A tape cartridge having dual cartridge memory modules to provide memory redundancy, and a method and apparatus for providing redundancy of cartridge memory information within a tape cartridge. The tape cartridge comprises at least first and second cartridge memory modules, each of which stores an identical set of critical information. Each of the first and second cartridge memory modules includes enough critical information to recover from a failure of either of the cartridge memory modules. The method comprises the steps of providing at least two cartridge memory modules in the tape cartridge, and storing an identical set of critical information in each of the two cartridge memory modules. Each of the two cartridge memory modules includes enough critical information to recover from a failure of either cartridge memory module. In a preferred embodiment, the CM modules are stacked one on top of another and increase the amount of space available for tape directory storage.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to cartridge memory modules. More specifically, the invention relates to a tape cartridge having dual cartridge memory modules to provide memory redundancy, and to a method and apparatus to provide redundancy of cartridge memory information by the use of dual cartridge memory modules.
2. Background Art
Accessing data stored on linear tape is a function of data density and tape length. The longer the tape length, the longer it may take to access data on it. Current Linear Tape Open (LTO) products make use of a cartridge memory (CM) module to store tape directory and end of data (EOD) information.
In use, the CM modules are physically installed within tape cartridges, and the CM modules are addressed and modified by use of a contactless interface. Information read and updated in the CM module is accomplished from a transmitter incorporated into the tape drive. A list of standard or common CM memory contents, for example, is given in the LTO Tape Format Standard—ECMA 319 Data Interchange on 12, 7 mm 384 Track Magnetic Tape Cartridges—Ultrium 1 Format—Annex D LTO Cartridge Memory.
One type of information stored on CM modules is tape directory information, which is comprised of data that relate the physical position of key landmarks on the tape to the logical record found at that landmark. On LTO media, the physical data are conventionally addressed as longitudinal position (LPOS) (length wise access) by wrap position (traverse wise access). According to industry standards for generation 1 LTO products, there are 0.0072 meters per LPOS unit, each wrap is 580 meters (or 80555 LPOS unit in length), and there are forty-eight wraps across the width of the tape.
The cartridge memory technology used in the first generation LTO products (4 KB memory limitation) has imposed the limit on the number of tape directory entries to only 96 entries (two entries per wrap×48 wraps). Thus, the tape directory landmark information is limited to the mid-point and end-point of each wrap, resulting in 290 meters (580/2) meters between landmark information points. These landmark points, it may be noted, are referred to as wrap sections in the ECMA 319 Standard.
Table I below gives an example of tape directory information, and Table II below gives an example of information available at a wrap section.
TABLE ITape DirectoryFieldR/OOffsetBytesDescriptionPage IdRI02This field shall be set to (0103)indicating the Tape DirectoryPage.Page LengthRI22This field shall be set to (0610)which indicates the length ofthis Page.FID TapeO44The content of this field is notWrite Passdefined by this RCMA Standardand shall be ignored ininterchange.ReservedRU88These bytes shall be set to (00).Wrap Section 0RI1616As defined below.Wrap Section 1RI3216............WrapRI152016Section 94WrapRI153616Section 95
TABLE IIWrap SectionFieldBytesDescriptionPerData4This field shall specify the Data Set Identity ofWrapSet Idthe last Data Set written in this wrap section. IfSectionthis wrap section does not contain valid DataSets, then this field shall be set to (FFFFFFFF).Record4If this Wrap Section is valid, this field shallCountcontain the number of Records that are startedin the current Wrap Section. If the Data SetID of this Wrap Section is (FFFFFFFF) andhence this Wrap Section is invalid, the RecordCount field is not defined for interchangeFile4If this Wrap Section is valid, this field shallMarkcontain the number of File Marks that areCountwithin the current Wrap Section. If the DataSet ID of this Wrap Section is (FFFFFFFF)and hence this Wrap Section is invalid, theFile Mark Count field is not defined forinterchange.CRC4This field shall specify the CRC generated overbytes 0 to 11 of this section of this wrapsection.
The logical record found at each landmark is also recorded in each tape directory entry. Due to variances in host transfer record sizes and in compression ratios, the location of records is not linear on the tape. Because of this, locating to a random logical block requires a specialized algorithm to interpolate the physical position of that record from the two reference points (the mid-point landmark and the end-point landmark) of each wrap. Given the coarse nature of the tape directory (one every half wrap, or wrap section), the algorithm must approximate such that overshoots are avoided. Such approximations limit the effectiveness and speed of the search algorithm. In addition, the algorithm must take extreme caution where repositioning records (establishing a new sequence) to prevent encountering and referencing records that have become obsolete due to on-the-fly rewriting, which is permitted by industry standards.
End of data (EOD) information provides the physical position (LPOS and wrap) of the End-of-Data marker. Tables III and IV below give examples of end-of-data information.
TABLE IIIEOD InformationFieldR/OOffsetBytesDescriptionPage IdRI02This field shall be set to (0104)indicating the EODInformation Page.Page LengthRI22This field shall be set to (0040)which indicatesthe length of this page.Tape WriteRI44This field shall indicate thePass for lastcurrent value of the Tapewritten EODWrite Pass.Thread CountRI84This field shall specify the valueof the Thread Count field in theCartridge Status Informationwhen the EOD Data Set waswritten.Record CountRI126The field shall specify theat EODnumber of Records that arecontained on the tape betweenBOT and EOD.File MarkRI186This field shall specify theCount at EODnumber of File Marks that arecontained on the tape betweenthe BOT and EOD.EOD Data SetRI244This field shall specify the DataNumberSet number of the EOD DataSet.Wrap SectionRI284This field shall specify theNumber ofidentification of the wrap sectionEODin which EOD is contained.
TABLE IVFieldR/OOffsetBytesDescriptionValidity ofRI322This field shall indicate the currentEODstatus of the information held aboutEOD. This shall be set to(0000): The position of EOD isunknown.(0001): The information in this areaidentifies the location of EOD.(00002): A Backup was in progress,and so there is no EOD DataSet on tape. The EOD InformationPage shall specify details of a DataSet that is known to be at or beforethe current location on tape.(0003): A Backup has beenperformed, but the drive failed towrite the EOD Data Set to tapecorrectly. The EOD Information Pageshall contain details of the Data Setthat caused the Backup to fail.First CQRI342This field shall specify the AbsoluteSetCQ Set Number (CAN) of the firstNumberCQ Set in the EOD Data Set.PhysicalRI364This field shall specify the LPOSPositionvalue information at which EOD wasof EODwritten. This shall be a value for aLPOS Mark that lies within, orbefore, the DSS preceding the EODData Set.ReservedRI4020These bytes shall be set to all (00).CRCRI604This field shall specify the CRCgenerated over bytes 0 to 59 ofthis Page.
If a failure of a cartridge memory module occurs, accessing tape data is limited to linear (physical) searches, which may take a substantial length of time. For instance, on the first generation product, the time to locate to the last record on tape may take almost two hours (48 wraps×580 meters per wrap×4 meters per second (read velocity)=6960 seconds, which is nearly two hours). EOD information would also be limited to a linear search.

Random access time to data stored on LTO tape by incorporating stacked cartridge memory (CM) modules


The image forming apparatus includes a determination unit configured to determine whether or not a polygon mirror has converged to the number of rotations that allows image formation to be performed, and the determination unit is capable of detecting a first timing and a second timing and determines that the polygon mirror has converged to a number of rotations that allows the image formation to be performed based on an earlier one of the first timing and the second timing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to image forming and, more particularly, to image forming apparatuses such as a laser beam printer (LBP), a digital copier, and a digital facsimile (FAX) which perform optical writing by using laser beams.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an electrophotographic type image forming apparatus, a laser beam emitted from a laser light source is reflected by a rotating polygon mirror so that the laser beam modulated through an image signal scans a surface of a photosensitive member. In many image forming apparatuses, the polygon mirror is being stopped while a user does not provide an instruction for a print operation, and a scanner motor that rotates the polygon mirror starts being driven upon the user instructing the print operation to be started.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-96799 discusses the following method. That is, after a scanner motor is started, an image forming apparatus stands by for a predetermined period of time in which it is estimated that the number of rotations of a rotatable polygon mirror converges at the number of rotations that allows exposure to be performed (i.e., that allows an image to be formed on a recording material) after the number of rotations of the rotatable polygon mirror has reached a predetermined number of rotations. Then, the determination of a scanner ready state (i.e., the number of rotations of the rotatable polygon mirror has reached a level that allows an image to be formed on a recording material) is made. Here, the estimated predetermined period of time is selected on the basis of the time it takes for the cycle of rotations to reach a predetermined value.
However, in the method discussed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-96799, the predetermined period of time in which it is estimated that the number of rotations of the rotatable polygon mirror reaches the level that allows exposure to be performed needs to be set to a period of time with some margins while taking an error arising due to a variation in an operating environment or a component into consideration. In addition, the image forming apparatus always stands by for the predetermined period of time after the number of rotations of the rotatable polygon mirror has reached the predetermined value. Thus, there may be a case in which a timing at which the determination of an exposure ready state is unnecessarily delayed by continuing to stand by for the predetermined period of time while the number of rotations of the rotatable polygon mirror has actually converged at the level that allows exposure to be performed. In such a case, there may be a case in which a timing at which an image starts to be formed on a recording material is unnecessarily delayed as well. As a result, a first print output time (FPOT), which is the time it takes for an image to finish being formed on a first piece of the recording material after an instruction for the image to start being formed is received, may be unnecessarily extended, and the user may need to wait for the extended period of time.

Image forming apparatus for determining a time to start forming an image


The present invention provides a copolymer containing 80 mol % or more of a methyl (metl)acrylate unit (A), wherein the Vicat softening temperature thereof is 115° C. or higher, the saturated water absorption rate thereof at 60° C. is 4 % by weight or less, and the yellow index thereof is 1 or less. The process for producing the copolymer includes suspension polymerizing a monomer mixture containing 80 mol % or more of methyl (meth)acrylate (a) and 0.7 mol % to 7 mol % of (meth)acrylic acid (b), followed by melting and kneading the resulting precursor with an extruder to obtain a copolymer containing 80 mol % or more of a methyl (meth)acrylate unit (A), 0.45 mol % to 7 mol % of a (meth)acrylic acid unit (B), and 0.001 mol % to 0.25 mol % of a glutaric anhydride unit (C) wherein a conversion rate to the glutaric anhydride unit (C) is 0.1 % to 5 %.

Polymethyl methacrylates and polycarbonates are widely used in various fields such as optical materials, vehicle parts, lighting materials or construction materials due to their superior transparency and dimensional stability.
Objects shaped from polymethyl methacrylates and polycarbonates have recently been required to demonstrate higher levels of performance accompanying reductions in thickness and size of various parts and components. One area of performance required to be improved is heat resistance. Vehicle parts such as tail lamps and head lamps in particular are required to demonstrate more superior heat instance since automobiles and other vehicles using these parts are used at high temperatures and high humidity.
However, although polymethyl methacrylates have superior transparency and weather resistance, they have insufficient heat resistance. In addition, although polycarbonates have superior heat resistance and impact resistance, they exhibit optical distortion in the form of large birefringence resulting in the occurrence of optical anisotropy in shaped articles thereof, while also being considerably inferior with respect to moldability, scratch resistance and oil resistance.
Consequently, studies have been conducted to improve the heat resistance of acrylic resins as represented by polymethyl methacrylates. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a copolymer having a methyl acrylate unit, methacrylic acid unit glutaric anhydride unit.

Copolymer, process for producing copolymer, resin composition, shaped article and vehicle


An integrated circuit for processing audio and voice signals in a telephone is disclosed. The integrated circuit comprises an audio output port having a first and a second output terminal for connection to a first and a second input terminal, respectively, of a speaker. The integrated circuit further comprises an audio input port having a first and a second input terminal for connection to a first and a second output terminal of an audio input source. The integrated circuit also comprises at least one audio output path and one audio input path. Moreover, the integrated circuit comprises a test impedance, such as a resistor, (RT) for measuring an electrical impedance of the speaker.

Manufacturers of cellular telephones need to evaluate the quality of the loudspeaker and/or the ear speaker assembled inside a telephone. One way to test if the speaker is good is to carry out an evaluation of its acoustic response or the equivalent electrical impedance curve.
An example quality analysis test consists of looking at the amplitude variation of the resonance peaks. In fact, the frequency and amplitude of resonance peaks depend on the quality of speaker and are not disturbed by variations in speaker components. For calculation practical reasons, a method of looking at anti-resonance values may be used instead.
A circuit used to measure the impedance curve is illustrated in FIG. 1.
A resistor R1 is connected in series to the measured speaker 5 and an external voltage generator 10 supplies, or forces, a voltage Vin. The resistance of R1 may e.g. be selected as twice the DC resistance of the speaker.
Using a frequency sweep and measuring the voltage drop V1 across the resistor R1, it is possible to calculate the impedance Zspeaker versus frequency f using the following formula:
                                          Z            speaker                                          (            f            )                          =                              R            1                    ·                      (                                                            V                  in                                                                      V                    1                                                                          (                    f                    )                                                              -              1                        )                                              (                  Eq          .                                                    1                )


An embodiment provides a circuit for testing an integrated circuit. The circuit includes a scan compression architecture driven by a scan clock and generates M scan outputs, where M is an integer. A clock divider is configured to divide the scan clock by k to generate k number of phase-shifted scan clocks, where k is an integer. A packing logic is coupled to the scan compression architecture and generates kM slow scan outputs in response to the M scan outputs and the k number of phase shifted scan clocks. The packing logic further includes M number of packing elements. Each packing element includes k number of flip-flops. Each flip-flop of the k number of flip-flops receives a scan output of the M scan outputs and a phase-shifted scan clock of the k number of phase-shifted scan clocks, and generates a slow scan output of the kM slow scan outputs.

Scan based techniques offer an efficient alternative to achieve high fault coverage compared to the functional pattern based testing. As the design size increases and multi-core SoCs (system-on-chip) becomes essential to drive high speed applications, test data volume and test application time grow unwieldy even in the highly efficient and balanced scan based designs. Scan compression technique is so far, the best technique for test data volume as well as test time reduction during pattern execution of scan inserted designs. Few compression techniques that are implemented in SoCs include broadcast or Illinois architecture, muxed and XOR architecture or MISR (multiple input shift register) based compression architecture. The problem in today's power consuming devices is to handle the leakage power. Efforts are made to use ultra-low leakage library (ULL) cells. A ULL cell library based IO (input/output) receives a scan input on an input terminal and generates a scan output on an output terminal. The ULL cell library based IOs have very high inertial delay on clock and data path at the output terminal that can go as high as the order of 30 ns. The input terminal of these IOs is not affected by this timing issue as the inertial delay between clock and data path is very low. Under such conditions, it is not possible to drive scan operation at higher frequency like 30 MHz or higher. Even though VLCT (very low cost tester) can support data to be driven at higher clock frequency but slower scan output is the bottle neck to the operation. As a result scan operation is not executed at optimal frequency resulting in higher test time.

Handling slower scan outputs at optimal frequency


Techniques for partitioning data streams are provided. In some examples, a query for processing at least a portion of a data stream may be identified. The data stream may be associated with a user. Additionally, in some examples, code identifying an attribute of the identified stream may be received. The code may be capable of configuring the query based at least in part on the attribute. Further, in some aspects, the code may be configured to partition the data stream into at least a sub-stream based at least in part on the attribute.

Event processing applications can be configured to process very large amounts of streaming data from many disparate sources. In some cases, the streaming data may be associated with multiple different attributes. For example, a stream of customer data associated with accessing network content of a company may include Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and/or geographic location information associated with the customers. Often, the data streams are received at very high rates and include nearly unmanageable amounts of information. With a wide variety of input streams and data parameters, and the ever increasing speed of and volume of information received, it can become burdensome to manage such data streams.


A short-flight golf training ball has a spherical hollow rubber carcass, a felt cover, and a hard spherical inner core. The spherical hollow rubber carcass has a spherical outer wall and a spherical interior wall defining a hollow spherical interior that has an interior diameter. The felt cover affixed to the outer wall. The hard spherical inner core has an outer diameter that is less than interior diameter of the carcass and is free or substantially free to move around at will in the hollow spherical interior.

The invention relates to golf training balls and, more particularly, to a construction with a non-deformable inner ball rolling freely in the spherical hollow core of a rubber outer carcass provided with a drag-inducing cover.
It is an object of the invention to provide a golf training ball that simulates fairly closely the experience of hitting a regulation (eg., USGA-approved) golf ball with drivers and/or irons, but otherwise has a very short flight. Hence the training ball is easy to retrieve or enables practice in yards or lawns much smaller than a typical driving range.
In other words, it is an object of the invention that the user can walk out his or her home's front or back door, and practice with any club up to and including a driver.
It is another object of the invention that such a golf training ball compress on the face of the club driver much like the experience with hitting a regulation golf ball for—among other reasons—enabling the user to feel or discern where on the club face contact was made with the training ball.
It is an additional object of the invention that such a golf training ball, albeit adapted to provide a short flight, at least initially launch off the club face pretty similar to the way a regulation ball would (with a similar swing and struck in a similar location on the club face), in order to give the user more accurate feedback as to launch angle and curve trajectory had the swing been made on a regulation ball instead of the training ball.
It is a further object of the invention that such a ball have a satisfying noise when struck well by the club, again simulative to the sound of a well-struck regulation ball off the same club so as to provide the user with further positive feedback of training success.
A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of the preferred embodiments and examples with reference to the drawings.


Electrical connector including a contact array of electrical contacts. Each of the electrical contacts has an elongated body that extends along a central axis and an exterior surface that includes a wipe track. The wipe track extends along the central axis and is configured to engage a flexible contact finger of the mating connector. Each of the elongated bodies includes a forward segment, a mating segment, and a ramp portion that extends between and joins the forward and mating segments. An elevation of the wipe track along the mating segment is greater than an elevation of the wipe track along the forward segment. An elevation of the wipe track along the ramp portion increases as the wipe track extends from the forward segment to the mating segment such that the ramp portion deflects the contact finger from a first deflected condition to a greater second deflected condition.

The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors having electrical contacts that sustain wear during a mating operation with another electrical connector.
Electrical connectors are used to transmit data and/or power in various industries. The electrical connectors are often configured to repeatedly engage and disengage complementary electrical connectors. The process of mating the electrical connectors may be referred to as a mating operation. Each mating operation may cause a small amount of wear to the electrical connectors. For example, in a backplane communication system, a backplane circuit board has a header connector that is configured to mate with a receptacle connector. The receptacle connector is typically mounted to a daughter card. The header connector includes an array of electrical contacts (hereinafter referred to as "header contacts"), and the receptacle connector includes a complementary array of electrical contacts (hereinafter referred to as "receptacle contacts"). During the mating operation, the receptacle contacts mechanically engage and slide along the corresponding header contacts. The sliding engagement between the receptacle and header contacts may be referred to as wiping, because each receptacle contact wipes along an exterior surface of the corresponding header contact. Friction generated during the wiping may cause mechanical wear to the header contact. For instance, adhesion between the receptacle contact and the corresponding header contact may remove surface materials of the corresponding header contact as the receptacle contact wipes along the header contact. Mechanical wear reduces the lifetime operability of the header contacts and/or header connector.
For at least some known backplane communication systems, each header contact is a single projection, such as a post or pin, and each receptacle contact may have a pair of contact fingers. The contact fingers have mating interfaces that face each other with a contact-receiving gap therebetween. During the mating operation, the header contact is received within the contact-receiving gap. The mating interfaces of the receptacle contact engage opposite sides of the header contact and are deflected away from each other.
When the contact fingers are in deflected condition, each of the contact fingers provides a normal force that presses the corresponding mating interface against the header contact. To maintain the electrical connection between the header contact and the corresponding contact fingers, larger normal forces may be desirable. However, larger normal forces may increase adhesive wear and, consequently, the amount of mechanical wear sustained by the header contact. In addition to reducing the lifetime operability of the header contact and/or header connector, excessive wear may negatively affect electrical performance.
Accordingly, a need remains for electrical contacts and electrical connectors having the same in which the electrical contacts sustain less mechanical wear during mating operations.

Electrical connector having electrical contacts configured to reduce wear caused by wiping


A vehicle interior component is disclosed. The component may comprise a cover movable relative to a base between closed and open positions and a latch mechanism comprising a magnet arrangement for movement within the cover for engaged and disengaged states. The magnet arrangement may maintain the disengaged state after the cover is released from the base. A magnet of the base may retain the engaged state, a magnet may retain the disengaged state. The magnet arrangement may be concealed within the cover; a magnet arrangement may be concealed within the base. The base may comprise a first magnet on a sidewall and a second magnet on another sidewall; the cover may comprise a first magnet to engage the first magnet of the base and a second magnet to engage the second magnet of the base. The component may comprise a trim component, console, floor console, center console, or compartment.

It is well known to provide in a vehicle interior a component comprising a base with a compartment and a cover movable relative to the base to facilitate access to the compartment.
It would be advantageous to provide an improved component for a vehicle interior configured for improved functionality and operation comprising features (and combinations of features) as shown and described in the present application including features relating to a base, a cover arrangement and a latch mechanism to secure the cover to the base.

Shanghai Yanfeng Jinqiao Automotive Triim Systems Co. Ltd.


A transflective liquid crystal display includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and liquid crystal intercalated between the first and second substrates in which each pixel includes a reflection area and a transmission area. The second substrate includes pixel electrodes and common electrodes to drive the liquid crystal. In the reflection area, a reflective layer is arranged between the pixel and common electrodes and the second substrate, and a polarizing layer is disposed between the pixel and common electrodes and the reflective layer.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display, and in particular, to a transflective liquid crystal display.
Display devices are media to visually transfer information to humans and are important for humans and their society in the highly developed information environment today. Liquid crystal displays have been tremendously developed in performance and hence are adopted as displays for various apparatuses such as cellular phones, personal computers, and large-screen television sets. In general, a liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight (illuminating device) arranged on the rear surface of the display panel to emit light onto the panel. To display a color image, each pixel includes three subpixels respectively corresponding to, for example, three primary colors, i.e., red, blue, and green. The subpixel of each color can be independently controlled to reproduce various colors.
For mobile devices such as cellulars, a transflective liquid crystal displays is employed because of its performance to cope with wide-range illumination environments. In a display area of a liquid crystal panel of such transflective liquid crystal display, each subpixel includes a transmission area and a reflection area. The transmission area achieves transmissive display by controlling the amount of transmitted light from the backlight. On the other hand, the reflection area implements reflective display by controlling the amount of reflected light from the external area. That is, the transflective liquid crystal display primarily conducts transmissive display in a dark environment and reflective display in a bright environment to guarantee visibility of the display image, and hence is usable in a wide-range illumination environment.
In this connection, a liquid crystal display of In Plane Switching (IPS) type is known as a liquid crystal display having a wide viewing angle. The liquid crystal display of IPS type includes, like liquid crystal devices of other types such as a Vertical Alignment (AV) type and a Twisted Nematic type, a pair of transparent substrates, a liquid crystal layer intercalated therebetween, a pair of polarizers disposed respectively on surfaces of the associated transparent substrates, the surfaces of the substrates respectively opposing to the surfaces facing the liquid crystal layer. In the display, the state of polarization of light incident to the liquid crystal layer is changed to control the amount of transmitted light to thereby display an image. In the display of IPS type, pixel electrodes to drive the liquid crystal and common electrodes are formed on one and the same substrate. By providing a voltage potential difference between these electrodes, movement of liquid crystal molecules is controlled. The amount of transmitted light is controlled mainly by the movement of liquid crystal molecules in which the molecules rotate in a plane parallel to the associated plane of the substrates. This leads to a wide viewing angle for the following reasons. That is, when the screen of the display is viewed from an inclined direction, there do not occur disadvantages in which the contrast ratio of the displayed image abruptly lowers and inversion takes place in gradation. Transmissive liquid crystal displays of IPS type have already been put to practices in various fields. It has been highly expected that transflective liquid crystal displays are introduced to practical uses.
JP-A-2006-184325 describes a transflective liquid crystal display of IPS type including a polarizing layer which coats pixel electrodes and common electrodes. Specifically, in addition to the paired polarizers of the liquid crystal device, a new polarizing layer is arranged to coat the pixel electrodes and the common electrodes. The paired polarizers are disposed such that the absorption axes respectively thereof are perpendicular to each other, and the absorption axis of the polarizing layer is aligned with that of the polarizer disposed on the backlight side. In the configuration, in the transmissive display mode, when the driving voltage is zero, black (dark) display results and when the driving voltage is applied, bright display results basically as in the conventional liquid crystal display of IPS type. The display is hence a display of normally black type.
For the reflective display, the pixel electrodes and the common electrodes are formed using a reflective electrode material. Or, a reflecting layer is disposed as a layer other than the layers of these electrodes to provide a reflection area. Therefore, like in the transmissive display, the black (dark) display is implemented when the driving voltage is zero and the bright display is implemented when the driving voltage is effectively applied. It is hence possible to realize a transflective liquid crystal display of normally black type.
In the technique of JP-A-2006-184325, a Thin Crystal Film (TCF) of OPTIVA, Inc. is employed as the material of the polarizing layer. That is, a material of coating type is used for the polarizing layer. In this connection, materials of coating type to be used for the polarizing layer are described in pages 1170 to 1173 of "Current Status and Future Prospect of In-Cell Polarizer Technology" written by Y. Ukai et al. in SID 04 DIGEST, 2004 and in pages 1316 to 1319 of "Ultra-Thin O-Polarizers' Superiority over E-Polarizers for LCDS" written by Ir Gvon Khan et al. in SID 04 DIGEST, 2004.

Transflective liquid crystal display comprising a polarizing layer disposed between a reflective layer and an electrode group, and the reflective layer is an upper layer of a TFT in the reflection area


A method for performing packet loss concealment of lost packets in Voice over IP (Internet Protocol) speech transmission. Statistical n-gram models are initially created with use of a training speech corpus, and then, packets lost during transmission are advantageously replaced based on these models. In particular, the existence of statistical patterns in successive voice over IP (VoIP) packets is advantageously exploited by first using conventional vector quantization (VQ) techniques to quantize the parameter data for each packet with use of a corresponding VQ index, and then determining statistical correlations between consecutive sequences of such VQ indices representative of the corresponding sequences of n packets. The statistic n-gram predictive models so created are then used to predict parameter data for use in representing lost data packets.

It is well known that network environments are migrating toward a single converged IP (Internet Protocol) network that delivers voice, video and data traffic. One critical component for such a successful convergence is the transmission of voice packets over the IP network. IP networks were originally designed for transmitting data traffic that consists of relatively large-sized packets and that do not necessarily require reliable real-time delivery. In such applications, packets can be dropped, if necessary, with relative impunity in order to alleviate network congestion. In addition, subsequent packets can be harmlessly routed through different paths. As a result, each packet may experience quite different transmission delays. The resulting network characteristics are, however, very difficult, if not impossible, to predict—but they may nonetheless be perfectly acceptable for data transmission since dropped packets can simply be retransmitted, and delay jitter (i.e., variance) has a fairly insignificant effect.
Voice transmission, however, requires real-time and reliable delivery of smaller-sized packets. The receiving end needs to get a steady stream of voice packets for "playback." When a voice packet is dropped, there is no time for retransmitting the dropped packet. In addition, if one voice packet takes a longer route than the others and fails to arrive on time for playback, the received voice packet is in fact useless. In voice-over-IP (VoIP) applications, therefore, a voice packet is typically regarded as being lost whether the packet fails to arrive on time or if it fails to be delivered at all. Such problems are invariably found in all IP networks, regardless of how well managed or over-provisioned they may be—that is, such problems are not limited to the public Internet or only to "mismanaged" networks.
Various prior art techniques have been suggested and/or employed to recover or conceal the effects of lost packets. Without such efforts, even the best designed and managed IP networks would fail to deliver "toll quality" speech. In particular, many VoIP systems rely on receiver-based Packet-Loss Concealment (PLC) schemes. These may be generally classified into insertion-based, interpolation-based and regeneration-based methods.
Insertion-based PLC methods include such well-known prior art techniques as silence insertion, noise insertion and packet repetition. Silence insertion merely fills the gap (where the lost packet should have been) with silence. Although widely used, its performance is quite poor because packet loss thereby results in periods of silence, which, in turn, causes unpleasant clipped-speech distortion. Noise insertion—in which noise rather than silence is inserted in the gap where the lost packet should have been—produces slightly better voice quality and intelligibility than silence insertion. And packet repetition uses the most recently received packet to replace lost packets. Packet repetition performs the best among insertion-based methods, but still results in audible distortions in the speech signal.
Interpolation-based prior art PLC methods, such as G.711 PLC, provide higher concealment performance but do so at the expense of increased computational requirements. (G.711 is a standard communications protocol promulgated by the International Telecommunications Union Telecommunications Standardization Sector.) Another prior art interpolation-based method is the time scale modification technique, which "stretches" the good speech frame across the time gap to hide the lost packets. And finally, regeneration-based PLC methods, which are the most sophisticated of PLC techniques, produce the highest quality speech in the presence of lost packets. Imbedded PLC algorithms in CELP (Code-Excited Linear Predictive) based speech codecs (i.e., coder/decoder systems) such as the G.723.1, G.728 and G.729 standards (each also promulgated by the International Telecommunications Union Telecommunications Standardization Sector) belong to this category.
Note that each of the prior art PLC algorithms described above run at the receiving end (i.e., at the decoder). When the decoder determines that its packet receiving buffer is empty, implying that the packets which should follow the previous packets have either been lost or been delayed, it begins PLC processing. In the case of packet repetition—the most commonly used prior art PLC technique—this processing involves simply using the previous received packet. This choice is based on the assumption that speech is quasi-stationary—that is, the current missing packet will most likely possess similar characteristics to the previously received packet. However, this assumption is not always valid.

Packet loss concealment based on statistical


An optical system and method for characterizing an object is provided. The system includes at least one light source configured to direct photons toward an object and an interferometer configured to receive photons from the object. The system also includes at least one detector system adapted to detect an optical signal at an output of the interferometer and to remove, from the detected optical signal, a signal portion representing first order photon correlations, when present. The system also includes a processor configured to receive data relating to second-order correlated photons from said at least one detector system, each photon or photon pair subject to at least two indistinguishable paths to a photon or photon pair, but differing in at least one of time and length. The processor is configured to characterize the object based on a self interference of the second-order correlated photons from a common location within the object.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is extremely common worldwide. It occurs following the rupture of small, usually thin-walled lipid-filled plaques in the coronary arteries. When such plaques rupture, they release thrombogenic factors into the blood, causing a cascading sequence of events that culminates with clot formation and blood vessel occlusion. The plaques that obstruct a relatively small percentage of the lumen (for example, about 15% or so) have been undetectable by conventional imaging modalities (due to, primarily, insufficient resolution). The commercialization of the OCT systems and methods alleviated this situation to some degree. However, although the optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging modality was shown to identify small plaques and their thin intimate, thin-walled caps (about 75 microns in diameter or less), when used for intravascular imaging, it is well recognized that the ability of the OCT to distinguish lipid plaque material (which is intravascularly unstable) from non-lipid plaque material (which has higher stability) is quite poor. Indeed, both the lipid and non-lipid appear similar (for example, dark) when imaged with an OCT system. As a result, interventional treatments cannot be performed on the otherwise visible thin-capped intravascular plaques until the lipid nature of these plaques if identified reliably.
Overcoming this obstacle is essential for therapeutic treatment related to plaques that cause most of the MIs. It has been proposed that in an OCT-image of a plaque, a diffuse (non-sharp) border between the intima and the core of the plaque may be indicative of the presence of lipid material. However, our prior work shows that such diffuse boundary could be explained by surface scattering in the intima of the plaque. (See, for example, Brezinski M. E. et al, Assessing atherosclerotic plaque morphology: Comparison of optical coherence tomography and high frequency intravascular ultrasound. Heart. 77:397-403, 1997, PMID: 9196405). FIG. 7 is a pictorial representation of an OCT image of a plaque, where the diffuse cap-lipid interface (traced with a dashed line 710 and pointed out with an arrow 712) is covered with a highly-scattering cap (seen in the upper "reflectogram" portion of FIG. 7 as an area 716 producing significant reflections). Arrows 718 identify a cap with lower scattering and the cap-lipid interface in this area is sharply defined. Arrows 720 indicate the intima-elastic layer interface (no lipid preset) that is diffuse, with an intima that is highly scattering. The abovementioned surface-scattering explanation of the diffuse boundary appearing in the OCT images was confirmed by independent studies that showed the identification of lipid plaques based on the diffuse border in an image with insufficient sensitivity and/or reliability of 83% and as low as 43%, for example.
There remains a persisting need, therefore, in developing a technique that would allow the reliable and repeatable lipid-plaque identification and the ability to unambiguously distinguish a lipid plaque from a non-lipid plaque. Embodiments of the present invention address such need by employing aspects of the OCT-based approach that have been previously neglected in related art.

Determination of a material characteristic with the use of second-order photon correlation


A battery assembly with a housing that contains a removable battery pack. The housing, which is sterilizable, has a head designed to couple to a power consuming device. The battery pack, which is not sterilizable, contains at least one rechargeable cell. The battery pack has a head dimensioned to fit the same charger socket that can receive a sterilizable battery. The battery pack has contacts that abut charger contacts. The housing has internal contacts. Collectively, the housing and battery pack are shaped so that, when the battery pack seats in the housing, the battery pack contacts abut the housing internal contacts. The housing internal contacts are connected to the housing external contacts for supply power to the power consuming device. A cover selectively holds the battery pack in the housing chamber.

A battery often energizes a powered surgical tool used in an operating room to perform a surgical procedure. The use of a battery eliminates the need to provide a power cord connected to an external power source. The elimination of the power cord offers several benefits over corded surgical tools. Surgical personnel using this type of tool do not have to concern themselves with either sterilizing a cord so that it can be brought into the sterile surgical field surrounding the patient or ensuring that, during surgery, an unsterilized cord is not inadvertently introduced into the sterile field. Moreover, the elimination of the cord results in the like elimination of the physical clutter and field-of-view blockage the cord otherwise brings to a surgical procedure.
In an operating room, batteries are used to power more than the tools used to perform the surgical procedure. Batteries are also used to energize the power consuming components integral with a personal protection system surgical personnel sometimes wear when performing a procedure. This system typically includes some type of hooded garment. Internal to the garment is a ventilation unit for circulating air within the garment. Some of these systems also have lights for illuminating the surgical site or radios that facilitate conventional spoken level conversation with other persons involved in performing the procedure. Each of these units, the ventilation unit, the light unit and the radio, requires a source of power. By providing this power from the battery, the need to attach cords to each individual wearing such a unit is eliminated. This reduces number of cords in the operating room personnel would otherwise have to avoid. Further, eliminating these cords likewise eliminates the restrictions of movement they place on the individual using the system.
Many batteries used in the operating room include rechargeable cells. This allows the battery to be repetitively used. Typically, the cells are bound together to form a cell cluster.
To reduce, if not eliminate, the possibility of patient infection, it is necessary to sterilize any object introduced into the sterile field. (Generally, the "sterile field" is the space surrounding the surgical site at which the procedure is performed. The sterile field extends to the front of the surgeon and assisting personnel.) This requirement extends to the batteries used to charge surgical tools employed to perform the procedure. Typically, a battery is sterilized by placement in an autoclave. In the autoclave, the battery is subjected to an atmosphere saturated with water vapor (steam), the temperature is approximately 270° F. and the atmospheric pressure is approximately 30 psi (Gage).
One disadvantage of the above process is that exposure to the heat in the autoclave damages the cells. This is especially true if, the battery is autoclaved for time periods of 10 minutes or more. Some sterilization protocols require batteries for this period of time, if not longer.
To prevent autoclave-induced cell damage, some batteries are provided with removable cell clusters. This type of battery includes a housing with a void space for accommodating the cells. The housing also includes a moveable cover that encloses the cells in the void space. This allows the cell cluster to be removed from the housing prior to the autoclave process. Once the housing is sterilized and cells charged, the cluster is fitted into the housing. Once the process is complete, the surgical personnel have available for use a fully charged and autoclaved sterilized battery.
The above batteries perform reasonably in that they provide charges to devices that are used in sterile environments. However, the known batteries tend to be large in size. This reduces the ergonomics associated with working with these batteries. Further, the cell clusters internal to these batteries are often known to require custom fixtures of sockets for attaching them to the complementary chargers to which they are fitted. The Applicants' Assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,227, BATTERY CHARGER ESPECIALLY USEFUL WITH STERILIZABLE RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACKS, issued Jan. 25, 2000 and incorporated herein by reference, discloses that it is possible to provide a charger with separate socket-forming modules for use with different types of battery assemblies. Thus, the known systems require the entity supplying the charger, and sometimes the facility using the batteries, to maintain a supply of chargers or modules with different shaped sockets.

Aseptic battery with a removal cell cluster, the cell cluster configured for charging in a socket that receives a sterilizable battery


Provided is an antibacterial agent-containing dried plate having no cracks on an observation surface (a part of the plate corresponding to an observation visual field of a microscope). According to the present embodiment, an antibacterial agent-introduced plate obtained by introducing an antibacterial agent and performing vacuum drying has a recess at an edge of a well, and a microscopic observation portion, which has a surface substantially parallel to a well bottom surface, near the center of the well. The recess is provided between the microscopic observation portion and a side wall of the well, and is lower in height than the microscopic observation portion. Further, at least the bottom surface of the well and the microscopic observation portion are made of a material having a light-transmitting property in order for optical measurement (FIG. 1).

Conventionally, in antimicrobial susceptibility testing for bacteria, bacteria are introduced and cultured in a culture medium containing various antibacterial agents at various concentrations in a culture plate. The culture medium containing about 10 to 20 antibacterial agents at various concentrations is introduced into the culture plate. The bacteria is inoculated therein and is cultured. However, preparation of the culture medium containing the antibacterial agents requires time and effort. For this reason, in many cases, a culture medium containing an antibacterial agent is introduced into a plate in advance, and the frozen plate or dried plate is used.

Bacterial test plate having antibacterial agent introduced thereinto, and transparent plate


Circuits are disclosed for protecting internal circuitry of a semiconductor chip from increased power supply voltages due to electrostatic discharge (EDS). One example circuit includes a trigger circuit including a transistor and a capacitor arranged in series between DC pads. The trigger circuit generates a trigger signal to a discharge circuit connected between the DC pads to shunt charge from one of the DC pads to the other. The RC delay associated with the transistor and capacitor of the trigger circuit may be designed such that the trigger circuit generates the trigger signal in response to an ESD event, but not in response to high positive spikes on one of the DC pads during normal operation.

With advances in technology and the miniaturization of device elements in semiconductor integrated circuits, integrated circuits are becoming more susceptible to damage due to electrostatic discharge (ESD). In some applications, device elements have reached the submicron level in size and, correspondingly, MOS gate oxide films have become increasingly thin. As a result, the internal circuitry of an integrated circuit device is easily damaged by an ESD event.
Electrostatic discharge may be introduced into an integrated circuit in a variety of ways. One problematic ESD event occurs when ESD zapping occurs on DC power pads of an integrated circuit. A spike, such as an ESD spike, is not a DC voltage, but rather has a power spectrum containing only finite frequency components. Typically, this power spectrum lies in an interval around a characteristic frequency. Usually, the ESD spike will have a rise time of less than about one nanosecond.
Some conventional approaches to addressing this problem are illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D, which illustrate conventional ESD protection circuits 100, 120, 140, and 160, respectively.
With reference to FIG. 1A, a high voltage Vcc is applied to high voltage pad 102 and a ground voltage is applied to ground pad 104. The ground voltage may be referred to as Vss. The circuit 100 includes a trigger circuit 106 and a discharge circuit 108. The trigger circuit 106 is coupled between the high voltage pad 102 and the ground pad 104 and provides a trigger signal at node 114.
The discharge circuit 108 is also coupled between the high voltage pad 102 and the ground pad 104. In response to the trigger signal, the discharge circuit 108 is capable of shunting charge, such as an electrostatic discharge, from the high voltage pad 102 to the ground pad 104. The discharge circuit 108 may include NMOS transistor 110, the gate of which is connected to node 114 and is controlled by the trigger signal Vtr.
In an ESD event, the trigger circuit 106 alters the trigger signal Vtr and turns on the discharge circuit 108. The trigger circuit 106 includes a capacitor 112 connected between the high voltage pad 102 and the node 114 and a resistor 116 connected between the ground pad 104 and the node 114, with the capacitor 112 and the resistor 116 being arranged in series. The resistor 116 may comprise an NMOS transistor or other resistive element. The R*C range of the resistor 116 and the capacitor 112 of the circuit 100 of FIG. 1A is typically in the range of a few hundred nanoseconds to a few micro-seconds.
During an ESD event (i.e., an ESD zap at the high voltage pad 102) the voltage at node 114 goes high, thus turning on the discharge circuit 108 by placing a high voltage at the gate of the NMOS transistor 110, thereby turning on the transistor 110 and permitting current flow from the high voltage pad 102 through the transistor 110 to the ground pad 104. Hence, during an ESD event, the circuit 100 is capable of shunting an electrostatic discharge zap at the power pad 102 to the ground pad 104.
During normal operation, however, if on the high voltage pad 102, Vcc has high positive spikes, the trigger circuit 106 will turn on the discharge circuit 108, thus causing current to flow from high voltage pad 102 through the transistor 110 to ground pad 104. This results in unnecessary power consumption and unnecessary noise during normal operation.
In particular, in the circuit 100 of FIG. 1A, when Vcc has a high positive spike greater than the threshold voltage of the transistor 110, the transistor 110 will turn on (i.e., become highly conductive) and will permit current flow from the high voltage pad 102 to the ground pad 104.
The circuits 120, 140, and 160 of FIGS. 1B, 1C, and 1D comprise variations of the circuit 100. The circuit 120 of FIG. 1B is identical to the circuit 100 of FIG. 1A, except that the positions of the resistor 116 and the capacitor 112 are reversed and the NMOS transistor 110 is replaced with a PMOS transistor 111. The circuit 140 of FIG. 1C identical to the circuit of FIG. 1A, except that the positions of the resistor 116 and the capacitor 112 are reversed and an inverter 142 is positioned between the node 114 and the gate of the NMOS transistor 110. The circuit 160 of FIG. 1D is identical to the circuit 100 of FIG. 1A, except that the NMOS transistor 110 is replaced with a PMOS transistor 161 and an inverter 162 is positioned between the node 114 and a gate of the PMOS transistor 161.
Thus, in the circuits 100 and 120 of FIGS. 1A and 1B, when a positive Vcc spike occurs that is greater than the threshold voltage of the respective transistor 110, 111, the discharge circuit 108 will start to flow current. In the circuits 140 and 160 of FIGS. 1C and 1D, when the positive Vcc spike is greater than the threshold voltage, the inverters 142, 162 will start to flow current.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,069,792 and R. Merrill and E. Issaq, "ESD Design Methodology," 1993 EOS/ESD Symposium Proceedings, pp. 223–237, and K. Seshan, T. Maloney, K. Wu "The Quality and Reliability of Intel's Quarter Micron Process," Intel Technology Journal, Q3 '98, disclose additional background information and are all hereby incorporated by reference.

Electrostatic discharge protection circuit


A spark generating tube includes a single tube and a pyrotechnical mixture. The single tube only has a single layer of plastic material, such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyethylene. The pyrotechnical mixture has formed a thin layer in contact with the single layer of the single tube. The pyrotechnical contains an oxidizer, a reducing agent, a substance with low temperature of Tammann and an agent for lubricating and adhering, wherein the agent for lubricating and adhering is either talc or graphite, and the reducing agent can be an aluminum powder in microscale. During the process for manufacturing a spark generating tube, the mixture of the oxidizers and additives is formed separately from the reducing agent. The final mixture is obtained only in the single tube formed with an extruder. In this way, only a very small amount of pyrotechnic mixture is formed at any instant.

Shock tubes, which are also referred as non-electric detonators, are a type of low energy signal fuses. They have been widely used for connecting and initiating explosive charges in the mining and quarrying industries. They represented a revolution in the market of detonation accessories, due to the ease of connection and application, and to the intrinsic safety against accidental ignition by induction of spurious electric current. There are various types of shock tubes use high explosives as components.
Plastic extrusion may be adopted to form circular tube with an outer diameter varying from 2.0 to 6.0 mm and an inner diameter varying from 1.0 to 5.0 mm. A secondary explosive powder, such as HMX, RDX or 5 PETN, has been introduced into its inner periphery during formation of the tube. The resulting product is known as a non-electric shock tube. When initiated by a primary explosive blasting cap, a conventional shock tube generates a gaseous shock wave with a signal transmission speed ranging from 1,800 to 2,200 m/s. Further improvements may include the addition of aluminum to increase specific energy and utilization of ionomeric polymers, like Surlyn®, to increase adhesiveness of the powder. Conventional shock tube has two layers: an inner layer made of a polymer which provides adhesiveness to the explosive powder mixture, and an outer layer made of a polymer which provides mechanical strength. Surlyn® is most suitable for the inner polymer layer; and polypropylene, polyamide, or polybutene is used for the outer layer. This product was an improvement as Surlyn® alone is expensive and has a low resistance to external damage.
There are also single layer shock tubes, in which the polymer is Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) with minor quantities of an adhesive promoter. The tube is made by extrusion of an initial tube with outer and inner diameters greater than that of the final tube. Then the tube is stretched in order to orient the LLDPE molecules, making a final tube with greater tensile strength. However, the best conventional shock tubes continue to be made in two layers, and the inner layer continues to be Surlyn®, as even a low dislodgement of poorly adhered explosive powder may lead to failures in signal propagation due to discontinuities in the powder layer or by concentration of loose powder in the lower parts of the tube during field application. Alternatively, an additional thin layer of a hydrophilic polymer, like such as PVA, is deposited by passing the plastic tube through a solution of polymer in a liquid, e.g. water, and drying the solvent. The aim is to make the tube less permeable to the hydrocarbons present in an emulsion explosive. Hot diesel fuel is particularly aggressive to LLDPE, and prolonged contact of the tube with hot, diesel fuel-based emulsions causes failure in signal propagation. The PVA protective skin is fragile and does not adhere well to the LLDPE, and so a pretreatment with a cleaner, such as chromic acid, with hot air or with an adhesion promoter is necessary.
However, the foregoing products have a number of deficiencies. The production of the tube loaded with explosives (RDX, HMX or PETN are toxic and dangerous) is associated with risks both of accidental explosion and in the handling toxic products, requiring special care and protection in the production line. The fact that molecular explosives are used impedes the dosing of non-active components during the extrusion of the tube. In addition, in the conventional shock tube, the reaction products are basically hot gases which, when leaving the final extremity of the tube, expand with loss of heat, such heat loss inhibiting the ignition of the pyrotechnic delay mixture. Slower delay powders are particularly insensitive to the shock tube output. It is therefore necessary either to add an additional column of a sensitive pyrotechnic mixture to give continuity to the explosive train or to use pyrotechnic mixtures more sensitive to heat and with larger column length. As a consequence, the final product has greater production costs, and the processing and handling of the pyrotechnic mixture entails significant accidental ignition risks.
Moreover, the adherence of crystalline explosives (RDX, HMX or PETN) in plastic tubes is low, demanding special manufacturing processes and the use of special, and expensive, polymers, usually ionomeric polymers such as Surlyn®, in order to minimize the concentration of loose powder in portions of the tube and to insure uniformity of distribution. Lack of adherence of LLDPE is particularly noteworthy. It is significant that the best known commercial brands of shock tube continue to use a two layer tube, with Surlyn® as the inner layer, in spite of the efforts to improve polymer adhesiveness by changes in polymer formulation.
Further, conventional shock tube loading lacks sufficient critical mass and critical diameter to properly propagate a shock wave by classical detonation theory. The shock wave is continuously sustained by dust explosion of the explosive powder dislodged by deformation of the plastic duct caused by the shock wave behind the reactive front. Due to the foregoing feature, a conventional shock tube fails if there is a cut or a close restriction in the inner duct, dispersing the shock wave. In the field practice, if unexpected cuts, stretching, knots, holes, or closed kinks unexpectedly appear in the tube, the tube can fail to propagate. Conventional shock tubes can fail to propagate after prolonged underwater exposure above 2 bar pressure, as is often found in field practice, due to the hydrophilic characteristics of the ionomeric resins like Surlyn®.
Conventional shock tubes are sensitive to the effect designated in the industry as "snap, slap, and shoot". An unexpected ignition can occur if the tube is stretched causing rupture, in particular conditions of mechanical energy release. Conventional shock tubes are classified for transport purposes as an explosive in many countries, which results in additional costs and difficulties for transportation, especially after the increase in dangerous products regulations resulting from the fight against terrorism. Tubes manufactured with Surlyn® alone have a low tensile strength, and a low resistance to abrasion, kinks, knots, etc., demanding co-extrusion of an additional outer layer of polyethylene. This improved process still includes the use of expensive Surlyn®.
Conventional explosive powders lack sufficient activation energy to propagate in case of contamination of the tube interior by hot hydrocarbons (most likely diesel fuel) from explosive emulsions. Polymers, including LLDPE, are quite susceptible to aggression. Minor quantities of adherence-improving additives, typically EVA copolymers, are even more subject to attack by volatile fractions of diesel fuel. An additional skin of hydrophilic polymer like PVA is needed, but abrasion resistance of the skin, particularly in the rough environmental conditions found in field practice, is remarkably bad, causing removal of the skin and failures of the tube.
Conventional shock tube speeds of deflagration range from 1,800 to 2,200 m/s, or within 10% of a mean speed of 2,000 m/s. On the other hand, the electronic delay blasting cap is characterized by its highly accurate electronic delay element. As a result, when using a conventional shock tube to initiate such as electronic delay blasting cap, it was possible that the high speed of the shock tube interferes with the accuracy of the delay element. In other words, the relatively broad range interferes with the accuracy of the delay element timing. The timing error of a certain length of tube is added to the intrinsic timing error of the electronic circuit. In a typical tube length of 21 m, as used in open pit mining, the error would be within +/−1 ms, while the intrinsic error of the electronic circuits is typically within +/−0.1 ms. Conventional shock tube deflagration generates substantially gaseous reaction products, sustaining a shock wave that quickly disperses most of the released thermal energy, through the expansion of the gases as they leave the tip of the tube. For this reason, a conventional shock tube output is unable to ignite low flame sensitive delay mixtures, demanding an additional, highly flame sensitive, igniter element for ignition of the slower delay elements. Highly flame-sensitive mixtures are usually also highly sensitive to mechanical shock, friction and electrostatic discharge, increasing the risks of accidental detonation. The additional element also increases the manufacturing costs.
A further development in low energy transmission fuses was the tubes that make use of pyrotechnic mixtures inside the tube, as substitutes for the high-explosive-containing powders. A circular tube formed via plastic extrusion with an outer diameter ranging from 2.0 to 6.0 mm, and an inner diameter ranging from 1.0 to 5.0 mm. A powder of pyrotechnic mixture of K2Cr2O7+Al or Mg, Fe2O3+Al or Mg, or Sb2O3+Al or Mg, Sb2O5+Al or Mg or O2+Al or Mg, is introduced in the inner periphery of the tube during formation of the tube. The resulting product is designated as a pyrotechnic shock wave tube. When initiated by a primary explosive detonator, such a tube generates an aluminothermy reaction without gas releases, and develops plasma for energy transmission. Signal transmission tubes are usually complemented with the insertion of a delay blasting cap in the tip of the tube. The blasting cap is made of a metal cap containing two layers of explosive powder pressed inside. The bottom layer is a secondary high explosive, and the upper layer is a primary, flame sensitive explosive. The cap further includes a delay element consisting of a metallic cylinder containing in its interior a compacted column of powdery pyrotechnic delay mixture and, frequently, an additional column of pyrotechnic mixture sensitive to the heat generated by the tube's shock wave.
However, a typical pyrotechnic shock tube has its own drawbacks. The pyrotechnic mixtures use toxic components such as K2Cr2O7 and Sb2O3 and flammable solvents. It demands recycling of the solvents, and creating handling issues and requiring appropriate waste disposal. The process of extrusion of the plastic tube includes the dosing of a previously prepared sensitive pyrotechnic mixture during the formation of the plastic tube, with safety risks in handling and processing. A pyrotechnic shock tube does not resist aggression from the hydrocarbons present in emulsion explosives, and prolonged exposure leads to failures in propagation.
In addition, due to the high Tammann temperature of the components, the mixture of Fe2O3+Al or Mg were also not shown to be feasible in practice, because of low sensibility of these pyrotechnic mixture to the ignition stimulus of blasting caps and a high rate of propagation failures. Mixtures of O2+Al or Mg were not shown to be feasible in practice, due to the loss of gases in the production and use of the product. On the other hand, the formulation of K2Cr2O7 and Sb2O3, Sb2O5 with Al or Mg is highly toxic and highly friction and shock sensitive. Further, reaction products formed in the aluminothermy reactions have low thermal conductivity, which inhibits the ignition of slower, low sensitive delay elements. Moreover, the powdered pyrotechnic mixture also presents a low adherence to the tube polymer, particularly in LLDPE. Pyrotechnic mixtures are not optimized to allow propagation through closed knots, cuts or kinks.
Therefore, the present invention is aimed to solve the above described deficiencies, thus to provide a safe and effective shock tube.

Thermal shock tube and the process of production thereof


A first extracting unit extracts partial images from a learning image. A first calculator calculates a feature amount of the partial image. A retrieving unit retrieves objects included in the partial image, and gives, as a label, a vector to the feature amount. The vector represents relative positions between a first position in the partial image and each object included in the partial image. A voting unit generates a voting histogram for each partial image. A learning unit divides the feature amount of each partial image into clusters to reduce variation of the corresponding voting histogram, so as to learn a regression model representing a relationship between the feature amount of the partial image and the relative position of the object included in the partial image. A first predicting unit predicts, for each cluster, a representative label from the label given to the feature amount belonging to the cluster.

There has been proposed an apparatus that calculates the density of an object included in an input image. For example, there is known a technique that learns a random forest representing the association between the feature amount of a partial image and the object density data of the partial image. This technique uses this random forest to measure the object density of the input image. Additionally, there is known a technique that detects a part of the person included in the input image. This technique calculates the number of persons included in the input image from a detection result.
However, in the technique that learns the random forest, the data volume of the object density data is large. Accordingly, the density calculation requires an enormous memory capacity. In the technique that detects a part of the person, the detection accuracy is decreased as the object such as the person included in the input image becomes smaller, or as the input image includes a larger overlap. Accordingly, with the conventional techniques, it is not possible to perform the density calculation with high accuracy and low memory capacity.

Learning apparatus, density measuring apparatus, learning method, computer program product, and density measuring system


A semiconductor device has a temporary carrier with a designated area for a first semiconductor die. A dam material is deposited on the carrier around the designated area for a first semiconductor die. The first semiconductor die is mounted to the designated area on the carrier. An encapsulant is deposited over the first semiconductor die and carrier. The dam material is selected to have a CTE that is equal to or less than the CTE of the encapsulant. The carrier is removed to expose the encapsulant and first semiconductor die. A first interconnect structure is formed over the encapsulant. An EMI shielding layer can be formed over the first semiconductor die. A second interconnect structure is formed over a back surface of the first semiconductor die. A conductive pillar is formed between the first and second interconnect structures. A second semiconductor die is mounted to the second interconnect structure.

Semiconductor devices are commonly found in modern electronic products. Semiconductor devices vary in the number and density of electrical components. Discrete semiconductor devices generally contain one type of electrical component, e.g., light emitting diode (LED), small signal transistor, resistor, capacitor, inductor, and power metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). Integrated semiconductor devices typically contain hundreds to millions of electrical components. Examples of integrated semiconductor devices include microcontrollers, microprocessors, charged-coupled devices (CCDs), solar cells, and digital micro-mirror devices (DMDs).
Semiconductor devices perform a wide range of functions such as high-speed calculations, transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals, controlling electronic devices, transforming sunlight to electricity, and creating visual projections for television displays. Semiconductor devices are found in the fields of entertainment, communications, power conversion, networks, computers, and consumer products. Semiconductor devices are also found in military applications, aviation, automotive, industrial controllers, and office equipment.
Semiconductor devices exploit the electrical properties of semiconductor materials. The atomic structure of semiconductor material allows its electrical conductivity to be manipulated by the application of an electric field or base current or through the process of doping. Doping introduces impurities into the semiconductor material to manipulate and control the conductivity of the semiconductor device.
A semiconductor device contains active and passive electrical structures. Active structures, including bipolar and field effect transistors, control the flow of electrical current. By varying levels of doping and application of an electric field or base current, the transistor either promotes or restricts the flow of electrical current. Passive structures, including resistors, capacitors, and inductors, create a relationship between voltage and current necessary to perform a variety of electrical functions. The passive and active structures are electrically connected to form circuits, which enable the semiconductor device to perform high-speed calculations and other useful functions.
Semiconductor devices are generally manufactured using two complex manufacturing processes, i.e., front-end manufacturing, and back-end manufacturing, each involving potentially hundreds of steps. Front-end manufacturing involves the formation of a plurality of die on the surface of a semiconductor wafer. Each die is typically identical and contains circuits formed by electrically connecting active and passive components. Back-end manufacturing involves singulating individual die from the finished wafer and packaging the die to provide structural support and environmental isolation.
One goal of semiconductor manufacturing is to produce smaller semiconductor devices. Smaller devices typically consume less power, have higher performance, and can be produced more efficiently. In addition, smaller semiconductor devices have a smaller footprint, which is desirable for smaller end products. A smaller die size may be achieved by improvements in the front-end process resulting in die with smaller, higher density active and passive components. Back-end processes may result in semiconductor device packages with a smaller footprint by improvements in electrical interconnection and packaging materials.
The electrical interconnection in a fan-out wafer level chip scale package (FO-WLCSP) containing semiconductor devices stacked on multiple levels can be accomplished with conductive through silicon vias (TSV), through hole vias (THV), or Cu-plated conductive pillars. Vias are formed in silicon or organic material around the die using laser drilling or deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). The vias are filled with conductive material, for example by copper deposition using an electroplating process, to form the conductive TSVs and THVs. The TSVs and THVs further connect through build-up interconnect structures which are formed across each semiconductor die. An encapsulant is deposited over the stacked semiconductor die.
A common failure issue for the FO-WLCSP is warpage. When the semiconductor die is mounted to a temporary carrier for encapsulation, a mismatch between the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the encapsulant and temporary carrier induces stress that can lead to warpage. In addition, after the FO-WLCSP is formed, a mismatch between the CTE of the encapsulant and build-up interconnect structure induces stress that can lead to warpage, e.g., during temperature cycling or extreme temperature testing. Device failure due to warpage should be avoided or at least minimized, particularly at the final stage of the manufacturing process when the defect is most costly.

Semiconductor device and method of forming dam material around periphery of die to reduce warpage


An articulated chain with alternating inner chain links and outer chain links which are each connected to each other by means of a chain joint, wherein each outer chain link comprises at least two outer link plates and two chain studs connecting them to each other, each inner chain link comprises at least two inner link plates and two joint sleeves connecting them to each other, and for forming a chain joint, one chain stud each of the outer chain link extends through a joint sleeve of the inner chain link. The joint sleeves of the inner chain links are embodied as winding sleeves and firmly connected to the inner link plates, wherein the sleeve joints of the two winding sleeves are positioned on the same side of a link plate's longitudinal axis and face each other, and the sleeve joints are arranged at a distance to the link plate's longitudinal axis and at a distance to an upper apex or to a lower inflection point of the winding sleeve.

In many prior art articulated chains, simple winding sleeves are employed as joint sleeves which are wound of cold-rolled steel bands and replace expensive extruded joint sleeves without seam or joint. In the winding process, a band piece is, after it has passed through a straightener, cut off from the steel band, shaped around a winding spindle and pressed through different templates to shape a hollow-cylindrical winding sleeve. In the articulated chains with arbitrary arrangements of the winding sleeves in the inner link plates, it showed that with an arrangement of the sleeve joints in the external front side regions of the inner link plates, a clearly higher risk of failure is given at the inner chain links. Depending on the tensile load of the articulated chain, a very high premature wear of the joint sleeves occurs in the region of the sleeve joint in the external regions. The wear of the articulated chain generally mainly occurs in the chain joint where the opposed joint surfaces of the chain stud and the joint sleeve move mutually reversibly over a certain angular range. If the sleeve joint is located in this angular range, an increased abrasion between the two joint surfaces and an increased wear of the chain joint occur.
To improve the fatigue limit of the inner chain links, it is known to arrange the sleeve joints of the winding sleeve such that they are opposed on the link plate's longitudinal axis of the inner link plates. Corresponding methods and devices for manufacturing inner chain links and articulated chains where the sleeve joint of the winding sleeves are positioned in the centre of the inner link plates on the link plate's longitudinal axis are known from DE 1 752 557 A and U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,410 A. From citations EP 1 070 873 A1, JP-S58 025 840 A, and WO 2003/067119 A2, articulated chains are moreover known where the sleeve joint of the winding sleeve extends in an inclined, bent or curved manner towards the front side of the winding sleeve. Despite the various measures for arranging the sleeve joint of the winding sleeve within the inner chain link and for forming the sleeve joint itself, the fatigue limit of an articulated chain with joint sleeves of the inner chain links embodied as winding sleeves is clearly reduced compared to extruded joint sleeves free from sleeve joints.
With respect to the articulated chains known from prior art with joint sleeves of the inner link plates embodied as winding sleeves, there therefore is a demand to reduce the wear of the chain joints and to increase the fatigue limit of the inner chain links to increase the operational safety and lifetime of the articulated chains. The progressing technical development requires, just in the field of internal combustion engines and even with already well-established components, a constant innovation pressure and the demand to improve existing concepts. With respect to the constant cost pressure existing in the automobile industry in connection with high piece numbers, a general constant demand for optimisation moreover results.

Articulated chain with sleeve joints arranged at an angle


A method and apparatus wherein traditional design methodologies directed toward obtaining minimized component costs are largely set aside in favor of mass customization, reduced design and ownership costs, and shorter design cycles. The distributed architecture contemplates widespread distribution of monitoring and control functions for most device-specific hardware under the direction of a CPU module. In implementation of the distributed architecture, various component modules are placed in communication with the CPU module through at least one and preferably multiple communication busses.

The food and beverage dispenser industry is continuously challenged to produce dispensers of widely varied specification. For example, a particular restaurant chain may desire a dispenser having a keypad with a particular number and type of identified flavors with or without automated portion controls while another restaurant chain may desire a keypad having only simple on and off type controls for one or two beverage products. Depending upon the specifications of the desired dispenser, keypads and/or flow control valves of widely varying capabilities may be necessary. Traditionally, the industry has met customer needs by determining the necessary components and then designing a centralized controller comprising necessary hardware and software for operation of the various keypads, valve modules and the like. Unfortunately, this usually results in the design of another unique centralized controller for each dispenser. Consequently, the industry is generally hampered in its efforts to quickly and economically respond to customer requests. Further, a simple modification such as the addition of a single button to a keypad could necessitate complete redesign of the controller, which may be prohibitively costly.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to entirely overhaul the manner in which food and beverage type dispensers are produced such that minor and even major configuration changes may be handled with minimal time and effort. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to set forth such a design methodology that in no manner limits the introduction of improved or more capable components. Finally, it is an object of the present invention to set forth such a design methodology that in fact reduces overall cost of ownership of a food or beverage dispenser.

Distributed architecture for food and beverage dispensers


Device and method for identifying a component surrounded by an outer package A device (11) for identification of a component (2) surrounded by an external package (12, 19) is described. For this purpose an identification element (14) is arranged in the area of the component (2). The identification element (14) can be identified through the external package by means of an acoustic method and/or scanning method. Furthermore a method for identifying a component (2) surrounded by an external package (12, 19) using the device in accordance with the invention (11) is described.

For many years digital X-ray detectors have been changing classical radiography. The wide variety of newer technologies which have been in use for a long time or are becoming mature enough to be marketed include image enhancement camera systems based of television or CCD cameras, memory foil systems with integrated or external read-out unit, systems with optical coupling of the converter foil to CCDs or CMOS chips, selenium-based detectors with electrostatic readout as well as semiconductor detectors with active readout matrices with direct or indirect conversion of the X-ray radiation.
In particular various innovative semiconductor X-ray detectors for digital X-ray imaging have been under development for some years now, using various technologies to convert the original X-ray image information into a form that can be evaluated to produce electronic images. One option is to initially convert the original image information in an X-ray converter, consisting for example of cesium-iodide, into electromagnetic radiation with a low frequency, and subsequently convert it and store it in a photo-diode matrix into a electrical charge pattern corresponding to the image information. The charge pattern stored latently within the photo diode matrix is then read out and processed further to create the image.
A further technology for example uses semiconductor X-ray converters made of selenium which generate an electrical charge pattern directly which corresponds to the original image information. The latent stored charge pattern in the X-ray converter is then in its turn read out and further processed for image processing.
The conversion layers of these types of semiconductor X-ray detectors, which use X-ray converters based on cesium-iodide, selenium or other materials do not have any complete resistance to external climatic influences, such as for example temperature, humidity or air pressure. Furthermore these types of semiconductor X-ray detectors are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation as well as to any form of electrostatic charge.
Comprehensive precautions therefore need to be taken up when dispatching such semiconductor X-ray detectors. One is to apply waterproof and air-tight layers during manufacturing to protect the X-ray converter layer against external climatic influences. These layers however do not guarantee any complete protection for the expensive sensors. Another precaution is to pack the semiconductor X-ray detectors in a metalized, antistatic, i.e. opaque and frequently also partly evacuated plastic foil. The plastic foil is tightly hermetically sealed or sealed in some other way to give this protection.


A golf putter includes a putter head that is equipped with three ball-striking surfaces, such that the putter can be used by a right-handed golfer or a left-handed golfer, employing either a conventional putting stance perpendicular to the ball roll path or a non-conventional putting stance facing the ball target. The club head is connected to the shaft at a center location coinciding with the head center of gravity. Also, the upper surface of the putter has a central cavity and two opposing rails that cause the putter weight to be concentrated at the perimeter of the head, thus tending to minimize the effect of mishits on ball travel accuracy on all three ball striking positions. The shaft to head connection is aligned with the ball roll in all ball striking positions.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a golf putter, and particularly to a long shafted golf putter having a putter head that has three individual ball-striking surfaces. The putter head has a ball-striking surface on the toe, a second ball-striking surface at the front of the putter body, and a third ball-striking surface at the rear of the putter body. The putter is thereby suited for use by either right or left-handed golfers facing either perpendicular to the ball roll path or parallel to the ball roll path.
2. Prior Art Developments
Conventional long shafted putters are designed for use by both right-handed golfers and left-handed golfers, but usually not by using the toe of the putter by both right and left handed golfers.
A conventional long shafted golf putter usually has a shaft that has a length of about fifty inches. The golfer places his hands at spaced points along the putter shaft, with his body perpendicular to the ball roll path. The putter is held in front of the golfer's body and swung in a vertical arc toward the target. The golfer uses a swinging motion. As far as I am aware no putter uses the toe area.

Golf putter having three ball-striking surfaces


A longitudinally coupled resonator type surface acoustic wave filter includes a high-acoustic-velocity member, a low-acoustic-velocity film provided on the high-acoustic-velocity member, a piezoelectric film provided on the low-acoustic-velocity film, a plurality of interdigital transducers provided on the piezoelectric film and along a propagation direction of a surface acoustic wave and each including a plurality of electrode fingers, and reflectors arranged such that the interdigital transducers are interposed therebetween from both sides in the propagation direction of the surface acoustic wave. An electrode finger pitch is uniform or substantially uniform in each of the interdigital transducers. When a wavelength determined by the electrode finger pitch in the reflector is defined as λ, an inter-electrode finger center distance that is an interval between each of the interdigital transducers and the interdigital transducer adjacent thereto is not shorter than about 0.25λ and not longer than about 0.37λ.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a longitudinally coupled resonator type surface acoustic wave filter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, a longitudinally coupled resonator type surface acoustic wave filter is widely used as a band pass filter for use in a cellular phone or the like.
In the longitudinally coupled resonator type surface acoustic wave filter disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-009588, a narrow-pitch portion having a small electrode finger pitch is provided at a portion at which a first interdigital transducer and a second interdigital transducer are adjacent to each other. Thus, insertion loss is reduced.
The elastic wave device disclosed in International Publication No. 2012/086639 has a multilayer body in which a high-acoustic-velocity film, a low-acoustic-velocity film, and a piezoelectric film are laminated. Thus, leakage of energy of a surface acoustic wave is reduced.
However, when a narrow-pitch portion as in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-009588 is provided in the elastic wave device disclosed in International Publication No. 2012/086639, a spurious response sometimes occurs in a frequency region at approximately 1.1 times of a high-frequency-side end portion of a pass band.


A microscope apparatus includes a stage for holding a specimen, a stand portion for holding the stage, an arm portion having two arms extending from an upper part of the stand portion to a front side of the microscope apparatus, an optical system supported by the arm portion and configured to enlarge an image of the specimen on the stage, and gripping portions provided respectively on lower parts of the two arms and configured to be gripped by an observer.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a microscope apparatus having an arm for supporting an optical system.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, microscope apparatuses having an objective lens, an eyepiece, a stage, a light source, or the like as basic components thereof have been manufactured in a variety of designs. In order to ensure observation of a clear image, it is necessary to enhance rigidity of a main body of the microscope apparatus. The main body is usually made of metal. Therefore, the microscope apparatus is heavy. When the microscope apparatus is moved by human power, the microscope apparatus may not be moved easily if it is difficult to hold the microscope apparatus.
As a technology to solve this situation, a microscope apparatus having a first holding unit and a second holding unit is disclosed (for example, refer to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-221104). The first holding unit is arranged on a back side of a microscope main body and above the center of gravity of the microscope main body. The second holding unit is arranged so as to substantially face the first holding unit across the center of gravity.
In addition, a microscope is disclosed that has, on an interior surface of a microscope arm, a recessed portion configured to be gripped by an observer (for example, refer to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0213200).