number of antenna panels which may be placed on any given tower is oftentimes limited by that particular tower's maximum wind loading capability. Wind loading capability is a measure of the structural strength of the tower, and is determined by its size and construction, applicable building codes and regulations, and the type of antenna array the tower was designed to support. Since many cellular and PCS service providers have designed proprietary transceiver sites, their towers were designed to only carry their own antenna arrays. Correspondingly, due to the structural design and wind load features of horizontal antenna frames, the number of such antenna arrays which can be co-located onto the existing towers at each transceiver site is limited.

Enclosed wireless telecommunications antenna


A one-piece dispensing device for the contamination-free administration of medicaments (cytostatica) is particularly suitable for use in ambulant treatment. The invention provides a connector for connecting medicament (cytostatica) containers to instruments by which the medicaments are administered. The connector is designed to prevent, without a complex apparatus, contamination of the surroundings during connection of the container and until its disposal. The dispensing device has at least one coupling member to create a non-releasable connection with a medicaments container. The coupling member has an insertion pin and barbed surfaces to accommodate the medicaments container. The coupling member is non-releasably connected via a tube to a flexible container which is to be filled with gas. The flexible container is non-releasably connected to a further tube outlet and a mechanically actuated stop valve is incorporated in each of the connecting tubes.

The invention relates to a one-piece dispensing device for contamination-free administration of medicaments (cytostatica), particularly for use in ambulant treatment.
For mixing and transferring pharmaceutical solutions from one container to at least another one it is required to embody the connection in such a manner that an escape of pharmaceutic agents and, thus, a contamination of the container surface and of the health care workers is eliminated. In particular, with respect to the mixing and administration of highly toxic cytostatic solutions, which can cause diseases when escaping uncontrolled, a contamination-free transfer and mixing is required.
According to the state of art, an infusion solution and dry or liquid form drugs are admixed by a syringe and by removal from and addition to different containers, before a mixed infusion solution is ready for infusion. Contaminations cannot be eliminated due to pressure differentials between the different containers and the atmosphere, and due to the free handling of the syringe. Such a practice requires working under a suction apparatus which is considerably disturbing in medical work.
Furthermore, injection ports on infusion containers have been proposed which improve the mixing of the agents mentioned but do not eliminate the problem of contamination. A further improvement of the same object is known from the EP 0 363 770 A1 which discloses a connector for pharmaceutic solutions, and from EP 0 330 130 which disclose a container for infusion solutions. The connector described in the EP 0 363 770 substantially consists of a tubular coupling portion and a shutoff device for closing the former. The coupling portion is comprised of a hollow insertion pin and a hollow portion attached thereto which permits insertion into a hose-like connector of a container. The hollow portion is closed by a stop-cock detachable from the outside. However, even when employing containers having rubber stopper seals, elimination emission of aerosols is not assured.
Furthermore, connectors are known from the U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,020 and from the EP 0 028 198 which do not solve the problem of contamination as desired and, additionally, similar to the above disclosed device, only permit the connection of two containers filled with pharmaceutic solutions. Thus, such devices are only applicable when, for example, the dissolving of an agent requires two solvents.

One-piece dispensing device for the contamination-free administration of medicaments (cytostatica)


An electronic data flash card accessible by a host computer, includes a flash memory controller connected to a flash memory device, and an input-output interface circuit activated to establish a communication with the host. In an embodiment, the flash card uses a USB interface circuit for communication with the host. A flash memory controller includes an arbitrator for mapping logical addresses with physical block addresses, and for performing block management operations including: storing reassigned data to available blocks, relocating valid data in obsolete blocks to said available blocks and reassigning logical block addresses to physical block addresses of said available blocks, finding bad blocks of the flash memory device and replacing with reserve blocks, erasing obsolete blocks for recycling after relocating valid data to available blocks, and erase count wear leveling of blocks, etc. Furthermore, each flash memory device includes an internal buffer for accelerating the block management operations.

Confidential data files are often stored in floppy disks or are delivered via networks that require passwords or that use encryption coding for security. Confidential documents are sent by adding safety seals and impressions during delivery. However, confidential data files and documents are exposed to the danger that the passwords, encryption codes, safety seals and impressions may be broken (deciphered), thereby resulting in unauthorized access to the confidential information.
As flash memory technology becomes more advanced, flash memory is replacing traditional magnetic disks as storage media for mobile systems. Flash memory has significant advantages over floppy disks or magnetic hard disks such as having high-G resistance and low power dissipation. Because of the smaller physical size of flash memory, they are also more conducive to mobile systems. Accordingly, the flash memory trend has been growing because of its compatibility with mobile systems and low-power feature.
However, there are inherent limitations associated with flash memory. First, flash memory cells that have already been programmed must be erased before being reprogrammed. Also, flash memory cells have a limited life span; i.e., they can be erased only a limited number of times before failure. For example, one million is a typical maximum number of erases for a NAND flash memory cell. Accordingly, flash memory access is slow due to the erase-before-write nature, and ongoing erasing will damage the flash memory cells over time.
The memory cell array of a flash memory device is typically organized into basic structures referred to as "sectors" or "pages", which in turn are grouped into "blocks". A sector can have 512 bytes (small block format), or 2048 bytes (large block format) as a data field, and 16 bytes or 64 bytes as a spare field. A block is a group (e.g., 16, 32, 64, or more) of sectors, with the number of sectors depending on the specific application. A block is considered "bad" if any of its sectors contains one or more non-functional memory cells (i.e., one or more memory cells that fail to achieve a predetermined minimal operating state during a program or erase operation). A block is considered "good" if all of its memory cells are functional.
A flash memory device may initially have a large number (e.g., 10%) of bad blocks. In addition, a flash memory device may have initially good blocks that later become bad blocks before the end of the manufacturer-specified life span of the flash memory device. These bad blocks manifest during write or erase operations of flash memory device. Unfortunately, increasing occurrences of bad blocks dramatically decreases the performance of the flash memory system.
Most flash memory systems (e.g., electronic data flash cards) utilize more than one flash memory device, and deal with bad blocks by searching the arrays of multiple flash memory devices for available good blocks. Valid data that is stored in a bad block (or data assigned to a bad block) needs to be reassigned and/or relocated to one or more available good blocks. According to conventional methods, this reassignment/relocation process typically involves transferring the data to an external buffer (i.e., located off of the flash memory device) while available good blocks with available good sectors are searched for in any of the flash memory devices of the system. The data is then written to those blocks when a sufficient number of available good sectors are found.
A problem with the above-described conventional reassignment/relocation process is that if one or more flash memory devices are at capacity (i.e., no available good blocks), the flash memory system must continue searching other flash memory devices until a sufficient number of available good blocks with available good sectors are found. This can cause congestion at the external buffer, which adversely affects the overall performance of the flash memory system.
The number of available good blocks in a flash memory device become fewer as flash memory devices fill to capacity and as the number of obsolete (non-valid) blocks increases. An obsolete block is a good block with obsolete sectors, which are sectors that have been programmed with data but the data has been subsequently updated. When the data is updated, the obsolete data remains in the obsolete sector and the updated data is written to new sectors, which become valid sectors having valid data. Valid data can include updated data as well as data that has not been updated. Accordingly, the number of obsolete blocks grows as files are modified or deleted.
Obsolete blocks are recycled in an operation commonly referred to as a "garbage collection" operation. During a garbage collection operation, obsolete blocks are erased so that they are again available for future write operations. An obsolete block can contain both obsolete data and valid data. The valid data needs to be copied to an available good block before the obsolete block can be erased. During a garbage collection operation while a search for available good blocks is being conducted, valid data in an obsolete block is copied to an external buffer while multiple flash memory devices are globally searched to locate available good blocks. Once found, the valid data in the external buffer can be copied to the available good blocks. Similar to the reassignment/relocation process, a problem with this conventional garbage collection operation is that congestion can occur at the external buffer, which adversely affects the performance of the flash memory system.
Another solution for dealing with bad blocks involves replacing blocks in an operation commonly referred to as "wear leveling." In such an operation, valid data is transferred from one block to another to distribute the data more evenly. However, this operation also involves an external buffer and a search for available good blocks among multiple devices. As stated above, such operations can result in congestion at the external buffer, which adversely affects performance of the flash memory system.
Generally, there is not a good solution to these problems today in that conventional approaches do not address the added processing time required to search multiple flash memory devices for available good blocks. The known solutions also do not address the issue of potential congestion at the external buffer that can occur during such a search. Unfortunately, such limitations adversely affect the management of bad blocks, garbage collection, and wear leveling.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved system and method for controlling flash memory. The system and method should address the processing time required to search for available good blocks when dealing with bad blocks, garbage collection, and wear leveling. The system and method should also be simple, cost effective and capable of being easily adapted to existing technology. The present invention addresses such a need.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Managing bad blocks in flash memory for electronic data flash card


A method for operating a vacuum processing apparatus, the vacuum processing apparatus including: a plurality of cassette stands on which a cassette capable of housing a plurality of wafers therein can be placed; a plurality of vacuum processing vessels each having a processing chamber arranged therein, wherein the wafer is arranged and processed in the processing chamber; and at least one transport robot transporting the wafer on a transport path between either one of the plurality of cassettes and the plurality of vacuum processing vessels, the vacuum processing apparatus sequentially transporting in a predetermined transport order the plurality of wafers from either one of the plurality of cassettes to a predetermined one of the plurality of vacuum processing vessels and processing the plurality of wafers. The method includes a number determining step, a remaining-time determining step and a transport order skip step.

The present invention is directed to methods for operating a vacuum processing apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for operating a vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of coupled vacuum transport chambers; a plurality of coupled vacuum processing vessels; and a plurality of processing chambers; wherein a substrate-like sample, such as a semiconductor wafer, is arranged and processed in the processing chamber inside the vacuum processing vessel, and wherein the vacuum transport chamber comprises a plurality of coupled vacuum processing vessels.
In a semiconductor device processing step, there are various processes, such as etching, ashing, and film-forming processes, and various vacuum processing apparatuses corresponding to these processes are widely used. In these vacuum processing apparatuses, a reduction in cost and an improvement in productivity are required. As a productivity index, there is a process throughput (the number of wafers processed per unit time), and increasing this throughput value and improving a production efficiency per apparatus are the important subjects.
As a related art for the above-described vacuum processing apparatus, for example, as described in JP-A-2011-124496 (corresponding to U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/144792), a vacuum processing apparatus of a linear tool is known, wherein a plurality of transport robots are arranged in a transport mechanical unit, to which a processing module is coupled, and an subject to be processed is delivered and received between the plurality of transport robots. In this related art, in the case where there are a plurality of transport paths on which the subject to be processed, such as a wafer, is transported, a technique is disclosed for selecting and determining a transport path, on which the highest throughput can be obtained, by comparing the throughputs of the respective transport paths to each other.
Moreover, as described in JP-A-2011-181750 (corresponding to U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/218662), there is known a vacuum processing apparatus including a load lock chamber, in which a sample to be processed is housed and which transports the sample between a portion on an atmospheric side and a decompressed and vacuumed portion by increasing or decreasing a pressure between an atmospheric pressure and a predetermined degree of vacuum, the apparatus comprising a plurality of processing chambers, in which a predetermined process is performed on the sample to be processed; a plurality of transport mechanical units each of which includes a vacuum robot delivering and receiving the sample to be processed; a plurality of transport intermediate units that couple the transport mechanical units and relay and transport the sample to be processed. In this related art, the vacuum processing apparatus includes a control unit that controls delivering/receiving and relaying/transporting of the sample to be processed. Here, the control unit includes: a connection distance calculation unit that calculates a connection distance from the load lock chamber to each of the transport mechanical units; a transport-operation count calculation unit that calculates a number of times of transport operations of the sample to be processed to each of the plurality of processing chambers connected to the vacuum robot; a transport operation order calculation unit that calculates a transport operation order of the samples to be processed in each of the vacuum robots, based on the number of times of transport operations to each of the plurality of processing chambers and each of the plurality of transport intermediate units performed by the vacuum robot; and a processing chamber allocation unit that performs allocation of each of the plurality of processing chambers to which the sample to be processed, whose transport operation order is calculated, is transported.
With such a configuration, in a vacuum processing apparatus, wherein a plurality of transport robots are arranged in a transport mechanical unit to which a processing chamber is coupled and wherein a sample to be processed is delivered and received between a plurality of transport robots, the further the transport robot located from the load lock, the larger the number of transport operations to the processing chambers is set. Moreover, JP-A-2011-181750 (corresponding to U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/218662) discloses that an efficient transport control is performed by performing a transport operation based on a destination determination unit and an operation control rule to set the number of times of continuous transport operations to the processing chambers as small as possible and set the number of times of continuous transport operations to intermediate chambers to an odd number as much as possible.
Furthermore, as described in JP-A-2011-181751 (corresponding to U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/217148), there is known a vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a processing chamber for performing a predetermined process on a subject to be processed; a transport mechanical unit comprising a vacuum robot delivering and receiving the subject to be processed; a transport intermediate unit that couples the transport mechanical units and relay and transport the subject to be processed; and a control unit that controls delivering/receiving and relaying/transporting of the subject to be processed, wherein the control unit determines a method for transporting the subject to be processed to each of the processing chamber and the transport intermediate unit based on a time required for the processing chamber to process the subject to be processed in the processing chamber.
In this related art, with such a configuration, there is disclosed a technique for performing an efficient transport control in a vacuum processing apparatus of a linear tool, wherein a plurality of transport robots are arranged in a transport mechanical unit, to which a processing chamber is coupled, and a subject to be processed is delivered and received among the plurality of vacuum robots, the vacuum processing apparatus including a plurality of control methods, wherein it is determined, based on a processing time of the subject to be processed, whether a transport robot is rate-controlled or a processing chamber is rate-controlled, thereby switching to a control method corresponding to the portion to be rate-controlled and performing an efficient transport control.

Operation method for vacuum processing apparatus


A novel diarylamine novolac resin such as a phenylnaphthylamine novolac resin, and further a resist underlayer film-forming composition in which the resin is used in a lithography process for manufacturing a semiconductor device. A polymer including a unit structure (A) of Formula (1):

For manufacturing semiconductor devices, fine processing with lithography utilizing a photoresist composition has been conventionally used. The fine processing is a processing method including: forming a thin film of a photoresist composition on a substrate to be processed such as a silicon wafer; irradiating the substrate with active light such as ultraviolet through a mask pattern having a pattern of semiconductor device; performing development; and treating the substrate by etching with an obtained photoresist pattern as a protection film. In recent years, semiconductor devices tend to be more highly integrated, and a wavelength of active light used becomes shorter, such that from KrF excimer lasers (248 nm) to ArF excimer lasers (193 nm). Accordingly, the active light produces diffused reflections and standing waves from a substrate. To overcome such disadvantages, an anti-reflective coating (Bottom Anti-Reflective Coating, BARC) has been applied between photoresist and a substrate to be processed.
As resist patterns become finer in the future, resist films are required to be thinner to overcome resolution issues, or to avoid falling down of resist patterns after development. Thus, it is difficult for the resist pattern to have a film thickness sufficient to process the substrate. Accordingly, in addition to a resist pattern, a resist underlayer film formed between a resist and a semiconductor substrate to be processed is also required to serve as a mask when the substrate is processed. As a resist underlayer film to be used in such a process, there is required a resist underlayer film for lithography having a selection ratio for a dry etching rate close to that of the resist, having a selection ratio for a dry etching rate smaller than that of the resist, or having a selection ratio for a dry etching rate smaller than that of the semiconductor substrate, unlike conventional high etch rate resist underlayer films (having faster etching rates).
As a polymer for the resist underlayer film described above, the following are exemplified:
a resist underlayer film-forming composition using polyvinyl carbazole (see Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3);
a resist underlayer film-forming composition using a fluorene phenol novolac resin (see for example, Patent Document 4);
a resist underlayer film-forming composition using a fluorene naphthol novolac resin (see for example, Patent Document 5);
a resist underlayer film-forming composition including a resin having a repeating unit of fluorene phenol and aryl alkylene (see for example, Patent Documents 6 and 7); and
a novolac resin using phenylnaphthylamine and acetaldehyde (see Patent Document 8).

Abstract: (in Formula (1), each of Ar1 and Ar2 is a benzene ring or a naphthalene ring). A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: forming an underlayer film on a semiconductor substrate with the resist underlayer film-forming composition; forming a hardmask on the underlayer film; forming a resist film on the hardmask; forming a resist pattern by irradiation with light or an electron beam followed by development; etching the hardmask with the resist pattern; etching the underlayer film with the hardmask thus patterned; and processing the semiconductor substrate with the underlayer film thus patterned.


In an optical disk apparatus, for reproducing information recorded on a recording surface of an optical disk, by setting such a focus condition that a tracking servo-error level comes to be maximum with a reflection light from the recording surface, while irradiating a light beam of a semiconductor laser, within a signal processor portion 300 for amplifying a RF signal reproduced from the optical disk is provided an equalizer 330 for lifting up high-frequency region of the RF signal, wherein an optimal control is made on an amount of lifting (i.e., EQ Boost Value) by the equalizer, depending upon a difference (ΔAF) between a focus offset amount at which the RF signal reproduced comes to be maximum and a focus offset amount at which jitter of the RF signal reproduced come to be minimum.

The present invention relates to an optical disk apparatus for recording information onto an optical disk or reproducing the information recorded therefrom, and in particular, it relates to an optical disk apparatus enabling to maintain performances of recording/reproducing the information even with a pickup having aberration, and a control method thereof.

Optical disk apparatus with controller for changing an amount of lifting and a control method thereof


A microdeposition pin having a contact surface with at least one concave edge for creating microarrays and the like. The microdeposition pin may be used either alone or with a plurality of microdeposition pins in conjunction with a holder. The concave edge of the pin is especially adapted for helping to control the spreading of a deposited material. By selectively controlling the spread of the reagent composition from the microdeposition pin, the flow of the reagent composition from the deposition target area may be reduced. Sensor strips having raised substrate features with limited or no spreading of the reagent composition beyond the target area are disclosed.

Microarray biosensors for biological analysis are well known in the art. Generally, a biochemical substance, such as multiple droplets of a reagent, is deposited onto a substrate to form the microarray. Each droplet of the reagent is preferably in electrical communication with an electrode so as to form an individual biosensor. The droplet of reagent may then be exposed to a biological agent or the like, such that a reaction is caused. With the aid of at least one additional electrode, various factors of the reaction may be measured and/or observed to provide the analysis.
Various techniques may be used to create the microarray biosensors, such as screen printing, ink-jetting, micro-pipetting, and pin-deposition. Each of the techniques have advantages. For instance, screen printing may be preferred when a relatively large deposit of a thick reagent layer is required to control spreading of the reagent composition. "Spreading" refers to the outward flow of a deposit of material due to the material's viscosity. Screen printing also may be preferred due to the high speed at which deposition may occur. If smaller area deposits are desired, ink-jetting, micro-pipetting, or pin-deposition may be preferred. These techniques can more precisely control the volume of a reagent composition deposited onto a substrate.
In contrast to screen printing, ink-jetting and micro-pipetting are non-contact techniques, where only the reagent composition contacts the substrate. While ink-jetting can deposit very small volumes of the reagent composition with little spreading, the method cannot effectively deposit biomolecules due to the small size of the individual droplets sprayed by the print head, approximately 10 to 100 picoliters (pL). Furthermore, biomolecules, especially those of high molecular weight, may lead to clogging of the deposition nozzle. Micro-pipetting can deposit very small volumes of the reagent composition, but spreading is influenced by the flow of the reagent composition liquid over the topography of the substrate. If the substrate has raised areas formed by conductors or other features, the reagent composition may flow from the raised areas into lower areas providing more undesirable spreading from the deposition area. As with ink-jetting, biomolecules in the reagent composition also may clog the pipette.
With pin-deposition, one or more microdeposition pins contact the substrate to transfer the reagent composition. Pin contact with the substrate allows for the transfer of relatively small volumes of reagent composition while reducing spreading of the reagent composition from raised features. Thus, pin-deposition may provide thin reagent layers from small deposition volumes while maintaining liquid control advantages.
Pin-deposition generally starts by lowering multiple pins into a source plate having wells containing a reagent composition. As the pins are dipped into the wells, they are coated with the reagent. The pins are moved above the substrate, and the reagent is transferred from the pins to the substrate during a brief touchdown. Pin-deposition also allows the force with which the pin contacts the substrate to be altered.
Conventional deposition pins generally are quill or solid in design. Quill pins differ from solid pins in that quill pins include a narrow slit at the tip of the pin. This slit acts as a fluid reservoir, which holds the reagent composition before the pin contacts the substrate. Each time a quill pin contacts the substrate, it deposits at least a portion of the reagent composition from the reservoir. The reservoir is generally sized to hold sufficient volume of reagent for multiple depositions.
Solid microdeposition pins generally have small, flat tips that are dipped into the reagent composition before each contact with the substrate. As the reagent composition flows down the exterior sides of the pin, there is no passageway for biomolecules and other high molecular weight constituents to clog. The volume and morphology of the resulting deposition spot may depend on the diameter of the solid pin tip, the surface tension of the reagent composition, and the hydrophobic character of the substrate in relation to the hydrophilicity of the reagent composition. For example, a 0.2 millimeter (mm) diameter pin may produce depositions having a diameter of approximately 400 micrometers (μm). When depositing solution volumes of from 10 picoliters (pL) to 10 nanoliters (nL), the 0.2 mm diameter pins may provide deposition areas having diameters ranging from 100 μm to 1,000 μm. Conventional solid pins having tips that are either round or square are known to produce substantially round deposition areas.
However the biosensors are manufactured, they may be used for analysis of a biological fluid, such as whole blood, urine, or saliva. Typically, biosensors have a measurement device that analyzes a sample of the biological fluid placed on a sensor strip. The analysis may determine the concentration of one or more analytes, such as alcohol, glucose, uric acid, lactate, cholesterol, or bilirubin, in the biological fluid. The analysis is useful in the diagnosis and treatment of physiological abnormalities. An ongoing need remains for microdeposition techniques that provide enhanced control over the spreading of the deposited reagent composition.


The invention relates to a tool holder (10) for shrink-fit attachment of rotating tools (11) with predominantly cylindrical shafts (12), having a chuck (13) with a clamping section (14) containing a conical receiving bore (15) to accommodate an insert (30) that has a cylindrical bore (32) to accommodate the tool shaft (12) and has a conical outer surface (31 ) to be contained in the receiving bore (15) of the clamping section (14). The insert (30) is embodied so that after the axial insertion of the insert (30) into the hot chuck (13), a contact is produced between the insert (30) and the chuck (13) on the one hand and between the insert (30) and the inserted tool shaft (12) on the other hand and, when the chuck (13) cools, the tool shaft (12) is clamped, wherein it is possible to bridge over large diameter tolerances while achieving maximum clamping forces (FIG. 1).

The invention relates to a tool holder for shrink-fit attachment of rotating tools with predominantly cylindrical shafts.
In a known tool holder of this kind (U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,506 B1), the chuck is provided with a socket in the center for an insert; this central socket of the chuck has a cylindrical inner bore that widens out in an approximately conical fashion toward its open end. This socket can accommodate the entire length of an insert, which is correspondingly adapted to have one longitudinal segment with a cylindrical outer surface and an adjoining longitudinal segment with a conical outer surface, the two longitudinal segments being accommodated in a precisely fitting way inside the socket of the chuck. In the region of the cylindrical longitudinal segment, the insert has a threaded bore that is engaged by a coaxial threaded screw whose screw head is supported axially against the chuck. The insert is detachably fixed in the socket of the chuck by tightening this central screw; spaced axially apart from the threaded section that accommodates the screw, a cylindrical inner bore is provided to accommodate the tool shaft. The tool shaft is clamped radially by shrink-fitting action by means of the conical receiving bore in the clamping section of the chuck and the conical outer surface of the insert. In order to assure a secure clamping of cylindrical tool shafts in these chucks, the tool shafts must be manufactured very precisely, with small diameter tolerances, and must be matched to the bore of the insert. Furthermore, only relatively weak radial clamping forces can be produced. Tool shafts with large diameter tolerances, e.g. of the kind that occur in tools used for woodworking, cannot be clamped with a tool holder of this kind or can only be clamped in an unreliable way.
The object of the invention is to provide a tool holder of the type mentioned at the beginning, which permits a secure clamping, even of tool shafts with large diameter tolerances.

Tool holder for shrink-fit attachment of rotating tools with predominantly cylindrical shafts


A window air filtering assembly for repulsive filtering of pollen, dirt and small particulate matter. The air filtering assembly includes a frame assembly and a filtering medium disposed in the frame assembly. The filtering medium is formed from woven, smooth-surfaced microfilament strands having at least 16% of its surface area open.

The present invention generally relates to air filters. More particularly, this invention relates to non-mechanical filtering of small size particulate matter in air.
Air filtering systems to remove deleterious particulate matter are important for general health and particularly important for persons having allergies, asthmatic conditions and the like. Building air ventilation systems generally include air filtering means that requires the use of mechanical blowers and other large equipment. Air filter systems specifically designed to remove small size particulate matter also generally employ some type of mechanical air-moving equipment. Conventional window screens are generally limited to preventing the entry of insects and the like and therefore are not useful for filtering small particulate matter.
Various non-mechanical air filtering means have been proposed in the prior art. Such air filtering means generally function by capturing or collecting the particulate matter on or in a screening media. This results in a requirement that the filter be periodically cleaned or replaced. Where the air is heavily contaminated with particulate matter, such air filters must be cleaned or replaced quite often. U.S. Pat. No. 570,219 to Fletcher illustrates an air filtering systems of this type. In the Fletcher patent a filtering material is disclosed wherein warp-threads are interwoven to form closely-woven selvages. Dust or fine particles collect on the selvages and air passes between them. U.S. Pat. No. 1,056,722 to Adler discloses a dust-collecting screen consisting of a fabric formed from strands of coarse and linty textile adapted to be saturated with a non-evaporating liquid such as oil. The moistened linty textile collects small size particulate matter and air passes through the openings between the coarse and linty strands. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,478,097 to Glanzer a woven-screen air filter is shown having cloth-covered wire threads. The cloth covering for the wire threads collect particulate matter and may be saturated with a liquid to facilitate collection of dust and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 2,551,175 to Smith discloses a filter cloth formed from strands so tightly woven that filterable material will not pass through the inter-filament spaces of the woven strands and thereby limits air passage to the spaces between adjacent strands. U.S. Pat. No. 2,615,477 to Crawley discloses an air filtering media comprising woven fabrics formed entirely of yarns formed from continuous filaments of a vinyl resin and discontinuous filaments of a vinyl resin, the respective filaments alternating in a regular pattern throughout the fabric. U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,349 to Oshitari discloses a composite air filter medium comprising a glass fiber layer of desired dust-collecting efficiency and a supporting fiber layer of low dust-collecting efficiency. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,288 to d'Augereau a reusable air filter assembly is disclosed comprising a composite structure including an outlet stage filter medium consisting of two fabric layers woven in an egg-crate pattern.
The present Applicant has discovered that an air filter having at least 16% of the surface area open provides suitable natural ventilation. This structural limitation can be utilized to construct an air filter having openings sufficiently small to prevent the passage of small size particulate matter without collection or adhesion of the particulate matter in or onto the filter media while simultaneously permitting sufficient air flow for natural ventilation. It is further useful if an air filter medium having this characteristic can be provided in a structure that can be selectively disposed in a window frame or other opening.


A display device includes a display unit, a light source disposed on a back surface side of the display unit and that irradiates light to the display unit, an optical member disposed between the display unit and the light source, and a support member disposed so that the light irradiated from the light source is incident to a side surface of the support member and so that the light incident to the side surface is transmitted through the support member. The support member supports the optical member from a back surface side of the optical member, and the support member includes an entrance portion comprising an inclined surface that refracts the light incident to the side surface and a light guide portion that guides the light refracted at the inclined surface to an optical member side of the support member.

Conventional display devices are provided with a support member that supports an optical member (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Disclosed in the above Patent Document 1 is an electro-optical device (display device) having an optical plate (optical member) disposed at predetermined intervals above a plurality of light sources and a plurality of protrusions (support members) disposed respectively between mutually adjacent light sources. In this electro-optical device, the protrusion is configured from a light-transmissive material having a prismatic shape and is disposed so as to support by an upper surface abutting the optical plate.

Display device with optical member and support member


A fluid channeling device to facilitate the draining of fluid from a fluid reservoir in a motor vehicle. The device may be attached to the vehicle so that it remains generally fixed, or the device may be temporarily attached to the vehicle for use while changing the fluid in the vehicle. The device is generally positioned below or in proximity to where the drained fluid will originate so that the device collects and channels fluid flowing from the point of origin. The device also includes an elongated throat section so that a hose may be attached to the device to further facilitate channeling the drained fluid.

In a motor vehicle, there are several fluid reservoirs which contain fluids that support operation of the vehicle. For example, automobile engines include an engine lubrication system having an oil pan which functions as a reservoir for engine oil. Automobiles may also include other fluid reservoirs such as a transmission pan which is a reservoir for automatic (or manual) transmission fluid, a radiator which is a reservoir for engine coolant, and a rear axle which also stores fluid cooling system.
In addition to the lubrication, cooling, and transmission fluid reservoirs found in most automobiles, many vehicles other than automobiles have hydraulic systems. For example, a typical tractor, crane, or earth moving piece of equipment includes all of the above support systems and may also include a separate hydraulic system to operate various devices and attachments. Hydraulic systems require hydraulic fluid which is stored in a hydraulic fluid reservoir.
The maintenance schedule of most motor vehicles typically requires periodic replacement of one or all of the above-mentioned fluids for the vehicle to remain in optimum operating condition. Neglecting to remove and replace these fluids may lead to eventual failure of the engine or system in which the fluid is used. Probably the most common example of fluid replacement in a motor vehicle is changing of engine oil and the oil filter. Most manufacturers recommend that the engine oil and filter be removed and replaced with new engine oil and a new oil filter in approximately 3750 or 7500 mile intervals.
A standard oil and filter change involves raising the vehicle off the ground in order to provide a mechanic with access to the underside of the vehicle. The mechanic places a drain pan underneath the oil pan and removes a drain plug found in the bottom of the oil pan. This enables the oil to drain from the oil pan into the drain pan. Next, the operator then uses an oil filter wrench to unseat the oil filter and removes the oil filter by unscrewing it from the engine block. Because the oil filter often has residual oil the mechanic is careful to hold the filter with the open end of the filter facing upward in order to prevent the oil from spilling from the filter.
Despite the careful manipulation of the oil filter by the mechanic, residual oil in the engine lubrication system typically flows from the oil filter inlet and exhaust passages found in the engine block. Despite careful placement of the oil pan during removal of the filter, the mechanic is often unable to recover all fluid exiting the open inlet and exhaust passages of the engine block. Oil may drip down the side of the engine block, onto hoses, other parts of the engine, the vehicle frame or cross members, and vehicle wiring. This problem is exacerbated because present engine compartments are relatively compact and crowded, and many vehicle components interfere with direct access to the oil filter. Crowded engine compartments also worsen the problem of oil draining down the engine block and onto other components because the mechanic is often denied direct access to the oil filter inlet and outlet pipes. Further, because of the proliferation of while-you-wait oil change facilities, the engine block and surrounding components are often extremely hot during the oil change which imperils the mechanic attempting to reach up into the engine compartment to wipe away the residual oil flowing down the sides of the block and onto the components. The hot runoff oil could also drip onto the mechanic. These difficulties and safety hazards create a disincentive for the mechanic to attempt to perform a tidy engine oil change with a minimum of spillage.
The above difficulties with removing oil dripping onto the engine and vehicle components also create pollution problems. For example, when a vehicle owner changes the oil in his or her vehicle, the owner may place the car on a street or over a dirt covered area and neglect to clean up the unrecovered oil which has spilled onto the ground. This oil is eventually washed away by rain into the sewer system or eventually seeps into the ground, polluting the soil and the water table. Even a conscientious mechanic can fail to completely clean the oil spilled onto the engine block, hoses, and other surrounding components. This oil buildup may be washed away while driving through puddles or in rain storms, and this oil eventually finds its way to the sewer system or to the soil where it again may pollute the soil and water table. Unrecovered oil also harms the environment by reducing the amount of oil available for recycling. Many states require that oil recovered during oil changes be recycled. Oil which the mechanic fails to recover for recycling is not recycled and must be replaced by new supplies of oil.
Changing the oil of vehicles having compact engine compartments also creates a safety concern to the mechanic, particularly when the engine oil is changed soon after the vehicle has been operating so that the oil is very hot. The engine oil flowing from the drain pan when the drain plug is removed or from the engine block when the oil filter is removed often drips down the engine block or onto components in proximity to the drain hole or filter inlet or outlet. This oil may be redirected by the engine parts or other vehicle components on which the oil drips. This redirected oil, particularly when hot, may flow rather quickly to an area where it then runs off the vehicle and onto the mechanic, possibly severely burning the mechanic.
While the above conditions have been described with respect to removal and replacement of the engine oil and oil filter, similar problems may arise when replacing transmission fluid, coolant fluid, or transaxle fluid on a motor vehicle. The above conditions may also occur when performing maintenance on hydraulic systems for tractors and other earth moving equipment having hydraulic systems.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method which facilitates removal of fluids from a fluid reservoir or fluid bearing vessel in a vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an environmentally safe apparatus and method for changing fluid in a vehicle in order to maximize the fluid recovered during the fluid change and minimize the fluid which drips onto vehicle components and onto the ground.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for changing fluid in a vehicle which is applicable to engine oil changes, oil filter changes, automatic transmission fluid changes, and radiator fluid changes, axle fluid changes, and hydraulic fluid changes, and the like.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which may be permanently affixed to the vehicle to recover fluid during a fluid change.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for changing fluid in a vehicle which may be temporarily attached to the vehicle during the fluid change and removed from the vehicle for use on other vehicles following the fluid change.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a method for changing fluid in a vehicle which is environmentally safe and maximizes the fluid recovered during the fluid change.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a method for changing fluid in a vehicle which minimizes fluid lost during the fluid change, thereby minimizing the fluid which contaminates the soil and water table.

Apparatus and method for changing fluid in a motor vehicle


The present invention is directed a film masking mechanism for a camera. The film masking mechanism is adapted for switching the camera between a full size picture frame and a panoramic picture frame while using a single roll of film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a camera having a switchable film masking mechanism. The mechanism herein disclosed allows a camera to change the picture frame size when a picture is taken. Specifically, the present invention discloses a mechanism which changes the picture frame size from a full or normal size to a panoramic size. By providing such a mechanism, cameras may be produced with the capability of taking both a normal picture and a panoramic picture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cameras having autofocus capabilities and variable focus lenses are in widespread use. Such cameras can change the focal length for telephotography and wide angle photography without changing the taking lens. In compact cameras and the like, 35 mm roll film is generally used with the picture frame size set at full size (24 mm.times.35 mm) or half size (24 mm.times.17.5 mm) for taking these specialized picture sizes.
Some camera designs have utilized a permanent panoramic picture size created by masking upper and lower horizontal portions of a full size frame. Other camera designs have used an insert to change them from taking full size pictures to panoramic pictures. However, the insert could only be inserted or removed at the end of a film roll and could not switched in the middle of a film roll. Recent camera designs have employed a complex interrelation of elements for switching a camera picture size between a full picture and a panoramic picture. Such designs have been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,311. These complex designs employ two separate spring actuated levers for cutting off the upper and lower horizontal portions of a picture using a scissor-like action. These designs often break down or become locked in one position and have therefore met with only varying degrees of success.
There is therefore a great need in the art for a simple, reliable design which can be employed in a camera for switching a picture size between normal full size and panoramic size and which is also compact and economical to manufacture and sell.

Photographic camera with switchable film masking mechanism


A thin-film magnetic recording media is prepared which contains a carbon overcoat sputtered on a magnetic recording layer. The carbon overcoat is sputtered on the magnetic recording layer using a sputtering process which is conducted in a sputtering chamber having an inert gas and a mixture of nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas, wherein said nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas are provided at a mole ratio of nitrogen/hydrogen between about 0.5 and about 1. The hydrogen and nitrogen doped amorphous carbon overcoat exhibits excellent mechanical properties and tribological performance.

Thin-film magnetic recording media have been increasingly and extensively used in the manufacturing of hard disks to facilitate read/write operations in computers. Thin-film magnetic recording media are typically prepared by sputtering a thin magnetic film, or the so-called magnetic recording layer, on a substrate, which is typically a textured aluminum or Ni/P substrate. A chromium or chromium-alloy underlayer is typically provided which is sandwiched between the magnetic recording layer and the substrate. After the magnetic recording layer is sputtered on the chromium underlayer, a protective overcoat layer, which is typically an amorphous carbon film (a:C), is then applied over the metal alloy magnetic recording layer, also by sputtering. The magnetic recording layer can be cobalt-based alloy.
As the need as well as consumers' appetite for higher density recording media become more and more demanding, the flying height of the magnetic head is forced to become lower and lower, to the level of "near to contact", relative to the magnetic recording media. As a result, the mechanical strength and the tribological characteristics of the protective layer have become an important topic in order to further improve the performance, including the recording density, of the magnetic recording media.
It was discovered by J. K. Lee et al that the presence of a sufficient amount of hydrogen in the sputtering chamber could result in a carbon film which will exhibit superior mechanical characteristic. See J. K. Lee et al, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol 29, No. 1, January 1993. It was also predicted that carbon nitride film could be harder than a diamond film. See, e.g., A. Y. Liu and M. L. Cohen, Science 245, 841 (1989). Their prediction was supported by the observations of Andrei Khurshuov and Tse-An Yeh et al, who reported that carbon nitride material has the characteristics of high hardness, high wear resistance, and low friction. See Andrei Khurshudov et al, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A14 (5), September/October 1996, and Tse-An Yeh et al. IEEE Transaction on Magnetics, Vol 27, No. 6, November 1991.
While hydrogen and nitrogen showed beneficial results when they are individually introduced into the sputtering chamber during the preparation of the amorphous carbon overcoat, there have not been any prior art reports which would suggest a commingling of these two gases. The reason may be due to some adverse effects that might have been observed when the hydrogen gas is mixed with the nitrogen gas in the sputtering chamber. One notable deterrence against commingling the hydrogen gas with the nitrogen gas is that the presence of hydrogen in a nitrogen doped film would cause the contact angle to be increased, thus adversely affecting the tribological characteristic of the amorphous carbon film.
With the capacity of the hard disks now being in the gigabytes range, every element of the hard disk is important. The mechanical and tribological properties of the overcoat film can greatly affect the gliding height of the magnetic head as well as the service life of the magnetic recording disk. Thus, it is important to explore new way to further improve the characteristics of the amorphous carbon overcoat film.

Method of sputtering an amorphous carbon overcoat as a protective film on magnetic recording disk


A system for positioning a wireless LAN device includes a client device for transmitting a positioning request, the positioning request identifying a wireless LAN device, a location server for receiving the request, and a backbone network for requesting a position from the wireless LAN device and receiving position information from the wireless LAN device, wherein the backbone network transmits the position information to the location server, and wherein the location server determines positioning data based on the position information and the request, and transmits the positioning data to the client device.

The present invention relates generally to device positioning services, and more particularly to services for positioning a wireless local area network (LAN) device.
Until recently, computer networks required substantial lengths of cabling and large hardware components. Installation of this infrastructure was not only expensive but also tied network users to the locations of their nearest network connections. Modern advances in communications, processing speed and miniaturization have allowed the development of partially or fully wireless networks that alleviate many of the drawbacks of prior computer networks.
One example of a wireless network is a cellular telephone network such as a Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) telephone network. Another type of wireless network is a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) governed by the IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, ETSI BRAN HiperLAN/2, and other wireless LAN standards. Conveniently, such a wireless LAN is capable of interfacing with a standard LAN (IEEE 802.3) and can therefore be added to existing wired computer networks. Wireless networks may be accessed by traditional network devices such as desktop computers equipped with a wireless network adapter. However, the core advantages of wireless networks are particularly exploited when they are used in conjunction with mobile devices.
Mobile devices for use with wireless networks are becoming ubiquitous. Leading this trend is the cellular telephone. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has mandated that, due to their ubiquity, a cellular telephone network operator must be capable of providing safety authorities with the position of a cellular telephone that has placed a call to 9-1-1 using its network. Standards are currently being developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP TS 43.059) to address this mandate.
Although not yet as prevalent as cellular telephones, the low cost of mobile computing devices and wireless LAN adapters has resulted in dramatic increases in the number of wirelessly networkable devices that are currently deployed. The number of wireless access points to which these devices may connect to a wired LAN is also increasing. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide services that determine a location of wireless devices connected to a wireless LAN. Some current products such as the Ekahau Positioning Engine™ attempt to address this need.
______ What is needed, however, is a system to provide positioning of a wireless LAN device in a more efficient manner than is currently available.


A flow sensor detects drops of infusion fluid that enter the drip chamber of an infusion system and generates a drop-detection signal indicating each drop detected. A setting controller receives the drop-detection signals from the flow sensor and counts the drops detected and then determines the fluid-flow rate of infusion fluid into the drip chamber. The setting controller then sets the infusion pump so that the fluid-flow rate of the infusion pump substantially matches the fluid-flow rate of the drip chamber. A motion sensor detects drip-chamber movement and generates a motion-detection signal indicating the motion state of the drip chamber. A maintaining controller is coupled to receive the motion-detection signal from the motion sensor. The maintaining controller also stores a signal that indicates a stationary drip chamber. The maintaining controller compares the motion-detection signal to the stored signal to determine if drip chamber movement has occurred, and if drip-chamber movement has occurred it maintains the fluid-flow rate of the infusion pump as set immediately prior to the detection of drip-chamber movement.

The invention relates generally to infusion systems, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling the volume flow rate of infusion fluid through an infusion pump.
A typical infusion system for use in the medical field includes an infusion fluid container that supplies infusion fluid to a drip chamber. The drip chamber is typically made of a transparent resin. The drip chamber, in turn, supplies the fluid to an infusion tube which passes through an infusion pump. As disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. Hei-4-51963, an apparatus and method for controlling infusion volume typically involves setting the rate at which fluid flows through the infusion pump to match the rate at which fluid flows into the drip chamber. A photo coupler flow sensor is used to detect drops of fluid entering the drip chamber. The number of drops of fluid dripping into the drip chamber is counted over a specified period of time by a computer, typically contained in the infusion pump. The volume flow rate of fluid into the drip chamber is then calculated by the computer. Using this calculated volume flow rate, the infusion-pump motor is adjusted so that the desired volume flow rate of fluid through the infusion pump matches the measured flow rate into the drip chamber.
Under a steady-state environment, i.e., one in which the drip chamber remains motionless, the method and apparatus of controlling volume flow rate as just described provides smooth and continuous infusion. However, in some environments in which infusion systems operate, it is generally impracticable to expect a drip-chamber to remain motionless. A sway or vibration of the drip chamber may occur at a bedside or in a clinical environment due to the movement of a patient. Uncontrollable environmental conditions, such as wind, may also cause the drip chamber to move.
When the drip chamber experiences such movement, existing sensors may not successfully accommodate for the effect such movement has on the operation of the drip chamber. This is because the accuracy of the flow rate is largely dependent on the accuracy of the drip-chamber drop count. If the drip chamber is caused to sway or vibrate, the flow sensor may not detect all the drops and accordingly the count is inaccurate. If movement occurs and the drip-chamber drop count is inaccurate, the infusion volume flow rate of the infusion pump does not accurately reflect the flow rate in the drip chamber. When such movement occurs, existing apparatus have the disadvantageous feature of stopping the infusion pump and ceasing infusion.
Hence, those skilled in the art have recognized a need for an apparatus and a method to ensure continuous and accurate infusion even where uncontrollable environmental conditions cause the infusion system, specifically the drip chamber, to move. The invention fulfills these needs and other.

Method and apparatus for controlling infusion volume


A hearing aid capable of detecting contact vibration noise from a collected sound signal. The hearing aid is provided with two microphones, a vibration component extracting section that extracts from collected sound signals respectively obtained by the two microphones an uncorrelated component between two collected sound signals as a vibration component for each frequency band. Additionally, a vibration noise identifying section determines whether or not a contact noise occurs based on the vibration component for each frequency band extracted by the vibration component extracting section, an acoustic signal processing section, when generating an acoustic signal by hearing aid processing of the two collected sound signals, processes the acoustic signal depending on the presence or absence of the occurrence of the contact vibration noise, and a receiver converts the acoustic signal to sound.

When a hearing aid is placed in and removed from the ear, feedback noise can occur. This is because of a large change in the acoustic transfer function (hereinafter "acoustic system") between the microphone collecting sound and the receiver outputting sound.
Art for feedback noise suppression control in a hearing aid is disclosed, for example, by Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2.
In the art in Patent Literature 1, in a case where the state in which the level of a particular frequency signal is prominent in the collected sound signal from the microphone continues, feedback noise is judged to have occurred, and the volume of the acoustic signal is reduced. In the art in Patent Literature 2, a touch sensor by electrodes is provided in a hearing aid, and the timing of the placing in or removing from the ear of the hearing aid is detected by the existence or non-existence of contact with the skin, at which time the volume of the acoustic signal is reduced.
According to the above-noted conventional art, feedback noise caused by placement in and removal from the ear can be reduced or prevented.

Hearing aid and method of detecting vibration

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


Voice activity detector (VAD) for use in an LPC coder in a mobile radio system uses autocorrelation coefficient R.sub.0, R.sub.1 . . . of the input signal, weighted and combined, to provide a measure M which depends on the power within that part of the spectrum containing no noise, which is thresholded against a variable threshold to provide a speech/no speech logic output. The measure is formula (I), where H.sub.i are the autocorrelation coefficients of the impulse response of an Nth order FIR inverse noise filter derived from LPC analysis of previous non-speech signal frames. Threshold adaption and coefficient update are controlled by a second VAD response to rate of spectral change between frames.

A voice activity detector is a device which is supplied with a signal with the object of detecting periods of speech, or periods containing only noise. Although the present invention is not limited thereto, one application of particular interest for such detectors is in mobile radio telephone systems where the knowledge as to the presence or otherwise of speech can be used and exploited by a speech coder to improve the efficient utilisation of radio spectrum, and where also the noise level (from a vehicle-mounted unit) is likely to be high.
The essence of voice activity detection is to locate a measure which differs appreciably between speech and non-speech periods. In apparatus which includes a speech coder, a number of parameters are readily available from one or other stage of the coder, and it is therefore desirable to economise on processing needed by utilising some such parameter. In many environments, the main noise sources occur in known defined areas of the frequency spectrum. For example, in a moving car much of the noise (e.g., engine noise) is concentrated in the low frequency regions of the spectrum. Where such knowledge of the spectral position of noise is available, it is desirable to base the decision as to whether speech is present or absent upon measurements taken from that portion of the spectrum which contains relatively little noise. It would, of course, be possible in practice to pre-filter the signal before analysing to detect speech activity, but where the voice activity detector follows the output of a speech coder, prefiltering would distort the voice signal to be coded.

British Telecommunications public limited company


The present invention discloses compositions, comprising a lipid-polymer matrix to mask the bitter or unpleasant taste of the medicament. The lipid or a blend of lipids, are used in combination with the pH dependent polymer where the said polymer is acid soluble or swellable The process for the preparation of taste masked pharmaceutical compositions of the bitter drugs comprising the said lipid-polymer compositions are disclosed. The concomitant use of the acid soluble polymer, which remains collapsed at the pH of saliva, inhibits the release of drug at that pH and hence they further help in bitterness inhibition. The said compositions deliver substantial amount of the bitter drug immediately at the gastric pH with improved palatability.

Although a variety of delivery systems are being developed for different routes of administration like the oral, parenteral, nasal and transdermal, the oral route remains attractive for drug delivery because this mode of administration is an easy, convenient, noninvasive and familiar method of drug delivery. The common oral dosage forms include: liquid mixtures like solutions, suspensions, solid dosage forms like tablets and capsules and liquid filled capsules etc. The solid dosage forms are further modified depending on the therapeutic action desired, like controlled, extended or delayed release. However, patients at the extremes of age, such as children and the elderly, often experience difficulty in swallowing solid oral dosages forms. For these patients the drugs are mostly provided in liquid dosage forms such as solutions, emulsions and suspensions. These dosage forms usually lead to perceptible exposure of the active drug ingredient to taste buds and this is a very serious problem when the drug has an extremely unpleasant or bitter taste.
The bitter taste of the drugs, which are orally administered, is disadvantageous in several aspects Taste is an important parameter governing the compliance. The disagreeable taste of drugs causes difficulties in swallowing or causes patients to avoid their medication thereby resulting in low compliance of patients. Conventional taste masking techniques such as use of sweeteners, amino acids, flavoring agents are often unsuccessful in masking the taste of the highly bitter drugs like quinine, barberin, etoncoxib, antibiotics like levofloxacin, ofloxacin, sparfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, celbroxime axetil, erythromycin and clarithromycin. Thus taste-masking technologies are considered important and developed by many researchers
Taste masking is a major problem when the drugs are extremely unpleasant and bitter and this problem is not restricted to the liquid oral compositions like solutions, dry syrups and suspensions but may also be encountered during the formulation of chewable tablets or dispersible tablets wherein these dosage forms usually lead to perceptible exposure of active ingredient to taste buds Depending on the type of dosage form, various methods have been employed to overcome the unpleasant taste and bitterness of the drug. Various methods for taste masking have been tried earlier, which include use of ion exchange resins, complexation of bitter drugs with pharmaceutically acceptable excipients and coating of drugs by lipids and various polymeric materials. Some of the highly bitter drugs are formulated using lipids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,288 discloses a novel drug delivery system based on the hydrophobic matrix coating the core, such that the coating delays the hydration of the core. The delivery system comprises of dry drug particles designed either for chewing or swallowing. The hydrophobic matrix coating delaying the hydration of core comprised of about 200-400% by weight of the drug. The hydrophobic material had a melting point in the range of 25-100° C. The delivery system comprised of 61-95% by weight of fatty acid
GB Patent 1323161 discloses coating of acetoxymethyl benzylpenicillinate using lipids having a melting point of not more than 95° C. The coating of the lipid is achieved by spray congealing method. The coated powder is reconstituted at a pH of 6.5. The composition protects penicillin from moisture and also masks the bitter taste. However the use of lipids alone tends to delay the release of the drug owing to the hydrophobic nature of the lipids.
GB Patent 2081092 discloses use of waxy materials and high molecular weight water swellable materials. The water swellable material is added to improve dissolution, which helps in increasing the absorption of the drug. However the use of water swelling materials alone with lipids in compositions is of limited use since these compositions would tend to leach the drugs in the aqueous media used for reconstitution of dry syrups or also in suspensions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,617 discloses a solve-it-less method for preparation of the taste-masked composition involving spray congealing of molten stearyl stearate and admixing an active pharmaceutical therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,851 discloses a method for taste masking highly bitter 1 acetoxy ethyl ester of cefuroxime in particulate form, by coating with an integral coating of lipid or a mixture of lipids to mask the taste. Coated particles are incorporated in aqueous suspensions The lipids used are insoluble in water but are dispersed or dissolved in gastro-intestinal fluid The lipids used in the composition for taste masking are in the range of 95-10% and cefuroxime axetil is in the range of 5-90%. The preferred range of lipid is 90-70% and cefuroxime axetil is 10-30% The examples disclosed in the patent show a drug to lipid ratio of 1:4 and above
Robson et al. (H J. Robson, D Q. M Craig, D. Deutsch, International Journal to Pharmaceutics, 190, 1999, 183-192) have studied the dissolution of stearic acid coated cefuroxime axetil microspheres in distilled water and Sorensen modified butter pH 5.9, 7 and pH 8. The study indicated that the release of the drug from stearic acid coated cefuroxime axetil microspheres would increase on reaching the intestine. The coating helped in taste masking of cefuroxime axetil. Robson et al. (H. J. Robson, D. Q. M. Craig, D. Deutsch, International Journal of Pharmaceutics 195, 2000, 137-145) have also disclosed the influence of buffer composition on the release of the cefuroxime axetil from stearic acid coated cefuroxime axetil microspheres The buffers studied included the Sorensen modified phosphate buffer, Citrate phosphate buffer, boric acid buffer and the phosphate buffer mixed, all with the pH range of 7 according to the pharmaceutical codex 1994. The study shows effect of the pH and concentration of the sodium ions on release mechanism. The interaction of the stearic acid with buffer media containing sodium ions is effective for the release mechanism.
In the above disclosures release of cefuroxime axetil was studied in basic media. Dantzig et al (Anne H. Dantzig, Dale C Duckworth, Linda B. Tabas, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1191, 1994, 7-13) show that cefuroxime axetil is hydrolyzed to cefuroxime in the intestinal lumen by the esterases reducing the cefuroxime axetil concentration in the lumen, and resulting in reduced absorption, leading to low bioavailability of Cefuroxime axetil in humans. Hence formulations of drugs like cefuroxime axetil should be such that they release the drug in the upper gastric region rather than at the intestinal pH. Cefuroxime axetil already has a low bioavailability of 32-50% and hence further reduction in the bioavailability due to the formulation aspects should be minimized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,270 discloses film-coated tablets of cefuroxime axetil to taste mask the bitter drug such that the film coat ruptures in few seconds and tablet disintegrates immediately. This preparation is useful for improving bioavailability of cefuroxime axetil. It is taught that cefuroxime axetil, once in contact with aqueous medium, forms a gelatinous mass The gelling effect is temperature dependent and occurs at temperatures of −37° C., i.e. at the physiological temperature at which disintegration of orally administered tablets, takes place Further, it is further taught that a tablet having conventional film coat containing cefuroxime axetil in the core, when orally administered results in gelation of drug due to slow permeation of moisture across the film coat. Gel formation leads to poor disintegration of tablet core and hence to poor dissolution, absorption and bioavailability of cefuroxime axetil. Drugs like cefuroxime axetil should therefore be so formulated that the compositions release the drug immediately in the gastric region without slow permeation of the buffer in coating material. It is further taught that coating material for cefuroxime axetil should be such that it releases the drug immediately before gelling occurs
U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,373 discloses the taste masking pharmaceutical compositions, which offer good bioavailability. The composition has a high polymer consisting of polyvinylacetal diethylaminoacetate, aminoalkylmethacrylate copolymer Eudragit E soluble in the stomach and a monoglyceride glyceryl monostearate used for taste masking. Such coating compositions would be of use for drugs such as cefuroxime axetil, which are better absorbed from the upper gastric region. However, cefuroxime axetil shows negative interaction with a polymer based on aminoalkylmethacrylate copolymer like Eudragit E.
Alonso et al (M. J Alonso, M. L. Lorenzo-Lamosa, M. Cuna, J. L. Vila-Jato and D. Torres, Journal of Microencapsulation, 1997, Volume 14, No 5, 607-616) studied encapsulation of cefuroxime axetil, a highly bitter drug, in pH sensitive acrylic microspheres in order to formulate a suspension dosage from. The study shows that cationic polymer Eudragit E (polymer containing dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate) showed negative interaction with cefuroxime axetil.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,753 discloses a process for controlled release of medicament from a composition comprising wax like materials and having a melting point between 30-100° C. The lipid medicament mixture is agitated continuously at a temperature at which tie wax like material melts and the medicament powder sinks into the molten surfaces of the waxy material Coated granules were obtained by cooling molten mass followed by sizing. Wax like materials disclosed include glyceryl monostearate, hydrogenated fat and waxy aliphatic alcohol. U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,955 discloses a taste masked pediatric formulation of gatifloxacin. The taste masked co-precipitate of garifloxacin is formed with fatty acids like stearic acid or palmitic acid, the ratio of gatifloxacin to fatty acid being in a range of 1:1.8 to 1:2.3. The preferred ratio is 1:2.1. U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,339, discloses a process for preparation of a taste masked, solid oral rapidly disintegrating dosage form comprising water dispersible carrier, filler, pharmaceutical active and a lipid such that the pharmaceutical active is in association with the lipid Weight ratio of pharmaceutically active substance to lipid is in the range of 1:1 to 1:10.
Japanese Patent Application 2002138034 discloses a chewable tablet containing a bitter anitihistaminic drug, Chlorpheniramine maleate and fatty aced viz; stearic acid to mask the taste The composition contains fatty acid in the range of 0.5 pts wt to less than 3 pts. wt. of fatty acid per 1 pt. wt of the drug.
A chewable tablet with a medicament coated by lipid material is disclosed in French Patent 2784895 Lipid materials melting in a range of 37-75° C. are used The patent discloses 10%, preferably 2-5% or lipid being used for coating of the drug.
The lipid materials used in formulations like the crunchable/chewable tablets or granules for taste masking applications lead to the rapid release of the drug on fracturing of the lipid coat during the mastication, however this would lead to the perception of bitter taste.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,742 discloses coating of hydrophilic core material comprising vitamins, by drop wise addition of the molten lipid on a fluidized core material such that the molten lipid solidifies and forms a coat on the core material. Coating by lipid material masks the unpleasant flavor of the vitamin. The coating material is used in the range of 0.1 to 30% w/w of the total coated material. PCT International Application WO 00/61119 discloses a process for microencapsulation of a medicament by mixing the medicament with a coating agent, which is melted and kept under stirring. The melted material is cooled under stirring to yield the microcapsules.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,381 discloses a slow release microsphere preparation of a wax or fat containing the biologically active protein or peptide The invention discloses the use of 30-95% w/w of the fat or wax and 2-70% of the protein or peptide in the microsphere preparation.
Microspheres prepared by thermoforming of compositions containing pharmaceutical active in a range of 5-90%, 10-90% of glyceryl monostearate, and 2-15% of polyethylene glycol and glyceryl palmitostearate, are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,452.
Japanese Patent Application 2001288117 discloses taste masking of oral preparation of drug rebamipide with fatty acid glycerol esters optionally with easily water-soluble substances. Water soluble or swelling substances are used to enhance release of the drug from lipid matrix. The use of water-soluble substances along with lipids limits their use in liquid oral preparation.
Pharmaceutical compositions with improved taste are disclosed in PCT International Application WO 00/06122. The drug is dispersed in fatty acid ester of glycerol base, 1.5 to 15 parts by weight based on 1 part of the drug. The fatty acid coated drug particles are further coated by water-soluble, water-insoluble or gastric soluble or an enteric polymer.
A substantially tasteless pharmaceutical delivery system is disclosed in EP 0670716. The delivery system comprises an active ingredient, a matrix of wax core material having a melting point in the range 50-200° C. and a hydrophobic polymer The amount of hydrophobic material present in the delivery system is 3-10% by weight of the matrix and the amount of the wax core present in the matrix is 15-85% by weight of the matrix.
Grains for oral administration obtained by spray solidification, which provide excellent taste-masking or bitter drugs, are disclosed in PCT International Application WO 00/18372 The grains contain a drug with unpleasant taste and a lipid carrier having melting point of 40 to 120° C. along with a polymer used to mask the unpleasant taste. The polymer used in combination with the lipid is either an enteric polymer or a gastric polymer.
PCT International Application WO 03/059349 discloses oral fast dispersing dosage form comprising microparticles for enhancing the bioavailability. The microparticles contain the drug zolpidem, fatty acids as spheronization aids like monoglycerides solubility enhancer like macrogol and the polymer coat to taste mask the product.
U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 2004091536, discloses granules for dry reconstitutable telithromycin suspension comprising of the core of telithromycin and waxy material coated in succession by lipid and polymer coating twice and another coat containing optionally a lipid with the polymer
Matrices containing the bitter drug clarithromycin, glycerol fatty acid ester or stearyl alcohol and polymer selected from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate, carboxymethyl ethyl cellulose, methacrylic acid copolymer L, methacrylic acid copolymer LD and methacrylic acid copolymer S are disclosed in PCT International Application WO 01/91761. The matrices provide oral formulations free of the bitter taste of clarithromycin.
The following patents and patent applications disclose the use of lipids alone or lipids with other inactives like polymers in pharmaceutical compositions of the drugs: WO 02/72072; U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,634, U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,533; U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,645, U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,920, WO 99/32092; U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,476, EP 0855183.
Lipids are associated with properties like water repellency, non-toxicity and freedom from objectionable odor and color and they impart a smooth texture to the compositions. These properties make the lipids are good candidates for the taste masking applications. However fatty acids do exhibit good film forming hence integral coatings with lipids alone need larger amount of lipids since the medicament has to be dispersed completely in the lipid matrix. The techniques like the melt granulation and spray congealing also need large amount of the molten lipids since the drug is required to be dispersed within the lipid matrix.
Lipids are hydrophobic in nature and so the release of the medicament is greatly impaired when lipids are used in higher amounts. Many formulations disclosed above employ polymers in combination with the lipids to accelerate the release of the drug. The use of water swelling or soluble polymers along with lipids provide immediate release of the drugs as desired but cannot provide the desired taste masking effect, especially in case of the liquid oral compositions or granules for reconstitution. The use of pH independent polymers like ethyl cellulose in combination with lipids for taste masking provides compositions which prevent the leaching of the drug in the surrounding aqueous media as in case of liquid orals but the drug release is delayed on ingestion. Similarly the compositions employing enteric polymers in combination with lipids tend to delay the drug release till they reach the intestine.
Some of the patent applications disclosed above, use gastric soluble polymer Eudragit E in combination with the lipids, which provide an immediate release of the drug and also the taste masking effect However Eudragit E shows a swelling up to pH 5.5 exhibits an interaction with certain drugs like Cefuroxime axetil.
Hence there is a need to develop formulation such that the amount of the total polymer required for the taste masking application is reduced and yet the composition delivers substantial amount of the drug in the gastric region without delay. Further the polymer should be such that it provides for a wider range of pH, for reconstitution of taste masked granules.
We have now discovered that the pH sensitive polymer disclosed and claimed in our co-pending applications PCT/IN03/00390 and PCT/IN03/00392, when used in combination with lipids, such as fatty acids, fatty acid esters and fatty alcohols for coating of drugs show taste masking of bitter drugs at the pH of saliva. The amounts of polymer required to achieve effective taste masking are lower than in our co-pending patent applications PCT/IN03/00390, PCT/IN03/00392 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/871,534. The amounts of lipids required to achieve taste masking are also significantly lower than those in U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,851 Further, the rates of release of drugs from lipid-polymer mixtures in this present invention are significantly higher than those, which can be attained from formulations based on lipids or mixtures of lipids, under identical conditions.

Pharmaceutical composition for improving palatability of drugs and process for preparation thereof

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research


To provide a ceiling lighting apparatus of an aircraft which can improve maintainability. The ceiling lighting apparatus includes: a ceiling panel 20 that is provided so as to be erected and laid with respect to a ceiling structure 14 that constitutes a ceiling structure of the aircraft with a hinge 15 as a rotation center; and a light 30 that is provided in the ceiling panel 20. A mechanic can perform maintenance of the light 30 in a comfortable posture with the ceiling panel 20 rotated to be suspended from a ceiling. Accordingly, the maintainability can be improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ceiling lighting apparatus which is provided at a ceiling of an aircraft to illuminate a cabin.
2. Description of the Related Art
A ceiling light which illuminates a cabin of an aircraft is provided at a ceiling of the cabin (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-140264). The ceiling light is provided in a support member located at the ceiling of the cabin, or on a ceiling panel provided in the support member.
When the ceiling light is replaced, the light is removed from the ceiling panel in a case in which the light is provided on the ceiling panel. Alternatively, in a case in which the light is provided in the support member, the light is removed from the support member after removing the ceiling panel.
In any cases, the light replacement work is performed in a high place. Thus, the work is difficult to perform, and there is room for improvement in ease of maintenance work.
Also, when the ceiling panel is removed, a space for placing the large ceiling panel needs to be secured.
In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a ceiling lighting apparatus of an aircraft which can improve maintainability.

Ceiling lighting apparatus of aircraft and aircraft