To provide a signal generation apparatus that is used in a ToF camera system especially adopting an indirect system and can suppress occurrence of erroneous distance measurement caused by distance measurement of a same target by a plurality of cameras with a simple configuration.

A time-of-flight (ToF) camera system is a system in which a period of time after light is emitted from a light source until the light returns after it is reflected by an object is analyzed to derive information relating to the distance to the object. An example of application of the ToF camera system is a camera that can take in a three-dimensional (3D) image of a scene, namely, two-dimensional information and depth, namely, distance, information. Such a camera system as just described is utilized in many application examples in which it is necessary to decide the depth from a fixed point, namely, distance information. Generally, depth information, namely, distance information, is measured from a ToF camera system.
As the distance measurement system of the ToF camera system, a direct system of measuring the distance by directly measuring the time and an indirect system of measuring the distance indirectly from the exposure amount. The indirect system is higher in accuracy, and it is expected that a ToF camera system that adopts the indirect system spreads widely. As a literature that discloses a ToF camera system that adopts the indirect system, for example, PTL 1 and so forth are available.

Abstract: There is provided a signal generation apparatus including a first pulse generator configured to generate a pulse to be supplied to a light source that irradiates light upon a distance measurement target, a second pulse generator configured to generate a pulse to be supplied to a pixel that receives the light reflected by the distance measurement target, and a signal generation section configured to generate a pseudo-random signal for inverting a phase of signals to be generated by the first pulse generator and the second pulse generator.

Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation


A new and distinct Malus domestica plant that produces apples having a red flesh color and good eating quality.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of apple tree botanically classified as Malus domestica and known by the varietal name 'Lurechild'. The new variety was discovered in September of 2006 in Buchs, Switzerland. The new variety is the result of planned breeding program, in which Malus domestica 'LubA793' (female parent, unpatented) was crossed with Malus domestica 'LubA264' (male parent, unpatented). The purpose of the breeding program was to develop red-fleshed apples having an improved eating quality and scab resistance. The new variety exhibits similar sugar content, size, and scab resistance to its female parent, but is higher in acidity and has a red flesh color. The new variety exhibits similar red flesh and level of acidity to its male parent, but differs in eating quality. The red flesh color combined with good eating quality of 'Lurechild' distinguishes the new variety from other Malus domestica varieties known to the inventor. Its red flesh color, high sugar and acidity content, and scab resistance of the new variety are similar to Malus domestica 'Luresweet' (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 14/544,112, concurrently applied-for herewith). However, 'Lurechild' has a much earlier harvest time than 'Luresweet'.
The new variety has been trial and field tested and has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics and remain true to type through successive propagations.


A user equipment (UE) transmits uplink control information (UCI) of 3 bits or more to a base station (BS) after modulating the UCI into 1-bit or 2-bit sub-UCI units. Here, the UE maps each 1-bit or 2-bit sub-UCI unit to one of a plurality of corner constellation points regardless of modulation order of data which is multiplexed with the UCI. The corner constellation points are points having a maximum Euclidean distance from among a plurality of constellation points corresponding to the modulation order.

Wireless communication systems are widely used to provide various kinds of communication services such as voice or data services. Generally, a wireless communication system is a multiple access system that can communicate with multiple users by sharing available system resources (bandwidth, transmission (Tx) power, and the like). A variety of multiple access systems can be used, for example, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) system, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) system, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) system, a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) system, a Multi-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (MC-FDMA) system, and the like.
Along with development of wireless communication technology, the amount of data that can be transmitted has increased and the amount of control information associated with data transmission has also increased. Thus, there is a need to provide a method for efficiently transmitting such an increased amount of control information.

Method and user equipment for transmitting uplink control information


Process of catalytic fluorination in liquid phase of product 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene into product 2-chloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoropropane, with an ionic liquid based catalyst. Process for manufacturing 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene.

The protocol of Montreal for the protection of the ozone layer led to the end of the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Less aggressive compounds for the ozone layer, such as the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) e.g. HFC-134a replaced chlorofluorocarbons. These latter compounds were indeed shown to provide greenhouse gases. There exists a need for the development of technologies, which present a low ODP (ozone depletion potential) and a low GWP (global warming potential). Although the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are compounds which do not affect the ozone layer, were identified as interesting candidates, they exhibit a relatively high GWP value. There still exists the need to find compounds which exhibit a low GWP value. Hydrofluoroolefins (HFO) were identified as being possible alternatives with very low ODP and GWP values.
Several processes for production of HFOs compounds, in particular of propenes, were developed. The compound 244bb (2-chloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoropropane) is particularly desired as intermediate for the manufacture of 1234yf (2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene).
WO2007/079431 describes the synthesis of 244bb from 1233xf (2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene) either with liquid phase fluorination or gas phase fluorination. Liquid fluorination is disclosed with yields of 87-90%; however only overhead gases are considered, and the liquid phase remaining in the reactor is not analyzed.
US2009/0182179, US2009/0240090, US2009/0312585 and US2010/0036179 disclose the manufacture of 244bb starting from 1233xf. SbCl5 is used as a catalyst in all these references. High selectivities are reported, such as up to 90%. Embodiments such as the addition of HCl in the liquid phase reactor or the use of a mixed catalyst SbCl3/SbCl5 are also disclosed.
WO2009/137658 illustrates the use of 1233xf as raw material for the production of 244bb in liquid phase fluorination. Yield into 244bb is indicated to be between 87 and 89%.
Selectivity is the key factor in the reaction. In fact, low conversion is acceptable if coupled with high selectivity, because it is easier to recycle unreacted feed than disposing by-products and reaction products that find no use in industrial processes, especially chlorinated products.
Thus, there is still a need for a process for the production of compound 244bb with a high selectivity.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Process for the manufacture of 2-chloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoropropane by liquid phase fluorination of 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene


A liquid ejecting head includes a flow channel forming substrate having pressure generation chambers communicating with a nozzle opening and arranged in parallel along a lateral direction. A piezoelectric element is provided on one surface of the flow channel forming substrate in correspondence to the pressure generation chamber, and has a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer provided on the first electrode and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer. In a direction intersecting with the arrangement direction of the pressure generation chambers, in boundaries between an active section that is a substantial driving section and an inactive section that is not a substantial driving section of the piezoelectric layer, the first electrode includes a taper section of which a width is gradually decreased toward the boundary from the active section side.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus including a piezoelectric element.
2. Related Art
As a liquid ejecting head, here is an ink jet type recording head provided with piezoelectric elements that includes a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer and a second electrode on one surface of the flow channel forming substrate in which a pressure generation chamber linking with a nozzle opening is provided. The ink jet type recording head generates pressure change in the pressure generation chamber by means of a driving force of the piezoelectric elements so that ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle opening. There is a problem in that piezoelectric elements, which are used in such an ink jet type recording head, are easily broken due to the external environment, such as humidity or the like. In order to solve this problem, for example, the second electrode is configured to cover the outer circumferential surface of the piezoelectric layer (for example, see JP-A-2005-88441). The first electrode is a common electrode and the second electrode is an individual electrode in JP-A-2005-88441.
Also, an ink jet type recording head is suggested wherein a first electrode of the piezoelectric element is provided in each of the pressure generation chambers as an individual electrode and a second electrode is continuously provided in a plurality of pressure generation chambers as a common electrode (for example, see FIGS. 2 and 4 of JP-A-2009-172878). According to the configuration, the second electrode itself serves as a protective film of a surface section of the piezoelectric layer so that there is no necessity to separately provide a protective film.
In the piezoelectric element in which the second electrode is the common electrode as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 of JP-A-2009-172878, for example, in a piezoelectric body section in which one of the upper and lower side electrodes is not present, because there is no electron supply source (electrode) that shields a polarization electric charge that is induced on a piezoelectric body surface by a stress deformation, an instance of insulation damage or cracking readily occurs due to the induced polarization electric charge.
The above-described problem is present not only in the ink jet type recording head but also in the liquid ejecting head ejecting liquids other than ink.

Liquid ejecting head and liquid ejecting apparatus


Processes for coupling phenol and cycloalkyls including combining an optionally substituted phenol, a cycloalkyl substituted with a leaving group, carbonate salt, tetrahydrofuran, and an optional phase transfer agent are provided. Also provided are processes for preparing 3-cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde by combining 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde, a cyclopentyl compound, a carbonate salt, a solvent, and an optional phase transfer agent.

The present invention is drawn to processes for coupling phenols and optionally substituted cycloalkyls.
3-Cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (formula I) is a key intermediate in the preparation of compounds that are useful in the treatment of asthma, inflammatory disorders including psoriasis, proliferative skin disease, Crohns disease, urticaria, rhinitis, arthritis and neurogenic inflammation, and depression.

One current preparation of 3-cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde includes alkylating 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (isovanillin) with cyclopentyl bromide in a solvent such as N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), acetone or acetonitrile (MeCN) in the presence of anhydrous potassium or cesium carbonate. However, product isolation from the reaction mixture is cumbersome, especially on a large scale. Specifically, in order to isolate 3-cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde, an aqueous work-up must be performed including the addition of water, extraction, separation, and drying to give variable yields of 3-cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde. The compound of formula I can then be utilized in further reactions.
The solvents utilized during alkylation of isovanillin are also incompatible with the reagents used in certain subsequent reactions. For example, DMF, acetone or MeCN can react with organometallic reagents, ylides, glycidyl esters, and carbanions, among reagents. These organometallic reagents, ylides, glycidyl esters, and carbanions usually require anhydrous conditions and anhydrous solvents, such as tetrahydrofuran (THF). It is therefore necessary to isolate 3-cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde from the DMF, acetone, or MeCN prior to performing subsequent steps.
What is needed in the art are other methods for preparing compounds of formula I.

Method for preparing 3-cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde


A conversion kit for standard wheelchairs whereby a wheelchair with a stationary fixed seat can be retrofitted with a tiltable seat having a reclinable back. The seat and back may be separately infinitely variably adjusted by extendible lockable adjusters and the seat and back apparatus is readily mountable upon conventional wheelchair constructions.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to conversion kits for modifying standard wheelchairs having fixed seats to permit seat tilting and seat back reclining between infinitely variable positions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many seriously handicapped patients spend the majority of their waking hours in wheelchairs. Conventional wheelchairs utilize fixed seats, and while some wheelchairs having fixed seats permit limited reclining of the seat backs, the spending of long hours in a relatively non-adjustable wheelchair produces body sores, muscle aches and spasms, and is generally uncomfortable for the patient due to the inability of the pressure points on the patient's body to be periodically varied by the shifting of the patient's weight as would occur if the seat position was adjustable.
Wheelchairs having tiltable seats and reclinable backs are available. However, such adjustable wheelchairs are very expensive and are not economically available to many patients who would benefit from such devices.
Efforts have been made to provide economically feasible wheelchair constructions having adjustable seat functions. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,051 discloses a wheelchair having a reclinable seat back. U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,946 discloses a wheelchair which can be converted to a dental chair, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,385 discloses a conventional wheelchair used in conjunction with support apparatus which permits the wheelchair to be tilted to add to the patient comfort.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,647 discloses a wheelchair modification kit which may be retrofitted to existing wheelchairs to permit the seat to be pivoted, and limited angular adjustment between the seat and seat back is also possible. This patent deals with the same problem addressed by the instant invention, but the apparatus shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,647 is expensive to manufacture and assemble to an existing wheelchair, and is not considered to meet the strength and rigidity requirements necessary.


An interference canceller 200 and corresponding method thereof operates to reduce the level of an interfering signal and includes a circulator 202 comprising a transmitter port, a receiver port and an antenna port, a transmission line 210 comprising a first end coupled to the transmitter port and a second end for coupling to a signal source; and a circuit 216, having an input coupled to the receiver port 206 and an output coupled 220 to the transmission line, for providing a phase shifted version of a signal coupled to the input at the output, wherein an interfering signal at the antenna port is reverse coupled to the transmission line by the circulator and coupled to the input of the circuit so as to reduce an amplitude of the interfering signal at the second end 212 of the transmission line. The interference canceller concepts may advantageously be used in a single transmitter version or in a multiple transmitter version (FIG. 4).

A radio system comprising a transmitter is susceptible to a form of interference called intermodulation (IM). IM can be generated when non-linear parts or elements of a transmitter output, often the power amplifier output stages, mix the intended output of the transmitter with an interfering signal. The resultant IM or IM product can reduce the performance of a communication system by lowering the signal to noise ratio in the intended output and creating an IM signal that results in interference for an adjacent or near channel.
One form of IM results when a desired output signal from a transmitter is mixed with an interfering signal reversed coupled from the antenna that is intended to radiate the desired output signal or transmitter signal. Decreasing the amount or amplitude of the interfering signal that is coupled to the transmitter output can reduce this form of IM. This reduction is often done with circulators and isolators, however circulators and isolators have limited effectiveness. A need exists for a method and apparatus for reducing interfering signals in a transmitter.

Method and apparatus for reducing interfering signals in a transmitter


A cardiovascular analysis system and method includes an implantable medical device with a sensor positioned to sense a hemodynamic pressure over time. The implantable medical device generates hemodynamic pressure waveform data based upon the hemodynamic pressure sensed. A processor analyzes the hemodynamic waveform data to provide an indication of cardiovascular health based upon prominent peaks in the hemodynamic waveform data.

The present invention relates to a system and method for detecting adverse health conditions based upon analysis of hemodynamic waveforms derived from pressures in a heart.
It is possible to obtain cardiovascular data, for healthcare and research purposes, using an implantable medical device (IMD) such as an implantable hemodynamic monitor (IHM), together with a pressure sensor lead that senses blood pressure within a heart chamber and an electrogram (EGM) of the heart. The IHM senses absolute blood pressure values, and the patient is also provided with an externally worn atmospheric pressure reference monitor record contemporaneous atmospheric pressure values.
A cardiovascular analysis system using the IHM can be programmed to sense and calculate various hemodynamic parameters.
The IHM is programmed and interrogated employing an external programmer or a PC to accumulate trend data at a programmable resolution.
The IHM and the atmospheric pressure reference monitor can transmit by telemetry the sensed and stored pressure and other data to a nearby interactive remote monitor for temporary storage of the data. The interactive remote monitor periodically transmits accumulated data to a remote data processing center that can process the data to develop trend data that the attending physician can review, along with other patient data derived in patient examinations and interviews, to assess cardiovascular health.
Such an IHM system implanted in patients suffering from adverse cardiovascular health conditions can accumulate date-stamped and time-stamped blood pressure data that can be of use in determining the condition of the heart and or vascular system over an extended period of time and while the patient is clinically tested or is engaged in daily activities. Various other IHM functions and uses of EGM, pressure and other parameter data accumulated in an IHM are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,368,040, 5,417,717, 5,564,434, 6,104,949, 6,155,267, 6,280,409, 6,275,707, 6,309,350, and 6,438,408, and U.S. Pat. App. Ser. Nos. 2003/0199779 and 2004/0167410.
Adverse health conditions may include coronary artery disease (CAD) and pulmonary hypertension (PHT) (commonly referred to as PAH). CAD occurs when coronary arteries, which supply blood to heart muscle, become hardened and narrowed due to atherosclerosis, which is a buildup of plaque on inner walls or a lining of arteries. Blood flow to the heart is reduced as plaque hardens and narrows the coronary arteries. This decreases the oxygen supply to the heart muscle, which can lead to numerous heart conditions and heart failure.
PHT occurs when blood pressure in a pulmonary artery rises above normal levels. PHT is associated with an increased resistance to blood flow in blood vessels, which can cause a heart to work harder to try to push blood through those vessels. PHT can be categorized as primary or secondary. Secondary PHT is when a pre-existing disease causes PHT, while primary PHT is when the cause of PHT is unknown and therefore PHT is considered the primary disease.
It is desirable to use an IHM system to monitor cardiovascular condition in order for healthcare providers to provide diagnose illness and to monitor adverse health conditions. Thus, a system and method for detecting health conditions using hemodynamic pressure waveform data is needed.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cardiovascular analysis system that includes an implantable medical device with a sensor positioned to sense a hemodynamic pressure over time. The implantable medical device generates hemodynamic pressure waveform data based upon the hemodynamic pressure sensed. A processor analyzes the hemodynamic waveform data to provide an indication of cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary health based upon prominent peaks in the hemodynamic waveform data.
The invention further includes a method of cardiovascular analysis. The method includes sensing a hemodynamic pressure, generating a hemodynamic pressure waveform representing the hemodynamic pressure sensed for a cardiovascular pulse cycle, and providing an indication of whether an adverse cardiovascular condition is present based upon a shape of the hemodynamic waveform over a systolic time interval.

System and method for detecting cardiovascular health conditions using hemodynamic pressure waveforms


A nonlinearly chirped fiber grating for achieving tunable dispersion compensation, chirp reduction in directly modulated diode lasers, and optical pulse manipulation. A dynamical dispersion compensation mechanism can be implemented in a fiber communication system based on such a nonlinearly chirped fiber grating.

Many optical materials exhibit different responses to optical waves of different wavelengths. One well-known phenomenon is chromatic dispersion, often simply referred to as "dispersion", in which the index of the refraction of a medium is dependent on the wavelength of an optical wave. Dispersion can cause optical waves of different wavelengths to travel at different speeds in a given medium, since the speed of light is dependent on the index of refraction.
Dispersion of optical materials in general relates nonlinearly to the wavelength. Group velocity is often used to characterize the dispersion. Group velocity is related to the derivative with respect to frequency of the propagation constant of an optical wave in a medium. The first-order group velocity dispersion is typically expressed as a change in light propagation time over a unit length of fiber with respect to a change in light wavelength. For conventional fibers in telecommunication, the first-order group velocity dispersion is on the order of 10 ps/nm/km at 1550 nm.
In many applications, an optical signal is composed of spectral components of different wavelengths. For example, a single-frequency optical carrier may be modulated in order to impose information on the carrier. Such modulation generates modulation sidebands at different frequencies from the carrier frequency. For another example, optical pulses, which are widely used in optical data processing and communication applications, contain spectral components in a certain spectral range. The dispersion effect may cause adverse effects on the signal due to the different delays on the different spectral components.
Dispersion in particular presents obstacles to increasing system data rates and transmission distances without signal repeaters in either single-channel or wavelength-division-multiplexed ("WDM") fiber communication systems. Data transmission rates up to 10 Gbit/s or higher may be needed in order to meet the increasing demand in the marketplace. Dispersion can be accumulated over distance to induce pulse broadening or spread. Two adjacent pulses in a pulse train thus may overlap with each other at a high data rate due to dispersion. Such pulse overlapping can often cause errors in data transmission.
The dispersion effect in fiber systems can be significantly reduced by using an optical carrier of a narrow linewidth at or near a zero-dispersion wavelength of the fiber. For example, fiber systems operating near 1.3 .mu.m with single-mode DFB lasers as light sources may be used for this purpose.
Alternatively, the dispersion may be compensated by using dispersion compensating elements. This can be accomplished by, for example, implementing a dispersion-compensating fiber ("DCF") to introduce dispersion with an opposite sign to the accumulated dispersion in a fiber link. Typically, a DCF may be many times more dispersive than a conventional fiber (e.g., a factor of 5 to 10). One DCF-compensated system is described by Nuyts et al. in "Performance improvement of 10 Gb/s standard fiber transmission systems by using SPM effect in the dispersion compensated fiber," IEEE Photon. Tech. Lett. 8, pp. 1406-1408 (1996).
Another approach to compensating for dispersion uses a fiber grating with linearly chirped grating periods. See, for example, Loh et al., "10 Gb/s transmission over 700 km of standard single-mode fiber with 10-cm chirped fiber grating compensator and duobinary transmitter," IEEE Photon. Tech. Lett. 8, 1258-1260 (1996). A spectral component in an optical signal with a wavelength satisfying a Bragg phase-matching condition is reflected back from the fiber grating. Other spectral components are transmitted through the grating. The Bragg phase-matching conditions at different positions in the fiber grating are differentiated by chirping the grating period.
The resonant wavelength of the fiber grating changes with the position. As the grating period increases or decreases along a direction in the fiber grating, the resonant wavelength increases or decreases accordingly. Therefore, different spectral components in an optical signal are reflected back at different locations and have different delays. Such wavelength-dependent delays can be used to negate the accumulated dispersion in a fiber link.
A fiber grating with a uniform period may also be used to produce different delays in the reflected waves at different locations for compensating the dispersion. Ohn et al. report a use of 21 stretching piezo segments to cause nonuniform stretching in a uniform fiber grating in "Dispersion variable fibre Bragg grating using a piezoelectric stack," Electron. Lett. 32, pp. 2000-2001 (1996). Since segments of the fiber grating can be stretched by different amounts, different delays for different spectral components at different positions in the fiber can be produced to compensate for dispersion.


A web-fed rotary printing unit having a plurality of printing mechanisms is provided. Each printing mechanism includes a form cylinder (1, 5, 16-18, 27-30), a transfer cylinder (2, 6, 3, 7, 12-15, 22-25) and a separate or common impression cylinder (3, 7, 11, 26). Stress torques acting on the drive motors can be eliminated to the greatest possible extent by providing a drive motor that has a drive connection to the further cylinders via the impression cylinder.

In known printing units, each printing mechanism, which typically comprises a transfer cylinder, a form cylinder and an inking and damping unit, is driven by a dedicated drive motor. An impression cylinder, which can be assigned to one or more transfer cylinders, is either driven by a dedicated drive motor or is concurrently mechanically driven by a printing mechanism. Accordingly, in a printing mechanism comprising, for example, four printing mechanisms, a plurality of drive motors are used. In addition, a mechanical drive connection is not provided between the printing mechanisms in order to synchronize the printing mechanisms. If a dedicated drive motor also drives an impression cylinder, there is also no mechanical drive connection between the impression cylinder and the associated transfer cylinders. The synchronization of the printing mechanisms and the impression cylinders, each of which is driven by its own dedicated motor, is performed by the respective drive motors. As a result, the stress torques acting within the printing unit place a very high additional load on the drive motors or the loads must be relieved. For this reason, the drive motors must have a very high motor output or torque.


A method for recommending content via social signals is provided. Two different content sets having content objects that have content-identifying information are received from separate content providers. Social graph information is received from a service provider. A portion of the first content set and a portion of the second content set are aggregated based at least in part on the social graph information, thereby generating a third content set.

The amount of content available on the Internet is growing at a staggering rate. News stories, multimedia presentations, blog entries, music, user generated content, and other forms of information are generated by a large number of sources, and there is no sign that this trend is slowing. Web sites and other publishing tools have made it trivial for authors to place content on the Internet for all to see, even if these authors do not consider themselves "tech-savvy." At the same time, traditional news sources such as newspapers and magazines are generating more content than ever before and posting it to web sites in order to capture a larger market.
Many web sites, such as the "My Yahoo!®" page by Yahoo! Inc., allow users to view original content from the web site provider, as well as content from a variety of partners and other third-party sources. By using content feeds such as RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, Atom feeds, and other content distribution technologies, users are able to select content sources and customize their home page so that it reflects their interests. For example, one user may place the "Oddly Enough News" feed by Thompson Reuters on their home page alongside other news feeds, video feeds, blog feeds, and other content. Another user may choose an entirely different set of content sources to follow. News feed aggregators and other content selection technologies also allow similar functionality, with varying degrees of control, features, and presentation options.
Even though a "human filter" is constructively applied to the available content through the content selection process, it is common for users to profess interest in a much larger amount of information than they are capable of digesting. For example, users may subscribe to scores of news feeds and other groups of content, but may only have the time or desire to read, watch, or otherwise consume a small percentage of that content.
A certain amount of the content delivered to users is of little or no interest or value to the user, even if the user has time to digest the content. This is true even of content delivered via content sources selected by the user. For example, a user that has selected a content feed named "Politics" may only be interested in one or two of the stories presented via that feed. The lack of interest may, among other reasons, be due to a feed selection mismatch, or may be a symptom of a quality problem with the feed logic that selects content for that feed.
Since only a small amount of content delivered by each content source is consumed by users, it is common for users to select multiple feeds that are similar to one another. For example, a user may select several content feeds from publishers of national news or aggregators of political news. Although this technique may increase the number of content items, e.g., news stories, articles, and other media, it may also increase clutter, making it difficult for users to select relevant content without being overloaded by irrelevant content.
The relevancy of the content may vary from content provider to content provider. One content provider may take pride in matching the description of the feed with the contents provided via the feed, and may use advanced methods to ensure maximum relevancy to the broadest consumer base. However, relevancy may also vary from user to user. In other words, content that is interesting to one user may be uninteresting to another based on mood, time of day, level of education, or many other "human" factors.
Facebook®, a social networking web site, has circumvented the content aggregation model described above by allowing users who are friends with one another, i.e., connected via the web site, to recommend content to each other. Users post links to news articles, videos, and other content items that are accessible via the Internet, sometimes along with introductory comments meant to introduce the content to friends. Comments may be attached to postings by other users of the web site, such as friends of the user. In addition, friends of the posting user may signal their approval of content by pressing a "thumbs up" button. This content, however, is found in a sea of personal postings and micro blog updates by friends, and users are unable to specify content categories that they are interested in.
CNN® uses information gathered from Facebook® to list stories that are popular on the social networking site. For example, a large number of users may post links to CNN® stories, and CNN® provides a list of the most popular stories to users of the CNN® web site. In addition, Facebook® provides "social plug-ins" that allow users of web sites such as the CNN® web site, to view a list of content items from the same web site that are recommended by the user's friends on Facebook®. However, the user must be currently visiting the CNN® web site, and will only see CNN® web site stories that are linked to or recommended by friends.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

Method of recommending content via social signals


The present invention provides pyrazole pyrimidine derivatives which inhibit Casein kinase I (CKI) and/or Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAKI) and methods of their manufacture, compositions comprising them and uses thereof in methods of treating malignant disease and disorders and methods for treating inflammatory diseases and disorders.

The casein kinase 1 family (CK1, or CKI) are serine/threonine kinases with six members (isoforms) in humans: α, γ1, γ2, γ3, δ and ε. They differ in length and sequence of the N-terminal (9-76 amino acids) and especially the C-terminal (24-200 amino acids) non-catalytic domain (Schittek and Sinnberg, Molecular Cancer 2014, 13:231).
CK1δ and CK1ε are 98% identical in their kinase domain and 53% identical in their C-terminal regulatory domain (Fish K J et al. J Biol Chem 1995, 270:14875-14883). Whereas, there is some redundancy with respect to CK1 substrate phosphorylation, most CK1 isoforms have distinct biological roles. The wide range of CK1 substrates shows that the CK1 family members are involved in multiple cellular processes, from regulation of membrane trafficking, cytokinesis, vesicular transport, ribosome biogenesis, DNA repair, signal transduction pathways, apoptosis and in the circadian rhythm (Knippschild U et al. Cell Signal 2005, 17:675-689; Cheong J K and Virshup D M. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2011, 43:465-469; Zemp I, et al. J Cell Sci 2014, 127:1242-1253).
CK1α plays a role in the mitotic spindle formation during cell division and in DNA repair mechanisms and participates in RNA metabolism (Knippschild U et al. Cell Signal 2005, 17:675-689). It contributes to the activation of mTOR via sustained degradation of the endogenous mTOR inhibitor DEPTOR (Duan S et al. Mol Cell 2011, 44:317-324).
CK1α has a major role in regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The inventors of this application have shown that CK1α is a key component of the β-catenin destruction complex. When the Wnt receptors are not engaged, CK1α phosphorylates β-catenin at serine residue S45, which is necessary for the priming phosphorylation of another kinase, GSK3 (Amit et al. Genes Dev. 2002 16: 1066-1076).
β-catenin phosphorylation by GSK3 at residues T41, S37 and S33, generates a ubiquitination degron, recruiting the E3 SCF-β-TrCP, leading to the ubiquitination and degradation of β-catenin (Clevers H and Nusse R Cell 2012, 149: 1192-1205). The inventors have further shown that inducible ablation of CK1α in the mouse gut epithelium triggers a massive epithelial Wnt response, which surprisingly did not alter intestinal homeostasis, with only little enhanced proliferation and no tumorigenesis (Elyada et al. Nature 2011, 470: 409-413). This is dissimilar to the consequences of acute ablation of other components of the β-catenin destruction complex, such as APC, which results in loss of homeostasis and tumorigenesis (O. J. Sansom, O. J. et al. Genes Dev. 2004, 18:1385-1390).
The inventors of the present application have found that the reason for homeostasis maintenance following CK1α ablation is that parallel to Wnt activation, CK1α ablation induces several tumor-suppressor pathways, among which are DNA damage response (DDR), cellular senescence and p53 pathway activation (Elyada E et al. Nature 2011, 470: 409-413, Pribluda A et al. Cancer Cell 2013, 24: 1-5).
Whereas the molecular mechanisms underlying the activation of these anti-neoplastic pathways are still elusive, the inventors have found that that CK1α ablation induces disproportionally minor DNA damage, with no signs of ATM activation, indicating that CK1α-induced DDR and p53 activation likely entail uncommon molecular mechanisms (Burstain I et al, unpublished). In addition, the inventors have found that CK1α ablation results in the induction of a new type of an inflammatory response, denoted parainflammation, which is confined to the epithelium, with no common signs of inflammatory response (inflammatory cell infiltration, calor, rubor, tumor and dolor) (Pribluda A et al. Cancer Cell 2013, 24: 1-5, Lasry A and Ben-Neriah Y 2015, Trends in Immunology, Vol. 36: 217-228). Parainflammation cooperates with WT p53 activation in suppressing tumorigenesis, yet switches to a tumor promoting mechanism in the absence of functional p53 Pribluda A et al. Cancer Cell 2013, 24: 1-5, Aran et al., Genome Biol. 2016 Jul. 8; 17(1):145).
Whereas it is already established that CK1α is a major regulator of p53, the inventors have also found that the combined ablation of CKIδ and CK1ε in the gut epithelium also results in p53 activation, which may synergize with CK1α-induced p53 activation.
IRAK1 was identified as a therapeutic target for MDS, and certain subsets of AML and triple negative breast cancer (Garrett W. Rhyasen et al, 2013, Cancer Cell 24, 90-104, Rhyasen G W, Bolanos L, Starczynowski D T, 2013, Exp Hematol. 41:1005-7, Zhen Ning Wee et al, 2015, NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 6:8746). IRAK1 mRNA is over-expressed in ˜20-30% of MDS patients and the IRAK1 protein is dramatically over-expressed and is hyperactivated in a majority of MDS marrow sample examined. IRAK1 is a serine/threonine kinase that mediates signals elicited from Toll-like receptor (TLR) and Interleukin-1 Receptor (IL1R). Following receptor activation, IRAK1 becomes phosphorylated which then leads to recruitment of TRAF6, resulting in TRAF6 activation of NF-κB and JNK pathways. The molecular source of IRAK1 overexpression and/or hyperactivation in MDS (or AML) is not conclusive. It is thought that over-expression of TLR or necessary cofactors in MDS clones may result in chronic IRAK1 activation even in the absence of infection. Small molecule inhibitors targeting IRAK1 (IRAK1/4 Inhibitor, Amgen Inc.) have been originally developed for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Given that IRAK1 is hyperactivated (i.e., phosphorylated) in MDS but not normal marrow cells, Starczynowski and colleagues showed that IRAK-Inhibitor treatment (IRAK1/4, Amgen) and the knockdown of IRAK1 resulted in dramatic impairment of MDS cell proliferation, progenitor function, and viability in vitro and in vivo. Yu and colleagues showed that IRAK1 overexpression confers triple negative breast cancer cells (TNBC) growth advantage through NF-κB-related cytokine secretion and metastatic TNBC cells exhibit gain of IRAK1 dependency, resulting in high susceptibility to genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of IRAK1. Paclitaxel treatment of TNBC cells induces strong IRAK1 phosphorylation, an increase in inflammatory cytokine expression, enrichment of cancer stem cells and acquired resistance to paclitaxel treatment. Pharmacologic inhibition of IRAK1 was able to reverse paclitaxel resistance by triggering massive apoptosis. IRAK1 was also found to be a DEK transcriptional target and is essential for head and neck cancer cell survival (Adams A K et al. Oncotarget. 2015, 22; 6(41): 43395-43407) and also as potential target in the treatment of inflammatory- and immune-related disorders (Bahia M S et al. Cell Signal. 2015 June; 27(6):1039-55).
The inventors have thus found that compounds of the invention are able to inhibit IRAK1, an important upstream regulator of the NF-kB pathway which plays an important role in hematological malignancies.

Pyrazole pyrimidine derivative and uses thereof


A differential and quadrature harmonic voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), and a method for generating a differential and quadrature harmonic signal. The VCO may include a first oscillation unit for generating a first and a third signal, a first combining unit for combining the first and the third signal, a second oscillation unit for generating a second and a fourth signal, and a second combining unit for combining the second and the fourth signal. The phase of the second signal is determined through a phase-invert and delay using the first signal, the phase of the third signal is determined through a phase-invert and delay using the second signal, the phase of the fourth signal is determined through a phase-invert and delay using the third signal, and the phase of the first signal is determined through a phase-invert and delay using the fourth signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a voltage controlled oscillator (hereinafter, referred to as a 'VCO'), and more particularly, to a VCO generating multi-phase, multi-harmonic output signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is an oscillator whose frequency is adjusted by controlling an applied voltage and changed capacitance of a variable capacitor.
VCOs are essential components in the architecture of all telecommunication systems. The VCO in modern data communication systems is employed as part of a phase locked loop (hereinafter, referred to as a 'PLL') that generates local oscillator (hereinafter, referred to as an 'LO') frequencies for an up and down conversion of a radio signal from/to a baseband of a transmitter and receiver. For example, according to the architecture of the transmitter-receiver, that is, single IF (Intermediate Frequency), dual IF, or direct conversion, a transmitter-receiver chip can include a certain number of VCO circuits for generating LO signals. To cope with spectral purity and phase noise of communication systems, each VCO is stabilized with the PLL. As for another problem in a dual-down conversion super-heterodyne radio, an input signal should be converted to a quadrature baseband signal at the last down-conversion operation. For this conversion, a quadrature phase LO signal (also called as a phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signal, or an IQ signal) is required. The IQ signal is generated by applying a poly-phase filter to outputs of a differential oscillator, or applying a divide-by-four circuit to a token ring structure, or employing various kinds of means such as coupled oscillators for example. These methods, however, not only have their own drawbacks and limits, but also make the transmitter and receiver more complicated than necessary. In the case of an RC poly-phase filter, it is known that the frequency with 90 degrees phase difference, caused by process deviation during the manufacture of integrated resistors, is considerably different from a design target frequency. Meanwhile, the divide-by-four circuit makes the structure of a transmitter and receiver more complicated. The conventional coupled oscillator also has many shortcomings, such as, its output power is not sufficient for a highest dynamic frequency or it has a very complicated coupled structure.
FIG. 1 illustrates a multiphase output oscillator using a logic inverter gate.
As shown in FIG. 1, according to the multiphase output oscillator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,126, a plurality of ring oscillators are serially coupled in a loop. None of the oscillators oscillates freely because each oscillator adjusts its successor all the way around the loop. A phase transition between two points in the loop is expressed as an integer fraction of 360 degrees, and is dependent on the number of oscillators. In the case of an integer multiple of four oscillators, the maximum phase transition is 90 degrees. Although a radio frequency in the multiphase output oscillator can be separated to a different phase, first and second harmonics are inseparable. Therefore, the disclosure can only be used as a quadrature generator, not as a harmonic generator. Another defect of the disclosure is that because the circuits are organized in a ring oscillator building block, without an additional circuit, sufficient RF outputs and satisfactory noise performance can not be obtained.
FIG. 2 illustrates two fixed-frequency oscillators coupled in a ring topology. Particularly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,188,292 discloses two interconnected oscillators where frequency variation is achieved by varying the coupling between the two oscillators. The coupling is varied by using a variable current or voltage source. However, this type of circuit can only be used as a quadrature generator, and is not appropriate for a harmonic generator.
FIG. 3A illustrates a related art wide-band or multi-band voltage controlled oscillator.
Particularly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,417,740 disclosed this type of the VCO, in which a pair of LC oscillator circuits are cross-coupled through a transconductance control circuit. Under the transconductance control, through NMOS varactor tuning (the varactors M13, M14, M15, and M16 controlled by a voltage Vcap) and current injection (circuits 340, 380 controlled by a voltage Vcon), the tuning range is from 900 MHz to 1.3 GHz, and from 1.3 GHz to 2.4 GHz. The quadrature output voltage is −10 dB, which corresponds to −18 dBm at the impedance of the load 50 ohm. This type of circuit may be effectively used with a quadrature oscillator for a wide-band receiver system, but is not appropriate for the harmonic generator.
FIG. 3B illustrates an embodiment of coupling for an LC-based VCO.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,877 disclosed this type of coupling, in which two LC VCO signals are coupled through couplers or buffers and coupling loops, and the two-stage coupling loop system provides in-phase and quadrature signals in two stages. However, neither simulation nor measurement data is given, and there is no way to find out signal magnitude and a maximum system frequency (speed). Although a detailed schematic circuit diagram is not provided, it would be sufficient to note that the buffers in the disclosure reduce the load capacity of each VCO, and presumably improve the "performance" of the oscillator (this is not mentioned). The disclosed coupling method is effective for generating quadrature phase signals, but cannot generate differential phase signals.

Differential and quadrature harmonic VCO and methods therefor


An integratable capacitive touch sensing circuit through charge sharing is provided, including a charge sharing circuit, voltage-controlled oscillator, reference frequency generator, switch clock generator and frequency compare circuit; wherein charge sharing circuit further including a sensing capacitor, touch capacitor, share capacitor, charging switch, charge sharing switch and discharging switch, for sharing charge from charged sensing capacitor with discharged share capacitor through charge sharing to accumulate voltage on share capacitor. The capacitance of share capacitor is adjustable for applications generating different sensing capacitance. The charging switch, charge sharing switch and discharging switch are controlled by non-overlapping clocks. Prolonging close duration of charging switch and minimizing close duration of charge sharing switch and discharging switch can minimize interference from ambient noise. The charge sharing circuit finishes charge sharing in a clock cycle and voltage of share capacitor are linear to sensing capacitance and touch capacitance.

As a variety of 3C products becomes ubiquitous, the demands on touch panel also increase. In general, the touch panel can be categorized as resistive, capacitive, ultrasonic or infrared. The least expensive touch panel in the market is the resistive system, which also has the highest market share. The resistive system uses a standard glass panel, including an upper ITO conductive layer and a lower ITO conductive layer. A spacer is disposed between the two layers and the current can flow between the two layers. When in use, the pressure makes the two ITO conductive layers contact, and the electrical field change is regarded as a touch event. Finally, a signal is transmitted to a controller for processing. The controller senses the voltage change in the panel and computes the touch point.
On the other hand, a capacitive touch panel uses a capacitive sensor, for sensing the capacitive change generated by the static electricity combination between transparent electrodes and human touch so as to detect the coordinates through an induced current of the capacitive change. When a finger touches the touch panel, the current will continuously flow through the sensor so that the sensor can store electrons in both horizontal and vertical directions to form a precisely controlled capacitive field. When the finger touches a different location, the normal capacitive field of the sensor is changed by another capacitive field. At this point, the circuit disposed at each corner of the panel will compute the change of the electrical field and then transmit a signal of the touch event to the controller for processing. Compared to resistive touch panel, the capacitive touch panel shows better performance and more convenient to use. However, because the capacitive touch panel requires a more complicated manufacturing process and the circuit of driving IC is more complex, the cost and the technology development are not suitable for the medium and small size products.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a conventional circuit of using a relaxation oscillator to achieve capacitive sensing. As shown in FIG. 1, a relaxation oscillator 101 charges and discharges a capacitor Cx periodically, wherein the oscillation frequency and the capacitance of capacitor Cx are related to the current for charging and discharging, i.e., CdV=Idt. In the case of constant current, the capacitance change of capacitor Cx will change the frequency of the relaxation oscillator 101. A frequency comparator 103 compares the output frequency Fro of the relaxation oscillator 101 and the reference frequency Fref of a fixed reference clock 102. Because the relaxation oscillator 101 charges and discharges the capacitor Cx and the impedance of Cx is usually high, the Cx in this approach is prone to interference by the ambient noise.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a conventional circuit of using charge transfer to achieve capacitive sensing. As shown in FIG. 2, a charge transfer circuit includes a capacitor Csum, a capacitor Cx, a comparator 201, and three switches S1, S2, S3, connected in the following manner: one end of the capacitor Cx connected through switch S1 to a voltage source VDD and the other end grounded; one end of the capacitor Cx grounded and the other end connected through switch S2 to the end of the capacitor Cx connected to switch S1, the voltage of the capacitor Csum is Vsum; two ends of capacitor Csum connected through switch S3 to each other; the voltage Vsum is outputted to the positive input of the comparator 201 and the inverse input is a reference voltage Vref; and the output of the comparator 201 is Vo.
The operation of the above circuit is described as follows: discharging the capacitor Csum through switch S3 to the ground level; applying a non-overlapping clock to switches S1, S2 to gradually transfer the charge on the capacitor Cx to the capacitor Csum, therefore, the voltage Vsum increasing gradually; when voltage Vsum exceeding reference voltage Vref, the output Vo rising from low level to high level, as shown in FIG. 3; and computing the time Tcf starting from Csum discharging to Vo transition. The higher the capacitance of the capacitor Cx is, the shorter the transition time is. The advantage of the above circuit is to provide better resistance to interference by the ambient noise. The capacitor Cx maintains at a low impedance during charging. During charge transfer, the capacitor Csum has a larger capacitance, which is often at least hundreds of times of the capacitance of the capacitor Cx. Thus, the capacitor Csum is also a low impedance component. Therefore, a better resistance to the RF interference can be obtained when the capacitor Cx maintains at a low impedance. On the other hand, the disadvantage of the above circuit is that the capacitance of the capacitor Csum must be hundreds or thousands of time of the capacitance of the capacitor Cx (for example, a few hundred of pF to nF), therefore, it is difficult to make the circuit as an integrated circuit, i.e., un-integratable. Another disadvantage is the way the charge transfer is conducted. The accumulation of the voltage Vsum is not linear, instead, the relation between the voltage Vsum and the capacitance of the capacitor Cx is an exponential relation. In other words,
      v    sum    =            VDD                    (                  1          -                      ⅇ                                          -                N                                                          Cx                Csum                                                    )              .  It is also less linear to compute the difference of the capacitance of capacitor Cx.
Therefore, it is imperative to address the disadvantage of the above technology.

Integratable capacitive touch sensing circuit through charge sharing


An optical amplifying repeater is provided which enables even after the main input optical signal is disconnected, the continued returning of a response signal in response to a command signal from an end station. This optical amplifying repeater comprises an optical amplifier, an automatic level control loop including therein a drive control unit, a supervisory unit which returns a response signal RS responding to a command signal CM from an end office, and a detection/control unit which controls the drive control unit so as to increase the amplitude of the response signal RS when a loss of the main optical signal S from an optical transmission line is detected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical amplifying repeater which forms the central part of, for example, a submarine optical amplifying and repeating apparatus.
At present, in long-distance transmission of optical communications systems, the so-called optical amplifying and repeating systems are coming into wide use, in which systems optical amplifiers are contained in the above repeaters.
In such optical communications systems, because the distance from one end office to another is extremely long, it is not easy to monitor or control each of the optical amplifying repeaters which are cascade connected between the two end offices.
For this reason, in general, to perform monitoring or control of each of the optical amplifying repeaters, a remote repeater monitor and control system, which uses light modulation, is employed. The present invention includes an improvement to an optical amplifying repeater which is managed by a remote repeater monitor and control system.
2. Description of the Related Art
As will be described in detail with regard to the accompanying drawings, in a multi-stage optical amplifying and repeating transmission system, a long-distance optical transmission line is laid between two end offices A and B, a plurality of optical amplifying repeaters being connected in cascade along this optical transmission line.
Assume that a cable failure occurs when data is being transmitted from end office B to end office A. When this occurs, because the normal reception of data at the end office A is suspended, end office A immediately starts a search for the causative fault. This fault search is performed by the use of a command signal CM by which a main (carrier) optical signal S is modulated and the response signal RS which is output from each amplifying repeater in response thereto.
In the above-noted system, when the above-noted cable failure occurs, the optical carrier signal S is no longer input to the optical amplifying repeater. This is a loss of the optical input.
When this optical input loss occurs, because the optical carrier signal S is no longer input to the optical amplifying repeater, it becomes impossible to apply the modulation of the above-noted response signal RS to this optical carrier signal S. When this occurs, this optical amplifying repeater applies RS modulation instead to the ASE (amplified spontaneous emission). This ASE is a noise component of a relatively wide bandwidth which is inevitably generated by each optical amplifying repeater.
Although it is theoretically possible to apply modulation in accordance with the response signal RS to this ASE, in actuality the modulation of the amplified spontaneous emission by the response signal RS is insufficient. As will be described later, in the range in which the drive current I.sub.LD of the optical amplifying repeater is small, the variation of the amplified spontaneous emission with respect to the deviation in I.sub.LD is relatively large.
In response to the loss of optical input, when the ALC (automatic level control) loop operates sufficiently, so that drive current I.sub.LD of the optical amplifier becomes large, in this range in which I.sub.LD is large, the variation in the output of the amplified spontaneous emission is relatively small. For this reason, when applying modulation to the ASE with the amplitude of the normal response signal RS, the resulting modulation output is extremely small. Ultimately, after the optical carrier signal S is lost, even if modulation is applied to the ASE by the response signal RS, it becomes difficult to perform such modulation. As a result, it becomes difficult to receive the response signal RS at the end office and, in the worst case, it becomes impossible to monitor the optical amplifying repeater, and impossible to perform troubleshooting of the fault point.


A full body reciprocating aerobic exercise machine that forces all of a user's limbs to move during the exercise. Because all the leg and arm levers move in unison, it allows a user to maintain the proper exercise motion even with an injured, incapacitated, or missing limb. The machine simulates uphill running or walking, and eliminates any joint impact to the user. The machine includes a central torso stabilization support, two leg levers, and two arm levers. The torso support and the leg and arm levers are mounted on a machine base. The leg and arm levers are rotatable through a limited but large arc relative to the torso support. The levers are synchronized so that the left leg lever must move with the right arm lever, and the right leg lever must move with the left arm lever, and so that all four levers move simultaneously. Because of this synchronization, the machine utilizes a "cross-crawl" motion that is completely natural to any user. A user's learning time is therefore minimized.

Most exercise equipment is designed with a relatively specific purpose in mind. For example, the present invention is directed to aerobic exercise. While there are numerous prior art devices directed to providing a user with aerobic exercise, most of the currently available art suffers from one or more of the following shortcomings:
Many machines provide only exercise for a limited number of major muscle groups, and/or the range of motion provided in the exercise is limited. This means that this type of equipment is at best designed to be used in conjunction with other machines, and cannot provide a full aerobic workout.
Some machines, particularly those designed to simulate running, include the drawbacks of running such as high impact on the user's joints. It is well known that high impact exercises can easily lead to injuries. It is also critical for injury avoidance that the exercise machine not induce any additional stress on a user's back.
Finally, many exercise machines have a relatively long learning curve. Because the exercise motion that the machines use is foreign to a user, the user must learn the motion before he can achieve any effective exercise. This can be discouraging to a user, particularly to a novice.
There are several examples in the prior art of aerobic exercise machines that are directed to providing a full body aerobic workout for the user. Following are some examples:
The "Recumbent Total Body Exerciser", by Hildebrandt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,356, issued Oct. 18, 1994. This device positions a user in a seated position and does provide the opportunity for a full-body workout. One of the drawbacks of this, and many of the stationary bikes, is that the driving impetus for the upper body portion of the workout must be provided solely through the hands. Since the hands are the weakest, most fragile parts of the upper body, providing driving impetus solely through the hands leads to an increased possibility of injury to the user. Moreover, the user's hands are likely to tire before an efficient workout is accomplished.
Another shortcoming of machines such as the Hildebrandt et al. device is that it does not support the user's back. In that it is estimated that 80-90% of all adults will experience back problems at some time in their lives, this is a rather serious issue.
One exercise machine that provides a means for back support is the "Apparatus for Performing Coordinated Walking Motions with the Spine in an Unloaded State" by Iams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,261, issued Jan. 22, 1991. This machine places the user in a completely supine position, which removes any load from the user's back. However, a user of this machine is placed in an unnatural position for exercise, and thereby requires some learning period to feel comfortable using the machine. Moreover, the upper body exercise must again be obtained solely through the hands.
Another device directed to a cycling motion exercise is the "Floating Back Pad Leg Exerciser" by Habing, U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,583, issued Aug. 29, 1995. This machine does provide back support with a "floating" back pad which moves with the user. However, there is no means for exercise of the upper body.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aerobic exercise machine that allows the user to achieve full-body exercise.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a machine that allows the user to maintain the exercise motion even with an injured, incapacitated, or missing limb.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the user with adequate back support so that additional stress is not placed on the user's back.
It is a still further object to provide a means for a user to achieve a full-body workout without applying undue stress to the user's hands.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a machine that is space efficient and aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, the machine must be easily manufactured and durable.


A method of fabricating a micro-lens, and a method of fabricating an optical module using the method are provided. To fabricate a micro-lens, a thin film is formed of a material for the micro-lens on a substrate. A photoresist pattern is formed on the thin film, a thin-film structure is formed by etching the thin film using the photoresist pattern, and the micro-lens is completed by reflow by thermally treating the thin-film structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a micro-lens. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of fabricating a micro-lens and a method of fabricating an optical module having a micro-lens integrated therein using the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Micro-lenses are becoming increasingly popular today and can be found components such as optical sensors, optoelectronic products, and optical communications such as optical coupling between optical devices including an optical fiber, a PLC (Planar Lightwave Circuit), an LD (Laser Diode), and a PD (Photo Diode).
There have been many methods proposed that attempted to achieve high optical coupling efficiency in optical coupling between optical devices. Traditionally in the free space optic field, an optical device is assembled with a spherical lens ranging from hundreds of micrometers to tens of millimeters in diameter, a GRIN (Graded Index) lens; there can also be one or two aspherical lenses used, and a hemispherical-ended optical fiber is used to increase light receiving efficiency. Owing to the recent development of integrated optical devices, a micro-lens having a diameter of hundreds of micrometers or less and capable of collecting light perpendicularly to an Si, InP, or SiO2 substrate and a lens array having such micro-lenses are also formed.
Such a micro-lens array is widely used in a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor and an FPA (Focal Plane Array), especially in a Hartmann-Shack Wavefront sensor for measuring the aberrations of the eye. A major conventional method of fabricating such the micro-lens and lens array is photoresist (PR) reflow.
FIGS. 1A to 1D sequentially illustrate a prior art PR reflow-based micro-lens fabricating method, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged microscope picture of a micro-lens fabricated by the conventional PR reflow.
Referring to FIG. 1A, thick photoresist PR patterns 12 are formed on a substrate 11 of silicon, quartz, InP, or GaP.
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 1B, the PR patterns 12 are shaped into convex lenses 13 due to surface tension by reflow at a high temperature.
After shaping the PR patterns into convex lenses 13, FIG. 1C shows the next step wherein the convex lens-shaped PR patterns 13 are transferred to the substrate 11 by an etching process using the PR patterns 13. One such type of etching process that can be used is, for example, RIE (Reactive Ion Etching).
Finally, at FIG. 1D, the lenses 14 are shown after fabrication is completed.
This conventional micro-lens fabricating method suffers from a low yield because the PR is very sensitive to temperature and humidity, making it difficult to easily reproduce the micro-lenses. Moreover, the thickness of the lenses is limited. Therefore, the micro-lenses are not feasible for light collection in parallel to the substrate with optical devices, such as an LD and an optical fiber/PLC for optical coupling, integrated thereon.
Referring to FIG. 3, in an attempt to solve the manufacturing problems, a non-reflective coated aspherical or spherical lens 31, which has a diameter ranging from hundreds of micrometers to tens of millimeters, is inserted between a laser diode LD 32 and an optical fiber/PLC 33.
However, the distance between the LD 32 and the spherical lens 31 is at least hundreds of micrometers. Thus, when light emitted from the LD 32 passes through the spherical lens 31, light that passes through the center of the spherical lens 31 and light that passes through the periphery of the spherical lens converge to different positions, resulting in a very low optical coupling efficiency, somewhere on order of about 10%. If an aspherical lens is used, the optical coupling efficiency will be increased, but the increased costs can be prohibitive in the practical use of such lenses for this purpose.
FIG. 4 illustrates a conventional method of construction, wherein an LD 41 formed on a substrate 41 by flip-chip bonding can be light-coupled directly to an optical fiber/PLC 43 within a range of tens of micrometers.
However, the conventional method illustrated in FIG. 4 suffers from a coupling loss due to the mode mismatch between the LD 42 and the optical fiber/PLC 43. Since the coupling loss is very sensitive to bonding accuracy, bonding errors cause a great amount of loss.

Method of fabricating micro-lens and method of fabricating optical module using the method

Maetan-Dong, Yeongtong-Gu, Suwon-Si, Gyeonggi-Do


The invention provides a semiconductor memory device comprising a plurality of word lines, a plurality of bit lines, and a plurality of static memory cells each having a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth transistors. While each of channels of the first, second, third, and fourth transistors are formed vertical against a substrate of the semiconductor memory device. Each of semiconductor regions forming a source or a drain of the fifth and sixth transistors forms a PN junction against the substrate. According to another aspect of the invention, the SRAM device of the invention has a plurality of SRAM cells, at least one of which is a vertical SRAM cell comprising at least four vertical transistors onto a substrate, and each vertical transistor includes a source, a drain, and a channel therebetween aligning in one aligning line which penetrates into the substrate surface at an angle greater than zero degree.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates a SRAM device having at least one vertical SRAM cell comprising vertical transistors to reduce the memory cell size. In particular, the invention relates to a SRAM device having at least one vertical SRAM cell comprising at least four vertical transistors.
2. Description of Related Arts
U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,238 refers to one species of SRAM cells including four transistors and two resistors (4T/2R), which is slow and consumes high power. The embodiment shown in its FIG. 7 has two vertical transistors formed above the resistors, which are in turn formed above two regular transistors grown on the substrate. There is no vertical transistor above any other vertical transistors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,327 tried to reduce the cell size problem by adopting all thin film transistors ("TFT") in a six-transistor (6T) SRAM cell, which circuit chart is shown in its FIG. 36. As shown in its FIG. 5, a pair of transfer transistors Q3 and a pair of driver transistors Q1 are provided, which are constituted with n-type TFTs. A pair of p-type load transistors Q5 is formed on the surface of the interlayer insulation layer. The TFT 6T SRAM cell is smaller than the 4T/2R SRAM cell but still slow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,683 further reduces the cell area by providing a pair of load TFTs having a vertical channel along with the other four regular transistors within a six-transistor (6T) SRAM cell. However, the vertical load TFTs are located in the same layer as the other four regular TFTs such that the sources and drains of the vertical load TFTs inevitably bent horizontally. As such, the size-reducing effect of this structure is relatively limited by its one-layer structure. U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,930 shares the same problem. As shown in its FIG. 4, the ends of the drain and sources 4S/D1, 4S/D2 of the 4th transistor bent horizontally.
For a totally different purpose from reducing the cell size, i.e., to reduce one wiring layer, JP Pat. App. No. 09-232447 adopts a vertical channel structure for one TFT so as to share the substrate as a wiring layer between the gate electrode of the vertical TFT with another regular transistor in its FIG. 7D. Incidentally, a vertical source and a vertical drain are provided to work in conjunction with a vertical channel. The reference merely suggests applying a pair of the vertical TFTs as load transistors in the same layer with the other four regular transistors to form a SRAM cell.
A bulk 6T SRAM cell has six transistors grown in a bulk semiconductor substrate, such as single crystal silicon. A 6T bulk SRAM cell is faster than the 4T/2R SRAM cell or the 6TFT SRAM cell. It is often fabricated in CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology with four of the transistors being n-channel devices while the remaining two transistors are p-channel devices. This 6T configuration offers several advantages including operating at a low level of power and at a high speed. However, 6T SRAM cells utilizing transistors formed in a bulk substrate consume a large area since the bulk transistors are formed next to one another in the substrate and are essentially in the same plane. As such, it is difficult to fabricate the conventional bulk 6T SRAM to a high density.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,518 B1 reduces the bulk 6T SRAM cell size by stacking a pair of load transistors Q3 and Q4 above a pair of drive transistors Q1 and Q2 as well as a pair of transfer transistors Q5 and Q6. The respective circuit diagram and a cross sectional view of the structure are provided in its FIG. 1. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,271,542 B1 and 2001/0028059 A1 take the same approach.
PCT/JP99/02505 discloses a pair of PLED devices to be incorporated in a flip-flop; nonvolatile 6T SRAM cell as in its FIG. 1. As shown in the cross sectional view of the PLED device in its FIG. 3, the insulation layers 708, 709, and 710 are provided between the source 701 and the drain 700 to reduce the leakage current to a substantially zero value. The PLED device is merely designed as an external device to the 6T SRAM cell.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,229,161 is directed to another species of SRAM cells including a negative differential resistance ("NDR") device coupled with a NMOS transistor (only two elements: 1T/1R) such that it takes less space than a 6T SRAM cell. In its FIG. 6, the NDR device with a thin vertical PNPN structure is coupled with a vertically-arranged NMOS. Since one of the drain and the source of the NMOS transistor are grown in the substrate, it bents horizontally.
Currently, there is a demand to further reduce the low-power SRAM cell size than the prior art structures so as to accommodate more compact cellular phones, PDAs, and other mobile devices.

Semiconductor memory device using vertical-channel transistors


A three-dimensional circuit structure that interconnects an integrated circuit chip, along with additional active devices and passive components to a substrate by way of a high density multichip interconnect decal disposed on the integrated circuit chip. The three-dimensional circuit structure thus comprises the substrate, an integrated circuit attached to the top of the substrate, and the high density multichip interconnect decal attached to the integrated circuit. One or more passive components and relatively small active devices are attached to the top of the high density multichip interconnect decal. A plurality of three-bond, daisy-chained wedge bonds are used to interconnect the active devices and passive components to the substrate by way of the HDMI decal. Each wedge bond comprises a wire that initiates at an HDMI decal bond pad, an intermediate stitch bond at an integrated circuit bond pad, and terminates at a substrate bond pad.

The present invention relates generally to interconnect structures, and more particularly, to three dimensional structures formed by stacking components using high density multichip interconnect decals.
Three-dimensional chip stacking is sometimes done when a user has full control over the design of a circuit and can make custom chips to permit inputs and outputs (I/Os) to line up where chip to chip connections must be made. Without the use of an interposer only nonconductive epoxy adhesive can be used to stack the chips. It is believed that three-dimensional mounting of passive devices on top of active devices has not been done in the past.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for a three-dimensional circuit structure formed by stacking components using a high density multichip interconnect decal.

Three-dimensional component stacking using high density multichip interconnect decals and three-bond daisy-chained wedge bonds


A portable planter for high-density growth of plants is described. The planter contains a bottom and at least one wall disposed on the bottom for forming a cavity. The at least one wall contains a plurality of holes configured for allowing plant stems to extend therethrough in a generally horizontal orientation. At least one drain hole is formed in the bottom or the at least one wall for draining water from the cavity. Plant growth medium is placed in the cavity, and plants are planted in the plant growth medium such that the stems extend through the holes in the wall.

This invention relates to gardening. More particularly, this invention relates to container gardening and a planter for growing of plants, such as flowers, herbs, vegetables, and the like.
One of the most versatile and creative forms of gardening is container gardening. Planting a container garden is much like creating a floral arrangement. However, live plants can be enjoyed for a longer period of time than can cut flowers. Almost any plant can be grown in a container when proper growing conditions are provided. Container gardens can add a temporary splash of color and art wherever desired. The biggest disadvantages to growing plants in containers are the maintenance requirements of watering and fertilizing. Moreover, the types of containers used in container gardening have not permitted plants to reach their growth potential.
According to conventional wisdom, plants can be grown in anything that will hold soil and allow proper drainage. Some of the more traditionally used containers include terra cotta (clay) pots, plastic pots, hanging baskets, wire baskets lined with sphagnum moss or fibrous liners, concrete planters, planter boxes, whiskey barrels, 5-gallon buckets, tubs, and bushel baskets. Other containers that have been used for growing plants include wooden or plastic window boxes, wooden wine crates, tires, bags of potting soil, garbage bags filled with growth medium (called a sausage garden), and even an old boot. The criteria used for selecting containers typically include making sure that the container has a hole for adequate drainage and that the container is large enough to hold the minimum amount of soil required for mature plants to grow in. In addition, the type of container used depends on the location and the plant selected. For example, use of black containers in full sun should be avoided such that the soil does not become overheated and kill the plants. Terra cotta and other porous containers tend to wick water away from the plants, retain salts, and deteriorate over time. Another criterion believed to be important by many people for selecting a container is the appearance of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,672 to Sanderson discloses a modular column planter comprising lower, middle, and upper containers. Each container has a bottom connecting with a sidewall that extends upwardly to define a top opening. The bottom of the lower container includes a post, and the bottoms of the middle and upper containers contain an opening with a hollow column and a lower column extension positioned thereabout. The planter is formed by fitting the respective bottoms of the middle and upper containers in the top openings of the lower and middle containers. The column extension of the middle container fits into the upper end of the post of the lower container, and the column extension of the upper container fits into the upper end of the column of the middle container, thereby forming a watering tube. The planter is used by filling the upper, middle, and lower containers with soil and then planting the roots of plants in the soil such that the foliage portions of these plants grow out from the sidewall openings in the middle and lower containers. Plants in the upper container are rooted such that their foliage grows upwardly from the top opening. Soil in the lower and middle containers is moistened by filling the watering tube, which then discharges to plants growing outward through openings in the sidewalls of these containers.
While prior art containers and container gardening methods are known and are generally suitable for their limited purposes, they possess certain inherent deficiencies that detract from their overall utility in growing plants. For example, traditional containers do not permit the plants to approach their growth potential and produce the mass of foliage that could be produced if growth were not inhibited.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that providing a container and method of use thereof that facilitates growth of an immense amount of foliage would be a significant advancement in the art.


A multichannel, surface parallel, zonal transducer system includes a membrane and a compound transducer mounted on the membrane, the compound transducer including a plurality of transducer elements extending generally parallel to the membrane, interconnected in a closed network and individually addressable.

Multichannel, surface parallel, zonal transducer systems are often used for controlling light weight adaptive optics. In one approach a MEMS device consisting of individual actuators of piezoelectric, ferroelectric or capacitive material are mounted on one side of an optical membrane. Optical coatings are often applied to the optical surface on the other side of the membrane. This approach suffers from a number of shortcomings. The mass of the actuators themselves suspended from the membrane distort the membrane. And the coatings can cause further stress and deformation. The amount of motion is limited, usually no more than 1½-2 um, and often is not sufficient to compensate for even these inherent deformations let alone other environmentally caused deformations. In addition these devices are made by building up a number of their layers on the membrane. Each application of a layer thermally cycles the membrane and actuators inducing stresses. And these actuators are ultimately not more than 15 um thick and therefore not capable of applying very much force. Typically the largest optical element that can be made this way is about 10 mm and they require high voltage drives, e.g. 300V.
In another approach using a substrate support the actuators are mounted spaced from the membrane or optical surface of the substrate and oriented generally parallel to the optical surface or membrane U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/730,412, filed Dec. 8, 2003, entitled Integrated Zonal Meniscus Mirror, by Mark A. Ealey herein incorporated in its entirety by this reference. This approach requires discrete actuators and a support substrate. The stiffness of the substrate limits the amount of motion that can be applied to the substrate to shape or adapt the optical surface.


An image forming apparatus includes a developer bearing member for transporting developer to an opposing position opposing an image bearing member. Regularly-disposed concave sections are formed on a surface of the developer bearing member. An alternating voltage that includes a first voltage for moving developer from the developer bearing member toward the image bearing member and a second voltage for moving developer from the image bearing member toward the developer bearing member is applied to the developer bearing member. A cycle period of the alternating voltage is smaller than or equal to a minimum width of the concave section in a circumferential direction of the developer bearing member divided by a moving velocity of a surface of the rotating developer bearing member.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to image forming apparatuses, image forming methods and image forming systems.
2. Related Art
Image forming apparatuses such as laser beam printers are already well known. Such image forming apparatuses include, for example, an image bearing member for bearing latent images, and a developer bearing member that rotates while bearing developer to transport the developer to a position opposing the image bearing member. When image signals or the like are transmitted from an external apparatus such as a host computer, latent images borne on the image bearing member are developed using the developer that has been transported to the opposing position by the developer bearing member, thereby forming developer images. Then, the developer images are transferred onto a medium so as to ultimately form images on the medium.
During development of the latent images using developer, some of such image forming apparatuses apply to the developer bearing member an alternating voltage that includes a first voltage for shifting developer from the developer bearing member to the image bearing member, and a second voltage for shifting developer from the image bearing member to the developer bearing member.
Regularly disposed concave sections are sometimes provided on the surface of the above-described developer bearing member such that a sufficient amount of developer is borne on the surface of the developer bearing member (in other words, in order to ensure a sufficiently large surface area for the surface on which developer is borne), or for other reasons.
However, developer tends to be stuck in the concave section, where the rollability of developer tends to become unfavorable. In addition, in image forming apparatuses that includes a charging member for charging developer borne on the developer bearing member by contacting the developer bearing member, the force of the charging member pressing against developer is weaker at the concave sections (compared with convex sections), which may invite inappropriate frictional charging.
For this reason, a developer at the concave sections tends to suffer insufficient charging. As a result, such a developer causes so-called fog.
It should be noted that JP-A-5-142950 and JP-A-2004-219640 are examples of related technology.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and image forming system


The ice dispenser 10 has disposed therein an ice bin 17 having an ice discharge port 17a at the bottom which can store a great volume of ice pieces. A fixed plate 29 having a plurality of openings 29a defined in one row not in vertical alignment with the ice discharge port 17a of the ice bin 17 is disposed below the ice bin 17. A measuring device 18 with a plurality of measuring sections, having predetermined dimensions and opening upward and downward, corresponding to the number of the openings 29a is disposed slidably between the ice bin 17 and the fixed plate 29. The ice pieces charged to the measuring sections 19 through the ice discharge port 17a are discharged therefrom and supplied to a plurality of glasses 12 positioned below the respective openings 29a by shifting the measuring device 18 so as to bring the measuring sections 19 immediately above the corresponding openings 29a.

This invention relates to an ice dispenser which can supply by a single motion a measured amount of ice pieces, for example, to a plurality of vessels such as glasses carried in a rack.
In eating places including restaurants and coffee shops, customers are generally served with so-called ice water, i.e. glasses of water with ice, before orders are taken as an expression of hospitality. As the apparatus for serving ice water, an ice dispenser which supplies ice pieces only or an ice water dispenser which supplies ice pieces and water is suitably utilized. To describe one example of the basic structure of the ice water dispenser, it consists of an ice making machine which produces a predetermined size of ice pieces continuously, an ice bin in which the ice pieces produced in the ice making machine are stored, a measuring device for measuring the ice pieces discharged from the ice bin upon receipt of a command to that effect and a water supplying means for supplying water to the glasses; in which the ice pieces measured by the measuring device are designed to be supplied together with water to the glasses placed at predetermined positions below the outlet.
As the measuring device in the ice water dispenser, a weighing system measuring device is generally employed, in which ice pieces discharged from the ice bin are fed to the measuring cup disposed in the dispenser until a predetermined weight of ice pieces are introduced thereto, and the ice pieces thus measured in the cup are supplied to a glass.
The dispenser which supplies ice pieces and water or ice pieces only is designed to supply by one motion a measured amount of ice pieces only or together with water to one glass. The number of customers who visit the restaurant or coffee shop varies greatly depending on the time of the day, and there is no trouble to prepare and offer ice waters using such dispenser when there are a very few customers visiting. However, if a great number of customers rushes in such as during supper time, it takes a considerable time for preparing ice waters for them, giving rise to an unnegligible problem.
Under such circumstances, a number of ice waters are prepared preliminarily before a great number of customers are expected to visit in order to cope with such problem. However, if ice waters are prepared beforehand, the ice pieces melt gradually, and the water becomes lukewarm in vain.
Therefore, a contrivance can be made in order to overcome such inconvenience to dispose a plurality of ice measuring devices and water supplying means in the dispenser and prepare a plurality of ice water at one time. However, the weighing system measuring device utilized in conventional dispensers is of a bulky structure, and thus a great space is required for disposing many measuring devices in the dispenser. Accordingly, not only the size of the dispenser itself becomes very large, but also the cost thereof becomes too high to be offered in practical uses.
This invention is proposed in view of the problems inherent in the conventional dispensers and for the purpose of solving them successfully, and it is an object of this invention to provide an ice dispenser having a simple constitution which can supply a measured amount of ice pieces to a plurality of vessels respectively at one time.
It is another object of this invention to provide an ice measuring device for such ice dispenser, which has simple constitution and can measure and supply a predetermined amount of ice pieces, the material to be supplied, to the vessels.


The base station has an antenna system comprising a housing for fixing it to a support and one or several radiating slots. It is designed for transmitting, in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the front surface of the housing, an electric field with polarization oriented along a second direction substantially parallel to the front surface, and for transmitting, in another direction closer to the second than to the first direction, an electric field with polarization substantially oriented along the first direction. The base station is well adapted to indoor environments in microcells or picocells. It can be fixed vertically on a wall or be horizontally suspended to a ceiling, without requiring separate antenna systems for these two installation modes.

The present invention relates to a radiocommunication base station, in particular a station for a cellular network, more particularly a station for small cells (microcells or picocells) in an indoor environment (a station for installation indoors).
The antenna systems of radiocommunication base stations are normally required to radiate a wave that is polarised vertically relative to the ground, i.e. with a vertical electrical field vector. The reason for this is that the dipoles of mobile station antennas are usually oriented around the vertical when the stations are communicating. The vertical polarisation of the wave produced by the base station therefore optimises the power picked up.
As a general rule, it is desirable to integrate the antenna system with the structure of the casing of the station to limit installation costs associated with the use of connectors, cables and remote antennas.
For indoor applications, two configurations of the base stations (or their antenna systems if these are separate from the units which handle digital processing and the interface with fixed networks) are routinely used by installers: a wall-mounted configuration and a ceiling-mounted configuration.
The antenna is often a dipole (or a monopole) which radiates a wave whose electric field is polarised parallel to the axis of the dipole. Also encountered are microstrip printed circuit antennas in which the radiation pattern is more directional. For the electric field produced to be polarised vertically in the usual two configurations (wall-mounted and ceiling-mounted), the number of antenna systems has to be doubled, which is not economical and can give rise to problems of overall size. Otherwise, two distinct architectures must be designed, one for the wall-mounted configuration and the other for the ceiling-mounted configuration, which also represents a penalty.
The documents WO 95/23441, EP-A-0 805 508, EP-A-0 521 326, xe2x80x9cAnalysis and design of a circumferential wide slot cut on a thin cylinder for mobile base station antennasxe2x80x9d (J. Hirokawa et al., IEEE, Proceedings of APSIS, 1993, Vol.3, Jun. 28, 1993, pages 1842-1845), and the abstract of Japanese Patent Application JP-A-09 232835, disclose antennas whose radiating elements are radiating slots.
The document GB-A-2 229 319 discloses an antenna intended to be mounted in a vertical configuration and in which the radiating element is a pair of spaced parallel metal plates. It is stated that the antenna could be mounted horizontally, in a ceiling or in a floor.
An object of the present invention is to propose base stations whose antenna systems are well suited to the usual indoor installation conditions and do not require duplication.
The invention therefore proposes a radiocommunication base station including, for communicating by radio with mobile stations, at least one antenna system including a casing for fixing it to a support.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the antenna system includes at least one radiating slot formed in a conductive plane parallel to a front face of the casing and adapted to emit, in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the front face of the casing, an electric field whose polarisation is oriented in a second direction substantially parallel to said front face and perpendicular to the orientation of the slot, and to emit, in at least one other direction, substantially closer to the second direction than to the first direction, an electric field whose polarisation is oriented substantially in the first direction, the casing having a first operating position in which said second direction is substantially vertical and a second operating position in which said first direction is substantially vertical.
In the wall-mounted configuration, the antenna system is disposed so that the xe2x80x9cfirst directionxe2x80x9d is vertical. Mobile stations facing the antenna system thus receive a wave whose electric field has a relatively strong vertical component, which is what is required.
In the ceiling-mounted configuration, the front face of the casing is horizontal. Because the xe2x80x9cother directionxe2x80x9d is oriented towards an area to be covered, mobile stations in that area also receive a wave whose electric field has a relatively strong vertical component. It is true that the directly radiated electric field is quasi-horizontal at positions vertically aligned with the casing. However, because the mobile stations that are located there receive a relatively high power, this orientation of the electric field does not give rise to any sensitivity problem. To the contrary, radiating a quasi-horizontal electric field in the immediate vicinity of the station means that depolarisation losses limit the incidence of blocking problems, i.e. problems of saturation of receivers (see GSM Specification 05.05). These blocking problems are very serious in practice and currently give rise to very tight specifications for the linearity of receivers, which is an additional-cost factor.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the antenna system includes two parallel radiating slots oriented perpendicularly to the first and second directions and separated by a distance substantially equal to half the radiated wavelength and means for feeding radio-frequency energy to the two slots adapted to energise the two slots either in phase or in phase opposition according to whether the front face of the casing is installed in a horizontal or vertical plane.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following description of non-limiting embodiments of the invention, which description is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Radio communication base station antenna